Something you know now that you wish you knew then?

Don't go by sizes such as ⅙ ¼ ⅓, or YOSD MSD SD when shopping for clothing and wigs. Get your dolls measurements and go by that. I don't know how many wigs that I bought the wrong size at the beginning of this hobby because it said the size of the doll. Then I get the wig home to find out the dolls head was too big or too small.

A lot of clothes won't always fit either, and you might need to size up or size down them. My 70+cm dolls, I find really tricky to find the right clothing for. Some are thin some are muscular, they can be a nightmare. I wish I would have known to go by measurements and not doll sizes at the beginning of the hobby.

 

• One doll needs clothing, shoes, wigs, eyes, accessories... and that's if you know what your doll's style is before you get them! If you're like me, you throw everything at them and hope it sticks. Then you're left holding the (empty) bag. Don't even get started on two dolls, man!
• You can't really expect to resell at the price you paid for. It makes sense, right? Everyone wants a deal. But I was raised in a household where you're always concerned with "getting a good deal" or "getting what you paid for" so it was hard for me to understand that no one wants to buy a used, non-limited doll at retail price. Why would they if they can go buy the doll themselves brand-new?
• Shipping costs hurt. Watch out for those tricksy buggers.
• People in your life, your co-workers and family and loved ones, probably won't understand or might find your dolls creepy. They definitely won't like to hear how much money you spend on them too!
• Storage! Storage! Storage! Where ya gonna keep all those dolls and their boxes and their clothes and their wigs and their shoes and their super cute accessories and their paperwork? I swear, a doll takes up at least three times the amount of space than the actual, uh, doll.
• Your tastes will change. That's okay.

 

LOL I wish I'd known that I would have been just as happy collecting something less expensive.

 

Sometimes your doll arrives without the eyes and you need to apply them yourself. I shall now have to prepare myself for this before opening that box.

 

These are really insightful comments! Made me think.

 

Start sculpting! Don’t be afraid of sucking at it. You’ll improve eventually. And buy the damn 3D printer already. You won’t regret it.

 

Don't settle. If you don't like a sculpt or the factory faceup (if you plan on sticking with it), then maybe that doll isn't the right one for you. Yeah, there are people who do mods, but will the mod be exactly what you want?

Also, photo editing software is your friend. You can make a mock-up of a doll and get a better idea if that is what you want. For me, when I see a doll sculpt I like, I make a mock-up of her faceup, then decide if I want the doll or not. I might change my mind and tweak the faceup later, but that helps me decide on dolls.

 

I'm with everyone on "don't settle". Maybe "learn your taste first" to add to it.

It's really hard not to jump in and buy anything and everything. I can't even figure out what my thought process was for choosing my first dolls. Probably only "LIMITED DOLL!!! EVENT!!! FREE ITEMS!!". It's much more fun to buy and receive a doll you're in love with.

If I had held out for the perfect doll, I may have been able to get away with only one or two dolls. Now I've got a good size collection that I enjoy and won't sell, but I definitely focus on maybe half of them.

 

Buy slowly , do not buy in rush . Think a lot before you buy , if you need it or no because it’s expensive and sometimes is difficult to sell them , Do not ever buy vinyl because of bad facepaint and I could hold the doll and bond with her . Do not ever buy sleeping head because it is way too difficult to sell it .

 

definitely the weight for me

 

definitely echo measuring the dolls yourself. save yourself the disappointment of buying something too big/small T__T

 

Don’t buy dolls just because you want a new doll and it’s a good deal, buy them because you love them. I have bought a couple dolls for that reason and both of them ended up not working out in my collection.

 

1. Don't be afraid to do what you want, it doesn't matter what the doll trend is at the moment. It would have saved me a lot of time of considering and looking at dolls that I thought I was supposed to like.
2. A metal hook is vital to help you restring dolls. Get one from the beggining.
3. You can do many more things yourself than you think you are capable of, and don't be afraid to fail, just try again. In time, you'll be really happy you started and you'll see that you've learnt a lot.

 

I wish I had been more aware of new preorders and doll artists.
I feel like I missed out on a lot of sculpts and it may be tricky to track them down now.

 

To buy DoD Ducan when I had the chance before DoD disappeared.

 

Some dolls are better off as stock photos. Appreciate that they bring you joy in that way. Looking is free!

 

Honestly, to hold onto some of the dolls I owned because finding them secondhand again is next to impossible. RIP Soom Supergem Sabik. Other than that, some general advice:

• Keep records of everything. Make a spreadsheet or google docs file if you have to, make sure you list how much you paid, when you paid, etc. Especially when dealing with older dolls that were made when CoA wasn't as common.
  
• Kind of wished a BJD checklist was made, but I know that with essentials YMMV depending on your lifestyle and needs. For me, that beginner's checklist would involve: travel bag, head protector, head/elastic puller (or wire if you're on a budget), forceps/hemostat, string or ribbon for restringing, white poster tack for eye putty, a magic eraser (assuming you weren't gifted one from a doll company or dealer), ziploc bags for clothing/accessories/etc storage, and maybe a doll stand. Personally I let all my dolls sit down, but a stand would have been nice due to how many faceplants I've had in the past
  
• Even if you think BJDs are art, art is not a guaranteed investment. Luxury goods are not guaranteed financial investments, unless you're selling with the trend and not against it. (This is also a lesson based on my work experience working in luxury retail.)
  
• Don't be afraid to make your own wig, paint your own faceup, mod your own doll! You bought it, now enjoy it!

 

"...horrifically..." That struck me so funny.

 

Bye Bye Money!

 

If you share your dolls on social media, always remember that it's not about the followers or the likes. It's about the hobby itself and the people that really share it with you. I hate to sound cheesy, but it really is about "the friends you make along the way." Chasing clout is going to hurt your own sanity.