Were You Afraid to Start The Hobby?

I am in the exact same position as you in regards to where I am in the hobby - still saving for my first! I wouldn't say I'm afraid exactly, but I am a little concerned as to how much I'll end up spending once I start
As for what family and friends think, I don't think you should let that worry you too much. Most people might react negatively to dolls at first, say they're creepy or a waste of money, but once they realize this is something you're really interested in, I'm sure they'll warm up to it or at least respect your hobby. And if they don't, well that's not very supportive of them.

I understand what you mean about losing passion for things. In that case, I'd say start off slowly with one doll and see how you go, rather than going on a spending spree. If you find that the hobby isn't for you later down the track, at least you know you didn't waste all your funds

Best of luck saving for your first doll!

 

I was really scared because it was such an enormous purchase XD... spending money so selflessly on myself was scary. I took ages of gathering money and courage and when I finally took the plunge I woke up scared in the middle of the night fearing I made a mistake. But then I thought: "You've been staring at them for months, you've wanted one for months, you decided which one you wanted ages ago, it was thought through and if it's not for you you can always sell it again."
These thoughts eased my mind and I never regretted getting her ever since.

That being said - be prepared for some strange looks from parents/grandparents and stuff. And be prepared to shrug these things off. Just do your thing and show them how happy you are with your dolly. They'll get over their concerns eventually or at least accept it.

 

I'm the sort of person who has, what my husband calls, fads. I get a little obsessed with something, spend money on it and then lose interest. Usually the hobby isn't too expensive - crochet, cross stitch, CPKs, Berenguer Itty Bitties. This time not so much. Even I think that spending in excess of £200 for a doll is ridiculous - especially since they don't even have hair or clothes - but I look at those faces and die a little inside. So, after 12 months of looking at pics and basically driving hubby insane, my first doll is on order. Hubby agreed to buy her for my birthday as long as I shut up...lol I could have bought one with my own savings but I hate spending my savings [emoji14]

I'm getting a Little Monica HH Luisie from a UK dealer and the wait is driving me nuts.

My dream doll is Fairyland but import fees to the UK mean that she will stay a dream. Saying that, hubby has hinted Santa might put one on his list for me if I agree to part with some of my cash for the import fees. Easier said than done in my case and, after 30 years, he knows what I'm like. I might just surprise him 'cos I'm soooo tempted by the LF Ante.[emoji12]

 

Well, of course it can happen. You get your first doll and find you not only don't like the doll - you don't actually like the whole hobby. In that case, though, you can still sell the doll again and if it's still new, you probably can do so with barely any losses.

 

This is me and how my husband sees my hobbies. Regardless, I wasn't afraid to buy my first doll, but because of the way I obsess and lose interest, I only have one right now and I had only planned on getting one. I saved up for him and was excited when I could get him. I was in a hobby quite a few years back that was expensive (I collected animation cels from Anime) and I'm glad I got out of it. BJD's are more fun and rewarding. My doll is worth every penny and more to me.

 

I was terrified to start yet another 'hobby'. I seem to have a habit of dropping them pretty fast and often. I guess I need a lot variation in my life. My partner keeps calling me a 'scale' since I can never seem to make up my mind. That is also the reason I started with a second-hand doll, not that she was much cheaper than a new doll though. I wanted to get a taste of the hobby without fully committing myself right away. Needless to say a second BJD was ordered quite swiftly. In my defense that BJD was/is still my grail doll. The third girl at home now has been a dreamie for a long time and I can't believe how happy I am that she's finally home. I feel pretty completed right now though so future purchases will hopefully only be clothing and accessories for the BJD I already have.

I must say I don't regret starting this hobby. It's one of the few I've actually kept enjoying despite my urge to try out new things constantly. Maybe that's because it's such a versatile hobby?

Customs are a nightmare. My partner recently bought me a Pukifée Ante straight from Fairyland for my birthday. He paid plenty for her and customs decided to add about € 127,00 on top of that. Not to mention that the Pukifée itself wasn't exactly what we were expecting. Don't get me wrong, she is beautiful but she arrived with scratches and ill-fitting extra hands. I wouldn't want to miss her for anything in the world though.

 

My biggest concern was how much money I'd wind up spending, haha! Though I can be pretty fickle, too, so wait times were also a bit of a worry- though figure collecting definitely primed me for BJDs. Sometimes, figures get delayed for months in addition to all the time you've already waited after you preorder. If I could handle that and not lose interest, I could handle BJDs for sure.

 

I wouldn't say I was afraid... I was so interested. I wanted one immediately so I searched for a cheapER one and bought her. I fell in love with her. Her sculpt was absolutely beautiful and I could never explain what I felt when I opened my first bjd. She was so gorgeous.
And about the friends, who gives a shit? Excuse my language, but if they don't accept your hobby or joke about it, then I suggest getting new friends. My friends are super artistic and when they saw my doll they were like, "Oh my gosh what the heck is that thing!"
They became interested and now, one of them has a doll of her own. I think it's such a unique hobby and it has taught me to be creative.

 

Nah. The word "fear" is never in my mind when I decide to pursuit something. I was also 100% smitten with the thought of having one doll and I still am. You can just get 1 doll for now and see what happens next, don't buy another doll until a long time passes, like a year or so, and see if you still love your doll or not. In that way, you won't end up with many unwanted dolls in case you change your mind as you have done in the past.

 

I was a little apprehensive. It took me a very long time between the time I "joined" the hobby (around October '14) to when I actually ordered my doll (June '15) and to when she arrived (July '15), because I was so nervous. I've collected other expensive dolls, but nearly $500 for one was just so terrifying. I ended up just diving in because in the end, I really wanted a doll and even if she is expensive, she'll be worth it. And, she is *so* worth it. I love her with all my heart, no other doll has completely stole not only my heart but my wallet Be aware that if you bring a BJD home, s/he'll end up stealing even more of your money for eyes/wigs/clothes/shoes!

 

I was determined to own a BJD from the moment I first saw one. I was computer illiterate back then, so I would have hesitated to order such an expensive item on my own, from Asia, but the friend who introduced me to the hobby walked me through the purchase of the doll, and his basic needs, such as shoes, wigs, and eyes. The clothes I make myself. No, not afraid, just wildly excited.

 

I WAS VERY AFRAID... So much so that my order got cancelled 'cause I kept nervously putting off paying for my order. I was heartbroken and so angry with myself for hesitating, but I got a second chance due to other cancelled orders!

 

No fear here, I tend to keep an interest in hobbies that I pick up and I rarely pick up a new hobby even. My main hobby was/is photography, and BJDs are an extension of that hobby. And what others think of my hobby is not important, as it is MY hobby.

 

I don't tell just anyone about my dolls, but my friends and family already know that I am a bit weird . So, no worries on that account.

I wasn't afraid, really, because I had done my research. My main worry was that I might not be able to do doll maintenance like restringing, or that I might not have sufficient skill in making clothes. For the maintenance, I watched a lot of Youtube videos and became confident that restringing wasn't sorcery . And I bought a fullset doll as my first, so that I would have a nice doll to display in case I failed utterly in the clothes and customisation department. Fortunately, as soon as I held my first doll in my hands, I knew this was so very much a thing for me .

I'm not at all fickle when it comes to hobbies or other things I am passionate about. Also: should I ever tire of working on my dolls, I will still have a set of beautiful figures to look at.

 

I wasn't afraid to buy my first doll. I saved up and only told a few friends before I payed for him. Most of them were pretty cool about it since most of them are artists. I didn't tell my mom or sister until a week before my doll arrived.

I had been wanting to she'll some of my characters so badly for a while and once I found this hobby, I researched it thoroughly to make sure it was the right one. I'm so glad I did make the plunge for my first doll and didn't hesitate too much.

Now I just have to worry about the you got another doll look from my mom.

 

I wasn't afraid at all. Once I had settled on a doll, I knew I'd stick to both my decision about the sculpt and the hobby as such. Then again I am the type to go all in from the start, I spent two weeks sewing garb before my first ever LARP con, too (instead of just borrowing stuff like any sane person would have done) ... no regrets though.