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Post by allurose on Feb 14, 2015 12:18:33 GMT -8
In this hobby some dolls are very hard to acquire, either because of price or because the doll artists makes very few dolls.
Does the rareness of a doll make you want it more?
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Post by ivdolls on Feb 14, 2015 12:29:01 GMT -8
When i want to have a doll, i don't really care if its rare or not. My main reason to acquire a certain doll, its if i really like it, if the dolls appeals to me on all levels. But then if the doll is rare and not mass produced, it is also an extra point, but not the major factor.
I respect an artist's decision of not wanting to get her dolls mass-produced but creating OOAK dolls.
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Post by nanyalin on Feb 14, 2015 12:56:40 GMT -8
I've never considered rarity one of the main points for me when collecting. I've always bewitched by beauty, and I've found it in extremely popular branches with many dolls (Fairyland, for example), as well as in unique, rare pieces like my one off Naga (she is a completely unique, Hand made bjd, and she happened to be a gift). As a creator, even if I absolutely love to create ubique pieces and one-offs, I've enjoyed the most when I've been able to give away my dolls or sell them/trade them for symbolic prices just to enjoy the happyness of the owners; ( of course within the limits, since I need to eat and have calefaction in winter like everyone else xD!) But again, everyone can have a different point of vew. I found also strange the thought of an edition of 10 dolls to be mass-produced (since those words kinda make me think in hundred of dolls)
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Post by bibarina on Feb 14, 2015 13:03:10 GMT -8
It isn't a consideration for me really- if I fall in love with a doll, I just fall in love, regardless if it is rare or not. I find it more heart breaking if they are rare or difficult to get hold of, as this generally means the prices are really high, and way off my budget!!! I find this frustrating!!
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Post by nanyalin on Feb 14, 2015 13:17:59 GMT -8
I also can understand that the market dictates the prices, and the higer the demand of a product, vs. It's scarcity increases the value.
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Post by lilithskyblue on Feb 14, 2015 16:17:06 GMT -8
I think in the doll world, collectors like to show off their dolls to each other. And while I think the number one factor in buying a doll is liking how it looks, rarity can make it even more desirable. It's very exciting to acquire a doll that just about no one has, you think, "wait till I show everyone!" Then everyone is marveling over it, and congratulating you, it's fun. Some people love Louie Vuitton bags, but they are expensive and only a select few can have them, if everyone had them, would anyone really care as much about them?
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Post by ivdolls on Feb 14, 2015 20:55:18 GMT -8
In the porcelain doll world, though, "rare" seems to require being put on waiting lists that go nowhere. I'm so over that. I am so with you on this.
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Post by allurose on Feb 14, 2015 21:57:27 GMT -8
I agree, waiting lists without end are a drag.
For me, rarity is actually a negative thing. Of course the most important factors are to do with the doll itself, then maybe how much I like the artist and feel comfortable shelling money...but I don't like it when dolls are rare. The doll community is a big part of the hobby to me, and I think dolls become more fun when lots of people have them and can enjoy them together.
I like to see pictures other people take of the same doll I have, I like to make friends with them and talk about the dolls. I can get ideas from about clothes and wigs and posing. It's so much fun!
I like to buy clothes for my dolls, and if a doll is so rare that no one is making clothes, all you can find is stuff that doesn't quite fit. And if the doll is truly rare or a strange size, you might not even be able to commission clothes that fit perfectly without sending the doll to the seamstress, which no one wants to do. And don't even talk to me about shoes.
I suppose if I was the type to buy an OOAK costumed doll and just display it in its original outfit and never change it, I wouldn't care about being able to find clothes or wigs or whatever. But I like to interact with my dolls, make them my own by customizing and dressing them. I don't do shelf babies.
I do have some "rare" dolls and I don't mind it enough to not have bought the doll, but if you ask me, the more people have the doll the more fun it is.
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Post by eiko82 on Feb 15, 2015 0:02:47 GMT -8
I pretty much agree with everything that Allurose said, especially on the 'making friends' and 'finding clothes for your doll' parts. It's no fun having a doll for which it's hard to find clothes.
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Post by 415ea on Feb 15, 2015 0:22:29 GMT -8
Rarity and exclusivity are certainly one way to measure value--the status symbols in life. But to me, it is a sad thing for an artist or collector to judge artistic merit on the commercial success or rarity of a doll. As a collector, what I am looking for in a doll is for a doll artist to elevate the medium. I'm not looking for something that is just scarce--I am looking for something that is rare in terms of its artistic vision, something that has a unique voice, something that evokes a true emotional response. I'm interested in the doll artist that creates because s/he feels s/he must give physical form to the muses in her/his soul--whether that doll sold for a large amount of money or not. So for me, when I buy a doll that is costumed by the artist, I never change the costume again because what I'm after is that particular artist's vision. I like to interact with the art by changing its pose or display, but I do not like to alter the look of the artist's original vision.
Of course, all artists need to be able to support themselves and their families--and I wish that all the doll artists whose work I love enjoy great amounts of financial success because I want them to be able continue to focus on making their art. But I also think it is wonderful when art does not belong to, nor made just for, the wealthy, the elite, the entitled few. When I first learned of the Popovy Sisters dolls, it was when they only made static dolls. Yes, those dolls were rare and yes, those dolls were expensive--but more important than any of that, their dolls were just pure art! I was beyond ecstatic when I first learned they were going to make a resin BJD line because that meant their art would become more accessible to more people--including myself. The fact that the Popovy Sisters produce their dolls in greater numbers than some rarely produced OOAK porcelain does not diminish the artistic value and beauty of their dolls. Even though most of what the Popovy Sisters create is not rare or exclusive, I still gasp every time they come out with something new because it is always something I have never seen before--now THAT is true art, and that is what makes me want their art!
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Post by bibarina on Feb 15, 2015 3:35:27 GMT -8
I agree with what you say too allurose. I love it when my dolls have 'sisters' elsewhere, and the fun of interacting with other collectors. I have been a member of the Enchanted Doll Forum for about 3 years, but I never really interact on there, as I don't own an ED, and have been on the RED waiting list forever, and so have very little to contribute. I am a fiddler and creator, and love playing with different looks, making costumes, and wigs, but also like to purchase items that fit my dolls sometimes, as I like other people's creations too. I do however prefer to buy costumed dolls when I can afford it, as I like to keep the original concept of the artist intact.
I wouldn't ever buy a doll purely for 'investment' purposes- I have to really love the whole package- face, body and posing abilities first and foremost. It makes no difference to me if I have only spent a small amount of money- that doll can still be my 'favourite' over and above a much more expensive doll. My personal taste is not too 'pretty'. They have to have a personality too- beauty without personality just leaves me cold!!
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beau
Member
Posts: 39
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Post by beau on Feb 15, 2015 3:47:15 GMT -8
Allurose and 415ea,have very clearly put into words what most of us think, I certainly do,as I said in an earlier post,Popovy dolls didn't do anything for me for a long time,then suddenly... Well I've ordered Little Owl and have fallen in love with Peewit,I'm really happy to say their magic worked on me! I don't care how many people have these dolls,as Allurose said,more people to interact with/share ideas,and the more there are the more "stuff" is available for them,if you fall in love with a doll,rare or otherwise then you fall in love. Actually rare dolls etc upset me a bit because unless you have an awful lot of money you can't get them,just the way of the world but still.. There's always going to be things you can't afford and you can't let it upset you too much,and it's an artists right and probably need to produced one off creations. But endless waiting lists to me are unfair,why have them if it's all going to go quiet with no communication? I'm with Sutton on this .... So over it now. Still pretty Little Owl will be here soon got to think of a name for her,she's having an Asian face up by Mai, any thoughts? Something pretty
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beau
Member
Posts: 39
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Post by beau on Feb 15, 2015 3:53:37 GMT -8
Bibarina- absolutely ! It's all about what's precious to you, I have a little necklace my sister bought me for my birthday when she was a small girl,it cost less than a pound, from a market so you can imagine the quality !! Nevertheless it's so precious to me,she was so proud she had bought it and wrapped it for me,it's black with age but still in my box and always will be. Thats what it's about for me,some of the dolls shown here do absolutely nothing for me but their owners love them,and find them precious,it doesn't matter if it costs a pound or a hundred pounds if it's valuable to you then....
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Post by lilithskyblue on Feb 15, 2015 6:46:41 GMT -8
Well, while it may be fun for a person to own a "rare precious jewel of a doll" it does suck for those who came along too late in the game, or who just thought the beginning price was just too much. I know plenty of people lament that if they had only known what would happen with Enchanted dolls, they would have bought when they had the many opportunities that they did. So, if you loved the doll and had the money, why didn't you buy in the beginning? They say, I didn't know they would be so hard to get in the future, or that they would get so expensive, or I couldn't see myself pay that kind of money "for a doll". But I'm sure these people now would gladly pay whatever the price, if they could find one for sale, so it's worth the the even bigger price tag now? See what scarcity does? When resins came out, people who bought them started moaning that the were beautiful but the eyes were not painted, the blushing was coming off, the wigs aren't as well made, bla bla bla. Then the resins stopped coming, and so suddenly they are prized and sought after and expensive in the secondary market. And you don't hear too much complaining about them now. I have my own laments and opportunities lost, I could have been way up on the resin list but turned my nose up at the idea of resin, idiot that I am sometimes! So I am not pointing a finger at any particular people, we all do this type of thing, I just want to make a point about scarcity and how objects suddenly become more precious in our eyes when they are hard to attain.
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Post by ivdolls on Feb 15, 2015 9:14:28 GMT -8
Waiting list are for people who don't have big money but only wish to have a doll by their favourite artist. If you look closer to the new threads on ED forum, there is a number of the new porcelain dolls ( Dove, Rubinesque, Storm, etc.) that people got directly from the artist, and not from the auctions/art galleries. I am done checking my emails every day for 5 years and hoping to find a single word that it is finally my turn to order.
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