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

The toughest part for me is making (and sticking to!!) the decision that my tiny collection in enough... and not spending the money i need to be putting away for the inevitable day when my house needs a new roof or HVAC unit. I'm even trying to avoid the lower priced dolls.

 

1. The cost. I am a student and I have a part time job. So I don´t have much money.

2. I always want and need more. More wigs, shoes, eyes, doll clothes, etc.

3. Explaining myself, my dolls, or my hobby to people who don´t understand the hobby (or why to spend 500$ for a doll).

4. Waiting times. I hate those long waiting times but at the same time it makes everything so much more exiting!

 

probably number one for me is the cost. It's usually "I want this sculpt but I dont have that kind of money in my account yet!!" kind of thing. So what I try to do is of course ask for layaway but if that doesn't work then I just shut my eyes and click the exit button. Aside from that, I think it's more of a really hurtful emotional part for me is whenever people criticise my dolls. I never agree to bullying even for one bit because we never know what people are going through. So it pains me whenever I hear my friends or people I know tell me "oh my gosh that's so creepy!" or "how can you even stomach that!" or "aren't you scared?!". I find it really hurtful and insulting because I love my dolls to bits and for me they're more than just dolls. they're my diaries, they're like a symbol of myself. They've always helped me in times of trouble by just being there unlike some human friends I have. It's different when I talk to my dolls and when I talk to human ffriends. I just find it more relaxing to talk to my dolls. So it hurts me a lot when others say those things to my dolls. That's probably one of the worst feelings ever. I simply turn away from them and shut my mouth and change the topic. I might have been hurt but I would rather push off their remark than talk about it and feel even more hurt.

 

Honestly another thing is, people will use it to try to find your weakness. When I got into the hobby years ago, I had my two dolls at the time as my avatar on a website and when I had gotten into a... Debate... Alright let's call it an argument, they refused to treat me like a human being and instead kept calling me a child, an infant, insulting me repeatedly until I was forced to change my avatar to protect myself. And the sick thing? It stopped after I changed my avatar from my dolls to something else. I won that argument BTW in the end and I changed my avatar back.

 

for me not having the funds when i see something ive been looking for
another is how people outside the hobby assume i collect huge barbies DX

 

-Being poor and not being able to afford this hobby
-Not having any friends who are interested in dolls.

 

-Costs (dolls, clothes, accessories, props, all of it is usually pretty pricy in my opinion)
-Missing out on a sculpt due to limited availability
-Shipping times
-Rude people who make the community unwelcoming (not here, thank god, but I've seen this quite a bit on tumblr, unfortunately)

 

Definitely the cost. The wait times as well. The wait times drive me crazy especially when there's additional delays. And that itch you get to buy things for your doll when you see items online that you think would look good on them. You hate it since it hurts your wallet even more but you love it since your getting your doll a present.

 

The cost, not just of the dolls but the clothes and accessories too!

 

1. Cost.
2. Finding out all those fantastic dolls that are sold out
3. Shipping times

 

1. The cost
2. When a doll you want is released, but you're already halfway through a layaway with another doll.
3. My friends don't appreciate them as much as I do, so I don't feel comfortable showing them my dolls
4. Wait times !!

 

I move fairly frequently, so the worst part for me is having to pack and unpack the dolls every couple of years. And along with that the worry that they'll break in transit - they're insured, but I have a few older/LE dolls that would still be hard to replace.

Having recently got into some lower-cost collections, I actually think the cost is a good part of BJDs - I find I'm less likely to pause and think about whether I actually want something if it's under a certain price point, and that (at least for me) just leads to clutter. With pricier items like BJDs I always give it some more thought and end up happier with my purchase.

 

None, honestly. I know the cost is kind of high, but for quality BJD's, it's worth it.

 

1) The attachment you have to your dolls. Sure, it seems like a good thing... Until you have to send them away for face-ups that is. The feeling of not having them by your side is the worst.
2) Waiting times for new dolls. It seems to be getting more unbearable with each new doll! :'D

 

1. Not having anyone who lives close by who is also into the hobby
2. Being a little nervous to play with/handle my doll too much because I'm worried about breaking him or messing him up (he's not even a week old and he's my first BJD, although I'm getting a little better with this)
3. Not being able to sew, it would be a lot cheaper if I could make him clothes

 

For me, aside from the cost, and the wait time, is wondering if I'm just wasting my time. There are so many different aspects to this hobby, like sewing, photography, face-ups, research, etc.., sometimes I worry that my characters will never develop if they have to wait for me to do all the work. Not being able to afford to just buy things for them, never having enough time for them is the worst.

 

Cost is an obvious one, but I'd say the worst for me is getting stuff and then finding it doesn't work for any of my dolls. For the smaller scale, I have six pairs of Candy Kitten eyes (I adore her eyes!) but only there are a couple which just don't work with my dolls, and thus they sit around doing nothing. I don't mind the cheap eyes which came with my dolls sitting around and just being samplers, but when I ordered eyes I really like and can't use them it's frustrating!

But the worst is obviously getting a doll and not liking it! This is where being able to see them in person first would be so so helpful. Companies are all so different. Are their dolls made with thinner resin or heavier? Are they smoothly sanded or still a bit rough? Even if you ask around and look at owner pics, it's hard to know until you have one yourself, and then, well, tada you may have just spent a lot of money on a doll you don't like all that much!

This is a weird one, but... I've actually been really good about having a limited number of dolls and sticking to it. My dolls are for my characters from my two main stories, and I'm happy with just them. But this means that that 'omg new doll' excitement, opening its box for the first time... It's a very very rare experience for me and I'm going to miss it. I may still get one new doll- I have an old one who doesn't work for the character and plan on selling her when I get marketplace access and using that money to get a new sculpt for her... But basically, box opening fun is something I'm not going to get much more of!

 

How addicting it is to just browse through company sites with zero intentions of finding a doll to but just to end up finding 3... And then not having the funds to buy any of them.

 

I could be paying off my mortgage faster if I did not get them, but that is no fun.

 

I know its worth it but its expensive like super expensive.
and maybe the hate and trash talk and stuff about other dolly owner