Where is everyone finding these amazing pony hauls?!

[Ponyfan]

maybe it’s been said but I think it’s harder to find older MLP because people who arent typically MLP collectors think “Old toys are valuable” and buy to resell whenever they see them at thrift.

When compared to ten years ago these same people would have seen MLP and just though “oh a horse toy” and moved on.

eta

for example , at my largest thrift store for years i’ve seen people in the old book section with their ebay an open on their phone doing serious in store research.  just yesterday I saw this same thing happening in toys!

so people are shopping the thrifts for secondary resell income.

My aunt is a good example of this. I visited her recently and she told me she had two Ty Beanie Babies that were worth thousands of dollars. She asks her phone Name of Ty Beanie baby and worth and is convinced that her phone knows the exact value.

I like the price guides as a reference for ponies and accessories but agree the prices are out of date now.

Ponyfan

[Khoufu]

maybe it’s been said but I think it’s harder to find older MLP because people who arent typically MLP collectors think “Old toys are valuable” and buy to resell whenever they see them at thrift.

When compared to ten years ago these same people would have seen MLP and just though “oh a horse toy” and moved on.

eta

for example , at my largest thrift store for years i’ve seen people in the old book section with their ebay an open on their phone doing serious in store research.  just yesterday I saw this same thing happening in toys!

so people are shopping the thrifts for secondary resell income.

At the one brony con I've been to so far, one vendor had a few G1s and they were overpriced. Someone else has a fakie for $30 because "it's a vintage mlp but I couldn't find any information online so it must be rare".

[emily_katie]

Also....  I mention this option ONLY if you have a lot of money to spend...  you can post a wanted ad on your local sales sites. 

Sometimes  you find someone who has a giant box of  MLP in their garage, as they won't bother to create an account somewhere and list it for only $50, but if you jog their interest that they may get $80 out of you for the whole bin, they'll answer your Wanted ad.

I have thought about this before but the anxious part of me thinks they could discover the collectability of the ponies and think they could get a better price on ebay rather than sell to me, which is true because I'm a poor student 

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Also....  I mention this option ONLY if you have a lot of money to spend...  you can post a wanted ad on your local sales sites. 

Sometimes  you find someone who has a giant box of  MLP in their garage, as they won't bother to create an account somewhere and list it for only $50, but if you jog their interest that they may get $80 out of you for the whole bin, they'll answer your Wanted ad.

I have thought about this before but the anxious part of me thinks they could discover the collectability of the ponies and think they could get a better price on ebay rather than sell to me, which is true because I'm a poor student 

Yeah... there's two ways to that street!    Some people don't consider it any effort at all to make a listing, take a photo, and deal with online sales, so they are looking for the better, higher price.  Others... don't want to give out their address, deal with online sales, or price check, so when you say, "your bin of MLP for $80", they think, "yay more space in my loft!" 

[Taffeta]

When I look on ebay and I see an overpriced lot with ponies who have not been cleaned or brushed, with elastic bands still in the hair, and the description is "1980s my little pony lot" and that's it...

You know someone just picked that up to make money from it because "ponies are rare".

I hate those people. Genuinely. I don't mind people who buy ponies, clean them and bother to take some care with their sale and description because they may be dealers but they are at least trying to make the product worth buying. And I don't mind ponypeople doing it - we all do it. But just seeing $ or £ signs and not even bothering to do the basics? That really irritates me.

Identify ponies, clean ponies, brush ponies, describe ponies. Otherwise leave ponies for other people who care.

I wouldn't put an ad for the same reason. Unfortunately maybe I'm a cynic but I feel the British second hand mentality is more likely to be greedy than generous in this situation. I admit at sales I never use the words 'my little pony', I never differentiate ponies from fakies when I ask about stuff, I have used the word 'horse' before to ask about ponies - just to make it look more like I;m a mother buying for kids than a collector. Because I know the moment they think you're a collector, you're clearly a mindless money bag who will pay anything for hooves.

[emily_katie]

When I look on ebay and I see an overpriced lot with ponies who have not been cleaned or brushed, with elastic bands still in the hair, and the description is "1980s my little pony lot" and that's it...

You know someone just picked that up to make money from it because "ponies are rare".

I hate those people. Genuinely. I don't mind people who buy ponies, clean them and bother to take some care with their sale and description because they may be dealers but they are at least trying to make the product worth buying. And I don't mind ponypeople doing it - we all do it. But just seeing $ or £ signs and not even bothering to do the basics? That really irritates me.

Identify ponies, clean ponies, brush ponies, describe ponies. Otherwise leave ponies for other people who care.

I wouldn't put an ad for the same reason. Unfortunately maybe I'm a cynic but I feel the British second hand mentality is more likely to be greedy than generous in this situation. I admit at sales I never use the words 'my little pony', I never differentiate ponies from fakies when I ask about stuff, I have used the word 'horse' before to ask about ponies - just to make it look more like I;m a mother buying for kids than a collector. Because I know the moment they think you're a collector, you're clearly a mindless money bag who will pay anything for hooves.

I totally understand you! That's some good tips by the way, I have a baby face so I doubt they will think I am buying for a child but you never know I suppose. I will try this out IF I ever find anything worthwile at a sale 

Yeah... there's two ways to that street!    Some people don't consider it any effort at all to make a listing, take a photo, and deal with online sales, so they are looking for the better, higher price.  Others... don't want to give out their address, deal with online sales, or price check, so when you say, "your bin of MLP for $80", they think, "yay more space in my loft!" 

I might have to try that out, but i have compitition. On facebook marketplace i have seen a few adds, one from someone who is probably a genuine collector of MLP and the others asking for any 70's 80's or 90's toys... AKA probably a dealer

[Khoufu]

It's funny cuz at the yard sale where I most recently found ponies in the wild, the lady said "$2 for that pony because she's vintage", like that was a lot of money. Then again, I got a sea pony and $50 worth of pony accessories together for $2 from her as well because she only recognized the sea pony. (I was careful not to mention what they were, or their worth, until after my bf and I left the sale.)

[lovesbabysquirmy]

When I look on ebay and I see an overpriced lot with ponies who have not been cleaned or brushed, with elastic bands still in the hair, and the description is "1980s my little pony lot" and that's it...

You know someone just picked that up to make money from it because "ponies are rare".

I hate those people. Genuinely. I don't mind people who buy ponies, clean them and bother to take some care with their sale and description because they may be dealers but they are at least trying to make the product worth buying. And I don't mind ponypeople doing it - we all do it. But just seeing $ or £ signs and not even bothering to do the basics? That really irritates me.

Identify ponies, clean ponies, brush ponies, describe ponies. Otherwise leave ponies for other people who care.

I wouldn't put an ad for the same reason. Unfortunately maybe I'm a cynic but I feel the British second hand mentality is more likely to be greedy than generous in this situation. I admit at sales I never use the words 'my little pony', I never differentiate ponies from fakies when I ask about stuff, I have used the word 'horse' before to ask about ponies - just to make it look more like I;m a mother buying for kids than a collector. Because I know the moment they think you're a collector, you're clearly a mindless money bag who will pay anything for hooves.

I totally understand you! That's some good tips by the way, I have a baby face so I doubt they will think I am buying for a child but you never know I suppose. I will try this out IF I ever find anything worthwile at a sale 

Yeah... there's two ways to that street!    Some people don't consider it any effort at all to make a listing, take a photo, and deal with online sales, so they are looking for the better, higher price.  Others... don't want to give out their address, deal with online sales, or price check, so when you say, "your bin of MLP for $80", they think, "yay more space in my loft!" 

I might have to try that out, but i have compitition. On facebook marketplace i have seen a few adds, one from someone who is probably a genuine collector of MLP and the others asking for any 70's 80's or 90's toys... AKA probably a dealer

Sadly Facebook has made online selling far too convenient for many sellers who really should find it too inconvenient, as they are rude and often not respectful of a buyer's time/money.  But if they are reaching out to you in reply to your Wanted ad, you kind of have the upper hand.  Sort of.  If they take a pony out of the box and curiously find out what it actually is... this can backfire.  and it's happened to us all!   

[Taffeta]

It's funny cuz at the yard sale where I most recently found ponies in the wild, the lady said "$2 for that pony because she's vintage", like that was a lot of money. Then again, I got a sea pony and $50 worth of pony accessories together for $2 from her as well because she only recognized the sea pony. (I was careful not to mention what they were, or their worth, until after my bf and I left the sale.)

Yes. This is exactly it. The way I feel, dealers generally don't play fair. They buy up everything, don't bother to clean it and expect us to pay hiked prices for ratty Peachys. So I think it's only fair that we play them at their own game.

I think 20 years of doing this has made me a little bit evil at times when it comes to second hand pony hunting. I'm not evil to other collectors - actually on two or three occasions I've helped other collectors by telling them stalls I've seen ponies. If someone else gets to a pony first, that's their find - I don't have a right to try and take it from them or persuade them to part with it. I won't take ponies from kids. And if the dealer is a nice person and reasonable, then I will pay their prices and I'll come back.

But often there's the other kind.

Ignorance works well at carboot sales. If they don't think you're a collector and you have a good poker face you can get great deals on stuff, like Khoufu mentioned.

It works less well at collector fairs. If it's a dealer of mostly boy toys, it's often not hard to negotiate a low pony price cos you know, just girl toys. This is sexist and I apologise, but it's also the case that male sellers at these places mostly underestimate prices on ponies, or massively overestimate them. Women are more cagey, often know more about them, and can be harder to negotiate with as a result.

I think it's fine to point out a flaw to a seller if you think something is priced too high. Ultimately the power is with you as the buyer. If you show yourself too desperate to obtain the item, they'll hold firmer on the price. Sometimes it can't work, of course, but it's worth a try. At collector fairs, sometimes the more knowledge you have the better, because you can actually intimidate the seller a little with that if you think something is overpriced. And by intimidate I don't mean threaten, glare, shout or argue. I mean simply stating politely, "but the pony has this flaw, or is missing this accessory, or is faded," or so on. If they realise that you know what you are talking about, they sometimes back down.

It's a gamble either way. Either you exploit the ignorance or you overpower it, but you need to pick your battles based on the environment, the pony, the price and the seller. Sometimes it just won't work and you have to walk away. Unfortunately that's life.

[ghouldilocks]

When I look on ebay and I see an overpriced lot with ponies who have not been cleaned or brushed, with elastic bands still in the hair, and the description is "1980s my little pony lot" and that's it...

You know someone just picked that up to make money from it because "ponies are rare".

I hate those people. Genuinely. I don't mind people who buy ponies, clean them and bother to take some care with their sale and description because they may be dealers but they are at least trying to make the product worth buying. And I don't mind ponypeople doing it - we all do it. But just seeing $ or £ signs and not even bothering to do the basics? That really irritates me.

Identify ponies, clean ponies, brush ponies, describe ponies. Otherwise leave ponies for other people who care.

I wouldn't put an ad for the same reason. Unfortunately maybe I'm a cynic but I feel the British second hand mentality is more likely to be greedy than generous in this situation. I admit at sales I never use the words 'my little pony', I never differentiate ponies from fakies when I ask about stuff, I have used the word 'horse' before to ask about ponies - just to make it look more like I;m a mother buying for kids than a collector. Because I know the moment they think you're a collector, you're clearly a mindless money bag who will pay anything for hooves.

I totally understand you! That's some good tips by the way, I have a baby face so I doubt they will think I am buying for a child but you never know I suppose. I will try this out IF I ever find anything worthwile at a sale 

Occasionally, when I browse toy tables at flea markets, when I go straight for ponies, the dealer will ask if I collect them. Don't ever fall for this, lol, as it's a clever way for them to try and hike up the prices if one hasn't already been negotiated or marked. I ALWAYS respond to this question with "Oh, I have a niece" or "My boyfriend has daughters." I'm not out-and-out lying lol, but I'm also not opening myself up to being ripped off.

[Shaz]

Occasionally, when I browse toy tables at flea markets, when I go straight for ponies, the dealer will ask if I collect them. Don't ever fall for this, lol, as it's a clever way for them to try and hike up the prices if one hasn't already been negotiated or marked. I ALWAYS respond to this question with "Oh, I have a niece" or "My boyfriend has daughters." I'm not out-and-out lying lol, but I'm also not opening myself up to being ripped off.

When my mum is out pony-hunting for me, she always says, "I have a little girl who likes them." She doesn't let on that her 'little girl' is 25 and a hardcore pony collector

One unlikely place that we've found is good for pony purchasing is vintage car shows. They often have stalls selling all kinds of vintage things, including toys, and are generally sensibly priced. There's a lot of G3s, but I've also found several G1s.

[kamakazee82]

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/32224328_1661043027336276_2903017796080238592_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=a6ca60fcb64961bcf5af40e00a9b434c&oe=5B90D503

mimic ... giant fleamarket ... 14 bucks

[emily_katie]

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/32224328_1661043027336276_2903017796080238592_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=a6ca60fcb64961bcf5af40e00a9b434c&oe=5B90D503

mimic ... giant fleamarket ... 14 bucks

I am going pony hunting tomorrow, Heres to hoping your mimic of good luck will bless me 

[kamakazee82]

hooves crossed for ya!

[Carolina-chan]

Man, I feel really bad, especially for those who haven't found any G1's for years. I find one or two once in a while.
I also hate I have to keep poker face on, I just want to scream and run for them. 
Just got these two yesterday from car boot sale. Caramel Crunch cost 1,50€ and Baby Takara fakie 1,00€.
visitors can't see pics , please register or login