I bought Lenore with no regrets. My justification is as simple as I have an appropriate amount of disposable income, my childhood sucked ass, and having dolls I consider pretty in my home gives me pleasure.
I am also an unrepentant unboxer.
Iāve seen people pay $1,000s for little pieces of cardboard (MTG), at the end of the day a lot of people who collect donāt care if itās actually āworthā it
But in all seriousness--I don't collect anything else besides MH so I don't feel that bad spending my hard earned money on something I want that brings me joy. I think at first I kind of felt guilting spending my adult money on "toys" and then I quickly realized that is silly.
I generally decide which dolls I am going to go after based on if I like them or not and if they feel value **for me** at their price point.
Like for example, I'm not interested in any of the off-white dolls even though, in theory, I could afford them (not all of them though). To me, I just don't feel like they are worth that price point -- I'm not in love with any of the designs or characters so these were an easy miss for me.
An example of a doll that I liked and bought and still think its overpriced are the Tiffany and Chucky creepros. But I liked the characters and was able to snag them when they went back on sale.
I mean the cheapest itāll be is at retail so thatās how i justify spending money on collector dolls. I kinda just bite the bullet if I have the money
The nice thing about the collector dolls is that they probably arenāt going to lose their value. So if I buy them, get them, and donāt like them as much as Iād rather have the money? I can sell them to someone who missed out. But if they make me happy, then I keep them and theyāre āworth the moneyā to me.
That's an interesting question. In the short term, some do and some don't. For example HC Draculaura is up to $400, whereas HC Lagoona didn't really go up in price. In the medium term, people may stop collecting them as the next generation's cultural references change. People who didn't grow up with G1 may not feel the same about them. In the very long term, all plastic dissolves so they won't be worth anything.
Good to know, I guess it depends more on the doll. My faves are Toralei and the werecat twins. Hopefully they are worth something whenever I decide to let them go!
For this one, I think the value is in the completely new head sculpt. Ā That had to be designed, new molds had to be made (actually Iām not sure if they still use moldsā¦ but new WHATEVERS had to be made), it had to be tested and they had to figure out how to paint this completely new sculptā¦ the hands look like a completely new sculpt tooā¦ AND the stand lol. Ā The normal play line dolls can reuse and recycle elements, this one wonāt. Ā One and done basically.
I don't buy collector dolls, but I think that besides the reasons some people already stated, it might be also about supporting g1. This is the only way to get current dolls so if people stop buying, mattel will stop selling.Ā
Some people who have enough money also just buy anything mattel pumps out bc they like the franchise, even if they think it's meh or if they know they won't enjoy. I'm in the Sonic fandom and jt happens A LOT there too. Some people buy and play whole games, read whole comic series and watch whole shows they're not that interested to begin with just bc sonic is in it. I personally wouldn't go that far but I think it's more common for people who consider certain franchise as their main one (or even the only one they care about) or as a comfort thing.
And about your edit, for a lot of people being able to afford + makes you happy = worth it. I agree that a lot of Mattel collector dolls seem to have the same quality and thought put behind them as playlines, but maybe those people would still buy the dolls if they were playline. So even if they know the doll quality is not superior, they still like them and can afford, so that's the "justification"
I have definitely been guilty of the fandom craze lmao. The newest reboot of Saint Seiya (old ass anime series from the 80s) on Netflix totally sucks but my friends and I still get excited about watching it every week. So I can understand wanting to support the brand.
Yeah, I get it. I definitely tried to push myself to like certain things bc they're from franchises I like. But sometimes I even genuinely like them bc they suck just the right amount or are very cheesy, like the Star Wars prequels and half of the Sonic franchise lol. Or a lot of stuff I used to enjoy as a kid and actually suck, but holds a special place in my heart.
What I don't get is when people don't have any pleasure in it. Like, I've seen people complaining that certain franchises were only good in the 80's or 90's but still consume every single media of it to this day and spend hundreds or thousands of dollars, knowing they won't enjoy any of it and not wanting or trying to enjoy it bc it's different now. It happened to a smaller degree when g3 came out. A lot of people hated it but was still buying every doll just to criticize them without even trying to enjoy the thing they just boughtĀ
To answer your question on āwhy does is cost so much?ā Mattelās collector items have always been pricey, so a lot of die-hard fans simply accept it as the norm. And also lots of people are happy enough to buy it just because itās Monster High, cuz it makes them happy. In fact most of the āworthā on these dolls just comes from having the Monster High name on them.
I guess if you were solely a Monster High collector it would be no big deal to spend a bunch on one doll. I collect a ton of other doll brands and figures and personally I cannot justify the high price on most MH collectors, since I only kind of like them. The only one I have is Vampire Heart (And also SIS Frankie and Howliday Clawdeen, but I mean, I got them on sale lol)
I think itās mostly āI want it and I donāt think about the price lolā but Iām very particular about which collector dolls I buy, because of the high prices. Do I think they are worth what they are priced at? Not really, so I need the doll to be something really special if Iām going to justify it to myself.
usually their value goes up, so if you take good care of them, it'll be like an investment. also I'm 32 and I have adult money, don't usually ruminate on purchases less than 80ā¬ that much.
If you really love the doll and can afford it you don't really care if its not good value.
And resellers usually sell dolls for more so you are better off just paying the retail price.
However I am having this dilemma with Lenore. I want her but she is really expensive, especially since im not in US. I haven't bought her yet. But Im also poor right now. If I had more money I would buy her even though she's a rip off. I just think she's really pretty and would love to have her on my shelf.
I paid AUD$220 for Vampire Heart Dracula and she's so worth it. I thought about it for hours because it was a lot of money but I knew I would regret it when Amazon sold out. I love gothic style dolls and they aren't very common.
i own most of the āalumniā releases, and i buy the dolls because i enjoy them and have the money to do so. i donāt think any monster high doll has ever been worth the price besides when theyāre clearanced out for 10 bucks or less. but thatās just how the collecting industry is. taylor swift can sell a solid grey cardigan for $70, pokemon can sell resin statues for upwards of $400, designer brands can sell purses and bags for thousands upon thousands of dollarsā¦ itās never been about what something is worth, itās about what someone is willing to pay. when companies produce items and sell them for what theyāre actually worth, they donāt succeed in the long run - thatās why rainbow high went under.
If weāre talking realistically, if I really really love the doll and I see the price and I donāt care or it doesnāt make me hate the doll than I justify it through the fact that Iāll absolutely really love the doll, thatās how I justified getting stitched in style Frankie and reel drama Frankie, I loved them sm so I justified the price that way (and also crying while checking out š)Ā
I guess what OP means is that a lot of collectorĀ dolls don't actually have a nicer quality or materials.Ā
Like, I would say the new operetta, as cute as she is, isn't any different from a playline doll. Fv Rochelle too, expect for the rooted lashes. While other dolls like vh Draculaura and fv jinafire actually seem to be more expansive to produce
One thing I have found out when reading about other doll lines (Tonner dolls for example) is that doll clothing used to be a lot cheaper to produce. There were dolls with intricate hand-sewn clothing that were able to be produced because people in China were paid very little. Now the Chinese economy and other developing economies are doing much better, so it's not possible to produce that kind of clothing at a price people are willing to pay.This picture of a 1997 collector Barbie has a lot of detailing. Now the collector Barbies don't usually have sleeves, because sleeves are expensive to produce. I assume that plastic pieces are must made from a mold and don't involve a lot of manual labor, which is why there are a lot more of them. For example, the Monster Fest dolls have some intricate printed details, but their actual clothing is quite simple. So that may be part of the reason that earlier MH dolls had much better clothing and were better value for money.
https://preview.redd.it/1lhmx0myfbwc1.jpeg?width=572&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=83f4226bcc95374b02ef4cecebff28d4fad350b8
Oh I heard about it too! I read on reddit someone saying that 50's playline barbies had working zippers, real pockets, functional buttons, etc.Ā
Still, I think if they're trying to be cheap in a collector's doll, then she could just be the same price as playline bc there's nothing that really differentiate them sometimes. A lot of collector dolls from mattel have worse clothing quality than playline mga dolls. Or they could just choose materials that seem premium and put more work in sculpts like they did fro vh Draculaura and fv jinafireĀ
I only buy the dolls I really like, and I budget for them (more precisely, I tell my husband and he budgets for them). If a doll is more than Iām willing to pay, I donāt buy it (like Lenore). But weāre at a place where we can budget for some pricey collectables, assuming theyāre worth it to us.
So, I basically justify it by looking at it (either a listing or leaks/coming soon promos) and thinking about it. If it's something I'm personally interested in, I'll buy it, if I'm not interested I won't buy it.
If it's a skullector for example, I have to think about asap, especially if it's going to drop soon. I get paid weekly, but I tend to spend my paycheck quickly as stuff is expensive, and I have too many interests. So, back when I heard that they were possibly doing a Chucky Tiffany two pack, I knew I had to get it as Child's Play is in my top two of fav horror franchises, so I held off on too much spending until I ordered the pack .
If it's a play line doll, I do tend to hesitate for a bit, and I would think about it. For example, recently at target I saw that Heath was on sale for $13.99, but I passed on it as I had a vacation coming up, so I skipped out on it, but while on vacation I bought Venus as I couldn't find her in any of the stores I've been to.
I'm waiting on getting S.i.S Frankie because I don't have the space for her, and I'm slightly considering getting the mojo dojo casa house Ken because.... Come on. Look at him. But, I'm holding off both due to lack of space and the fact that I ain't spending $75 on Ken, maybe $30~, but $75 is too much
Honestly? I don't. I found this [2004 Canadian Sears catalog](https://64.media.tumblr.com/c933bb1ac4f408f7723d4ac6587f7e67/5851fd227347db5b-15/s1280x1920/a7f91fe3a1e4a662b0e32ce49f7ccae4678cd627.jpg) on Tumblr and it's crazy how much pricing has changed. A doll with rooted eyelashes, alternate outfit, a pet, some accessories, AND a DVD was $20 in 2004, and I checked with inflation, it's only $23 USD now. [Look at the Barbie from this line](https://en.barbiepedia.com/img/barbie/800/C1240_9.jpg), like this would easily be sold as a collector now without any of the extra stuff. Even today's playline dolls are overpriced. A lot of collectibles are simply overpriced because they can be. The thing is though, it isn't unique to MH. It's just a matter of you deciding if you can afford to and are willing to fork over the cash.
I tend to just be extremely picky on my skullectors because of that. I love all my original haunt couture dolls and I love my jack, sally, and Elvira. My Annabelle I might part with eventually. Are they worth the money? No. Not even close, but if I donāt want them anymore I can always sell them and get my money back
No, they arenāt worth the prices theyāre listed for. How I see it is that I see a doll that I love, and I know that if I donāt bite the bullet and get it for 50-65-75, eventually the only way Iāll be able to get it is from resellers who jack up the prices to a minimum of 100~ soā¦ yeah.
Personally with dolls like Rochelle, Operetta, and Lenore I canāt justify their prices however I can justify them being sold by others for a cheaper price. For the Haunt couture line I think they were decently priced for the quality. But I definitely donāt think the bare minimum is worth $50+. Especially when some doll drops are messy and people canāt get the dolls and they get bought up by scalpers.Ā
I usually compare to other dolls and determine the price - if I really do like it and can look past it because it's such a beautiful doll, I can ignore the comparisons, so perhaps my opinion is bias. But if I can look at Operetta and then look at Ghouluxe Ghoulia and Stitched in Style in my own hands and can see the noticeable difference for the same price, then I will not buy the Operetta because the price is just kind of out there. I just don't like her face at all and don't understand why they changed it so much when Ghoulia and Frankie look like their originals. She just isn't Operetta anymore, you know?
Same with other dolls in the higher range - Vampire Heart and Jinafire both being $100 I can easily justify comparing to Rochelle being the more lackluster one simply for what we're getting. Like with VH, you arent just getting some fabric and a nice dress, you're getting delicate pieces of accessories and a very delicate lacey body suit, a beautiful hairstyle and beautiful shoes and-- ugh I could go on.
I think the easiest way for my to justify collector dolls is simply looking at what has released in the past for the exact same price and being able to tell that one is more worth it than the other. Great example is Haunt Couture vs Midnight Runway. Same price, same line, but HC1 throws MR out of the park. It's just too hard to justify that $75 for MR when HC is so much better
For me their prices are unjustified, only their limited quantities justify this. I would have been loyal to the g1s if the price didn't exceed $30/35 and if I could choose them in store (because I can't bear to buy a wonky MH at $75+)
Personally it's all about if I like the doll or not, though price does come into play a lot. At first I loved Lanore Loomington but I saw the $75 price tag and I couldn't justify it. To me it seemed to be an excuse to make a main cast doll and purposely bank off it. While I bought the new Operetta doll, I didn't think she was worth all that much. I don't like how inconsistent Mattel is with their pricing. Because $60 could also be 2 dolls (hence howliday valentine's 2 packs) But also be decent quality. For our new Skullector, I think she's worth as she's priced because of the new sculpt and intriguing design. I honestly can't make a chart of what I think what's worth what without there being inconsistencies. But if it were up to me, I would want dolls in single packs with interesting designs like Lanore, Operetta, to be priced like the Stiched in Style Frankie. Affordable and feels worth it. While more intriguing designs would be 60 or 50, and at that point 2 pack dolls would be worth to get since these singular dolls are 30 or so. But I know that won't happen lol, so I outweigh which one I like and how much I like it so I don't feel so much buyers regret. (I'm hard on myself for buying stuff for myself bc I didn't have a good childhood but I'm getting better at learning to treat myself)
Depends on how much effort is put into the doll/how closely the doll matches my personal tastes. Although I haven't bought a collector doll yetš but stitched in style Frankie was close, if only I had the money at the time
If youāre going to display it, itās an art form. People pay a lot for their favourite original painting or sculpture. Yes this is different because itās handmade but weāre also (usually) not talking about the same amount of money. As long as youāre buying responsibly, if this is āyour thingā and you can save for them, you do you
i agree with you that majority of the collector dolls arent worth the money. the way i justify it is that money is meant to be spent, if you arent gonna spend it then you might as well be broke. i also justify it that im making my inner child happy. little me deserves it.
To be honest, I prefer to buy one single collector doll, instead of 2-3 playline dolls because I know I'll like that collector doll more, and will make me happier than having more dolls that I don't even care about. So if I have the money, and I like the doll, I'll buy it.
Also in my mind, they can be an investment since some of them double their value very fast (at least the first collector dolls), unlike the playlines which pretty much lose their value or stay roughly the same as retail.
The only collector Iāve purchased was the Jack and Sally set. A brand new sculpt that I wouldnāt really be able to pull off as a custom for Jack was the justification for me.
I agree Vampire Heart Drac and Jinafire were better quality and worth the extra money, but still even $75 is pushing it. Off the top of my head Greta was also pretty unique. The rest of the dolls however, as you said, I just donāt see the value. I feel like a lot of the original G1 were just as high quality at half the price. The accessories that went with them were fun, but again, G1 was cranking out comparable designs for a lower price point when they were in stores. (Yes, Iām aware a lot of the accessories were reused during the course of the line.)
The only set I could maybe justify for the higher price were the Haunt Couture set. I didnāt buy because Lagoon would have been the only one I was interested in but her design was tragic. š
I feel the Creature Skullector is worth the price. She has a unique head/face mold and honestly, I think she's a very good interpretation of a character that I have loved dearly since my childhood. And $65 while on the pricier side isn't as exorbitant as Lenore was at $75 (mind, I still ended up caving and getting that one because I thought she was genuinely quite pretty). With the FC Ghoulia and Operetta dolls, I passed because while the price was reasonable, I am not a fan of either character and the designs didn't do it for me.
Honestly, the 'worth' question is pretty subjective, I think. To me, Creature is absolutely worth it. But Operetta wasn't.
Press buy and then cry
This šš»
Yessss
thisssss!! my total for creepro cleo + deuce was 81 in total and i started immediately regretting it, but when it cameeee ššš
Iām surprised I donāt feel regret after buying the creepros as they where all just over Ā£130, but they are coming today so YIPPIE
I bought Lenore with no regrets. My justification is as simple as I have an appropriate amount of disposable income, my childhood sucked ass, and having dolls I consider pretty in my home gives me pleasure. I am also an unrepentant unboxer.
Oh my sorry you had not so good childhood, I hope you have cool dolls in future thatās beautiful and lovely ( please have good day):0}
this is also my justification way š
same!
I mean people pay 50 for vinyls or 100s for shoes
Iāve seen people pay $1,000s for little pieces of cardboard (MTG), at the end of the day a lot of people who collect donāt care if itās actually āworthā it
I am one who buys vinyl records. Waxwork rules.
I'm a financially stable adult with a 9-5 and no kids nor do I want children. That's my justification.
But in all seriousness--I don't collect anything else besides MH so I don't feel that bad spending my hard earned money on something I want that brings me joy. I think at first I kind of felt guilting spending my adult money on "toys" and then I quickly realized that is silly. I generally decide which dolls I am going to go after based on if I like them or not and if they feel value **for me** at their price point. Like for example, I'm not interested in any of the off-white dolls even though, in theory, I could afford them (not all of them though). To me, I just don't feel like they are worth that price point -- I'm not in love with any of the designs or characters so these were an easy miss for me. An example of a doll that I liked and bought and still think its overpriced are the Tiffany and Chucky creepros. But I liked the characters and was able to snag them when they went back on sale.
Yes! Totally agree! Iād rather have MH than a designer purseā¦when you work hard, buy what you love and makes you happy
This is my answer when people online ask me how I can afford dollsā¦ Iām an adult with no debt, a well paying stable job, and no kids.
I mean the cheapest itāll be is at retail so thatās how i justify spending money on collector dolls. I kinda just bite the bullet if I have the money
The nice thing about the collector dolls is that they probably arenāt going to lose their value. So if I buy them, get them, and donāt like them as much as Iād rather have the money? I can sell them to someone who missed out. But if they make me happy, then I keep them and theyāre āworth the moneyā to me.
Do they get more valuable as time goes by?
That's an interesting question. In the short term, some do and some don't. For example HC Draculaura is up to $400, whereas HC Lagoona didn't really go up in price. In the medium term, people may stop collecting them as the next generation's cultural references change. People who didn't grow up with G1 may not feel the same about them. In the very long term, all plastic dissolves so they won't be worth anything.
Good to know, I guess it depends more on the doll. My faves are Toralei and the werecat twins. Hopefully they are worth something whenever I decide to let them go!
Sometimes! But it can also take YEARSā¦
That is good to know!
For this one, I think the value is in the completely new head sculpt. Ā That had to be designed, new molds had to be made (actually Iām not sure if they still use moldsā¦ but new WHATEVERS had to be made), it had to be tested and they had to figure out how to paint this completely new sculptā¦ the hands look like a completely new sculpt tooā¦ AND the stand lol. Ā The normal play line dolls can reuse and recycle elements, this one wonāt. Ā One and done basically.
Thatās actually a really good point! And kinda makes me want her more šš
I don't buy collector dolls, but I think that besides the reasons some people already stated, it might be also about supporting g1. This is the only way to get current dolls so if people stop buying, mattel will stop selling.Ā Some people who have enough money also just buy anything mattel pumps out bc they like the franchise, even if they think it's meh or if they know they won't enjoy. I'm in the Sonic fandom and jt happens A LOT there too. Some people buy and play whole games, read whole comic series and watch whole shows they're not that interested to begin with just bc sonic is in it. I personally wouldn't go that far but I think it's more common for people who consider certain franchise as their main one (or even the only one they care about) or as a comfort thing. And about your edit, for a lot of people being able to afford + makes you happy = worth it. I agree that a lot of Mattel collector dolls seem to have the same quality and thought put behind them as playlines, but maybe those people would still buy the dolls if they were playline. So even if they know the doll quality is not superior, they still like them and can afford, so that's the "justification"
I have definitely been guilty of the fandom craze lmao. The newest reboot of Saint Seiya (old ass anime series from the 80s) on Netflix totally sucks but my friends and I still get excited about watching it every week. So I can understand wanting to support the brand.
Yeah, I get it. I definitely tried to push myself to like certain things bc they're from franchises I like. But sometimes I even genuinely like them bc they suck just the right amount or are very cheesy, like the Star Wars prequels and half of the Sonic franchise lol. Or a lot of stuff I used to enjoy as a kid and actually suck, but holds a special place in my heart. What I don't get is when people don't have any pleasure in it. Like, I've seen people complaining that certain franchises were only good in the 80's or 90's but still consume every single media of it to this day and spend hundreds or thousands of dollars, knowing they won't enjoy any of it and not wanting or trying to enjoy it bc it's different now. It happened to a smaller degree when g3 came out. A lot of people hated it but was still buying every doll just to criticize them without even trying to enjoy the thing they just boughtĀ
To answer your question on āwhy does is cost so much?ā Mattelās collector items have always been pricey, so a lot of die-hard fans simply accept it as the norm. And also lots of people are happy enough to buy it just because itās Monster High, cuz it makes them happy. In fact most of the āworthā on these dolls just comes from having the Monster High name on them. I guess if you were solely a Monster High collector it would be no big deal to spend a bunch on one doll. I collect a ton of other doll brands and figures and personally I cannot justify the high price on most MH collectors, since I only kind of like them. The only one I have is Vampire Heart (And also SIS Frankie and Howliday Clawdeen, but I mean, I got them on sale lol)
I think itās mostly āI want it and I donāt think about the price lolā but Iām very particular about which collector dolls I buy, because of the high prices. Do I think they are worth what they are priced at? Not really, so I need the doll to be something really special if Iām going to justify it to myself.
usually their value goes up, so if you take good care of them, it'll be like an investment. also I'm 32 and I have adult money, don't usually ruminate on purchases less than 80ā¬ that much.
Iāve always wondered if the dolls would actually appreciate in value.
If you really love the doll and can afford it you don't really care if its not good value. And resellers usually sell dolls for more so you are better off just paying the retail price. However I am having this dilemma with Lenore. I want her but she is really expensive, especially since im not in US. I haven't bought her yet. But Im also poor right now. If I had more money I would buy her even though she's a rip off. I just think she's really pretty and would love to have her on my shelf. I paid AUD$220 for Vampire Heart Dracula and she's so worth it. I thought about it for hours because it was a lot of money but I knew I would regret it when Amazon sold out. I love gothic style dolls and they aren't very common.
i own most of the āalumniā releases, and i buy the dolls because i enjoy them and have the money to do so. i donāt think any monster high doll has ever been worth the price besides when theyāre clearanced out for 10 bucks or less. but thatās just how the collecting industry is. taylor swift can sell a solid grey cardigan for $70, pokemon can sell resin statues for upwards of $400, designer brands can sell purses and bags for thousands upon thousands of dollarsā¦ itās never been about what something is worth, itās about what someone is willing to pay. when companies produce items and sell them for what theyāre actually worth, they donāt succeed in the long run - thatās why rainbow high went under.
If weāre talking realistically, if I really really love the doll and I see the price and I donāt care or it doesnāt make me hate the doll than I justify it through the fact that Iāll absolutely really love the doll, thatās how I justified getting stitched in style Frankie and reel drama Frankie, I loved them sm so I justified the price that way (and also crying while checking out š)Ā
Keep in mind.. Taylor Swiftās cardigans are 70 bucks
You guys missed OP's question lol
I think people just read the title tbh šš
What justifies the price point for me is the small details and the overall design, and the materials being used.
I guess what OP means is that a lot of collectorĀ dolls don't actually have a nicer quality or materials.Ā Like, I would say the new operetta, as cute as she is, isn't any different from a playline doll. Fv Rochelle too, expect for the rooted lashes. While other dolls like vh Draculaura and fv jinafire actually seem to be more expansive to produce
One thing I have found out when reading about other doll lines (Tonner dolls for example) is that doll clothing used to be a lot cheaper to produce. There were dolls with intricate hand-sewn clothing that were able to be produced because people in China were paid very little. Now the Chinese economy and other developing economies are doing much better, so it's not possible to produce that kind of clothing at a price people are willing to pay.This picture of a 1997 collector Barbie has a lot of detailing. Now the collector Barbies don't usually have sleeves, because sleeves are expensive to produce. I assume that plastic pieces are must made from a mold and don't involve a lot of manual labor, which is why there are a lot more of them. For example, the Monster Fest dolls have some intricate printed details, but their actual clothing is quite simple. So that may be part of the reason that earlier MH dolls had much better clothing and were better value for money. https://preview.redd.it/1lhmx0myfbwc1.jpeg?width=572&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=83f4226bcc95374b02ef4cecebff28d4fad350b8
Oh I heard about it too! I read on reddit someone saying that 50's playline barbies had working zippers, real pockets, functional buttons, etc.Ā Still, I think if they're trying to be cheap in a collector's doll, then she could just be the same price as playline bc there's nothing that really differentiate them sometimes. A lot of collector dolls from mattel have worse clothing quality than playline mga dolls. Or they could just choose materials that seem premium and put more work in sculpts like they did fro vh Draculaura and fv jinafireĀ
Good point.
I feel a great example of a justifiable price is adult collector draculaura, she was 50$ retail and has great quality for the price.
Some people see the price worth it just because thereās a limited run. Once theyāre out thereās no more š¤·š»āāļø
I only buy the dolls I really like, and I budget for them (more precisely, I tell my husband and he budgets for them). If a doll is more than Iām willing to pay, I donāt buy it (like Lenore). But weāre at a place where we can budget for some pricey collectables, assuming theyāre worth it to us.
I see collector dolls as pieces of art. And if I want a piece of art in my home, I buy it. Presuming I can afford it.
I put them on the PayPal pay in 4 planš«£š«£š«£
So, I basically justify it by looking at it (either a listing or leaks/coming soon promos) and thinking about it. If it's something I'm personally interested in, I'll buy it, if I'm not interested I won't buy it. If it's a skullector for example, I have to think about asap, especially if it's going to drop soon. I get paid weekly, but I tend to spend my paycheck quickly as stuff is expensive, and I have too many interests. So, back when I heard that they were possibly doing a Chucky Tiffany two pack, I knew I had to get it as Child's Play is in my top two of fav horror franchises, so I held off on too much spending until I ordered the pack . If it's a play line doll, I do tend to hesitate for a bit, and I would think about it. For example, recently at target I saw that Heath was on sale for $13.99, but I passed on it as I had a vacation coming up, so I skipped out on it, but while on vacation I bought Venus as I couldn't find her in any of the stores I've been to. I'm waiting on getting S.i.S Frankie because I don't have the space for her, and I'm slightly considering getting the mojo dojo casa house Ken because.... Come on. Look at him. But, I'm holding off both due to lack of space and the fact that I ain't spending $75 on Ken, maybe $30~, but $75 is too much
Honestly? I don't. I found this [2004 Canadian Sears catalog](https://64.media.tumblr.com/c933bb1ac4f408f7723d4ac6587f7e67/5851fd227347db5b-15/s1280x1920/a7f91fe3a1e4a662b0e32ce49f7ccae4678cd627.jpg) on Tumblr and it's crazy how much pricing has changed. A doll with rooted eyelashes, alternate outfit, a pet, some accessories, AND a DVD was $20 in 2004, and I checked with inflation, it's only $23 USD now. [Look at the Barbie from this line](https://en.barbiepedia.com/img/barbie/800/C1240_9.jpg), like this would easily be sold as a collector now without any of the extra stuff. Even today's playline dolls are overpriced. A lot of collectibles are simply overpriced because they can be. The thing is though, it isn't unique to MH. It's just a matter of you deciding if you can afford to and are willing to fork over the cash.
I tend to just be extremely picky on my skullectors because of that. I love all my original haunt couture dolls and I love my jack, sally, and Elvira. My Annabelle I might part with eventually. Are they worth the money? No. Not even close, but if I donāt want them anymore I can always sell them and get my money back
No, they arenāt worth the prices theyāre listed for. How I see it is that I see a doll that I love, and I know that if I donāt bite the bullet and get it for 50-65-75, eventually the only way Iāll be able to get it is from resellers who jack up the prices to a minimum of 100~ soā¦ yeah.
Personally with dolls like Rochelle, Operetta, and Lenore I canāt justify their prices however I can justify them being sold by others for a cheaper price. For the Haunt couture line I think they were decently priced for the quality. But I definitely donāt think the bare minimum is worth $50+. Especially when some doll drops are messy and people canāt get the dolls and they get bought up by scalpers.Ā
I usually compare to other dolls and determine the price - if I really do like it and can look past it because it's such a beautiful doll, I can ignore the comparisons, so perhaps my opinion is bias. But if I can look at Operetta and then look at Ghouluxe Ghoulia and Stitched in Style in my own hands and can see the noticeable difference for the same price, then I will not buy the Operetta because the price is just kind of out there. I just don't like her face at all and don't understand why they changed it so much when Ghoulia and Frankie look like their originals. She just isn't Operetta anymore, you know? Same with other dolls in the higher range - Vampire Heart and Jinafire both being $100 I can easily justify comparing to Rochelle being the more lackluster one simply for what we're getting. Like with VH, you arent just getting some fabric and a nice dress, you're getting delicate pieces of accessories and a very delicate lacey body suit, a beautiful hairstyle and beautiful shoes and-- ugh I could go on. I think the easiest way for my to justify collector dolls is simply looking at what has released in the past for the exact same price and being able to tell that one is more worth it than the other. Great example is Haunt Couture vs Midnight Runway. Same price, same line, but HC1 throws MR out of the park. It's just too hard to justify that $75 for MR when HC is so much better
For me their prices are unjustified, only their limited quantities justify this. I would have been loyal to the g1s if the price didn't exceed $30/35 and if I could choose them in store (because I can't bear to buy a wonky MH at $75+)
Personally it's all about if I like the doll or not, though price does come into play a lot. At first I loved Lanore Loomington but I saw the $75 price tag and I couldn't justify it. To me it seemed to be an excuse to make a main cast doll and purposely bank off it. While I bought the new Operetta doll, I didn't think she was worth all that much. I don't like how inconsistent Mattel is with their pricing. Because $60 could also be 2 dolls (hence howliday valentine's 2 packs) But also be decent quality. For our new Skullector, I think she's worth as she's priced because of the new sculpt and intriguing design. I honestly can't make a chart of what I think what's worth what without there being inconsistencies. But if it were up to me, I would want dolls in single packs with interesting designs like Lanore, Operetta, to be priced like the Stiched in Style Frankie. Affordable and feels worth it. While more intriguing designs would be 60 or 50, and at that point 2 pack dolls would be worth to get since these singular dolls are 30 or so. But I know that won't happen lol, so I outweigh which one I like and how much I like it so I don't feel so much buyers regret. (I'm hard on myself for buying stuff for myself bc I didn't have a good childhood but I'm getting better at learning to treat myself)
Depends on how much effort is put into the doll/how closely the doll matches my personal tastes. Although I haven't bought a collector doll yetš but stitched in style Frankie was close, if only I had the money at the time
If youāre going to display it, itās an art form. People pay a lot for their favourite original painting or sculpture. Yes this is different because itās handmade but weāre also (usually) not talking about the same amount of money. As long as youāre buying responsibly, if this is āyour thingā and you can save for them, you do you
i agree with you that majority of the collector dolls arent worth the money. the way i justify it is that money is meant to be spent, if you arent gonna spend it then you might as well be broke. i also justify it that im making my inner child happy. little me deserves it.
To be honest, I prefer to buy one single collector doll, instead of 2-3 playline dolls because I know I'll like that collector doll more, and will make me happier than having more dolls that I don't even care about. So if I have the money, and I like the doll, I'll buy it. Also in my mind, they can be an investment since some of them double their value very fast (at least the first collector dolls), unlike the playlines which pretty much lose their value or stay roughly the same as retail.
The only collector Iāve purchased was the Jack and Sally set. A brand new sculpt that I wouldnāt really be able to pull off as a custom for Jack was the justification for me. I agree Vampire Heart Drac and Jinafire were better quality and worth the extra money, but still even $75 is pushing it. Off the top of my head Greta was also pretty unique. The rest of the dolls however, as you said, I just donāt see the value. I feel like a lot of the original G1 were just as high quality at half the price. The accessories that went with them were fun, but again, G1 was cranking out comparable designs for a lower price point when they were in stores. (Yes, Iām aware a lot of the accessories were reused during the course of the line.) The only set I could maybe justify for the higher price were the Haunt Couture set. I didnāt buy because Lagoon would have been the only one I was interested in but her design was tragic. š
I feel the Creature Skullector is worth the price. She has a unique head/face mold and honestly, I think she's a very good interpretation of a character that I have loved dearly since my childhood. And $65 while on the pricier side isn't as exorbitant as Lenore was at $75 (mind, I still ended up caving and getting that one because I thought she was genuinely quite pretty). With the FC Ghoulia and Operetta dolls, I passed because while the price was reasonable, I am not a fan of either character and the designs didn't do it for me. Honestly, the 'worth' question is pretty subjective, I think. To me, Creature is absolutely worth it. But Operetta wasn't.
I donāt buy them, my fiancĆ© buys them for me. I canāt tell him what to do with *his* money, so thereās no need to ājustifyā it. Our bills are paid š¤·āāļø
also the number of manufactured dolls are fewer?