In love with a discontinued sculpt

I was at the point of purchasing Bermann in i think 2008 (?). I kept looking at them in the marketplace but could not justify their costs to myself. and now amazingly he is being rereleased. Still dont believe im getting him.

 

I actually like the slow process of collecting older discontinued dolls. I have a few in my doll family. Some of them were ones I'd never heard of before but I fell in love with when I saw them, others were ones I was searching for already. It can take a few years to find those dolls second hand, and depending on the sculpt you may have to accept that you may not ever find it (or be able to afford it).
I don't mind loving some dolls and not being able to have them. It can be fun to appreciate from a distance. If you are able to find the long discontinued ones you have your heart set on though it's a really wondrous thing!

My advice if you are in love with discontinued dolls is to accept that the situation is not completely under your control. If you are able to find one on your wishlist then cherish the feeling, if you aren't able to try not to feel heartbroken. There are so many more dolls out there.

 

I've never found a limited doll I was in love with enough to worry about it... There are some I love to dream about having, but I guess I'm not too in love with them, because I don't go out of my way to find them secondhand. If I happened to have the money and came across one in the DOA marketplace... I would likely buy them and I would be very happy! However I'm ok with not having them if that doesn't happen.

I guess there are too many basic dolls that I love just as much... so I always end up just shrugging and getting a different doll instead! xD

 

Oh I really understand what you feel. My dream doll is LatiDoll Censya, a limited edition that was released nearly 10 years ago, and I used to look at her pictures while she was in stock. But I was just a little girl at the time, so there wasn't any chance of getting her. And by now I've seen very few posting pictures of Censya dolls, and obviously no one selling them

Good luck on your search!

 

I feel this soo much!! not really discontinued but more of a limited doll? Every doll I first fell in love with were mostly limited.

I coped with it by thinking positive that maybe I'll see them one day on secondhand market, or by looking at other sculpts. Better move on than get hung up thinking about it :")

 

I know how you feel, @Sonik ! The top discontinued doll on my list is DollnDoll Loren. I suppose I would call her my grail doll right now. I'm keeping my eyes positively peeled for a secondhand one. I think I'm most anxious to get her because her partner is already on his way to me, and he's going to be miserable without her I sent a message to DollnDoll a little while ago asking if the queen version was still available (thinking, 'well, if enough people ask, maybe they'll bring her back!'), but they told me she is discontinued. . . so my quest continues.
There are others on my list (Soom and Iplehouse, I'm looking at you!), but I'm not super-attached to them. I'll jump on the opportunity if I find one for sale, but I can deal with admiring them from afar for now.

It kinda bugs me that, if a doll is sold out forever, why keep it up on the website?? I'm being taunted

 

It has. I fell in love with Soom Ender when he was released but couldn't come up with the money in time to get him, then spent the next two years searching for one. I did finally get the head and OMG it was so so pretty...but after a few more years, I ended up selling him off because none of the hybrids I planned for him worked.

Another one I really fell for is Volks School A, which is a slightly different situation since I'm pretty sure he's not actually discontinued, just impossible for me to buy new. The School heads were never available in the stores, only in person at a faceup workshop in Japan, so.....being in the US, I had no chance of buying one new. However, I was able to find one on the MP, and he just arrived to me about 30 minutes ago! He's so pretty....

 

My experience regarding that is to wait, to save, to lurk, to stalk and to SNATCH the doll i want the moment it shows up on the mp or otherwise for an ok price.

With the ones mentioned I wouldnt worry too much.

A Zhuqing was on the MP just a while ago (might still be), Withdolls keep popping up and the company itself does rereleases on special occassions, as for Junia... Again the MP is your friend.

If not for dolls up for grasp, you can always put up a wtb. I got two (?) doll heads I wanted that way.

Just be sure to keep a set amount of money on the side for the case of the case and be ready

 

Falling for discontinued/limited sculpts is a way of life in the BJD hobby. You kind of get used to it over time. Me, my problem is that all the dolls on my wishlist for a long time were discontinued/limited. Thing is, though, that's what the secondhand market is for. With enough time, patience, and potential willingness to pay more than the doll cost originally, there's very little you can't get your hands on.

The last two dolls I've acquired fell into this category. Dollshe Afghan was discontinued long before I decided I wanted one, and she wasn't terribly popular to start with so finding them secondhand is a nightmare. I made an offhanded comment here, though, and out of nowhere a friend of mine PM'd me asking if I wanted to buy hers. (I did. :3) The other one -- my longtime Holy Grail, a Volks SD13 Shirou Tachibana -- was released before I got into the hobby. I've wanted him for ten years, but I was waiting for the stars of availability of doll, availability of money, and price I was willing to pay to come into alignment. Happily enough, they finally did, and he's on his way home to me right now.

Don't ever let 'discontinued' or 'limited' discourage you from getting the doll you want. They're out there somewhere, and if you want it bad enough it will come to you eventually.

 

What Tez said... It seems to happen to almost all of us sooner or later.

For me, the "one that got away" was SoulDoll's Celestyn. They were never a popular sculpt to begin with... being, I think, a little too much before their time style-wise... so there were very few of them sold. Finding one after they were discontinued? 'Darn near impossible. I've seen *ONE* come up for sale in the last decade, and wasn't fast enough to get him.

I'm at peace with the idea that I'll probably never have one. I accept it as a distinct possibility. But I still want one, anyway.

 

Sometimes you can find an alternative, if you're lucky.

I'd love to have a Volks SD17 Genji. But he was very expensive, even when he was new, and his secondary market prices tend to be astronomical. I didn't realize it when I bought him, but my DIM Minimee Squall Leonhart looks a lot like Genji! And he was so much less expensive.



Left, my Bevan (Squall Leonhart) and right, Volks Genji.

I didn't even realize how much the sculpts looked alike until the custom faceup was finished and Bevan was complete! The resemblance is noticeable, even though the wigs, eyes and faceups are so different. So I "found" my Genji, even though I wasn't consciously searching for him!

Linda S.
galatia9

 

I fell in love with Oasisdoll Natalie (the doll in my avatar) just before she was discontinued. I didn't have the money at the time, and I always kicked myself for not going for it. A few years later, I saw someone selling her head on the marketplace, and I knew I couldn't pass her up again since she's pretty rare. Luckily it was almost my birthday so I had some extra funds.

 

Oh heck yeah. I knew back when DC released Xaveira I wanted her body... I wantd it soooo bad but couldn't justify the price. I still can't really. But now i've seen owner pics, the want is more. And it huuuuurts.
I'm kinda hoping they either rerelease that body, maybe with a different head, or someone decides to split one and sells the body because arghhh. i need that teeny spider body in my life.
I like Elisabeth but Xaveira's proportions are to my eye more pleasing (she has a longer abdomen) and the 8 legs yessss. also 1/6 is probably easier to display here.

 

All dolls I own, except the tinies, are discontinued and sometimes very rare sculpts. What I do is make sure that I have the money to buy one of them and then stalk the marketplace until I find them (for a good deal). It took me about seven years to find a Williams for a price that I was willing to pay. I consider myself incredibly lucky to be the owner of a Gomidoll Iru-HS, a Dive Seimei and an MS Laurie, all three very rare sculpts. Still haven't found my Kanon Louis, though, and it's been 11 years and counting. But this sculpt is notoriously rare (to the point where even fans are no longer sure if he even exists, or has been mistaken for a similar looking sculpt) and he sold out in 2005.

It helps to see it as a long-term project. You're not likely going to find one the moment you open up a browser, so you'd better enjoy the process. For me, hunting down the sculpt is almost as rewarding as owning it. And that moment where you finally get to open up the box? Priceless!

 

I have some dolls that I fell in love with when I first saw them but, unfortunately, at the time, there was no way I could've afforded them. One was limited (Impldoll Miguel the Demon Hunter) and the other had the company close (Unidoll Ark). I also really, really wanted the Lumedoll Zero tiny but again, cash was not available when he was.

I have seen Miguel pop up now and again in the MP but there was always something not quite right (wrong colour, parts missing, etc) and for a while there were Ark's that made their way into the MP with a fair bit of frequency but as the years have passed, he's become a rarer and rarer creature to find. The Lumedoll Zero... *sigh*. He's off-topic here so I can't find him through the MP here.

But, I have bought all kinds of limited dolls 2nd hand and I even found a Unidoll (although not Ark) here in the MP. It takes dedication and a truckload of patience but eventually you can probably find what your heart desires.

 

I have a love of Soom fantasy parts, so I've had to scour the MP for Vesuvia's scorpion body (in bronze) and for Cass' mermaid body in NS.. neither was super hard, though Cass took me around six months of searching...

 

I thought that I would never get hold of my limited grail doll, because he never showed up on the MP and the ones that were listed on eBay wore a $4.5 - $6.5K pricetag. In the end, a very nice seller on Tumblr allowed me to purchase hers for a much more reasonable price, and now he's in my home and I love him dearly. I would say the best thing you can do is explore every avenue on a regular basis...including daily forays on the MP, FB, Flickr and Tumblr. You can also try YHJ, where good stuff often turns up (and of course there's Mandarake, but I've been warned that BJD purchases there can be pretty hit or miss as to the condition of the doll).

 

I fell in love with DollZone's little flower event doll Lulu and eventually found her after about 2 and a half years of searching I finally got her (not that she ended up staying though). And I'm still in love with most of Marchen Waltz's sculpts and since the company is gone and they weren't too popular that's gonna make a fun search for when I have spare money and time, but the search is half the fun in this hobby

 

Nearly all the dolls on my wish list are discontinued ones.
I am patient though. It took me two years to track down one (Luts Dark Elf Soo, normal skin with default faceup), six and a half years to find another (Luts Kid Delf Ttori Elf girl, normal skin with default faceup), and recently got a head that had been discontinued nine and a half years ago (Kid Delf Ani Elf, white skin with default faceup).
I also have another doll I spent three years piecing together via the market place (Soom Ai/Glot hybird).
Tracking things down second hand makes them more special I think.

 

I fell in love with volks msd f-12 (without the terrifying faceup of course) , it's pretty much impossible to find one now , unless volks decides to include her in FCS again. My 2nd fav discounted doll is a Leeke Mikhalia, all I can find are fricking recast tho

 

I've fallen in love with discontinued sculpts twice, and both ended in radically different ways.

*The first doll I fell in love with was Soom Laon. He had such a sweet face, perfect for the character I wanted to shell. Unfortunately he was discontinued and my search on the Marketplace was fruitless. So I did the next best thing: I found a doll with a similar aesthetic. THAT was tricky, but I eventually found my perfect substitute. He became my first on-topic doll and I wouldn't trade him for gold. I still have a soft spot for Laon, though; every time I see one online I make it loud and clear to the owner that I love their doll! LOL
*My second experience was with a Fairyland sculpt, something that the Marketplace always has. The sculpt in question was a Juri 2013 and within two weeks I'd managed to find and buy two heads.

So it really depends on the sculpt that you want. If it was a popular sculpt from a popular company, your search will be easy. If it wasn't popular or if the company was smaller (or long defunct), your search will be hard...but more rewarding when it finally does pay off! So don't give up your search, unless you take the route I did with Laon. Odds are that one day it'll pay off.

 

Don't give up! I fell in love with Iplehouse's Freezia but the d/ced her before I could buy.

Got a Freezia with the wig I loved on her from a lovely woman in France. It still had a mint original face-up and she had the certificate so I could confirm authenticity with Iplehouse.

I had given up looking for over 2 years when I found her totally by accident. It happens.

 

And don't forget you can put a WTB thread in the MP. Sometimes you can find a doll that way.

 

Both of my dolls and the third one, I'm in the process of getting, are discontinued fellas as well as the ones on my wishlist. My first doll, I missed the opportunity to buy him by 3 or 4 months, found him months later on the mp. (Then years later switch released a new version of him!) My souldoll was one of those fantasy limited types that I ignored because the price for popular dolls were $$$. Added him on the wishlist anyway for giggles and found him on the mp years later so I'm his 3rd owner

My recent wtb post, thought no one would reply but it was immediately answered so be patient cause I know eventually you'll find them or be rereleased.

 

It just happened to me several days ago. I've been following the (now possibly defunct) Fantasia dolls on and off ever since they started, but it was more for their muscular female body. I originally didn't give their sculpts much thought. However, I've been looking around for angular female sculpt candidates in which to reshell my female character, and owner photos of Vivian in Flickr shot her up to #1 on my list.

I was thankfully able to secure a sale for a Fantasia Vivian head on the Marketplace shortly afterwards (the last one I found there). It's really a shame Fantasia has been bogged down with so many issues since they started. I didn't expect to fall in love with one of their sculpts after their official website had gone.

 

I ended up falling in love with a sandy brown Yeon-Bee after finding photos of her online...only to find out she'd long since been discontinued... Luckily, I found her for sale secondhand on the marketplace here on DoA and I was able to snatch her up! Her previous owner had taken SUCH good care of her that she's basically like a new doll!!

 

Always have money ready, just in case! Scour the internet for second hand dealers! If that doesn't work, pay someone to face up a doll to look like that limited edition you wanted. Just buy a similar head and body! Have someone sew you clothes that look like the limited edition. Or do these things yourself if you can, it is cheaper. Of course, if you ever sell a doll like that, make sure you state clearly it is NOT a limited edition bjd, just a custom!

 

Sometimes, the sculpt in question is so unique, that's just not possible. While I recently managed to acquire a sculpt I loved at first sight (ImplDoll Miguel the Demon Hunter), he's very different from your typical doll and without prodigious use of epoxy and a dremel (and even then I'm not sure that would be enough) you'd have a hard time coming close.

There's another doll that I'd love to have that just popped up on the MP but due to the hideous Canadian dollar, I can't afford him. While I do have a nice bit of change in my dolly funds account, I don't typically have $1,000CAN just sitting in there, waiting.

Patience is definitely the key. It took me 7 years to find the right Miguel at the right price. There are only 100 of him worldwide and I got him in the grey resin I wanted. Unless the sculpt was a one-off, chances are you can eventually find what your little heart desires.

 

I know the feeling. My number 1 doll I wanted to get for the longest time was Dollzone Annie, and now my wishlist includes D.I.M. Larina, Peaks Wood's Romantic KoonieS, and basically everything from Little Rebel. For the Little Rebel sculpts, I'm at least lucky that they get re-released every so often, but with the others... Well, I'll just have to do what I did for my Annie and stalk Instagram and Tumblr and every other site I can for secondhand sale posts.

 

I know the feeling. You just have to be patient- I'm still waiting for some of the discontinued sculpts I love to pop up.

 

With the time-sensative nature of this hobby, I think its almost an inevitability to fall in love with a limited/discontinued doll. I felt a bit heartbroken after seeing Doll Chateau's Xaviera. She so, so lovely, and she was a limited summer event doll from last year, before I joined the hobby. Then again, like @purple_monkfish said in a previous post, she has a pretty steep price for such a small doll. I'd probably just be in the same situation even if I had joined sooner!

Like everone else is saying, keeping your eyes peeled for a secondhand doll or a limited rerelease is all you can really do. Although it may help to tag the company on social media to show your interest in the limited sculpt. If the sculpt is popular enough, then who knows!

 

I fell in love with Doll Chateau's conjoined twins Debbie and Caroline. Ugh so gorgeous. I wish they'd consider reselling her. I sent them an email and they replied that there wasn't much need. Sooooo I tend to lurk various market places for the hopes that someone will be selling one. But I'm also considering making my own sculpt or modding two different dolls to make my own conjoined twins.

 

I'm completely in love with the Fifth Motif Venitu, and had evern ordered one, but had to cancel my order due to a minor monetary emergency. I was so close to having my grail doll and now I don't think I'll ever be able to get him.

 

I loved and wanted a Volks Andolrea U-Noss, Seina, full set, eyelashes unsanded. Difficult to get when new due to limited numbers, batch ordering, long waits and being sold through Volks Japan by in-person ordering only. They aren't ultra-rare on the second hand market but they aren't terribly common either. The thing is, many people hated and sanded their moulded eyelashes off so finding a full set in decent condition with the faceup is usually either a long waiting game or a jigsaw puzzle of buying pieces. When these dolls go into collections, they often tend to stay there.
I was very lucky and ended up with an Aika (identical sculpt) full set, all of Seina's items additionally and a few of the extras made for them (cat set and maid set) when a doll collection was sold after the collector passed away.

My best advice is to watch the market even if you can't afford something now so that you are ready, always knowing the going prices and availability to be able to jump in with your offer when the time IS eventually right. If you are prepared, you have the best chance when your doll lucky stars line up and throw that rare one your way.

 

I first "seriously" started considering buying a doll years ago... and at that time, the first versions of 5th Motif Venitu were being released. I couldn't justify that purchase then, however, and now it is no longer made. One day maybe I'll find a pre-loved one...

 

Yup! One of the first dolls I fell for had long been discontinued, the second was a limited that I managed to snag seconhand. And I still have two more on my wishlist so far that have been discontinued: dollzone Anson and Heavy Rain.

 

Falling in love with a discontinued sculpt is the most painful feeling in this hobby. I managed to get a discontinued second-hand head for my first bjd and a few months later, the doll company decided to re-release the sculpt after five years -.-"

I still have one on my wish list so I am hoping either I can buy from an owner or getting a re-release which is highly unlikely.

 

I hate limited edition clothes being discontinued, RIP </3

 

I have three limited editions on my wishlist that I am really hoping gets re-released. Or at the very least I can find second hand. It's awful but I just have hope and while waiting for one to appear I like to admire other dolls and try not to think about them as much. Which to be honest is easier said then done. >.<

 

Completely relate! But I lucked out and found one of my grail dolls here on the Marketplace within two weeks of getting access, a Cerberus Project Delf Miyu. I just got her this weekend, and she was totally worth the money. I think I was meant to wait over ten years to get her, because now I appreciate her more than I think I would have if I had been able to buy her "back in the day".

I have other discontinued dolls on my wish list, but getting Miyu felt like a sign from the universe to not push my luck.

One of the grail dolls on my list is a Leekeworld Lionel, but I know he will be a lot harder to find. He was gorgeous, and much more limited than Miyu. My plan is to squirrel away money into a "grail fund", and if I ever get it to one thousand dollars, I will start searching everywhere, including posting a WTB here. Lightening could strike again, but I don't want to put feelers out until I am completely ready to buy outright. It would really be a bummer if I posted a WTB, found someone willing to part with the doll, but not able to take layaway payments (which would be the only way I could do it right now).

In the meantime, I will enjoy all the dolls I have, especially my newest one.

 

I had a similar situation but it was slightly different. one of the independent doll artists I follow posted some WIP photos of dolls he plans to make next year and I totally fell in love with one but I have no idea when he will be done with it or release it DX But at least I know I will probably get it~ I've also seen other sculpts I love like ones from Merry Doll Round that I don't know if they will ever be released again DX

 

The only boy doll I want is sold out in every size and there is no guarantee he will be available ever again.

 

This is the story of my experience in this hobby, seriously! Just be persistent; chances are you will find the doll you are looking for. I've managed to find the discontinued dolls I've sought after on the second-hand market. I jumped on them when they came available or put out a WTB thread and waited. Sometimes I've needed to piece them together, other times I've purchased the fullset.

 

Actually my wishlist is just a full of discontinued sculpts Dx NO WAYYYYY

 

The strangest thing is every mold I felt in love is limited. And every head I have is limited. Sometimes, I felt in love with unlimited ones too but I never got one since I think can get them whenever I have money. Then, they got discontinued and the loop go on...

 

Oh, this story about me! I very want haneol by dollmore. And I can`t (.
Yes, it is very difficult - to look at the photo and to understand that you can`t get it. But you need to hope. Miracles happen in the world every day. I hope too...

 

I wanted an Impldoll Neo for about two years but never had the extra money. When I finally went to get him through DDE last week, I found out he had been discontinued. Hopefully once I finally get marketplace access someone will be selling him

 

Yes, been there... It especially seems to happen to me with male dolls--maybe it's because I overall prefer female dolls, so on the rare occasion that a male sculpt really speaks to me, it stands out more? In fact I have never had the stars align in a way that gives me one I really love and the money to buy it at the same time, so my collection is still all female.

The one I feel least confident on getting is the MNF elf Siean head. I've seen it on the A-Line boy body, and that combo is perfect for an elf boy I want to make someday. However, it was an event head from a while ago, and I don't see it crop up often...

The other discontinued sculpt I really pine for is the only 1/3 boy I keep coming back to: Soom Wolf the Knight. That one I'm more hopeful for, since there's always a chance he may end up in one of their Choice events.

But in any case, the main thing I keep telling myself in order to deal with the disappointment of limited/discontinued dolls is, new dolls are being made every day. The "perfect doll" that just steals your heart and blows away everything else on your list may appear weeks or months or years in the future, or maybe it'll be the next website you click on, and in my opinion that's why the search is one of the most fun aspects of this hobby.

 

I don't know if they qualify as discontinued, but I love some limited above all the Little Monica and the Distand Memory

 

I JUST made a fb post about this in a group! I am obsessed with Vampire Hunter D and I am a few years too late for the very unavailable and very sold out Hyperon-Dhampir by Soom. Want to weep!

 

There's one Souldoll I regret not buying when I had the chance. It was Chiron. The centaur head on the human body. In gray skin. I saw him and thought he was PERFECT for one of my characters but I didn't have the money at the time, plus, I thought he was a little big. Now I'm kicking myself for not jumping on it when I had the chance because I haven't found another sculpt that embodies my character so perfectly. Someday I hope to find him on the MP, but not really holding my breath on finding him.

 

I love the Doll In Mind company, but their old dolls are discontinued! I fell in love with about...four dolls from that company. I own one of them right now. I bought her secondhand, its pretty much the only way to get a discontinued doll.

 

I really want one of Doll Chataeu's Russel heads. The dolls were sold for a limited time only, and I do not like the animal-ish body they came with. I have found them for sale second hand, but don't want to be stuck with a body I don't like that would be hard to re-sell.

 

Doll In Mind Gayane. Though I don't know which body would work with her, and, because of it, I haven't been actively seeking her.

 

I know that feeling. When I first discovered bjds, I first seen Ringoll and fell in love with one of their dolls, the Markus doll. At the time I didn't know of 'limited' dolls and that they had them for a specific amount of time before discontinuing them. I was only 13 when I found bjds and just thought 'that's ok, I can save this in bookmarks and come back when I'm older and got a job c:'. Nope, checked on it again one day to see 'sold out' and realized then about dolls being discontinued :,) Since it was so long ago, I doubt they'll be a Ringdoll Markus in secondhand, but I could be wrong. How I cope with this is I just kinda look at the 'not limited dolls' like example I'm looking to get a Resinsoul Yi and Yang, and since Yis been around for some years, I don't think hes going anywhere. (hopefully anyways D: )

 

Oh that's the worst.

I'm so sorry

 

As many have already said on this thread, falling for a discontinued sculpt happens so often it's almost an inevitability in this hobby. The best qualities one can possess in this situation are patience and diligence.

Waiting for a new doll direct from the company can take months; a search for a discontinued sculpt may take that long...or you may luck out and find that elusive beauty the next day. It's 100% up to chance here what may or may not come your way and when. If you're new to BJDs, this can feel like a dead end, but I think the longer you stay in this hobby, the more you realize BJD Time operates on a different plane than Real Time, heh. If this is truly the doll you want, don't give up! It's discouraging, but it's only final if you accept it as such.

Even though it may take a long time to get the sculpt you want, you can help yourself by posting WTB threads not just here, but everywhere someone may sell a BJD. Use all your resources! I have learned in my own searches that there are many doll owners out there who would like to sell their older sculpts, but worry there won't be a market out there for them so they don't take the trouble to even list them for sale.

Also, do as much research on this sculpt as you possibly can. Use the Wayback Machine to visit the original website of the dollmaker and find out when it was made, what the default faceup looked like, whether or not it came with a COA, etc. This next piece of advice may be controversial, but take that knowledge and scour eBay. There are also a lot of people who have been out of the hobby for a time and don't know where to even turn to sell their dolls...so they go straight to eBay. If the sculpt you're looking for is old enough, it may not have ever been recasted (again, please do your research!). Due to the rampant recasting issue this hobby has sadly acquired, it has scared a lot of BJD owners away from even thinking of eBay as a viable market. However, with very old and discontinued sculpts it can sometimes be the only way to bring home your dream doll. Just please be safe and be prepared!

 

I miss illusion spirit! That was my first company I've fell in love with and it's a shame their discontinued.