How do you decide which doll to buy next?

Can someone please help me about the "Limited Dolls" because Im new I havent a clue what it means & if they are better to buy as long as you like them..My first doll is I think just a normal doll.
Thanks.

 

some dolls are limited by time period for example offered for one month, quantity unlimited. Some are offered by amount and when it reaches 50 the order closes. Some are also offered by time period and limited but only by outfit and style of faceup. The "Normal doll" is normally not limited by time or amount and offered as a "standard" on the company website. However after some time a year or more, could be many years or until the company goes out of business, the doll can be discontinued. By then there are normally a large amount of the doll and they will come up on the after market - market place on the den.

Better to buy: I think most will agree you want to find a doll you are strongly attracted to and makes your heart jump a bit when you first see it or at least a slight feeling of excitement. Go for the doll that does that. Limited dolls are not always an easier resell. Some people like myself don't care for company makeup and limited clothing sets. Some really love these things. Also try to find owner pics if possible of the head mold. You can look here, you can also look on flickr with a search and google images.

You can always get a custom makeup from a faceup artist and then your doll will be totally unique.

 

It definitely depends; I've had very concrete doll plans go right out the window because the most perfect one popped up on the marketplace. I try to be flexible for that reason, but I generally tend to have an idea of what sort of dolls I would like to add to the family next and just go from there.

 

I DON'T plan! LOL! I buy whatever strikes my fancy and what ever is limited. I am a sucker for limited editions though. There are some regular editions I love but will probably never get. I find that the limited editions I didn't get are the ones that I regret the most. So I try to get them if possible. Just because they are so hard to find later, and often their value raises so I have to spend more to get a doll I could have gotten for less, if only I'd been able to get it the first time.

 

Thanks for that I think I understand now & in the end it would be if a Limited one comes up & you love it just go for it & of course it will be more rare but I guess that would be for some of the Fantasy type dolls..I would prob like that idea because I do like to think what I buy keeps its value.

Because I dont think Im going to collect as a Family style collection just what I like...BUT who knows...lol.

 

Sometimes I see a doll and know I have to get them and at other times I have a character that is pestering me to shell them. All I know is they seem to have a way of deciding for you!

 

My modus operandi has changed... I used to be always on the lookout for my core characters in doll form, so I used to buy the dolls as I found them for their characters.

Later on - well, there are some dolls that I love very much but for which I don't have an immediate plan, or they aren't available, or they don't fit any of my characters. If I see a good deal on one of these dolls (a free shipping event, or a discount, or an event with a gift that I like, or a good second-hand offer on the MP), then I may crack and get the doll. So nowadays the sequence really depends on external factors, because the urgency is gone: my core characters are all here. In a way, this new situation is more dangerous, because it is pure "doll love" and I need little justification to acquire one of my old loves...

 

For me it's based on what I can find instock somewhere when I have the money. I've not had many opportunities for 2nd hand sales.

 

For me, I choose based on a few things. I make a list of dolls I REALLY want, and sort them by how much I want them, then I make another list of the same dolls but sorted by price. From there, I can decide if something I really want is alright to get because it is cheaper, or if I need to save for it and if I want to wait that long to get them. Is there a doll I want just as much but is cheaper? Is there a doll that I really really want or is limited? It makes it easier for me.

 

Usually... limited dolls being discontinued have higher priority for me, then I search in relation to my wishlist and if the opportunity is given I buy them (usually limited dolls too)

 

Opportunity has a lot to do with it for me. Being in stock through one of the North American dealers, for example, is a great incentive because I'm super impatient. Also when something discontinued pops up on the marketplace, that makes me really want to pounce. All of this only applies to dolls/heads/bodies that are already on my wishlist, to be clear.

 

Haha my simple process
1.Create a short list of the ones I really want
2. Watch review videos/read blogs (this eliminates a few because with some only the stock photos look good)
3. Looks at my current collection and compare (I try to avoid buying ones that look too similar to ones I have~ also eliminates a few)
4. Compare the remaining ones on the short-list~ (I've seen some people create forum poles to vote which is better)
5. Start coin flipping with the ones that are drawed with pros and cons
6. Check how much money I have (this eliminates basically everything but at least the process was fun :P )

 

I actually tend to make myself thin out my dolls before buying another. I basically use whatever money I get from selling to use to buy something I'm really wanting. This keeps me in line and keeps me from hoarding dolls until I burst at the seams.
Now priorities wise, I'm pretty impulsive which is WHY I have to sell one to buy one. I've recently bought two dolls because they were priced well that I wasn't in love with. Sadly, they're both probably going to make their way to the MP at some point.
I have however promised myself that my next doll will be tan. I've been wanting a tan doll since I was 15. I somehow tend to end up with white skinned dolls.
So priority is based on resin color right now, then whether or not the doll is limited.

 

I'e looked at so many that it is a hard decision to make. Especially with the price. Harder to find ones or ones they are no longer making are first I think. But you don' want to get one just because it's hard to find. You still need to get one you absolutely love.

 

I just looked at the picture, feel want it. Then put in cart and buy. As simple as that.

 

I think that would be an easy way to do it but then I might think..'Did it' or 'Was it" & all that stuff we let crowd into our minds.

 

I'm normally pretty impulsive with purchases, but the cost of new dolls forces me to plan. I have an planned order of purchases, but if a company has a good event, it could persuade me to move someone up the list.

 

I think thats a good plan & I see that even when people look & plan & take time they still sometimes arent 100% happy..I know I felt like I took ages with my choice going back & forward all the time & now I see her online or someone has her & I think..is that the one I ordered..I think Im fickle but Im sure Im going to love her...(She says with hope).

 

My decision on which doll to by is heavily swayed by whether I feel inspired by the doll or not. If a character or concept doesn't pop into my head after looking at the doll a few times I won't buy it. Limited Edition or not, I don't really want to buy a doll I'm not going to do anything with.

 

I look around at sculpts and fall in love, then look at everyones picture of that sculpt painted in different ways. Some artists don't offer their sculpts except during certain order times. And I used to have some discontinued heads on my wishlist too. I buy when I have the money whoever is high on my wishlist. I'm also always looking at special company deals and might jump to buy when a great sale is on one as well.

 

If I happen to find a sculpt that I like, I tend to go back and forth over whether I should add it to my wishlist. If I realize I keep coming back to it, it goes higher up.

 

Usually i dont plan who to buy next, i will just look at my local buysell and see who caught my eyes! But right now i am saving to get a volks yosd girl when i go tokyo in Feb! I have a few shortlisted but i can only afford 1 so i will make my choice when i m there.

 

I choose my next doll based on its sculpt, the feelings I have towards the doll, and how well they would fit in with my current collection. ^^

 

I'm really picky with my dolls. If they look unique or have my favorite colors included in some way Ill save them in a file and compare them to other dolls I have looked at. Doll Chateau's Hathaway A, for example, was love at first sight. As soon as I saw her I put her on layaway ^-^

 

I decide by staring at dolls every day it’s so hard.. I don’t think I have a process to choose I just go with whoever I find myself looking at the most!

 

I look at a lot of different companies to see if they fit an already existent OC (or if I like the sculpt a lot, I make an OC to own them lol) then I make a wishlist and then I get them in order of appearence lol first to show up at a reasonable price in the market, I grabs

 

A lotta companies release their future dolls a little in advance which gives me time to think about whether I want the doll or not. Sometimes when you first see a doll you feel like it’s the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen, but maybe you’ll change your mind in a few days. I always try to give it a few more days so I won’t regret my choice. If I still like the doll two weeks or even months after seeing it, then that is something I would definitely get.

 

1. Pick a sculpt that suits what I'm trying to achieve.
2. Buy!

It's really that simple.

 

i pick from my wish list of dolls as ive actully planned out my entire crew i end up adding n changeing designs and cloices around the doll itself so no matter what these dolls i want will fit their profile ^^

 

I'm so new to this I don't really know how I will pick completely. However since my new man arrived I've already started to look at female dolls, but I feel like she has to 'suit' him. So they'll look good sat together kind of thing, not a specific character just look like she fits with him.

 

I scroll through secondhand sales and look for stuff in my price range, then make a decision based on the sculpt and faceup, generally.

 

When a sculpt catches my eye ill just browse around look at everyone elses version of it to gauge its potential. If most of the possibilities appeal to me and ill usually think a few months about it before taking the plunge.

Id hate to have any impulse buys that i would end up not liking later on.

 

I just can't stop! There are some doll company that I real loved, I will buy whatever they updates, usually the limited dolls. Besides, I always pay attention to the people online who post their bjds, their photos guide me on my next purchase.

 

If I see an owners picture of the doll and like it I research the sculpt. I also follow a bunch of companies on tumblr so I can see their newest dolls.
Though I do like @JenniferCatherine dart board idea I feel I need that in my life for entertainment
The other way is to have a character in mind and see if I can find a doll the suits.

 

When I have enough money saved up I decide which one I like best at that moment. I bought two dolls so far. I don't want to order a new doll until my doll comes in . Still waiting on the second. So saving up and ordering coincides.

 

Tbh how I decided my first was a long process that I will do with ordering my next

First I look through a heap of websites open a new tab for every doll I love then I factor in price and if any extras come with them, so hopefully rounded down to less then 8. After that I asked for other peoples opinions to round down further then basically go back and forth for a few days on the last two until I am sure there is a definite favourite in which I order.. though tbh I made a promise to myself that next time I order i want to get a free doll as well just to make it a bit harder to make sure I'm saving longer to get better quality

 

looking at owner photos help a lot for me. sometimes i have to search for which company a doll is from since the owner photo makes me really want it

 

and also another thing is trying to find how the head looks without makeup is to see more possibilities of how you can customize the makeup

 

Since I mostly collect more "old school" sculpts, for me it's often a matter of availability and just watching what comes up for sale and when rather than making solid, written-in-stone lists or plans based on strict priority.

If I decide that I really do want an F-20 (a discontinued Volks FCS sculpt), for instance, I can't just go and order one. I have to keep an eye on the secondary market until one I like comes up... That could be tomorrow or it could be ten years from now. Other things that I also want might show up for sale before he does, and if that's the case they'll be acquired before him. That's just the luck of the draw.

 

for me it's a feeling i get when i see them. sure, i 'like' a lot of dolls i see, but that doesn't mean that i want all of them. so out of the many 'suki', there will only be a few 'daisuki'... & those are the ones that i will really get. xDD

 

I tend to make lists and then have a date set in the future for when I’ll have the money all ready to go for a doll. During that wait time the cull begins. Once the day has rolled around I’ll have one or two dolls to pick from.

I also plan for seasonal events. Based on past events you usually have an idea of when the next one will roll around. I wait to see if I like that limited doll and if not then I’m back on my usually “wait for x date” schedule.

 

I’m so new to the hobby that I tend to pick based on what appeals to me when I see photos. After owning two pukifees, I’m ready to branch out with a larger doll and I obsessively researched what I wanted before settling on a minifee. I now have a huge Wishlist so when it’s time to get another doll, I’ll pick from that (unless another limited fantasy doll is released)

 

impulse buys

 

^This basically. I also prefer old school sculpts and have a tendency to fall for the impossible ones at that. Which is a good thing, because it gives me time to save up. (although in the case of my Kanon Louis, despite of me searching for him for years, he still snuck up on me when I didn't have the funds )

What I like about this method of searching, searching, searching and hopefully finding, is that it gives me time to make sure if I really want that sculpt. Do I really want to go through all the hassle for this one doll? If the answer is "no", then I know it's not the doll for me. Simple as that .

 

I know that this is an older posting but I think the question is interesting and I want to respond.

For me it is the old cliche, "love at first sight." I fall in love with a doll quickly. If I see a doll and I find myself thinking about her and planning a wardrobe for her, then I know I want to have her so the decision is made. This is why looking at dolls online is very dangerous for me (laugh).

 

I plan to wait for the re-opening of Napi Carol, and it will be my next purchase.

 

I only buy dolls I am in love with. I waiting almost a year to buy my avatar doll, and last december I found my dream girl. Between the two, Ringdoll realeses than discountinued Law, my favourite sculpt from them. I plan to buy him, but I thinking about it too long. This week I just saw that there are some Law heads still avaible, so that was a must have for me. So I can say, that suddenly I have one doll, and waiting for two, to pay out and come home... (my girl's layaway is ends this month, so only my new layaway stays) As you see I not really plan directly. If I see the right doll and I can start a layaway, I go for it. I only buy when I am sure that I want it.

 

I have to fight so that I don't spend all my money and go into debt buying dolls. So basically--I see all kinds of dolls I like, but I have to totally be able to not stop from buying one. I have to try and make sure I really want this doll more than all the others.

I don't have any criteria for buying other than wanting it a LOT and having the money for it and not having something I want more (or need more).

 

I used to impulse-buy the heads. I'd see one and think 'they'd make a great [insert OC]', rushing to buy it or put it on layaway (for the more expensive heads). Didn't matter if I could afford the body anytime soon. So I've ended up with a glut of floating heads and no passion for shelling those characters...

Now I'm a bit more considerate with my purchases. I spend a few days to a week deliberating; can I afford them, do I have a character for them, how easy are they to buy for, etc.? I sometimes even start to plan out their style. I look for a wig, eyes, a 'starter' outfit. I study the blank sculpt images, getting an idea of how I want them to look. Trying to work out if the face-shape would work. Then I work out if I can afford the layaway. I'm crummy at saving, so I opt for layaway where possible.

Sometimes, I still get the "love at first sight" bug and want a certain sculpt because it looks so beautiful in the company photos. But I fell for that once and wasn't impressed with the end result. He didn't match the beauty of the promotional images. So I often try to find blank photos or owner images, but oftentimes my 'fascination' with a sculpt will wane. I get focused on another or a different hobby, and I come to forget about them. I say 'forget'. They're in the back of my mind, lingering for a time such as when I want to look at them again.

But my main criteria is shelling important OCs. If it was just 'OCs', I'd have a room full of dolls. That's ok for some people, but not me. I don't have space!

 

My most recent purchases weren't planned, but the girls I ordered fit a style that I've been into for about 2 years. It was really me just waiting until the right girls were released. I fell in love with both instantly and couldn't wait to order them.

When I first started collecting I had a huge wishlist and brought home dolls in order. Now, it really comes down to who I want most.

 

I tend to get it in my head that “I want another doll” and then spend days going through every possible option, picking sculpts, body types, and deciding. I then get overwhelmed and get angry and quit looking and sometimes something happens... I start thinking about one doll, and I kind of become obsessive, looking online for pictures, pouring over the different poses... and when that happens, I know that’s the doll I want. It is neither logical, or smart, but it’s process.
Unless... unless it’s a limited doll. Like my iplehouse Tatiana Periot and Joshua. Those two are special. My name is Tatiana my husbands is Joshua.

 

#1: Size and Gender are the first two things that immediately come to mind. Depending the size of the doll the gender is important. My 1/4 and 1/6 remain about equal in gender where the SD are all boys except for a single girl doll. If it's SD it's a boy, it's going to have to be a special girl doll to get me to buy it.

#2: I get a feel for what I want. Do I want stern and serious? Do I want playful and cute? Do I want an edgy doll? Is it a shy doll or is it outgoing? When I decide on the personality I am looking for I go looking for a face sculpture that matches that personality. I want to feel that personality when I see the potential of the sculpture. I also like seeing the face blank, and I like looking at other owner pictures to give me an idea about the doll.

#3: Body is important to me, especially with the larger dolls. How well can this doll pose, where is his jointing at, does the jointing look awkward or smooth when you pose it? Where is the chest line? I don't want the doll to look disjointed when I pose it.

#4: Price, yep, I said that. I have my limits depending on doll size. I don't like to go over $300 for 1/4 dolls, and would prefer it lower. For the SD dolls, I don't want to go over $600, and would also prefer that lower. I like to to look at dolls and sometime plan them, but I like to mostly shop when there is a sale. There are few dolls I would make price exception for, but they are retired dolls that are not made anymore. If I get a used doll, it must have a certificate, and not a 'copy' of the certificate. I don't make exceptions to this. I am spending a lot of money on this doll I want proof of it's worth.

#5: Availability. Is the doll in stock? Bonus! If not, how badly do I want this doll? How long am I willing to wait for this doll? A couple months? Five to six months? A year or more? If I am not willing to wait the wait because I don't want the doll bad enough for the wait, I will look for a different doll. If I am going for the long haul, that doll is going to be spoiled by the time it gets here for all the planning and stuff I bought it while waiting.

 

For me, it’s simply a form of recognition. I love coming up with OCs...I find the creative process of it all very alluring. And when I do, I’ll just let that character live in the back of my mind, where they seem to gel and develop naturally all on their own. I also love looking at dolls for relaxation, either in bjd news, at company websites, or our DoA second-hand marketplace. Inevitably, what will happen is that somewhere in my general perusing, I will eventually “recognize” one of my backlogged characters, and only then will I make a purchase. So basically, I don’t keep a running doll wishlist...I keep a running character wishlist instead, and that’s what works for me.

 

I don't buy dolls, I shell characters, so the character has to work with me and make sense in a story before I decide which doll tu buy for it. As for now, all the characters I could shell are limited sculpts or that aren't for sale anymore so I depend on the second-hand market, so the sculpt that appears first would be the one I end up buying.

 

If I really like a certain sculpt or doll, I will try to come up with a character that best suits that doll.
Though most of the time I will already have a character that I want to shell, I will then look for a doll that both appeals to me and reflects the character best.

 

If there had been no accident, I would have bought illusion garden's dolls. they are my favorite dolls now！

 

I'm currently in the same situation: I finally want to buy a BJD. This is how I decide which doll I want to buy (next).

At first I'm looking through many, many, many doll companies. (For beginners I can recommend the 'Dollmakers' page in the reference section on this page. After that you know what companies you like and you should keep an eye at in the future.) With the help of the companies list I'm starting to create my BJD wish list.
For that I'm taking notes and save the company promotion pictures of the dolls I like the most.
I use DoA, Google, Instagram to search for real doll owner pictures, too. Sometimes this will change my mind about a doll and I don't want it anymore – or I want it even more.

Then I put my BJD wish list aside for about a week (or longer). If I can't forget about a favourite doll, it will go on the top of my wish list. Furthermore I will save money to make my wish come true.

At this high prizes, I can't be an impulsive buyer. I must be really sure if I want a doll or if it's just my temporary buyer mood.

 

I do a lot of looking at dolls, so it comes down to sculpts that catch my eye. From that moment, I decide if they’ll fit a character I have in mind or if they’re just for fun for me. I normally only buy tinies in the just for fun category, but I’ve made an exception once or twice. If there’s a character in mind for the sculpt, I am far more likely to order it or put it on my wishlist for the next time I can order.

 

A doll's looks grab me by the throat, and silently scream, 'buy me !.' First I try to resist. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

 

I will buy limited time only first, and the ones I really like. I also have a list of dolls I like that I will buy when I have money, but I usually buy the ones that catches my eyes right on the spot and make me go I gotta buy it.