One of the reasons I love Bountiful Baby is because I know I can go there, choose a kit and buy it. I don’t have to worry about pre-orders and paying them off, if the kit is sold out, or if I can afford it, because the prices are great! I think this is what makes BB unique. Also, there are kits that have been around for years that I still love, for instance Shyann. She is a classic and I just did a custom a couple months ago so there is still interest in her. She has one of those faces that you just don’t get tired of.
I think there are enough limited edition kits to choose from. Please don’t change a thing!
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Ditto to what Michele said – I have reborned Shyann and Ember lots of times and they always sell for me. I am not a well-known artist and never will be, so my babies do not garner the attention that the big name artists do. To me, spending big bucks on a LE kit would be silly since mine wouldn’t sell for any more than they usually do. If people want LE kits there are lots of other places to buy them.
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I agree with Michele and Karen in Florida. There are plenty of places to buy the LE. As a second thought - if you think it will add to your sales, then I say - try it, but please still give us the large selection of open editions.
I would also like to clarify that I often do sell a cheaper line of reborns I call Simply Reborns and for those I choose the BB kits I like that I feel have good detail. I would be sad to see the open edition BB kits that I have enjoyed go away and plan to continue to buy them. I also agree though that several of the kits here, particularly the Rubert kits, have a dolly look to them and are lacking in detail in the limbs. The finished baby is still going to have less sculpt detail when done and it has nothing to do with reborn skill. That’s not to say they don’t have their market as well. I don’t think it is being rude to be honest about a product we are paying money for no matter how good the prices are.
My particular point was that if the LE kits are going to cost more then the quality of the sculpting detail has got to be very worth the price to me before I will purchase it. I look for things like individual toes and fingers that are not fused together, nice creasing, facial detail with varying bone structure, ear detailing, eyes sockets that are symmetrical, and uniqueness of the sculpt to name some examples. I say offer both and see how it goes.
I like you, have a large range of customer types, not all of them can spend big $$$$. Your prices meet that need and I buy a lot of your lower price
kits. I hope you continue to sell some of your kits at the great prices you are selling them at now.
Having said that…
What I would pay more money for is fine detail. I hate seeing new kits come out with old limbs and in some cases ears.
The new kit, is only half new, when limbs off old sculpts are used.
I would like to see your higher price kits come out with new limbs and fine detail (ears, hands, feet, etc).
You don’t realize how many artists get kits and say how disappointed they are that they limbs aren’t new, but limbs off a previous sculpts.
I was really disappointed when I bought one artist’s kits. The babies faces were really cute, but it was like she used a mold on the ears. They were the same ears on sculpt after sculpt. Not much detailing either, especially on the right ear. I still buy that sculptor’s kits but not as often because of the undetailed ears.
It would be nice to see different artists brought in to sculpt the higher priced kits. We all tend to fall in to ruts. Some sculptors start to make babies that look alike. What’s called a new sculpt but looks very much like an old one. In some cases could be it’s twin.
I would not have to have to kit limited in order to pay more for it, and really hate to see good detailed kits limited.
Because of my customer’s needs, I’m willing to buy less expensive kits and higher priced kits.
Understanding less expensive kits = less detail and limbs of previous sculpts.
More expensive kits= fine detailing, good preportion, with new limbs.
I like you, have a large range of customer types, not all of them can spend big $$$$. Your prices meet that need and I buy a lot of your lower price
kits. I hope you continue to sell some of your kits at the great prices you are selling them at now.
Having said that…
What I would pay more money for is fine detail. I hate seeing new kits come out with old limbs and in some cases ears.
The new kit, is only half new, when limbs off old sculpts are used.
I would like to see your higher price kits come out with new limbs and fine detail (ears, hands, feet, etc).
You don’t realize how many artists get kits and say how disappointed they are that they limbs aren’t new, but limbs off a previous sculpts.
I was really disappointed when I bought one artist’s kits. The babies faces were really cute, but it was like she used a mold on the ears. They were the same ears on sculpt after sculpt. Not much detailing either, especially on the right ear. I still buy that sculptor’s kits but not as often because of the undetailed ears.
It would be nice to see different artists brought in to sculpt the higher priced kits. We all tend to fall in to ruts. Some sculptors start to make babies that look alike. What’s called a new sculpt but looks very much like an old one. In some cases could be it’s twin.
I would not have to have to kit limited in order to pay more for it, and really hate to see good detailed kits limited.
Because of my customer’s needs, I’m willing to buy less expensive kits and higher priced kits.
Understanding less expensive kits = less detail and limbs of previous sculpts.
More expensive kits= fine detailing, good preportion, with new limbs.
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This exactly. I voted no, but only because I would hate to see a premium line limited here. I like being able to come back and get a kit without worry I will never see it for sale again and then see it price gouged on eBay.
Instead of limited edition kits, couldn’t BB just do a line of more expensive kits? Ones with fine details and great attention to making sure the scale is right but without the worry of them selling out. I’d be willing to pay more for a kit from a specific line if I knew it was worth it and not limiting it would mean being able to come back for another one. As I said earlier, one of my worries on buying a more expensive kit from somewhere else is not knowing whether it is worth it. At least with BB, I know the quality of the vinyl is good. (I got a LE once that had the elbow ripped…it was replaced but I worried about other spots).
I don’t know that will work because it would be like saying one line of kits is inferior to the other and no company would want to do that to themselves. The quality of the vinyl and kit itself within BB is great so I would think they would not want to do anything that would give any ideas otherwise. It just might be that the only way to produce a Deluxe line of kits without taking away from the regularly produced kits would be to make some LE kits. The LE factor would be the primary reason to make them stand above the rest and then most consumers would expect LE kits to have more detail because they usually do.
This morning I woke up to a message from a lady who wanted a Gemma from me. Well, she’s changed her mind and now wants a Crystal. However, because of this limited edition thing she is now angry and upset because she can’t come up with the money to order her right when she comes out if it’s a limited edition kit. Because of school clothes and school supplies, she’s tapped out. This baby is important to her because it represents something she’ll never be able to have.
This is the reason limited editions are a bad idea.
This morning I woke up to a message from a lady who wanted a Gemma from me. Well, she’s changed her mind and now wants a Crystal. However, because of this limited edition thing she is now angry and upset because she can’t come up with the money to order her right when she comes out if it’s a limited edition kit. Because of school clothes and school supplies, she’s tapped out. This baby is important to her because it represents something she’ll never be able to have.
This is the reason limited editions are a bad idea.
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Well, sometimes we cant have what we want. that is life. You as the seller, can order her a kit with a down payment so it is available when she is ready to finish paying. That is how it works. I have people ask if i can do a LE kit before it ever even comes out. And i say yes, with a down payment. So they give the $ down, i put in the pre order, and when the kit comes in they can make their payments or whatever.
There are always going to be things in life that are not accessible to some. That is LIFE! If you can’t afford a LE kit, then pick a different one. This is the exact reason my doll was STOLEN! Because someone saw it, knew they couldn’t afford it so they just took it. And the same reason why i get emails weekly from people asking for a free or super cheap doll. No one is entitled to a reborn doll. I don’t see anyone demanding famous artists to make unlimited copies of their paintings so more people can have one. It devalues the item.
Just because EVERYONE is not able to buy an LE kit doesn’t mean that BB shouldn’t offer them to those that CAN. They need to expand and grow. That is what business is about. AND again… they NEVER said it has to be one or the other! They are still going to sell all of the other kits, they just want to ADD the option of LE kits. I for one am excited about it. I like to have as many options as possible. BB is known for great pricing, so i think they could be GREAT competitors when it comes to LE kits!
That’s the thing. She can’t afford just the kit right now or else we would be doing that. And that’s why famous artists make PRINTS of their painting. So more than one person can have them. I’m sorry your baby was stolen, but I really don’t see how that’s the point here. The question was should they do babies that are limited. I say no and this was just one more aspect as to why. Like it or not, this isn’t just a business or an art. it’s an emotional purchase.
I think if BB makes LE kits is totally up to them every reborn has the potential to be one of a kind weather it is LE or not I thought it was great BB was asking their customers opinion first. I am sure BB never thought they would read rude comments about the quality of their kits or about the financial status of others, currently I would not be able to buy an LE how ever I found a way to GIVE a reborn to a lady with ALZIEMER’S I got into reborning because I wanted to own one and could not afford to, $100 dollars or more for something you are just going to look at never made sense to me. I will continue to buy BB kits weather they introduce LE kits or not and if I meat others with Alzheimer’s I will find a way to GIVE them a reborn, if it could help. BB your kits put a smile on my face, thank you.
it’s not worth arguing about. BB has just said they will be making LE kits and still keep the old open ended kits as well. If people can afford the LE kits,then they will buy them, if they can’t then they don’t. BB is making great business decisions and that is why they have been so successful. Good job to BB, i look forward to your high end kits!!
Hi, I vote no to limited editions. I love the option to buy any kit I want at prices I can afford. I fear that I wouldn’t be able to afford limited editions; that would make me sad to miss out on what would probably be awesome kits. Please don’t change things. I love Bountiful Baby!!!
Could you have both? Is it all or nothing? I enjoy doing both. I enjoy your open edition kits but having some special limited editions would be a nice change.
Mary
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I was ready to ask the same question. I like the idea of both. Especially in the shape of the economy, I’d like to reborn baby dolls that people can afford . . . and reborn some higher end ones that will help sustain my income too.
I am very particular about detail, especially on hands and feet, and after reborning for several years now I have to say that I find many of the hands/feet on your kits to be lacking in realism, and rarely purchase them these days because of it. I do however realise that many of those (like the Donna RuBerts) were originally sculpted for use with porcelain, therefore weren’t sculpted with the extra detail that reborners appreciate in mind. The detail on your Cindy Musgrove kits is wonderful though!!
Personally I am not interested in making cheap dolls, rather I strive for absolute realism when I reborn. The ability of some of the sculptors around these days is just mind blowing (Tina Kewy, Laura Lee Eagles etc) and their kits are amazing to work with, so I happily part with my money to buy their kits as the finished product is so much more realistic.
I have many, many limited edition kits (I tend to know they are coming and prepare/save for them). I often order multiples of a limited edition kit if I really like it so I can reborn one then put the rest away for later on down the track, plus it gives me the opportunity to reborn it several different ways. Thing is though that I don’t buy them because they are LE… I buy them because the sculpting is awesome! But being LE makes me buy more of them immediately so I can have as many as I want to add to my stash!
I love the quality of your vinyl, and love your service, and would be only too happy to pay extra to buy LE kits from you if the quality of sculpting is there.
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I agree! I buy kits that I think look real. I’ve seen LE kits that have too much detail, taking away the creativity of the artist. And I’ve seen some LE kits that look less real than BB kits. Now that BB has their vinyl and color down, I love their kits. I’m working on a Jewel kit right now and have just ordered an Eliza and Riley. They’re adorable! After not reborning for 3 years, BB kits are a great place to start. I’m up for the challenge of making a less expensive kit look like it’s very expensive . . . and at the same time, make the baby doll more affordable for all collectors.
I personally love BB kits. In the 8 months I have been reborning, I have done 14 babies, all BB kits. I’ve had two “high end” limited edition kits and was not impressed with and didn’t reborn either of them. One I traded and the other I can’t get rid of (glad I didn’t pay full price for either of them). I am quite happy with Bountiful Baby’s quality, reasonable prices and wonderful service just the way it is! With that said, I’m not opposed to BB carrying some limited editions as long as we still get the great open editions we are currently getting.