What to answer when people ask about the cost of your doll...?

My baby's 6 months old.. and up until now my mom doesn't know how much she really costs. Se thinks it's just 1500php (around 34USD) because that was what I asked her to pay when the doll arrived at our house while I was at work.. It was just the tax I had to pay for my doll. And yes.. I plan to keep the price from her. XD

 

No one in my family has any idea what these dolls cost. If I was asked probably wouldn't tell. I do not want to upset my mother)

 

When people ask I say $500!! My family knows that they are like $900 so my mom is ok with it as long as I saved up and I saved enough to buy a DD miku and a DDS ranko!! But I must save for Lieselotte!

 

I've only ever had one person ask me how much they cost who isn't into BJD. I told her as art dolls they run all over the place in price. When she pushed for a specific (and I knew at that point she was just doing it to start something) I asked her how much her coach purse cost. She went quiet and then said she understood. It is a personal question and if she wanted to know she can use a simple search on the internet.

 

I put it all out there and tell them the full cost with wig and clothes because it will decrease the likelihood of them wanting to touch or handle my doll. plus it will prepare anyone wanting to get into the bjd world

 

I've taken dolls (2 Delfs, a MNF & 2 LTFs) in to work for Halloween and, so as to discourage poking or prodding, I just gave it to them straight. In fact, I really let them have it by adding in the cost of their clothing, shoes and wigs as well. There were, of course, the expected expressions of disbelief, but at the same time it worked as everyone respected their value and carefully admired them from a distance!

 

I have never been asked this question, I guess it would depend on who is asking and why.

If it's a casual question by family or friends I would say it's expensive but within my budget at the time.

If it's by people who are interested in getting their own dolls then I would give them a range of prices, some basic info about the BJDs and tell them how to look up information online. If they are interested in the specific doll I have then I would share his company, model name, and price.

If it's a complete stranger asking the question in passing I would tell them it's expensive but the quality is worth it and that I'm pretty lucky to have it.

 

I try to determine the motives of asking about the price. Is this person genuinely curious about me and my hobby, like a friend or family member would be? Does this person really like my dolls, and are they interested in collecting dolls too? If I knew that either of these were the case, I would just tell them the price.

Or by asking the price, is this person actually challenging the fact that I bought dolls? For example, would someone ask me how much my airbrush cost (good ones with compressors are $400 and up) and then go on and on about how expensive that is and that they would never spend that much? I'm guessing they wouldn't and that my explanation of "that's what a good airbrush costs" would be satisfactory to them. This is why I think some people really want to challenge our ownership of BJDs when they ask the price. So if I thought that could be the motive (like if this person was a stranger or acquaintance), I would say that my dolls are expensive but, just like my airbrush, they are worth it because they allow me to express myself creatively. If they kept insisting on a price, I would say that BJDs vary a lot in price depending on the kind of doll, the company, and whether they are limited edition. If they kept insisting on a price I paid for my dolls, at that point I would say that I would rather not say, and I would offer to tell them where I bought a particular doll if they are interested in buying it. At that point I would act like they must want to buy one of my sculpts themselves because they want to know what they cost. What other reason would they have for asking such a personal question?

 

I told my boyfriend the price of the bjd without the full-set and faceup XD He'll never know hopefully. He was shocked at that much lower price.

 

I just say 'more than you would probably pay' then justify it in my mind to myself with all the extras she came with and how adorable she is.

 

I tell everyone the price if they ask me and don't mind, and I only explain why they are expensive if they ask, I don't see any reason to justify myself. Most people know I like to collect things and like art, so they see the dolls as another part of this.

 

I never reveal the real price,I don't think that there is a single person in my life who would approve it

 

I usually just tell it plainly when friends or family ask, I've never talked to a stranger about my dolls, let alone about the price. Although I like the ideas on here about telling them to keep em from messing with my dolls (I hate when people mess around with my valuables!)

 

I don't even own a BJD and I'm getting a lot of that. Especially since I have small children. As if I'm taking away from their college fund by having a hobby that will actually end up being less expensive than my former hobby (1/6th fashion doll collecting and customization). I plan on answering, "Expensive!" That tends to shut people up. If they continue, "But really how much?" I might say, "A lot. Like most hobbies when you add it up over the course of a year." With my family, I tend to emphasize the customization, the time it takes to have one made, etc.

 

totally agree, I think the same

 

My answer to this question really depends on the scenario.

I mean, if I was at a BJD meetup and someone wanted to know so they could save up for the doll themselves:
Yeah, sure.

Or if it was a limited doll, and they were curious how much it went for:
Again, don't mind revealing the information.


Otherwise I wouldn't share the answer with anyone. How I spend my money isn't really anyone's business other than my family and myself.

 

I don't like then anyone want to know price of every thing I have, especially doll, because people think it's crazy to buy such expensive doll. I prefer to answer "Why do you want to know the price? Want to buy? But I am not a seller". but it's not problem with tell it to someone who keen on bjd

 

I was sitting once talking to my Dad about wills and stuff and telling him that I had a list I was working on that would detail all my dolls and how much he could get for them if he auctioned them after I was gone. Now he knows that some of my dolls are collectibles and that they cost decent $$$ when he or I bought them. He's bought me a few dolls for Christmas or birthday when I wanted them in lieu of other things I would never want. These days he's pretty well trained. Usually he just says "You can spend so much. Find a doll you want that doesn't cost more than that and get it." and then he hands me a credit card and that's about it. I hit the doll stores, find the best deal, and get my doll. He gets the bill. :P He knows that I have dolls that retailed at like $100 or so. But really he has no idea of the value of my doll collection as a whole or in particular of the value of my BJD's.

Now I'm not a high end doll collector. None of my BJD's cost me more than $150 including wigs and eyes and most actually they cost a little less. I even swapped for a couple so while I have a nice collection going I didn't break the bank getting it. I spent about as much as one new Iple or Soom SD sized doll with a wig and a really nice professional outfit and shoes but for that $$$ I have 13 dolls and 2 floating heads, the latter of which I'm probably going to be swapping or selling soon. Still if I went to sell them with all their accoutrements we'd be talking a fair bit more than a thousand bucks worth of used dolls. Add in a Barbie collection that's worth a cool $500, a MH collection that's worth $600 at least, and a collection of Tonner sized dolls that's worth at least twice what my BJD's are that's a serious chunk of change invested in dolls. That's a lot of years of collecting though. I mean I didn't buy it all at once, obviously. I'm kind of hoping though that nothing ever happens to me while my Dad is still alive because I think he'd go into mental shock if he realized that those pretty toys on my shelf are actually worth something significant.

Particularly the BJD's. I mean he has no idea of the cost of those at all and I'm not telling him unless I have to. He gets that dolls are my therapy but he'd probably still yell at me if he know exactly how much my dolls are worth. My Dad is not a collector really. He doesn't like clutter, things on shelves. I don't have to answer to him because I am an adult, but still he's my Dad and I don't particularly want him grousing, so I just keep that info mostly to myself. He's noticed that I'm collecting a different type of doll. He's watched me struggling with face ups and sewing for them and that. He gets that it's an art thing with me and I think that while he doesn't really understand that mindset he respects that I am like this, that I need to express myself through doing artistic things. I'm always doing stuff like this. Sometimes I make stuff and sell it. I think he likes it when I do that because he's very money oriented and sees more value in the things that I make for money than in the things I make and keep. But he has no idea that in my collecting itself I am investing in a way. The stuff I collect, and that's not just dolls, it's not just "junk" and while I think sometimes he forgets that and wishes I would quit and find something more normal and (and less cluttered) to do (in his mind) in the end it all comes down to what makes me happy, and that's fine.

I'm not going to apologize for my collecting though. I spend less per year on my "stuff" than a lot of people I know do on coffee or meals out, that kind of thing. Even with collecting BJD's now I definitely spend far less on dolls than I would on therapy. I have a very stressful life offline. I take care of my Dad. I take care of two other family members sometimes. I'm trying to run two p/t businesses. Work is not steady, sales are not steady, not yet. The way I see it I don't owe anyone any explanations. Whatever keeps me sane in the end, it's cool. Right now it's BJD's...

 

Some things changes though ,I'm so glad I've told my parents all the truth about these dolls,to my surprise my mom is very impressed by them and supports meI was so terrified of my husbands reaction to my first doll's prize I just assumed that everyone will be the same,but I can see now that it's not the case My dear mom even offered me to receive dolls at her address so I don't have to face my husband's wrath nice of her of course,but I have to learn to present my case to my hubby so he understands me and my hobby better

 

I told my boyfriend the cost without the extras such as wig, eyes, outfit, face up etc. He still thought they were too much. It's not his money though. My family wouldn't understand the cost either and I'd get grief so I'd never tell them the price. I'd just say a lot and leave it at that. Friends probably wouldn't care too much. They buy warhammer, special collectors editions of games etc.