When is the price just too much?

I dont know if I have a limit... I spend arround 800usd for a Doll (including shipping, Face up, wigs,etc..) and I don`t regret it.
I am not a rich person but I am willing to save up if I really want this doll

 

It depends on the doll and not even how much I love that doll. There are dolls I absolutely love, but don't think are worth more than $200 and those I hate, but think their pricetag of $1500 is justified.

Much of the price tag depends on who made the doll, if that sculptor is still in business, the doll's rarity, its popularity and it's quality. That is why I like Bobobie Sprite, but I wouldn't pay $1000 for it, but I probably would for a Kanon Louis head. (not that I can afford it, but still)

 

My limit, which I don't see there being too much flexibility in, is about one week's income - When I worked at the conservation centre, I bought nothing, becuase I wasn't being paid. At the university, £200 was about my limit. On the dole, £60. Now that I'm off to Japan, and intend to earn a lot more than that, the barrier will probably rise.

 

For me, it depends on what I can afford.
Because of having my own place and all my bills and such, I've been saving for my Zaoll for over 6 months (Finally ordering her next week!)
To me, as long as you can afford it (without using credit cards and such) Then it's never too much for something you love.

 

*I know these dolls are amazing, and beautiful, but is paying over $1000 for a bjd too much in your opinion?
Yes, that's why I try my best not to like limited editions because I don't/won't have money at the moment for it.

*Or do you feel this is a reasonable cost?
It's difficult to find any sane reasoning for collectible/hobby items. Like buying a very old pocket watch that doesn't work anymore that costs a lot of money. If you want it to work you have to search someone who's very good at clock works. Then you have to pay twice or thrice or even more of the brand new pocket watches out in the malls for you old one to get it to work. Though I think it is easy to convince one's self that the deal is reasonable but explaining the cost to people who's likes are not the same it would end up us being unreasonable.

*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?)
No, that's why i'm waiting for sales and events even though people say that the waiting time is horrible. ^_^; Really, i'm really a cheapskate. I would rather buy a doll for $475 rather than at the regular price of $476. They say it's just a dollar off but when you put your pennies in a coin bank you'll find out that you have a lot of money later.

 

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

$1000 is normal. *shrug* Anything less is a bargain. That said, only one of my dolls managed to exceed $1000, and that was only because I was an idiot and had to buy his body in the secondhand market.

• Or do you feel this is a reasonable cost?

For some dolls, this is perfectly reasonable to me *coughVolksSDGrOkitaSoujiFullsetcough*. Over the $1000 mark, usually, you either really get what you paid for (like Soom's Epidos, that actually comes as two dolls if you get the full set), or you pay for psychological benefits (grail dolls, the chance to own an uber-limited, work from your favourite faceup artist, etc).

• 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?)

Every doll purchase depends on your love for the doll. After all, if you don't love it, even $50 is too much to pay. If you love it, you might be more willing to make other sacrifises to acquire it... or you might wait and hunt until you find a better bargain.

I would also like to point out that the price of a BJD being 'too much' depends very much on the BJD in question. It's not an absolute number like $1000, but more of a relative number. For example, $1000 for a basic, standard, unlimited 70cm doll would be too much, but $1000 for a blank and naked Bermann is CHEAP.

 

Like other people have said, it depends how much you want the doll.
I personally couldn't spend $1000 on any type of doll I collect, but there are different levels of interest in any hobby I guess and some people are willing to do it over and over again to get the collection they whole-heartedly desire - Which is fair enough if you take your BJD hobby seriously enough.... And earn enough XD Lol.

 

I think April's post pretty much summed it up for me!

I'd maybe go as high as $1500 if it was a grail doll, but that would absolutely be my limit. I was lucky enough to get one of my grail dolls, and he ran me $1000 once I bought his head and a body for him. At the time, this was a steal for a Bermann, as they were going for upwards of 3 to 5K on the secondary market at the time.

In general, my comfort zone is around $600.

 

I think you have to go with your instinct when looking at the doll, and look at actual owner's pictures. Is the doll your aesthetic taste? Do you want it badly enough to save for it?

Your choice should always be because you want it, and quality over quantity.

 

* I know these dolls are amazing, and beautiful, but is paying over $1000 for a bjd too much in your opinion?
Yes. Yes, that is too much. $600 is my cutoff for a doll itself (I may go higher for a fullset, but it's iffy). This means that I don't get to buy a lot of limited dolls, like SOOM stuff, but I don't mind. I've actually never wanted a doll that costs more than that, so... That's helpful.

* Or do you feel this is a reasonable cost?
I'm not saying it's a bad or good price. I'm only saying that I'm not willing to part with that much money in one go, not for a doll anywho.

* 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?)
Er... No. If I wanted some limited "grail doll" that I had to pay $1,000 for if I wanted it, I wouldn't get it. End of story. I've got nothing against people who do this though Just not my style.

 

$1000 is definitely too rich for my blood; I think my upper limit is actually around $600. There have been a number of highly expensive and gorgeous dolls (Soom Monzo and Nephelin) that run near or at the $1000 mark, and no matter what I've never been able to convince myself that I really have to have that doll, no matter how much I love it.

I don't actually think $1000 is unreasonable, depending on what comes with the doll, and considering how much hand-done work goes into their creation. I just cannot justify it to myself to spend that much on a single hobby-doll. I'd rather have a less expensive doll that I can spoil with stuff. (Though if I figure in the cost of the second gray body, I think my Soom Bygg twins cost a bit more than $600. )

 

I don't have limits for dolls, but I would really have to love it to pay $1000 for it. I have a couple of dolls that cost about that much and I feel that they have been worth the money to me for the enjoyment I have had with them. I am a frugal person other than occasionally splurging on a doll. Luckily, most of the dolls I love are much less expensive than these two. In order to buy dolls at all, I have to budget and save for them like most people involved in hobbies.

 

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

To me, $1000, or anywhere close to that is just not worth it. I think the highest I'm personally willing to go (with the addition of EMS charges, face-up, and outfit... is around $5-600 - tops. Anything $800 or higher than that is just not worth it. It may an exceptionally cute, beautiful, or handsome doll, but there's no way I can see myself maintaining my sanity saving for the months it would take. It was hard enough to save for Emma, and she was roughly $350, but now that I've done it, I think I could do it again.

But anything close to a grand I just can't do.

This is why I take some issue with the saying about if you like a doll to save up for it - because it's easier said than done, and sometimes you just can't do that. I can't do everything. Sure, I could start saving, but as I said, I don't see myself keeping up with that.

A better piece of advice would be "Know thy self" - if you can do it, do it. But if you know that you aren't going to be able to save in the time it might take, think about a less-expensive option. No harm in that.

• 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?)

As I said, to me, no doll is worth saving $1000 for. If Emma wasn't $271 with face-up, and was four or five times as much, I doubt I'd have picked her, or the company for buying a doll. All I can say is that any doll worth $1000, it has to cook, clean my room, and walk around and be really close to human.

 

I don't really have a set notion of what is too expensive. It depends on my financial standing at the time I'm looking. I will absolutely not buy a doll if I cannot either comfortably pay for it immediately or within a maximum of a two month layaway. I won't put myself in debt or financial risk over dolls, even if it a limited I adore.

 

This is how it works for me:
$2,000 - Absolutely my highest limit.
$1,501 to $1,999 - Requires a lot of consideration.
$1,000 to $1,500 - I can handle if I feel the love.
$700 to $999 - Easy change to spend.
$375 to $699 - No problem at all.

I have never seen a doll under $375 I love, and I only get dolls I love, not just ones I like. Quite frankly, there are only about three dolls I'd say I love. It is only these select dolls which this applies to.

 

Too much is up to the individual, though I think for most of it it's honestly a moving target. What may be "too much" now can change when the right company releases the right doll (or fullset).

I didn't think I'd have a $1K doll, much less more than one. No regrets, though; money can always be made back (says the workaholic), but opportunity for the right collectible is often a small window.

 

I don't think I'll be spending over $1000 on one doll anytime soon, but I could see a doll being worth that much if it is truly a work of art (especially if it's one of a kind or a very limited casting).

I just ordered my first doll for less than $150, and then put another on layaway that cost a little over $200. I never thought I'd spend that much, which is why I'd been holding out on buying resin dolls ^^;; But the first doll I saw was a great price compared to other dolls I looked at, and so I felt like it was worth the money. Then the second doll was one that I just loved so much I was willing to pay more for him than other dolls I had looked at, so "falling in love" with the doll certainly does seem to be a factor for me.

Of course, part of what made me "fall in love" was the fact that it also seemed to be a very well made doll for the price, especially with the Christmas promotion that took $60 off. I think for me, I have to feel like the doll I'm getting is worth even more than what I'm paying for it...but that's just kind of how I "justify" the expense in my head ^_^;;

 

While bjds or gorgeous, and I can appreciate the work that goes into them, I'd never spend 1000$+ on one. Even if it was a super rare sculpt, I'd be content to admire from afar rather than shell out that much. 500$~600$ seems to be my cut off point I've found. Of course, I'm the type to spoil my dolls, so a 200$ doll often times ends up owning 1000$ worth in clothes/accessories/etc anyway. * A*

Also, with the hobby growing in such leaps and bounds, you're more likely to find a sculpt that's similar or that you love just as much for a more reasonable price than a rare out of production bjd.