I noticed there's an influx of newbies in our local bjd community, most of them are asking for links to or dolls that are within their price range without caring for the size or the brand. If you ask them to be more specific (size, look, gender etc. so you can actually give recommendations that fit what they are looking for, they will ask for dolls posted by other members, most of them the expensive ones. And then once they see the price they'd complain about how it's expensive, can you link them to a doll that looks like it that's within their budget (usually the dolls they want are upwards of $500, their budget is 1/5 of that...Basically they want a top of the line Mercedes with a Toyota starter car budget, if you want an analogy). Then they'll buy something cheap but they don't actually want so they'll have a bjd, then not even a month later sell that in the marketplace. IDK what to say to these people to be honest - this hobby can get expensive, make sure to research first especially the sculpts you want. There's no instant gratification too, you have to actually work on styling and dressing up your doll too so they can look the way you want. I'm just sad for all the bjds I see in the marketplace unloved, and people saying "selling for funds for new doll". I think the price aspect is something you have to consider, as well as the size and overall look of the bjd. You learn more as you lurk the hobby spaces and save up for a "grail" or an expensive doll you really like. But I guess some of the newbies just don't have the patience to save up or wait for pre-orders, nor do they do research. They just want a bjd they can hold and dress up and take photos of to be part of the cool kids, asap.
~Anonymous