Do you have more luck at thrift stores, flea markets or garage sales?

[starbritesprinkles]

In recent years, I've had the best luck with Facebook Marketplace, just picked up a little lot the other day. I used to have good luck at the two local flea markets on Sunday. We'd go every week, but it's harder to do that alone with two small kids since my husband changed shifts. I don't check the thrift stores regularly, so I may miss out sometimes, and the Goodwill Outlet is... it's something. Garage/yard sales are too much hassle to me to look up or drive around looking for, get kids in and out of car seats, etc. I am anti-community yard sales since 10 years ago when some old fart backed his truck up over the hood of our car while I was still in it with one leg out the door. I only go if I see ponies in pics online.

[SilverLinedStars]

Lately, I have seen maybe one or two G1 ponies at antique malls. And before that, I hadn't really seen G1's at flea markets or thrift shops since 2003-ish. Granted, I did not spend a lot of time looking but I think after that point many G1's already got bought up by collectors or got tossed out as junk. Most of my G1's were either from ebay or close friends who also had ponies growing up. I inherited a few small collections that way! There's a vintage toy shop about an hour away that I'd like to visit. They carry all kinds of neat stuff and I often wonder if they ever get anything G1 MLP.

[Safflower]

Let's see... I think the winner for amount of G1s goes to Goodwill just because of a lot with about 12 ponies. I've had far more separate scores at antique malls though. Craigslist seems to be the best for local lots too.

[Loa]

Yes and no. I used to, but I only find G3 & G4 these days.

[goddessofpeep]

Flea markets and antique stores mostly.  I have found the odd garage sale pony though. Flea markets are generally my most reliable source though.  I live near “The Largest Flea Market in the World”, and I usually find something when I go. 

[Mana Minori]

I have more fortunate finds at thrift stores. I rarely go anywhere else.

[glitterball]

Most G1 pony purchases that I make are via ebay.

I always have a quick hunt in charity shops when I get the chance, I have the odd bit of luck now and then, most recently after lockdown was first eased and I found a glow n show pony wearing Tex's hat!

I kick myself that in the past I used to see so many G1 ponies at bootsales, but, as an artsy teen I had grown out of them and was more interested in finding vinyl records and vintage clothing.

I am seeing so much more G4 and Monster High (before C-19 put a stop to me venturing out; some bootsales have reopened but how can folk keep their distances properly?) A huge annual charity bootsale is due locally to me, one that brings London traders with their vintage stock to sell, but that has been postponed too. I used to get some lovely costume jewellery from this sale, a few years ago...

[Queen Sophie]

So far no luck and I remember seeing a g3 somewhat plush baby pony At goodwill and at the time I didn’t want it but now I regret not buying it!

[brightberry]

I have no luck for G1.   

[Taffeta]

I had a very lucky find at the last carboot I got to before I left the London area (have no transport to get to any here), of two MH dolls, one of which I had been looking for for a while. I think I picked up in the last 3 years 20 or so G4s, several G3s and five? G1s.

One was Sugar Sweet who I restored and then couldn't bring myself to part with even though I had her already. One was Rollerskates Melody who I am still intending to sell when Covid stops dictating my life. One was sea pony splasher, one was Posey and one was...oh, I'm wrong, it must be six as I had mum and baby applejack who my sister ended up with. She guilted me about separating them, so I gave them both to her Baby was in good condition, mum was bait. :/

So that's not bad for modern carboot times.

[brightberry]

Wow Taffeta, I'd be thrilled to find a baby pony... especially baby Applejack.

[Taffeta]

Wow Taffeta, I'd be thrilled to find a baby pony... especially baby Applejack.

Yeah, nowadays it's pretty unusual :/

We were lucky in that unlike Glitterball I didn't grow up and start buying cool teen stuff at the boot sale in the middle 1990s . Between us sister and I probably obtained around a thousand ponies over the five or six year period. Some for us, many for trade. There were a lot of baby ponies. Many baby Applejacks. Many Ice Crystals >.> It's kind of hard to describe, I don't know if we have any photos but I wish we did. >< The idea of coming home with at least two or three ponies every week is pretty much unheard of now. Sometimes it'd be eight or nine. A couple of times it was more.

...But those days are long since gone. Even the carboot sale that we got them from is gone. Sad times.

Finding any G1 pony at a carboot sale now is definitely exciting. Toy fairs are better.

[Shaiyeh]

I've had luck at carboot sales/kids' carboot markets (not sure if that's a huge thing in other places but we have that sometimes in sweden) in the past, but those aren't really an option right now. Lately I've been really lucky in 2nd hand shops. I think a lot of people went through storage during quarantine, haha. Just the other day hubby came home with 6 ponies for me, 2 g1 and 4 g3, and just a few days before that I scored a g1 from the same shop. (and they _always_ have fakies, too) So I'd say 2nd hand/charity/thrift shops, if you want to go physically looking ^_^ good hunting!

[tailrustedtealeaf]

I'd love to hear if any ponies were found! I'll have to remember to request off from work next holiday, I went to the flea the day after Labor Day (Google had said that the flea was closed on Labor Day itself, which was a LIE), and it was bare, but it was cool to be up early in the fog. I'm making a note to head over on black friday morning and take a look.

[lordalexander74]

There's an antique mall in Cookeville TN that gets new ponies of varying generations in every so often. Course I pick up a few that I don't have yet whenever I'm in town. Leaving the armfuls of G1 Fireflies, G2 McD toys, G3 Pinkie & Rainbow dash of course. Still a decent looking Show Stable at that mall, last I checked.

Flea markets are hit or miss. There's an asian lady that always has a bucket or two of MLP toys at her stall in the corner of the Sevier county TN flea market. Found a decent haul of pony toys at a flea market in Rockwood TN.

Thrift stores/2nd hand shops are hit or miss as well. Once and a while a pony will pop up, though I did snag nearly three dozen G3 ponies at a thrift store in Crossville TN