Why is it doll companies like iplehouse, luts and volks are so popular?

Because people in hobbies rarely shop with their wallet only, but with their heart
I also wouldn't say Resinsoul isn't mentioned often. They are, but they very much fulfill their job for a specific niche. Just how pretty much all companies do. I mostly collect realistic looking, 70cm dolls, so even if RS, Myou or whatever is cheaper they simply don't sell what I like

Some is history too. Volks was the first company, Luts is an old one as well, Iplehouse getting there too. Of course you have lots of them around, some of us have been buying from them for 10+ years already

But in short: companies are popular due to the style they offer. Price is usually only a deciding factor when your budget is very strict/you don't want to save much longer/you just don't feel it's worth it. It's great when you can get THE doll you like for a cheap price, but there's no point in buying affordable dolls you don't like just because they're affordable.

 

I think also the longer I've been in this hobby, the more convenience has mattered to me. I get tired of ordering clothes and accessories that don't fit quite right after waiting months for delivery. Full service shops like Luts and Volks are continuously putting out new clothing, shoes, accessories and display items that are guaranteed to fit because their sizes are standardized. Their products are also of excellent quality due to their manufacturing standards, and you can usually get your hands on them without going through preorders and special orders with limited quantities etc. I think that's why the longer I'm in the hobby the more I've come to trust these companies and buy from them often.

 

I think it's a question of esthetic, you get a doll from one company and love it, you're more likely to stick to buying from that company. It's easier if all your spare parts and tools come from the same place and if you liked to look of the doll you got from them first odds are you'll like the rest of their dolls because the same artists keep making more dolls. This also plays into them being old companies.

As someone pointed out, price is a HUGE after thought in this hobby. It's already expensive, a slightly cheaper doll that isn't what you want isn't gonna have you buying it, because what's a couple hundred more when you're already spending so much, as long as you get exactly what you wanted. Most people here are master savings experts to support that
It's not to say less expensive dolls like those you listed aren't great, they are! But it won't suit everyone's tastes, the other companies have a style that many people like and that's why they get them. Their history as long standing companies is a part of that as well.

All my Humanoid dolls are from Luts, I really like their style and my first doll was from there 10ish years ago. That's not to say I haven't seen other companies dolls that are absolutely gorgeous, but I find my self sticking with Luts because it's what I know, I guess. Genuine creature of habit over here personally. I know I like the MDF bodies, I know I like the resin texture, and I know I love the facial structures they churn out.

 

I’m with @Ara; you just mentioned three very old, very reliable companies. They kind of set the standard in the hobby and many people have had good experiences with them so they get recommended a lot.

There are lots of newer companies that are also awesome, but they don’t have the sort of ubiquitous presence that some of the older ones did back when there were less than a dozen companies in the hobby.

 

I'm also thankful you made this thread, this is a nice read!

I've seen quite a few dolls that fall in the "this sculpt now means everything to me " niche, that I haven't ever heard of before seeing them - this is really such a vast hobby lol

 

I like Luts' quality and style. I started out in the hobby with artist dolls but the convenience of mainstream sculpts that have lots of clothes options appeals to me more and more, since so many odd-shaped artist dolls have to be custom-dressed.

Also, as has been said before, if you have a brand of doll with their own clothing shop it just becomes easier to keep within brand if you already like their dolls and they offer good clothing options.

 

I think others have covered it well, but a lot has to do with brand loyalty (just like with other consumer products). Many collectors are loyal to the brand they started with. Newer/recent companies that haven't been around long enough might not experience the same 'brand loyalty' until more time passes. Also because of older companies longer history, collectors are more likely to see that brand in person/online more frequently than a newer/more obscure company.

Longevity helps, but it doesn't inherently make a company popular. Dollmore has been around for a long time but I don't think some of their lines are very popular comparative to other companies. I think a bigger reason some companies are more popular than others is because they find a unique marketing niche within this hobby. Volks was the first company, so they inherently set the standard of what a modern BJD is, and have the most unique marketing/sales method. The in-person Dolpa events/lottos/FCS-exclusive molds gives the brand an exclusivity factor (which love/hate it) works for them.

Companies that come on the scene and offer something new/unique have a better shot of "sticking out" to collectors and gathering a faster fanbase. (Ex. SOOM premiering their fantasy doll and causing the chaotic SOOM craze.) Some of the companies you mentioned above are super lovely, but stylistically it isn't something we haven't seen before by other companies, so some collectors might not be as 'excited' about their dolls, however, some people shop with budget in mind as their primary focus, and those companies fill that niche and earn their fanbase for delivering affordable high quality products.

Marketing is such a science, and it's really interesting to see the trends that have emerged as companies have grown/evolved.

 

Aside from Volks/Luts and even Iplehouse now being long established companies, it's worth noting that MYou and Xaga Doll are much newer companies that popped up less than a decade ago.

 

So first off, doll family and myou have greatly increased in popularity in the last couple years. I would definitely consider them popular at this point and Resinsoul also. I think there is probably a large part of the community who owns or has owned a Resinsoul or Bobobie at one point or another.
There are a few other things though, that yes, the companies you mentioned are old and well established with no major hiccups in product or service to deter accruing a faithful customer base. And sure, they are also some more expensive dolls.
I think one thing about the umbrella of the bjd hobby is that it's not a one size fits all hat for the people interested in it. There are a crazy amount of companies to choose from these days and you see many different styles and price points between them.
I just want to chime in that there has always been and will always be a lower income class of hobbyist who are more focused on price point and there are companies that get very popular in this area. I feel like Impldoll was one of them. Like, I see someone commenting that dolls are already expensive so what's a few hundred more dollars for one you like more? At my economic level I don't like it more for several hundred dollars more (which could be double the price on a doll). I think it could be hard for people to understand that, being into cheaper dolls or really loving the second hand bargains, that it's not just settling but it's not for some of us.
Now, when it comes to this feeling that everyone has a volks doll and so on. There are tons out there, yes. I don't know if you know or not but the price difference between a new volks doll and a ten year old or older one is staggering. At this point lots of old second hand volks dolls have dipped into the more easily affordable range so I don't think it's surprising how many collections have at least one.

 

I agree with all these good points. I'm really loyal to a company I really like unless they betrayed my trust or something like that. I don't think if you absolutely love that doll it's not really worth the cost. I knew about Volks first and used to always want one when I first learn of them, but then I learned of Luts and learned I prefer Korean company bjds more when I began researching for several years because I couldn't own one at first. For me Korean bjds are just more aesthetically pleasing in my eyes compared to others. For Volks, I mainly buy their outfits and accessories because they have so many options and choices. Their dolls aren't exactly my style. I tried liking the more affordable bjd brands because I felt guilty of having and liking something so expensive, but I just couldn't get myself to like those brands. There is nothing wrong with those affordable brands it's not everyone's style of doll.

@idrisfynn
Wow I didn't know these brands or bjds were around this long. Are there any books or resources where i can learn more of the history of bjds besides wiki?

I like the question asked because I was wondering why Peakswoods is not as popular in the West compare to the East. It's interesting how one brand is popular in some parts of the world and some are more popular in other parts of the world.

Also I noticed a lot of the Korean companies occasionally work together, so it's easier to get stuff that fits the dolls I already have. If I switch to a different brand I will have to buy more outfits and shoes that I can't share between my dolls. I did purchase Doll Chateau once. It's on layaway, but it's so different from my Korean dolls and Japanese dolls items I have nothing that will most likely fit it, so I sort of regret getting her especially at the cost I paid for her size. She is a beautiful doll, but I'm not sure I want to make the effort to buy all those items she will need because I decided to try a different brand. She is the first doll I really truly regret getting. She can I suppose remain naked due to her body blushing being beautiful, but I don't really like when my dolls remain undressed.

 

LatiDoll...
Gomi...
Cerberus Project, as distinct from Luts and pre-Fairyland...

It's a long and winding history for these resin minions of ours.

A lot of us who have been around for awhile have pretty "mixed" collections, too, made of both older and newer sculpts and brands we've picked up over the years. Some get talked about. Some don't. Some end up popular. Others stay or become obscure. Some even go from one state to another, fading out or having something of a rediscovery... It's an interesting process to watch over time.

 

I think it also depends on where you're looking for chatter about BJDs in general. longtime hobbyists like many of us in this thread will remember when having your own personal website was one of the only options for sharing your photos and talking about your dolls online outside of DoA. I still think of DoA as my primary BJD "ecosystem," basically, and these companies with a lot of longevity will continue to have new people wanting info that is best found here and other 'traditional' resources, like the FCS wikis and sculpt database websites. Forums aren't what most people consider to be "social media" by today's standards, but companies that are fairly new won't have that extra decade of established discussion, or wealth of knowledge in the userbase that's preserved for posterity here in the forums. They will probably be easier to find on photo-based platforms like Instagram.

Even on the forums themselves, though, it's rare for the Resinsoul SD-sized discussion thread to ever fall off the first or second page, same with their 15-16cm tinies' thread. I tend to have to do more hunting for info here on my MYou 30cm tiny than for my RS dolls, for example. It depends on where your fellow collectors are actively talking.

And some of it is the fact that with a long history comes a style evolution. If you were to compare Volks' new releases in their SDM line to what their MSD Four Sisters sculpts were, both in design and in styling, an outside observer would probably not think they were the same company. But those old-school dolls are still around in collections and second-hand, still appealing to collectors, while Volks' current style is also available directly from Volks. You may have different people interested in one style or the other, or both, but that's still a larger community (two communities really, in this example) than a young company that hasn't outgrown/updated/rebranded its style yet (one collector community). The more changes a company has made, the more types of hobbyists may be interested in their work!

 

I think the fact that these companies have been around for 15+ years with no major production issues, good customer service and reasonable wait times gives them a lot of loyal followers and repeat customers. Companies with poor customer service or very long wait times tend to fall out of favor for a lot of people. And newer companies who are good at what they do just haven't had as long to build a reputation. They also have a lot more competition than the others did so long ago. Look at the list IdrisFinn posted from 2005 and compare it to the list of dollmakers in the Wiki currently.

For me personally, I just like the aesthetic better most of the time. A lot of the newer/cheaper companies tend to have very youthful or feminine boys or more slender or pear shaped girls, and that's just not my thing most of the time. I like the curvy girls of Iplehouse, the muscular Luts senior delf boys and the soft features of the Volks SD13 bodies, who almost look a tiny bit chubby next to many newer sculpts. I also like all the definition and detail many have.

But please don't think I'm talking poorly of the cheaper dolls or newer companies/artists! I have a ResinSoul Mi, two Angel of Dream boys and an MYOU body, and they fit the characters I need them to be better than any of the more expensive companies would. I have an OfButterfliesNThings Paulette, and while she's one of the most expensive dolls I own, she is from a newer barely known artist. I wish more people knew about this artist, the doll is gorgeous!

I think for me, it really all just boils down to what fits my character best. I'm not going to settle for a $250 doll if the $500 one is *perfect* but likewise, I'm not going to buy a doll just because it's expensive when a cheaper one is exactly what I need.

 

I feel like everyone has already said what I would add! For me, I learned about Myou through a size specific thread and now I own 2! So I think it depends on what threads you read.

 

This! This is what I was trying to say but you made it more clear
I think a lot of people here feel this way!

 

I think the previous responses really have covered it well but I'll throw in my two cents.

It's not really about people liking the more expensive dolls/companies more and rather them looking to find something that fills a certain spot in their collection. For the most part it's a combination of the long history of those companies you listed that makes them very well-known and trusted and simply being unaware (or uncertain) of most newer companies' products.

For me personally, brand loyalty plays a major role as once I've found something I like I'd like to continue using that thing indefinitely. This is not specific to BJDs but literally everything in my life as I despise change with a fiery passion (especially sudden large changes) and find a lot of comfort and peace in the familiar to the point where I have been re-buying the exact same pair of shoes for over 10 years now and been using the same set of china my literal entire life (even had the entire set shipped to me when I moved from the US to Japan).
I really like a lot of newer companies/sculpts. I love seeing owner pictures and talking to people who have them on the forum and sharing in their excitement of having found something that makes them happy but don't generally see myself getting one of those dolls myself. That may change in the future as I see more of them and research and learn more and maybe handle them or see them in person somewhere but it's a very slow process.

That said, I don't like the dolls I do because the company is popular or their dolls are expensive/sought after by many people. I don't care what other people do/think, I like VOLKS because they made Megu/F-01 and I like Megu/F-01 because she's absolutely perfect in my eyes. Akihiro Enku's sculpts are among my favorite and thus far no other company (or even any other sculpt by VOLKS/Akihiro Enku for that matter) has had that same "you're the one I've been looking for" pull for me. If a lesser known company or cheaper sculpt had that same pull on me then the fact that they're lesser known or cheaper would have no effect on my decision to own them.