Cost an Arm and a Leg
This one is a bit vague if you don't know about the dolls in picture, but the meaning is that it's pretty much what these two cost me. Eiko's the most I've ever paid for a doll. Yuffie would have been even more, if Valentine hadn't paid for half of her. Actually, I don't think I've paid this much for any other item as I have shelled out for these two... Our apartment of course cost me more, but somehow that was so much money, that I didn't even realise paying for it. Now it's just some neat monthly payments.
When I started out in this hobby, I couldn't think of spending over a 1000€ for a single doll. Of course, my finances were a lot tighter back then. When I paid for my Unoa, right before our wedding, I cringed at the price tag. A Volks limited seemed very unobtainable. But now I've got two of them.
And somehow I can't think of it as spending money. They are like an investement. They might be an investment that won't give me back what I put into them, but I'll quite probably get very close to getting even. They are also like trophies, especially Yuffie. She was my real life achievement for losing those 13kg. And much prettier than a plain medal :D
Paying for the doll isn't that bad, actually. But I get a little dizzy, when I look at the amount of money I've spent on their clothes and other accessories. Those pile up quick! And since it's "just 40$" for an outfit or a pair of eyes, compared to the doll it is cheap. And you get disillusioned pretty quickly. Thenagain, having an expensive doll with low-quality accessories has always seemed like a bit of a waste to me. Not meaning that I wouldn't grab a bargain if one came up. You don't have to burn money to have a pretty doll. But you probably won't get one for free either.
Ah, and on the subject on spending, I have so far maintained my promise not to buy anything this month. I've actually been too busy to even go shopping :D With comissions, D&D, Rayman and writing, I have had my days full.
That pic is gorgeous, the two of them are so beautiful. *__*
VastaaPoistaHaving been a little over two years (with dolls, that is, I've known of BJDs, wanted one and collected information for a lot longer) in this hobby, I've started to think that it might be wiser to invest in a doll/dolls that have more "collectible value" than to just buy "some doll" cheap.
I mean, I do love my "cheaper dolls" as well, but I've realized that when thinking of dolls also as an investment, it might be better to buy for example a Volks doll or a Soom doll, which have a stable demand among hobbyists.
Sure, it's a lot of money (especially for the larger dolls) at once, but it will keep its value a lot better than - say - a Resinsoul, Dollzone or a Dikadoll. Based on what I've seen how much people are willing to pay at DoA for said dolls.
Yes, that thing with the doll clothes has also occurred to me recently when I went through my doll stuff. Oops. It's really easy to just buy a shirt, one pair of pants, some eyes... and soon you have a lot of stuff that didn't seem to cost all that much at once but when put together...
Congrats on having been able to keep you coal not to buy stuff! ^3^/ You're an inspiration in many ways, :''D
Thank you *3*
VastaaPoistaYeah although you can still get some money back from non-limiteds, if you lose let's say even 20% off the price you paid for the doll, with the amount that these dolls generally cost... Well, I'm cheap and don't like throwing money to the wind. :D Others might see it differently though, and I can understand that some just buy the doll as a regular purchase. And the cheaper doll (or why not even a super-expensive limited) can be just bought to have a nice thing, and there's no thought about the price tag after the doll is paid for.
But I'm trying to reinforce on myself a total limit of money spent on dolls. Or rather, tied up by dolls. It is a great help whenever Valentine starts questioning me about my dolls :D But it greatly limits the amount of dolls to get, since lets face it, more dolls means more money. I'd love to get even more limiteds (Charlotte, Lieselotte and even that bloody Williams, I'm looking at you!), but I just can't justify the cost anymore. Until I free up some doll funds by selling old stuff or gain more budjet by doing face-ups or sewing clothes. And this is now becoming more and more impossible, since I love my current dolls so much :D But it's still there, the possibility of selling one of these, and if I do, then I want all my money back. ;) And for that reason, investing in Volks resin is a good bet.