Rare or popular: discuss your preference

I think this is a interesting topic

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
For me, I just buy sculpts that appeal to myself (and fit into my doll group). . . so far most of them seem to be more on the rare side than popular so. . . rare I guess(^^

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?
Hmm. . . so far there has not been a super popular mold that I'd like to own, but I wouldn't buy a doll only because it is popular to gets lots of views. (@@; I think I may be turned off to buying a super popular mold tho because I'm guessing that a lot of the customizable possibilities have been done. . . and it would be hard to do something original.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
Not really CP, but there are specific dolls I am more interested in seeing and I will go for those first.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
as in no pics at all. . . even in the sales thread. . . (O___O) NO WAY.

EDIT: opps I thought that last question was about buying in the market place (@_@;;
err. . . if there was a doll that no one on the forum had and I liked it, I would totally go for it.

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?

Well first off, it would be one that stood out haha but of it were the choice of rare or popular I suppose it would be rare. Because then it would be more precious to me

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?

I wouldnt try to get gallery views. If I like my doll, I dont care if other people dont

I suppose I can see the view of not wanting to be a follower but when it comes down to it, for me, if I like it, I like it...not much I can do about that. Plus, it would get my uniqueness so no one else would technically have the same as me

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.

Yeah totally!

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?

As in to see other peoples? I suppose as long as I had seen initial images of it it wouldnt matter if I had seen it on the forums or not. I suppose with a couple of dolls I was glad I had seen images on here as it showed me that parts I didnt really like of them

 

Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?

Neither is important for me. A few things come into play. First, the sculpt. Second, the overall look of the body. Third, the price. People will say that "I'll pay anything for the right doll", and this is true for me with a bisque porcelain BJD, but not with resin. The fact that resin yellows over time comes into play with regards to price and doll limits. Also important for me is accessibility. I don't want to jump through hoops and run around in circles for a doll.

Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?

Personally, I purchase dolls for me. As an observer of the gallery, however, I feel the less popular the doll, the more interesting the different interpretations. This is probably because people tend to be more daring with less popular dolls with regards to artistic interpretations including face-ups. I like to see intriguing dolls, not the same looks over and over again.

Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.

Not at all. I'm more interested in artistic interpretations than just another picture of another doll. I want to see something creative that highlights the doll and gives a good presenation. Personally, I feel "great" dolls speak for themselves and don't need a load of photoshopping either. I do like to see FCS Volks dolls, however, because I will be buying these dolls for me.

Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?

Of course. I like my dolls to be unique.

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?

Definitely rare, I always prefer things that are harder to find or unique in some way (maybe that's shallow in it's own right, but as long as it feels "special" to me, I'm happy!) Pretty much all of my collection are LEs or hard-to-find, so... I can't deny that it does affect my purchasing decisions. If I saw a million incarnations of a certain mold, and bought it, I don't think I would ever be able to feel like it was really "mine".

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?

No, I... don't post in the gallery that often and I'm not that concerned with how many people view/post in my gallery threads. Most of the popular dolls... I don't want to buy, but I think that's because I just don't like them. If I really wanted a popular doll, I would be satisfied with customizing them to make them unique (I assume, since it hasn't happened... although we'll see with my unoa? )

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.

Nope, the opposite, I have no interest in looking at CP dolls. Like georgia said, I'm more likely to look at threads with rarer dolls, seeing the same thing over and over again is boring. Although mostly I look for posts by people whose photographs I routinely like, before considering which dolls are pictured.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?

Yes, as I was collecting for quite a while before I even found the forums... heh.


I think it all comes down to why you're in the hobby. I don't think there's anything wrong with liking a doll just because it's popular. Even if you buy it for that reason, if it makes you happy once you get it, it's okay. Really, this *is* a hobby--so it's about enjoying yourself, however you go about it.

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?

I don't really give a cat's whiskers, because I buy what I like. It so happens that what I fancy, isn't exactly EXTREMELY popular. I see many Hounds, but very few are modded SA, and I would love to see more of those.

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?

As I've said, I really wouldn't care. But to an extent, I don't really like to buy the VERY popular dolls, say, an El or F-16. They are beautiful, yes, but I don't think I could find myself owning one as I probably would struggle with a look for them.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.

Lol, actually, nope. I'd rather click gallery threads that feature not-so-popular dolls, simply because it's so hard to find pictures of them that aren't stock photos

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?

Definitely. I have faith in my tastes. xD;

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?

If theyre a character, I will buy them! But if Im honest I do prefer the underrated dolls. I want a Hyun and a Harang because not many people have them but I think theyre beautiful ^^

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?

Ugh no! I buy who I want regardless! Im getting a Shiwoo as my third doll, but thats not cos Ill get more gallery views!

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.

Well it depends who Im looking at! There are very few Harangs, so I look at any photoshoot with him in it! Same with Hyun!

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?

If he/she was a doll that I really wanted then of course I would!

 

dosnt matter to me as long as I have the doll I want and love

I had a white Unoa Sist ...she was nice ...but I didnt bond that well
now I have a normal resin Unoa ...who isnt as rare ...difficult to get ...but not rare

and I prefer her so much more

so at the end of the day ...its who you love

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
I prefer dolls that plain old appeal to me but given this question I notice rarer sculpts appeal to me more than popular ones. I have unusual not so mainstream tastes


- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?
I don't buy because something is popular rather because it appeals to me. I tend to take advantage of customizing options. I like unique dolls I can relate to as my own so I'm less likely to buy a doll that is too popular

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favorite company.
No I have a few companies I like. I tend to be more doll specific. I'm more likely to click on a post of someone I'm acquainted with in the forum though.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
I prefer seeing owners pics now

 

I've tended to avoid rare dolls like the plague, mainly because I'm always scared something will happen to a doll I really love and then if I'm not able to replace it, I'll be heartbroken. When I started collecting BJDs, I bought DIM and Elfdoll because they were the easiest to get hold of and since then I've sold some and bought others. I seem to have a couple more 'harder to get hold of' dolls such as Sabik and now a Nanuri on the way, but they've been purchased simply because I loved their sculpt. I suppose because I've had my dolls for a couple of years and fingers crossed, no broken fingers, feet or anything, I feel a little bit more inclined to dare to get a rarer doll. I'm hoping to eventually get a Unoa Marion but as far as owning a doll for the sake of being one of only a few, that holds no appeal. When you go to a doll meet, most of the BJDs are so highly customised, most of them are ooak anyway. I don't think people need a company to make theirs unique.

 

I never thought of that

 

Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
I haven't got a clue! I've worked very hard over the years at not figuring out what is actually popular in anything so that it doesn't influence my own decisions one way or another, not entirely successful, but mostly. Rare? Well, because of DIM redoing their body, my hybrid Achernar was one of the first appearing on the board, but there's more showing up now, and I love seeing how differently we're interpreting the mould. I think my future plans run most of the spectrum between popular/common and rare, just absolutely no fancy, buy it for the styling someone else gave it, dolls. If I can't buy it unpainted I probably won't buy it.

Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?
It would hurt if I got absolutely no views at all, but as I doubt that'll ever happen no matter what doll I get there's no reason for influence either way. If I had a character for an El one would be on my wishlist, but I don't so he isn't.

Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favorite company.
I wouldn't say a company influences my clicking. There's a couple moulds I'm almost guaranteed to look at (only one CP, MNF Shiwoo but most of the Dollshe boys) and one or two specific dolls (like ShimmeringCat's Wish) but for the most part I'm more likely to go for an interesting but not overblown title. Oh, and there's one Dollshe boy that actually makes it more likely I'll skip the thread. So far NONE of the dolls on my wishlist are from the same company (except the twins, but at least one of them will be a hybrid).

Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
While it's nice to see them on the forum, and even nicer to see in real life, as I do see more and more of them in real life I learn to interpret the company photos better. And I bought my boy's body before joining DoA, so I only had company photos to go on there. Actually, the best way to influence me to buy a doll is to show me the unpainted head, I want to see whether the underlying shape could hold one of my characters. And unpainted heads just don't make it to photoshoots that often.

I see the dolls as individuals, especially if they've been customized at all. I would say that for almost every mould I like in general I've seen at least one individual doll I don't like, and for almost every mould I don't like there's at least one individual doll I do like.
I think the only influence a doll mould being extremely common/popular would have on me was a higher willingness to do greater customizations/modifications to it (major plans for my Dollshe boy once I get him). And I'd be afraid to mod (to the extent of not risking the faceup through handling) an LE doll making it impossible to connect, so I'd never get one.

 

Years ago I bought a rare and expensive resin figurine and it got damaged, although it's fixable. That turned me off buying rares of anything ever again. If I bought a rare BJD the fear of it being damaged would prevent me from enjoying it. The urge to customise would be greatly diminished. The reason I like BJD's (not mentioning their beauty) is that they can be customised. Once customised no matter how much, they become rare in their own right. To me, that is what BJD's are all about.

I could not justify spending a lot of money on a BJD. The value I place on my BJD/BJDs comes from my artistic input, not production numbers.

 

Like many have already said, I like what I like. I click on certain gallery posts because they feature a mold I like (so not because of the company, really). However, within those dolls that I already like... I am slightly more tempted by the ones that are rarer on the forums. And I am DEFINITELY hesitant to buy an El, because they're so extremely popular ;_; I want one so bad. But I feel like my El would look like somebody else's El without me meaning to do it, and then not only is it boring for the Gallery (not that I post there much), but it isn't fun for me. If I ever come up with an ingenius plan to make my El original, I'll buy him in a heartbeat XD Otherwise, he's just too popular to make different from all the rest @___@

 

Ugh wow. Lol, Even though you wouldn't be able to tell by the two dolls I own and the ones on my wishlist, ( Own :CP El and Breakaway Wishlist: MNF Shiwoo, Bernard, Limho Mono, Elf Shiwoo, and Woosoo @_@), a doll's popularity actually doesn't matter to me one whit. I love a doll because I love them, period. Not because I've seen a kajillion pictures of them or because everyone has one. If the mold calls to me, it goes on my wishlist. It just so happens though that the molds that have called to me have called to countless others too lol!

I DO however tend to have a few favourite companies. I'm partial to CP dolls and Dollshe boys. I also tend not to like Volks sculpts and lots of other companies too, but not because of popularity or unpopularity. Just because I don't personally find those dolls attractive.

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular? Well when it came to anything whether dolls, anime, or video games, I used to always aim for "rare" or the more unpopular stuff. I don't usually target such by intent, but whenever I run across a doll I like, it ends up being an unpopular mold, but I still love the doll nonetheless.
I think buying a doll just because of popularity is kinda senseless, because it makes it seem that getting the doll is only for others attention instead of truly appreciating the doll.

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?
XD well I just negated this from the above. But I am actually get an extremely popular mold, and I kinda resent myself for it, but I am purely getting that mold b/c it resembles a roleplay character of mine, but again, I'm not getting it just for popularity, but b/c it fits my character. And no I do not wanna see myself as a follower, so I'm gonna make my doll so much cooler than others I've seen.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company. Well CP is one of my favorite company's b/c it's got more "anime-styled" molds. But that doesn't restrict me to just one company. I love molds of other companies as well.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
If it's a mold that looks like my rp characters, then yes! XD

 

Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
Neither. I buy a doll because I like how it looks. I really couldn't care less if I were the only one to have it, or if everyone and their mom had one, too (ie. El).

Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?
I couldn't care less if I got only one gallery view or if I got a thousand. My dolls are for me. My photography is for my own personal enjoyment, and I hardly think that the number of views in the gallery equals status or popularity of the owner.
As for popular dolls, I don't think it's right to view others as being 'followers' for simply sharing a great enjoyment of a particular face sculpt or aesthetic. I own a Too, and so do lots of other people; it's a cute head. Share the love.

Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
No.
To be completely honest, CP is not really my favorite company. I like maybe 3of their dolls enough to want to own one. :/

Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
Sure! Why not? I bought from DOD long before I had ever heard of DoA, and everything turned out peachy.
If a doll appeals to me, I'd go for it. I've bought the majority (ie all) of my dolls without actually viewing owner pics in the gallery.

 

I buy a doll also based on what I like. It can be a popular one or a rare one. If it appeals to me then I try to aquire it. I have different dolls from different companies as I have tried to aquire different looks. I have rainy dolls, luts dolls, a supia, a narae, a bishonen, a Cocorri, Kaye Wiggs heads and body. I like Lily Koi faceups and have a couple of those, some koo doll heads, etc. I have aquired them because I like them. My latest aquisitions are a unoa sist and Ark which are totally at opposite ends of the spectrum. LOL!!! I just am a compulsive collector of wonderful dollfies!!!!!

 

Personally, neither popularity or rarity have any influence when I buy a doll. I simply buy ones that I fall in love with. Sometimes that comes from owners' pics but just as often from seeing a beauty on Ebay or manufacturer's site. I have a particular fondness for Unidolls &, other than Jace, I don't often see pics of them.

I must admit though that I'm more likely to click on photos of lesser known dolls basically because I'm always curious about new things. That doesn't mean that I'll ignore CP pics as they have some gorgeous sculpts & people often get quite creative with them.

I've bought many dolls that I haven't seen on the forums. If I have an instantaneous reaction to a doll, then I know it's for me. Afterwards I will often try to find owner pics but I'm not always successful.

 

I like what I like. and I'd probably going to purchase dolls that can bond with me...

To be extremely honest. I am not a slightest bit a fan of Volks dolls.
I am aware that some people might think I'm a big newb like... "she knows Korean doll first and she's in love with it...probably because she could not afford Japanese dolls"
well, if people really do think so, then I don't mind...
It is true that I can't afford Japanese dolls. Korean dolls killed my wallet bad enough...
but lucky for me I don't have any particular wish doll from such company as Volks or Unoa. Korean dolls make me happy already.

as for being called a follower, I think that's kind of a problem.
I did say "I don' want a Kid Delf" but after seeing people's real Hodoo doll and see how cute it is, then now I purchased KD dream Cherry from the same company (Luts).
Does that make me a follower?

and I am afraid I'd want to buy something after I see the real doll in person...
I am afraid that the person would think "she's copying me...how unoriginal"
that's not happening to me at the moment, but I am afraid it COULD happen.
because I myself feel annoyed when people starts to "I want to buy the same doll like that you want to buy and I'm getting it soon~" me...
that's annoying and I don't want to be like that to other people...

 

What appeals to me is the doll itself and how it looks. I've liked enough sculpts that have just been released and are without a fanbase yet. I own only one doll but my wishlist range from lesser seen dolls to ones that pop up everyday.

I don't care enough about gallery views to fork out USD500+ for just that. O_O If I'm going to spend that amount of money, I sure hope I won't base it on how many people will look at pictures of my doll.

Honestly, I click on threads when I see familiar names, people whom I know take pretty pictures or own dolls I like. Interesting titles catch my attention too and so do favourite sculpts (that aren't favourite to the majority either). I'm more likely to look at rarer sculpts since I don't see them often. But if I'm on long holiday, I usually end up looking at almost every thread in the gallery for the first two pages. >_>