What to do when an Ebay seller doesn't respond?

[flying_narwhal]

I agree with what others have said in regards to giving the seller a couple more days to respond. The seller does not appear to sell much and may not check in frequently.

Keep in mind that the majority of sellers on eBay are not MLP collectors and as such may not notice things that would bother a collector. Many don't see them as "collectibles" but rather toys they or their children played with that they just want to clear out of the house. Purchasing items with a super brief description is always a gamble, especially from a non collector, and with eBay it is always safe to assume that there may be small additional flaws the person did not notice. I agree with Taxel that it might be best for you to purchase from fellow collectors who know what they are looking at, provide a very thorough list of specific condition issues/comments, and provide many clear photos so that you won't be disappointed with your purchases.

[LadyMoondancer]

Those are factory flaws . . . Not even flaws, really (except the one missing plug), but just the way hair often is on Lickety-Split.  Her forelock has not been trimmed IMO, it actually looks a bit longer than average. 

As for the tail, that is just the way it is on a lot of ponies.  As other people have said, this is due to the way the bracket (that holds the tail) is cinched on.  Basically, a pony's tail is one long bundle of synthetic hair, which is doubled over so that both ends of the hair-bundle come out the tail hole to form the tail.  So, if the bracket is not PERFECTLY placed in the middle (or if it's shifted around inside the pony's body), half the tail will be shorter than the other half.

[Skeen]

I'm agreeing with the others.  Those are all issues that came from the factory, and are not at all the responsibility of the seller.  You got what was described in the auctions.  If you're going to be picky, and that's fine because a lot of collectors are, you're going to have to do your homework/legwork, and you're going to have to be more patient.  Educate yourself on what flaws/errors could be made in the factory.  You don't have to have all the ponies all at once.  Wait until you see a pony that is actually perfect, and buy from known collectors. You'll pay more but you won't be constantly buying/returning/hunting/repeat and your collection will be all the more impressive. 

And Celestia help you if you ever want to collect nirvanas, lol!   

[Pierlala]

It seems almost like it's a sin to discribe flaws on a Pony that you bought and ask for advice.

I disagree that it is as what was discribed/shown. The cut hairs at the bottom of the neck weren't shown in the pictures. And the listing stated no haircuts.

You are asking for advice and just don't like the advice given.

That's not it. I find that people claim factory flaw way too often. If it says the Pony doesn't have cut hairs it should atleast say some hairplugs are shorter. Not claim the Pony has no cut hairs, it's like telling half the truth. Wheter it was done by scissors or whatever teh case may be. It's just not the way it's supposed to be. Hasbro didn't design the Ponies to have missing hairplugs and or factory flawed hair. So I find that it was not fairly discribed.

Post Merge: August 31, 2016, 09:04:13 AM

Those are factory flaws . . . Not even flaws, really (except the one missing plug), but just the way hair often is on Lickety-Split.  Her forelock has not been trimmed IMO, it actually looks a bit longer than average. 

As for the tail, that is just the way it is on a lot of ponies.  As other people have said, this is due to the way the bracket (that holds the tail) is cinched on.  Basically, a pony's tail is one long bundle of synthetic hair, which is doubled over so that both ends of the hair-bundle come out the tail hole to form the tail.  So, if the bracket is not PERFECTLY placed in the middle (or if it's shifted around inside the pony's body), half the tail will be shorter than the other half.

Thank you. I know about the tail issues. As I said I am not so bothered by it. It's more the mane that bothers me.

Post Merge: August 31, 2016, 09:13:28 AM

Perhaps vintage MLP is not the right hobby for you since this has now happened multiple times. While its fine to be a picky collector, you need to be reasonable. These toys are nearly antiques. Its honestly amazing that any of them even still exist MIB/MIP, mint, etc. Not understanding and refusing to accept that factory flaws happened is really just entirely unreasonable. You shouldn't be punishing sellers because you don't ask any questions or don't buy/bid on ponies with extremely detailed photos & descriptions. You got exactly what was described in the 1 sentence description and 4 imperfectly lit photos.

If you want to be a picky collector you need to put effort into it. Ask questions, do a lot of research, only buy from fellow collectors with highly detailed descriptions/photos, etc. Don't just buy any random pony, make assumptions about their condition, and then punish the seller for your own mistake.

Maybe high end custom ponies or a collector-aimed toy line would be a better fit for you.

Multiple times?

If you're reffering to the Rapunzel issue...that was a 800 dollar Pony.

As I said in this thread if you read it. I wrote this has never happened before. Every Pony I bought from Ebay I have been satisfied with. And as I discribed, I have no experience with this. Which means it has never happened before.

I just feel I get this judgement because of what happened with Rapunzel.

Don't male any false claims of "it has happened multiple times" cause it hasn't. If haircuts are not discribed in the auction or listing. I always ask before bidding or buying. Many people who I've bought from here can confirm this. Apart from that I am not a super picky collector. But when it comes to mane and tail trims, then yes.

And last, I don't have the years of experience many of the people here have. So don't judge me for being a new collector and ask a question. Nothing in the thread was written to attacking the seller. I wrote it in a normal and polite manner. But I guess that doesn't matter cause it's the annoying Pierlala who wrote it. I merely asked a question about what to do best in this situation. Not to be attacked by people who defend the seller and telling me I am punishing him/her.

[Vertefae]

Peirlala- As everyone has said, the hair is NOT cut. It comes that way from the factory. If you refuse to accept that some of these ponies come flawed from the factory, you're going to have a very hard time collecting them. Lashing out at the community for answering your request for advice isn't going to help.

[FantasticFirefly]

I gave this some thought overnight.
Pierlala, again I will clarify. as per ebay agreement, all sellers now must accept returns. you are allowed to return an item you purchase on ebay for any reason. So you do not have to keep this pony if you don't want to. You can package her up, return her and get the item price back from the seller. This is not an item not as described case though. This pony has hasbro original hair, it's not precision perfect hair, but still original and very typical for G1's -and especially curly hair ponies (forelock, bottom plugs- knots or missing, shorter end plugs, odd long peice), or ponies with striped manes (plug issues too- knots, short plug where there is an end or colour change)

Personally though, I still strongly feel it's morally wrong to create extra work or expense for a seller when they haven't done anything wrong* and as buyers we have our own responsibilities to purchase thoughtfully to avoid issues on our end (research the toy in which we wish to purchase. what is normal, what would we like for that specific pony, study photographs closely, asking simple and clear questions, not overbidding on vague items which are not sold by pony experts), and hopefully I can explain why this seller falls into the innocent category (since this is not an at home haircut). and many collectors have this kind of a pony-etiquette we follow together. and I save that route (returning items) for things that have severe issues. that still doesn't change the fact you are allowed to return this pony. You are. The seller agrees to by using eBay as a vehicle for sales.

You had asked about pony hair length before, styling curly hair ponies to "original" and asking precisely how each pony's hairstyle originally looked. and hopefully now I can provide a bit more of a detailed and thoughtful answer for you. I have a problem with earlier ponies. I absolutely love this year of MLP. and, curly ponies is a "I need more space and shouldn't keep more" kiss of death. A total hoarding problem! early pony + curls = never enough. so I have some experience here due to how many years I've been at this.

If you wish to have exact consistency and precision from pony to pony, I am so sorry. Unfortunately mlp's fall well short of that from new. I very vividly remember selecting "the pony" I would take home from the store in the 80's choosing from each of the same character and carefully looking at the "flaws" they each had and picking the one I liked best. (vs. lego, which is precision engineered and does have a high level of exactness! this is why I never owned real lego as a child (80's lego went as high as- .40 cents per brick due to those extra costs! it was a wealthy family toy!)



For lickety split. (and others curly ponies like her*)

She is a pony who typically had curls from new (she was "supposed to" have curls!) with a piece at the front of forelock.

-Every LS out there when MOC once will have varied on the level of curl tightness, and how they fell.

-The hair was rooted with the whatever curl she got already in place and then the hair was cut to length at the factory.

-Since some originally had very dense and tight curls. they, if the curls are lost and brushed out will have "longer hair" and longer forelocks. Some curly ponies, on the card of the same character go to the other end, sort of straight with a bit of a wave (got ripped off in the curl department from when they were made). So measuring those, they will have shorter hair/forelocks. and thus final length varies should one pull a piece straight and hold a ruler to it between multiples of the same (country, issue year, set, name) pony.  I believe the level of curl originally depending on where (how deep) on the spool of hair that pony was rooted from, and quality of original spool's curl overall.

So, forelock length varies.  I have come across ponies who do not have a forelock, even though they "should" it's pretty much the same length as her mane (rarer), but also many with a length  like yours! Yours is not an abnormal forelock. it's not the longest I have seen, or shortest. but still normal.

-Also, How many plugs make up a forelock can also vary! in the photo I show one pony has a 1 plug forelock. some have had 2,3,4, 5, 8. Really varies!

This is the sampling of likely 50 or more lickety split ponies coming through my hands from all sorts of places over the last 20+ years (childhood collections, ebay lots, yardsales, other second hand finds) I kept any I found personally interesting, or who are sentimental to me because of the person I received her from.

Included in photos are a couple pieces of my early pony hoarding from one of my "spare early 1984 ponies I won't sell" boxes. (unfortunately this cannot show the full range of variety, since I have rehomed many, many of my LS's over the years- and I am too lazy to dig out other boxes that contain more lickety-splits. these are cherry picked ones I like. Your lickety split pony is not wrong, or abnormal in her forelock width or length. just part of the range of variation present in these ponies, especially curly ponies)

Some photos: (sorry about crappy quality and messy "storage hair" I plan on pushing loose bits into place once I finally purchase final display cases for everything and have this room set up properly.)
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Figure one. a few of my licketies.
#1 "pony wear model" 5 plugs of forelock. oops typo- 2 plugs
#2 I liked her interesting body tone 2 plugs of forelock. oops typo- 5 plugs
#3 I liked her hair- she only got one forelock length plug  (pulled 2,3 out of one of my 84' hoarding boxes)
#4 personal "base" collection- happens to have 5 plugs of forelock as well as the longest (in the cabinet I keep one of each pony) I enjoy how her hair falls which is why she was selected.
#5 is a mail order satin n' lace I had kicking around to sell. I included her due to spotting her on my desk (one I plan to trade/sell) selected for having the same pose and because from new she's intended to have same hairstyle and length as a lickety split. she doesn't have a hair cut, but her forelock is roughly a centimeter or more shorter then LS # 4 (I suspect she did not have near as much curl as that LS from the factory)


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Figure Two.
A birthflower example. Both ponies do not have haircuts. each US birthflower was supposed to come with the same style. as you see one is curly, one is not. neither have been brushed. pony at right I am positive is not cut- because I was the one who opened her from a sealed original packet. (she was yellowed, and I needed the paper bit included with her for my loose collection.) Look at how much shorter her hair ended up vs. the pony who got more curl from the factory! (you can see my fingers holding the end of the curlier pony's forelock straight- huge difference)

and, some more forelocks, and a little of my curly pony hoarding obsession.
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As much as I'd like to provide MIP/MOC proof of forelock varation, short end plugs/missing end plugs. most of my MOC's are in cold storage, and I don't have the time or clear space to dig all the boxes out, gather all the curly ones for more photoshoots with the other projects I have going on at the moment.

If I am upsetting you by responding again, I am sorry. I admit this post has hit nerve with me. I am a picky buyer, but not one who wishes to create undue hassle for any of my sellers/dealers or one who expects premium price precision (like lego, or high end adult market collectibles) on a budget price 80's toy line (Mlp, SSC, etc). I only ask/bid buy when I feel the price is in line for the potential factory flaws (or truly general playwear) which bother me being present would mean I am still happy between the seller and I, they get good feedback and I get and KEEP a pony that while it might not end up in my main display, I am still pleased with for the price. (I can then gift, re-sell or add to the hoard on my own.)

People whom I've contacted here or on ebay (that I haven't dealt with before) with a couple simple questions (smoke/midlew smells, loose heads, has this pony had parts altered or removed/replaced "restored"). I have inadvertently gotten the hackles of too many folks up- they think OMG one of THOSE collectors!.

or even sending the "hi is this still available?" and they know I am upgrading or picky from seeing my posts on here, have responded back not with a yes or no, but with worry about dealing with me because "you are a picky collector, right?" and will tell me tales of picky buyers that made past transactions far more hassles then they were worth (or outright nightmares) . A select few refuse to sell to anyone they deem picky due to this (poor buyers) and say it's nothing personal against me. Many of my favorite dealers have left ebay because of more and more hassle buyers, and have not come back due to this.

Upsetting as this is as a buyer, more people not understanding what they are buying IS THE REASON I too left ebay as a seller! because too many buyers didn't realize what they were buying isn't worth my time/sanity. I have so few ponies now I really want to upgrade and it's much harder now then before due to lack of selection of awesome quality sellers I used to see (ones I was always thrilled with). This really makes me sad, and sad for newer collectors who missed those glory days of collecting online and having the hundreds of high quality awesome toy/pony sellers to choose from I remember from the past. So this is why I personally disagree with returning a pony who doesn't fit your standard of perfect (because this pony is original). You are allowed, but encouraging and saying it's ok I will not do. it's not fair, and feeds into more and more sellers having problems with buyers and saying "time to close up shop" preventing a chance for other collectors at adding ponies to their collections from that seller. ***I apparently cannot spell, or write clearly. sorry about all the edits*

[Pierlala]

Peirlala- As everyone has said, the hair is NOT cut. It comes that way from the factory. If you refuse to accept that some of these ponies come flawed from the factory, you're going to have a very hard time collecting them. Lashing out at the community for answering your request for advice isn't going to help.

The question wasn't "Has the hair of this Pony been cut"? The question is, what can I do best in this situation. I am not trying to lash out. I'm just sick of this stigma that I've gotten. If it would have been someone else, the awsners would have been normal instead of claiming I'm attacking the seller. If you actually read the first post I made in this thread, you can see what the thread is supposed to be about. And that I was not attacking the seller, nor the comminuty. One person asked to post pictures and that's what I did. And in response to the pictures I get people lashing out at me. Also forgetting that I don't have years of experience in collecting. But I already get thrown aside by someone telling me "Maybe you shouldn't be collecting Ponies". Just because I make this thread about a flawed Pony. There will always be people remembering the Rapunzel issue and I feel like I still get thrown under the bus for it. As soon as haircuts or anything come up in relation to me.

Thank you all for the awsners. We can drop it now.

Post Merge: August 31, 2016, 09:57:55 AM

I gave this some thought overnight.
Pierlala, again I will clarify. as per ebay agreement, all sellers now must accept returns. you are allowed to return an item you purchase on ebay for any reason. So you do not have to keep this pony if you don't want to. You can package her up, return her and get the item price back from the seller. This is not an item not as described case though. This pony has hasbro original hair, it's not precision perfect hair, but still original and very typical for G1's -and especially curly hair ponies (forelock, bottom plugs- knots or missing, shorter end plugs, odd long peice), or ponies with striped manes (plug issues too- knots, short plug where there is an end or colour change)

Personally though, I still strongly feel it's morally wrong to create extra work or expense for a seller when they haven't done anything wrong* and as buyers we have our own responsibilities to purchase thoughtfully to avoid issues on our end (research the toy in which we wish to purchase. what is normal, what would we like, study photographs closely, asking simple and clear questions, not overbidding on vague items which are not sold by pony experts), and hopefully I can explain why this seller falls into the innocent category (since this is not an at home haircut). and many collectors have this kind of a pony-etiquette we follow together. and I save that route (returning items) for things that are severe issues. that still doesn't change the fact you are allowed to return this pony. You are. The seller agrees to by using eBay as a vehicle for sales.

You had asked about pony hair length before, styling curly hair ponies to "original" and asking precisely how each pony's hairstyle originally looked. and hopefully now I can provide a bit more of a detailed and thoughtful answer for you. I have a problem with earlier ponies. I absolutely love this year of MLP. and, curly ponies is a "I need more space and shouldn't keep more" kiss of death. a total hoarding problem! early pony + curls = never enough. so I have some experience here due to how many years I've been at this.

If you wish to have exact consistency and precision from pony to pony, I am so sorry. unfortunately mlp's fall well short of that from new. I very vividly remember selecting "the pony" I would take home from the store in the 80's choosing from each of the same character and carefully looking at the flaws they each had and picking the one I liked best. (vs. lego, which is precision engineered and does have a high level of exactness! this is why I never owned real lego as a child (80's lego went as high as- .40 cents per brick due to those extra costs! it was a wealthy family toy!)



For lickety split. (and others curly ponies like her*)

She is a pony who typically had curls from new (she was "supposed to" have curls!).

-Every LS out there when MOC once will have varied on the level of curl tightness, and how they fell.

-The hair was rooted with the whatever curl she got already in place and then the hair was cut to length at the factory.

-Since some originally had very dense and tight curls. they, if the curls are lost and brushed out will have "longer hair" and longer forelocks. some curly ponies, on the card go to the other end, sort of straight with a bit of a wave (got ripped off in the curl department from when they were made). so measuring those, they will have shorter hair/forelocks. and thus final length varies should one pull a piece straight and hold a ruler to it between multiples of the same (issue year, and set) pony.  I believe the level of curl originally depending on where on the spool of hair that pony was rooted from, and quality of original spool.

So, forelock length varies.  I have come across ponies who do not have a forelock, even though they "should" it's pretty much the same length as her mane (rarer), but also many with a length  like yours! Yours is not an abnormal forelock. it's not the longest I have seen, but still normal.

-Also, How many plugs make up a forelock can also vary! in the photo I show one pony has a 1 plug forelock. some have had 2,3,4, 5, 8. Really varies!

This is the sampling of likely 50 or more lickety split ponies coming through my hands from all sorts of places over the last 20+ years (childhood collections, ebay lots, yardsales, other second hand finds) I kept any I found personally interesting, or who are sentimental to me because of the person I received her from. included in photos are a couple pieces of my early pony hoarding from one of my "spare early 1984 ponies I won't sell" boxes. (unfortunately this cannot show the full range of variety, since I have rehomed many, many of my LS's over the years- and I am too lazy to dig out other boxes that contain more lickety-splits. these are cherry picked ones I like. Your lickety split pony is not wrong, or abnormal in her forlock width or length. just part of the range of variation present in these ponies, especially curly ponies)

Some photos: (sorry about crappy quality and messy "storage hair" I plan on pushing loose bits into place once I finally purchase final display cases for everything and have this room set up properly.)
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Figure one. a few of my licketies.
#1 "pony wear model" 5 plugs of forelock.
#2 I liked her interesting body tone 2 plugs of forelock
#3 I liked her hair- she only got one forelock length plug  (pulled 2,3 out of one of my 84' hoarding boxes)
#4 personal "base" collection- happens to have 5 plugs of forelock as well as the longest (in the cabinet I keep one of each pony) I enjoy how her hair falls which is why she was selected.
#5 is a mail order satin n' lace I had kicking around to sell. I included her due to spotting her on my desk (one I plan to trade/sell) selected for having the same pose and because from new she's intended to have same hairstyle and length as a lickety split. she doesn't have a hair cut, but her forelock is roughly a centimeter or more shorter then LS # 4 (I suspect she did not have near as much curl as that LS from the factory)


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Figure Two.
A birthflower example. Both ponies do not have haircuts. each US birthflower was supposed to come with the same style. as you see one is curly, one is not. neither have been brushed. pony at right I am positive is not cut- because I was the one who opened her from a sealed original packet. (she was yellowed, and I needed the paper bit included with her for my loose collection.) Look at how much shorter her hair ended up vs. the pony who got more curl from the factory! (you can see my fingers holding the end of the curlier pony's forelock straight- huge difference)

and, some more forlocks, and a little of my curly pony hoarding obsession.
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As much as I'd like to provide MIP/MOC proof of forlock varation, short end plugs/missing end plugs. most of my MOC's are in cold storage, and I don't have the time or clear space to dig all the boxes out, gather all the curly ones for more photoshoots with the other projects I have going on at the moment.

If I am upsetting you by responding again, I am sorry. I admit this post has hit nerve with me. I am a picky buyer, but not one who wishes to create undue hassle for any of my sellers/dealers or one who expects premium price precision (like lego, or high end adult market collectibles) on a budget price 80's toy line (Mlp, SSC, etc). I only ask/bid buy when I feel the price is in line for the potential factory flaws (or general playwear) which bother me being present would mean I am still happy between the seller and I, they get good feedback and I get and KEEP a pony that while it might not end up in my main display, I am still pleased with. (I can then gift, re-sell or add to the hoard on my own.)

People whom I've contacted here or on ebay (that I haven't dealt with before) with a couple simple questions (smoke/midlew smells, loose heads, has this pony had parts altered or removed "restored"). gets the hackles of too many folks up. or even the hey "is this still available?" and they know I am upgrading or picky from seeing my posts on here, have responded back with worry about dealing with me and tales of picky buyers that made past transactions far more hassles (or nightmares) then they were worth. a select few refuse to sell to anyone they deem picky due to this and say it's nothing personal against me. Many of my favorite dealers have left ebay, and not come back due to this. and people not understanding what they are buying IS THE REASON I too left ebay as a seller! Stress because a buyer didn't realize what they were buying isn't worth my time/sanity. I have so few ponies now I really want to upgrade and it's much harder now then before due to lack of selection of sellers I used to see. This really makes me sad, and sad for newer collectors who missed those glory days of collecting online and having the hundreds of high quality awesome toy/pony sellers to choose from I remember from the past.

Thank you very much for this long and detailed explaination. I appericiate it. Nice to see the pictures as well. Also, thanks to everyone for the awsners.

[marblecheshire]

I guess I would have been disappointed as well to receive a pony with a lot of missing plugs since the description made it seems like there were not any other noticeable flaws.  As a seller and collector I would know to list these faults but some sellers don't. You have a right to be disappointed but as everyone else has said factory flaws are common and unavoidable and the seller did not mislead you since the hair was not cut - he/she just didn't mention the plugs whether intentionally or not. This is not considered to be damage either.  I am not a super picky collector and have a threshold for certain undisclosed flaws. Just a lesson learned to ask questions since condition is very important to you and there is nothing wrong with that.

[shelvesofwhimsy]

After seeing the photos from the ebay listing, I really think this is just a seller who is not a pony collector, or doesn't know what flaws to look for. I know I personally would not have purchased it since there are not very clear pictures of the symbols on this one, and I tend to love photos with white backgrounds

Like other members have said, you can return it. And regardless of whether it is factory flaws or not, I think if you're truly unhappy with it you should return it, even if it is an unpopular opinion.
But I would wait a few days, send the seller another email and see if you get a reply.

I know I tend to only sell a few ponies on ebay, and most of them I never list as mint, just as "good" because it is a LOT of work to photograph all the flaws that could be on specific ponies.

But like others have said, I think if you're looking for really perfect ponies I would either
a.) Make a specific ebay search for who you're following. I do this for Bowtie since she's my army pony. This way you can keep tabs on who comes up for sale and then get a perfect one!
b.) only buy from collectors who sell "mint" ponies with minimum factory flaws

[marblecheshire]

Selling ponies would be very stressful for the very reason I am not versed as to what is factory and what is owner damage. I only do trades and try my best to list any and all flaws I would notice.

[Duenia]

Since this has kinda veered off of how to deal with a non-responsive seller -

I tend to lean towards even if it's a factory flaw it should be mentioned. I would also agree the seller probably just didn't know, but just because they don't know what flaws to look for/list doesn't mean you should be stuck with a pony whose flaws bother you.

For future reference one thing I've found really helpful is to take a picture of your own pony to show them how you'd like the pony posed for a picture. It's been super helpful for me in finding flaws the pictures didn't show. As others have mentioned definitely ask questions. I've had mostly good experiences with that, and just about every seller I've run into is more than willing to double check if questions are asked, and take the additional pictures if I show them the angle I'd like to see.

I don't have it with me but I also have a check list of specific flaws that bother me that I run through every time while looking at pictures on zoom. It's super helpful to make sure that I don't miss anything.

I've avoided a lot of ponies I probably would have returned because they weren't as described t hat way. It also plain makes me feel safer when I do end up bidding, and so far no surprise flaws.

[hathorcat]

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