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Why are limited dolls worth it?

Feb 2, 2011

    1. I don't think it's a question of it being limited or not, it's just that you like them or not... All of my collection except for one (my mom's one non withstanding) is composed of limiteds, and just one of them fits a premade character, the rest of them have stories created after they were bought. The main reason I decided on them over so many other dolls I love and hope to get was the limted time/number.
       
    2. Personally, I find this topic to be refreshingly frank. :) Not everything is a personal attack . . . sometimes people just want to provoke a friendly debate. In this case, maybe the OP found their thinking being influenced by the popularity of LE's on this board, and then got frustrated when they felt they had been mislead. As a teacher, I find the quashing of any critical questioning on this board to be rather disturbing.

      But back on topic . . . the truth is, even when I buy a fullset doll, I usually wind up changing the clothes, wig, etc. anyway. So I can definitely see your point there.

      As for limiteds, I will buy them if the price can be justified by what they come with. If I get to the end of my calculations and it's like, "and the last $100 is just because it's LE" then I skip it.

      I do own two LE's, but they're Dollmore LE's, which besides being a big discount off buying all the pieces separately, usually take months if not years to sell out. Now that I can deal with. :lol:
       
    3. So you ditched your entire wishlist and all your purchasing plans... so that you could save for dolls that either weren't released yet, or that you self-admittedly didn't even like... just because said dolls were were limited?

      ...And now you're asking us "are limited dolls worth it?" Why don't you tell us? Apparently they were to you, at one time -- very much so. XD
       
    4. I have a number of LEs. My reasons for purchasing them were varied, but most of the time it just boiled down to the fact that I liked them, and for what I was looking for, they suited. I own quite a few Soom's now as well and while I agree that their Super Gems (and likely Mega Gem... I've never actually had the opportunity to handle one yet) are rather heavy, it's no different from their basic releases in the same size (aside from added weight put on by the fantasy parts). In fact, my limited Covell weighs *less* than my basic super gem Lupin. I quite like the weight actually, and am well aware that my big boys are quite hefty. It's just a preference for me.

      My limiteds are not treated any differently from my basics. Their clothing is changed, their faces are painted by myself, they are taken out for photos and handled regularly, they travel to meets regardless of how heavy they are. That's just me. Part of my enjoyment with them is handling them and doing things with them, sharing them with my friends and taking them out for other people to see. So aside from just wanting it, and having it fit a character, I get them to enjoy them.

      I imagine the same is said of most people. It comes down to what they like, and whether they're willing to put the money forth for something they are aware they have only a limited amount of time to decide upon. It's why so many arrive and find the marketplace shortly after. Many people don't know how much they want it until they see it for themselves, and the nature of limited dolls does not allow you much opportunity to actually see it first. That's just my opinion though.
       
    5. Really? :? Anyhow, this is how I feel about the OP. If she were talking
      in a post about her reasons why she didn't feel LE's made any sense
      then I wouldn't reply. But she's asking others WHY. When you
      ask a question, if people feel it's "important" enough to offer their own
      opinions they will.
      Yes, I also find it sad when people are attacked on the forum for simply
      stating their opinion, it's actually often made me rethink whether a
      particular thread subject is worth posting in, because I don't like feeling
      attacked either :sweat Maybe if this was posted in the Newbieland it
      would be viewed differently? Personally I never questioned the existence
      of LE dolls because it's all about choice. If you don't like it then that's fine.
      If she had not singled out a particular company for reasons that are not
      singular to said company then I doubt this thread would have quite so many
      posters upset.
       
    6. Well, I love my Soomies, and the fact that they are limited doesn't stop me from playing with them. It depends on how much rule you let the word 'limited' have over your life and your collection.

      Yes, it's harder to replace them if they break or get damaged by unforseen circumstances, but if you live your life in fear of what might happen, you cripple yourself. I might break my arm lifting something heavy at work - but that won't stop me going to work, it'll just make me careful. I might get sunburnt, or I might get caught in a riptide if I go to the beach. That won't stop me going to the beach, it'll just make me careful.

      I might break my doll if I play with it. That won't stop me playing with it, it'll just make me careful.

      The whole onus of 'limiteds are so special all they can do is sit there and look pretty' really annoys me, because what's the point of having a doll if you don't enjoy it? For me, enjoyment comes from playing and posing, and if I didn't do that with my limiteds, I would have wasted a whole lot of money for a giant dust collector. But then, I have a whole lot of 'limited edition' stuff which I just use as I would use anything else. If you pay money for something and don't use it, what's the point of paying money for it?
       
    7. Limited dolls are only "worth it" if you happen to really one. If you don't want a doll that's limited then it's not worth it.

      This is all your opinion. You seem to think that there is a single way dolls should be appreciated, owned and played with. This point of view has little to do with the reality of other doll owners.

      Almost all of my dolls are limited. I wanted each and every one of them so I bought them. I didn't care that the doll was limited because that was not the deciding factor in making me want it. The only difference in wanting a limited doll versus wanting a non-limited is how quickly you have to jump on it before it's gone.

      Thinking about that, even non-limited dolls can suddenly be pulled out of production so it's not like all dolls are just endless in supply forever. I can even think of a few non-limited dolls that were pulled from production due to poor sales and some of those are super rare. An out of production non-limited doll could end up being just as expensive 2nd hand or difficult to replace should something happen to it as a limited doll! So if you worry about replacement value too much you'll end up paralyzed.
       
    8. On the contrary, critical questioning abounds in this thread. It's just critical questioning of the OP.

      Questioning some of the standard behaviours of the community or the forum is completely valid, but if you begin with very personal assumptions that don't apply to other people's dolling habits, and single out a (very popular!) company when you do so, then people are going to respond pretty strongly. The question could have been asked in a manner more like, y'know, I'm not sure an LE would be worth it for me because of factor x, y, or z. What factors make LEs worth it for you?

      There may be carryover from other types of collecting as well. The NRFB thing doesn't exist -- can't exist for BJDs, the boxes are windowless! -- and these dolls were designed to be customized. Not that people don't simply display them, and not that that's not a completely viable, valid, wonderful way to enjoy them, but from what I can tell, most owners play with their dolls more directly. There isn't much reason to treat an LE differently.
       
    9. My first doll was a limited. I was fully planning on playing with him in his fullset as that particular clothes really fit his character. Unfortunately, I could only get the nude version and not the fullset. He was just not the same so I sold him.

      Personally, I would have no problem keeping a limited fullset as is. If I am buying the clothes, you bet he is going to be wearing them all the time. I put more priority on affording more dolls than putting the ones I had in different outfits every day. Fashion never meant much to me. So I would say I buy limiteds for the sculpt. And I keep them in their fullset clothes because I don't really care about clothes. So I play with them just the same really.
       
    10. Well, that's the peril of pursuing something because it's popular rather than because you enjoy or like it yourself, isn't it? ;) However, just because the OP fell into this particular trap, it does not mean that everyone has done so, which is what the wording of the post clearly asserts. People are taking issue with this sweeping generalization -- among many others -- that speaks of their experience as everyone's universal truth. To object to that in no way quashes their opinion; to object to that is to remind them that their opinion is but one of many.

      That they're taking swipes at one company for things many do is just, well, impressively tacky and a little hilarious in how much it lacks perspective. It makes the axe grinding just a wee bit too obvious to not comment on directly. (I could sprain an ankle trying to step around that elephant in the living room.)
       
    11. I own quite a lot Soom MD's and the reason why I buy them, is because they are pretty.

      I buy almost all my dolls blank, so I can customize them myself. So maybe the faces look the same (heck, I even own 3 Ai heads, 1 faun with eyes sanded open like the human head, 2 human), but with a different face-up and different clothes/wig/eyes and such, they can look REALLY different.

      I don't really play with my dolls, but I use them as much for photoshoots and my other non-limited dolls. I don't treat them differently.
       
    12. If you buy a limited, then obviously that limited is worth it to you. If you decide not to buy it, then obviously it's not worth it - to you. You are not everyone else however; how you regard your limiteds, including how you choose to dress them and what you do with them, is not the same as everyone else. Your own value judgments do not apply to anyone other than you.

      You don't think Soom limiteds are worth it? Simple answer: don't buy them. But don't expect people to justify themselves to you just because they do.

      Oh, and try not to be so blatant next time you post what is basically an attack on Soom just because you don't like their dolls.

      (For the record, no, I don't own any Soom dolls.)
       
    13. I got my Soom Beyla girl (just human version) in a split and at split price she was actually somewhat less expensive than a standard Littlefee, which was my other choice for a tiny at the time. I had seen her picture and fell in love with her. My Galena's face just took my heart and I had to have her. I play with both of them the same way I play with my other dolls. I love Florian and Nicolette, my Elfdoll LEs, not because they are limited, but because they are Florian and Nicolette.

      I don't feel compelled to get another Teenie Gem because I do think they all begin to look alike after a while. I don't buy full set Soom MDs because though I enjoy fantasy, I'm really not into fantasy doll parts. I do think that Soom dolls have engineering problems that annoy me, but so does every other doll I own-they're just different annoyances. But I love my two Soom girls nonetheless.

      I broke the finger on Florian's left hand the other day, playing with him. So I'll buy him another hand, big deal. If he were able to express an opinion on the subject, I think he'd prefer to be played with and possibly damaged than stay in a box in pristine splendor. But I can certainly understand that someone could not bring themselves to play with a limited doll that cost so much and was so rare. Everyone enjoys their dolls in different ways.

      You obviously think that Soom MDs are too big and cumbersome, their aesthetic doesn't appeal to you and you're afraid to enjoy them after you've bought them. That's your right. But that doesn't translate into limited dolls of any sort not being worth it for the rest of us.
       
    14. Everyone is entitled to their own preferences. Be it for LEs or not. I will buy a LE, or any standard doll for that matter, as long as I like it. It does not matter to me whether or not they are limited editions. And I will have no qualms to change their face-ups or even mod them when I want to.

      I have a few Volks LE and to be honest, I forget they are even LEs most of the times. I just luv the way they look, their outfits, wigs etc. I know I will definitely buy them even if they are just standard models. :)
       
    15. Personally, I don't find the SG female body to be remotely cumbersome, though I would like to see Soom work more on the joint system. The issue of dolls faces being similar is down to company aesthetics - there are companies I don't have much interest in and because I haven't spent a lot of time looking at their dolls, I can't tell a lot of them apart. If I studied them more I'm sure I would be more familiar with the details of their sculpts and the differences in their features. Similarly I love Sooms, Resinsouls, HZs and Iplehouses because their company aesthetics do appeal to me. The real issue with limiteds is they tend to sell out faster and therefore often knock basic dolls on a wishlist aside. Some people never get round to buying the basics they really like because companies like Soom offer limiteds on a regular basis. Given the dolls are pricey to start with, this often means some collectors have only LEs because they didn't have the extra money to buy the basics they wanted, and there's always another LE coming out soon.
       
    16. I have had limiteds and non limited. at the moment I have one limited and a mecha angel that is no longer being manufactured but I treat all my dolls the same. Really I just get dolls i like no matter what. just cause they're limited doesn't mean you can't ever play with them. To me being limited or not they're the same to me, it just depends what doll you want. It is worth having a doll that you love knowing it also is just that little bit more special and that its a unique thing to own. I love owning a limited makes my collection a lot more interesting and valuable sounding LOL
       
    17. Not necessarily - I love big dolls, the size doesn't mean they don't get played with. If there was a versionof the Lusion Dahlia with a smiling/happy-looking face sculpt, I'd be sorely tempted. I have porcelain dolls that size which I play with, she'd see a lot of play too.

      As for limited dolls - the same reason to buy any doll, becuase the person doing the buying likes it wenough to spend that amount of money on it... I'm lucky that most limiteds don't appeal to me, and the ones that do have something (clothing accessory etc) that isn't right for me (and if I'm dropping that amout of money on it, I want it ALL to be right), so I'm hardly ever tempted by them.

      Teddy
       
    18. Every collector enjoys this hobby in a slightly different way, and there is no "correct" approach to collecting these dolls. For some, the dolls are display pieces, either as premade fullsets (like the limited editions by Soom, Iplehouse, Volks, and other companies) or as sets that the owner themself assembles and/or commissions. Other people purchase dolls with the intent of using them as sewing models, or for art projects. Many use them to create physical "shells" meant to represent preexisting original characters, or characters created by other people. Some like to carry their dolls around with them everywhere, while others only bring their dolls out of their homes for special events like meetups and conventions. Some people prefer the larger dolls and don't find them at all cumbersome, while others like tinier dolls and enjoy their more compact size and extreme portability. Some people don't hesitate to wipe the faceups off of limited special edition dolls, or even to perform drastic modifications on them, while others keep the default faceups on their general release dolls and are happy to do so. None of these approaches are intrinsically any better or worse than the others. If you personally find that you don't enjoy collecting limited edition dolls, don't buy them. Just as there is nothing wrong with wanting to purchase and own a limited edition doll, there is also nothing wrong with not wanting to purchase one.
       
    19. I noticed in your profile you don't have any dolls, so I'm just going to say that you're slightly misinformed :'D

      I paid $1K apiece for two of my limiteds, and have two other limiteds that I received either for free or bought as a head for less than $150. But just because they're limited, it doesn't mean they sit around in my room like statues!! PLENTY of other owners play with their limiteds regularly too. I didn't want them because they were limited, ergo I treat them like I would my standard dolls. I mean, limited or not, these dolls are super expensive anyway so I'm not sure how categorically you would be able to treat any doll without letting it sit around..?

      Regardless, I pick a limited doll because I like it. No, more than that, I love it :D I don't have a favorite amongst my dolls but definitely Volks Tony has got to be my favorite mold of all time. He was worth every penny, as are all my other boys! If they didn't appeal to me, I wouldn't have gone for them.
       
    20. At first I bought limiters because well...they were limited. Then I got that sculpt home and the appeal wasn't there. This was also the time I was buying dolls because I wanted to have them not because I liked them...since then I have refined my tastes and have really honed in on what I REALLY like about the doll rather than this doll is nice and a decent price I'll buy it. Now I have a limited doll On layaway and I'm super excited! I missed out on him since I got into the hobby AFTER his run and I never saw him up for sale on the secondary market...so when I saw him I had to have him. Now it's I want this doll because he's amazing instead I want this doll because he's limited and people will be jelous I have him lol