Ball Jointed Doll advice please?

[youngatheart]

Hi all, I live in Uk and really love BJDs especially the little ones but I really know nothing about them! Can anyone tell me where I can order any from living in uk, best ones for a complete beginner..that come complete and maybe any that aren't so expensive to start with please? thanks in advancexx

[Shadow Spark]

The main UK dealer that comes to mind is Angelesque. They are a dealer for something like eighteen companies, and while I've never used them, as I live in the US, I have heard good things about their customer service. Ordering through a dealer or directly from the company will ensure that you get a legit doll and not a recast. (Be aware, though, if you go through a dealer, that if you do not buy a doll listed as "in stock" there will be the same wait as directly from the company. The dealer has to order the doll from the company, and they usually do so in groups, after they have accumulated orders over a period of time, like a month or two.) Mint On Card in the US is good as well (If you're willing to order from a dealer outside the UK), and will ship internationally. You can also order directly from the companies; usually, they will post dolls to just about anywhere in the world, and you may receive them more quickly.

What do you mean by "complete", exactly? Any doll except one that is labeled as a kit will come assembled, and usually with a random pair of eyes and possibly a wig, depending on which company you purchase from. If you mean dolls that come with eyes, wig, and clothing, those are usually called fullsets, and will be limited and more expensive than a basic doll. Faceups (the paint on the faces) may or may not be extra, but is often included on fullsets, although not usually on basic dolls unless you get lucky and find a company running a free faceup event.

For dolls that aren't so expensive, and are pretty good for beginners, there are a few companies I'd recommend. Resinsoul is one. They're not nearly as pricy as a lot of companies, have a wide range of resin colour options, and the dolls are pretty cute in general. Sometimes they require a bit of elastic tightening (which amounts to opening up the head, pulling the string tighter and tying a new knot-not too hard!), but I like them. 5stardoll is another I'd recommend. I adore their tiny dolls, and they're definitely more affordable than a lot of others. They have a bunch of tiny fantasy sculpts (like a baby bat-demon, an ogreish kid, and a baby hellboy-I own one of those and he is the cutest thing!), and several resin colours to choose from. Impldoll also makes some cute, affordable dolls, if you like fantasy tinies. (I'm not a fan of a couple of the sculpts, but the majority of them are nice.)

[xkelpiex]

Another nice "cheap" company is Doll Leaves. I have an Amara from them; she's my baby!

[brightberry]

I fell in love with LUTS tinies.

LUTS Tiny Link


Pukifees are also really cute:
Pukifee Link

So are Lati Yellows but I hear the wait time is really long and they only go on sale a few times each year:

Lati Yellow Link  -OMG Steampunk Peter Pan!  I need to investigate this further. *cough*


For wigs  I go to For My doll:

http://formydoll.com/index.php

And for clothes I shop at Esty.  Doing a search for Lati Yellow clothes usually does the trick as those three are all about the same size.

Those are the dolls I know and like personally.  But I guess it depends on what you consider inexpensive.  I think these are well, kind of pricey.  But so much cheaper when you wait on buying clothes and such.  Plus, some places like Denver Doll and Fabric Friends and Dolls will let you do a 3 month layaway so it doesn't hurt all at once.

Edit

Oh and if you want a bjd that isn't resin, you can try a Groove AI doll.

Groove AI Dolls on Amazon
The only drawback for them is that they are not actually resin and so off-topic on some forums.  But, they are super cute and can give you the feel of a more expensive doll.  I love mine.  They come in full-set clothes with changeable eyes and wigs.

[SwordPony]

I'll agree with what everyone else has said. I will say one thing this hobby isn't cheap. Even with the cheaper dolls it can still get expensive getting everything. It is a fun hobby though and once you have one it's hard not to keep one.

Oh and one more piece of advice go for a doll you love not just because it's cheap. Save up and get the one for you.

[FluffleNuff]

I agree that you should not just go for a cheap doll! It just so happened that I had a really strong connection with a cheaper doll, so I was lucky! But I personally feel that you should save for the one you want, because that is worth having!

Oh and if you like tinies (like I do! ) then you might want to know that Lati just released Peter Pan Steampunk which is a beautiful (and limited edition!) release and you might want to check that out! Lati is not the cheapest, but their dolls's faceups and sculpts are amazing!!

Really hope you find the doll you want!

[xkelpiex]

I did give you a cheaper option route, but at the same time, I also agree. Save up for the doll you REALLY want. Willow (my doll leaves Amara) just HAPPENED to be a cheap doll when I fell in love with her. But, then I went on to more expensive dolls because I also fell in love, and I couldn't be happier. I will admit that in the beginning I WAS looking for cheap dolls and I was about to give up because none really caught my eye, until my Willow. So, I was settling, but it wasn;t working, and then it happened that I fell in love.

[youngatheart]

thanks so much for all your replies, its really kind of you all! I will check out the suggestions and links thanks again

oh I almost forgot, someone mentioned to me a hujoo doll? can nayone tell me about them?

[Radiance]

Hujoo dolls are made of ABS plastic, nor polyurethane resin and they are ball jointed & strung like resin BJDs. They are not on topic for Den of Angels, the largest English speaking BJD forum. They are cute (I have several!) but they do NOT pose very well at all without serious modification. If you want a doll to just sit around looking cute Hujoo are great, but if you like posing dolls for photos you may want to pass on them. Are you on DoA? If you need an invite PM me here with your email address & I'll send you one Loads of good info there!


ETA: someone mentioned the Ai dolls made by Groove (same company that makes Pullip) and I have to say they are so stinkin' cute! I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/Groove-A-705-Ball-jointed-Doll-Gloxinia/dp/B002KMK042/ref=sr_1_16?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1410738337&sr=1-16&keywords=ai+doll

For the $ you can't beat that deal. They wear the same size clothes as Pocket Fairy BJDs so it's pretty easy to find outfits for them

[Flaileigh]

Definitely shop around and see what YOU want. If the doll is too expensive, just see about making a hybrid. The bodies tend to be the most expensive part of the doll. I have a couple of 100$ heads on cheap MiroDoll bodies, which I think I only spent 80$-120$ each for. (If I purchased the body from the companies, the bodies themselves would've been 300$-500$ each)

Right now my favorite doll is a "cheap" Angelheim Luka the Pan (With fantasy parts) that I got off of the DoA marketplace for 200$... He's pretty much decided that my MiniFee VE Woosoo is his girl, even tho she's "out of his league".

[barbgirl1999]

I agree with everything everyone has said so far.  I lucked out and actually fell in love with a cheaper doll first thing, and I still love him.  My Bobobie Weylin is still one of my favorites.

I've also had a Hujoo Berry and I can testify that they can be a pain to pose sometimes, but with a little bit of work they do okay.  They are adorable though, and I really liked mine, I just sold her recently to thin out the family and make some extra cash.

[Hervoyel]

I agree with the advice for choosing the doll you want rather than just one that happens to be the most accessible.

A good place to look through pages upon pages of different dolls from different companies is the news site http://bjdcollectasy.com/.