A lot of people preorder dolls off of the illustrations or promotional photographs. Others will wait until ‘real’ photos start to surface of the doll in the hands of a collector, minus any “box hair”. Once the tangles are removed, the bangs evened out a bit, and the doll in a completely different outfit, the real potential of the doll really starts to come out. I remember with the Neo-and-Middie duo with the funky two-toned hair came out and a lot of people were clamouring to get them. But I hardly ever see any photos of them anymore! This may also be because I’m not contacts with the right people on Flickr, Instagram or Facebook. It would be nice to see more of these dolls, I find that a lot of the ‘newer’ releases tend to fade into the background, and it’s hard to keep up with them when dolls like Mandy Cotton Candy have similar hair colour combinations to some fake Blythes. Will the real Blythe please stand up? But I digress! Those who get on preorder lists are smart! Even if it is an impulsive decision based off of illustrations, the price that they pay sets the tone for the overall worth of the doll when it comes to the secondary market. If a new doll comes out with the price of, for example, $150, you aren’t going to see that doll go for less than that unless it is less stock items.

Apparently Cedar would like to feel some love…

For me, doll shopping has hit a bit of a lull. I have less room now, and I can afford to be more picky based on the fact that I can’t afford all of the new releases that I want (Charlotte des Fleurs, I am looking at you and all your pink poof). So I have to sit, and wait. And even if I’m not actively buying any dolls, I do have a wishlist that I hope to fulfill, one of these days, and I do keep one eye on the listings to see what dolls are going for these days. Sit and watch. Save for customs, stock dolls come up every so often and the prices do fluctuate. So far, there hasn’t been any listings that have made me want to jump up and go “I WANT YOU!”. Savvy or not, the sitting and waiting game has served me well, I think. The only thing that undermines that is the fact that I end up spending money on doll clothing or shoes instead. Which may or may not be a good thing. I’m trying to be good about not spending that much on dolly things lately – so I have more for spending in Seattle!

Are you an impulse or savvy doll shopper? (Or perhaps an impulsive savvy doll shopper?)