No-Buy, Low-Buy?

Yes. I'm on a low/no buy currently because I have a bunch of half-finished dolls and projects lying around and have trouble focusing on finishing them. I decided no more dolls or windowshopping until everyone's appearance is complete; they must all have their final wig and eyes, one full outfit including shoes, and their final faceup.

It kills me to not windowshop (which I love doing anyway), but seeing the progress I've made in my existing collection (instead of expanding my problem by acquiring new dolls) is far more rewarding.

 

If I can make it, I don't buy it. And if I want it anyway, then I give myself some time to think about it. If it's still there after the time has gone by and I still want it just as badly, then I get it. But otherwise, my funds goes into the dolls themselves. This hobby is expensive to begin with, so if I can save money on a consistent low buy, then I will. And it makes me happy. Lol.

 

Most of my no-buy/low-buy situations arise out of financial necessity, but I do really find that it does jump-kick me into completing things I have been neglecting. Just recently I've got a few backlogged projects that I've started focusing on more heavily, largely as a way to distract myself from not being able to make new purchases.

I have a few dolls who are in need of things like permanent clothing items (replacements for really low-quality things that have broken, etc.), or a few final touches that they've been waiting for, or props I've been meaning to do.
Some of my financial things mean that I actually need to have a no-buy period for those things too, since I'd need to buy the wigs/eyes/props/etc that they need, or spend the same (or possibly more) to get supplies to make them, so I tend to make a list of things I need to do or get, and review them for what I can accomplish with things I already have, and re-prioritize from time to time.

But it really does feel rewarding and cathartic to have an actually-complete doll. After I finish actually completing something, I know I can save all of my extra money to purchase something later, so that's pretty exciting too!

 

Yes, definitely. I'm in one now, not out of financial necessity per se (although I do like to curb my spending/save as much as possible/only buy things I'm sure I -really- want), but also because having too many projects on the go stresses me out (as does too much clutter in my house - I prefer my doll collection/possessions generally to be refined and streamlined). There are just so many beautiful dolls that it would be easy to go down the rabbit hole if I wasn't strict with myself!

Also, I got into BJDs as a focus for my art/crafting, so am planning to make most things for them myself. While splashing out on new things is always fun temporarily, I know that I will find having a smaller collection and putting more effort into them myself more rewarding in the long run.

I'm still window shopping, because I just can't resist looking - I have more willpower than I thought I would so far! Although I'm sure there'd be an exception to the rule if the right doll happened to crop up .

 

Currently I'm trying to avoid buying dolls until I get the current group more finished. Everyone needs to have the right eyes and the right wig. And more of them need to have face-ups. I also don't buy anything I can make myself, so they have gradually expanding wardrobes.

 

I'm currently on a low buy, mostly because I have everything I want for now. If I see something I like that might change though.

 

Started off this year on low buy as I need to replace my dying laptop (delayed for 5 years because of bjds) and 2 more book shelves. Fell off the bandwagon after one of the shelves arrive to create the OT doll diorama(long awaited project). Tempted to buy replacement heads and more outfits and props for the existing crew on both scale...

 

I go through periods, usually a couple of years at time, where I don't get anything doll-related. Then I'll see something that I absolutely need and will be back in action.

 

I'm in a constant Low-buy period now, since I don't have room and don't really want to accumulate a ton of dolls. I bought too many at the very start of being in the hobby, and now it's time to slow down. I still feel I'm pretty active in the hobby, I just avoid looking at the marketplace as much.

 

I've had to slow down a lot on buying dolls... Not so much for economic reasons so much as just flat-out being out of space for any more. My cabinets are full and I'm a "neat freak". I refuse to let the gang take over more than their allotted amount of space...

 

I haven't purchased any bjd since 2010, when I got my last one as a Christmas present to myself. I simply have no interest in acquiring anymore, I do occasionally think it would be cool to own a few more floating heads but I remember then and there that I don't do anything with the ones I already own. So at this point it would just be a true waste of money to add anymore. If I ever find a body proportionate enough for my taste, I might get my grail doll a body, but otherwise I have zero interest in adding any more complete BJD to my collection. I never intended to own more than ten of them (complete dolls), I own less than that so I'm pretty proud that I didn't go over my initial plans.

 

Now that I have two main OCs home, the two I really wanted, I don't 'need' anymore. There'll always be that niggling 'wanting' for others that I see by happenstance, while browsing for clothes and accessories on sites like Alice's Collections. I've always stated that I want the whole main crew from one story, in an ideal situation, but I'm not actively seeking sculpts for the other characters. I say 'ideally' because it'd result in... 5/6 dolls in all. One, I don't have the space right now. Two, nor do I have the money. Plus, I'm far too inactive in the hobby to justify 6 dolls sitting around gathering dust and feeling neglected for half the year.

 

Now that I have my newest boy the urge to grab a new doll is satisfied. I have characters I'd like to shell but that's up to funds.

 

I’ve been on a doll buying pause for a while now because our doll cabinet is as full as it can reasonably get while still displaying everyone nicely, and I feel overwhelmed when dolls spill out into the rest of the house. (One of my cats loves to try and chew on them or knock them over, so it’s just stressful all around.) Because of that, I really have to think about whether I want to buy another doll, because it generally means they’re replacing someone who will have to leave. It’s such a pain to move things on the marketplace these days I have to reeeeaaaaally want it.

 

I've decided to stop buying dolls for the time being, not so much to focus on other elements of the hobby but instead to focus on whether I'm actually happy with the number of dolls I have. I've found that it's too easy to get excited about a new sculpt and let that distract me from the dolls I already own - in 2011 I bought a doll every month! It was overkill, and thinking about it I regret that I didn't wait 2/3rds of those out. And even though it's been years since doing that, it still has an impact on my overall collection and on my attitude towards the way I collect.

I do still look at new releases, but I'm not letting myself buy anything for at least another year (or until I have a better idea of how satisfied I am with the dolls I currently have).

 

Mostly leaning toward No-buy for the coming year, but will keep an eye open for strict low-buy conditions to occur. Mostly because trying to handle the real life plan of acquiring a new car. That, and I have four current projects that need to be started and completed before I'll tackle the rest of my wishlist insanity.

 

I've been relatively low-buy for the majority of the time I've been into this hobby. It's out of both financial need and preference. I simply can't afford to order dolls frequently or run constant layaways, and impulse buys are not even an option for the most part since you can't impulsively spend what isn't there to be spent. But beyond that constraint, I actually prefer to do things in a more frugal way, in the hobby and in general life too, which is why I tend to prefer to buy secondhand, and why many of my dolls are hybrids made with less-expensive bodies. As well, I don't really want to have an enormous and ever-growing collection; I prefer to have my core group that I just continue to develop and improve. Another reason I just overall prefer to be low-buy is that my main enjoyment comes from styling and crafting for my dolls, and I actually don't like the buying process very much at all. I find it kind of stressy and tedious, and I don't really like the feeling of always having something I'm waiting for.

 

I'm on somewhat of a low-buy, I guess? I limit myself to 13 dolls at any given moment, so if I reach that number, I don't buy anymore without selling first. Between finances and my inability to enjoy a large collection, I think that just kind of keeps me at low-buying most of the time. I also can't stand having unfinished dolls, so finishing one before buying another is priority.

 

I’m planning to be on no-buy for dolls for the rest of the year at least. Two years if I can help it. My conscience cant handle any more big spending!! All of my dolls are pretty much incomplete so I’d like to spend more time working on them. Hazuki’s eyes/wig and Kasumi’s face-up are calling to me!

Honestly its kinda tough because all I wanna do is figure out how to shell my last OC At least I managed to hold out until the end of company summer sales! After I get her it’ll be much easier to stick to a no-buy on dolls.

 

I bought my last doll in March of 2019, so it's been over a year for me! Mostly cause my current collection of OCs feels complete. All of the other dolls I have toyed with wanting to buy have been of characters from some form of media, but I've bought and sold a lot of those during my time in the hobby since once I find a new piece of media to fixate on the interest in the doll goes away. So I guess I've gotten to know myself well enough that I know better than to invest in yet another fan doll no matter how perfect of a sculpt I may have found for them or how cute I think it would be.

 

I think I will try to live up to the no-buy or low buy after my very first doll get's here. While I am window shopping like a fiend I still want to try to make the clothes and accessories before resorting to purchasing them.

 

I'm on a low buy because I'm narrowing down what I like. I've realised I prefer really tiny dolls(pukipuki size), so I'm trying to thin out all but one of my dolls that aren't that size.
I just back into the hobby last year thinking I knew what I wanted. I'm realising I should have went a little slower to get a real feel for everything.
Plus it forces me to learn how to diy more. I taught myself how to make a brush yarn wig and made my first pair of shoes.

 

I'm no buy atm(money :C) but I'll probably be permanently low-buy. I'm quality over quantity and soooo picky about getting dolls

 

I'm going into a low-to-no-buy, hopefully as of now, until November when I start Christmas shopping. I got a little carried away again lately, and I need to slow down. So all I'm buying is stuff for my modding, and otherwise, I'm cut off.

 

While waiting for my grail doll to arrive (stuck in the crazy poatal black hole for 2 months-still waiting). I'm not buying any more dolls till I have an idea about what direction he will go in. I'm trying hard not to go overboard buying him cloths and accessories. Lol that has not gone to plan. But from now I'm not buying him anything till he arrives. ...trying not to..

 

Yes, and hopefully I can stick to it! The last doll purchase that I made was in March, and I've been really good about staying away from resin since then. The poor multitude of dolls that I own are terribly short on clothing, and I have been trying to funnel my money into getting them dressed and spiffy before I buy them any new friends.

 

Right now I really need to do that- I love working on project dolls and Im always incredibly tempted to purchase more roughed up dolls when I see them but I really need to make sure my collection doesn't end up as a nudest colony! I have 4 dolls in hand and 3 awaiting production/delivery... and I have 1 wig, 1 set of eyes and basically no permanent clothes yet.

So next few paychecks should probably focus more on my collection rather than a doll that looks like it was thrown from a car lol

 

I think I'll be going no-buy, in terms of full dolls, for a while. I just recently ordered a doll and she'll be my last full doll purchase while I focus on other things in the meantime. I want to focus on getting bodies for floating heads and more clothes.

 

I need to be on a no-buy period for a while. I'm currently waiting on two mature tinies, a Bluefairy Pocket Fairy, and my first mini. So many of my dolls are blank, waiting for me to give them face-ups.

 

I definitely need to be on a “no buy, low buy“ for the foreseeable future. After 15 years in this hobby, I’ve absolutely run out of room for anything larger than a teeny-tiny. I’ve collected fairly slowly (about 3 dolls per year, with full accoutrements and displays,) but this slow and steady approach has really added up over the years and yielded me an amazing collection of just under 50 dolls already!

 

I’m no-buy on dolls indefinitely and very low-buy for accessories for at least the rest of this year. I just don’t have enough space right now to properly display my dolls, and my work’s entering busy season so it’s hard for me to find enough free time to properly sort the rest of my junk and clear out space to set up a display case. On the bright side, it forces me to think long and hard about whether I “need” to have that new doll outfit, or if that wig would really be perfect...

 

I think I do no-buy most of the time, haha! I just purchased my 4th doll recently, and I've been in and out of the hobby for the past 8 years! I don't really like to buy extra clothes or accessories either - I plan out one nice outfit/look for each doll.

I have been focusing more of my time on related hobbies though. I'm still working on my first dollhouse for my Lati Yellow. Just finished doing the windows last weekend. and hoping to stain the popsicle-stick flooring this weekend! Building a dollhouse is so time consuming. I'm hoping to buy another dollhouse kit after I finish this one and do even better on it. Afterwards, I'd like to build a 1/6 or 1/4 scale roombox for my other dolls.

 

I keep telling myself to have a no-buy phase so I can spend more time dressing my dolls instead of acquiring new ones, but I keep failing at that...

 

I've been on a pretty long no-buy period now. To be totally honest a pretty low BJD period in general actually.Mostly because of some very demanding studies, followed by a job that, while amazing and I love it has a commute that's 1 - 1.5h single way.
Gained some other hobbies along the line as well and a boyfriend that lives 2 hours away. So not much time for new dolls.

I even decided to sell of some dolls because of the lack of time but of cayrse, then you just start seeing aal the new, amazing dolls that have come out over those couple years and the itch is back again.

 

I did a no-buy from the end of December 2019 until mid March 2020, and after my very impulsive Black Cherry purchase the other day, I'm on a strict no-buy until further notice, with the exception of a very special doll for my fiancee. If Black Cherry Meihua is released again for sale soon (and I think she will be), I'll be buying one. Other than that, absolutely no more dolls until at least 2021!!!

 

I am on a no-buy untill I finish my 3 dolls... My last is still on her way Home and others are still halfbaked, eyeless etc...

 

I'm definitely going try doing this for a while, at least until all of the dolls that I'm 100% keeping are all finished. A few of my dolls were bought on impulse and I'm still super unsure if I even want to do anything with them. I hope that once my latest doll purchase arrives I'll be content enough to not window shop for dolls for a while and work on the ones I have!

 

I'm very much in a low/no buy state. I have plenty of dolls, and I rarely sell mine. Having super picky standards keeps doll acquisition in check.

 

I'd say I'm on no-buy for dolls, not sure about clothes and accessories and such though! Then again, gotta start from scratch with wigs and shoes and eyes and things.

With the dolls, it's a matter of room. My apartment's not huge; two MSDs is pushing its limits. I certainly have nowhere to display them. (The off-topic dolls took up one of the few available spots, but it's in the sunshine anyways so...) Besides, I haven't seen any as immediately "Holy crap, I love those!" as the current two, which is now my standard for whether I'll let myself consider buying a doll. So for now, only casually looking at dolls and putting my effort into working on mine.

With clothes/wigs/etc, I'm just focused on getting the two of them set up for now! Once I've got some stuff I can't really make myself, I'll probably shift into trying to make things on my own. Work on my sewing skills, use up the random balls of yarn filling my stash. Hopefully I can work on destashing some fabric and yarn, because my storage for those is full!

 

I think I'm pretty good with the resin I have actually, so I don't really feel the urge to buy more.

But there are tons of other stuff I am eyeing on the crafting front!

 

I never did, but I am planning to! I've noticed that I am more stressed about having any more dolls now that I have around 10, and I think my ideal number is around 15. So now on it is only very specific OC dolls that I want to buy dolls for. There are only 2 more, all the other dolls are already ordered or booked with the artist. Sometimes I feel anxious about the fact that I only get to pick one female and one male more, and I need to pass on all the pretty future dolls in this era when everyone is sculpting something!

 

I am currently in a reeeally low-buy situation because I am also saving up for important stuff. So, I can only invest low amount in hobbies. I promised myself too that I won't get more than four dolls. Either I will buy another one until the previous dolls are completed.

 

I'm pretty much always Low Buy as I'm lucky if I get a new doll every year lol I just can't afford to keep up with most people in this hobby. I need to know where some of y'all work so I can get a job there too!

 

@M_Kun009 I simply graduated and got a job other than the scholarship lol Still, I don't own super expensie dolls, just average/slightly below the average (considering their price vs size ratio). Anyway, it's not about the quantity but quality, so perhaps your one doll a year means three dolls for someone else for the same money. Like everything in the hobby, this also depends on many things. I hope you're happy with every doll even if it's one doll per year "only"

That being said, yes, I'd say I'm no buy-high sell. I decided to declutter a lot and not just my bjds, but my barbies too. I now look at my collection and like it a lot more. It has a lot more of those dolls I looove and not just 'I guess I kinda like". My current crew still needs some refining/trimming but I'm doing fine and having my share of fun. I noticed I like having fewer also because I don't like it when one doll gets all the attention and other get none. So, when I dress them up, I always want to make sure that none of them "feels" unfairly treated and dressed worse than the other ones. However, since I sold many of my dolly clothes, I have barely few to clothe my dolls. So, the fewer resin butts I have to clothe, the prettier each of them is dressed lol

But I got to say, I am really happy. I think I'd been low-key addicted to purchasing new items and always having something in the mail/checking the tracking number etc. Now I try to prolong the 'nothing in transit' moments and order things only when I really, really need them (so particular craft supplies to finish up some projects or particular type of dolly shoes I'd been looking forward to buying for ages).

Often, I also upgrade and exchange things. E.g. recently I bought a pair of shoes (and yes, I'd promised myself no more of these) but they were super similar (and even better!) than a pair I'd wanted to buy when the seller informed me that it's sold out. However, I have another pair among my current doolly shoe collection that I should part with as soon as this one arrives. Kind of 'one in-one out' rule, except for that I like to go by "one in - as many as possible out" lol

And now I look at my decluttered collection (the topic on 'refining it has inspired me) and I love it soo much more I don't need other dolls when those I have make me so happy

 

I went through a several year stint of no/low-buying. I'd get maybe 1 doll a year plus an outfit, wig, and eyes, then promptly stick them in my dolly cabinet and not touch them again. Recently I've gotten into a high buying period, but that's because I finally decided to do a big declutter on the dolls I wasn't interested in anymore and transition over to fleshing out the projects that I actually enjoy. It's amazing how many doll funds come rolling in when you decide to sell half your collection on a whim!

 

Nope. I mainly do layaways. (Stretch out the payments, and helps with the wait time tbh.) So if I see it and have the down ill get it.
The time in-between the layaways is my 'no pay' period I guess cause I go through period where there just is not any sculpts that jump up and yell 'buy me.' (Im thankfully very picky, despite having little impulse control.)

I probably should do a no pay for a few months though. I recently threw my entire bank account and my kidney at dollchateau and have four new dollies coming in that will all need outfits sewn and faces painted. And I wanna focus on them for a while rather than worrying about new anything. D:

 

I am still waiting on two dolls to arrive. One is from a preorder from December, and the other has been stuck in customs. I just bought several dolls, and I am iffy on the last two I got. I am not really feeling them and debating on selling them. After this though I am going on a no buy, because we want to move, and I don't want to have to move even more dolls than what I already have.

 

I don't know if I well answer but as I'm difficult in my choices of dolls, I don't buy news dolls often (after all, 2 off dolls topic last year and one petdoll this year... ) but I wish to take care the ones I already have. And, I think, we appreciated more your new dolls when they are rares.

 

I’m currently on a resin low buy stint, I have a small list of acceptable purchases if they pop up for sale, but I just headed back to school and have severely decreased my fun money leaving my doll hobby savings stagnated It was a tad depressing to decide but it’s only for a short time and I can focus on improving my face up and wig making skills

 

Everytime I tell myself to do a no buy for awhile and focus on my girls getting them dressed and completed then a doll I have wanted for awhile shows up. Then it all goes out the window.

 

Bringing this back up out of curiosity.

If you are doing a low buy or no buy for this hobby, what BJD stuff are you taking part in?

 

Good question!

I did my last round of buying for the time being a couple months ago (new doll) and have otherwise been trying to be low/no buy.

I've been participating in the monthly sewing challenges as best I can. I've got scrap fabric to use up, and it's fun to play around with fashion for the dolls. I like to redress everyone at least seasonally, sometimes a few times a season (like for early spring/late spring), and the more clothes, the better, right?

I'm also trying to do more photography with them. I took one of them out to a local garden a few weeks back, and it was a blast! I might have to go again as we start getting into autumn and get some pretty changing leaves.

And of course there's doll meets if you get a chance to attend them! I've loved getting to chat with other collectors in the area and ooh and aah over their dolls, it's so fun to see all the variety out there.

 

Now that my collection is complete (after nearly 20 years of collecting) I’m really focused on no-buy, but it’s certainly taken some work to get used to not constantly browsing for new resin after so many years. I’ve managed to do pretty well this year though, and when I got a yearning for a new character, I reused a body I already had and only purchased the perfect head at a bargain price. Working with what I already have is my new mantra going forward.

I’ve also been participating in the monthly sewing challenges here on DoA with an eye towards refining my dolls’ wardrobes. And I guess that’s how I’m focusing on no-buy, by working on refining my crew in general, changing or making wigs, redoing or enhancing faceups, redefining characters (with all the creativity that entails.) I utilize my posting in the yearly goals thread as my roadmap, constantly reworking it and listing my completed accomplishments to keep me on track.

And of course I hang out in the no-buy Brigadoon thread here: /threads/looking-for-doll-no-buy-buddies.860567/ That’s always fun and inspiring!

 

I'm always in low-buy mode, and I want to get down to no-buy eventually... which is proving to be hard!

Main thing I do is focus on playing with my crew, which is my favourite BJD activity. If my hands and eyeballs are on my dolls, they're not clicking through doll shops, or looking at doll news/social media and risking temptation. So I lean hard into posing them, taking pics, telling stories -- the creative labour occupies a good chunk of my focus, time and energy, and I enjoy it a lot anyway.

I'm less into the crafting/sewing side of the hobby, I find it harder and less enjoyable than photography (but still enjoyable to a degree). I'll dabble if I feel like it, especially if I want more clothes for the crew but don't want to buy it, and if I'm up for the creative challenge.

Community-wise, I try to stay in the areas focused on storytelling, photography and crafting. I especially love the BJD Games subforum and post there a lot, it's the first forum I look at when I visit DoA. The Photo Gallery is great, but when I'm there, I find myself passively looking at other people's doll pics. Whereas BJD Games prompt me to actively take photos of my crew and share them.

I do take time-outs from the online community every so often - the community chatter around new releases, planning for and buying dolls sometimes gets wearisome, and I don't always want to be around constant consumerist talk. (This happens a bit more in the Discord doll communities that I'm in, less so on DoA.) When I step away from the online community, I usually focus on my own BJD blog and website. That also puts my eyes on my crew, gets me thinking about their story and planning new photostories to blog about.

I have a small local group of doll friends that I hang out with - all of us take photos and craft/sew to varying degrees, and we routinely have meetups. Some are crafty days, others are photoshoot days. It's a nice way to see other people's dolls (they're "new" to me!) and engage creatively together. Not everyone in the group is Low/No-buy, but these are people with whom I can discuss doll-buying plans in a thoughtful way, that considers each other's hobby goals and financial situations. I'm very thankful that I have a local doll group to engage with, when the online community gets tiresome.

I should add that my low-buy is in regard to buying dolls only. I'm always up for spoiling my crew by buying clothes and accessories for them! But nowadays my crew is very well serviced, so I'm working on low-buying this as well - stick within budget and my own common sense, and keep an accessory/clothing wishlist that I refer to every time I get itchy to shop.

 

Oof, I'm finally hitting a no-buy for resin dolls (may continue to get OT dolls and/or props) because I've run out of space. I'm also hemming and hawing about selling off dolls who no longer spark joy. It's not really a seller's market so I'm in no rush. However I've been making a conscious effort to engage with my collection more. Mostly I'm practicing faceups and sewing, but I may also move more into serious doll photography instead of hobby photography. I didn't think I'd become a no-buy collector until I'd built my "perfect" collection but I don't practice this hobby in a static way so I realized there'd never be a "perfect" collection. That made it easier to stop chasing the new and refocus on the now.

 

im on a doll buy ban because i bought too many dolls too quickly & i now need to focus on bonding with them and customizing them, i like my dolls to have wardrobes and such so im going to focus on that for now as well as finding some outfit grails

 

I've been on a "buying" kick. I don't make actual purchases, and there's not much the online stores have to offer at the moment that I want to own. That said, I do enjoy browsing, choosing what I like, then going no further. Looking and imagining scratches my buying itch.

For more tangible things, I have so much fabric, and many many sewing projects to focus on.