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Seller's remorse?

Oct 24, 2009

    1. I've read a couple of other threads along these lines, but I have some more specific questions. I am interested in hearing from people who have sold multiple dolls and how they felt about it.

      Did you ever sell a doll, only to really regret it later?

      If so, is it a matter of missing the doll you bonded with, or just become re-attracted to the sculpt in general?

      Did you find you missed the versatile sculpts more than dolls that had some sort of sentimental value?

      How did you get over the remorse? Did you just wait it out? Or did you use the proceeds to invest in something you liked better?

      -On a personal note: I really need to sell a doll. There's no question about it. I'm relatively newish to the hobby, and when I got marketplace access I hit it wayyy to hard. Now I'm pretty poor, and it makes me uncomfortable.

      I guess I want to know what I should be prepared for.
      -Should I sell my first doll, which I am attached to mainly out of sentimental reasons, not out of a love for the sculpt itself?
      -Or should I sell my favorite sculpt of all time, which I have two of?

      So difficult D:
      Please give me your wise advice, I'm so torn :(
       
    2. I remember when I sold my first doll, an Elfdoll Sooah. I wanted her back a couple of months later. It was like she was made for me and I gave her away never to return. I never seem to be able to hold onto a full doll. I do not know why :(.
       
    3. Meggilu, that's very sad :( I'm so sorry you had an unhappy experience! I am worried about that happening to me. My bond with my first doll is very strong. He got me through a difficult time in my life, but he doesn't really fit in with the rest of the doll family.

      I don't know what to do :(
       
    4. I think that you should do what you think is right. While this is a beautiful hobby to be involved in, we have to remember to be realistic. Life comes first, not after. I myself have just spent a buttload of money on dolls for the past two months :sweat So I know exactly how you feel.
      If you're really attached to him I would keep him though.
      If you've got a repeat of your favorite head mold just sell him... i know it seems harsh but it's true... you can always get another one down the road, and until then you've still got one consoling you.;)
      Don't stress over it hun... while we all pretend they have their own little souls... they are just dolls, and their souls don't leave with the doll. They stay with you until you can incorporate it into another one, be it the same head mold or not.:aheartbea
      ~Pandora~
       
    5. I ponder and worry over this myself. I have recently been seriously debating changing out some of my dolls for "more realistic" dolls, and even have a few as feelers in the marketplace, however I sit there and look at them now and wonder, is it something I really want to do? I love my bobble headed CP boys very much, but lately I more and more want smaller heads, not REALLY realistic dolls, but stylised rather than cartoonish perhaps? Every time I think about it though I get this ache inside. Is it the right thing? Will I look back with regret?

      I console myself with this: Every one of the dolls except one are dolls I can easily replace, or at least fairly easily. I will not cry over them. In the end it depends on selling one in particular, and finding an alternate head sculpt for another, If neither thing happens then I will not sell at all.
       
    6. This is a very timely thread discussion for me! I recently sold
      my first two dolls (neither were my first actual dolls) to wonderful
      people here on doa...and it was actually a really nice experience.
      I really didn't know how I would feel though because prior to choosing
      to sell them I felt anxiety pangs at the mere thought:lol:

      But I think it was just a matter of time and thinking about it,
      making sure I would feel alright about the choice to avoid being
      really upset in the end.

      So, my advice (along with other posters) is if you have any doubts
      as to wether you'll regret your choice don't do it.
      There's nothing wrong with having/keeping a doll just because of sentimental
      feelings...because what other feelings are there?...nor is it silly to keep said doll
      because of those feeling's even though they no longer "fit" in with your other dolls.

      If you have doubts try tucking your doll safely away out of sight for
      a while & see how you feel. If you can't even consider doing that
      or you get upset shortly afterwards then you probably shouldn't sell your doll.
      The feelings will be far worse and less consolable:(

      edit: Sorry I didn't read the thread clearly!!
      For your question: If you need to sell the doll you have two of.
      You can usually replace a sculpt...but you can NEVER replace your feelings
      and memories.
       
    7. I've considered selling a doll or two to get me through some rough spots, but so far have managed to come out alright fortunately. I don't think I could ever sell my first doll or one of my newer ones because of the emotional attachment to them. I love their characters and they are my 'favorites'. I would actually sell my dream doll if I had to pick one. I love his mold and longed to have it for years and I would have a hard time selling him, but he would also be fairly easy to replace. And I know I would replace him down the line.

      My advice, sell the doll you are least attached to emotionally. That way you'll regret it less and if you want to have that mold again no problem. If you are really attached to all the dolls though you could try selling a body or two and keep the heads. Bodies are easier to get a hold of again down the line when your financial situation is better and you still have the main part of the character, the head with the face up you already know you like.
       
    8. I'd say never sell a doll if you don't feel like doing it. Heck, if you're not forced to, never do anything if you don't feel like doing it, unless it's for work or such.
      I personally was going to sell my first doll, and i'm glad i didn't, not because of memories or something, but just because i simply love her face, and the little imperfections that make her mine.
       
    9. I don't understand...if you love the doll, regardless of the reason, why would you sell it? That just seems so sad, and I can't imagine how you WOULDN'T end up regretting it.
       
    10. I've never experienced seller's remorse. By the time I start seeing a doll as money that could be spent elsewhere, it's time for it to move on.

      I've occasionally had feelings where I'd like the own the sculpt again. Not the same doll, but the sculpt and try something new with it. I sold my FCS F-33 this summer and I find myself missing photographing that face, not really the doll I owned, so I'm thinking about getting another one but in a completely different style.
       
    11. Thank you everyone, all of this input has been very helpful!

      PandorasToyBox: You make a very good point about the dublicate sculpts. Plus, they share one body and I can;t afford another, so I only see one at a time anyway (the other stays in a drawer)

      effigy: That's precisely my dilemma. I have four realistic dolls and one non-realistic. However, the one sore thumb is my first doll who I am more sentimentally attached to.

      Lula78: These are very good points! I think the main thing is that I give this a lot of though and thing it through completely. ^^

      Piyoko: That's a good idea too, but I'm actually hosting more heads than bodies at the moment D: That's part of whats stressing me out. I feel bad that I have a floating head and I feel like I should sell him.

      MaskTheEnd and nekonezumi: I guess I'm in a position where I just have to make hard choices. I have 17 hours of upper division classes, which means I have to no time to work whatsoever, so I cant get a job. The money I saved is drying up and I have to get through another month and half of classes. D: Though there are options ouside of selling dolls, I suppose.
       
    12. Kim: See, I think that has a lot to do with it. Even though I have two of one sculpt, its a SUPER photogentic sculpt. My first doll is adorable in person, but, bless him, he hates the camera. So, I doubt I would miss photographing him, especially since he doesnt work in group shots a all. :/
       
    13. I regret selling my Rihael head sometimes when I see other peoples dolls painted up

      but when I had the head in hand it didn't do anything for me and I doubt it would be different if I bought him again (except I might regret it more since I imagine the prices have gone up on him with him being limited)

      as for advice though, if you really feel like you have to but don't want to (which I can understand at the end of the day real life needs > resin needs) then I would sell whichever was easiest to replace

      if you think you're likely to just end up buying the same sculpt again ASAP though I would consider if you need to sell or if you'll be ok but a little out of your comfort zone financially (like maybe its pay day next week and you'll be fine then), less for sentimental reasons more for the fact that you'll probably loose a bit (on shipping, getting the face-up re-done, paypal fees etc. it adds up) so it makes less financial sense in the long run to do this if you don't need to if that makes sense?
       
    14. I've considered selling my first doll before. He doesn't fit in with the rest of my family and my tastes have drastically changed since I bought him almost three years ago.

      I don't think I ever will thought. He's my first. He was the most special thing in the world to me. I took him everywhere. I broke him, I fixed him. I made his clothes. Lost his hand under the sofa.
      None of my other dolls have the same emotional attachment.

      It's hard keeping him thought, when that's $300 I could spend on things I'd enjoy more...
       
    15. I had a nanuri07 head that I've regretted selling ever since he went. There was trouble from the moment I first bought him, because he was pointed out to me on the MP by my housemate; I assumed she pointed him out because I'd already told her I was looking for one for my character Satin. The price was good, so I pounced and bought him.

      She then started telling everyone how I'd bought the head for her, which was certainly not the case - I didn't have the cash to just splash out $150 randomly as a gift for anyone, let alone someone who was only a housemate! But I was effectively emotionally blackmailed into shutting up as she told everyone the head was my "Christmas present" to her, until my OH pointed out she was out of line. She then grudgingly backed down before spinning the story that she'd "graciously given" the head back to me. :|

      Anyway, I did hisface-up and thoroughly fell in love with him, though I was resigned to the fact that he would have to be a floating head for a while until i could afford the FDoll body I had planned for him.

      And then the doll that first got me into the hobby in the first place - the very first BJD I'd ever seen - came up for sale, and I knew I would never forgive myself if I didn't buy him. His seller was amenable to layaway, but to help bring him home quicker I decided to sell off a couple of floating heads - one of which was Satin's nanuri07 head. It made sense, as the way things were going I had no way of knowing when, if ever, I'd be able to afford bodies for the floaters; and satin's head had been a continual source of ill-feeling in the house thanks to the housemate.

      But I regretted it the moment I did it.

      Satin has now been resincarnated as an Elf chiwoo, which actually suits the character better - but I still feel regret over letting the nanuri07 go. I wonder how he's fared with his new owner; I've browsed around on the gallery, but I've not seen him turn up. :(
       
    16. Honestly- I say sell the doll that's most easily replaced if you regret selling it. If you sell a LE and then regret it keep in mind the marketplace value of that doll, and the difficulty in re-attaining it. Standard editions can be replaced at any point if you feel the need.

      Of course this philosophy is getting me into trouble as well. I have sold of every standard edition I own to buy LEs and am now down to one last standard who is on the MP right now. So the fact is I would have to start selling off my limiteds to buy much more...
       
    17. Last year I sold the majority of my dolls, only kept my favorites. Every so often I'll miss one of them, but then I look at pics I took and I remember why I sold them. It was because I wasn't totally satisfied with them, for various reasons. And then I look at the dolls I did keep, and I feel I made the right decision.

      I did sell my first doll. It was a bit difficult because she was my first, but in the end I rather keep dolls that I like the sculpt of better than to keep I'm not totally happy with just for sentimental reasons. I don't regret it a bit. So if I were in your current situation, that's what I would do. But in the end you have to do what feels right to you. It's a hard choice to make, I wish you luck!
       
    18. I've only had seller's remorse for one doll. It was a tiny who, as soon as he arrived I decided wasn't quite what I was looking for. But I gave him a face-up anyway, messed with his outfit and hair, gave him a ridiculously cute name and wound up with a very quirky little guy.

      However, I decided to downsize several months ago and sold a few dolls to pay for a single one I wanted VERY much. Since I'd remembered deciding he 'wasn't for me' innitially, that little tiny was one of the ones to go. And now EVERY time I see one of those dolls in the galleries etc I miss him. I know for a fact it isn't the sculpt that I miss, (it still doesn't really appeal to me), it was what I made of him.

      So, if you feel like your attachment might run deeper than the like/dislike of a sculpt, I'd say consider carefully before selling. These are, of course, dolls and real life comes first, but happiness is a valuable thing too :)
       
    19. I can't sell any of my dolls. I started adopting in February this year and you can see in my signature how many I have living here now... There are other dolls that I'd like to adopt; but my family is starting to wonder if something is wrong with me... ;) They think I should get rid of some of them before I get new... Easy to say; but - I can't. I can't sell a single one of them. I love them all and I cannot get rid of a single one of them.

      If I really was forced to sell something I would probably try to sell the bodies first. I would keep the faceplates - even if they're not all painted yet... I would find out if it was possible to buy another body later on - and then I would let the bodies that are easy to get again go first...

      But - before selling anything doll-related I would sell my television, my radio, books, game-consoles, clothes - anything that I have I would sell before my precious dolls.
       
    20. Circe, if you want to sell your odd-doll-out because he's the odd one out, I'd reconsider. I have two dolls, and they live in separate universes. Anne lives in my world, and she is my friend. Nyx is my D&D character, sculptural reference, and in every way a doll. She is only irreplaceable because she was a birthday gift from my mom. Having an incongruous family is okay. They don't have to be related. Let your family grow, but don't restrict it. You will never have a first doll again. He will always be special.

      While photography is a large part of this hobby because it's our main way to share our dears with other like-minded people, it's not everything. Walking into a room and smiling because your doll is sitting there, being home alone yet not lonely with your doll in your lap, being cheered out of a sour mood when your doll does something cute while you're manhandling him or her, these are what make owning a doll special. Anne doesn't pose like a dream, she doesn't have an extremely detailed body sculpt, her faceup isn't absolutely stunning. But her freckles make everyone smile, her loose stringing means she curls in my lap comfortably, and she is my first doll. She doesn't look great in photographs, but I love her.

      A faceup can be recreated, a character can be preserved. But experiences with a specific doll, even if you get an identical one later, can never reappear once they're lost. You have new experiences, yes, but it's the connections we forge through experiences that make us love things. I recommend that you sell one of your twin sculpts, or whatever you are least attached to emotionally. I also recommend that you release the character you have created for the doll you will sell. Yes, you may be able to buy it back at some point, but it will never be the same and you will only be frustrated trying to recreate something that was lost when you can have more joy from moving on.

      Good luck, and best wishes!
      Amalia