ever want to bait but...

[ponygirl74]

ended up keeping it  as is? I bought some ponies recently that we in used or loved condition, in the thought of making them baits, but when they arrived they didn't look like they sounded on line, they looked like they needed a little love and could be kept the way they were. I did get a Sunny Daze with a haircut that I will alt rehair- I bout another with the idea of doing that but she just needed some deep conditioning treatment and her looks look good. I bought 2 SS Magic Star ponies in hope to bait them but I don't have the hart   to do so, they need cleaning and one needs a deflocking  as she lost a good amount but they are not enough for me to justify ising them as baits, alt rehairs maybe but not what I wanted to use them for. 

So my question is that did you buy a pony that was described as bait or sounded like it in the description but it turned out better then it sounded? 

[mlp4me]

I love baity ponies. Sometimes it's difficult to describe every single flaw without writing a book. However, a flaw to you may not be flaw to me. It all varies.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Most of the time I find people selling bait ponies , they are perfectly acceptable once you clean them up.  The majority of people aren't familiar with what flaws are actually true flaws and how you can fix them.  Messy hair? Original paint not stamped properly?  The hair machine didn't fill a plug right?  The hair looped in the plugs?   NOT A FLAW! 

I've seen plenty of ponies be sold as bait because "the hair is all a mess" and people stare at me when I say, "Oh it's only a few hours of detangling!"    Of course I have gotten a number of deals this way so ....  yeah.... I much prefer ignorant sellers to those who say, "It's a 1982 pony !  Vintage!  Worth $100!" 

[GustyFox]

I have a bait Gusty on my Gusty army. When I saw her on the picture of the lot I was buying I was like "eeeks, poor girl", but once she arrived I looked at her and I had that sense that someone was really happy playing with her year ago. She have mane and tail cuts, all kinds of marker marks on her body, her eyes were "re-touched" for an evil look

She have been with me for a while now and some of the pen marks faded a lot, she doesn't look as 'bad' as when I got her.

[Galactica]

For sure the opinion of "bait" is in the eye of the beholder. 

It really is HARD sometimes to see every little spot on a pony, that is why I generally do take pictures of all angles and then if there are any issues at all (even something so benign as tiny pen marks or a tiny freckle of vinyl deterioration) I would probably also call the pony "bait" to discourage the overly picky.

Far better for a buyer to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed...

[Doedeardarling]

I do have a SS Northstar that my mom got for me, because she knows I like to deflock, but the pony managed to be so fresh out of card perfect that I don't dare to touch her. Now she just sits on my shelf and I can't decide if I want to keep her or find someone who really loves so softs to give her to.

[Artemesia's Garden]

I got Tutti Frutti with  a slightly faded symbol, really common with that pony. Otherwise peachy!

[Chi]

One of my favourite ponies is a yellowed tailless Moondancer with fading symbols. I couldn't bait her and she sat around for years looking at me with sad eyes. I fell in love, it felt like I would be committing a crime to do something to her.

The other day, I covered her symbols, taped over her eyes and hair with blue painters tape, and decided that I would sunfade her to 100% perfect white so she could be something to *really* be proud of...she deserves it! 

[hathorcat]

I dont typically have a need to buy bait ponies to be fair unless I am looking for models for pony wear. But I do agree condition is very much in the eye of the seller and buyer as I have had some supposedly bait collectors pose ponies who look pretty nice when they show up here. Although I am fussy so all of them still end up in the fashion show rather than as an upgrade.

[Elfpony]

Several times I've bought 'bait' ponies when I needed a specific pose for a custom and then ended up cleaning the pony and putting her in my collection instead. Surface dirt does not a bait pony make.

Elf

[rosierjay]

this has happened to before. and quite frequently.
it's really frustrating.
i buy a pony for a specific pose or color (if i don't want to repaint) then i get it and it's gorgeous...


grumble!! i usually end up buying another one and selling the first. downgrading... it's so tricky.
and so far hasn't worked.
i have a bunch of g1 newborns that are perfect for rehair projects, but i want to do fbr on them... so i'm trying to trade them for stained or marked ponies.

[FairyDust]

I have bought some baits only to realize that I don't want to fix them because I enjoy the flaws or the majorly customized pony who had been markered/demonized by a child. Hehe.

[HoustonCollector72]

Yes I'm very picky but if the pony is rare my tolerance on flaws goes out the window,If i find an upgrade then is for sale or just keep both 
once you clean a pony and do the best you can for it, is kinda hard to let go ,but sometimes has to be done

[gabumon]

Ya.  Maybe some people label as bait ... To sell quickly?  Dunno. 

We wrote a Bait Guide hoping it would help people, see my signature below

v v v

[Truly]

This is me all the time, more than half of my collection has some flaw, but some are definitely bait! But I just can't do it, I have a burnt TAF Bonnie Bonnets with chews and a chunk out of her eye, but I'm leaving her, I just can't do it!