Were You Afraid to Start The Hobby?

Like many people have said I tend to change my interest and hobbies quickly so if I buy a doll I'm scared that I'm just gonna end up not caring about it. There is also the cost, which makes everything more intimidating, if I end up not liking the hobby I also end up with losing alot of money.
But my biggest fear of starting the hobby is that I'm not sure why I want to start. I'm not very artistic or creative or crafty, so I even though I have been pining for a doll for years I'm just to scared to buy one because I know it will just end up collecting dust. Even if I do end up loving the foll I can't do anything with it in terms of customization

 

I was never afraid, I've always been sort of eccentric compared to my siblings and most of, if not all, my family. Didn't have to bother about friends not liking my choice of hobby, but I didn't exactly boast about the first doll in front of my family, it was later, when I had my foot comfortably inside the hobby.
Money wise - yeah, it was daunting spending that much, even though I knew enough to know that these weren't just popped out in a day, ready to ship off. What I feared most of all was the customs getting their grubby hands on the package, when already having spent close to $700 and was really low on funds, luckily it never happened.

 

Not really! I have a friend who is into dolls so he helped me get into the hobby without issue. Money wasn't ever an issue for me but I was kiiinda on the iffy side with... well, the patience you need for this hobby haha. So now I've recently learned, buy in stock dolls (I'm going to quit buying secondhand unless I see a discontinued sculpt I want) and put them on layaway so I don't drop hundreds of dollars in one day!

Anyway I rambled a little- no, I don't think I was ever fearful of entering the hobby. Just the waiting part kinda miffed me but I've learned to work around it.

 

I was really terrified to take the plunge and buy my first doll. I first discovered BJDs about five years ago, and I had thought about buying one ever since. I even started saving up for a doll a few times.

But I was worried about what other people would think and that I didn't have the creativity and passion a lot of people in the hobby have. Plus, they're so expensive. It took me a long time to not feel bad for spending so much on something as non-essential as a doll.

Buuuut I finally splurged and got my boy, no regrets. I always told myself if I really didn't like the hobby, I could sell him and put it all behind me. But I wouldn't dream of it, I'm already planning for my second girl. No regrets!

 

I'm currently hesitating to buy my first doll. I know which one I want, but it is a lot of money. The thing for me is that I want the doll not just for the doll itself, but to be my model for my little fashion business. So, the doll for me is also a tool. But of course I have no idea if my shop idea will be successful, so instead of making money doing something I love, I might just be throwing money away on a failed endeavor. The anxiety is intensified by the fact that I've had a hard time working regularly because I've been sick so often and so severely. This means I'm short on money, but also makes it very apparent that I need to find some kind of work I can do from home, on a flexible schedule that I can shift around depending on how well I feel. In other words, the doll may turn out to be either my financial salvation or ruin.

But, that's why it's important when buying expensive things to make sure you're not just buying it for it's potential value, but because you truly enjoy them. Buying things purely because they're valuable will result in terrible regret if the payoff isn't what you expect.

 

I was very nervous, because I had heard a lot of bad things about the doll community - that it was elitist and mean and so on. But I did anyways, and I’m really glad I did.
My doll has been such a good influence on my life and kept me crocheting and designing even with my health difficulties. And the people here seem very nice to me

 

Starting this hobby has me a bit apprehensive~
First of all, because this hobby is very expensive and sometimes I think that with the money I will spend I could be going on a trip somewhere (like Disneyland, etc.).
Also, because I know that when I get into hobbies that have to do with collecting, I tend to impulse buy. Proof of this was when I got into anime figure collecting (which I confess, that hobby is slowly dying down for me, I do buy figures but it's something rare now) where I liked figures of characters I enjoyed and bought them without really thinking.
Lastly, like marron above me mentions ^, there are a lot of things said about the BJD community and some are not so nice to hear. Yet, I am not one to judge and I wanted to try and experience the community for myself with and open mind. So far, I am having fun and the community here and in other platforms seems nice .
However, I do not regret getting into the hobby because the BJD that made me get into this hobby is one that I have been watching out for for over a year. It was love at first sight , and I am really looking forward to having him in my home and to learning a lot from this community.

 

Hmm, I was nervous about spending so much money at once... bjds seemed so unattainable to me, something for really rich people, but really it's just a matter of what you prioritize in your life. So instead of a video game I got a bjd. I also hate drama so I was a bit scared to get involved with a community of people I guess, and I'm shy and introverted. But that goes for any community really. It's been pretty nice so far!

 

Well considering I was pretty young when I started the hobby I was very exited! It was hard learning all the things about them like sizes, do’s and don’t. But with time I learned to enjoy it and manage it!

 

YES yes a thousand times. It was so expensive, I didn't know anything about it, I didn't know anyone who did it, I was afraid people would think I was nuts for wanting a doll that cost a small fortune, and also nuts for just wanting a doll. So many fears. Also when I finally joined DOA I was afraid to post because I didn't know anything and thought people would yell at me. Some did. I was terrified to go to my first meet with a bunch of strangers, and I thought everyone would laugh at my two dolls. SO MANY FEARS. I got over them.

Oh I forgot the other big fear, giving all my money to random strangers overseas. Obviously I got over that too. A little too easily. *stares in too many dolls*

 

I commit to hobbies for life more or less, so I was on the fence about it for a long time since I have a couple of relatively expensive hobbies that I indulge in already. But BJD is far more expensive than those combined, due to me preferring tan SD17 male dolls from companies that seem more expensive than most. I had to take my monthly earnings and studies into account which set me back a couple of years on my bjd journey . But I finally decided to say screw it last year and finally got my first doll, so here's to the rest of my life with Faust and his future friends

 

Money isn't so scary- but the international shipping terrifies me.
If I could walk up to a seller, see the doll, and buy it I'd be happy as heck. Local dealers are also a blessing.

 

I was worried about the cost, not just the cost of the doll itself but also how much money I would inevitably be sinking into accessories, clothes, etc. Also, because I live in Australia, postage and conversion rates are killer. Now I'm in a better place financially, so gave in and bought a pre-loved cutie.

 

The cost in the long run was all I was (and am) ever worried about. I didn't have much to worry about socially thankfully. My mom had been a Barbie collector and thought BJDs were cool. My friends and I bonded over dolls as kids and all got into BJDs around the same time, so it was awesome when I got my first resin doll and we all got to hold it for the first time! And I didn't care what anyone else thought outside of my small friend group, I was already "the weird kid" anyway. However the 6 months of waiting time was also terrifying. It felt like I had just sent my savings into a void never to be seen again. What if it got lost or damaged? What if Denver Doll is a scam?? (Lol of course it isn't but teenaged me was super skeptical)

 

The cost and the wait are currently making me hesitate! I really want to get into doing face-ups and making clothes for bjds, but I'm currently waffling on whether to go in on buying those materials/a practice head or two before I order my first doll, since it will take some time for me to save up money, and I'm worried about losing interest/being in a different life situation before I finish saving up. But I could also use those materials for other art hopefully... Currently my thought is there's no harm in saving up the money, and the time it takes me to save will help me evaluate whether I want to take the plunge.

 

I’m still currently saving up for my first bjd head to practice faceups on and just get a feel for the hobby but i’m definitely most scared for financial reasons, especially as a working college student with student debt i’m always worried that my interests towards bjds will be short lived and regret that i could’ve spent it on school related needs but i think the long process of saving up has been helping me weigh and evaluate my passion for this hobby

 

For sure! I just started working my first job a couple of weeks ago and I have yet to buy one because I'm still on the fence. This is one pricey hobby and I'm still pondering whether they are worth a couple hundred because I have so many important things I should be saving up for (like college, travel, and pets) rather than feeding my artistic hunger any more than I already do. I'm worried I'll end up regretting having spent my earnings on this as opposed to continuing to save for these other things. Other than money being an issue though, I'd jump right in.

 

Yes, I was very scared to start the hobby. About 13 years ago, I stalked Volks website for 12” anime Rurouni Kenshin and Asuka Langley dolls but chanced upon the 1/3 Dollfie Dreams Fortune Arterial and Sendo Erika. I came close to buying Sendo Erika but she was too expensive, around US$500++ after shipping and Canada border tax.

Day after day, I visited Volks USA website. I joined DOA forum and attended Doll North convention in Toronto. I found out about the Volks database and was charmed by the pretty resin boy dolls. I picked out Isao Nanjou and Reisner as my favourite. By then, I have almost forgotten DD Sendo Erika. I loved the resin boys more.

When I saw Isao on eBay, I took a big risk and pressed “Buy It Now”, I knew he belonged to me, those eyes. I paid US$700 for him naked in box. I subsequently paid US$200 for his full set outfit from a seller in Malaysia and US$100 for his original wig from a seller in Japan. After shipping and taxes, SD13 Isao Nanjou ver 1 cost me US$1150. I love him more than DD Erika. His eyes are enough to make me press the “Buy It Now” button. I was lucky, he is authentic, the seller is a member in good standing with the DOA forum. She and I are still friends on Flickr and DOA.

 

I spent so long being afraid to join this hobby, primarily due to financial costs. When I finally got my first doll, I already had a good stable job with steady income and could finally justify it. I think waiting this long has really helped me have a healthy relationship with the hobby and let me have time to really understand what I like about it! Sometimes you know yourself and your limits and I think if I had started earlier I may not have been as good at saving and knowing what kinds of dolls I like the way I do now.

 

At first, it was cost. Mainly because I was already into an expensive fashion, EGL, when I first learned about BJDs. It's been a few years and I've grown out of EGL, so I feel like I can safely put money into a new interest. Nowadays, the thing that scares me is that I don't know if I'm the collector type. I tried collecting fashion dolls when I got my first apartment but the aesthetic wasn't what I wanted, so I ended up giving them away. I figured collecting wasn't for me. But I've always loved dolls and I feel like the customization aspect of BJDs could work for me, being that I'm a huge character hoarder. There's still that nagging voice that says I'll get my first doll and realize collecting really isn't for me.