Selling Dolls: Why?

I sell dolls because I don't like them, either I fell out of love with them or received them and didn't like them when I first got them. Why have a doll if you don't like it?

 

The only doll I've sold was out of guilt. He was chewed up by my dog and even though I'd fixed a lot of the damage it just hurt to look at him. Luckily some modders on the marketplace were interested in picking him up to see if they could fix him.

These days I'm really short on money, but I wouldn't sell my dolls to pay a recurring bill. A doll would only pay one month's bills anyway, and then where would I be next month? I'd rather cut my bills if I can by using the library's internet, slashing the landline/contract phones for a prepaid smartphone, and growing my own garden. Slash spending first, then liquidate if all else fails. For me, other and smaller things would go first; it's my understanding that small things sell faster and pricier items are to be used as a nest-egg in case the worst happens (medical emergency, threat of foreclosure, etc).

I would consider swapping my dolls and their affects for another long-term tradeoff, though. For instance, I wouldn't sell my car because I do sometimes need it to go extra-long distances. But I would sell a doll to pay for a quality bicycle in order to cut my transportation costs a considerable amount. That's something I'm seriously considering.

I may like having dolls, but practicality and survival wins out.

 

I decided a while ago that the dolls I had no longer fit my new interests.
So I sold them all off to invest in my new doll and her clothing!
I was a little sad to let them go, but being able to afford clothes for my doll was really great.
These dolls are too expensive to just say 'Oh well, let's just put him in the closet - like some unwanted Christmas gift'.

Ive seen people get mad at others for selling dolls they just bought.
But I dont see a problem, ordering things online is a lot of trial and error.

 

As many have said in this thread already there are just as many reasons for selling a doll as there is for buying one.

Personally, I've had 11 dolls, and I'm currently down to 3 with 1 on the way. The first doll I ever sold was a one off I thought I really loved. I felt pressured in to making a decision on buying because there was only ONE of her! Before she even reached my house I was having second thoughts, and once she came to me in person I immediately didn't like her and had regrets for buying. I turned around and sold her almost right away. Other reasons I've sold them for was because I felt my collection was too big, I didn't like the doll as much as I thought I would when I got it, or because I really needed the money.

Unfortunately for some of the dolls I have loved and sold in the past, my doll collecting hobby started before I began college and at one point I was in need of some extra cash for tuition/books and simply had no other choice for some quick cash without getting a student loan. I tried very hard to not need a student loan during college by working at the same time, and thanks to my dolls the one time I was short on cash I never did! The dolls I sold during this time are some of the ones I miss the most, but luckily I have bought some of them back already. ^^

Do I still have the first doll I ever owned? I don't. Sometimes I miss her, I still have photos. She was a Custom House Sariel. Her sculpt was released for the first time ever when I bought her. Sometimes I wish I could buy another one, but the truth is my tastes have changed since then. I think if it wasn't for my circumstances at the time I sold her I probably would have ended up selling any way and moving on to a different doll.

I too have seen people get upset for selling dolls they have just bought. Truth is with the way some of these dolls are released there tends to be a lot of pressure in to making a decision on if you want to buy the doll or not, because the photos may or may not be released until they are actually for sale! This is one of the reasons I love lati and I've held on to just about every Lati sculpt I have ever bought since you have TIME to think about whether or not you really like that doll. Sometimes you are smitten with a new sculpt, outfit, or for any other reason and once the doll gets to your home you don't like it even nearly as much as you thought you would. Not to mention, with the economy the way it has been in the US these past few years I'm sure a lot of people have had shoppers remorse with their hobby since it is so expensive.

For all those reasons and more, I can't be upset with anyone who decides to sell, and I'm actually glad and encourage people to do so because quite frankly if the doll isn't for you at least you are being thoughtful enough (in my opinion) to allow another person to enjoy that particular doll for themselves. I just hope they charge a fair price for it, since just about every doll I own now except for one I have bought second hand.

 

last time I sold a doll it is because I needed money >.< but after that I saw my doll being resell made me sad, and I did worked hard for me not to sell any dolls of mine. That's the last option I would do with my dolls. I give them enough attention

 

I would sell a doll for various reasons:
1. No space in my room, my room is getting full!!
2. Gradually lost interest in a particular doll. This can happen, when we have a number of dolls, it will be difficult to take care all of them.
3. Financial crisis, needing for money.
4. Lost interest in dolls. Moved on to other interest.

 

I have sold dolls for several reasons
1. For the money. I have sold several dolls because I needed quick money for important life things like rent and bills.
2. Changing tastes. My tastes have changed a lot since I bought my first doll. I used to only like SD boys. Now I'm completely the opposite. I love MSD girls. I am currently selling all my SDs to buy MSDs instead. I'm sad to sell them because I do really like them, but I'm sure I would be much happier with MSDs.
3. The doll wasn't what I expected. I can usually tell straight away whether I'm going to like a doll or not, even if I don't admit it to myself. The moment I got my Beyours Redcopper out of the box I knew that I didn't like him enough to keep him. I tried really hard to like him but it didn't work so away he went. It's impossible to tell from pictures just how a doll will feel and look once you have it in your hands.

 

I've sold dolls for several reasons:
1. The doll didn't fit with my plans for it/my plans changed.
2. I made a hasty decision and couldn't bond with the doll.
3. I ended up not liking the size/body.
4. I only wanted certain parts of a fullset.

 

I've sold dolls in the past for these reasons:

1. Size
I love to sew, so I started off focusing on SD's because I felt their large size would make excellent sewing models. But they wound up overpowering the limited display space in my small home, so I refined my sewing skills and sold them all to focus on MSD's and smaller.

2. Trial and Error
Sometimes, despite your best efforts at research, you just can't know how a doll will work for you until you actually have it in your hands. Although I love fantasy dolls, I learned that anthros and even normal dolls with animal parts (other than just ears and horns, which I love) are simply not for me. But there was no way I could have known that until I tried living with them. (C'mon now...I really thought I would love big bird feet and unicorn hooves!)

3. Just couldn't get a character to stick.
It just kills me when this happens because I really like the doll...but it just doesn't work out between us. I once bought the most beautiful custom gear modded girl in the marketplace. I thought I would love having a steampunk girl because I was so intrigued by the entire creative concept of that style. But even though I'm extremely imaginative and creative, it turned out that steampunk was the one style I had absolutely no talent for! That completely shocked me, and I spent the next 3 years trying to find alternative characters for this girl. None of them stuck however and I eventually had to sell her out of sheer frustration.

4. Character outgrew their shell
Fortunately this has happened to me only once, but I'm sure it's happened to others as well. I had an adorable Fairyland Realpuki (about as small as they come in ABJDs and absolutely adorable.) She accepted the cutesy flower-based character I had in mind for her just fine...but somehow that character began to grow into something far more dramatic, compelling and fascinating. Within 6 months it was painfully clear she needed to be reshelled into a larger, more serious looking doll. Fortunately, at that exact time, Dollzone suddenly released their flower Anson sculpt in MSD size...and I recognized immediately that she was an absolutely perfect fit! But she was pricey...so I began to search through the tinies section of the marketplace, researching examples of ads in hopes of placing a similar one for my realpuki to fund her new shell. Lo and behold, 30 minutes prior to my looking, someone had placed a WTB thread looking for my same realpuki in her exact skintone. I contacted the lady right away, she was still online and happily paid immediately, I packaged her up (quickly but quite carefully...I just happened to have the perfect shipping supplies on hand,) jumped in my car and drove to the post office (where remarkably there was no line!) Total time of the transaction from contacting the buyer to handing her off to the postal clerk was an entire 45 minutes! (And no, I'm not making that up! Amazingly it really happened that way!) As soon as I got back from the post office, I used those paypal funds to put Anson on layaway at DDE...a Happy ending!

 

I'm giving it thought now to reshell a character but I dunno...I've had her since 2007 at least, and already one hopeful buyer chose not to buy her since she was older and she wanted newer. She was afraid the doll was yellower than pictures. Not that I blame her, her money, her choice. But I do want to reshell the character. I don't think the mold suits her.

 

I could never sell my dolls! Every single one of them is very special to me. It would break my heart to part with any of them. Even if I don't spend a lot of time playing with them, they're still my beloved girls. I opened up my home to them to take care of them, and they worked their way into my heart. I don't want to break such a special bond.

 

I usually try to "upgrade" a current doll before trying to sell her (change her clothes, hair, eyes or get her a nice touch up face) -
If that doesn't work, you can always use the money for a new doll and make someone else's day with a sale

 

My ex got me the one I sold. I just didn't want to look at it anymore and it was based on one of his D&D characters anyway.
Other than that, I have been thinking about reshelling some of the dolls. There's just a lot more slim minis than when there was when I had started in the hobby six years ago and I feel like there's dolls around now that would better suit the characters.

 

Uhm, although it may sound bad to potential sellers (oh, who doens't love to shoot one's feet from time to time I've had much over 20 dolls over the past 2.5 years. Never all at once - bc money obviously

But I'd mostly sell the dolls that stopped to inspire me or weren't suitable for the OC anymore or were simply disappointments... especially as regards the shape of their nose. But not only that (tho most often that was the case now when I think about it...).

The money is rarely an issue - I try to make sure I'm not spending the last pennies, you know

When it comes to reshelling characters - i try to find the most perfect-perfect face I can. And if I have a head that looks like cr*ap on photos then instead of torturing myself and cursing the poor bjd, I sell her and both - me and the new owner are happy Over the years I realised that I like "easy" dolls. You know, that kind of dolls that look good with the crappiest wig I may own and on photos taken from all angles possible. So with rather generic features.

Plus, for a long time I couldn't make up my mind whether I'm into realistic or dolly-dolls. Nowadays I know that 75% or realism is the best amount But it took some time to get to know what I want from a sculpt, what to look for when seeking a photogenic face and, finally, which sculpt best reflects my idea of the OC's face and personality.

Oh, did I mention a few impulse-buys that I later regretted? :3

 

I've never sold a doll just to get a new doll; I've sold very few dolls in my time in the hobby, and the reason for each of them was that they ultimately just didn't fit. The realistic SD Minimee head, while lovely, didn't fit with my stylized MSD family. The anime SD Minimee head didn't fit with the expected delivery of an MSD version, and moved on (though occasionally I wish I hadn't acted as impulsively and had kept him). The gorgeous Soom SG limited was too clunky for my space, and fit with nothing else I had or had planned. The muscular MSD body didn't suit my thin, lithe boy. Each looked promising when ordered, but ultimately didn't quite fit in, and as a result, I sent them on to new homes.

And as for the question posed in the opening post: Yes, I do have my first doll, though he's been split in half. His head's on a new body, and his body's awaiting a new head, but I will be keeping both parts.

 

I sold my entire collection years back due to financial emergency. I started collecting again, and these days I consider selling dolls to make room for new ones :3

 

I have grand ideas when it comes to customizing so I buy dolls I kind of like as is under the assumption I will love her/him after all the mods are done. Once I realize I will never, ever get around to modding the dolls I sell them.

 

I sold the first doll I bought, because my doll preferences changed and she no longer fit in with my doll family. There was nothing wrong with the doll (RS Mei) but she just didn't fit in any more. I wanted her to be able to sell her to someone who would appreciate her.

I'm about to sell another doll. I've only had him for a couple of months, and the doll is really sweet, but I can't seem to connect with him at all. With these dolls being so expensive, I don't want one that is just going to sit on the shelf and not have any feelings for it. I can't afford many dolls, so I want to really love the ones I have.

 

Run out of money or Do not like them anymore. Especially the second one, if their faces do not fit what I imaged from official pictures, I may sell them for someone else who may like them better.

 

I've sold dolls for several reasons but usually it is because I feel like I don't give much attention to this doll, or I don't bound with her anymore. If I feel like I do nothing with her anymore and that she would be more love in another house, then she goes to the market. I don't have plenty of money so I prefer to get rid of dolls I don't give much attention anymore to fund other dolls I dream of.
Occasionally I've sold dolls because I was in urge to get money for some personnal reasons so I had to make a choice then.