Reducing your doll collection/doll wish list.

It's a bit easier for me as I have very specific tastes! Only females, artist dolls, tan or dark resin. I like a curvier figure, or at very least realistic (not thin).

I did have a much longer wishlist previously than I have now, but downsizing my collection has also downsized the wishlist!! I think I have 15-ish dolls? But looking to downsize to 7.

I mainly want a Twigling Ingenue or Ingenuisie, and maybe a Magic Mirror Keira. Who are your top wishlist dolls?

 

I think that depends on the person honestly.
When I started looking at bjds I wanted almost every doll I came across. As I have gotten older and spent more time in the hobby I started focusing on less and less dolls that I needed to own. For example, I have decreased the amount of dolls that have similar face sculpts or ones I did not like the body of (because I do not hybrid). I also have removed dolls from my list that are only offered in 'white, pink, and yellow' skin since I feel I have an over abundance of those and would prefer a fantasy color or darker skin tone over more of the same.
Space is also a large contributor to me. I have many more hobbies than just my bjds and everything requires space to store it in (including the boxes). I have reduced my wish list in the last year just thinking about the space alone.
Finally, reducing the amount of dolls I buy in a year and recognizing how much I spend on my dolls has made me consider the things in my life that I should be using that money for. Like a house or special shoes for my chronic feet issues.

Hope my examples offer some assistance, and remember you do not have to decide all at once. Even take a doll you least like on your wishlist and mentally "set it aside for a month or two, see how you feel about it afterward. Maybe even focus on outfitting or changing the styles of the dolls you currently have. See if focusing on them reduces your need for new dolls or if you find that one of the dolls you currently have could match the style of one in your wishlist.

 

I think my ideal number of dolls is quite low, maybe around 5? I like to have a collection where everyone gets my attention and I find myself taking out every doll at least a couple of times a year. Not to mention, with my taste in outfits it would be impossible for me to have a large number of dolls while still allowing everyone to have multiple outfits/wigs/eyes to choose from.

I often find myself in love with dolls that either cost a small fortune and/or are hard to find - that means I don´t get to buy a new one that frequently, but it definitely helps with sorting out priorities:
Do I actually see myself playing with her or would she just be pretty room decor?
Do I just want that doll because I like the fullset?
Do I really think I will enjoy this doll for some time or am I drawn to it because she has that feature I´m currently obsessed with?
Do I still like the sculpt with other face ups or will she be hard to "get right"?
Do I think she will look good in other styles I like (wig, clothing etc.) so I can change up her look sometimes?

Usually, letting some time pass will answer all those questions - and the vast majority of dolls actually fail this test. Sometimes I find I´m just obsessed with some part of the sculpt but a few weeks later that phase has ended and I don´t want it as much anymore. Other times I fall for a very specific doll someone has but dislike every other version of the same sculpt that I find online - for me this means it would probably be too difficult to get the doll look the way I like her and that lowers her priority on my wishlist immensely.
On the other hand, if I scroll through twitter and always get drawn to what turns out to be the same sculpt - this shows me that I really like this face and that I will be able to change things up and still like it in a different style/face up. Dolls like that will gradually move to the top of the wishlist and those are the ones I often end up buying by the time I have the money for a new family member.

Now as for your other questions, the criteria I mentioned above actually apply to the dolls I already own as well. If my taste changes it can happen that I fall out of love with a sculpt and it will start to "fail" some of the questions mentioned above. Another good indicator that it´s time to let someone go is if I haven´t felt the urge to take them out of the doll-wardrobe for a few months. This is just my personal opinion but I can´t justify letting something this expensive gather dust while I don´t really get that much enjoyment out of it. Do I still like this doll or is she only still around because of memories/events I connected to her? If bjds were less expensive maybe I could see myself hoarding them, but the way it is, I prefer to let go of a doll that I don´t enjoy anymore and to use that money on a new doll or to improve the ones I´m keeping.

 

I own 11 full, one head and one body that aren't a match. One head is coming at Christmas. This is not including my sales thread. I Would like to have less than 20 but I sometimes feel if I sell one or a few pieces, one more can come along.

 

I own three at the moment. My wish list is broken into two different sections; dolls I have plans for and will get at some point, and dolls I like but may or may not get. I have no max limit though. I will find room for them if I do get them. I have experience finding room for more stuff when I really don't have it thanks to my fish tank obsession. And dolls are much smaller and more mobile than fish tanks lol. As for downsizing, I don't see myself doing that anytime soon, but again I am not opposed to it. It breaks my heart to think of falling out of love with one or more of my OCs, but I know its possible. Or I could reshell someone too I guess. I'm just not picky, and not holding myself to any rules in this hobby. I just don't find it fun when I limit myself in my hobbies. Finding more aspects of the hobby to enjoy is one aspect I enjoy the most, and I find putting limits on any part takes that away. Stressing over which doll I should get first is hard enough, I cant even imagine trying to decide which doll to get and which to not get.

 

I used to own around 13 all at once, but it got to where I didn't have enough time to enjoy them individually. I reduced my collection drastically and decided to focus on shelling my favorite original characters.
I now have my "core four" as I call them, which are all SD size and I have a yosd version of one of those characters, so I have 5 dolls now.
I find it more enjoyable now that I can focus my time and money on these guys.
As for my wishlist, it's still huge, but a lot of times I just look at owner photos of the sculpt and dream, haha.
Maybe one day I'll add some more to my collection, but I'm happy with who I have around now.

 

I currently have 8, I don't plan to add to many more due to health issues. I have arthritis in hands and my one hip. So I have decided no more big dolls. If they weigh to much I fear I will drop them. I also want to focus on those I can do things with, not just be display dolls. I have bought several I am waiting on to finally ship. But once they arrive it will be a test of what I can handle and can stay. It's hard to pass on some dolls, but the budget and health have to be considered.

 

I have 9 full dolls, one head and 1 pet. I don't limit the number I want, simple remain aware of how much space I have and buy what I love.

That's the key for me: love. Like you said there's many pretty dolls around but that doesn't mean I want all of them much less love them. Just keep the doll aside for a while and look them again later, you'll find that you naturally cut several out. For me an sculpt I love is one I keep thinking about, gives me ideas and makes me happy just looking at them. It really depends how you enjoy the hobby, for me is about creating characters inspired by the sculpts and enjoying their beauty so a lot of time they are just there for me to look. And that makes me very happy, so if a sculpt can do that it's perfect.

Some way to decide any time is: look the blank sculpt, sometimes you like how the doll is presented; do the same with body and see if you like or need to hybrid and if you would enjoy that; decide if you want it in a specific skin tone, is that available or would you need to diy; is it easy to buy clothes for the body; if you had the full money right now who would come first to your mind or would be a tie?

If you have specific sizes and aesthetics that can help you as well. Using references available you can see how dolls look beside each other and with different bodies. Also taste change and your wishlist can be all gone in 1 single day. So I wouldn't overthink it, just follow what makes you happy.

 

I want to downsize my current collection. Maybe keep one body and some heads and have a rotation. It's really difficult to do this thou....

 

I owe 4 and might go up to 5 or 6.
I have a short wishlist, but several of those dolls are too expensive on the 2nd hand market for my tastes, so that helps lol. I also have restrictions I put on myself that help thin out my wish list. I only collect Yosd size(with on exception of a puki).
I agree that time can help thin out a list. Often times the first rush of excitement wears off and I find I'm perfectly happy just looking at other owners photos.
Also I try to keep my dolls as different from each other as I can. If I see a doll that looks similar to one I own, it isn't coming home unless I trade/sell the similar one I owe.

 

I have currently 20 full dolls (22 once I've paid off my layaway in another week and a half) and 6 floating heads (7 with the event head in my layaway). When I started out in the hobby I probably had a wishlist that was somewhere between 80-100 different dolls I wanted. There were multiples of some sculpts too for twins. And it was a few years before I got my first doll. Of the dolls on that wishlist, I had 5 that were planned characters so they made it from the wishlist to the character list. If I got the money, they were first to be bought. Sadly, they were discontinued sculpts so I never got them and eventually I dropped three of the five characters. Then a bunch of stuff happened and I got my first doll who wasn't on my wishlist or character list. And my wishlist kept growing and growing and then my character list grew again.

Over the years I still have a wishlist that has been added to and chopped down multiple times. Same with my characters list. But now I have a third list. (Can you tell I love lists?) The third list is my priority list. I can have up to five dolls/heads/bodies on this list at one time. I can change the dolls on the list at anytime based on the current availability of the sculpt/body/skin color/special sale. My characters list and wishlist don't have any limitations like the priority list. I have many many many characters based on my storylines (there are plenty of notebooks filled with them). My wishlist is seperated into sections: basic unlimited sculpts, limited/event sculpts, discontinued sculpts and bodies (for hybriding). Then they each go by company and doll size. I treat the wish list as a list of what I would get if I won the lottery or got some huge inheritance (both extremely unlikely). They aren't set in stone. My characters list is treated as dolls and non-dolls that are much closer to me. Once I get the character planned out and decide if it's just a background character or a doll character I go through my wishlist and see if any of the sculpts fit or I go look for one. The priority list is the list that comes from both the character and wishlists. These are dolls I plan to get asap. Whether I do layaway or get them outright. Most of the time, the lists change multiple times in a year depending on various things. It's worked for me to keep from being overwhelmed and keep down my impulse buying.

If you had asked me when I got my first doll if I could imagine having the collection I have now, I'd say no. I thought five was a good number, but then I got five. And I realized I wanted my stories to be complete. So more dollies followed when I had the chance. And now I have the collection I do. I don't have a set cap at this point, but I'm also not in a rush like I was in the beginning. Everyone is different when it comes to their collections. You might have a small collection and think that's your cap, or you have a big collection and think it's way too much. Or you just think you can't get enough dolls and never plan to stop. It just depends on you.

 

I’m most interested in a small, curated collection - but I don’t have any specific numerical target; I figure I’ll let the collection grow as I see dolls I really need. I have one right now, and a second on the way - for me, they really have to have a sense of embodiment and personality; if I just want to play dress-up, I use my collection of fashion dolls.

The doll I have now, Murmur, is probably my most prized possession that isn’t a family heirloom; I always think about how best to display her to show her off, and because of her weird proportions I’ve been working on a custom doll stand just for her. I think that passion is the #1 thing - if I like a doll, it’s fun to see, but I have to really adore it to actually pull the trigger and buy it.

My wishlist is probably ~10, but a lot of them are dolls where I don’t want all of them, just one of a few (because the sculpts are similar). I like my dolls to be very distinct from one another...

 

I own 14 dolls (with another 4 on the way), 6 pet dolls and an anthro doll. My wish list probably has 3 or 4 dolls on it. But I’m more of a shopper, so my lists grows and shrinks as I see more dolls. I typically go with my gut and get dolls I think are lovely or that I can imagine dressing in a certain way. I’m the type of collector that likes pretty/cool things, so at any time a doll could catch my fancy and then I’d have to have it.

I think the major limiting factors for my collection are: space, time and money. So because of those three, I too have a list of criteria that help me eliminate certain dolls from my wish list. I have a max price for dolls that I don’t go over. I try to only purchase from a company when there is a sale or promotion. I only purchase dolls that are tan or unique colour (typically pastels). I’m sticking to MSD or smaller dolls due to space. My wishlist is usually based off of face sculpt but I try to research a bit more to see if I like the body the doll comes on, is it easy or difficult to find clothes and shoes, if I have to hybrid is it possible, what do other owners say about posing the doll. And finally how much time will it take to get them to where I want them to be. The more effort it takes the less likely I’ll be to get it, since I have many hobbies and limited time.

I think the great thing about this hobby is that just because you bought the doll, doesn’t mean you have to keep it. Your collection can be fluent, dolls can come and go freely.

 

I thought I would only have 10 dolls max, but I surpassed that a long time ago. I'm probably the worst person to give advice about this, but the suggestion I'd give and what I am currently "doing" about it is buying the dolls anyway and once I have them, I'll be able to know how well they fit into my life and my collection. It's sometimes very hard save up for dolls and even harder to sell dolls, so I can understand if my way of doing things makes no sense to others lol. The way I justify it to myself if that buying the doll lets me fulfill that need to purchase dolls, receive them, and be happy for a while. When that feeling for the doll isn't the same, I know it doesn't belong in my collection anymore.

 

If you’re a writer/are shelling characters, you can cut out sculpts based on which characters you like more than others. I used to look at every pretty sculpt I like, go “I want that, they’ll suit this character perfectly” but when they arrive I can’t bond since it’s not a character I enjoy all that much. Ever since it’s been easier to cut down on the wishlist.

 

I don't have a current limit. A lot of my "grails" are dolls I don't honestly have the ability to ever afford, so I try to follow people on insta to see them styled in cool ways and whatnot. I'm on a budget lol I try to do stuff with my dolls to make it fun and for me not to get itchy fingers to buy something new

 

I only have two small dolls right now but my limit would probably be low. Like others, I have very specific tastes in dolls so it's a lot easier to discern whether or not I would even use said doll. As must as I would love to have a lot of fantasy sculpts too, I would much rather make sure I finish them than have them sit there. Not to mention i'm also looking for good articulation with some of my dolls which not every doll body has.

Also, again like others mentioned, I do plan on getting 1/4th all the way up to 1/3rd and they're BIG so I want to keep track on space as well.

 

90% of my wish list for dolls that are limited and most likely won't ever be gotten unless its that one rare once in a life time chance it showed up 2nd hand lol. I have like 20 dolls on that list. Theres maybe like 4 dolls that i keep tossing around if i ever want them.

 

Space and money are the biggest issues for me... I have 9 dolls right now and I am thinking I want to reduce it down to 5. Which really sucks, because I love all of them!! But I think I need a smaller group. Right now the cabinet I keep them in to protect from the sun is all in is crammed full of dolls. I'd like some room for accessories, maybe a piece of furniture, etc. Plus, I really don't do anything with them anymore so I feel l feel kinda bad about that? Hopefully I can rehome the ones I don't keep somewhere they'll get more love and attention. Need to hurry up on that though unless I want to wait until next year. I used to work at USPS and I know better than to ship anything in December!!