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

For me the worst part is that my husband truly does not "get" it. He thinks dolls are a huge waste of money and doesn't value the concept of play. It is really sad. I pretty much keep my doll-life private. I don't HIDE anything per se; I just don't feel that I need to advertise the details of every hobby I have to a non-supportive party. We both work full-time, so I feel we are both entitled to engage our hobbies - whatever they may be - as long as the bills are all paid and money is being saved, etc.

That's why I am so thankful for the internet - lots of ways to interact with people who enjoy this hobby as well.

 

I know that feeling! Cos I just started this hobby, not many people know that I've been spending hundreds on these dolls. I can imagine their reactions. Wait till they find out there are more expensive dolls out there and mine is just a tip of an ice berg, they might just flip

 

For me, the worst thing about the hobby is the cost. >_< I'm currently doing temp work while I work on getting my teacher certification, and the pay is minimal. There's certainly not much left over for dolls after the bills are paid. (Read 'nothing' for 'not much'.)

I'm wringing my hands at the moment since Soom is having their Idealian free choice event, and I'm infatuated with the idea of a York... But there's no way I could swing the cost, even with layaway (or so I keep telling myself).

I hate being poor. *cries*

 

Cost.

As an almost-owner, WAITING. Come on, shipping e-mail, where are you?!

And for me personally, the fact that the dolls with faces that I find interesting, dolls that look more mature, really weird surreal dolls, and so forth, all tend to be a) the most expensive ones (understandably, since they're unique sculpts, or sometimes artist dolls, or sometimes take more extensive engineering) and b) intimidatingly huge!

 

Addiction.
This hobby is really addicting and I can't control myself TAT

 

For me since I only just recently ordered my first doll I cannot say much about the worst part of actually "owning" a doll yet, but to me so far it is the fact nobody around me is very supportive of my hobby They always think it is too expensive for what I am getting and never want to look at pictures. Any BJD friends I make either live too far away or are only online so I feel so lonely in the hobby
I will probably feel much better when my boy actually gets here because then I can turn away from their negativity and look at what I have earned
Also the WAIT... I did research for so many years and now I finally ordered him and I have to wait some more...

 

I would have said the cost but it's understandable for the amount of work and time that goes into making one. And to top it off, all of the ones I've seen are basically flawless. I'd rather spend a bit more and get a better quality doll but all the extras that get added on once you buy the doll makes them quite a bit more expensive than advertised. The extras and face-ups are what makes them, though.. so in the long run I think it's worth it.

No one around me really supports it, either. They generalize ALL dolls as kids toys even though bjds aren't meant for child's play. My mom basically calls them (and all my other dolls) a stupid waste of money even though she has quite a few porcelain dolls herself. Nothing expensive but.. I think it's a bit unfair of her to say my dolls are a waste when she has a small collection of her own. None of my friends really support spending any amount of money on much of anything so I guess I'm alone in this hobby. But, luckily the internet exists with lovely communities for people like us.

Truthfully, I think the worst part is the wait. (I currently just own a Littlefee but I was able to get him within a week from DDE. I have an order with Luts for two more so they'll be my 'first' dolls, I guess, in the sense they're being made because I ordered them. )

There's about 2-3 months of anticipation building up there once you do order but it just feels like such a long time.. and since I'm impatient it doesn't help any. But I'm just telling myself every day that passes is a day closer until they come home.

 

still say its easier being a brony then a doll owner... people can be horrified of dolls, they just roll their eyes at ponies

 

For me, one of the worst parts is looking for the perfect sculpt for a character, then second-guessing myself as to whether or not it's *really* the sculpt I want to go for. My wishlist changes constantly with very few consistent selections. >_<

 

The prices!
this hobby is so expensive but addicting at the same time >.<
and nobody i Know understands or supports me in this hobby
my fiance is pretty ok with it but hes the only one!
i have no dolly friends to talk to about this hobby either so that doesn't make it any better T.T

 

Oh! Another part that really sucks I think is expectation vs. reality Like I have yet to get my first doll (as previously stated) so I do not know the feeling but I have heard of some people that order a doll the think is perfect and then end up not enjoying it like they had expected Makes me fearful for that to happen to me But another side of that is looking at company pictures and thinking they look so stunning and amazing but then you look at owner pictures and find all of their flaws With company pictures you never really know for sure what you are getting because they try to make their dolls look as perfect as possible. That is another thing that sucks

 

Totally agreeing with what everyone else is saying on cost D: It's hard work owning a BJD, especially when there are other hobbies to put money towards too (*cough cosplay cough*) ahahaha

I always get the "that's creepy" or "weird", especially from people who aren't exposed to the hobby. When me and my boyfriend first started dating, he found my boy a bit creepy - which undoubtedly, I was a little disheartened by but later on he just kinda got used to him which was great XD

 

The worst part is knowing that unless I work an extra 40 hours a week overtime, every week, it's going to be YEARS before I get all the dolls I want. XD

 

Honestly, the worst part of this hobby for me is really the stigmata of it. I work in a very high school-esque enviroment. Not as far as the work is concerned, but the people. Imagine going to work with people that generally are much older than you, and having to deal with the same sort of behavior that you dealt with in high school. So I end up hiding this particular part of myself from a portion of my life. So that way I don't have to deal with the ridicule. I think it's potentially easier for women to be open about this sort of hobby. It really boils down to gender bias. Men in society aren't supposed, to according to society, like dolls. I have plenty of supposed manly hobbies, and I don't consider personally this one to be any different. Since the main reason I own dolls, besides the fact I love em is for photography purposes. I've learned a lot about that hobby through this hobby.

Cost wise, yes.. that is a concern. But I always look at it this way. If I can't afford the doll I want, then it wasn't meant to be. Simple really.

On an opposite note, the thing I love the most about this hobby. Sincerely the people I've met through it. Who I count as my friends now. Though I'm one of the few male doll owners in Northern ohio.. actually might as well as just include the entire state to my knowledge. The people I've met have been some of the most open and accepting people that has left me speechless on more than one occassion. In their company, I don't feel hemmed in by societal rules of what is gender appropriate.

 

Honestly speaking, there so much thing that annoys me in this hobby..
The first one is the cost. I'm a student so for me it is hard to find money to pay for all dolls I want to have. But on the other hand this hobby inspired me to find a part-time job, so I think this is definitely a good side of it ^^
The second thing is that not all my relatives really "get it", as they think that this hobby is a strange one. But my mom helps me a bit and my grandparents love my dolls ^^
As for the people in my university - I'll better hide this part of myself from them. We're just studing together, it is not a kind of useful information thay need to know about me.
And the last thing is that it is really hard for me to wait for soo long for the doll. But actually it is nothing compared to the that feelinf when you're holding your doll at last ^^

 

There are a few things... It's not the money I mind so much as the guilt I feel when I spend the money. I'm a frugal person, and I feel bad when I buy a doll @__@

But what I hate most of all is the difficulty I have accessorizing them. My favorite dolls are becoming all unusual and/or artist dolls. It's so hard to find stuff for those unusual bodies and in between sizes, and I'm no good at making my own.

Also I hate when something looks great online and not what you imagined in person...

I am also stressed by the size of my collection. I don't have the time and money for all of them.

 

Mostly the cost and lack of acceptance. Normally it doesn't bother me when people don't like my interests but I've never had anyone critique my hobbies in my own house before.

 

Addiction... You always need more, you don't only want more dolls, you need more dolls... And the wait, waiting for 3 months and longer for one doll just makes you crazy. I bet this hobby will drive me insane one day, haha

 

Cost, and the way non doll lovers thinking im crazy.

 

I would say the worst thing for me is when you choose the doll you want then the poor wee thing gets held for ransom in customs. You eventually get the demand for more money and you have to go bail the wee thing out.