What rules do you follow to curate your BJD collection?

In general, I have two rules
1. I must have a character for them
2. No 1/6

My friend has one 1/6 and as cute as she is, I'm always terrified I'll drop her. She's so much lighter than the 1/3 and above boys I'm used to. As to the first rule, I've broken it twice *sigh*. The first one when I got my grail doll. I bought him without thinking of a character because I wanted him so badly. The second was for a limited sculpt for the anniversary of my favorite anime. Technically, he already had a character so maybe that wasn't exactly a break of rule one XD

 

I have a few rules, but I need to make more.

1) Have a plan for the doll. Clothes, hair, wig, eyes, faceup. If there is no purpose or plan for the doll, no doll.
2) The doll MUST be able to fit in my bookcase. That means sticking to 1/6 scale dolls. And I have to have room for them before I buy more. No room, no doll. If I want more, I'll have to get rid of at least one other doll to make room.
3) Don't get too attached. If a doll doesn't turn out right, it's okay to let go of her if she isn't what I was wanting. I make mistakes. I'm only human.
4) No impulse buys. I've broken this one already, and I regret it. Need to sleep on it for multiple nights before I click the "Buy" button. There's always the second-hand market if I can't get my hands on a doll the first time around.
5) There's always another doll. Will I really want this one in the future? What if another doll comes along, will I still like the one I want right now?

 

Hmm… I don’t think I have a super hard set rule. But I try to have a financial price cut-off. Like no more than $800 for a doll I really like, and no more than 1k for a grail. So I know at least one grail doll shall never be mine therefore. But oh well. I try to stick to it and so far I am doing it Otherwise I don’t really have much rules.
More of a general guideline of “I want to do everything myself”. I buy the dolls usually blank because I want to create everything for them or else i grow quickly tired of them.

 

I think about space. I think about how similar it is to another doll I own. I consider the quality based on past experiences and I try to guard against buying dolls just because they're shiny and new. Though I do have one or two that break all those rules.

 

I don't have much of a collection but I did set a couple of rules for myself:

1) Must be less than 800 dollars.
2) Must have a PLAN for the doll. I don't want to buy something just to have it sit in a bag or on a shelf in my closet for years and not do anything for it. Whether this is a character in mind or another project, is whatever.

 

I'm still pretty new to bjds, but I've learned a lot about my doll habits from the non-bjd dolls I've collected over the years and honestly my only really hard rule basically boils down to this: every doll has to feel special. For me, this means keeping my collection pared down to dolls I absolutely adore, which means keeping my overall collection quite small. I prefer to have a handful of dolls that really speak to me rather than a huge impressive collection. This is kind of a painful rule when there are SO many gorgeous dolls out there, but I know myself well enough to know that I enjoy my dolls so much more when each one feels irreplaceable to me instead of being just one of the hoard.

This also means I don't really have any hard rules about budget/space - I ended up spending WAY more on my first bjd(who was also bigger than most of the other dolls I'd been eyeing) than I thought I would...but he's absolutely perfect and I'm so glad I went for him. It really cemented the idea for me that I'd rather spend a ton on one perfect doll than have a bunch of cheaper, less ideal cuties(but I do still want more dolls lol)

The only other kind-of rules I have is that I do prefer to have all my dolls fit a somewhat similar aesthetic; I just want them to look nice together I guess? Or at least look like they belong to the same person. They don't necessarily need to look like they live in the same world though since I kind of like the eclectic "gang of misfit toys" vibe. I'm also not super picky about size for the same reason, but I avoid very tiny dolls- I just end up getting annoyed with trying to find ways to display a bunch of tiny things and I don't like the feeling of having a doll that feels more like a prop or accessory than a doll itself I guess.

 

I am same with small number collection!! I feel so guilty for each of them if I have too many because I can’t adore each of them as much. I haven’t really written a list of rules until I saw this thread.

1) my dolls has to be realistic. I’m waiting on a fox for their pet. It looks lifelike too and is adorable
2) Age setting. Bigger dolls are older than smaller. SD for teen to grow up character, MSD as a kid, YOSD as preschooler age.
3) Keep collection small to maintain intimacy with my dolls. Well, I have two floating heads and feel little overwhelmed already. There is one doll I want to add tho - boy SD for my SD girl. But I’m waiting to find the one and not sure how long it’s gonna take. So far, I have SD girl, SD head on the way, MSD girl, MSD head (waiting for body. I want to turn it into boy if feels right), YOSD boy (I intended him to be a girl but he spoke up when he arrived here. Lol)

4) I’m more careful for measurements. I have a few regrets not researching enough and later unable to find clothes and shoes to fit

 

I stopped setting rules for my collection, because I realized I just kept breaking them and then would impose this weird sense of guilt upon myself, which is honestly really silly if you think about it. So now I just buy what I please at the moment, and that makes me happy.

 

I just have to enjoy my dolls that I add to my collection. If I am not feeling the doll any longer then they have to go.

 

My rules for my doll collection have evolved somewhat since I got my first doll.

No SDs. I've seen them in person at doll meet-ups, and while many are stunning, they're just too big for me.

Avoid impulse buying. I try to wait at least 2 weeks before ordering. I have often regretted those I didn't consider carefully beforehand.

They have to be special in a way that inspires me. They all have names and I write stories about their characters. No doll comes home without a character idea, and they have to feel unique from my other dolls to me.

I have to love them in person. Limited mobility, not fitting with other dolls in the same size group, or seeming too similar to another doll have all been factors in me not loving a doll enough to keep them.

 

I have a couple of mental guidelines that I try to keep in mind:

Do you want an MSD or a YOSD?
Can you afford it? Is layaway an option?
Is it on sale or is there a discount that you can take advantage of?
Is it nearing a special occasion (birthday, xmas) where you want to buy this doll for yourself as a present?
Do you love the DOLL or the doll's FULLSET? Is it love at first sight, MUST HAVE IT or an infatuated impulse?
Is the doll's mobility and posing good?
Do you still like the doll through owner pics or do you just love the stock photography?
Can you create a solid character out of this doll if they were in your collection? (personality, quirks, interests)
Will the doll fit in well enough with your current doll collection? Do they match as friends/family/lovers for your other dolls?

There's more that I constantly ask myself, but this is the gist of what my brain goes through when I consider buying a new bjd. It looks like a lot, but I usually think about these one at a time when it becomes necessary xD I also give myself quite a number of days to dwell on it too, just to be absolutely sure that I'll love them and that it's not just an impulse.

 

I see from the above responses that my rules are not really exceptional... Rather, that they are typical and common, so it gives me peace, that everything's fine with me (Sometimes I have weird "life rules," so it's cool to see that when it comes to dolls, I'm "normal" xD)

Anyway, I have several kinds of rules, many of which have been already mentioned

As for the sizes, I only like one size: petite SDs (so, sd13 girls and petite boys who can share their clothes AND shoes). For every doll isze I had, I needed a separate wig, shoe, accesory and clothes box, so to keep the number of boxes to a minimum, I needed to keep only one size. This gives me (currently) only 4 boxes. It may increase in the future (or the boxes may just get bigger), but it's alright now. Petite SDs are the perfect size, because they feel like an 'enough' of a doll. A solid thing. But also not a giant block of resin.

As for the body type, I love girly dolls. Girly boys, girly girls. Just girly. I like it when the girls have small breasts (the flatter, the better), but I love curvy thighs. I only have one boy who is not only as small as the girls, but also very delicately built (no abs, no muscle def.) and looks great in the girls' clothes too. It's useful especially now that I don't have a set of clothes just for him yet and he'd have been naked otherwise. I also don't like overly leggy dolls, where the legs are super long. So, Zaoll Luv has imo the best proportions - hers are so natural and realistic! So, no iple girls or herculean boys for me, thanks! xD

As for the technical issues, I like only single jointed dolls, moderate realism and no floating heads. No faux-double joints, because it counts as double anyway, to me. Pure, original, single joints only. YASS. My dolls don't do acrobatics, it's just regular sitting or standing, so I need stability. Single joints give me that. Besides, I like dolls that are 70-80% realistic. Idealised and cute, but generally could be mistaken for humans by non-dolly folks. My one exception is Volks Nana, but it's an exceptional doll and a grail. She takes a special place in my heart Also, I like it when all my dolls are out on a shelf, so no floating heads. If the head is worth keeping, it's worth a separate body, even if it's an old, yellowed, cheap volks bod (I honestly love old volks bodies for the reasons mentioned above)

Besides, I like "idiotproof" dolls that look nice no matter what. They must be 'easy," "generic," and "basic'. I used to like obscure and unknown sculpts, but now I go for those that are already popular, so that I can see from the owner pics, if I'll like the doll or not. The more popular the better, unless it's a 'current trend' only. I don't like overpriced, fashionable dolls. I like the old classics that everyone has had at some point. I mean... Supia Rosy, Zaoll Luv, BC Kaorin and VS Nana. I like having an original taste in music and clothes, but never in dolls xD So, no trailblazing when it comes to new sculpts.

As for the number, price, etc. I have this one in= one out rule. I've been trying to be a minimalist for years. Only recently did one of my cousins visit me and say, "wow, you have so few things!" which felt so good and, still, I am nowhere near where I want to be. Anyway, currently, I have 5 dolls. I'd been thinking of either growing or getting rid but I know that any new doll would bring me TONS of anxiety and any less than now would make me miss them. I love my dolls My price limit on each of them was $500 and I'll never break it. Also, I don't buy dolls where the waiting time exceeds the time of paypal protection (this has been mentioned in the thread!), so I prefer second hand dolls. I love pre-owned ones, because it's like "saving' unloved dolls. But if it's new, I usually keep it in my shopping basket for quite some time and buy only after some time, when I see it's not a quick, short-lived crush. It's funny but each of my dolls that has stayed with me was not an impulse. Or even if it was, it was just an impulse purchase when there was a steal-like deal on a doll I'd wanted for ages.

As for the aesthetics and "having a plan," I like dolls that will match the ones I already have, so they can look like friends or a couple on the photos. But I don't OCologise them anymore. Okay, I have just construed one couple, but, other than that, they have no "story" besides the cool names and visual styles. I don't do stories. I used to do so, but it was severely limiting. As long as the doll fits in with the rest aesthetically, it stays with the team. I also stopped buying dolls to "show off". When I had little money, I felt the pressure to "appeal" to others. Now that I could comfortably, at least, triple the current collection within a week, I prefer not to do so. I'd rather spend the money on other things and buy the dolls for my own pleasure and not to show off. That's why I also don't care if they're 'cheap and yellow'. Honestly? The older, the better. Then, at least, they won't yellow anymore Also, I don't stop myself from having what I want in terms of the dolly couple/gender performance. If I want a lesbian couple, I'll have one and if I want a girly boy, I'll have one too. I have had this character of Marcel for almost 8 years, on and off. I used to let others persuade me that there's something "wrong" with me for liking to drag the poor fellow or liking a male doll in general. Now, Marcel is like that child from the previous marriage - you either accept me with them or you're out. So, any of my next boyfriends, no matter their gender performance style, has to accept my girly boy and the dolly girlxgirl stuff or g(tf)o. I promised myself never again to sell Marcel. Plus, his current shell is the best-looking one to date and FINALLY he can share the clothes with the girls without any issues.

I guess the above is more like the essence of what I have rather than a list of features for future reference, because I have no plans (and I mean it) for having any more dolls. Reading through the whole thread has helped me a lot in defining my own points

 

My rules can be broken but I try to stick to it for now:

1. Elves or fantasy sculpts only. I don't want a collection of humans.

2. Get them with a faceup, eyes and wig. Consider buying clothes from the sculptor.

3. Make sure I can afford the full price outright. I love the convenience of layaway but suck at budgeting so want to make sure I don't find myself in a difficult situation.

 

1. I must have a detailed plan for the doll. What kind of character is she, what kind of outfits will I put her in, etc.
2. No layaways, I have to be able to afford it outright and I'm not great at budgeting just yet.
3. I'm a college student and due to a chronic illness, I don't have a typical job. It's a little sporadic. So since I don't have a huge amount of disposable income, I won't spend more than $1000 AUD on a doll right now. No matter how beautiful they are! (Looking at you, Dolk Shinku...)
4. This is a bit of a no brainer, but do I have enough space? I have such a huge book collection that I sort of struggle to find room for my other hobbies. I've got a little nook on one of my shelves cleared for my first doll.

 

I’ve been admiring dolls for a decade now but I only recently started collecting. I have a few rules but I’ve already broken some :P

1) Only get grails
Like everyone else I have limited resources. The amount of space, time and money I can dedicate to the hobby is precious. I wanna make sure that I’m curating a collection that I find aesthetically excellent. So grails only


2) One doll per company
I live for variety! When I shop outside of the doll hobby I always make sure stuff I’m buying doesn’t look like things I already have. I wanna make sure that my collection represents all types of beautiful dolls. The only way I can break this rule is if company offers multiple resin tones that meet my third rule.

3) Only buy from companies that offer dolls in deep skin tones
Most folks who collect BJDs have a light complexion and often their characters do too (which is completely OK). Because of this a lot of companies and artist offer a variety of light resin tones. But the financial incentive for these companies to offer darker complexions is just not really there. Especially when you weigh it against the technical difficulties of making darker resin. So I think it’s my personal responsibility to purchase from companies that do offer a darker tones. In my years admiring the hobby I have seen so many companies discontinue darker tones. If I don’t buy these dolls who will
There are some companies that offer more than one dark resin tone and that’s the only time that I’m letting myself buy multiple dolls from the same company.


4) Only add 2 dolls a year
Pretty self-explanatory. I want to give myself time to dedicate to my dolls. Make sure that they all have flushed out wardrobe and character. I don’t think I can reasonably do that by adding more than two dolls a year.


5) Only buy a floating head if I have already selected a body.
The only way I’m allowed to purchase any floating heads as if I already have a plan for it a body along with a layaway or budget. I’m not really too deterred by floating heads in a collection. I do count a floating head as a “doll” tho so there’s no getting out of the two dolls per year loophole


Rules broken this year 4/5

 

1) Do I like the doll?

If yes, buy. If no, do not buy.

2) Can I afford the doll?

If yes, buy. If no, scramble for cash or beg for a layaway. Consider selling organs.



But seriously, I do have a few basic rules.

1) The dolls have to look nice sitting on a shelf next to each other. I only have two shelves so there's not a lot of room for vastly different aesthetics.

2) The dolls have to actually fit on my shelves. If it can't sit or stand for display, I pass.

3) The dolls all share clothes with each other so any new dolls have to be of a similar size. Currently, I have a female SD, standard Volks MSDs, three MSD Big Babies, one "slim" YOSD, two standard YOSDs, and a tiny. I really don't have more space for more clothes and accessories. I actually need to thin the herd now that I think about it.

That's pretty much it!

 

I have drafted vague rules by trial and error over the years, but I break them occasionally. We wouldn't need rules if we didn't have tortfeasors, right?

1. Only SD size and a certain range of body and head measurements is allowed. I couldn't buy, say, a Doll Chateau doll even if they are technically SD size, because their slim proportions would make them look like they're starving next to my curvy Iple women. I like all my dolls to fit together, especially the ones within the same story universe. I tried to own a childlike MSD that was "in scale" with the rest, but I sold her after a year of ignoring her. I just cannot bond with small dolls.

2. No duplicate heads or bodies. My collection is getting out of hands as is, last thing I need is multiples of a sculpt that I already own. I broke this rule once, when I ran out of heads with a certain company, already owning them all, and a particular head was just perfect for an important OC. I also have a duplicate body on that same head because it's difficult as is to find a muscular female body.

3. No extra floating heads or multiple heads for a single OC. This is more for my own comfort. I never bother to change the heads anyway, and I get frustrated with the loose heads my brain considers clutter. I've managed to keep extra heads away, but I do have an issue with ending up with multiple headless bodies.

4. No buying something just because it is pretty. I find it very important for the bonding process that all the dolls have characters and that they fit in the story with each other. I have lost count on how many dolls ended up being sold after I bought them on a whim because I liked the styling in promo images or someone else's owner photos. In other words, I just liked a stranger's vision of the doll. When I got the blank nude doll, I realized I don't have any own vision or character for it, but I never bought it intending to make it a copy of an already existing doll. The dearest dolls to me have been the ones where I see the promo pics and other hobbyists' pics and go "This sculpt has potential and I want to do something totally different with it!"

 

My most important rule is: wait before you buy. I usually only order on the last day of the pre-order period. This is how I reduce impulse purchases. In many cases I have lost interest in the doll by then anyway.

 

Humans only. (Not counting pets.) No fantasy dolls. I like fantasy, but I just want all my dolls to be human. Scale doesn't matter to me. I have them divided into groups my room, 1/3 & larger dolls here, 1/4 & smaller on shelves. I also have two different storylines for them.

I have a rule where all dolls from the same company are related. If I end up with a lot of family members, I need no more dolls from that company. I'm trying to limit the amount of dolls per company, as I need more variety. I now ask myself, do they really need another family member from this company? If the answer is nope, I look else where.

I've not been too happy with full set dolls. As pretty as they look in the company pictures, they just never look that good to me once I get them home. Maybe I am just bad at taking pictures, but when I put the doll in something I made or bought them, I am always more happy with the look, then I was with the full set that ends up being stored, wig included. Full set is pretty much out for me, although Ringdoll tempts me with their clothing.

Seriously think about the doll, and don't just buy something because I am in the mood for a doll, I impulse bought a doll once by having people vote on which doll I should get. While I am actually really happy with the doll, I also realized that was a stupid way for me to pick a doll. I am glad the people chose well.

 

1) No tinies. I'm just not a fan of small dolls, I find them extremely difficult to sew for and they just feel too fragile for me.

2) No more floating heads. I purchased a floating head this year, and finding a body for it stressed me out a lot, so I'll probably only purchase full dolls from now on.

3) Maximum of 20 dolls total in my collection; anything more would feel overwhelming to me. If I want another doll, then I have to find one I'm willing to part with.

4) I only purchase 2 dolls per year, excluding dolls that're gifts or were ordered last year and have yet to arrive. I think this rule can be more flexible depending on my income level and the price of the doll.

That's pretty much all the rules I've set for myself at least off the top of my head!