When is the price just too much?

I am a student at the university and I don't work yet, so basically my funds come from my birthdays and other singular dates. I can save like 250$ a year.
Long ago I decided I won't spend more than 400$ on a single doll, because getting that amount means don't being able to spend a single cent in two years O.o

 

I suppose it depends if it's one doll/items or several.
For one doll I don't think I'd pay over $1500 (including face-up and such, but not shipping) unless it's something I /really/ want. No limited have catched my eye so far, so I guess I'm saved from wanting to own a bjd that's too expensive.
I know it's a price-y hobby, but some people can really run away with it. Nothing against them, but I don't think I'd pay that much for ONE doll.

 

For me, it depends entirely on the doll. Would I pay $400+ for a tiny? No, but I've spent that on an MSD. I probably wouldn't spend $600+ for an MSD*, though, but there's an SD or two that I've got my eyes on that cost that much, and if I had the chance (they're unavailable currently) I'd definitely find a way to bring them both home. (Note these are blank prices; faceups and extras like fullsets or wigs definitely alter where the baseline falls, but other than my first doll, everyone's been ordered blank, so that's the price I keep in mind when I'm looking at potential new dolls.)

* To be fair on this, I am prepared to spend around $600 for the new Fairyland seahorse/mermaid, but I'm definitely hoping that one goes for less than that price tag!

 

I think it depends on the doll and if it includes a faceup, fullset outfit, etc. I've spent a lot on discontinued dolls and later seen them cheaper in the marketplace. I still don't regret buying them when I did because they were dolls I REALLY wanted, and to find them for a little cheaper I would have had to wait much longer to find them.

Now for the Fairyland seahorse, I'm trying to prepare myself for the price- I REALLY want the fullset and considering a tan blank Celine from the factory w/ shipping and heel feet cost me about $500, I'm a bit worried about the price. This girl is going to come with extra legs and very possibly an extra torso AND extra arms to switch out, so I'm preparing myself to spend $1000 or more.

 

It really depends on the doll. I've spent close to $3k on a doll before, because she is pretty rare and goes for ridiculous prices. Considering how much a full-set usually sells for, I felt like I got a bargain. But some people would find it crazy that I spent that much money on a doll. Do I regret it? No. Would I ever spend that much on a doll? Probably not. Right now the highest I'd be willing to go for a full-set SD sized doll would be around $1000 more or less.

 

All I can say is, thank goodness for layaway! I'm retired and on a very limited budget. I set aside about $50 a month for my hobby. So I either have to save up slowly for dolls, or buy them on layaway. Fortunately I sew, so I can make clothes for them. But wigs, eyes and shoes are a big part of the expense of this hobby.

 

It took me a long time to take the plunge and I bought my first doll in June this year. She cost £250 with face up and postage. My second was pre-loved, came with a face up, sleeping faceplate and clothes and cost about the same. I now have a PKF on order - she works out at about £200 but I'm waiting on customs charges. So, for me I would say that £250 is my limit. Even then, I don't feel entirely comfortable with paying so much for a doll. So, I use anniversary, birthday and Christmas to justify it to myself. I've run out of excuses for this year, though [emoji14]

No matter how fast light travels it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.

 

I know these dolls are amazing, and beautiful, but is paying over $1000 for a bjd too much in your opinion?
$1000 for a BJD is always too much for MY wallet, no matter how fantastic the doll is. But that doesn't stop me from buying them occasionally. I have paid over $1000 for a BJD three times, and sadly I ended up reselling two of them because they weren't right for me. Not because of the price, but because I ended up not liking the dolls enough to keep them. That's why it wasn't worth it to me to pay +$1000 each for them.

Or do you feel this is a reasonable cost?
The BJD manufacturers have a right to charge whatever they feel a doll is worth. I think that many BJDs are well worth the price we pay, so I believe that yes, sometimes it is a reasonable cost.

Does it depend on how much you truly love the doll? (that saying, the more the love, the more money you are willing to pay?)
The doll has to be perfect for me to keep it at that price. The one I did keep was Volks Kazuya Kujo, and I love her dearly. I changed mine into a girl, but I also love the fullset outfit he came with (though none of my boys has had the chance to wear it yet!).

I have often found that I am much happier with a custom doll I have put together than I ever was with the two +$1000 BJDs I sold. And they are so much less expensive! One of the cornerstones of my SD-sized BJD family was only $185, and he is probably the best doll-related $185 I ever spent. So I don't love the inexpensive members of my BJD family any less than the expensive ones... and sometimes I love them more!!

Linda S.
galatia9

 

• I know these dolls are amazing, and beautiful, but is paying over $1000 for a bjd too much in your opinion?
  

I think paying hundreds is expensive as it is and always makes me question my sanity. But too expensive depends on how much I want it. Most of the dolls in that price range are too expensive for me. However, I could see myself wavering for an amazing centaur.

• Or do you feel this is a reasonable cost?

For a fullset of the highest quality looking exactly as you want it.. s/he might actually be a great value. Wigs, eyes, clothing, blushing and face-ups add up quickly.

• Does it depend on how much you truly love the doll? (that saying, the more the love, the more money you are willing to pay?)

Of course! I wouldn't pay anything for a doll I didn't think I could live without.

 

I earlier said I would not pay over $400 for a Soom Faery Legend doll. I now have a BK Noella sitting in my doll cabinet. Between the romantic face and the striking skin tone I fell in love. But that price is pushing it for me. It seems that falling hard for a doll makes me willing to push the limits. I still do not want to pay over $400 for a doll, and will only come close for one who truly seems worth it.

 

I honestly never believed I'd pay a 4-digit number for a doll, then Volks happened. I paid a staggering amount for a fullset new in box Lieselotte, and now only a few months later I'm looking at her secondhand prices and she's gotten even more expensive. As much as I love her and I don't regret paying for her (and crucially, I could afford to do so) I wouldn't pay that amount of money for a doll again. In justifying her price in my mind, I used 'opportunity cost'. To get Lieselotte, I had to give up getting some other dolls that I'd want in the future. But truly now I don't regret paying that amount of money because as someone said earlier in this thread, price on the tag, value in the heart. My Lieselotte is irreplaceable.

Now that being said, I enjoy window shopping through the Yahoo Japan auctions. I stumbled on one the other day where someone was selling their entire collection of brand new in box Volks Rozen Maiden Dolls. For all five of them - Suigintou, Souseiseki, Suiseiseki, Shinku and Hinaichigo - they're asking for twice the price of my car. For me that's beyond comprehensible even though I know these sculpts are incredibly rare and sought after per doll, let alone being able to get all 5 at once. Now I'm watching the auction just to see if someone will bite.

 

Every time the hundred digit increases the odds of me flat out going "Nope!" increases.
With the exception of a Volks I pretty much draw the line at 500, and even then it better have been some rare doll I wouldn't find at a cheaper price ever again. The larger the doll the more I'm willing to pay, but when the price of a doll starts feeling like I just paid the month's rent and the car bill it starts to feel like overkill. I can get much more with that kind of money out of my other hobbies. I enjoy bjds but that doesn't mean my wallet is gonna just sit there and let me throw away large wads of cash for a single item.

 

It entirely depends on the doll. I've certainly spent over $1000 SEVERAL times (I own an IH Dexter partial full-set, IH Mari w/FS wig, Soom Ignim w/FS wig & Bast head, 72 Idealian Hyperon from a free-choice event - w/some extras like the Jackal head & sword) - all of them over $1000. I also own a FS Volks Ryoma Sakamoto which I paid full price for (close to $2000). These are ALL well worth the money to me, due to quality, scarcity, fitting in my dollie world, & being a grail doll (Hyperon). No regrets. However, I did NOT pay for the FS outfits for most of these cause - NOT worth it to me - I'm a seamstress & costumer. Although I did get a Freedom Teller suit for my Dexter :d

 

I can't imagine ever paying $1000 for just a doll--maybe for a really elaborate fullset if I really really really really adored it and I could comfortably afford it. At this point, $600 is the absolute upper limit of what I am comfortable spending on a doll in one go, and I'd really prefer it be closer to half that.

Of course, until I fell in love with WithDoll's Cecily the Polluted Girl, the cap was $500, so who knows what will happen down the road... But I think it will be a long time before I could even afford to drop $1000 on a doll, even if I wanted to. :P

Love definitely plays a major role--I wouldn't spend $50 on a doll I didn't love, but $500 on a perfect one is a fair price for the joy it will bring me.

However, while I certainly put a premium on quality, and I totally understand that better materials and fine craftsmanship and careful delivery come at a price, there does come a point where it goes beyond that into "luxury goods" territory--that is, you're paying more for the name and the image than for the product and labor itself, like a top-tier designer purse. To me, the difference in quality between medium-high-end and really high-end dolls is usually not significant enough to justify paying hundreds of dollars more, nor is the "status" of having a "brand-name" doll.

(I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with expensive dolls from famous brands; I've just never seen one I loved enough to consider it worth the extra cost.)

 

That seems pretty simplistic. I guess if having once certain doll for less money is your number-one priority, then sure, but there are lots of compromises that don't involve recasts: buying second-hand, turning to a less-expensive company, finding something you like in a smaller size, etc.. Knowing and respecting your own limits and priorities doesn't mean you appreciate the hobby less than someone who is willing to do *whatever it takes* to get their grail doll.

I think that's a good criteria for judging when something is too expensive--if you don't feel good about it after, then it's not worth it, and no amount of rationalizing with "I'll never be able to find this sculpt again" or "it's an investment and I can sell it later" or "so-and-so said it's worth it" will fix it. Cutting out other things to save for a doll might be a "worthwhile sacrifice" for one person, but the same amount of money under similar conditions could be a "gross extravagance" to someone else. We all have different values and priorities. My thinking is: as long as it doesn't start affecting your quality of life or your important relationships, then you do you.

 

I have 3 Volks w/one on the way - but quality-wise Iplehouse & Soom are EQUAL to Volks - in fact sculpt-wise Iplehouse just blows most companies away... Plus Volks has that Japanese marketing mindset that just infuriates me. So paying $800 for an Iplehouse is lots more likely for me than the same for a Volks doll...
BTW I have 7 Iplehouse

 

I guess I don't have a price limit for dolls if I were to see a sculpt I really wanted I would try to save up for it. I do have a sort of limit for how much I would spend on other doll related things I try not to spend more than $80 (USD) on an outfit not including shoes as for shoes I try not to go over $40.

 

I am very fortunate to have 18 Iplehouse & 11 Fairyland dolls.
unfortunately I can be prone to impulse buying!
I am managing this now and have decided Omar will be my last.
It is easy to get drawn in to this hobby but you need to recognise when to stop!

 

So I only said this five days ago, and just this morning I spent $839 for this sculpt blank with all the option parts. I justified it to myself that I will likely be later selling the doll herself and swapping a male body onto the tail, and it'll be easier to sell her if she has legs and human arms/hands, but I'm still not quite sure how I managed to rationalize this price. It's definitely outside of what I would normally pay, and I think it'll be tough to get me to do it again, but I've reached one of those points of "for (part of) a grail, it's worth it."

 

I've seen a lot of dolls in really bad shape only being a few bucks off of their fullset price. Surprisingly the Fairyland with the chipped ears, peeling faceup and yellowed Resin is NOT worth it's wholesale price!