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When do you NOT buy a (limited) doll? What are your principles/critical stance?

Aug 20, 2009

    1. oh, there were so many times I had an impulse to buy an limited doll just because it's so beautiful. But in the end, I always stopped myself in time. The ultimate reason is, of course, my financial condition. If I think I can afford the doll and try to live in a tight budget for a few months, I wouldn't hesitate. But truth is I can't. So until I can fully support myself, I can't waste money on any extravagance hobbies, i.e ball jointed dolls.
       
    2. I fell for a Soom limited that was made in 2009 and didn't think I'd ever get it until I looked on the marketplace a few minutes later and found the head. I was so extremely happy that I wanted to get it right away. But I didn't want to pull an "impulse" buy so I did more research on the doll to make sure that I really did want it, taking a look at other owner pictures and such. So yes, it was particularly hard to not buy something right off without knowing for sure if I wanted it, especially since it was VERY limited. I had time to figure it out but for those that come out all of a sudden and don't give you time to really make sure you want them, I don't really blame people that end up buying them through impulse. I try though to make sure I really do want them. Like Crobidolls newest limited Zack. At first I was very attracted to the doll and I wanted him badly but after looking over the doll a little more carefully and taking in his features, it turns out I wasn't as in love with him as I thought I'd be.
       
    3. wow this is hard.

      1. I make sure I have the extra money. This is the most important thing to consider!I have a separate savings account for my doll fund aside form my emergency fund savings account.
      2. I make sure it fits the rest of the doll family I am trying to build.
      3. I am open to 2nd hand dolls and not complete sets of limited edition dolls
      4. I have someone who I know is very strict with money but also who loves BJDs help me decide if its ok to buy the LE or let it pass, Friends are a great help wether they are into BJDs or not.
       
    4. I usually go for limited dolls even if I'm not 100% sure I will like it. Most of the time, I don't really lose out too much money, so I find it worth the risk. Because I passed on the original Sard back in the day, and that was the worst dolly decision I ever made! If you don't like a limited, you can always resell. But if you wait, sometimes the aftermarket prices make it impossible to afford the doll (again, like Sard).

      Edit: And I only go for things I know I can afford.
       
    5. I'm personally a little adverse to limiteds and I often wait, hoping there will be a basic edition. To me, doing my doll's faceups is what makes them into my characters and while fullset outfits are so beautiful it would be a once in a million chance it actually suits my character intended for that mold. I'm also particular about bodies, my characters have different frames and most end up as hybrids so the default body is usually an extra hassel to sell it off on market. I love modification, I also take this into account.

      Wiping a limited faceup seems like a shame to me, so it's something I'd rather avoid. That being said, I have two limiteds. My dream big boy and my impulse buy little Yo-SD. I love them both but they just happen to be molds I love so much I'd pay more to have them, I have no sort of "limited pride" about them. It's actually a bit of a shame in my opinion and something I'd rather avoid.
       
    6. I haven't been tempted by any limited yet, but a doll I desperately want is rumored to be discontinued soon. This has made me even more frantic than I was when I first saw the doll and fell in love, so I understand the dilemma. Perhaps I'm being rash, but it seems that few people own them and if they end up on the marketplace, I imagine they won't be much cheaper than the company because they will no longer be in production. The best option seems to be a hasty purchase. Three weeks ago, I could never see myself going so insane over a doll, but here I am! For the first time, I understand people who fall in love with limited dolls! I know he fits into my doll family, I have his character all worked out, and if I buy him and we're not bonding, I can always resell him.

      With limited dolls, are you ever really losing money if the impulse buy doesn't work out? The market for these things after the fact is quite the profit! And hey, if you get the doll and love it, than it's worth the money.
       
    7. Buying a limited doll isn't much different then buying a standard doll for me when I really think about it... I make impulse buys in both cases, and I just have to be sure that I'm going to love it. I've never re-sold a full doll, although I've considered it with one or two. I never thought I'd actually buy any limiteds due to not having the money and thinking that I'd always miss out on the initial sale, but now I own two with a third planned. There are some reasons that I'd ignore a limited doll though, including: wanting a basic edition of another sculpt more, knowing that I'd pretty much have to sell the wig and clothes the doll came with, knowing I'd have to wipe the face-up so that I could do one of my own, and the fact that I usually don't have the extra money to spend on them.

      I only buy limited if it's a sculpt I love that may not be released as a basic version, or if it's a limited tan release of a sculpt I love. That's about it.
       
    8. Quite simply, I can't afford to impulse buy dolls - and if I could, my account would probably be empty.

      I tend to not like limiteds because they're too expensive for me, and a lot of them aren't my taste. And if I did like one, I wouldn't have the time to save for it.
       
    9. I rarely make impulse buys to begin with. Even when I see "limited" on the doll or on the set of clothes, I take my time to think carefully if I really like the doll or the photos made by the company.
      Naturally, if I'm out of money (e.g. paying off a layaway, having encountered an unexpectedly high bill, etc.) the question of buying never even comes up to begin with.
      Another thing is - what character should it shell? Will it be able to interact with other dolls from the same storyline? If not - I have no use for the doll, no matter how pretty it is. It just doesn't look right when you have 2 SDs interacting with a MSD that is supposed to be taller and older than they are ^_^;
       
    10. Having lack of funds tends to temper any would-be impulse buys for me, whether limited or not:lol: And I don't trust myself with a credit card.
       
    11. When I decide against buying a limited, I usually do it by examining every separate part. If I don't like the face, I most likely won't buy the set, ever. Faceups can be erased, clothes can be changed... I need to like the sculpted face to buy a doll.

      If I like the face and body, I tend to examine the design and quality of the clothes (what little can be appreciated in pictures, anyway), and if I'm convinced, I'll buy the doll.
       
    12. Most limiteds sell out before id have the money anyways :P but of course if the price was outrageous i wouldnt...probably >_>
       
    13. All the Resin dolls I buy must have factory sealed makeup all original from the doll company and it must come with all accessories and box, nothing missing, nothing altered. I have stopped collecting resin dolls because of the widespread modifications done to the dolls' original factory sealed makeup. I consider a bad faceup on an original scupt to be bootleg regardless of all other prove of originality. I have seen way too many damages by customizers to accept customization in doll collection in the name of creativity. Sorry if I offended anyone but this is just how things are with me at this stage of my interest in resin Asian BJDs.
       
    14. I only buy limited dolls if I like them. I think its more fun buying something that is a little unique and something not a whole heap of people have, I think that some day in years to come a lot of people will be looking for the dolls I have and be interested in them because they're limited. Who knows one day they could also be worth a lot of money and If i'm ever sick of the hobby Its going to make me some money. I like all dolls because of the way they look, limited or not. But it does add value and excitement and it makes them seem more special.
       
    15. That's an interesting standpoint. I can relate to it logically, but (as I'm in the process of researching the world of bjd's) it seems that sometimes there are far better independent make up artists out there, the only difference to the whole doll being that they're not employed by the factory. How would one know the difference? And, for example, if one of those independent artists who'd done a faceup for you suddenly became 'bjd-world famous' or employed by one of the factories, wouldn't that then make the doll more valuable/desirable for you? ..more rare, I suppose...
      ps. I don't claim to know anything about the mechanics of the market... just hypothesising.

      I am buying a limited doll at the moment because, even if it's not the most fashionable of dolls, I adore the sculpt, parts and concept making the cost redundant.
      I would not buy a limited to follow any particular trend.
       
    16. I absolutely love gazing at the limiteds. I actually follow along from their announcement in the DoA news, to the discussion groups, to the actual release. I've even fallen for a few, come up with characters, and thought about how they'd work with my current crew...but it's all just harmless fun. In the end, it isn't the money that's the hold-up for me (there's usually layaway available) and it isn't fear of making an impulse buy I'll later regret (I'm able to make very good decisions very fast, always have been.) Instead it's the feeling that, while certainly beautiful and fascinating to look at, too much of them is already a done deal...leaving less for me to do and develop on my own. That's just a turn-off for me...so in the end, I always walk away without buying.
       
    17. I would only buy a limited if a character comes into existence when I see the picture of this doll for the first time... or an existing character claims the doll as his/her new body. This applies to non-limited dolls equally, though. I have no impulse buys - or should I say I only have impulse buys? The latter meaning that if a doll "calls" to me, I usually try and save - or at least borrow from a reliable source like someone in my family - the money to be able to afford it. If I manage to do so in the limited amount of time - then I can buy the limited. If not, the character that came into existence will have to wait for another chance. So reason number one to not buy a limited is:
      1) lack of money and/or possibility to save up fast enough.

      I would never buy a limited, no matter how beautiful, just for it being limited. This has two main reasons:
      2) because I am not interested in ever selling it (and I hope I won't ever have to), I don't care about the resale price.
      3) because I don't care if everybody else in the BJD-world has the same doll or not, and don't feel special owning a limited, I can go for a standard release of the same doll as well.

      There are some more reasons that are less rational, too:
      4) I avoid buying fullsets (usually I hate the clothing of the limited fullsets, I don't know why, and I don't trust my abilities to sell anything on the second-hand market yet), so "fullset only" equals "not buying it".

      If I dislike a small detail in the doll, I will not buy it. There were limiteds that I loved, but usually there was a little thing in each of their faces that bugged me. So even though the body was very special, and I didn't think I will ever find a doll for the character that jumped to life back then, and even though I had the funds... I wasn't able to force myself to buy it and "hybridize". Because:
      5) I would probably regret spending that much money (limiteds being more expensive) on something I don't entirely like, and
      6) I would feel awkward making a hybrid of a doll that someone would adore the way it is and wasn't able to buy. I am rather comfortable with buying limited parts or incomplete dolls second-hand to make a hybrid, though. Also making a hybrid with additional parts of a limited and keeping it. So reason nr. 6 only applies to the case where I would have to buy the limited new from the company, make a hybrid of it and store the unused head or body away or sell it.

      These are a whole lot of reasons, and this explains why I don't own that many limiteds :lol:
       
    18. Doing a face-up is not a bootleg. But if you are saying that it damages the worth of a Full Set Limited doll (in your eyes) I can see your point as "Limited" also includes the unique face-up. But it is pretty harsh to label people as bootleggers on DOA for doing something that is natural in this hobby. Making a doll your own by giving it a distinct face up is actually part of the hobby.

      Painting will not damage the resin if you use the correct chemicals.
       
    19. So far all the limiteds that I've bought were ones that I had actually somewhat planned for in advance. This may sound like an odd thing to say, but it's true. Back in 2007 when Luts released MNF Elf Shushu I decided that if they ever released an MNF Elf Shiwoo I would buy him, and sat on all my doll savings until it happened a few months later. The same thing happened again just 2 weeks ago. I had determined back when Soom released Nenad that if they ever made a male Faery Legend doll I would probably be getting him so it didn't take me long to make the decision to buy Auber after seeing only teaser photos. I'm also very glad that neither Luts nor Soom required me to buy a fullset outfit or anything else with the dolls, which might have changed my mind. It costs too much extra and I've discovered after getting my H.Ducan with one that I never use them anyway.

      (When I say limited, I mean a doll that a major company intentionally sold as a limited, not my uncommon/out-of-production artist heads. I have different criteria for those.)
       
    20. lol. Yup, you're definitely in the wrong hobby. :)