Stick To What You Know?

I sort of stick to what I know, mostly because I've learned to trust a company. I ordered my first doll from Fairyland and have never had a problem and they always answer my questions, so I just really enjoy them not only for the product but customer service. There are dolls I do want from other companies, but I think Fairyland would always be my number one and they would always take my money over others. I'm sure the other companies are fine, but I've just formed a 'bond' with Fairyland.

 

All my first dolls came from eBay. ^^ They were all Volks LEs, and that's where you go when you want something that's sold out for good. (At least, that's where you went for it in 2005.)

Since then, I have bought from several companies directly (Soom, Dollmore, Iplehouse, Volks); I've bought from company authorized dealers/brokers, such as Kerbey Lane; I've bought from some single-person-studios through their US representatives, such as Limhwa; and I've bought from some single-person-studios directly online, such as DD-Anne.

Anytime I am a repeat buyer at a certain place, it's because I love the dolls that come from that place. The shopping procedure is NOT what makes me choose a doll.... I don't stick with "what I know".... I stick with "what I like".

 

I need variety. I cannot have every doll from the same company.

When I started out, I stayed close with Dollzone. But when I found a sculpt from Soom that I adored...I decided I needed to order it and branch out. I like to explore companies now, read what others think, and see if they have any sculpts I like.

I don't have any problems with having a variety, and for me, I can only learn more if I go out and explore more companies. I do have a tendancy to save certain websites because I have dealt with them a lot and they do have several sculpts I'm interested in.

 

I like to buy sculpts from many different companies mainly because I like variety in my collection. I want each one of my characters to have there own unique body because real people do, and it is just more interesting for me. I favor Iplehouse a lot and I trust them when ordering dolls from them. I tend to not want to buy from companies that take longer to ship their dolls or have a bad reputation...Like right now I am having serious doubts about ever ordering from Custom House...which makes me sad because I really like some of their sculpts. I also probably won't order from Souldoll again because I really only wanted the SD boy body and I don't like waiting three months for my dolls...I'm spoiled, from Iplehouse.
I'm also kind of scared of the ordering process and how certain websites work on my mac when it comes to paying. Like on Dollmore when it takes you to a blank window after you order instead of taking you to paypal...it was rather confusing and I ended up placing my order twice and had to cancel one.

 

I buy what I like and I happen to like dolls from many different companies. Some of my dolls were easy to buy and others required a bit of time and patience. The process of obtaining them doesn't bother me; I'm just interested in the final result.

 

I buy what I like. I want to have a variety of companies represented in my dolls, and I like the variety in LOOK of having different companies represented. I'm obviously pretty partial to Fairyland, but I buy the dolls I like... it just happens that CP/Fairyland sculpts appeal to me a lot. If I'm wary of buying direct from a company for any reason, I'll look for that doll secondhand or through a dealer, but as long as there are no major problems going on with the company I'll buy direct if I have to. I like Dollmore's quick shipping (only a few days!) but I'm also willing to wait - my last Fairyland order was during a backup and took about 4 months. I'm impatient while I wait, but I'll wait.

 

I really enjoy finding new companies stuff. But I always come back to the ones that provides good service. I really like Souldoll products.

 

All of my dolls are from different companies, so I guess that I'm pretty flexible as long as I like the mold and the company has sufficient positive feedback.
However, I do tend to stick to specific manufacturers of clothes and wigs because I'm extremely picky when it comes to quality, and there is also not that much that interests me stylewise.

 

This is a very interesting question. I'm only starting out with my collection, but I already have 2-3 companies that seem to hold most of the dolls I'm interested in (Dollmore for me too, Dollzone and Ringdoll). I seem to go for couple of particular "looks" and find it hard to even consider getting anything that does not fall within that spheare.

My brain is telling me I'd be a lot smarter to try out different brands, get dolls that are very different from each other, so they would not end up mulling the same field so to speak and stealing the limelight from each other. And yet, I feel I ought to have at least a pair of dolls always that have a similar look, so they would gel well in pics... and then what would be the point of getting dolls I'm not that into. It's a tricky business.

 

so far
i'm loving 3 companis

1. Dream of Doll
2. BlueFairy
3. Eluts

 

I feel I'm the exact opposite. In general, I'll tend to dislike all but maybe one or two dolls from the same company. If I like more than that, it's a favorite, but even then I don't feel the need own all of them. Right now I only have three dolls, migidoll ryu, elfdoll soah, and soom OE beyla on a littlefee body. I have a soom yrie on layaway right now, but I don't expect to be getting any more soom dolls any time soon. I think I even love not getting more than one doll from the same company, just for a nice variety. I've got supia rosy on my wishlist, ad I've been thinking about souldoll hewer for a character of mine...

As for the time\shipping\handling\quality component, I guess I'm not too wary. Only my migidoll ryu was bought directly from the company. I bought my soah off ebay, and both my soom tinies are from the MP here. All the clothes I have for them so far from the MP, or else deviantart users. Even wigs and eyes.

I guess my preferences will develop as I slowly accumulate more dolls, but for now, I am a free agent.

 

*raises hand* i have had this happen and coincidentally i'm also a devotee of dollmore. they were the company where i purchased my first doll and since then i have acquired two more of their dolls with plans for more. i think that if you're initial experience with a company was positive than you have a high likelihood of becoming a repeat costumer.

this being said, i have owned other dolls from many different companies but i find that i really enjoy one for their mini boys and that i'll stick with them until i have all the ones i want or find a doll from another company that i really want.

i don't think that enjoying the products of a certain company is wrong since this hobby is largely about doing what you want with your dolls and your money. if you happen to favor a certain company then go crazy, buy them all, and if you like many different dolls go ahead and to that too. it all depends on how you want to do things.

 

I love having dolls from many companies, but I definitely gravitate to a few certain ones the most. It's not so much fear of the unknown as it is satisfaction and love of the companies I do deal with the most. I adore companies that are super friendly, it makes the hobby fun for me to deal with people like that.

I'm also a huge Dollmore fan. They sold me my first and favorite doll so they'll always be special, but they've been nothing but amazing with me and that's what really makes me keep going back (and i love the dolls XD). Way back in the day when I had a problem with an order they fixed it immediately and all was good. Same with Luts. Recently I had an issue with a Luts doll and they were great in helping me. This kind of thing makes it so easy to order again, the security of ordering from a company I know will pull through is fantastic.

I'm always kind of nervous when ordering from new companies (it hasn't stopped me yet though XD). Recently I ordered a doll I've wanted for a long time from a company who's dolls I've never seen in person. I've never bought anything from them before and I don't know anyone who has. It was a little like ordering my first doll! I asked them a few questions and found that they're wonderful to communicate with! That's hugely reassuring.

 

Do you find yourself tending to stick with companies you dealt with before, or do you like to explore other companies?
I do tend to buy from the same few companies but it's not so much just because they're familiar - but because I love their dolls and the customer service has been great. I've been very happy with what I've gotten from them. I'm a huge Luts fan because whenever I've bought from them it's been a good experience, the doll has been beautiful and I just really like their style and resin colour. I do however try and branch out but that's not always been a great experience.

Even if you have branched out, and bought from other companies, have you ever found yourself drawn to ones you've used before?
I will forever be drawn back to Luts and Fairyland as well. (Mostly Luts hehe). I have branched out and bought a doll from a newer company that had changed it's name - I went through a US dealer I'd heard good things about but never dealt with. It was a horrible experience. They had seemed very friendly and communicative but they screwed up and gave improper information telling me the doll had shipped long before she had, and then when the msc flaked off within 2 days of her arrival - nothing was done about it. I wont' buy from that company or dealer again and I've become vary wary since. It makes me appreciate Luts and Fairyland even more since they've both been very good to me.

 

When I first got into the hobby and ordered my first girl a few years back (she's now since been rehomed), I only felt comfortable with one company, which was Angelregion at the time.

After looking through numerous pictures of other dolls however, I felt the need to branch out and try something different. I'm certainly glad I did, since I've found other companies that I prefer to Angelregion these days, though I still tend to prefer certain companies over others. I'm a big fan of Pipos, Luts, and Fairyland, especially, but I'll probably branch out some more when I can.

One disadvantage to having dolls from different companies (and I've thought about this myself), is the fact that they might not be able to share clothes, shoes, etc. I prefer to let my group share what they can, though I may have outfits I prefer for a certain doll in particular. The idea and fact that they COULD share though, is nice and convenient. XD

 

My first doll was from Iplehouse, and I'm reluctant to buy from anyone else. I'm planning for a Jessica, Chase, and Soo Ri from them, and then my doll family will be complete.

 

Well I find that I tend to fall in love with a company's style (i.e. Iplehouse, Fairyland) and really adore a couple of dolls that their company produces because they all have the same general look to them. I like their aesthetic, you could say.

At the same time, the vast majority of the dolls I want are based on characters of mine, so I'm always looking for the sculpt that perfectly embodies that character, regardless of company. And since I'm not a fan of buying dolls firsthand, the company's shipping and ordering processes don't really factor into it. I love variety, so I guess my answer to this question in short is, "Nope! I love lots of different dolls from different companies."

 

I have always dreamed that my first BJD would be a Dollmore. I just adore their style. I have now discovered other companies I love such as Fairyland and Bobobie but I still find myself drooling at the Dollmore site most of all.

 

For better or worse, I started with Volks and still consider them the gold standard. I do have other companies' dolls now, but for clothing, wigs, and other accessories, I will tend to look at Volks's offerings first before shopping around. I like how they release in groups ("October collection" and such) rather than in a trickle at random times. But I hate how everything sells out so quickly--it's almost like they don't maintain any basic items at all!

For a time, I fell in love with Dollmore, but to be perfectly honest, the quality of their clothes has been kind of hit or miss for me, which ended the honeymoon. Plus a lot of their faceups default to a "supermodel scowl" which kind of turns me off.

I have a greater attachment to Iplehouse dolls these days. Their girls I look at just to admire for no reason at all.

I mean this in jest, but it's so cute that you think "complete" is possible!

There will always be a new doll that catches your eye around the corner. Maybe Iplehouse hasn't even sculpted it yet, but they will!

(From a victim of doll escalation.)

 

I have two IH dolls - and I like IH, very easy to deal with, decent customer service - but for the next doll I'm considering a DoD (who I've dealt with before but not for one of my dolls). I tend to do "character" dolls so the head sculpt is most important to me. Generally, if I have a good experience with a company, I will look at their sculpts more frequently for my next dolls. Also sticking with the same company tends to make it more likely that your dolls will look more like a set - my two's resin are almost identical even though one was received nine months earlier and exposed to more light than I like to admit.

Any time I've branched out so far has been a good deal. I've been happy with my transactions and as I said, the more transactions I have with a company, the more likely I am to order from them. I do like trying new companies because they all offer something a little different. This doesn't mean I don't do my homework. I try to read reviews before going with a new company so I know what to expect - or if I should reconsider.