Try Before You Buy??

I went a while before I saw my first BJD in person. But when I finally did, I was so ecstatic. I was finally able to have a real idea of what I was getting into, and luckily the dolls I saw were mostly SD sized, which is what I am after.

Before then, I was using the measurements on Luts, and using pictures in the gallery here to get an idea of how big my boy would be; it helps because of my vivid imagination, but seeing one in person is really the best way to go.

 

When I got my doll I had never seen or held one in person, I didn't know anyone who had them...I didn't know anyone who even knew they existed XD! I totally stumbled upon them on my own. I can't say I was actually that surprised when my doll came...I pretty much knew what to expect from pictures.

 

I wish I was able to have gotten the chance to see someone else's doll before I got my own. My friend and I were wishing for one, and she had been closer to getting one than I was. We had OT Volks Dollfies, but neither of us really could grasp how we could afford a Volks doll (as Volks was all we knew about at that time). I still don't know if she ever got one, either.

When I first got mine, I was super careful - probably more careful than I really needed to be. I picked her up out of the box (as the bubble-wrap mummy) and I freaked out when her head tilted back. I was super cautious. I was even overly cautious about every surface I placed her on; I always put a tissue underneath her so nothing would get onto her. As time went on, I stopped doing that. I also got used to how her joints worked, and how she posed. At that point, I treated her like an expensive doll, but a relatively durable one as well.

When I got my second doll, I'd sort of expected he'd be heavier, since a lot of box opening videos I saw on YouTube have people saying how heavy their doll was. I don't know if he was just unusually light compared to most 60cm dolls, or if I was used to heavier dolls, since I'd owned larger dolls when I was a kid.

I think the most surprising thing I learned about my dolls, since I hadn't had one, is that they're not super breakable - I mean, don't purposely go and try to test your doll's durability, but in the right setting, your doll can hold up quite well. My dolls are almost always above a carpeted floor, so I don't have to worry when they fall (though the headcap detaches, because it's only held on by magnets). I also don't worry about finger breakage, even though most of the clothes I've sewn probably could break a finger.

 

The first BJD I ever saw in person was the first I ordered. I -was- surprised by how large she was. I knew her dimentions, but reading and holding are very different. The funny thing; that first is a 45cm and most of my dolls today are over 60cm. Her size was surprising, but not off-putting.

 

I've been waiting for my first doll for about... two months, and I actually have never touched or even seen for real an ABJD But if I hadn't bought it before having touched an ABJD, I think I would still have a long time to wait... So, the first resin doll I'll touch will be my very own !

 

My first in person bjd experience was when my first doll arrived home. I remember being rather in awe of him and thinking that he was even more lovely than in his picture (I still have him too).

 

Before I got my first doll, I never touched or saw one in person.
The first on-topic doll was a Tiny, and I was mostly surprised at how pleasant the surface is to touch - the material is much more smooth, dense, and stable that I imagined, being used to off-topic dolls that are made of vinyl or ABS before. But I was even more surprised at my own feelings when I got my second doll, who was MSD-sized. I saw her, and had something similar to butterflies in my stomach. Her beauty literally swept me off my feet, I had to sit down on the floor and get used to her beauty before I could do anything else. I suppose, if I had known how BJDs look and feel "in person" before, I would have been even less patient in my first wait^^

 

I never saw a BJD in person before my first one arrived, and I didn't know how enchanting they were! I was also surprised at how big he was . . . and he was a mini.

 

I think this topic brings up the importance to try and attend doll meets. These types of events really do help you make a good decision when it comes to choosing that special BJD.

I have had the opportunity to see a Dollstown girl that had caught my attention a second time at a meet and she "passed" everyone up on my dolly wish list. Seeing them in person and able to touch them, etc. - yes that is the way to go if you can.

 

I bought my first at a con which was WAY nice. Before that, the sizes, the material, even the stringing was completely over my head. In pictures, I honestly wasn't sure what I was expecting. I think I remember that I had no idea these dolls were held together with elastic, I thought it was a Dollfie Dream sort of skeleton thing. And seeing the difference in front of me between MSD, SD, and YOSD was fantastic. I knew instantly which size appealed to me the most and which I wanted. It was an impulse buy but that doll has become my favorite and I wouldn't trade him for anything. Even when I'm broke and on the streets it'll be me and that doll xD (joking of course)

Definitely glad I got to have a hands on before I made my purchase, before I found my doll the only other interaction I had was with my friend's 90CM giant. I was like D: ARE THEY ALL LIKE THAT!? OHGODOHGODOHGOD

Thankfully no xD

 

My first experience with a BJD was when I got my Lati Yellow Sp. in the mail. Even with no faceup, she was lovely! She was slimmer than I had expected and so delicate looking! It's so fun just to have her try on a million little outfits. I still have her, and always will.

Even with my MSD, I was surprised. She was heavier than I had expected, and even though she's a big girl I love to dress her up too. I'm guessing I will be surprised when I get my Minifee, even just the difference in the sculpts are amazing!

So now... I'm rambling. Have fun with your doll, when you get her! I also want a Chloe. If you can, go to a doll meet and look at other people's dolls. You'll be amazed, I promise!

 

I had never even seen a BJD in real life, let alone touched one, before I bought my own. I don't know what was most surprising... Maybe the smell of the resin. I love it though.

 

Never touched one before buying but I measured how tall a SD sized kid would be so when my first head came in I thought he was bigger than I thought he would be. I wished the companies would all put their dolls within the same distance as the camera so I can tell the height/size and such, lifesized pictures please. I recently seen a 70+ and msd doll so this really helps with my decision about who to get next.

And hearing all this talk about resin smells was right, the smell is pretty. The sealer not so much.

 

I had only seen BJDs in pictures before I bought my first doll. A SD13 boy doll never seemed quite as big on the screen as standing in the middle of your bedroom. XD That was definitely surprising.

 

I had never seen one in real life before and I was not yet a member here either. I kind of knew what to expect from looking at so many ABJD sites and pictures but the thing that I was not prepared for was just how much more beautiful she would be in person. There is a luminous and lifelike quality to these dolls that just can't be adequately captured in pictures. I am more used to the dear, sweet faces of my doll family now but whenever I first open the box of a new doll family member it always takes my breath away.

 

I had all sorts of OT dolls before, but when I ordered my first BJD (pukipuki), I had only ever seen photos of it. I had no idea what the resin would feel like, or how it would pose. I admit that I was taken aback by the removeable face-plate, and the putty holding the eyes in place. I am also very worried that I'll rub off her factory face-up. It was all new to me, and actually, though I've had the pukipuki for almost two years now, I still have a lot to learn. I remain a bit intimidated by this beautiful tiny doll, but I have another one on order, so hopefully I'll overcome my issues soon.

If I had the chance to have handled a BJD before I ordered, it probably would have helped out tremendously because I don't know any BJD people here in my area nor am I aware of doll meets and such. All that I know about BJDs I've learned online through here and other forums...

 

I'd seen and held an SD doll before my own came in. From my experience with it I'd decided that the larger doll was a little too awkward to handle and carry around - I'd been asked to hold onto him when we were at a convention. So, keeping that in mind, my first bjd was an msd. I knew he was going to be smaller than the SD I'd carried for a friend, but even knowing that I was surprised that he was bigger than I'd thought he was going to be. I'd even broken out a measuring tape and worked out approximately how tall he should be :3

Otherwise I was completely smitten with how posable and smooth the resin was. It continues to be one of the things I enjoy the most about getting a doll from a company I have no experience with - testing the posability, getting a feel for how it moves, how that company's resin feels....

In the end I wound up with SD dolls anyway, and while I adore their size and the detail on them, I still question why I decide to bring them places that will require me to carry them all day (darn those impulsive decisions).

 

Oh man, I saw a bunch of different sizes before my first doll came in! I was lucky enough to attend an anime convention near my town where there were a ton of people with dolls ranging from tiny to SD that I saw ;w; I even got to hold a couple (though I was almost too nervous to ask!). But still, I wasn't prepared for how big Noire was! I don't think seeing others' dolls even really compares to seeing your own, at least in my experience. Other peoples' dolls seem 'otherworldly' to me, not really... existent in a sense? But when it's your own... haha! Sorry, I'm getting off track

 

I've bought my first doll without touching -or even seeing- one in person. I just took a ruler and measured how tall would be my first doll (SD). After that, it's a mix of box handling and being risky. With the teenies I had to see them in person to fall in love and finally get my own. Now I always had to take risks with bigger dolls, since no one in my area had them. Again, just see the weight and measurements on the site to have an idea. I regret nothing, as I haven't sold any of them.

 

For me, I was dead set on a big Iplehouse Mars. It was love at first site and I'm still drooling over him today. By chance, a few local collectors tracked me down here after seeing me at a convention, and by chance a woman had a Mars she'd let me drool over at the next meet!
Seeing him in person made me realise that for my first doll, he was WAY too big! My first became an MSD girl and my second a Yo, but I'm planning on a 56cm boy next! Personally, I had to work myself up to getting use to big dolls. One day, I hope to get a Soom SuperGem!