Your first time sending one of your dolls off (for mods/faceups)~

Why/for what reason did you send them off?
To get a proper face-up.
Were you nervous?
Not so much, because I send him with a friend's head who had commisioned the artist before. Also, she lives in my country, which somehow made it easier. I was anxious for the result though.
How did you cope with not having your doll around for the first time?
I missed him so much, I kinda bought another doll, even though I already had one girl at home. I didn't want her to be "lonely". And the new one was so cute. Funfact: that is the only other doll at the moment who ended up getting painted by the same artist. LOL.
When you got them back, was everything done as you had dreamed it?
Yes and no. I loved the face-up itself and he looked even better irl than on photo, but it took me sometime to get used to his new look. Currently I can't even imagine him looking different than he is now. He is perfect to me and I'm glad I did it.
How did others close to you and/or your doll react to your wanting to send them off?
My friend was just as excited as I was, because we send our heads together. My mother didn't think much of it, as I explained that is what we all do if we can't do our own face-up, yet want our doll to look good. The price was a bit off putting to her maybe, but yeah, my money, my call.

 

Why/for what reason did you send them off?
They were blank, and I couldn't do my own face-up to save my life.
Plus, I had them blank for about 3 months anyways, it was time for a face-up!

Were you nervous?
Heck yea I was! I even wrote the artist's address twice on the box.

How did you cope with not having your doll around for the first time?
It was hard, and boring. I wanted my doll's back terribly.

When you got them back, was everything done as you had dreamed it?
YES! Nomyens is seriously a fantastic artist.

How did others close to you and/or your doll react to your wanting to send them off?
Very supportive. My Fiancee kept asking me to send him the progress photos.

 

Why/for what reason did you send them off?
I sent out her head for a faceup!
Were you nervous?
I was very nervous, but I made sure to get one from someone who only lived a state away from me in hopes that the package would be safer that way...
How did you cope with not having your doll around for the first time?
I just kind of put a hat and a wig over her headless body so I wouldn't think about it! lol
When you got them back, was everything done as you had dreamed it?
yes, even better than I expected! And the faceup artist said my packaging was the best she had ever seen. Being a worrywart paid off :-)
How did others close to you and/or your doll react to your wanting to send them off?
my mom doesn't know much about BJDs so she was like aRE U ALREADY SELLING UR DOLL U JUST BOUGHT IT UGH but that's about it!

 

Why-- For a beautiful faceup by Nomyen
Were you nervous? YES
How did you cope with not having your doll around for the first time? I look at pictures of my doll.
When you got them back, was everything done as you had dreamed it? YES
How did others close to you and/or your doll react to your wanting to send them off? Everyone thinks I'm crazy for sending my girls to Thailand. Around the world. They made me super nervous asking "What if it gets lost or broken"
I am currently waiting on a Volks Elena and my MNF Chloe. The wait is killing me.

 

Why/for what reason did you send them off?
I do my own mods and faceups but Bosschan 'had' to have a faceup by one of my favorite artists, that would make him look old enough to be his character (in his forties...)

Were you nervous?
Yes! He took forever to get to the artist... almost a month! I was sooo worried!

How did you cope with not having your doll around for the first time?
It was okay... I had other dolls but for how much I waited to get him since he was my grail it was also rather uncomfortable...

When you got them back, was everything done as you had dreamed it?
YES! A million times over.

How did others close to you and/or your doll react to your wanting to send them off?
They didn't... they're my dolls and I can do what I want with them. My best friend might have been a little nervous together with me though!

 

Why/for what reason did you send them off?
I sent my Migidoll Vampire Miho head for a new face up to the artist (Masayoshi) because I tried twice on this head and the face up outcome was so terrible...My poor skill... Felt so sorry to my doll

Were you nervous?
Yes, a bit! Fortunately that the artist was very trustful and her skill was really amazing. I was totally in love with his new face up when he was returned.

How did you cope with not having your doll around for the first time?
It wasn't bad at all because the artist did face up very quickly, just about 3 weeks I got his head in perfect condition on hands again

When you got them back, was everything done as you had dreamed it?
Absolutely! He looked super handsome and I added the artist to my favorite after this work.

How did others close to you and/or your doll react to your wanting to send them off?
I don't know because I made this decision (sending off) by myself alone.

 

Why/ for what reason did you send them off?
The first head I ever sent off was my Supia Lina for a faceup by a wonderful artist (Delicate Reflections) because I have little experience with working on resin and I didn't want to make my girl sad with a horrible faceup by me!

Were you nervous?
Yes yes yes yes yes!! I was so scared that she'd be lost in the mail and I'd never see her again.. I always ship USPS Priority 2 day and I tend to check the shipping status multiple times a day! ^^"

How did you cope with not having your doll around for the first time?
It was kinda weird at first, to see a body headless was pretty sad for me. I have no patience so waiting is always bittersweet... more bitter than sweet though.. But I actually put my girls body back in the box and that eased most of the tension.

When you got them back, was everything done as you had dreamed it?
The photos she sent me of my girl do not compare with how beautiful she is in person, every little detail is really special~

How did others close to you and/ or your doll react to your wanting to send them off?
They don't mind much, just curious why I'd want to send it away right after getting it!

 

Why/for what reason did you send them off?
To get a faceup since I wanted to customize my doll's character more.

Were you nervous?
Yes, I was!

How did you cope with not having your doll around for the first time?
Well, he was blank anyways so it wasn't that difficult to not have his head around.

When you got them back, was everything done as you had dreamed it?
Honestly, the first time, no. While it was very well-done for what I paid, the style just wasn't what I wanted. That was my mistake, not the artist's. After I purchased a second-hand head with a very well-known artist's faceup, I started commissioning her because I was so impressed. I haven't commissioned anyone since because she's fantastic and nails it every time.

How did others close to you and/or your doll react to your wanting to send them off?
My dad just asked questions because he was curious, mainly where my head was travelling to and what it was going to look like. Nobody else really cared all that much.

 

Why/for what reason did you send them off?
I bought my girl as a blank head, then found a body, and couldn't wait to have her complete.

Were you nervous?
I was nervous to the point I felt sick about it. I wasn't at all worried about how her faceup would look, I purely worried about her getting lost in the post. I sent her off with tracking, and the tracking did not update once! (from Australia to the USA) I was so happy when I was told she'd arrived.

How did you cope with not having your doll around for the first time?
Well ... I received her body before I got her head back so I had a headless dressed body to play with ... I changed her outfit numerous times.

When you got them back, was everything done as you had dreamed it?
Yes indeed she was, I love her to bits.

How did others close to you and/or your doll react to your wanting to send them off?
I only told my daughters who think my dolls are creepy, so tbh they couldn't care less.

 

Why/for what reason did you send them off?
- I just wanted my girl to have a fresh new face, I guess. XD

Were you nervous?
- I was a little nervous. She was going to Canada and I've never shipped anything out before. O AO

How did you cope with not having your doll around for the first time?
-I had my other doll with me. So it was kinda easy. Even though my girl was a lot more easy to photograph.

When you got them back, was everything done as you had dreamed it?
- She looked AMAZING when I got her back! I was super happy. C:

How did others close to you and/or your doll react to your wanting to send them off?
-My one friend at the time was all for it. I don't think anyone else cared. o_O

 

My very first doll came home and immediately went out for a face-up, ha! He was a fullset (only way to obtain) and I knew from the get-go the default look wasn't going to work for me. I didn't have time to "bond" with him or be nervous, because I knew when he came home he'd look more like how I imagined him...and he did! As for what anyone else thought, I don't think anyone but me really had an opinion, and even if they had, I wouldn't have cared.

Since then, I've sent my dolls out to a variety of face-up artists and it's always exciting. The only times I have anxiety are when communication stalls, so it's good to know ahead of time if the artist you've chosen works quickly or slowly, provides in-progress shots or not, and communicates often or infrequently. (None of those are "right" or "wrong" as each artist is unique, but it will put your mind at rest to know your artist's preferences before you send your doll out.) To date I've only had positive experiences and I've used a variety of artists here.