1. It has come to the attention of forum staff that Dollshe Craft has ceased communications with dealers and customers, has failed to provide promised refunds for the excessive waits, and now has wait times surpassing 5 years in some cases. Forum staff are also concerned as there are claims being put forth that Dollshe plans to close down their doll making company. Due to the instability of the company, the lack of communication, the lack of promised refunds, and the wait times now surpassing 5 years, we strongly urge members to research the current state of this company very carefully and thoroughly before deciding to place an order. For more information please see the Dollshe waiting room. Do not assume this cannot happen to you or that your order will be different.
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  2. Dollshe Craft and all dolls created by Dollshe, including any dolls created under his new or future companies, including Club Coco BJD are now banned from Den of Angels. Dollshe and the sculptor may not advertise his products on this forum. Sales may not be discussed, no news threads may be posted regarding new releases. This ban does not impact any dolls by Dollshe ordered by November 8, 2023. Any dolls ordered after November 8, 2023, regardless of the date the sculpt was released, are banned from this forum as are any dolls released under his new or future companies including but not limited to Club Coco BJD. This ban does not apply to other company dolls cast by Dollshe as part of a casting agreement between him and the actual sculpt or company and those dolls may still be discussed on the forum. Please come to Ask the Moderators if you have any questions.
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Sorting out doll budgets / priorities?

Dec 24, 2016

    1. I had some money saved and sold some other items that I collected so when I decided to come into collect full time I had a decent amount of funds at my disposal. This weekend I have just used the last of it so from now on will save a little each month when I am paid to build it back up again before I buy any more.
      I am very good at no money no doll no matter how much I want it and I just enjoy the ones I already have. I am also lucky in that where I work we have a bonus each year around Oct so I tend to half that for what ever im into collecting and half for a rainy day
       
    2. I feel more comfortable saving money and then buying a doll all at once then worrying about when and if I'll be able to make a layaway payment; so yeah I budget fairly carefully. The way I handle it is I have a list of all the dolls, wigs, clothes and props I want to buy and I notate price and where they are sold from. I also estimate shipping on dolls and bodies and factor that into the price. Then I catalog everything in terms of how long it would take me to save , short term stuff being what I can get any time I have extra money, like 50 bucks and under. Mid term I might need to save for a week or two 200 bucks at most. That's often things like clothes and wigs. Dolls and bodies are all long term. The goal is to save money for them and get maybe one a year.
       
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    3. I don't really have a hobby budget. I just don't spend money if I don't have it. At the moment I was actually all set to buy some crochet supplies and yarn, and then eBay "kindly" informed me of a doll for sale that I'd been looking for - so I bought that doll and saved the crochet purchase for later. (I do love webshops with accounts that allow you to hold on to your basket!)
       
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    4. I set aside money monthly for a doll fund (about $100), and have a portion in my monthly budget for doll accessories and other relatively cheaper purchases. The fund is mainly for dolls since they are considerably more expensive, but I use it for eyes, wigs and clothing too when I've used up the monthly budget and something that I want suddenly comes up (like Switch wigs). Items available all year round can wait. I'm strict on doll purchases - I don't buy it if there isn't money. When I was unemployed I avoided looking at company sites and doll news so I wouldn't be tempted into purchases I wouldn't be able to afford - this was a lot more difficult than it sounds since I had more time on my hands to go online, but it did pay off.

      My rule has recently been: the longer I wait, the more certain I am. Although there is usually enough in the doll fund for a doll, I don't commit to a doll preorder unless I have a character and wardrobe set up. Focusing on shelling characters has helped me keep impulse buys at bay; if there's something that fits a character, I'll buy it. If there's even a sliver of doubt, I take it as intuition that I'm not ready. I don't yet have an experience where an LE happens when I've preordered something else, but I find ordering something so soon before I've had at least a few weeks to consider it as very risky and it has never paid off for dolls I have owned in the past. I guess it might not work for everyone, but for me the doll I'm most satisfied with had been on my wishlist for months.
       
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