What is the worst part about being a BJD collector/owner?

Ah yes. Waiting time for me >.< When you buy clothes or accesories. It especially felt soooo sucky after a looong wait, and a big sum of money spent, only to discover that some of them don't fit your doll TT___TT Or they send you the wrong color *headdesk*

And not to mention that some shops have misleading photos of their clothes -_- It looks good on the dolls on the photos, nice shape, sexy, slim, and all....but it looks too baggy on your doll and make them look fat X(

 

Another thing that can get annoying is not really being able to buy one low-priced item overseas because the shipping is going to be at least $20 extra.

 

For me, the worst part about being a BJD collector is having to wade my way through all the other rude, hostile and insensitive collectors. I'm absolutely appalled at how some folks don't know how to be nice or at least polite to other people.

And shipping costs. Definitely shipping costs.

 

-Cost.
-Some of the people in the hobby (for example, my first meet that I went to, they were horrible to me)
-Some of the stigma attached...

 

For me it's the cost because I'm a poor student who will have a boat-load of debt once I graduate. Not a lot of cash floating around. And what makes it worse is that every doll I fall in love with tends to be limited edition or special event dolls and I can't buy them right away and miss the opportunity. Then they're more expensive if you want to buy them on the marketplace.

There's also a social stigma. People do look at you funny when you say you have dolls that you collect and play with. You do get judged. I tend not to bring it up or take him out of the house.

 

The complaining. OMG, the complaining from people actively looking for a reason to feel insulted/inferior/oppressed. It really gets old after a while.

As for the dolls, though, nothing. I love everything else about this hobby.

 

How expensive they can be! buying the doll,the eyes,the wig,the clothes and then the shipping fee.

 

The cost, for sure. And all this nervousness when you are waiting for the doll or doll things to arrive.

 

I'm always staying optimistic as possible to avoid giving up my BJD hobby. Even i've just started with it like.. a few months ago, there are always some bad parts about being a ''collector''.
Like, the costs, and fragility of the dolls. The fabrics are difficult to find too, due staining. But for now, i still love the bjd hobby!

 

This is a great thread! I can answer this! The worst part for me is chasing after "The One That Got Away", also known as SO or Ltd (y'all know what those mean so I won't spell 'em out). I've been lucky this past year, very lucky, but there still is one more big fish out there that I would kill for (and a lot of fisherman vying for it, unfortunately).

Other than that, I find that collecting resin ABJD is like finding Heaven or Aladdin's Cave, after years of collecting bisque, composition, and vinyl.

 

The worst part for me is to keep my boys clean!
I have a stressful job and not so much freetime. And since I'm not able to restring my big Soom Megagem Boy alone, I always need some help. Difficult!

Oh yes, and another thing that's worse is finding a lovely doll...and then don't have enough money! Since I had some frustrating moments like that, I always try to save up a decent amount, so that I always have the chance to buy the doll I want.

 

The worst part about being a BJD owner is to try to find a place for big dolls in a small house… The best part is all the rest.

 

Right now at this moment its FLOATING HEADS, why can't they buy their own bodies? Why must they stare at me so needingly? ...brats.

 

Not being able to see what you're buying before you buy it and, yeeeeah, the bloody shipping costs! >_<; That's another $30.00 you could have used to buy a whole other wig or pair of shoes...!

Oh yeah, shoes... making sure everyone has shoes... that's a trick that never gets old.

 

The always being broke is a big bummer. But other then that it's been a wonderful past 5 years. Look forward to the next 5.

 

For me, the cost is an issue, getting the right stuff for my doll is an issue, and so is the wait. But there is another thing that bugs me that hasn't been mentioned, and that is the lack of brick and mortar stores where I can go to actually see what I'm buying.
When I am considering a purchase, I like to look at something, pick it up, look at the different angles, feel the fabric. Obviously that is impossible with this hobby. I have bought things I would not have purchased if I had been able to see or feel it. Even odors sometimes are an issue. I got a couple of wigs from a place in Beijing that smelled so strongly of chemicals that I had to leave them in the garage for a couple of months. I would not have bought those wigs if I had smelled them first. But I guess I'm a very tactile person - I like crochet, fabrics, other hobbies I do with my hands - so what something feels like is important to me.

 

The money's the worst thing. I've had a credit card virtually maxed for.. oh, 3 years? XD I pay hundreds on it every month and then run it right back up again as soon as I stumble across a great find (like a fullset Fairyland Roke!).

Space is also a major issue. I already had every surface in my home covered with trinkets and necessities; now I have half a dozen 70cm dolls to add. I've been boxing up all kinds of stuff to donate to Goodwill and there's still not enough room.

 

For me, it's GOT TO be waiting for doll clothes...everything in this hobby that you buy new takes ages to be made, shipped, and arrive.

 

5 things depending on mood:

New dolls being released. I hate seeing new dolls when I'm broke. Especially LEs.

Wait time. I'm not a patient person so why did I choose a hobby that consists of such HORRIBLE waiting times?

Shipping cost. $22.50 EMS to the US... I only want 1 shirt! Group orders are a life saver there.

Company photos that mislead. I hate not getting what's pictured. Mostly clothes but this happened with an LE doll years ago.

Mixed up items. When you order something and a 'substitute' comes. You can't easily return it! Just don't send it and give me my money back!

 

I think the worst thing about being a BJD owner is that you're constantly tempted to buy new things for your dolls. New eyes, new clothes, new wigs, ect...its incredible fun shopping for dollie stuff but it burns a big hole in your wallet/bank account real fast. That and you're always tempted to buy MORE dolls which will REALLY blow up a HUGE crater in your savings. Then, not only have you forked over a ton of money on your hobby (INCLUDING SHIPPING WHY EMS WHY)....you have to WAIT. A long wait. And sometimes even longer than that because of a shipping/post office fail. (This is currently happening to me, my Nine9Style package is being held hostage at ISC NY Has anyone else had this issue before?)

I have so many things I need that conflict with my plans to buy a new doll/doll stuff and that sucks too. But at the same time, I wouldn't stop collecting dolls completely. I love the hobby too much.