Are you at the point where this it for collecting? Have you hit your doll limit?

I have six dolls and that already feels like one doll too many. I think if I ever bought another doll, I'd probably end up selling one of the dolls I have. So yeah, I think I'm at my max right now.

 

Well, I wrote back in August that I really thought I was done…with over 50 dolls, I swear I thought I was! But then (after an entire decade) Dollzone surprisingly re-released their uber-limited flower boy, and my girl (see avatar) was screaming for her boyfriend. And then I was innocently perusing the marketplace here, just looking at the offerings from a purely intellectual perspective of course, when a Fairyland Realfee reached right through the screen and grabbed me I swear! It was one of those rare cases of love at first sight. I instantly knew everything about her, from her name to her full character and where she would be displayed…and I was absolutely helpless to resist her. So much for all my careful planning.

This taught me something new about my collection after all these years. It’s like it’s a living, breathing thing, with ebbs and flows, and a will of it’s own. I’ll probably never be able to say I’m truly done with any amount of confidence…and perhaps that’s as it should be. As long as I’m able to keep all my lovelies on display, completed, with special wardrobes and stories all their own, then I’ll just kick back and enjoy those ebbs and flows with a thankful grace.

 

.... but of course, those marketplace trips are always only purely intellectual, it's not like deep down I'm hoping to find something irresistable and only then will I need to come up with justification...

 

One he arrives I hope you post them both in the gallery. I would love to see them together "in the wild".

 

Kind of yes, kind of no. I have 1 doll I desperately need to get. After that, I probably won't get any more for quite a while.


But I'll never be 100% done

 

I've mostly hit my limit, I think. I like my collection. Unless a few old limited releases are rereleased, or a really, REALLY special doll comes out new, I don't see myself buying anymore, and am content to make clothes for the dolls I have. Space is limited, and while I've seen a lot of really cute dolls, there's nothing that's nice enough to make me want to devote more space to it.

 

At the moment there are 53 dolls of different formats in my collection. I had already exhausted my limit a long time ago; I planned to have no more than 20 dolls. I'm trying to reduce my collection, but I'm selling two and buying 4)

 

I lost the ability to answer that question. I entered the hobby in 2009 with the goal of 1 inexpensive doll “to see if I liked it.” Now I have 31 (15 complete dolls and the rest are heads). At the moment, I’m loving the older Volks sculpts and I can’t seem to resist a deal on an older head or body (aka a project doll).

 

I usually only have one BJD at a time lately (in the past two years or so). My main focus is antique dolls, so I have to manage my doll budget accordingly. Maybe I'll have two again someday, but not in the forseeable future.

 

Personally yes and no! I collect a lot of other things and have limited space so I'm trying to prioritize what I already own, but if I see a grail at the right time...all bets are off

 

Grails absolutely affect buying. I was on a buying freeze with a grail list as my only permissible exception and ended up buying three dolls because they became available and were all grails.

 

I want my max to be 15 full dolls. Floating heads ehhh might just sneak in here and there If I were to get all my wishlist dolls, that would be 15 exactly. As of now I have 8 with 3 on their way. Though that miiight becone 4 on the way.

Also I'm picky about the ratio of dolls. I want it roughly half and half, minis to tinies. Or more tinies than minis. That's mostly a space thing though

 

I'm at 5 and already rotating, no space

 

I have 2 heads and 2 full dolls incoming. I'll be at 9 dolls when I get the bodies between this year and the next. I don't want to claim I won't break into the double digits, but I think I've covered nearly everything I want.

EDIT: Uhhh.... 3 heads. That's it for me though. 10 is way too many. I've got to clothe all these dolls

 

Not even close! I have a very small collection currently but I don't plan to have a massive massive collection since I have very strict routines for my dolls that I do daily and if I had a ton of dolls it would probably take me hours each day to do my routines!

 

I had never noticed this thread before and I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s responses!

I don’t believe in saying “never” but I think it’s likely I’ve hit my collecting limit. I have five dolls, the last of whom I bought over six years ago! So I feel like I’m at doll peace since my collection has been stable for a while now.

 

I think I might have a problem because I didn't realise I have round about 60 now and it doesn't feel too much for me.
I was on a hiatus for a bit and at the the start of that I was under 20 and thought I was done with adding to my lot. I think I just ended up buying other peoples dolls as they left hobby because I thought they were cute & great price. That I didn't pay attention to the number growing.

I trying to get dolls to share bodies but problem is either the head doesn't fit or skin tone is too off to match. I guess with the styles of heads and bodies changing over time, there is always something out there that grabs you.

 

I Don't think I will ever have a hard limit. I have over 60 BJD's and only three more characters planned. I'm think I am close to not buying anymore. Only one more for this year to buy. Two I am holding off on, unless I see they are being discontinued by their companies. I don't think they will be.

If I see something on the second hand market that would fit into the story, I might get it, or not. But I have no current plans to add any more to my want list.

...oh, am in the market for a second hand msd boy as well, because I have a spare outfit and wig, but I'm not actively looking.

 

i currently have 19 1:3 bjds that i've collected over the last 12 years and am actually feeling really annoyed with myself/my doll situation as i try to debate "am i or am i not done". i would like to be done with acquiring. i actually kind of hate the process of buying dolls. my current display shelf is pretty much full. BUT

there are a couple of dolls i would still like to have, mostly because there are a couple of characters i would still enjoy having 3D representations of. and i am currently sort of in the process of (slowly) redoing my art/doll room, so theoretically i COULD redesign my shelving area to make room for a couple more without having to do anything ultra drastic...

i'm not a person who needs to be getting new dolls to feel like i am actively in the hobby, because my main mode of enjoying my collection is sewing/crafting for my dolls and taking pictures of them, and i have plenty of dolls to keep me inspired for more projects than i have lifetime left to finish. so in that respect i am fine with not adding any more dolls.

the one in, one out method is very sensible but i actually was just standing in front of my doll shelf looking at everybody and there is genuinely nobody i would want to exchange for a new one. i don't have any dolls that i don't really like, or that are redundant/too similar to someone else in the collection; i don't have anyone that i don't have a clear idea for, or that was just an impulse purchase. and the vast majority of my dolls are very customized and made into the characters i meant them to be, so even tho i have a few project dolls still taken apart and in progress, i don't have any dolls sitting around untouched and unstarted. there just isn't anybody that would be a good candidate for being swapped out...

so it's either keep my collection the same size, or add to it. and i really am at the point where i like the size of the group and feel like it being MUCH bigger would be overwhelming and unenjoyable. which leaves me trying to figure out: is two more dolls enough to tip what i have into "too much", or is that a small enough addition to a midsize collection that i would still feel ok with my group? and are the two characters i'm thinking about adding ones that i'd really regret not having in doll form?

i think the biggest thing that will decide this for me is if i can figure out how to reconfigure my doll display area for a little more space. without that, i will have dolls so crowded into the current display that i can't clearly see all of them, and that is just too cluttered for me to enjoy.

 

I currently only have 1 BJD. Honestly I don't think I'd want too many. My max would probably be around 5 or 6, mainly bc I have some ocs I want converted into BJDs, and some other characters too...

Most of my time after hitting that goal would be collecting different outfits to put them in! So I'd say I'm not exactly close to completing my collection-- I've just started it!

 

I'm not going to say that this is definitively it for me and that I'll never add another to my collection, as I do have some loose dolly wishes and the space needed to accommodate them (such as the fact that I'd like a third boy, since my current two are basically the Same Guy conceptually with different executions, or how I'm open to certain fantasy dolls under the right circumstance). However, I am in a period of deep satisfaction with my current entourage, and the desire to see them finished up and perfected vastly outweighs the desire to add anyone new. I really feel like I'm at a place where I'm ready to play with and enjoy rather than collect, which is fine by me!

I agree with idrisfynn, though, that my tastes generally aren't what is currently "en vogue" in the broader sense, which inherently limits me from most new releases and the associated hype. I'm also well and thoroughly out of the grail-hunting scene, since I have been fortunate enough to bring all of my major grails home.

 

I'm in the same position as you are, down to the same "the other day I was sitting in front of my doll shelf looking at everybody and feeling great about them", and "will another doll tip me into Too Much?"

My first post was on page 1... my collection has grown since then. I currently have 10 human dolls, plus a couple of pet BJDs but they're more like accessories to the humans. I've curated the crew to a fine point: no one is superfluous, everyone is distinctive, most were picked specifically for my collection; there were a couple impulse buys but they've found their places now. Currently I feel very contented with everyone and can't imagine letting go of any.

I've also gotten a bit sick of buying, receiving, and completing new dolls. Box openings are always exciting, but my last couple ones have felt more burdensome than enjoyable -- "ah dang, here we go again, gotta add Yet Another Doll to my servicing queue, more demand on my time+energy+money+attention." I think this burdensome feeling is a sign that I've reached my doll limit, so I've decided to stop buying new dolls while the going is good, and focus more on servicing and enjoying my crew.

My dilemma is... there are some BJDs that I'd still like to get. Namely -- a second tall 1/4 to be friend to my one and only 1/4, and a doll with grey skintone. I said I had zero room in the cast, but I'm sure I could squeeze the right doll(s) in. But I also wonder, "will it tip me into Too Much? Will my dolls become a burden I'll start to resent?"

So I've not acted on any of these wants. I've already missed out on some good 1/4 sculpts, but I've been feeling so contented with my crew and reluctant to leave this feeling, that I'd rather miss out than get back onto the treadmill of buying and completing a new doll. After all, one can't possibly buy everything that they want (because Desire will never be satisfied), and I already have so many lovely dolls to enjoy! I think I can live without a second 1/4 and a grey-skinned doll - we'll see. If the right dolls cross my path, I might make room in the crew for them. Hopefully that won't happen for a long while yet. :P

 

I'll be at double digits this year once I get the parts in (currently enroute) to continue some ongoing doll projects I have in terms of floating heads / other unfinished dolls that are just a body, and I'm a little intimidated!

While I do have a small collection that's kind of similar to BJDs (action / anime figures,) those are all still much smaller in scale and in terms of space they take up compared to even your basic 1/4th doll.

I don't keep all of them out at all times and I rotate what's on display due to both how big the 1/3rd scale dolls are specifically (though my 75cm doll is permanently on my desk) and that I'm not personally one to have a lot going on at once visually. I don't exactly know what my limit is, but I don't want too much more beyond that due to space constraints as well as the fact that I get a bit nervous if I accumulate "too much" of something.

Ideally, at the end of the day, I'd like everything to be 'finished' and fully actualized in some manner, and if I cannot, to give them away to someone that will enjoy and work on them much more than I could! I am excited for what this year brings doll-wise, but I also want to be realistic and stick my nose to the whetstone of finishing up what I already have, whether that be a doll incomplete in form, or a floating head or body.

 

I'm at 36 (counting 2 preorders) and... as much as I'd like to impose a limit, I doubt I will. I am much pickier about what dolls I buy than I used to be, but all of my dolls have their own little ever-expanding stories that continue to get more and more characters (plus getting inspiration for a new storyline with my Maskcat girl...) out of those 36 dolls, 31 are from Volks (half vinyl, half resin) and the majority are 1/3 scale display space is running low (read: nonexistent) but that's something I can fix. I've thought about imposing a hard limit, but at the end of the day my BJDs are what make me happiest. I have slowed down on collecting, though that's really just because I got into EGL and had to pick one to focus on for the time being. I have to be absolutely in love with a doll to add them to my collection now, as well as having a plan of how they'll work into the story (or, in most cases, just shelling them as an existing character I have already.) There's still so many sculpts I'd like to own eventually. I will say, if it ever reaches that point, I'd have a soft limit of around 100. I'd prefer not to reach that, however...

 

Emotionally and long-term, no. I have a list of dolls I intend on adding to my collection. But currently yes, as I've reached capacity of my doll cabinet in their current seated positions. The plan that is currently being implemented is getting stands for everyone so that I can store them in a stable upright position, and use the cabinet space more efficiently.

Instead of continuing on with my acquisitions, I decided that for right now it would be a better idea to get my doll cabinet reorganized, as well as getting my latest doll a faceup and some clothing that's actually hers. Whether I commit to that decision remains to be seen, lol. I usually only order dolls during special events or sales, and I've been able to avoid those in the past several months. So far, so good, I guess?

 

As of right now I am holding off and I don't know when that will change. I have 4 dolls (that includes 2 I'm waiting to arrive) and I want to give them some more love and complete like at least 3 full outfits each for them before I add more dolls to my collection. Also now that I have more doll money to spend, I somehow want less and less dolls... I used to want some expensive ones that I was eyeing for months, but now I look at the ones I already own with similar aesthetics, levels of articulation, etc. and think it's just not worth it.

 

My closet is jam packed with doll boxes and overflowing and the Ikea billy is full. The dolls that come in this year will be the end with the exception of crazy cool fantasy dolls the screaaam to me.

 

I still consider myself new to this hobby; I bought my first doll in January of last year. Something I did when starting out was buying a lot of (limited) heads and parts for fear of missing of out. You wouldn't think so but all of those parts really do take up a lot of space over time! So I sold off a lot of those parts and have been focusing on the dolls that I want to keep. There were a few heads that I kept putting off getting bodies for because I was using those funds to buy limited stuff.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that focusing on what I actually have rather than buying new things has been keeping me happy and busy. It's really fulfilling to finally finish off some projects. I don't think I have a limit to how many dolls really, but stepping back and looking at what I have yet to work on changed my perspective about buying more.

 

I have a double-digit collection, but I don't feel like I've hit my limit. Across the 3 years since I got back into BJDs, I've come to understand my own personal preferences and what my dealbreaker factors are, so I'm at a stage where I'm refining what I have and carefully considering any potential purchases. Like other people in this thread, the kind of dolls I enjoy most (55-65cm, larger stylised heads, 3-part torsos) aren't currently trendy, which removes the temptation of a lot of new releases.
I have a rule that 2 dolls must be made "photo ready" (have a character-appropriate wig, outfit, eyes and faceup) before I buy a new doll, unless something from my longterm wishlist comes up.
My goal for this year is to reduce the amount of floating heads and bodies by turning them into full dolls or selling them.

 

I think I'm at capacity space wise. My doll cabinet allows for three sections: two tiers for two standing SDs each and one tier for tinies. I've had a collection of double digits in the distant past but I don't think that's the direction I want to revisit. The crew is currently at four SDs with some floating heads; and those floating heads are just secondary heads for the SDs. I'm good with that number while casually looking for new alternative heads for my girls just to change their expressions. And even the floating head acquisition has an upper limit that is easily reachable.

I do have a pipe dream of getting four YOs to serve as tiny counterparts to my SDs! So eight is probably my top limit if that comes to fruition.

 

Yes, I -think- I am at my limit, I could even downsize by a couple, but then discontinued sculpts pop up in the local marketplace and oh, it is very tempting…! So yes. But never say never

 

I've hit the point where I just don't have space for even the dolls I have. I'm considering selling some bodies for dolls I've got hybrided and storing them carefully for when I have space, because I love them all so much.

 

I am at my limit at just three SD dolls—possibly four in total if I ever find the right sculpt for my male doll's companion.

I occasionally dream of shelling my other OCs, but know they are either impossible to shell or not worth the luxury to—money, clothes, faceup, space, emotional investment, future maintenance, etc. Besides, I’d rather focus on fully enjoying the dolls I already own, especially considering they’re worth thousands of dollars. The only thing I don't currently have a limit for is clothes.

 

Honestly, same for me. I do have some floating heads and a random body that I wanted to use, but those are on the chopping block. More than max. 4 SD I just can't imagine having the time, energy and money for, to keep them all the way I would want them to. But it took some trial and error to get to that realisationNow that I do have concrete plans on what I want with my collection and know my (current) limit better if feel much more inspired to work on the dolls/OCs that will stay. It also allowed for them to become broader characters in a sense, because they have more space available for them in my mind, if that makes sense to anyone

 

I don't limit myself when it comes to BJDs. I stopped collecting Barbies and other 1/6 dolls. I think I'm a bit addicted to BJDs so I often press the "buy" button and postpone worrying where to put a new doll (free space starts to shrink very fast).

 

Well officially…my doll cabinet is full. I originally believed I would be content with around 8-10 dolls. But the truth is that there are others I still occasionally search for or have my eye out for. So I suppose I shouldn’t limit myself entirely. But I don’t buy for the sake of owning, I choose dolls I find inspiration in.