Very expensive Volks DD dolls

Hello TomDavy, & yes the Volks Dollfies are expensive.
I'm curious though about your comment about the costs of Vinyl dolls?
I ask as the Volks Dollfies are made of cast resin and not vinyl.
You will see that my signature shows I own a group of Volks Dollfies. These dollfies I was able to purchase when I had the money to spend. Now I don't have that money to spend, can't buy any new dollfies.
I think it is OK to look at the new Volks dollfies in awe of their beauty, the wonderful clothes and accessories.
And I dream of owning another Volks dollfie. But too expensive for me now.

 

Hello! I felt the same way for a while, but after some savings and scavenging for deals, I was able to afford one of their standard models. ^^ It just takes a while.

Volks makes two different main lines of dolls: Dollfies (resin) and Dollfie Dreams (vinyl). The vinyl ones are stylized to be more like anime characters while the main Dollfie line is more like your traditional BJD.

 

I was able to fulfill my dream of getting a vinyl Dollfie Dream by being patient and searching the marketplace for a body that needed some work. I was willing to get a damaged body to save money, and removing the nasty black stains actually was easy. Buying the head without a face up also saved me quite a bit of money. Now I have a beautiful doll at a fraction of the cost. Sometimes you have to just be diligent and keep searching.

 

Super Dollfie is Volks resin line, Dollfie Dream is the vinyl line.
They are both not really cheep, unfortunately I also am fond of both lines and it can get a bit annoying.

The Dollfie Dreams are especially expensive because the majority of them are licensed characters from popular animes.
That also means Volks needs to pay money for the licenses, which adds to the price.
They are marketed at and bought by people who usually don't get them because they collect dolls but for having a huge version of their favourite character.
This, and the fact they are nearly all limited, attracts re-sellers and scalpers and makes the prices jump like crazy

 

You see, instead of buying four Smartdolls you could have bought two DD full-sets
I understand though that paying less for an equally gorgeous doll seems like the more reasonable thing to do, and I think it's great that Choo made them so affordable.
I'm currently a bit disappointed too because my favourite DD is usually 2000+$, 1200$ for just the head, and that's just way too much.

Dollfie Dreams (and the bigger Obitsus) are grandfathered here.
They are basically allowed because of how they started (DDs were strung like BJDs in the beginning) and because the collectors overlap.
Smartdolls are new and thus aren't grandfathered, but I personally think they should be allowed too because they are basically the same thing from a different maker.

 

Smart Dolls and Dollfie Dreams seem pretty comparable in price to me. A standard model DD is only $473 USD. An "essentials" Smart Doll not on sale is $467 USD. In both cases you get a complete doll in their underwear/pajamas.

 

I think this problem happens frequently, not just with Volks, but many companies. For example, my grail doll was a Soom Ender Lord of the Dead in brown tan skin. He was limited and only available in the Egyptian fullset for about two weeks. There was no way I could afford him or even start a layaway at that time. If I recall correctly (it's been 5 years), I think the fullset was around $1200. The sculpt was re-released as a X-mas kit, but not in the same color. I could have bought a basic Soom doll for about $500, but it just wasn't the same.

As frustrating as it can be, that is part of what drives the cost up--limited supply and high demand. And on the other hand, I think the detail and extras that go into the LEs is sometimes what creates the desire for them. Some people just want to own a rare and valuable doll. Others find the sculpt, clothing, wig, etc much more appealing than a simple nude doll or basic underwear.

 

Oh yes I can agree with you on that. I actually have a SmartDoll (Kizuna) for that reason and no DD's. I was able to get the doll and extra outfits for much less than a limited edition DD. I am pretty sure though that if Danny Choo got into making licensed characters, he would have to jack the price up for those models. There is big money around manga/anime licensing.

 

Thank you Tom for the information about the dolls you like. It was enjoyable for me to see the "Smart Dolls."

 

At first I was experiencing a similar feeling. However, as other members wrote scavending can really help and you can find some really amazing pieces.

 

DD, especially the limited ones in particular, are unfortunately the type of doll you have to get when they come out, (or hope they are rereleased later), since a vast majority if them are modeled after beloved characters. Even a person not into dolls might buy one simply for the fact that they have a certain series they collect. Sadly, this really opens the market for scalpers, especially for 'limited quantity/lottery' types. (I was into Disney limiteds before bjds; you don't even want to know how bad it's gotten over there...) I will say, prices are always really high right after a release period, (not fairly, sure, but as long as people buy it at high prices, scalpers gonna scalp). Wait until the next 'big items' or event comes out and the previously released things should dip. As an aside, though, Mandarake is a great secondhand site, so be sure to check with them frequently for deals.

One day I hope to own a DD Saber Lily, but alas, dropping that kind of money would be REALLY hard to justify right now, and there seem to be less and less every time I look one up. However, if Volks came out with a Diarmuid from Fate/Zero, whether DD or Super Dollfie, I would for sure be right there to snag one.