Before you buy...
Decided to give some serious thought to owning one of those dolls? Fantastic! But which one? Some people see a specific doll and know straight away that is the one, but of course this doesn't apply to everyone.
Since Volks launched the Four Sisters in 1999 the world of BJDs has grown a lot. Great on one hand, because you get a lovely amount of variation, but on the other hand... Decisions! Where do you buy a doll? What kind of doll do you want anyway? Can you trust that secondhand offer?
On this page you will find information that will hopefully give you the knowledge you need to get your first doll in a save and fun way.
Before you begin
Strictly speaking the term "BJD" only applies to dolls that are held together with elastic, but because these dolls led to the creation of vinyl dolls we will also be covering those.
Because this hobby built up an astounding amount of variation over the years it's impossible to cover every brand in this basic advice, so for everything goes; Do your own research as well! Make sure you have a good idea of what you want and what it's worth, and maintain a skeptical eye when dealing with secondhand offers. scam-prevention
What can you expect cost-wise?
In the end there's a lot of variation in costs, but as a rule of thumb; This is not a cheap hobby.
Depending on the brand, size, material and rarity a doll can be as "cheap" as €50,-, or as expensive as €1200,-, and that's before the shipment costs and secondhand market come into play (at the time of writing of this article a rare Volks "Williams Romantic Glance" is for sale at Dolly Teria for the small price of 370.00 yen, or about €2.288,-)
In my experience a new standard model 1/3 (SD) size doll with eyes, wig, and face-up will cost between €300,- and €600,-. Added to this will be the shipment- and potential import-costs.
Clothes, wig and eyes for dolls can get pretty expensive depending on quality and maker, but a basic set can sometimes be grabbed for a few tenners. Are you or do you know someone who's handy with a sewing machine? Then there's enough free patterns around to build up a basic wardrobe.
What kind of doll?
De main group of the BJD hobby consists of resin BJDs, and Vinyldolls are often seen as a sub-group thereof. Here's the general differences between the two;
| Resin | Vinyl |
|---|---|
| Cast in Polyurethane resin | Pressure-moulded in Vinyl |
| Parts are held together with elastic | Parts are assembled onto an internal frame |
| Heavy (70cms dolls can weight up to 3 kilos) | Light, less than a kilo |
| Usually have a more realistic appearance | Usually have a more “Anime” appearance |
| Quicker to yellow | Quicker to stain |
For most buyers the decision comes down to a matter of taste, but if you want to go out a lot with your doll it might be a better choice to go with a lighter vinyl doll, or even to assemble a hybrid doll.
What size?
Big enough to join you at the table, or small enough to put in your pocket?
Within the hobby 3 "standard" sizes are used, that are often referred to with the Volks-specific abbreviations;
1/6 (YoSD) - about 25 cms high
1/4 (MSD) - about 45 cms high
1/3 (SD) - about 60 cms high
Outside of these standard sizes there are both bigger and smaller dolls. 70 cms dolls are sometimes called "uncle" types, dolls below 25 cms "tinies".
Beware! These are general terms! Doll makers often give unique names to their dolls of a certain size.
Als with the above material matter, the answer to this question often comes down to a matter of taste; if you like cute children's faces you'll end up with MSD and smaller sizes. Elegant ladies and handsome men, on the other hand, dominate in the SD and higher group.
That said, some brands like Granado Doll produce smaller dolls that do have an adult appearance.
At max 42 cms heigh Fairyland MiniFees are small MSDs at best, but they have adult proportions.
New or secondhand?
Budget is the main reason to enter the secondhand market, but dolls that are no longer being produced can also be found here.
A new dolls is of course, well, new. When you buy a new doll you'll have the guarantee that it will be in tip-top shape, cost what it's worth, and really came from that one maker. If you buy additional wigs, eyes and clothes from the same maker you can also safely assume they will fit the doll well.
You'll need to pay more attention when buying secondhand, but this does offer the chance of bargains and products you can't get otherwise. Sometimes a doll will be sold with all accessories and you'll have a nice starter kit straight away, or your dream doll will be put up for a cheap price because of a defect that you don't care about.
While purchasing new offers safety and supports the maker directly I do recommend keeping an eye on the secondhand market either way; aside from the before-mentioned bargains it can give you an idea of what items are worth.
Can this be trusted?
"If it's too good to be true..." is easily said, but you really can get lucky sometimes. Visit our Scam-prevention page for advice and tips to avoid being scammed!
In conclusion
There is no "right" way to enter the hobby; one person buys a Full-set with everything on it within a week, the other decides to go for that one doll only after weeks of thinking and saving.
My best advice? Dive right into it! Join /Den of Angels or Vinyl Dream Adoption & Chat, or visit the BJD tag on instagram. Lots of viewing and reading is the best way to discover your own taste; maybe you were considering a Dollfie Dream, but end up having your heart stolen by a MiniFee (or both!).
In any case I wish you a ton of fun on your journey!