There has been a decided decrease in the purchasing power of
the average BJD hobbyist thanks to the decline of the secondhand market. We can
no longer purchase a doll knowing we cannot recoup most of our costs and turn
around and reinvest the money from that doll back into the market.
The large majority of doll collectors, I'd wager, do not
have the financial freedom to just purchase full cost dolls willy-nilly. Sure
there are some people, perhaps those with large incomes and/or no dependents to
care for who can buy several full-price mid or high range dolls a month, but
they're uncommon. I'm not qualifying this or saying those with more purchasing
power are better or worse than someone with less. It's simply a fact. It's a fact that most of the doll collectors
I know depend on their ability to sell a doll to buy a new doll. I know only 3
doll collectors on a personal basis that do NOT have to sell to buy. They may
choose to do so, but they're not required to do it. The point is they're
honestly a minority. This piece is concerned with the purchasing power of the
average doll collector and what the reduction of that power is doing to the
market and thus the future of the hobby.
There is this sense of haggling and deal making in this
hobby that has gone beyond respectable. People are wanting top of the line
dolls for Walmart prices- and they're wanting them now. No one wants to pay
$450 for a minifee, so they begin to search secondhand. They hope that they can
snag a good deal- maybe $350 with no long wait time….. then they begin to
search for one for $250 because it's not mint in it's box… because another
human touched it…. because how dare the original owner hope to get $400 for
that minifee?
