Rare or popular: discuss your preference

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
Rare.　I tend to like WS more than NS, making it harder to acquire due to general unpopularity or production. I pick by feature though, so it`s not always "rare".

- 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 buy the doll because I like how it looks. I know my Eulalia has been thought of as "butt-ugly" on some russian journal and dissed comment-wise. I like my girl, I feel offended yes but not afraid.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
People can be offended possibly, but I have no interest in CP dolls due to their aesthetics.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
Oh, yes. Have I mentioned my Eulalia is the only Cygophilia BJD on forum?

 

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

Rare. However, I buy a doll if I like it, regardless of how rare or popular it is. It's just that if a doll I wanted to buy was rare, it's be priority on my list opposed to popular ones.

- 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 plan to upload too many photos unless its for other people's reference so no. If I really like a doll, I don't concentrate on anything but its price. ^^

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

Well, my favorite company is Dream of Doll. So I would be more likely to click one that features doll from that company.

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

Yes.

 

Being the sort of person who has more specific tastes, and complex views on each doll, I tend to just pick what I like. It seems interesting to see which dolls are rare or popular. My first doll research didn't truly start in the community that we have here, it started with personal reviews of each doll available to me and with came my own thoughts about certain companies and their sculpts. Only when it came ordering time did really start looking into each company's background, and then it was only to find which were the most reliable to order from. Even now I am still not sure which dolls are more popular or rarer aside from the Rozen Maidrn series by Volks, being that I had to feast my eyes on them after initially reading the series which came after ordering my first dolls. If I had to choose, I suppose I would probably go for rarer as I would enjoy the personal thought of OOAK dolls being part of my home.

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
I don't care at all about how rare or popular a doll is. I pick them purely because they look like my characters. To be honest, I would be a bit annoyed if the perfect doll happened to be a rare one (in the sense of a limited or difficult-to-find one), because trying to get it would stress me out.

- 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?
Neither. Maybe I would rather have a doll that not a lot of people have - but if it so happens that everyone and their sister has the doll that I think is perfect for my character, I won't let that fact keep me from getting my own.

I don't buy dolls in order to get gallery views. I buy them for myself. I want to share their pictures with other people, but really, the only person who is supposed to be pleasd with them is myself.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
Nope. I'll go looking for gallery threads featuring specific dolls when I'm considering buying one, but otherwise I treat all threads equally :p. That, and I wouldn't go looking for CP dolls because I'm not especially fond of them.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
Yes. That's how I bought my first doll. I only saw owner pictures after I had ordered him. He just felt so right. He still does.

 

I think you are more likely to jump and buy a rare doll because you feel you may miss out and then latter regret your buying.

 

Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
Generally, it doesn't matter, but if a doll is extremely rare and I can't find any owner pics, I'd be hesitant to buy it. With really popular ones, sometimes I get so tired of seeing them online that I doubt I'd ever want them in my house.

- 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, and I can't even imagine spending so much money on something just to impress other people.

Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
I do look at threads for brands I like, but if I see a thread for a doll I've never heard of, I'll be even more likely to click that one out of curiosity.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
Yes, but only if I've seen owner pictures of dolls from the same company to get an idea of the quality.

 

I like the idea of having ~the only doll on the forum~, but it seems like my tastes lean towards dolls with about average popularity xD I don't think I would buy a super popular doll though. Partially because the most popular sculpts seem to be a little too.. generic for me. No offense to 'em, I just love sculpts with a lot of personality. I also just don't want to be another person with X sculpt, and eventually it would make me like the doll less.

I think if given the choice between two dolls I loved equally, one which was unpopular and one that everyone and their grandmother has, I'd go with the less popular one.

 

The deciding factor is the sculpt. And since I am a dolt when it comes to technology, I probably won't be posting any pictures on the gallery. BJDs are easily customised with mods, face-ups, eyes, wigs and more. Dolls may be of the same sculpt can still be one of a kind. Anyway, its my doll, so I don't care what others may think. I have fallen head over heels in love with both limited and non-limited dolls. Too bad the limited one is long sold out. But just because I may have to go an extra mile to get him (if I ever got him that is) does not mean I won't love the commonly available one less because both are unique!

 

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

Honestly it doesn't matter. It all depends on whether or not the doll "speaks to me" when I see it. If I look at it and it draws me in, I just know I want it. To have something rare is kind of neat but it wouldn't sell me on it. On the other hand the dollies can get quite expensive so it's nice to see multiple pictures of a doll in different looks before I buy it to know I actually will more than likely enjoy what I'm getting.

2. 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?

Being that I'm very new to this site and ABJDs in general I can't say for sure but I'm almost certain this wouldn't apply to me. I like what I like. If no one wants to view it, that's OK with me as long as I love it. If everyone else has the sculpt, I will more than likely add my own spin on it but if it's still seen as following, so be it. I couldn't really care any less about those things. I come from the world of antique BJDs and I feel the same about them. Having a rare 1890 french bisque 8,000 US Dollar doll would be awesome but if the more common one is more beautiful to me, I'm going to go with that one, even if money weren't an issue. For me it's also about quality, I really enjoy quality dolls.

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

Being new to this world I've been doing a lot of research and looking and galleries, I've started to lean towards certain companies as favorites for sure. But I am also interested in seeing the sculpts of other companies I've never heard of before. Not to mention I love seeing the art people create out of the dolls, so I do like looking at them all.

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

Yes, if I could find multiple pictures of it and the company is known for their quality.

 

Well I like the idea of having a rare doll (I'm this way with anime figures as well)..it's nice to have something that not many people have. But then again, popular dolls are popular for a reason. They probably have an exceptionally nice sculpt or look or something. I've personally seen some amazing dolls on different sites only to find out it's actually the SAME doll, just with a different wig/eyes/outfit. So rather than buying because it's rare or popular, I'd just buy it because it looks so nice.

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
It depends. A lot of popular dolls are popular because they are so good looking but I have to lean to rare dolls. I like having a unique collection ^_^

- 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?
Nope. I buy a doll when I fall in love with it. Sure it's nice to get a lot of views but it's also nice to love the dolls you have, not the popularity they get you. I do hate getting really popular dolls because I don't want to be "that follower". I tend to have a liking to lesser popular companies as opposed to the very popular ones like CP. (But I am a HUGE CP fan! Just not enough to own a lot of them. A few would be nice ^_^ )

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
It depends which doll it features. If it's one of the CP ones I have on my wish list then most likely but if it's just a random CP doll then probably not.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
If it is a doll that is completely my taste then probably. I buy dolls that I love a lot ^_^

 

i think you should buy whatever doll you like! i have just bought a fairly rare lati doll, not because she was rare, but because i loved her face. my next doll im planning on is also a rare doll, but i have a few basics on my wishlist as well.

 

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

Neither, I have different types and prices of dolls that appeal to me visually but at the end of the day, buying my first doll came down to money and a discount (as well as appealing). Of course, I was brought into this type of doll collecting by other people blogging about certain types of doll but I chose to buy a cheaper doll for my first one because everything fitted to make it acceptable to buy at the time.

- 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?

Would not bother me in the least! I'd love to get more experienced with making doll clothes and get more gallery views for my crafting that than purchasing a popular doll at a higher expense.

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

Too new to really be applicable but I may well now trawl to see if there's any info about the doll |I'm getting, haven't found anything yet. I guess the gallery's another place to look.

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

I may well have done!

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
neither. if i like the doll then i like the doll, despite it's popularity or rarity.

- 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?
uhm no.. the reason i buy a doll is because of my personal opinion. i wouldn't spend that much money on something just because i think other people will 'like' it. and vice versa.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
uhm.. again, no. not that they're a bad doll/anything, they just don't fit with my aesthetic taste. i prefer my dolls to me more realistic looking.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
if i like it then yes the 1st doll that i bought (and he's still the only one that i have) is a souldoll jinwoo, in which not many people have him since he was only on sale for a week and from a not so popular company back then. but yeah. i'm very very pleased with him.

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
I don't judge a doll by popularity, but you'll find more pictures of popular dolls, and probably more good pictures that show the potential of the doll. That might affect my taste in dolls.

- 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 and no. I only buy dolls I love, gallery views means nothing to me. I have to admit I'm a bit closer to the second question, but I don't entirely agree. I used to love Delf El back when I joined the hobby, but as I saw a lot of pictures of him (A lot of people own one after all) I ended up getting bored with the mold.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
Kinda yeah, I almost always open gallery threads titled "Fairyland, SOOM or Iplehouse".

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
Maybe. Owner pictures means a lot to me, when picking a doll. I'm not sure I would dare order a doll, I'd never seen owner pictures of.

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
I don't really base my decision on whether the doll is rare or popular when I buy a doll. I buy what I like. So if the doll happens to have a face I like, I'll buy it! Most of my dolls aren't very popular but I didn't purchase them because they aren't popular. I bought them because I like their face sculpts.

- 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 wouldn't do either one. I would never buy a doll just to get gallery views. I'm not going to buy something I don't even like. And if I like a doll enough, I will buy it no matter how popular it is. I'm sure I have some semi-popular doll sculpts on my wishlist.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
No. I don't really like a lot of CP dolls so I wouldn't go searching for gallery threads of them. I usually look at gallery threads featuring sculpts that I like/own/plan to own in the future.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
Of course! I think I've already done this a couple of times, haha. Like I mentioned previously, a lot of my dolls are not very popular. One or two of them had no owner pictures at all on DoA (or anywhere else that I could find) at the time I purchased them.

 

Im the type of girl who hates being a copy cat but If I love the doll it doesn't matter if its popular or rare! And also I love rare dolls which are popular!

 

I don't care about popular or rare, I just buy the molds I like. That being said though, my absolute favorite molds (Leekeworld Mihael tops that list by a wide margin) tend to be more rare, at least not extremely popular, as they tend to have a quite unique and not very "mainstream" look. I'm very much fond of realistic dolls, but not the ones that I feel look too perfect (while realistic), like for example IpleHouse (though they do have some sculpts I absolutely adore.)

So you could say I'm more attracted to rare, but that's mainly because my favorite doll-looks tend to be those that aren't extremely popular

 

I am definitely a sucker for rare dolls. I love having a more unique character, and rarer dolls feel more "personal" to me: There is less risk of running into someone who did exactly the same to that particular model.
However I would not buy a doll simply because it's rare, and I have seriously thought about getting the popular Resinsoul Mei, because she's just so beautiful. However, knowing that there are so many people who have one was one of the reasons I didn't get her. Not necessarily because I like to be an oddball or the doll would be "too mainstream", but because I didn't necessarily needed to OWN her to look at it. Actually you could say that popular dolls save me money: I like looking at them, and because there are so many to look at, I don't feel the need to buy one myself.

The gallery-view thing doesn't concern me the least. Sure I like to show off my dolls and get compliments, but in the end I buy dolls for me, not for other people. I'm not a television maker that depends on viewing ratings. I already own a Hujoo and might even buy an Obistu some day, knowing that they aren't allowed on this forum (which I think is rather stupid, but that's another case).

I DO click topics featuring dolls that I like (to have) more than others, but I think almost everybody does that. Everyone has a favourite, right? I'm a big Unoa fan and still need to do the face-up on my own (soon-to-arrive), so I spend a lot of time looking at other people's Unoas to get inspiration.
Then again if a company name shows up that I've never heard of I am also more intrigued and will click on the topic to see what it is. So I suppose it's just a matter of curiousity, and not really about what's popular or not. It might cause me to miss some beautiful possibilities/sources of inspiration, but I think just skipping randomly through the forum to avoid that will cause me more "yawns" than "wows".

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
What if it is rare AND popular? I have fallen hard for Soom MDs lately, expecially the Remaining Story ones. They fit both criteria.

- 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 care much about gallery views... If I get any, it is good, and if not, it is okay too. Actually I don't post much in the gallery, I have dA for that, here on DoA I prefer to look at other's dollies ^^ And no, I don't care at all if I am seen as a follower. If there would be noone to "follow" I would have missed learning about beautiful sculpts that I want to make my own. If I had never seen an inspiring owner's pic of a doll, I am not sure I would be into BJDs at all.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
No. But I am definitely more likely to click threads that feature Soom dolls.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
Yes, have before. If the doll is a new sculpt, and there are no pictures of it yet, and still I want to have one as soon as possible, there is no other possibility, isn't there?