Collecting vs Hoarding

What's the difference? Sometimes I feel like I buy dolls just to make my collection bigger, but I do really like the dolls I buy. Before azones, I had a lot of trouble keeping dolls. I'd imagine characters, but no matter how I'd shell them I'd end up selling them since they didn't fit. With azones, I kinda don't have to worry about that. I have yet to sell any of my azones, which is a first. I'm trying to get rid of my Angel Philias now. However, now I feel like I'm buying just to grow my azone collection lol. Does anyone else struggle with this? I really don't think I'm hoarding, but maybe I am? I'm not really limited by finances when it comes to spending, so that may be part of my issue lol. 

I feel that I have too many dolls because of the thought of 'you should be spending/saving your money on something else', but I'm not willing to to part with any of them nor am I overwhelmed by the amount I have. I also have a lot of doll parts lying around, without the parts to complete them nor am in any desire to use them. It's a fine line to draw, and I think that it starts to become hoarding if you are overwhelmed and burdened more by your dolls instead of enjoying them.

Edited April 5 by Amapola

👆 Nailed it. Some people feel happier with bigger collections. Others are happy with smaller. I've met a few one-doll-only hobbyists over the years, and the care and love they pour into their 'only child' shows. More commonly, I meet folks who stick between three and twelve-ish and call it quits there, usually around the three-to-six mark.

Right now I have seventy-some resin dolls, down from eighty-some, which is a lot, and too late I've realized, more than I can comfortably handle. To me, hoarding is owning and buying more dolls every year, but not doing anything with them. No photos, no painting, no dressing, no taking them out and holding them. I've been guilty of not taking many photos for the last few years due to mental health + heavy work hours + not having the time to paint faceups. But I do still hold my dolls. I still dress them, and take them with me places, and have them sitting around while I work on the computer. (My newest SMD is criticizing me from the desk as I type this) However I haven't done 'enough' with all of them, which is why I'm trying to more or less stop buying resins until I par down their numbers more. Maybe for good. And also why I set a limit on the vinyl dolls. I'd been buying resin for over a decade, and went through a period where I didn't have energy and time to list things, and now that the economy and the hobby have slowed, am stuck with a bunch of things I should have moved out sooner.

My mother is a hoarder. A genuine hoarder. One of the neatest, most tidy hoarders you'll ever meet, but a hoarder regardless. She has kept all of my school craft projects and papers from primary to now. She has some of her school papers and colouring books. Many of the sketches I've filled books upon books with. All of my (handmedown!) clothes. (And hers. And her mother's. And her mother-in-law's) The baby toys, crib with its monitor and mattress, the sleds, the stuffed animals... for many years, every time I tried to give something to charity, she'd pitch a fit. "You can't donate that! It was a gift from  <A person Nefarious has never met>!" Our basement is piled to the ceiling with boxes upon boxes of holiday decour she only uses maybe 10% of in a year. The garage is the same way. The bottom part of my closet is mostly mine, but the shelves are at least 3/4ths dedicated to stuff I don't dare touch, because she'll go mad, even though it has no sentimental value to me. Yet it is stored in my room because it's 'mine'. I am 'obligated' to keep it.

I have her wisdom teeth in my doll alchemy props, because she still had them. This woman barely gets rid of anything.

If your Azone collection looks more like a shelf-full of dolls you wanted and less like our house, I'd say you're not hoarding. It is easy to get into the 'competitive' mindset with collecting though- I've made that mistake more than once. Started out small, got a job with a better paycheck, and suddenly brought in a bunch of things I wanted or was curious about because I could afford to. And because the subconscious pressure to add more and be a 'real' enthusiast was there. It wasn't something I set out to do, but those big toy collections always look like so much fun... until you have one and it's overwhelming. It's the creativity of the owner and their photography and not the amount of toys they have that makes it fun. But it's easy to forget that when they have such a large variety of subjects to shoot.

As a final thought, I don't know that not having limited finances is a bad thing, just as long as you remain mindful of how many dolls you are comfortable with, and whether you are still enjoying the ones you have. Maybe check in with yourself to see if you bought a doll because you wanted to enjoy her long-term, or bought to buy. Some people stay in love with the hobby too, and just fall out of love with their current dolls frequently. They sell them and start over with whatever interests them next, which is what it sounds like you're doing with your Angel Philia as you transition into Azone. If you've always gotten rid of dolls in the past, it may feel weird because it's different to keep them.

I'm a major hoarder. I wasn't so bad when I was younger. At least then I could get rid of stuff. Now it just accumulates.

I think we've kind of reached or almost reached peak doll collection size though. And the Lego is shrinking.

Honestly the above comments have summed it up really well, so I don't have much to add here. I'll just add as someone who has had to help clean up a hoarder house and also has a mother who's a (moderately light) hoarder, though this is just my opinion; how you think about dolls/collecting/hoarding may be different.

I think the biggest difference between hoarding and collecting is if you're keeping things just for the sake of keeping them, even though you don't appreciate or interact with the them and are unlikely to at all in the future, as opposed to if you still do appreciate them. If you still love your dolls and interact with them and/or appreciate having them be there, then it's a collection worth keeping. If you want to buy a new doll because you really love the idea of having them, then it may be a worthwhile purchase. But if your old dolls are just sitting in place, never moving and/or not being appreciated, or you're buying a new doll just because you want something new but will stop doing anything with them after a few days anyway, it may be hoarding.

I don't know if this is applicable to you since everyone's shopping habits are different, but it's also a good idea to not impulse buy. Have an idea of a doll you'd like for at least a couple of weeks or longer before actually buying them. If you're still interested in them, you might appreciate them more once you have them.

Just my thoughts. Hopefully this helps 

Edited April 10 by Azurluna

On 4/5/2024 at 8:19 PM, Inolth said:

What's the difference? Sometimes I feel like I buy dolls just to make my collection bigger, but I do really like the dolls I buy. Before azones, I had a lot of trouble keeping dolls. I'd imagine characters, but no matter how I'd shell them I'd end up selling them since they didn't fit. With azones, I kinda don't have to worry about that. I have yet to sell any of my azones, which is a first. I'm trying to get rid of my Angel Philias now. However, now I feel like I'm buying just to grow my azone collection lol. Does anyone else struggle with this? I really don't think I'm hoarding, but maybe I am? I'm not really limited by finances when it comes to spending, so that may be part of my issue lol. 

I think the line between hoarding and collecting can sometimes be blurry. I see hoarding as a collection that went out of hand. Were you have space issues or problems cleaning or even reaching a certain part of your house. I live together with two other collectors. From time to time we review our available space and what needs to be done. One of the things we discussed this week were the Lego boxes. With a few exceptions those are going out. I also have an example of hoarding. Hoarding is buying stuff that will be in the way and that doesn’t ad anything to your life. We have that very badly with small material like wheels, lamps, cables and other materials. The second thing is tools and still buying new ones. The problem of that is when you need something, you cannot find it resulting in buying new ones. And throwing away later is difficult because it is still useable. We have as a house rule that we don’t buy any new materials or tools without all three of us agree. To prevent wasting space and money. It also affects daily life in a bad way and when it does that it is hoarding. 

On 4/6/2024 at 3:29 AM, PolitelyNefarious said:

My mother is a hoarder. A genuine hoarder. One of the neatest, most tidy hoarders you'll ever meet, but a hoarder regardless. She has kept all of my school craft projects and papers from primary to now. She has some of her school papers and colouring books. Many of the sketches I've filled books upon books with. All of my (handmedown!) clothes. (And hers. And her mother's. And her mother-in-law's) The baby toys, crib with its monitor and mattress, the sleds, the stuffed animals... for many years, every time I tried to give something to charity, she'd pitch a fit. "You can't donate that! It was a gift from  <A person Nefarious has never met>!" Our basement is piled to the ceiling with boxes upon boxes of holiday decour she only uses maybe 10% of in a year. The garage is the same way. The bottom part of my closet is mostly mine, but the shelves are at least 3/4ths dedicated to stuff I don't dare touch, because she'll go mad, even though it has no sentimental value to me. Yet it is stored in my room because it's 'mine'. I am 'obligated' to keep it.

I have her wisdom teeth in my doll alchemy props, because she still had them. This woman barely gets rid of anything.

I'd be honest with you, my mother was the same way, though she got over it, and isn't as bad at the moment. If you ever get into a time to be with her, I'd talk about how you (and or other siblings you may have) feel about it. I'm not a psychology person, no. But, I feel it's time for a little change of heart. There's a sense of sentiment I'm getting she feels to her things as gifts or important, they make her think she has to eternally keep them due to them being a gift, or that connection to family, friends is so strong, it's why she feels no one is able to do so because she feels connection to these items. I wouldn't throw away family items, but keeping your childhood stuff? No, it's gross. 

If she's okay with some things being thrown away, I'd ask if she finds it a problem, and ask if she agrees some of it has to be thrown away. She's gotta look towards the future, I guess? Sorry for making this off-topic. 

On 4/5/2024 at 2:19 PM, Inolth said:

What's the difference? Sometimes I feel like I buy dolls just to make my collection bigger, but I do really like the dolls I buy. Before azones, I had a lot of trouble keeping dolls. I'd imagine characters, but no matter how I'd shell them I'd end up selling them since they didn't fit. With azones, I kinda don't have to worry about that. I have yet to sell any of my azones, which is a first. I'm trying to get rid of my Angel Philias now. However, now I feel like I'm buying just to grow my azone collection lol. Does anyone else struggle with this? I really don't think I'm hoarding, but maybe I am? I'm not really limited by finances when it comes to spending, so that may be part of my issue lol. 

Hoarding is when your interests go too far, and you may have insanity or a connection.

Collecting is saying to yourself, "I'm collecting something I like and doing this because I want to preserve this items legacy."

I guess I can relate to this topic via Magic cards.

I buy good crads useable to my decks and staples - that is collecting (but not like if would buy Jeweled lotus in every version printed and etc.). But I still buy booster packs - just for fun sometimes I hit wow-cards (I opened Force of will and Demonic tutor on X-mass and spacial art Mana Drain on prerelease event), thoose can produce pretty much of bulk cards (unplayable or not for my format - I am EDH Andy). I started keeping only good cards from packs and other throwing away - I am sorry mother nature but I cant swim in cards like uncle Scrouge McDuck in gold coins. But I have many decks around 10 and still planning to build new ones... so that is a hoarding I guess? Even if I concentrate mostly to build decks around Dragons and non-humans but I still am trying to play the decks as musch often as possible. 

So I am EDH dragon Andy hoarding decks and cards to put into them but for sake of gameplay.

With dolls I wish little bit to have many of them. But would like to have some collectible staples lik Miku, Rin Thosaka, Asuna... But it is bit isue with minimal salary and rent contract for me ends in June - pity it was cheap, not enough privacy but still cheap - like 1/5 or 1/6 of my salary. I dont want to return back to commuting via train even I dont like town where I work. (pardon for off-topic) I wouldnt mind to be small doll hoarder but would it stop the fear of death in end of my life which is annoying me sometimes pretty offten? I dont know.

 

Edited April 23 by Silent

I don't think my doll collecting has reached the level of hoarding, but my insistence on keeping the boxes they came in may have. They take up half a large storage locker now...

It's probably time for me to flatten them for storage, or get rid of them because I'm never selling the dolls. 

40 minutes ago, Silent said:

I guess I can relate to this topic via Magic cards.

I buy good crads useable to my decks and staples - that is collecting (but not like if would buy Jeweled lotus in every version printed and etc.). But I still buy booster packs - just for fun sometimes I hit wow-cards (I opened Force of will and Demonic tutor on X-mass and spacial art Mana Drain on prerelease event), thoose can produce pretty much of bulk cards (unplayable or not for my format - I am EDH Andy). I started keeping only good cards from packs and other throwing away - I am sorry mother nature but I cant swim in cards like uncle Scrouge McDuck in gold coins. But I have many decks around 10 and still planning to build new ones... so that is a hoarding I guess? Even if I concentrate mostly to build decks around Dragons and non-humans but I still am trying to play the decks as musch often as possible. 

So I am EDH dragon Andy hoarding decks and cards to put into them but for sake of gameplay.

With dolls I wish little bit to have many of them. But would like to have some collectible staples lik Miku, Rin Thosaka, Asuna... But it is bit isue with minimal salary and rent contract for me ends in June - pity it was cheap, not enough privacy but still cheap - like 1/5 or 1/6 of my salary. I dont want to return back to commuting via train even I dont like town where I work. (pardon for off-topic) I wouldnt mind to be small doll hoarder but would it stop the fear of death in end of my life which is annoying me sometimes pretty offten? I dont know.

 

I hope that the way you collect Magic cards isn’t hoarding, otherwise I am also 100% guilty on that. 
(I sort of do the same with Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG)

 

2 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

It's probably time for me to flatten them for storage, or get rid of them because I'm never selling the dolls. 

Throw the boxes away plz geez

Then will we get to be in your inheritance or is something preordained to happen to your stuff 

Hoarding to me starts when you run out of space to display the collection and have to start putting stuff in storage. I only have 29 dolls so I think I'm a long way from what I'd class as hoarding. I have kept all the boxes and packaging for each doll but they are out of the way in the attic.

A collection is curated. Hoarding is not.

6 hours ago, SonataAvalon said:

 

Throw the boxes away plz geez

Then will we get to be in your inheritance or is something preordained to happen to your stuff 

I think flatten is better than throwing away. The dolls are going nowhere but when you move to a new house you want to transport all your dolls safely. I learned that the Smardollbags are very useful for moving too. 

I went through a phase of hoarding / addiction with anime figure collecting. In no particular order the signs for me were:

* Running out of space to display the figures

* Spending large amounts of money I couldn't afford, regularly, on figures

* Receiving packages of figures & or anime merch nearly every day 

* Buying because making a purchase gave me a high

* Buying because of the hype around the figure

* Having so many figures I couldn't remember them all

* Having lots of figures that I didn't enjoy looking at ("does not spark joy")

* Owning a lot of low quality figures and trying to justify to myself why I bought them (It's a character I like, the outfit she has is nice even though it's badly sculpted, I want a themed shelf of figures, etc)

* Having so many figures it was difficult to appreciate their details individually

* My main form of entertainment was looking at shopping sites (Mandarake, AmiAmi etc) and I would spend hours looking at listings

* Spending far too much time in collector communities that focus on/glorify buying

(You can replace figures with dolls and this list would still be descriptive of a hoarding/shopping addiction.)

9 hours ago, Rajke said:

I think flatten is better than throwing away. The dolls are going nowhere but when you move to a new house you want to transport all your dolls safely. I learned that the Smart Doll bags are very useful for moving too. 

I do agree the tot bags are a good idea! Though for things you can throw away, I was thinking of more the cardboard boxes, and or the box for the doll itself (lol) unless you don't want damage than keep it. 

I agree flattening the box is a good idea, I know because I have to do this for my job as I work with opening boxes containing parts for appliances, and we have a trash can for this! I always, and you should remember, to throw away empty boxes that anything came in! Be it cardboard, plastic, throw it away or else the boxes god will take up your home! You don't need to keep it!
 

Edited April 24 by SonataAvalon

I have a lot of cardboard for many things that I collect, I tried flattening them... even flattening it got a little out of hand and in my country they may grow mold really easily...

But for all the things I am collecting I never grew so attached to my first Azone... Most of my "Toys" would be shelfed up and displayed, but my Mizuki stays very near me... I tried to display her once but can't help but get her out again... Must be Empty Nest syndrome as my IRL girls start getting older lol...

i've been flattening the boxes for all of my Girls lately. the flattened outer boxes have all been fitting neatly into a couple of RUBBERMAID Tubs so far.

one box that just haven't had the gumption to molest in any way, so far, is the one for my ♥Wife♥ Konomi.

Sure... her box isn't in the greatest of overall shape... but... She's my ♥Wife♥ By God;

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 2 by Tasuke

On 4/24/2024 at 8:17 PM, meteorite said:

I went through a phase of hoarding / addiction with anime figure collecting.

I relate quite strongly to this one in particular!

I did end up curbing my collecting in the later years by only ordering one every couple of months and not filling up precious space by avoiding prize figures, etc and sticking quality because I just have no space. But it was too late, by then I already had hundreds that I still can’t get rid of… no one wants to ship from or even within my country because lol Aus Post, and the market for figures seems surprisingly small in my local area unless it’s those aforementioned cheaper character figures. And I was stupid and threw away a lot of boxes/splinter packs, doh. 
I even have a large packing box (used for moving houses, oh dear) overflowing with figmas that I haven’t even glanced at in years, dammit. Used to try justify it by being a blogger and figure photographer but once I stopped doing those things, I had no excuse yet still collected hoarded. So they’re just sitting there being hoarded, ehe. 

Wish I’d moved into dolls a lot sooner as their sheer price curbs some of my impulse buying and, well, space. Figures are beautiful but think you’re spot on about not being able to appreciate the craftsmanship of what you have when the newest shiny thing is constantly just another week away. 

So yeeeeah… 
Hi, I’m Zai and I’m a figure hoarder. 😅
I’m still fairly new to dolls and hopefully won’t repeat the same mistake! 

I can also relate to anime figure hoarding... It's one of the reasons why I'm focusing more on dolls now. It's gotten to the point where I forget about figures I've preordered and then when it does come in the mail, it sits in its box for weeks because I have to completely rearrange everything before putting it on display.

I'm very limited in the amount of free space I have left - I only have space for two Detolfs and they're both full of figures already.

I keep my DDs on top of my Detolfs so there's limited space for them too. I currently have four DDs and would like to buy a few more, but I already have some of my grails. For me, more than 8 would feel like hoarding because there's no place to put all of them, even if I have the money to buy them. I wouldn't be able to give them all the attention they deserve.

I hope none of you mind me getting a little TMI here.

I have the right blend of mental health gobbledy-gook to where I get sentimentally attached to Stuff super easily. I also have a bit of an issue where I like to self-soothe by shopping. If I were a remotely less stable human being, all it would take is a small-yet-firm nudge and I'd turn into a hoarder. I'm fully aware of my tendencies, which helps. My spouse is also willing to act as a stop-gap for me, so any frivolous purchases (i.e. not stuff we actively need, like groceries or clothes for our kids) get checked against both our available space and our budget before they happen.

For me, the line between hoarding and collecting comes down to 1) whether or not I'm willing to part with stuff and 2) whether I'm making curated purchasing decisions. Like most, I've bought dolls due to FOMO, but I'm at a point now to where I'm really trying to curate my collection rather than add to it just because I saw something neat at a time when I was emotionally vulnerable to impulse buying. I'm also willing to part with dolls that I've tried but are not working out for me. While this does mean I can be a bit of a "revolving door" under the right circumstances, my doll family is staying at a fairly manageable size with my new additions generally being planned far in advance.

As far as boxes go, those get dumped immediately. I simply do not have the room, even flattened, to keep doll boxes and other miscellaneous packing materials.

10 hours ago, Thespian said:

I get sentimentally attached to Stuff super easily. I also have a bit of an issue where I like to self-soothe by shopping. If I were a remotely less stable human being, all it would take is a small-yet-firm nudge and I'd turn into a hoarder. I'm fully aware of my tendencies, which helps.

I definitely relate to this a lot, I've been a sentimental attachment type person ever since I was a little kid, and it can be very hard for me to let things go in the moment.  I also dine at the brain soup kitchen, and am a materially motivated person when I'm in the thick of it lol.

My personal regulator is a need to have everything in its place and neatly laid out (can't stand mess and disorganized clutter, gotta have things nicely arranged and stored) and a paranoia about my money that makes me obsessively watch over my finances and budget (even when I get a little brain-soup fast and frisky with hobby purchases).  I'm really thankful I have enough self awareness to prevent myself from going in a hole, as well as outside support who would stop me otherwise, because it's both sad and scary to watch people who don't.

To prevent clutter and hoarding risk, I don't keep packaging.  I don't look at any investment as "well if I sell this later, it'll have more value with all the extra stuff" - I just assume I'm gonna have it forever so it doesn't matter or let it go at a small loss. Boxes recycled. Excess plastic tossed out.  Bits and bobs from full sets I don't use get neatly tucked away into storage.  If I'm hesitant about something, I keep it for at most a year and then revisit its worth - it usually ends up gone by that point.  If the hobby isn't making me happy in the moment, I just put it on the backburner and visit something else for a while, rather than spend more cash trying to find the next high.

I don't think I am doll-hoarding yettt- I only have 9 currently, but I do have hoarding tendencies in some of my other hobbies. 
I really adore vintage trinkets- brass animals, pretty glass vases and cups, gold frames, jars. and I don't live in a place that has ample storage/display space.

My dolls take up a good corner of the room in My Nook, and plants take up another section. I just don't seem to have enough room to display all the things I want to show off. One day I will have my own house that I can fill with shiny trinkets, but today- right now- I am learning to slow down and only get things from the thrift that are on "my list". Things I'm specifically looking for.

My partner keeps me from getting too far in, he makes me clear out things that are in bags and boxes that I keep saying I will get to. "Put them away, or give them away, they can't just stay here on the coffee table." He knows my ADHD gets kinda bad when things pile up. ♥

*nervously eyes wall of unbuild model kits and cupboard filled with mostly vintage mecha*

...I hope to keep the dolls in check.