Why do some collectors choose to not go to meetups?

At first I didn't think of going because I had no opportunity to leave school or work. And there were so few doll meets in Southern California, with the big ones like doll conventions being pretty much a day trip away. Now it's gasoline prices, but I still would really like to go to local meets and cons, the ones only a couple of hours drive away. I just totally failed to check the listings in time to miss one con tomorrow that I absolutely could have gone to. *sighs* I'll have to check more often, because sometimes, even with gas prices, it would be nice to go? I would prefer to start by going to cons and then smaller meets, and only with people I met online and know for a while from their posts and such and know if we have similar thinking on enough things to have a conversation in person.

Has anyone here done that meet up thing somewhere on line where you list your interests and can contact other people with the same interest for hobbies and things? I should check that. >.>;;;

 

I don't have the time to go to doll meets
The last one I went to was over a year ago

 

I live in a small town and I have no idea if anyone else in my town has even heard of BJD's. Apart from the people I've talked to. :P

But I do know of a couple of groups that are a few hours away and while it would have to be at least a several day trip - I would LOVE to meet other BJD owners!

 

I've had to drive a couple of hours to attend the nearest meets because I haven't run into anyone (even online) in the hobby who lives in my area. Due to that, I don't get to attend meets very much. Gas prices are very much an issue, plus family obligations come first.

I didn't have a doll for the first two meets I attended, but actually it was really educational and everyone was more than happy to show off their dolls and share their opinions. It really helped me narrow down what I wanted.

It is nerve-wracking taking out my dolls now. If I go to a meet, I'll usually only bring two dolls and never the limited editions. No worries about what others think of my dolls or how they're dressed or anything because there is so much variety and it seems like most people are more concerned about how their doll appears.

I'm shy so of course I worry about how I come over. But that happens anywhere, not just at doll meets!

Most of the meets I've attended have been a lot of fun and people have been great. It's not hard to find something nice to say about someone's doll and then ask questions--people are usually more than happy to tell you more!

There was only one time where I felt like leaving, and that was more due to me having a bad day and not wanting to deal with some people being silly, running around and squealing and such. It was in a public venue and was kinda embarrassing to be around.

 

I've never had any interest to go to meetups. It's not that I feel too old or too young it's just...
Well, the biggest reason is the reputation this hobby has; this is for anime crazy people who are too loud, too hyper and do weird stuff with their dolls. I don't want to be part of that.
The other reason is that I have "only one" doll so I feel like I don't know enough. I don't know. Maybe I try to answer the questions.

Do you feel you're too old or too young?
No.

Do you think you or your doll won't be liked?
Yes, I'm rather shy showing anything personal, so showing a doll would be like stripping for me.

Do you think your outfits aren't worthy of showing off?
Yes x,D I can'r sew and I don't have money to buy all the cool stuff I want for my doll.

Do you think you're not worthy of showing off, or afraid of what others will think of you personally?
Not really. I like to meet new people. But going in a meetup without a doll feels... like I don't really belong there.

Are you afraid to bring your doll out, for fear of damage or theft?
Nope. I trust people. Plus for me, it's just a doll: If it disappears or gets broken I can buy a new one. Of course it's wasted money but... ah well. Things could be worse.

Did you or someone else have a bad experience?
I don't know anybody else with a doll.

Are you afraid it will be silly because you have no doll?
Yes. I don't feel like I'm a worthy hobbyist

Are you nervous it would make you want to purchase new dolls?
No.

Are you expecting, with all the youth on DoA, a group of immature, loud, sex-crazed teenagers who'll grab your doll without asking and strip it naked? (Heh.)
Yes! x,D Or more likely; I don't want other people to think I'm one of them.



Anyway, maybe some day I have enough courage to attend...

 

personally I would love to go to a meetup (I actually did by accident years ago because I was working where the meetup was happening and just happen to see the dolls when I went on break) but I haven't heard of any happening in my area

Do you feel you're too old or too young?
no
Do you think you or your doll won't be liked?
no, but I'm not a people person by any means and that sometimes gets taken the wrong way
Do you think your outfits aren't worthy of showing off?
no, my girl only has one outfit (other than the little white dress she came with) and I think it's great
Do you think you're not worthy of showing off, or afraid of what others will think of you personally?
not sure how to respond to this, of course I don't think I'm worthy of showing off (especially compared to my girl) but I don't really care what people think of me
Are you afraid to bring your doll out, for fear of damage or theft?
not unless the meetup is at/near a construction yard, elementary school, prison or anywhere unsafe for people
Did you or someone else have a bad experience?
not really, but at the first (and so far only) meetup that I went to there was this girl who brought two really big SD boys and I tried to help her pick one up when we were moving to a different spot and she seemed a little offended that I wanted to help her, everypne else was really nice though and there were even some people that let me and a friend play with their dolls ^^
Are you afraid it will be silly because you have no doll?
not anymore (because I have a doll now) but before I had my girl yes, I thought it would be strange for me to go without having a doll
Are you nervous it would make you want to purchase new dolls?
no
Are you expecting, with all the youth on DoA, a group of immature, loud, sex-crazed teenagers who'll grab your doll without asking and strip it naked?
now that you put the idea in my head yes, but before reading this question it would have never crossed my mind

 

I think that it's fun to go but because i'm a wallflower rather than a social butterfly, I think otherwise.
Second, college eats all of my time and the meet-ups usually happen when I have to do some school stuff and/or exams. > x <
Third is that I'm not ready to bring my dolls (resin ones) to a meet though I occasionally bring Mii-tan out with me.
Fourth, the meet-ups are usually at a place faraway and/or a place that I do not know how to go to.
Fifth, I really dislike going to a gathering where I don't even know a single soul and this is what usually happens to me. I've been to two or three conventions (not really/entirely doll related) where I ended up going alone because some people back-out on me, and I really want to go. In the end, I went home kind of sad even though I had a massive haul from shopping and freebies. I know that meet-ups are also intended so people can meet other people in the hobby/etc., but i'm not good at it so I won't go unless somebody I know well goes with me.

"Are you expecting, with all the youth on DoA, a group of immature, loud, sex-crazed teenagers who'll grab your doll without asking and strip it naked? (Heh.)"

And also that reason... One can't be too careful. > , >

 

Well a lot of times my mom and I don't go to meetups because they're too far away. I love going to meetups, I just wish we had more of them where I live because most of the meetups we like to go to are like an hour to two hours+ away from our place.

Are you expecting, with all the youth on DoA, a group of immature, loud, sex-crazed teenagers who'll grab your doll without asking and strip it naked? (Heh.)
I find this offensive... I'm a teenager and in no way am I like that. I don't know of ANY doll owners of any age like this. I take great care of my dolls and I am respectful of others dolls too. I wouldn't even touch another persons doll unless they gave me permission, and I would want the same treatment given to my dolls. Not all teenagers are like that, please don't stereotype us...

 

I have lots of reasons I guess. I'm shy and not comfortable in crowds and I would worry about something happening to my dolls. I have never even taken them outside on the porch,so going to an event with them would make me very nervous.

 

Did you or someone else have a bad experience?
I've attended doll meets at my local anime convention. The first time I convinced myself I had a bad time because I was a noob and the others could tell because of my doll. But the next year was just as bad, worse even.. It wasn't like I was anti-social and kept to myself, or that my doll wasn't presentable. I was all smiles and my boy was clean, wearing a brand new outfit that I proudly sewed for 'im, sitting on my knee and listening to the group. Yet, everyone had this elitist, snobby air to them, even those who didn't even own a doll. So, I simply gave up on the meet-up part of the hobby. I'll just stick to the net..

 

I'm in Western Kansas. the only meetups are in Eastern Kansas, and that's over a four hour drive. My vision is too poor to get a license, and no one's going to drive me four hours to Wichita or 7 to Kansas City for a meetup. I tried to start one local, but there's no one here.

 

I'd really like to a meet up someday, hopefully during this year, since for the first time in my life (20 years old) I actually feel like meeting new people and making new friends. It is nice to have conversations with people who share a hobby, which I realised after attending to an art school where I could meet a lot of people with similar mindset as mine.

 

Do you feel you're too old or too young? I shouldn't be I'm 21

Do you think you or your doll won't be liked? I have a feeling that too many people will be at awe because she's rare (not the doll, but the company that made her)

Do you think your outfits aren't worthy of showing off? No, I brought Emiko's closet and everyone went after it saying how cute it is and etc. X3
Do you think you're not worthy of showing off, or afraid of what others will think of you personally?I feel like there's always a doll better than her, or she will be cast off aside.

Are you afraid to bring your doll out, for fear of damage or theft? I brought my doll to an anime convention new years party and she never got damaged, my friends say that shes creepy watching them sleep.

Did you or someone else have a bad experience? Yes my friends have before they felt left out of doll meetups because there were "cliques" and the "Volk snobs"

Are you afraid it will be silly because you have no doll? I would feel left out and inexperienced in the lifestyle.

Are you nervous it would make you want to purchase new dolls? No, because I only want 1-2 dolls to make me happy and not ending up creating a killing spree in my bank account. I can't be those type of people that own like 30-70 dolls.

Are you expecting, with all the youth on DoA, a group of immature, loud, sex-crazed teenagers who'll grab your doll without asking and strip it naked? (Heh.) No, because our doll group in Colorado are more mature than that, the youngest I've seen is probably 8 and her father was there to supervise her if anything goes awry.

 

1.) I've had a lot of bad experiences with meetups.
2.) They're too expensive for me to want to attend.

 

For me it go's like this I want to go to a meetup but I have no way to get to any ones around the area. (All about 2 hours give or take.) With no way to get to any of them I am kinda stuck. Then also I have yet to have my first doll so I would feel out of place. As well as all my extra money is going into my first doll fund.(The more I can put in every month the less I have to wait for my first. Also that I would not want anyone to come get me if I can't pay for there gas it would not be fair to them.)

 

I don't go mostly because I'm always really busy. But mostly because I want to wait until I have a doll that is really beautiful to show off. Right now, I hardly have anytime to put into them. I have gone to one official meetup, but it wasn't what I expected. And my friends doll was getting all the attention (SOOM Galena).

 

I can't go to meet ups because i'm a stay at home mom with 3 small kids. It's pretty much hard for me to go anywhere

 

Distance. Basically I moved from a big city on the west coast to a relatively small one on the east coast. It was a necessity at the time but the place I live now all the doll meets are at least 1-3 hours away and while that might not seem like much of a drive to some that's a long haul drive for me. Ironically where I was living there are all BJD doll meets all the time, and I would have been able to do most of them easily had I stayed there.

 

I'm going to my first doll meet soon and I'm a little nervous. I really like my dolls but I know that they're not perfect like some people's; I'm also aware that I'm a very unique character in real life and that I'm not everybody's cup of tea.

 

Do you feel you're too old or too young? No I dont acre about my age

Do you think you or your doll won't be liked? No

Do you think your outfits aren't worthy of showing off? My dolls are rather naked...I dont have a definitive outfit for each doll so they are rather incomplete

Do you think you're not worthy of showing off, or afraid of what others will think of you personally? This is part of it. I am very shy and find abjd people very in your face. I have a hard time keeping the conversation moving foreward.

Are you afraid to bring your doll out, for fear of damage or theft? No id love to show them off

Did you or someone else have a bad experience? Not really aside from the fact that I either have nothing to say or I fear people randomly coming up to me. I also hate jumping in on peoples conversations.

Are you afraid it will be silly because you have no doll? No I have quit a few dolls

Are you nervous it would make you want to purchase new dolls? No id love to see new dolls