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What is the most important factor for you when buying a doll?

Jan 3, 2017

    1. I'm picky, so in no particular order:

      -Company is not known to currently be having problems with quality, wait times or service.
      -Price reflects quality.
      -Size is close enough to standard that I should be able to buy clothes and shoes somewhat easily. Also, I mostly only collect SD and Slim Mini, so it has to fit into the right part of my crew for the character.
      -Heavy resin that doesn't look shiny. I really really do not like resin that feels extremely light weight or plastic-y. I do own a few dolls with lighter resin, but I don't prefer it.
      -Proportions are pleasing to me. Lack of chin, arms too short or long, eyes much bigger than the mouth and nose, teeny tiny hands--these things turn me off.
      -Good engineering. If they can't stand or sit alone or touch their face or do other basic poses without wiring or modding, they aren't for me. Also, I want the poses to look natural, not stiff or awkward.
      -Reasonable wait times. I prefer 4 months or less, but anything over 6 is too long.
      -Color. I won't dye a doll or completely blush or paint it to be the color I need, so if it doesn't come in a suitable color for my character, I won't buy it.
      -If I'm trying to hybrid, then they need to sell head and body separately and have pretty consistent color batches.
       
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    2. Do you have a preference for a specific size or style, availability of clothing, company reliability? How well it fits in with the rest of your dolls, price range, and so on? Or do you really only just care about getting a gorgeous sculpt?

      I really have few requirements when buying a doll--except that if it's for a character, it is in the same scale as the other shelled character dolls in the same story, and if it's a character doll, it must be pretty realistic. Everything else can be fixed.

      Unreliable company? Buy second hand.

      Too expensive? Buy second hand or wait for a sale.

      Don't like the poseability or aesthetics of the body? Hybrid.

      Head doesn't fit on the body? Mod it.

      Wrong resin color/resin match issue? Dye the doll.

      Body has the wrong secondary sex characteristics? Hybrid or mod it.

      Slightly less realistic than the others? Mod it.

      However, there are certain features which will turn me off a doll or body in the first place:
      - huge open mouth (I think these tend to look unrealistic)
      - large eyes (unrealistic)
      - tiny button nose on an adult doll (too unrealistic)
      - rosebud mouth/pucker (too unrealistic and forced)
      - too small forehead (or, alternatively, a face that takes up too much of the head--like Supiadoll; unrealistic)
      - not being double jointed
      - poor joint engineering
      - too many muscles (esp. on a boy doll)
      - tiny feet (esp. on a girl doll)
      - lack of realism in body relative to head (or body parts)
      - elbow and knee joints other than those with floating kneecap and elbow (like peanut joints--ew)
       
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    3. I think it would be aesthetic for me, though there is a bit more to it. The doll has to speak to me, as in... I can see a doll and think its gorgeous, but the dolls on my wishlist and the dolls I have at home, upon seeing their sculpts, I could just imagine a character for them. Or I felt they suited a character I already had.
       
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    4. Lol, yep, that's where I fit in. Having read all the replies to this thread, I gather I'm rather easily pleased! All I ask is that they be cute and pretty and happy. Size really doesn't matter, in fact, the more sizes the merrier. I like my chubby MSD child just as much as my slim minis and I also like the larger MSD size of my Iplehouse JID ... but she'll have to find a new home, poor girl, because she doesn't look happy (I bought her back before I knew what I really liked).

      Now that I do know what I like, I'm not having any girls with attitude around here. I primarily want to make super pretty girly dresses as my main creative outlet, so for me it's all about big eyes and rosy cheeks and happy little faces. Girls with sulky pouts need not apply!
       
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    5. 1. Face sculpt is the majority of what I base my decisions on. Fantasy ears and dreaming eyed dolls make up the bulk of my collection. If I would regret not purchasing it if it sells out, I will buy it. If there's an excellent character doll of one of my favorite characters I won't hesitate to purchase either.
      2. I greatly prefer having SDs. it would have to be a very special doll for me to consider a different size.
      3. While I don't mind doing a hybrid, I strongly prefer to purchase the head and body together.
       
    6. - The price of the doll is something that is a big factor when it comes to buying a new doll, for me. I don't like having to pay more than what I believe the doll is worth. Most BJD are worth the price, but I have seen some that are way to pricey for the quality.

      - The body must be aesthetically pleasing to look at, but also be able to pose nicely as well.

      - I must come up with a style of clothing for the doll and find the clothes for a fair price. If I can't, then I won't let myself buy it; I don't like having naked dolls lying about ;)

      - I look at the size of the doll; how big am I willing to go? Generally, I like to keep to MSDs just because they don't take up as much space, but can still have a descent amount of detail to them despite the size.
       
    7. I'm all about the face then body sculpt of course but my guys are usually in the 70cm range so they have to have the look & body that will go with my other boys. My look is very high end fashion guys with great bodies!! If they can share clothing that's always helpful as well!
       
    8. Number one for me is able to stand alone. I love when I can take a doll to a outdoor space and they can stand long enough for me to take a few photos.
      Second is the face. I have to love the face and with most of my dolls it was 8 times out of 1" instantly.
      Last is sitting straight, I hate when a doll leans back on a spot I posed them on.
       
    9. Looking at my collection, it's becoming clear to me that I don't really have any "most important" factor other than 1) can I afford it, and 2) does the doll make me happy when I look at it?

      More than half my collection is second-hand, because I have a hard time deciding if I like a doll based on pre-order information. It doesn't matter how many detailed pictures the company or artist puts up. It's hard for me to like a sample doll -- but I fall in love easily with a doll who's right there, available. But that's definitely a secondary consideration, since I've purchased dolls during pre-orders before.
       
    10. I used to choose to get dolls based on whether they are one of my characters I want to shell, but a few admittedly have been out of sheer adoration for a gorgeous sculpt, or in order to shell an image I couldn't get out of my head.
       
    11. Price range is an issue. I'm also sort of a brand type person. If a doll is inexpensive aka from a less expensive brand I feel it won't have the quality I'm expecting. I want double jointed arms at the very least. I also enjoy more adult looking sculpts. I like to order through the company but a local dealer is ok as well. I want a company I hear has good customer service.
       
    12. Mostly the doll has to speak to me, that's like the deciding factor beyond everything else. I'm very picky, so I need to really really like the doll to want to spend money on one.
       
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    13. First for me is the sculpt, and search a lot some sculpt I liked with different face ups before buy. Second is the body, I like clean and proportional bodies (preferably with double joints). And the last one is the company ^^
       
    14. I have a think for tan or dark tan dolls. For all my dolls I've looked and asked for pictures of them so i can see how dark they are and how they photograph. I also love dolls with big pouty lips and big eyes so i look for that in dolls mostly. And unintentionally all of my dolls have big hips so i think sub consciously I look for that too xD I love dolls that are unusual or have a fantasy look to them :3
       
    15. sculpt and price. Also the waiting time is really really important for me, I don't really have the patience to wait lol.
       
    16. Important is the overall design of the doll itself is what I am looking for. Are you attracted to the doll and if there something bonding you with it. Then the price itself, can I afford it or will I be able set some money for that price.
       
    17. You got me there. I want a doll with a face so gorgeous I gasp when I see it. So memorable that I have to go online to see it every day... and dream of it at night. That said I want ultra realistic mature adult dolls with beautiful but not " ripped" bodies. Well engineered bodies that can stand solidly, sit gracefully, hold a cup of tea, and touch their own face.
       
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    18. Sculpt and quality of the resin are very important to me. I usually spend almost 3 months to browse through the internet to see if the sculpt I have my eyes on really looks like what I saw on the official website (you know how powerful Photoshop is ^_^) and whether the resin is good or what e.g do they yellowed very fast or easily crack. Personally I don't want to sell any doll I chose, so I need to be very careful not to buy a doll but sell it at the end just because it doesn't really look like what I thought.
       
    19. face sculpt is the first thing that draws me to a doll, but i have a few things that make me purchase/keep it.

      i use my dolls mostly for photography so being able to pose reasonably is a must. i don't (so far) go any bigger than an msd but i will go much, much smaller. nice hands are surprisingly important. i have decided against dolls just because they had clunky or ugly hands. feet aren't as big a deal since my dolls usually wear shoes. price to a lesser degree, there are some dolls that i like that are just too much money for me, but i will pay extra for an artist made doll that i really really like.
       
    20. I think facial sculpt is what will first draw me to a doll. But there are many different factors that might make me change my mind. I own so many dolls that at this point I've gotten really picky.