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

definitely cost. I have so many things I want to do with them/for them, and no $$$ to do it with. My husband and I both have jobs, but we live in one of the highest COL states in the US, have 3 money-sucking pets, both drive, like to eat food, etc etc lol

 

Hmmm... I think for me the worst part is the cost...It can be too expensive for me sometimes...And also the stuffs..
But I still will contiune buying the stuffs..even I don't have enough money..
Then I will try to save money to buy those things..

 

One thing for me is not being able to see the dolls in person before buying them. Sometimes all the research in the world isn't enough to save me from buying a doll that doesn't work out for me and I hate having to sell them. Such a bother and I almost always lose a little money on the deal.

Space is a problem too. It's not so much the dolls, but all the other stuff that I seem to accumulate for them: props, scenery, dollhouses, fabric, trim, etc., etc., etc. I wish I had a huge attic room where I could keep all this stuff and wouldn't have to live with it daily.

Sometimes, I wish I could just be done with all the doll-buying hobby and settle down with a doll playing/sewing/photographing hobby. Now, I realize this last one is completely my fault. I have some lovely dolls and should be content with them, but as a matter of fact, I'm not. There is always one more I long to have and I think about them constantly until I work out a way to bring them home. Crazy.

 

The cost doesn't bother me - it's a hobby, not a necessity. The wait time (other than Dollshe) isn't awful either...and having "incomplete" dolls is a challenge to keep working on them, getting practice with faceups, tattoos, blushing, modding...I love working on them. But I don't sew.

For me the worst part is a double-edged sword kind of thing. I love all the different types of bodies that companies come out with, it's a great way to have variety and each one has it's own "stamp" making it unique. Unfortunately there aren't many well-fitting clothing options for a lot of them. I've been dealing with this from Day 1 of my time in this hobby, and I have a little more patience because of that in looking through dozens of clothing pieces only to have one or two work, but it's expensive and annoying.

For some body types it's getting easier...Finding clothes for mature minis is simple now as opposed to a few years ago when only a few people made them. So many people own mature minis now it's a larger market. Same with EID shaped boys.....finding clothes for Dollmore Adams -- still impossible. I imagine Doll Chateau will be hard at first too, until more people own them (there's already a good number) and start to make clothes, but I will have a boy and it seems most of the ones out there are girls...:P
yet one more pain-in-the-ass boy that can't fit in normal clothes to deal with...

 

Oh! I have another "worst" to add. I make all my own clothes, so finding clothing to fit my dolls has never been an issue. However, finding a cute boy print fabric can be near impossible. Probably 95% of the fabric at my local fabrics stores is girly, mostly covered with flowers. Where are the frogs? Where are the robots? Where are the stripes? Maybe they have it in a cotton quilting material, but those hardly make good overalls. So finding boyish patterned non-quilting fabric is one of the most frustrating things to me in this hobby.

Personally, I've never had a problem with "judgement," not that I really care what total strangers think. I do have my dolls with me at work or the craft store all the time, and sometimes it does get a bit annoying when everyone asks me "No doll today? Where are they?" like I forgot to put on shoes that morning. :P

 

Trying to bring a mental image to photographic reality.

 

My problem, as well, is trying to bring an idea to fruition. It can be very, very frustrating!

 

Time and cost are the two kickers for me. It's not exactly that I mind the cost of collecting, just that if I had more money I could do more of what I wanted to with my collection. I also wish I had more time for customizing and sewing and such. Oh, and my location. I wish there were more BJD resources available locally. All we have is the Volks store and that's not really my cup of tea.

 

This! Also, bringing a mental image of a complicated outfit to reality. Sewing makes me feel crazy. I wish someone would make the basic outfit and all I would have to do is embellish. I could pay someone to do this, but then, I have all this fabric just lying around. I have a hard time paying someone to do things I can do myself. The trouble is that I never seem to actually get it done.

 

Parcelforce's customs handling charge, especially on small items with only a tiny amount of tax. They're not called Parcelfarce for nothing.

 

I could literally quote everyone who has posted here! My biggest is cost and wait time. I know three months is not long (in the BJD world), but when you have a vision you want to complete -waiting on the doll, supplies, etc. takes it's toll on the creative energy. I have lost the creative vision during the long wait many times!

 

Hm, I find it odd calling anything 'worst' as it's a luxury and not a neccessity, but if pressed to choose: As an anthro doll collector, both of my dolls have lost coloring on their ears very quickly after arriving in spite of my best attempts to be careful. I know it can be redone, but it's frustrating to have such an obvious imperfection when something's still so new.

 

For me, it's money, space and finding the perfect doll for a character.

1. Money. I'm not complaining about the cost of dolls and accessories, just that I don't have enough of it. LOL And I don't feel the least bit guilty spending it, I earned it and worked for it.

2. Space. I'm not the type of collector that can line my dolls up on a shelf or in a case or in their boxes and be okay. They each need their own "room" with a bed and place to keep their individual clothes. the doll room is getting smaller fast...>.>

3. perfect dolls. Most I can find something that works or is great, but some are SO hard! Like Ashley should be a dark skinned buff mature man. The ONLY acceptable sculpts I've found for him are IH EID...which is too big, he has to be in the 60cm range to fit with my others. So I'm settling for an IslandDoll Eric, though he's a bit too light. Same with Loki, he needs a short spiked NON-FUR wig. I had one for MSD, but he's SD and I can't find one for him. ;.;

 

For me it is Time. I need to make more time for my dolls and other crafts. My full time job just gets in the way of fun! But, without my job, I could not afford the dolls! Oh well!

 

The toxic fumes from sealants, and the toxic dust from resin. Yes, I know about ventilator masks and I do wear one when I do faceups etc....but I still get worried!

Tying into what others have said, I also hate the cost and the wait times. Still, the former is only a problem because of my inability to budget properly. The latter is bothersome because I'm so impatient.

 

Being faced with scammers and companies that disappear for whatever reason. It's such a joyful hobby and it's sad to see people being duped.

 

The amount they're worth. Though I love my dolls very much, I own them with the knowledge that I may have to part ways with them if I need money. I don't mind spending the money for them, it's the worry of possibly needing to sell them.

 

Hmmm. Well, aside from the drain on my wallet, and my impatience (really, I've only ever once gotten a doll that was pre-order; I'm fortunate to find what I want in-stock) I'm mostly having trouble getting my dolls to live-up to my mental images of how I want them to be finished. But then, I'm new, and I'm learning many things so hopefully this will be something that improves with time. And for some reason.....even if I do lovingly detailed concept pictures of what I want something on my doll to look like, the finished thing always looks a little different. It's like my brain doesn't want to copy itself; I always managed to twist my ideas...sometimes, not always to good results.

 

The worst parts for me are:

1. Finding the perfect clothes/outfits, accessories, and shoes then seeing Sold Out signs next to them and finding out they are Limited Editions too.

2. When the styles of clothing I love are not made for my bjds or if made, there is a small number because it has not become popular yet. Then when made, the clothes are NOT in my dolls measurement size like the shirt might fit but the pants don't or visa versa. I don't sew; I'm just not good at it. I planned from the beginning to obtain amazing clothes for them; so, it is a real challenge when the outfits I have been search for will not fit quite right or does fit right and is in stock but I can't buy it at the moment. So, I just have to hope it stays in stock till I can obtain it.

3. When outfits/clothes, shoes, accessories, tools, etc.,that are NOT limited, are out of stock. It's saddening that some bjd companies don't re-stock or take an extremely long time to re-stock items. It is pretty sad to see your unique doll who has a complex body figure that MOST bjd clothing stores' clothes don't fit. So, you at-least hope the bjd company where the doll is made will have clothes only to find that the clothes are not re-restocked to have or the company does NOT sell clothes for their bjds at all.

4. Overseas' Shipping Especially when you want to get them furniture too, it can get really up there on price for this, all items and especially bjds.

5. Some items,(clothes, shoes, wigs, accessories, furniture, etc.), that are only sold overseas. That one really hurt my heart when I saw such beautiful items only offered overseas that would be perfect for my sweeties.

6. The Wait and the challenge to entertain yourself till the wait is over. When I waited for Sha,(first bjd), that was hard really really hard..DX

7. When PayPal is not a paying option. D=
Even with all of these listed above, the bjds are really worth it! Their epic brilliance and beauty speak for itself.

 

1. The difficulty in realising the picture you hold in your imagination.
2. Cost. Why are doll things so bloody expensive?! That's rhetorical, I know why, and I can understand it and even wonder at how cheap some doll clothes/shoes/etc are. That said, it's very true when people warn newbies that this is a very expensive hobby.
3. British customs and their total lack of logic and innate need to mess you around in the worst and most expensive way possible.
4. The fact that most of my family hate my dolls and constantly criticise me over them.
5. The look people give you when you tell them you collect dolls. It expresses this: "Well, I always thought you were weird and now I have proof".