Guidance for a First Time BJD Buyer

[MikeysGrrrl]

So, I'm seriously considering getting a BJD. I've seen some really beautiful ones in various threads and I'm learning as I go. I'm branching out and hoping that you lovely collectors can give me an idea of a good starting point for a first time purchase without breaking the bank.

What doll or line of dolls is good for a first time buyer that wants to become familiar with these little gems?  Any good websites to purchase from? Any tips? Pricing ideas? Basically anything you wanted to know when you first started collecting

Thanks guys

[FainneRoisin]

I have a Doll-Love, and I recommend them.  They are less expensive than a lot of brands, and I think the quality is fantastic.  I bought mine from liwenjie0310 on Ebay, who is an authorized dealer.  Mine also came with a free outfit, wig, and faceup, which was awesome. 
Here's my girl, she's a Doll-Love KE:
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

[NoDivision]

Another good relatively inexpensive brand is Mystic Kids, which can be bought through The Junky Spot or Alice's Collections. I think their quality is very nice for the price. And a lot of people here have (or have previously had) dolls from Resin Soul / Bobobie which are very budget friendly.

However, my suggestion is to save for what you really want Let's face it, you're going to be spending probably a couple of hundred dollars to get even the cheapest resin doll (especially if you figure in a wig, eyes, faceup, clothes, etc), so I'm of the opinion that if you're going to be spending a lot of money you should get a doll you really love rather than settling for something just because it's a bit cheaper. Of course if you totally love a less expensive doll then that's awesome for your wallet, but don't limit yourself.

My favorite place to fall in love is Flickr. I browse BJD groups all the time and start getting an idea for companies and sculpts that I like.

[xkelpiex]

Take a look at Doll Leaves! But, I also agree with NoD. I just happened to fall in love wtha cheaper doll for my first, I was very lucky that way. You should always been absolutely in love with the doll you are buying!

[MikeysGrrrl]

Thanks for the advice everyone

I've been checking out dolls on the luts website and I am absolutely in love with 2 of the dolls:
Kid Delf YUL ROMANCE SATYROS FULL PACKAGE ver. - MOONLIT SONG
and
Kid Delf YUL SATYRESSE FULL PACKAGE ver. - MOONLIT SONG

I think these are both stunning, although I would prefer them with human bodies as opposed to what they show in the pictures. I believe that I'm just finding all of the options and add ons overwhelming since I don't understand a lot of it

I definitely want to get a doll I love instead of something I just like. So no worries about settling for less Honestly the closest I've come to holding a jointed doll is an EQD which is clearly not the same thing.

[Tiella]

I recommend Mystic Kids dolls as well and I always recommend Junky Spot as they have fantastic customer service. I own many very expensive BJDs and I recently got a Mystic Kids doll and she is gorgeous and super great quality for a great price. Junky Spot carries Bobobie as well which are basic and inexpensive BJDs, look around online for owner pictures because the default faceup pictures don't do them justice.

[Rhini]

Another good relatively inexpensive brand is Mystic Kids, which can be bought through The Junky Spot or Alice's Collections. I think their quality is very nice for the price. And a lot of people here have (or have previously had) dolls from Resin Soul / Bobobie which are very budget friendly.

However, my suggestion is to save for what you really want Let's face it, you're going to be spending probably a couple of hundred dollars to get even the cheapest resin doll (especially if you figure in a wig, eyes, faceup, clothes, etc), so I'm of the opinion that if you're going to be spending a lot of money you should get a doll you really love rather than settling for something just because it's a bit cheaper. Of course if you totally love a less expensive doll then that's awesome for your wallet, but don't limit yourself.

My favorite place to fall in love is Flickr. I browse BJD groups all the time and start getting an idea for companies and sculpts that I like.

I agree 100% with NoD. I just started getting into them recently as well, mostly from seeing everyone's beautiful photos here on the bjd thread and on flickr. There's also lots of facebook groups etc for fans as well. I tend to fall in love with dolls easily, but if you've found a doll you really really want above all others, go for it! The runs are usually very limited so it's easy to miss your chance to get the doll you really want and then you get stuck hoping someone doesn't like theirs when they get it and sells it secondhand.

Incidentally here's the human versions for the dolls you posted

http://dec712241.gdreamweb.com/shop/step1.php?number=7851&b_code=B20101202055721

http://dec712241.gdreamweb.com/shop/step1.php?number=7852&b_code=B20101202055721

A few basic things to begin with assuming we're starting from point 0  . Anyone else feel free to correct me since I'm still new to the hobby too. These and all "legitimate" ball jointed dolls are made of cast resin. This makes them fairly sturdy, but also more delicate than a plastic doll so you have to be fairly careful when you handle them. They're held together with elastic strung throughout the body and attached at various points, which makes them able to pose very nicely.

They generally come with lots and lots of options which like you said can be overwhelming. So we'll look at moonlit song (who is sooo pretty and I totally want her too!) Skin color refers to what color base resin you want to use. In the case of the doll you linked, since she's on a fantasy deer body you get the option of making the deer body a different color resin from her human parts. Otherwise whatever resin color you chose would be applied to the whole body. They do give you the option there of  buying her human body as well. The nice thing about bjds is their heads can usually be swapped out very easily, so you could switch her head between the human and fantasy bodies. The head option has the same face, but with human ears or elf ears, and then you can add the clear resin horns to either one. Face up means makeup, so if you want your doll to have the makeup in the pictures, you'll need to pay for that as well. Otherwise she will come blank. There are lots of great artists out there though who do faceups, so its very easy to give her unique makeup as well. Body blushing refers to making the body (with the exception of the head) look more realistic with subtle makeup. They also then give you to the option to buy the clothes and wig pictured

I hope that helps! Welcome down the wormhole

[lovesbabysquirmy]

A BIG piggy bank!  LOL 

[MikeysGrrrl]

Thanks for finding those links for me Rhini, and for explaining some of the options to me. I've been checking out the Junky Spot and Alices Collection and I found one that I want, I think this one will wind up being my very first BJD

http://www.acbjd.com/xia-ruo-p-6306.html?cPath=340_346

Absolutely adorable! It really is hard not to get into these, especially after looking at all the pics here and on other sites.

[brightberry]

Oooo... what I do is make a list of all the dolls I love along with their picture and see which one sticks with me over a few days.  I haven't been in the hobby long at all.  I really only have my centaurs and Tonner's Amelia and Sad Sally.  I don't think anything would stop me from those tiny centaurs.  It didn't even feel like a choice.

I know you would love the LUTS dolls.  The tinies I have are well strung, amazing balance and I really don't have to do much for them but play. 

I think your Xia Ruo pick is really cute too.  That face and those ears... so adorable!

My other favorite places to window shop are:

http://www.denverdoll.com/
^ layaway options

http://fabricfriendsdolls.com/
^ can put LUTS dolls on layaway. Just ask to see if its available.

And then some of my favorite places for eye candy:

http://dollfairyland.com/index.php
http://dollsoom.com/eng/gem.html
http://www.eluts.com/index.php
http://www.dollmore.net/index.php
http://piposland.com/index.php
http://www.jpopdolls.net/store/home.php
http://www.wildeimagination.com/amelia/home  <- Amelia is a bjd
http://iplehouse.com/home/?page_no=en_index&nhn1=en
and Doll Zone



Stringing is really frustrating for me though simply because I'm clumsy when it come to crafts.  My Amelia came with a kicky leg and my Daisy Days centaur is somewhat difficult.  But I do work it out eventually and you are so talented, I don't think it will be a problem for you.  But I think that is my biggest annoyance in bjd.       It still doesn't stop me from buying.


Oh... and I know that some Tuesday Mornings, Amazon and Ebay have some Groove AI dolls for cheap ($30-$40) if you just want to experiment on a bjd first.  They are very cute.  Made of plastic but I think they can give you an idea of what a bjd is like.

http://www.amazon.com/A-721-Ball-jointed-Doll-Ai-Primula/dp/B004G09XU8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390165583&sr=8-1&keywords=ai+doll

[TexasGal]

This is so helpful...I am wanting to get started and purchase my first one as well, but it's hard to know where to start and find a cheap one to start with...

[ZennaBug]

BJDs are the best!    I have 6, plus a floating head, and two on the way. 

I think the most important thing to ME is to go for dolls you love.  There are a lot of lovely affordable dolls out there, but I tend to have expensive taste.  Originally, I was going to get a Resin Soul Mei because she is - in my opinion - one of the prettiest of the cheaper dolls.  At one point, I went into DDE and saw her in person and didn't find myself loving her enough to spend the money.  Eventually my grail doll came up for sale at a great price - $450.  I was able to buy her on layaway and once I held her in my hands, I knew that I would much rather spend 4 times as much on a doll that I adore, than save money and buy one I just liked.

I adore all my dolls and they come from a variety of companies:

1 doll from Doll Factory
1 doll from Cherish Doll
1 doll from Soom
1 doll from Boy and Girl
2 full dolls, 1 head, and 1 on the way from Fairyland
1 doll on layaway from LoongSoul; I'm not expecting to hold her for another 9 months.

Of those dolls, my Cherish Doll is the cheapest in both price and quality.  But she's a unicorn and I just adore her!  It helps that I scraped up the money to pay for her to have a great faceup, which really makes a huge difference.  A great artist can make a cheap doll look like a million bucks and a bad faceup can make a really expensive doll look cheap.  I had one doll sit around blank for 5 months before I was able to get a spot with the artist I wanted.  And the 3 gals who need faces now will probably be faceless for months more while I wait for a commission spot for them too.

I save up money every time I babysit, dogsit, or just have a $5 in my wallet.  I keep that money in an envelope labeled "Dolly Money" and use that money to buy new dolls.  Layaway is also your best friend!  With all the pretty dolls, it would be really easy to get carried away, so I have a self-imposed rule of one doll at a time (with the exception of two dolls I bought together from an event last year).  Once a layaway is completed, I start rebuilding my dolly fund back up a few dollars at a time when I can spare them, which makes it easier to buy new dolls without hurting my budget for important things, like rent and food.  Just by stashing spare change and side money, I can save $70-$150 a month (depending on how much pet sitting and babysitting I can manage on top of 3 jobs).

I've bought dolls several ways.  My first was a lucky eBay find, but you can't count on those.  My second, I bought as part of a small group order here, from an event.  My third came from the DoA marketplace on a 3-month layaway, which I was able to pay off a month early.  #4 I picked up at a local doll meet and arranged a 6-month layaway of $50 per month; I also paid this one off a month early.  5 and 6 I bought from DDE with a deposit up-front and the rest due when the doll arrived.  The floating head was another DoA marketplace purchase.  The FL girl I'm waiting on is a present from my mom, who is using DDE's layaway.  And the LS doll is my first purchase from Mint on Card, with a 6-month layaway.  I haven't had a bad dolly-buying experience yet and would do any of these again in a heartbeat.

Um, I think that's all the advice I have!  Can't wait to see your first BJD! 

ETA:  There's debate among some really serious BJD collectors about what is and what is not a BJD.  On DoA, there are on-topic dolls and off-topic dolls; I don't really hang out there enough to know which is which.  It has something to do with resin vs. non-resin, Asian vs. Non-Asian, and other things too I think.  I consider them all to be BJDs as long as they have ball-joints and stringing.  The dollhouse is very accepting of all dolls, obviously, which is why I love it here.  But yeah... if you wander about to other doll forums, some are very strict on what they consider a BJD.

[Miss Violet]

So many great links!!!I love these dolls!!! and i was wondering too where to find them!!!
I love MLP Arena you can learn so many things !!!! Thanks everypony for all these great infos!!!

[Hervoyel]

One tip that I like for selecting a first doll is to think about what you're planning to do with it, what styles of dolls you admire, and what you want to spend (in terms of effort and in terms of money).

If you're looking forward to getting right into re-stringing and sueding and maybe even modding and don't want to spend too much cash, then you really can't go wrong with Bobobie, Resinsoul, Fantasy doll and Angel Street - but on the flip side, if you want a doll that's going to be solid as a rock right out of the box, then Those same companies might be ones to avoid.

If you're looking for an instant display piece, it's hard to go wrong with one of the Volks limited editions - but if you're looking to build a big collection early on, then that's probably a bad idea just because of the financial cost (although you can often find those cheaper second hand on Mandarake).

And a lot has to do with size and style too - I love Iplehouse's hyper-realistic faces, but some people find the realism off-putting.  i also admire the super-stylized look of Doll Chateau, but I've heard plenty of people call those dolls weird and creepy.

If you're looking for a doll with specific fantasy parts or in specific colours, that changes the options too.

Whatever you choose though, good luck!  Selecting a new doll is always great fun!

[barbgirl1999]

I really don't have much to add to what's already been said, but welcome to the addiction! 

Other members have already given lots of good links and stuff, and I can definitely vouch for buying from JunkySpot and Denver Doll Emporium.  I have a layaway with DDE going myself right now, lol.

I was lucky enough to fall in love with an inexpensive doll right up front, so I was able to get him without having to do too much saving and waiting.  I also second the recommendation of always searching for owner pics of a sculpt or brand that you're interested in...I NEVER would have gotten a Bobobie Weylin based on stock photos, but I love my boy