Why are limited dolls worth it?

You do know not all limiteds are Sooms, right? For example, right now I'm hoping to get a Dollzone Mo-B event head. Sure, he was only available for a few months, but he's no different than any other head. At ~50 USD, he's actually cheaper than most SD heads. Many limited dolls aren't fullsets; they're limited headmolds or basic headmolds with special modifications, like elf ears, vampire fangs, or tanned skin. Even the Sooms aren't necessarily fullsets; a lot of people get them blank and then modify them however they want.

And just because a doll is pricy doesn't mean it's not worth buying. Most of mine are fairly inexpensive, but that has a lot to do with the fact that I'm a broke college kid who works minimum wage part time. Honestly, I think the little Soom guys are some of the cutest things I've ever seen, don't actually look all that much alike, and even if they were the same mold every time, come with enough different fantasy parts and skintones that they'd still be pretty different. I'm not that interested in the big ones, but that has more to do with the fact that they're completely out of scale with my current girl. Just because you can't move them easily or don't feel comfortable playing with them doesn't mean other people don't

 

I am new to BJD, but can answer just because I have limited edition dolls in general. I enjoy them because they are unique and different than regular/basic stock dolls. And I am sure that LE dolls are far more expensive second hand than originally purchased when sold by the manufacturer.
Anyway, I like my LE dolls so much more than the stock/basic ones and they are the ones I never part with

 

I like having something that not everyone else has (Though I am guilty of owning an El head, oh well) and I love some of the unique features that seem to only show up in limiteds. Sometimes it's a gorgeous skin color not normally available, sometimes it's tapered 'elf' ears when all the normal sculpts are human, sometimes it's unusual fantasy parts, and sometimes it's just a breathtaking face that's only available for a short time.

I have limiteds, and I have not limiteds. The limiteds tend to outnumber the not, simply because I have always been a fantasy girl at heart and it's very hard to find fantasy sculpts that aren't limited. If all doll companies offered pointy ears as a standard ordinary sculpt, I'd have a lot more to choose from, that's for sure.

By and large, my limiteds aren't treated any differently than my other dolls. They go to meetups, they get photographed, they have accidents. x_x I'm only particularly protective of my dream doll, and that because he took me two years to acquire. Still, he's been to at least one meetup. No one in my house is a cabinet baby. ^.^

 

People enjoy dolls differently though. You don't have to bring your doll to meets and 'use them' to enjoy them. A lot of collectors keep their dolls - limited or not - in cabinets because that's how they enjoy them. I don't see it as a waste of money that I keep my most precious dolls in cabinets. That's how I keep them safe, and that way I can maintain (my) standard of their beauty. For me I enjoy the look of these dolls and they inspire me to write their characters. I feel that I do get a 'use' out of them, and not necessarily keep them as dust collectors.

That aside, limited dolls are worth it if they are worth it to you. I know that if I love a limited doll it gets priority over one that isn't because chances are it will get sold out more quickly, but I'm very careful so that the allure of it just being limited doesn't take over the look of the doll; I don't want to be taken in my how shiny and pretty and limited it is...when in fact I don't like the sculpt. It's important you enjoy the doll your way. You can keep it fullset or not, but I don't think you should just get it because it IS limited. Of course, some collectors don't attach characters to the dolls and just buy them because they look beautiful, so you may just want to snatch up a few rares for your collection. I'm more careful with my limiteds, but I love them for their sculpts, not just because they are limited.
Whatever works for you.

 

I really like sum limited dolls I admire them but most of the time I know Im not going to be able to get the money together in time to even have a shot at getting them and as well what the hell am I going to do with it when I got it. But on the flip side I do have a limited Volks Enn that I got second hand here on DOA so I really think it a more of a thing of if your going to play with it or going to have it siting on a shelf.

 

Sorry, I didn't mean offense.

If I may phrase better, I merely meant that I personally find that treating something different and not enjoying it in your own way just because something is limited seems odd to me.

 

No offense taken. I just wanted to express my feelings about not being 'active' in the community (meaning not taking pictures, taking them places etc.) and how it is still possible to enjoy the dolls.

Thanks for clarifying!

 

Just a note, playing devil's advocate is one thing, but the way you worded your post doesn't put that across- it sounds as if you're saying "Hey, I don't think these dolls are worth- so if you do then you'd better justify it to me". If you want to play devils advocate then take the opposite side of an argument- for example "What if limiteds don't truly give you value for money?" and have people defend their position. Don't just call out a company and slap down your own opinions on it. Still, I know it's difficult communicating in text! Things don't always come out exactly right because we are without tone and inflection.

Now, to respond to what I think is your point, I do think limiteds are worth it in terms of strict monetary value and the value one might place on them. A lot of them are produced in resin colours that the sculpt doesn't usually come in, and they come with parts, outfits and face-ups that are otherwise impossible to get anywhere else. Thus, in my personal opinion, they are worth it. That said, I don't treat my limited dolls any differently to my non-limited ones. They get played with, toted around, and loved just as much as the others. The only difference is that there aren't as many of them around. Being limited doesn't always mean that the collector is only going to keep it in locked box with Dobermans to guard it- some collectors might, and that's perfectly fine because that's the way they collect. It is however, a popular misconception to think that that mindset applies to everyone.

 

Now, all my dolls are LE, if you ask why, have some reasons:
1.I only like half human doll and they must enough pretty.
Half human not only means have elf ear or vampire tooth. The doll is half human means she/he have horn, hooves or claw and so on. Of course, it is only my concept.
If she/he is human doll, I will buy other doll's fantasy parts for them. Such as my Soom MD SF.Io, he have Chrom's fantasy parts.
2.My dolls should enough interesting when combination them by different ways.
I can combination different head, different body and different fantasy parts for get my dream doll. I have a pretty girl, she combination of R.Heliot head, Breccia boby, Amber fauna arm & hand and Cuprit ice leg and hooves, I very like her.
3.Because it is LE, LE means if miss maybe you can not get it again. So, if I like it I will buy. I like ordinary doll too, but I don't have enough money buy them with LE doll together. They are in my plan and wait to buy.
Now, I only hope Soom can sale LE doll more slowly and more pretty. Almost, I can not buy all LE dolls which I like. It is so sad.

 

i think they are worth it if there not like a million bucks !! i think they are worth it becouse they are rarer than the other bjd's

 

Why would you buy a limited doll? Would you buy a limited doll just because it was limited?

For me I definitely fall into the marketing trap of the "panic factor" of MUST BUY NOW or deal with trying to pull it off the secondary market, which I have decided is no longer how I want to buy stuff if I can help it. Like some others here, I love fantasy dolls and they tend to be limited because the market is limited for them.

As for the "fullset" aspect, the clothes are usually sold separately and I am normally not interested in them, since I sew myself and can make something equivalent for the doll, and I do play with my limiteds--though they are not Volks limiteds

How do you deal with the rarity of them? Etc, etc. I don't treat them differently from my Basic dolls--everyone is kept in cabinets or boxes, but they all get pulled out for photoshoots or just to hang around for a while before I swap them for another one--I don't have anyone out in a big pile because I have unreliable pets. For me all dolls are Limiteds, because I like faceups and no two are just alike, ad even among the basic dolls I have found the same mold can look and act a lot differently than another of the same type. (That is one of the cool things about bjd's--they are all in their way unique.)

A truly rare doll-- Hmm, I would have said no a couple of years ago, that I wouldn't buy one because I would be afraid to mess with it, but I have gotten a lot more hardened to excellence and I would like to have had the original Red Harin from Iplehouse or the Raven Nayuto Kenzo from Dollmore. Usually my finances don't line up with these splendid limiteds, though.
Oh, and I would play with them, but carefully. I would probably leave them in their finery so I wouldn't lose parts of it!

Woody wrote:

I agree totally

 

actually i just payed for my first BJD and its limited ~

for my point of view its not really worth it or not , but the quality of the doll ~
i prefer the doll that not so many people have (i know i'm selfish ) and most of it is freaking out my self about "must buy" words floating around my head but its only for my first BJD though , but every one have their own point of view and we enjoy if differently

 

Personally I tend to be more drawn towards limited dolls. Mostly due to the "complete package" option and some limited dolls appeal more to me than others. Some limited dolls I'm instantly attracted to and if the opportunity comes by I'll be likely to acquire it. For a while I had been wanting a soom sard and due to the right timing and things coming into alignment I was able to get one. Since then I've been enjoying every moment I've had with him. When soom came out with the glot/gloti I had to get one. The only limited doll I regret not getting is the soom onyx. Unfortunately she didn't appeal to me when she first came out but later on she grew on me.

 

I only own one limited doll, and I bought him because he was a dreaming-eyed version of a sculpt that I really liked. For me dreaming > open-eyed, hands down, and the addition of that one special feature made him absolutely perfect for the character I had in mind.

He gets more play than all my other dolls combined, but that’s because he's pretty much just a normal SID with a special eye shape. ;D He wasn't more expensive or more complicated than the normal run of his mold, just limited.

 

Yeah, I pretty much just buy limiteds as if they were basics *shrug* if I like the sculpt I buy the doll, easey as that. Of course, I only have one limited, Soom Chrom, and he is quite common to find in the marketplace so I could probably have gotten him at any time. You said Soom limiteds tend to look the same, I agree to an extent but I think Chrom is probably one of their most unique sculpts. I think his nose is very distinctive. Anyways, I bought him second-hand and he had his defualt faceup but I took that off because I would rather give him my own face-up, something to suit his character C: I don't have his fantasy parts either, though I would like to get them one day.

I don't shop for limiteds any differently than basics.

 

I think the beauty of limiteds is that most companies use them as a chance to do things that would normally make little business sense for them to do. Heavy, esoteric, and/or elaborate fantasy parts, unusual colors, really funky outfits, etc., all make sense to do in limited amounts rather than try to keep them constantly available. It just wouldn't be practical, so not only do they make them limited, but tell you so in hopes that extra bit of pressure helps sell them to people who'd normally pass the doll over.

I do think that it can be taken to an extreme though. While I love my Dollfie Dream girls, Volks' nearly-everything-is-limited, merchandise-as-event approach is something I think is a little ridiculous. Basically, they actually aim to make less of, well, whatever (dolls, dresses, shoes) than the known demand, and they've gotten disturbingly good at it. As in, if something lingers more than a couple days after release, it's considered a poor seller. Poor DD Miu Amaha was considered an outright failure because she was available a few months after her release. Now THAT I think is kind of silly.

It's almost enough to make me prefer paying a markup rather than getting into a crazy click war. . . almost. XD