Asian Ball-Jointed Doll: Collecting These Dolls is a Great Hobby
Even Soom Doll’s Uyoo, who, at 12 inches (30 centimeters), is the size of a fashion doll, costs about $240.00 USD. That’s for a naked doll with eyes and a wig, shipping not included. A more common purchase, like one of Volks’ Super Dollfies (24 inches / 60 centimeters), runs about $600.00 USD, again without shipping. Wigs, eyes, clothes and other accessories quickly add up. It is not uncommon to spend another doll’s worth of money while trying to outfit the first one!
Now that you have an idea how much the BJD hobby will cost you, you have two options. You can bang your head against the keyboard in despair. Or you can come up with ingenious ways to afford your new interest. Below are some creative ways to scrape together money for the most beautiful dolls in the world.
1. Get a job. BJD owners work hard for their dolls. They may take a second job or, especially if they are younger, find more informal ways of raising money: academic tutoring, bake sale, car wash, child care, elder care (cooking, driving, grocery delivery and other chores for senior citizens), house work (cleaning, cooking, organizing), pet care, yard work (gardening, lawn mowing, leaf raking), etc. If you have a regular job, set a small amount aside for your doll fund every time you get paid.
2. Sell your creative services. Many BJD lovers sell BJD-related services to raise money; they make wigs, create jewelry, sew clothes, sculpt BJD-size food or accessories, import BJD-size props, do faceups and other aesthetic services on others’ BJDs, make dolls or stuffed animals for BJDsâÂ?¦and even draw BJD portraits. Warning: The market for BJD-related products and services is extremely competitive, even saturated, right now. If you are an enterprising artist, you should probably sell your talents outside the BJD realm. If you are skilled with the sewing machine, try making clothes for fashion dolls or even little kids. If you’re a manga artist, maybe you can find a market in fan communities.
3. Sell an existing collection. Make room for BJDs in your life by getting rid of something you are no longer interested in. In my case, I sold 1:6 action figures. Prospective BJD owners also sell fashion dolls (especially Barbies), porcelain dolls, My Little Ponies, manga, DVDs, CDs, video games, etc. Interest-specific message boards and eBay are good places to unload your unwanted collectibles.
4. Sell secondhand books. While you must be 18 to have an account with certain online auction sites, there doesn’t seem to be an age restriction on offloading used books at a local bookstore; I myself was doing this from the age of 13. Popular fiction in good condition (no highlighting, folded pages, rips or stains) gains the highest price, but other genres, including textbooks, can sell too. (Try half.com for textbooks.)
5. Sell a bit of everything. If you have odds and ends rather than a whole collection, wait until you amass enough stuff. Then hold a garage sale or yard sale.
6. Save coins. Make a BJD-dedicated bank out of a coffee tin, a plastic take-out container, or even a piggy bank. It doesn’t need to be fancy; it just needs to be assigned to doll money only. Label it or put BJD photos on it to inspire you. Then throw all the change from your cash purchases into the BJD bank, and resist the urge to break it open for little things along the way. Every bit counts.
7. Find the change jar. Maybe you’re one of those lucky people who has family or friends with a 15-pound tin full of loose coins. Spring on it! If you can’t get the whole tin, offer to count the contents, put them into coin rolls and/or take them to the bank for a cut of the total. Even if you don’t have 15 pounds of money, all that loose currency does add up.
8. Scrounge for change. Look under couch cushions or inside pockets when you do laundry. Pick up coins from the sidewalk or the change slot in the phone booth. Just remember – taking all the pennies from the “take a penny / leave a penny” bowl on the store’s counter is not scrounging; it’s stealing.
9. Return bottles and cans. If you if in a U.S. state where there are deposits on cans, take advantage of it. If your roommate is a soda addict, or your neighbors had a beer bash over the weekend, use their empties to fund a BJD. Pick up bottles and cans when out in public too.
10. Ask for a gift. If you have generous loved ones, they might cover the entire cost of a BJD as a present. However, in my experience, it’s more likely that the price tag on the resin object of your affection will cause great sticker shock, so asking people to cover part of a BJD’s cost is a better option. For example, last Christmas, I asked for “money for the Disgustingly Expensive Doll Fund,” and I got a nice chunk of change. Self-deprecating humor works wonders. Oh yes – and, if you get cash for a present, put it toward your BJD.
Accumulating and saving money takes time and patience. Just remember your ultimate goal: a beautiful, durable, hand-crafted doll that you can customize and enjoy for years.
(Note: I compiled this advice from my own experience and from members of the BJD message board Den of Angels. Hopefully this article helps board members and newcomers afford the dolls they want.)
