When an MIB may not be MIB?

[daffodil101]

I got a lovely MIB Megan and Sundance in the mail today, but I've noticed a few strange things about it.  It seems tampered with. Can anyone confirm if this might be the case or not?

I wanted to post this here rather than one of the other boards because I wanted it to be a bit less public, and didn't want to draw negative attention to the seller on the Pony Corral if they did nothing wrong.  (I think at worst it would have been an innocent mistake.)

I think the seller is really lovely and I don't think she noticed.  This is the pic the seller posted:

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I've been looking at pictures online to compare it to.  The first thing I noticed was Sundance's blue comb was loose and rattling around inside the box.  The horse-shoe points had been cut out (though after I had paid, the seller messaged me and let me know about this as she had not noticed it.  She offered to refund $5, but I said I didn't mind and it was okay.)

When it arrived I noticed the bit of cardboard in the top left corner wasn't popped out.  This is another photo off google--

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All the other pics I saw had that bit popped out.  I thought it was weird because the horseshoe points are on the right panel of the box, so if the original owner had just wanted the points there was no need to move the inner section.  (The tape on both ends of the box was opened.)

I'm not sure how the brush was meant to be secured.  Every MIB I've ever owned or seen has had all of the accessories either directly visible or stacked on top of each other on the printed card.  I couldn't find a clear photo on google that showed the two inner sides of the box.  I also couldn't see any sign of the puffy sticker or leaflet/insert that it listed on the box as being included.

I opened the side panel (the outer layer) just to peer in behind and see if there was a leaflet or sticker in there.  A sticker fell out and so did another brush (the blue flower one for Megan).  I've never seen a real sealed sticker-- it was in a plastic sleeve with one end open and one end sealed.  I'm not sure if it had been cut out of the packet and replaced or if they came that way.

I was pretty reluctant to remove the inner box from the outer box so i carefully shone a torch inside.  There is definitely no leaflet. 

I mean, in a sense maybe it shouldn't matter that it's missing because it's not like I would remove it from the box and read it anyway, it's MIB so you would buy a loose leaflet separately.  I find it weird that the combs and sticker were not secured in any way and were just rattling loosely around the box.

So, is it a real MIB?   

[Ringlets]

I could be completely wrong but it seems to me that the set you bought has previously been opened, and the pony/doll may even have been taken out as well as the leaflet, sticker etc , if only for display, or maybe even light play some time back- and then put back how it was originally (or as close to how they seller thought it was originally) to sell . This may not have been your seller BTW - it is possible your own seller bought it as a genuine MIB (or in a lot or they were given it or found it in a shop or whatever) , left it packed as they had bought it and thought it was  genuine MIB, so sold the set as that  eventually 
I'm no MIB expert though. How are the pony/doll in your set held in place? there are other people here who collect MIB and might be able to tell you more

[Tulips]

Does MIB necessarily mean NRFB? I've not got any insight myself but am curious about this. If a boxed pony can be removed and displayed then repackaged without diminishing their mint appearance can they still be classified MIB?

I hope someone is able to assist you in solving this mystery Daffodil, Ringlets brings up some good points and it'll be interesting to hear more opinions on the matter.

Congrats on the gorgeous Megan & Sundance.

[Loa]

Ah, this may be the "Does MIB mean NRFB" debate.

You may need clarification from the seller as to what condition she actually believes it was in - unopened or not.

[Ringlets]

What Loa and Tulips say is also true    Just because something is described as "mint in box" we naturally assume that the item has never been removed from box  (When selling things that are genuinely MIB+NRFB I put both terms in my descriptions personally), however - and I fell victim to this myself too - some people would also describe as mint in box an item that is actually in mint condition and is coming in its original box - *but*  it doesn't necessarily mean that it has never been removed from the box  (many years ago I bought an old Barbie doll described as MIB when really it had been removed and then replaced in its box before selling- the item was technically mint in its original box , but it had also been removed from the box so it wasn't NRFB
Loa's advice to check whether your seller believes it was opened or not is good.
Personally I think sellers need to clarify whether the item has ever been removed from the box or not

[daffodil101]

(Ringlets I'd just written this before your last reply )
I'd assumed they mean the same thing, but that's an interesting point Loa.  There's a significant price difference between a loose mint condition pony and and MIB, though, I paid $100 so I kind of expected the real deal.  I'm sure I could have picked up a minty Megan and Sundance with accessories for a fair bit less.

Personally I don't massively mind if a box has been opened/sticky tape cut open, as long at the ponies haven't been removed from whatever piece of cardboard they're attached to.  There's a range of ways ponies are affixed to their backing cards-- some have twisty ties (like M&S) and most have plastic bubbles. I was lucky enough to come across an MIB newborn twins last year , and due to a bit of wear and tear, and also lots of dust, I took the inside section out, cleaned it, repaired the outer box and put it back together.  If I ever sold it I'd disclose all of this to the buyer, but to me it doesn't spoil the loveliness of the set

I wouldn't consider, say a pony that had been removed from the bubble, then had it sticky-taped back on 'MIB'.  It would be 'pony with backcard'.  The packaging would be compromised, not from general wear-and-tear but specifically from the pony being removed.  If a card has a crease in it or a water stain, it's still NRFB/MIB. 

I'd still be interested to know how the brushes/sticker/insert are supposed to be attached.  Despite it not being exactly what I expected, I still love it to bits and it would be nice to put it back together just as it was originally.

Post Merge: May 15, 2015, 04:13:23 AM

Ringlets--  Yeah I'd assumed they were the same thing too.  As far as I can tell (I still haven't quite been able to bring myself pull the whole inner card out to examine it) the pony and doll look like they're in the right place and I assume they haven't been removed from their twisty-ties.  Though realistically, if the brush and comb were dislodged and the leaflet removed then at the very least the inner card must have been completely taken out.  I noticed the fold-out section in the top left corner had an extra crease that stops it from sitting in the correct position (lol, not explaining that very well!)  So when the inner box was replaced, the fold-out bit was accidentally bent and now it will need to be reinforced to stand up properly again.

I agree I think it's important to disclose anything that might be important to a buyer when describing something.  It can be hard though when selling on items that weren't originally owned by you, which is probably what happened here.  You'd have to look at something quite closely and compare it to photos to notice the details I'm finding, and when selling a whole lot of items at once it's understandable the seller may have overlooked things.

[bluerose9978]

I work retail and people are constantly opening boxes and removing things right in the store (including toys). So I don't know if you can ever totally guarantee it is NRFB unless it came straight from the factory, honestly!

[kitkatvintage]

The stickers came in a plastic sleeve with an open end, so the fact that the sticker was not sealed is normal.

Not all g1 toys came with a leaflet even if other examples of the same item did. I remember opening items when I was little & being disappointed because there was no leaflet. I think that comes down to carelessness at the factory, and should be factored in as proving whether or not something was opened.

[Freeindeed]

About a year ago I sold a Megan/Sundance set with the box... it had been opened, but it still had the original insert. The brush, comb, sticker, and a mail order pamphlet came sealed in a bag and taped to the bottom of the insert like this:


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So if your brush/comb set is loose I would say it has definitely been tampered with.

[daffodil101]

Ooh thanks for your picture Freeindeed!    That's fantastic to see what it's meant to look like. 

(You're another awesome ebay seller I've bought ponies from!  It's exciting to see great ebayers in the pony community )

I pulled the inner box out far enough to see clearly underneath and I saw clearly the place where sticky tape had been attached.  I also found the little circle of cellophane that was supposed to go around Megan's head.  It's good that even though the box had been tampered with, the pony and doll and accessories are still in mint condition and the box is pretty good too.

Hm  really interesting to find this out!

[Ringlets]

Thanks Freeindeed - thats really helpful 
it still doesn't mean that your seller is the one that opened the box etc Daffodil (it might be whoever your seller got the set from who opened it and your seller didn't know)  but at least it clears up the question as to whether the items are MIB and NRFB or just MIB but not NRFB.  I'm glad that you are still happy with your set though regardless - so at least it isn't too disappointing /upsetting - I hope
Are you and the seller still discussing what to do about this/ a partial refund, or is it all settled now?