When the market levels out [Doll values in future years], BJD market saturation

I have a feeling that there will always be some who like buying limited dolls, and with more people coming in from more traditional forms of doll collecting, I think there will always be a place for them. As long as certain molds only exist as LEs there will be hobbyists that may go after them since it's the only way to get a particular sculpt.

However, there are also plenty of people who just aren't interested in LEs as well. For hobbyists on a tight budget, I wouldn't think that LEs would present much of a draw. Though not all LEs are expensive or as hard to get. My first doll as an AR LE mini that was available during a preorder period. As long as you got your order in during that period, you were gauranteed a doll and he wasn't more expensive than the others (as a first time doll buyer I was more comfortable getting a doll that came with a faceup, wig, and outfit). So I suppose it also depends on how companies present and make available their LEs.

 

Just something I've been curious about.

I've seen a lot of people mention that they were okay with spending the cost of their doll, because as long as you take care of them, they generally retain their second-hand market value, and we all know what happens if they happen to be a popular limited...

Supposing, though, that somewhere down the line, BJDs go the way of Beanie Babies, and the most you can get for a Bermann is $200 -- just a worst-case scenario kind of example.

Would you be upset? Would you look at your dolls differently, maybe regret them a little? Or would you still be content with your purchase?

(Personally, it wouldn't bother me, as I'm very careful to choose dolls that I KNOW I want, and that have a sort of "personal connection" that I'm unlikely to abandon in the future -- story characters I've had for ten years or more, for example Though I suppose there would probably be a bit of an "ouch" from time to time )

 

I wouldn't care in the slightest. I don't care about 'markets'. I just love my boys. They're priceless anyway.

 

I don't think doll values will drop that much. Beanie Babies were mass produced, and they were stuffed animals. With all the care and detail that goes into BJD's I find it hard to believe the value would ever drop that much. This going along with your example of course.

However, even if it would, I wouldn't care. I love my dolls a lot, and they bring me a lot of happiness- no matter what the price tag says.
I would be a little upset if I shelled out thousands for a limited doll and it dropped to a really low value, but I don't think I'll ever be concerned since I'm more into 'play and enjoy' the dolls rather than display them and fret about the value. I buy the doll that I love, not because the price tag dictates my little resin family.

 

I think that part of the reason the Barbie/Beanie market crashed is product overload. They mass marketed everything, and I think the quality of the Barbies went down. It may happen here eventually, but as long as dolls remain fairly difficult to obtain I think the demand will still be there.

 

Oh, trust me...I understand the difference between Beanie Babies and BJDs and know it's unlikely to get THAT bad (although if I could have suitcases full of BJDs sitting up in my attic, I'd be a happy girl indeed ).

I only chose that example because I assume a lot of people are familiar with how Beanie Babies went from being "the hot thing", with rares hitting some pretty crazy prices...to lying in craft store bargain bins gathering dust.

Maybe a more appropriate example though would be...what if it was discovered that something in their manufacture created a biproduct that stayed on the doll long-term and might potentially cause harm to people in contact with them? Even if that were proven to be untrue, such a possibility might scare people away from the hobby and cause a decline. (Although that's a rather dark example D: Sorry!)

 

Hmmm... i never really choose a doll with any intention of reselling for any value ^^ I know i wouldn't ever regret buying any of them, whatever happens, they're worth every penny i spent on them. Even if the resell value is extremely low, they've made me happy since i got them. The value of happiness is priceless, therefore i've already got what i paid for.

I take a very long time to plan out the doll i want and if we don't bond, i try to get them a new home. Whether or not i get the price i paid... i don't really mind, as long as the doll goes to a home it will be cherished then i'm fine. Although that is my worst case scenerio, i never intend for the dolls to leave my house once they come in.

 

Setting aside the fact that I never want to resell a doll I bought, I couldn't care less.

You don't buy an expensive car or expensive anything else expecting it to keep all its value. Most things lose a whole bunch of value the minute you walk out of the showroom with them. Other things such as diamonds are overpriced from the get-go. It doesn't stop people from purchasing them at high prices if they want them.

I've always found the idea/expectation that you should be able to get back what you paid for the doll to be a little weird, especially since when you count in the shipping, the person could usually get a brand new doll for the same price or less. Also, I'm fully cognizant, not only that the market could tank, but that my dolls could get damaged or destroyed in some disaster beyond my control.

To me, worrying about whether dolls will keep their value is one of the weird aspects of this hobby that I suppose makes sense where people worry internally that they're spending too much money on something. I never buy any sort of collectible as an "investment" or expecting it to hold value so it's a moot point for me.

 

It's not going to bother me with respect to the dolls I already have. They're mine, they're not investments, they're not for resale.

And with respect to buying, there are a couple of dolls that I would love to have that I just can't bring myself to spend that kind of money on them right now. If they were only $200, I'd have them in a hot second!

Marcia.

 

I think these guys will always be worth something... they're just too neat to ever become junk. Of course the rarer, the most beautiful... like any commodity some will be worth more and others worth less.

But yeah. If the market tanked I could afford all those dollies I can't now!! and I'd have all my lovelies too!! Sounds just fine to me! XD

Raven

 

Personally, I don't plan on ever selling my dolls... however my mom (who I keep telling that the dolls "hold their value", and I could always sell one in an emergency) is paranoid about it. lol She keeps comparing them to the Cabbage Patch Kid that I *had to have* as a child... lol, mom's. But i'm 35 years old now... I won't let her dissuade me... hehe.

My fiance on the other hand, just takes the stance that if it makes me happy it doesn't matter. However, he keeps shaking his head at me and mumbling "jeeze, aren't you a bit too old to be playing with dolls?".

 

With the re-release of some sculpts and with many, many more BJDs being made and on the market, prices have already risen AND fallen... And it's very possible for some prices not to hold.

I've got limiteds, so I know their prices have gone up and down a bit and up...

But really, I don't care.

I bought them at retail, not after-market, for one thing. But even if they all were worth less than I paid, it doesn't matter since I rarely ever re-sell (I haven't sold a doll yet!), and I chose them because I wanted them, not for their re-sale value. And certainly not for an investment or to make money. (Don't get me wrong--if I needed to sell, I'd love to get lots of money, but how the market is at that point is out of my hands, so I don't worry about it. --Plus it's all hypothetical, so why bother?)

I collect--but I don't regard my things AS a collection. I buy to keep--because I love and want them!

 

Echoing many others, I didn't get into BJD as an investment (that would be a really poor financial decision). My girls will just be as they always are, as I have no intention of selling. Hell, in all likeliness I will be taking advantage of the crash to try to locate stuff I can't afford/find now...

 

I wouldn't mind, might be easier for me to complete my family if they went down a few notches. XD I love my dolls and I don't plan on giving them up.

 

If BJD's got less expensive, I would not mind. I'd probably buy more for the price of one.

But it's hard to believe, BJD's will get less in price.

Plus, I don't think this market will drop prices all that much.
I heard that luts and current dollmore dolls, and DOD's have raised in price infact. It seems prices keep going up and not really dropping.

In order to get the dolls price drop, it has to be mass produced you have to have factories galore. I doubt that will be the case for resin BJD's. Too much manwork goes into it.

 

1) When do you think the BJD market will level out?
I hope that it never does. I love this community that has been created over the dolls, even though I am extreemly new to it, and I would hate to see dolls become rare ((and eventually untouchable)) due to companies that make beautiful dolls going bankrupt because people are cheaping out.

2) Have we already seen some levelling out of the market, in regards to certain bodies and molds depreciating in value?
I have only been looking into the market for only about half a year or so, so I don't really know much on this

3) Will the market levelling out affect the prices of limiteds or dolls commonly scalped? Will they go up or down? How will it affect the price of standards?
I think that it would most likely hurt the limited dolls, not the knock-off ones. The standards as well. Whenever a product's manufacturer sees that it would be more favorable to put out lower quality for a lower price rather than high quality for a higher price, the company usually sells out to making low quality pieces. My favorite art company, Beinfang, did this with their sketch books ((its basically printer paper now =( )).

And one more question not asked in the longer diatribe:
4) How will the market level out affect the fandom, or the companies themselves? Can the secondhand market for standards actually get large enough to overwhelm or undercut the firsthand market?
I dont know, due to how new I am to this all. Sorry =(



Personally, I know I am not helping much with what seems like a downward spiral ((what with the way it has been worded here)). I know that I am purchasing a doll thats only $330 ((not including shipping and face-up, which would bring it to $407)), so I am not helping what so ever. I really do wish that I could afford one of the beautiful dolls that cost in the $600's and $700's, but being a 17 year old without a job makes affording dolls, even the $407 for the doll I'm getting now, very difficult. It's taken me two years to raise even this much

But, if it makes it redeamable at all, when I had seen the doll that I am getting, I immedeately said "I want this doll." It's been nearly a year since, and this is still the only doll that I want as my first doll.

 

The thing is, though, some companies are not making them out of resin. I can't remember what company it was, but when I went onto their USA site, I was very shocked to find that their dolls were only $20. Out of morbid curiosity, I went to see the dolls, and they turned out to be made out of plastic and the "full size" dolls were only the size of a barbie doll. They even had painted on eyes! I was apauled that a company would stoop to that level just to make a quick buck.

 

Yeah I think I know what youre talking about.. they're Obitsu (I think)...and they are not made out of resin, they are about 27cm or something like that...
But like you said, their fullsized ones are only the size of a barbie doll. The obitsu's quality is OK but not as nice as resin.
But, yea they're kinda crappy looking (my opinion).

They remind me of an PVC Action figure with ball joints. The small pvc 1/6 scale ball jointed figures still go about $200.00 or more.

But what I am trying to say, is that resin BJD's in particular, price might not go down by alot if it does happen, because of the man-work involved.

 

1) When do you think the BJD market will level out?
i'm not sure, within decade most likely though.

2) Have we already seen some levelling out of the market, in regards to certain bodies and molds depreciating in value?
i haven't researched this a lot, but i personaly was able to ask for a reduced price for my cp chiwoo sleeping vampire because it sat on ebay for at least 6 months

3) Will the market levelling out affect the prices of limiteds or dolls commonly scalped?
i'm possitive it will. we've seen it happen before plenty of times with other goods the demand goes down because people won't spend that much and it kinda impolds.

4) How will the market level out affect the fandom, or the companies themselves?
i'm thinking that maybe a few more people will get one because they CAN aford one then, this might bring the price up for a little, but it'll most likey go down. as much as i hate to say it, we may live long enough to see people selling BJD for $20 or less at a flea market