Tips for Buying a BJD

• Price check, price check, price check...I can't emphasize this enough. Some second-hand sellers will price BJDs higher than what you would have to pay for the doll from the company. The reason for this is that some people are willing to pay a bit more if they don't have to wait for the doll or if it has a custom face-up. Before buying a doll at a marked-up price make sure that it's worth it.


• Do your research. Make sure that the doll you are buying is really the one you want. Some buyers suffer from buyer's remorse after they buy a doll because it is cheaper than the one they really want or they didn't look around enough before deciding.


• Look for owner photos and details on posing. This is important so that you can avoid disappointment once the doll arrive because it was not as you expected. If it's a new doll company, you might want to wait for reviews from other people before buying.


• Consider the cost of everything. Add up all the costs and make sure you have enough money to dress and clothe the doll. If not, then you can order everything at a later date or you have to be willing to wait.You might also want to consider getting a custom face-up or body blushing from an artist.


• Look very close at photos from a custom job. If you ordered a custom paint job or clothing make sure that you look closely at the photos you may notice a mistake or something that you don't like about it. It's best to recognize this before it gets shipped back to you.


• Pay attention to sizing. Make sure you are buying the right size wig, eyes, dress, shoes, etc. for your doll. The last thing you want is to pay to have something shipped to you or plan an outfit around a dress only to figure out that you picked the wrong size. Some things will fit better than others on a doll, it all depends on who made the item, and what doll they used as a model.


• Look around. You might be able to find the same outfit cheaper on Etsy than on Ebay, the percent that Ebay takes from the seller is higher so the prices are usually higher on there. Another good option is to go to doll forums for clothing, there are usually a lot of people are there that sell custom clothes or ones that they are not using any longer.


• Look at the materials. It important to know what type of resin the doll is made out of. For example, some people do not like french resin because they feel that it gives the doll a transparent look. Depending, on what something is made out of it can be cheaper or for expensive. As an example, glass eyes will always be more expensive than acrylic ones for dolls. This is because they have a more realistic look to them.

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