What was the worst mistake you made when you first started the hobby?

My worst mistake was trying to buy All The Dolls. When I was new to the hobby I just wanted to get my hands on any and every doll I could, so I bought a ton of dolls that I didn't really know much of anything about, I didn't do my research and I didn't even know what I liked or disliked in a doll. I turned into a revolving door for dolls, bringing lots of new ones in and selling the others on the regular. The positive I got out of this is that I learned fast about my doll preferences and I became familiar with a few different companies. I learned how to restore dolls, as well as how to sell them. What stinks is that i was impatient a few times and sold some dolls that I now regret selling. That All The Dolls mentality was quite terrible.

Another major mistake that I spend a considerable amount of time kicking myself over is assuming that a company I like would always be there. I learned the hard way that a company can disappear very fast, and that it will quickly become near impossible to find those dolls on the secondhand. It's the one time I wish I had thrown down the money to get my fill of those dolls...I had no idea how quickly that can all go belly-up. If you find a company you adore, and they have dolls you love...get a feel for how popular that company is and how much business they might be doing. Ask dealers about the company. Research. Talk to people. You don't wanna end up like me reaching out after the fact and finding out the company might not've been doing so hot and had been showing signs of this for a while. Dealers can be a valuable source of information on how things are trending for a company, and if they don't have the answer I've found that they were always willing to help connect me to someone who would have the answer.

Gosh, and I'm just full of mistakes-- come kick my door down if you ever want a comprehensive report on all the nonsense I've gotten up to and all the mistakes I've made as a collector. I have a lot! But those two are the ones that give me the most pain.

 

I used a two-part polyurethane glue when I sueded my Dollshe Hound. It took SDink quite some time to remove it.