Something you know now that you wish you knew then?

Something I wish I had known earlier is how much the additional "empty" costs actually rack up to: how much the customs fees would actually be, that they also apply to the shipping and insurance paid, and how insanely high shipping itself might be. A $200 doll can easily become a nearly €400 doll, and it's really tough if you weren't prepared.

 

@cobaltconduct I second this comment, it's a very good insight and something new hobbyists should definitely be braced for!

For me, something I wish I'd known at the beginning was how many wonderful dolls there are besides Minifees If I had not been so stuck on what I thought was the best doll out there, I might have been able to afford to get my first BJD sooner, and maybe even found a better poser, lol! (no hate to Minifees though)

I also wish I'd realized the difference between wanting to "get" a doll and wanting to "own" a doll. So many dolls are exciting when you first get them but you don't necessarily enjoy owning them in the long run. Now, instead of trying to get the most exciting or glamorous doll, I'm focused on getting ones that I believe I'll be the happiest owning, even years in the future after the newness has worn off.

 

I wish I had known about mobility joints. I first got into bjds because I wanted a doll that poses better than my childhood playdolls. My disappointment in my first bjd, which was a minifee, was pretty immense because of the lack of a mobility joint in the thigh. Doing good research and asking questions here on DOA is probably the best way to find out what you want.

 

I wish I knew that sometimes having a character in mind and then getting a doll for that character doesn’t always work.

I started collecting in 2021, and bought a few dolls intending them to be certain characters, but it never worked. It was like I was trying to fit them into a mold and my creativity wouldn’t blossom there. I didn’t really start truly bonding with my dolls and getting ideas for them until I embraced them as something new, and now the ideas don’t stop! (And this was only a few months ago!)

So basically for me I guess, I wish I knew things would work out either way. I used to be so stressed because things weren’t flowing. Give yourself room to explore your dolls!

 

I wish Iknew how heavy resin is , with 3 house moves the dolls over 60cm especially the bulky boys became more of a burden than pleasure they are really heavy.

 

Don't FOMO and don't get so many dolls because of it cause you don't know what to do with them. Also buy better clothes from the start or make more of my own clothes.

 

The cost.

 

If you buy big dolls, hold them firmly while dressing otherwise you may risk a concussion.... Haha, just joking. But I was posing my doll and forgot about physics being a thing and banged myself in the head.
And what shocked me the most: the cost of everything else can be almost as much as the cost of the doll! I really did not understand that before I played my first order of clothes and other basics.
And that fullsets are actually reasonably priced considering this; so if you love the fullset it could be worth it to buy it (or be just as expensive to buy something similar).

 

You did well by waiting until you finished college and not you can get a good job and spend for your dolls.

This is a luxury hobby. Don't go into debt for this hobby, it's not worth it. Also, buy yourself a house first, and save for emergencies first. I guess what I'm trying to say is, be wise and don't throw all your money on this hobby. This is an advice for the ones who are not rich. You matter more, your family matters more. Invest in yourself first.

 

It is not necessary to break the bank to get a beautiful and quality doll. I'd recommend to a newbie to research the more inexpensive brands and find a sculpt from those to truly see if they are interested in bjds and if it is something they are fully interested in before they go and invest in more expensive dolls. Always do research into brands and companies, or individual artists, before making a purchase.
Research is a pretty important part of this hobby to make sure you know what it is you are getting into.

 

Keep a doll savings account so you can buy a doll before it’s discontinued. There are a couple dolls I’m still trying to get my hands on because I missed them back in the day.

Buying secondhand is terrific - be sure to read the seller’s feedback. All my DoA Marketplace experiences have been great.

 

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To wait till I actually get the doll before I purchase an entire wardrobe and shoes to match. Months ago bought the cutest clothing and lots of teeny tiny shoes for Imda 3.0 and only now has the particular doll I wanted come up for sale. Then more months to go till she arrives and those cute assessories are all in a box till then.

 

That there's so much waiting involved at least it's teaching me to be a more patient person

 

Hobby costs can be lowered by buying second hand. Sometimes buying second-hand can be more expensive if it's a popular, rare doll, but if you're buying clothes, wigs, eyes, and shows second-hand, it might be cheaper. Buying lots of clothes and wigs are especially cheaper and allows you to experiment with different styles. There are plenty of websites to find second-hand sales like Instagram (use the bjdsale and bjdsales hashtag), Reddit (there are sales posts on r/BJD), facebook marketplace, and mandarake (a Japanese second-hand website that sells globally). Hope this is helpful.

 

I wish I had thought to look on here for information a couple of years ago when I went to Seoul/Tokyo. I had looked briefly but only really came up with Mandarake. Now I've seen a few places I'd like to check out.

 

Some things I wish I knew before getting into the hobby...

Definitely think through which brand of doll you are purchasing before clicking the buy button. Do some research on the secondhand market if you're not certain you'll want to keep the doll forever. It can be challenging and slow to sell dolls from less popular brands or with less resale value.

Be aware that dolls with more unique body shapes and sizes can be difficult to buy clothes for! I've run into this with artist dolls quite a bit. You won't always have the luxury of being able to find something that fits quite right online. It's great to be crafty and make/modify patterns yourself, but for me I know I don't always have the time and energy to do so.

And finally, I would tell my younger self thay it's okay if you're not super into bjds all the time. You go through many different seasons of life and dolls may not always be on your list of priorities. You can always come back to them later.

 

Very well put. I think these are some of the most important points I've seen in this thread.

 

Oh, I have a good one: MSD clothing will not fit your Minifee! It's just big enough to look sloppy. (This is what happens when you buy clothing before your doll even shows up, lol. Hopefully at some point I'll own a doll who can fit into all this clothing!)

 

Maybe some of these have already been said but here are mine:

• It's better in the long run to save money and buy the things you like than buying them just because they're cheap enough. This applies not only to dolls, but wigs, clothes, anything really. I went through so many different items that I ended up regretting and never using for my dolls before I started to plan out my purchases better rather than spend what I could in the moment.
  
• Yellowing is very difficult to avoid. There's a lot you can do to slow down the process and make it more even, but it more than likely will happen eventually, and it's something you should probably keep in mind.
• Buying dolls second hand can be a lot faster than through dealers and companies!