Show off your thrift store ponies & stories!

[StarDragon]

I'm leaving for my plane back to school tomorrow, and there are a lot of thrift stores where I am headed. I have been really looking forward to going pony hunting when I get back to school because of this, since I have never found any ponies or pony items at any of the thrift stores here at home (and I have been going to those stores since I was a little girl- nothing!).

Ironically, the first thrift store I went to with my friends before coming home for winter break, I found ponies!! My first ever thrift-find of ponies in all my life.

So, now that I am in the mood for pony-hunting, I would -love- to hear about your thrift store finds, and maybe how often you find ponies, too!

Just for show-and-tell, here are the three girls I found:
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North Star, Twilight, and Bouncy. Twilight is in the best condition of all of them.
So, story time!! -sits and waits- 

[Elisto]

Wow, nice! I'm not going to show pictures because nearly my entire collection is thrift store ponies. Most recently, I found G1 Tunefull and Princess Primrose, both in amazing condition, and some G3s and 4s.

I suppose the best story I have is from a few years ago. I hadn't found a thrift store pony in probably 8 years at the time, but had just moved to where I am now. A friend and I went to a large local thrift store and I took a quick look in the toy aisle just to see what was there. At the end was a My Pretty Pony, which I had wanted for years, ever since I first saw an overpriced, badly broken one in a store years ago and didn't buy it. Between that thrift store and two others in my area, in almost 3 years I've now doubled the size of my G1 collection, got my first 3 Dream Beauties, and added a decent number of G3s and G4s, as well as some non-pony stuff.

Good luck to you in finding more! I think searching for them like this is what makes pony collecting so fun to me!

[kmlv23]

I never seem to have any luck whatsoever, apart from when I formally decided to start collecting. I found a bag with Retro Cotton Candy and Butterscotch (in my sales thread and en route to Ireland for lilcutiepie, respectively) Bumbleberry and Sno-Glo. After that...nothing. I found a large baby, not quite sure who, but she closed her eyes when her head turned and seemed to be wearing pajamas and two playsets at a Value Village near me, but didn't buy them. However, a friend of mine visited that same Value Village once and brought me back a bag with G1 Flutterwings Lily (newly up in my sales thread), G1 Rattles and Tattles and G3 Garden Glade! I was very pleasantly surprised, and quite often wish I could have similar luck!

Good luck looking- thrift stores are so touch and go.

[StarDragon]

Wow, Ellisto, that is pretty amazing. You must have some amazing pony-luck! (Maybe I shall kidnap you and take you with me to thrift shops... hehehe)

That's sweet of your friend, kmlv23! I'm like you, though. I never have that much luck either, except for the three that I found a couple months ago. Hopefully that will change for both of us sometime soon, though!

[Flitter]

There is one thrift store near me that gets ponies in sometimes, mostly G3s and McDonalds (I could have pretty good size G3 collection from there if I collected them. It has been tempting sometimes.) One time they had some G1s. I got Sundance and a Baby Rainfeather. They had another baby G1 too but I couldn't read any markings on her hoof so I left her because I wasn't quite sure what she was (come to find out she was a Fancy Pants baby.) Turns out I can't really get back into G1s so I'm hoping to find the ones I did get another home. I still think it was cool to have found some G1s there though.

My one prize though is this G3 Sparkleworks plush
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As I said, I don't collect G3 but I totally fell in love with her and she's in perfect condition. She was only 99cents. 

[stopxmotion]

Aside from 3 ponies, my whole collection is from thrift stores. I find ponies about every other time I go.

[sweetstuff]

I haven't found ponies in awhile,  but I'd say more than half of my G3s came from thrift  stores, and a good chunk of my G1s . Sadly finding a G1 is a rare find nowadays...

[Elisto]

Heh, yeah, I've been really lucky! But I know I'm not the only pony collector who gets her ponies there. Here's another story. This summer, I saw someone about my age holding one of the "eyelash" princesses...I went over to her and asked if she was going to buy that, and she essentially ran away from me. Maybe I'm wrong, but I got the impression she wasn't buying it for a kid but for herself since there were plenty of other ponies there and she had the only G1 I saw that day.

[kittybethy]

How cute!! Love the thread!

[kmlv23]

Heh, yeah, I've been really lucky! But I know I'm not the only pony collector who gets her ponies there. Here's another story. This summer, I saw someone about my age holding one of the "eyelash" princesses...I went over to her and asked if she was going to buy that, and she essentially ran away from me. Maybe I'm wrong, but I got the impression she wasn't buying it for a kid but for herself since there were plenty of other ponies there and she had the only G1 I saw that day.

Wow. Someone got spooked easily.

[Gingerbread]

G1 Twilight! You're so lucky!

I find ponies maybe once a month, but I am sure there is someone else who buys charity shop ponies apart from me in my area as I often find accessories but no ponies. I did find a couple of bags of G1s about two years ago, just commons (Cotton Candy, Butterscotch, Forget-me-Not etc) and they were all covered in pindot but the bags were only £1.99 each and there were a couple of ponies I didn't have at the time. I found a G3 Royal Rose last week, and a plush patchwork Cheerilee the week before that though

[Catlein]

Can I steal the luck of some of you? I haven't found ONE pony in a thrift store... (Caveat: In the last six months since I started seriously collecting) Not even a fakie!

[tehrin]

I only seem to find G3's. I went hunting at a few thrift stores and came home with one which I plan on customizing since her symbol is half-rubbed.  I also found a pinkie pie and a 3.5 Sweetie Belle. But I hate that I have to buy a bag full of junk toys in order to get one pony. ;_;

[kmlv23]

I only seem to find G3's. I went hunting at a few thrift stores and came home with one which I plan on customizing since her symbol is half-rubbed.  I also found a pinkie pie and a 3.5 Sweetie Belle. But I hate that I have to buy a bag full of junk toys in order to get one pony. ;_;

That's how they make their money unfortunately...

[Flitter]

I only seem to find G3's. I went hunting at a few thrift stores and came home with one which I plan on customizing since her symbol is half-rubbed.  I also found a pinkie pie and a 3.5 Sweetie Belle. But I hate that I have to buy a bag full of junk toys in order to get one pony. ;_;

That's how they make their money unfortunately...

Yea, I always just pay for the bag and then tell them I only wanted one thing out of it and open the bag right there and give the rest back to the shop. It's just a mater of deciding if I want to pay that price for the one item.