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| Image- © Azone International 2014 |
I'm not leaving the hobby in a huff or anything like that but the part of the hobby that includes buying new dolls requires a greater time commitment than I am able or willing to make. And let's face it, they aren't exactly cheap either so the financial commitment is an issue as well. With two young children to raise and the price of dolls and action figures going up while income does not, something has to give. For now, at least, Mia will probably be my last new PN purchase.
That's not a bad thing at all though. I've been able to amass a nice little crew and find several dolls on my "want list" at reasonable prices, so I consider myself very fortunate in that regard. I also want to spend more time documenting the adventures of my existing girls rather than just acquire more to put on a shelf somewhere.
A hobby should be fun, although it can also be difficult, frustrating and even disappointing at times but spending an evening sitting at my computer, hoping for a chance to buy something I wanted was no fun at all. Even though I actually managed to pre-order this doll and I am pleased that I didn't miss out, the episode convinced me that this isn't how I want to spend my usually limited spare time.
*Addendum* OK, so maybe not so freakin' fast since Mia has remained available for pre-order at HLJ for at least 8 hours. Admittedly, this is during late night and early morning in North America but it's still shocking that she's been up for sale this long.
I managed to snag her off of HLJ this morning... but I totally hear what you're saying... when it came to the Waitress Alisa... I literally took a half hour for lunch, they put her up and she's been sold out ever since. I shouldn't have to babysit the danged computer like that. I feel like Azone is running smaller productions... and I don't like it.
ReplyDeleteEither that, or they've gotten a boost in popularity, and haven't increased production to cover it. Either way, annoying.
Really though, I think not being able to buy things might be good. For me, it's really time to do stuff with the girls I have, and I think always focusing on the next thing to buy distracts from that!
So let's raise a glass to the both of us focusing on some storytelling, haha! (easier said for me, I don't have two little munchkins to chase around XD)
It occurs to me that it used to be easier to pre-order new PN figures a few years ago. Not always but often enough. Like you said, it's either smaller production runs or increased popularity that's driving this but it's frustrating nonetheless. I also find it interesting that the same situation rarely occurs with the media property characters they produce.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, I look at some other bloggers who focus on just one or a few dolls, such as slmka or sunekoneko and think that's more what I'd like to do as opposed to the "cast of thousands" approach that I seem to be taking. And I don't blame Azone or the collector community; this focus on acquisition as opposed to using what I have is entirely my fault. Like you said, focusing on buying the next release has become a distraction from what my intended goal was so I feel it's time to readjust my priorities.
I was so made at Hobby Search because I kept refreshing and when I hit back and clicked on the page again she was gone. So I stalked AmiAmi and they sold her in seconds. Then I watched HLJ and AnimeExport and finally HLJ had her and didnt sell out super fast. It was about 1 something in the morning central time when they added her. I usually dont have problems with Hobby Search as I got the rare Chiika Kinoko Juice but they pre sold her early and I happened to check early.
ReplyDeleteHobby Search must have gotten 1 case as a pre-order allotment! I was logged in on both my desktop and my phone but I never saw her status change to available. The only reason I knew she'd sold out was when they updated the doll homepage.
DeleteAmiAmi was almost as fast but I just happened to be a bit faster on the draw that time and managed to purchase her from them.
Then it turns out that HLJ was the place to go because they put her up around 12:30 AM US central time and she lasted several hours. Plus, in an unusual switch, HLJ was selling her at a small discount while AmiAmi had her at the full ¥12,000. Heck, I could've purchased her at my leisure while feeding my daughter! LOL Oh well....
I was able to snag her at HLJ. She went super fast at the other sites. Even AnimeExport.
ReplyDelete