When is the price just too much?

That's a lot of Iple
Mhm, the whole limited production and set periods for this and that drives me up a wall sometimes. I understand why they do it, but it is a bit frustrating at times. I mention them specifically because some of their dolls go for around just under 600-ish used that I'd totally compromise for, like that Harajuku Ran on Mandarake. And then I'm probably willing to spend more because she has the clothes (minus the shoes...that seems to be a common trend for whatever reason >>; ) and her face up.

orz and I'm a total sucker for a pretty face when it comes to toys. I'm just really, really fond of Volk's face sculpts...cuteness is my one major weakness! If someone ever said to me "so hey there's this company that makes dolls that look like volks and they're around 300-" I'd be gone so fast I'd leave an afterimage on my way to my computer . I've seen similar ones, but either they're not the size I had in mind, or they're sold out, or I missed the gravy train by a good 3 years...orz man that one was depressing. They're just the one company that breaks my willpower not to spend above a certain price and I hate/love them for it.

There is one Iplehouse that I absolutely adore, but she's already sold out and I haven't seen her on the 2nd hand market in a while. If she does show up and I have the money and no plans I'd buy her in a heartbeat. If I remember correctly her name was Gentle Freezia? She had a swan lake inspired outfit, if I remember right. Haven't seen it since so my memory is hazy.

 

Paying $1000 for a life sized doll- yes. I can't even imagine what the sculptor has to do in order to fully assemble a life-size BJD.
Paying $1000 for a doll<70cm- no. I won't call out specific companies, but some of them are super over priced in my opinion. I think 200-500 and maybe even 600 is reasonable but in order for me to buy a doll over 500, it'd have to be my grail doll which I have not found yet lol.

I think paying 500 for a MSD is a bit pricey too... Think about it.

Then it comes down to the resin, materials and time it took to make the doll in the first place.
I see both sides of the conversation but for the most part I have to admit that some of the dolls can be over-priced.

 

Totally disagree with you there - obviously since I OWN several resin dolls that I paid over $1000 for. Sorry, they are completely worth it to me. These are dolls made from limited original sculpts by small companies who do a lot of handpainting and such. Art objects in many respects. If you don't WANT to pay the price, well, your choice. But really, don't try to make out like the price itself is automatically wrong.

 

There is one life size BJD I've seen, the Magical Angel Iris. One person on Youtube who bought her was shorter than the doll itself O-O

 

My upper range is definitely on the high side... around 1,000 or around there... but that would usually be for a full-set, so the base doll would be less... I like 1/3 or slightly larger dolls, so they can be expensive.

 

Personally I'd rather not spend more than 500-600 on a doll. Maybe that'll change once I have a steady job, though.

 

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

I come from another hobby community (adoptables, anyone?) where the most high-end products (character designs and their accompanying art) can often go for over $1000, and in a way I've come to consider them almost a 2d equivalent of BJDs, so I feel if 2D art can fetch this much, then a physical 3D work of art can definitely go for as much if not more.

• Or do you feel this is a reasonable cost?

I think I'd mainly feel it'd be reasonable if it was one-of-a-kind and unique, or at least, not from a lineup of limited dolls with the same sculpt/faceup/outfit etc, if that makes sense!

• 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?)

Definitely! While I personally wouldn't do it myself (as I can't afford to) I'd figure someone would only drop so much on something they absolutely loved to bits.

 

My upper limit used to be $1000 Canadian. Then I broke that (plot twist: my first doll was more than that.) now my limit is my better judgement. If I want something and I have the funds (or can get a layaway) then why not enjoy it? This was the logic behind my Rd Frankenstein layaway (the Canadian dollar is killing me on him, but no regrets.) my only rule is that I have to understand the price (like paying more for a better jointed or more aesthetically pleasing body, or fantasy parts, etc.)

 

My favorite doll is ~$550 and then another hundred for shipping and to get the face up. I set that as my absolute limit for getting a complete doll. Otherwise I'd buy the head and get a cheaper body separately. Besides that doll I usually only consider dolls under $450. Anymore than that I would only have to save about $200 more to get my grail.

 

I'd never pay over $300 for a doll. Not at this point in my life. But I'd also never buy a $50 pair of jeans :P

 

Ehhhh anything over $1000. I say that despite owning a Suiseiseki. She was my grail, and that's it. I don't ever plan to buy another doll that costly again in the near future. I really love Volks Charlotte, Suigintou, and Shinku, but just not over a grand's worth of income.

 

I would have to say that it definitely comes down to the individual's preference, financial situation, etc. which is what makes this such an interesting question. For me personally, I'd say that too much would be $700+ and that's speaking as a college student with a part time job. At this point in life I have too many priorities, so saving up for it would be a lengthy, yet worthwhile process. Who knows if in the future my circumstances will allow for a larger budget. In that case, I could see myself spending up to $1000 max. Depends where I'm at though.

 

I would probably only spend upwards of a thousand USD on a single doll at one time would be if it was a very specific set from, say, Volks or Iplehouse; the former being related to a favourite anime and the latter being something innately beautiful and unique that I would probably never see again.
Granted, the chances of ever being in a financial situation where I could lay that much on a doll is highly unlikely, given my inability to work full-time. It's nice to think I could though.

 

I have a lot of trouble saying that I would spend just one amount on dolls because I'm so cheap, but I usually set my limit pretty low. I try to buy dolls second hand but if a doll from a favorite game or anime pops up (Volks I'm looking at you!) I would consider spending $600-$700 for it if it was limited. I like to spend $300 or less.

 

I'm still relatively new, but I don't think I could spend over 1k. The max I've spent was 500 (roughly) and that was startling enough. I keep buying smaller, cheaper dolls. I'm pretty ok with that.

 

Just at the moment, any bjd is too much. Problem is, I keep forgetting it. I wish I could sort my life out a bit better and a bit faster.

 

Hahah, I definitely don't buy $50 jeans either (much to my clothes-loving husband's annoyance!) but I have no issue paying more than $300 for a doll.

For me the big factor is what exactly is involved; for example, the Soom centaurs are limited and have a ton of resin/parts, so I understand them being a bit more expensive. Same goes for the huge dolls and dolls with large, complicated fantasy parts. I don't think I'd ever pay more than $600 for a 'normal' SD human doll, though, unless it was like... something I desperately wanted.

I'm in a stable financial situation (two full-time incomes, no massive outstanding debts) so I'm blessed to be able to spend that kind of money on my hobbies, but three years ago when I was broke and living at home the thought of spending $1000 on a doll was totally foreign to me. Now? If it was one of the more rare and complex dolls I wanted, I'd be willing to spend that much.

Some of the Volks sets I've seen go for $2k+ are a bit too much for me though, for sure.

 

$1000 for a doll seems entirely too much to me. When I was shopping for my bjd, I was looking at the budget as "if I can buy a gaming console with that listed doll price, it's too much unless I really like it.". Maybe I'll feel differently in a few years, but right now I can't see myself spending that much on a doll. Especially since I'm still new to the idea of having to restring, yellowing, staining, etc.. I'd be scared to even handle a doll that costs thousands of dollars, and to an extent hundreds.

I got my first bjd and everything she needs (except shoes, still gotta get those) for under $200, including clothes since she fits barbie stuff. I've finally been working on making her clothes as well, so I'm going to focus on getting better at that first before I consider any more dolls.

 

I would definitely pay over $1000 for my favorite doll as long as the company doesn't send me a damaged one. I have ordered new Soom MD and I'm really worried because Soom's quality control has gone down lately. But luckily, I am rational enough not to buy my limited Volks grail doll at this time for his price would be close to $2000. Maybe I will get him in the near future but not right now.

 

Personally I'd spend 500-600 on a doll.
Because i know if it would be more every time i see the doll i would see the money and i couldn't enjoy the doll.