What it costs to buy an entire G1 collection - introducing the MLP Price Guide

[Ponybookworm]

In my collection I have "WW" as a classification for the most common, sold on both sides of the Atlantic & several other places, Ponies, while others are classed as other things. The one word I hesitate to say is "exclusive" without definite proof only one country had a Pony. I've even made a few mistakes myself on Ponies I thought were exclusive, but turned out to be available in other places, not necessarily close together.

Case in point: alternative G1 Birthflowers. Like most people I thought they were Australian, but it turns out some Scandinavian countries had them as well. Pony distribution is weird.

[Goanna]

Oooh, how cool and interesting! This looks like it will be fun to have a poke around on!

[Taffeta]

I think you're maybe about to open a dangerous can of worms. Suggest doing serious research on that can and the type of worms within it before cooking toast and serving it up for lunch.

What kind of danger do you think they are going to be in?  I thought pony collecting was a safe and gentle hobby    Are you...threatening them??  It is one thing to offer negative feedback on a project, but another to suggest harm to someone! 

What a ridiculous comment to make.

From the collins dictionary:
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/a-can-of-worms

If you say that someone is opening a can of worms, you are warning them that they are planning to do or talk about something which is much more complicated, unpleasant, or difficult than they realize and which might be better left alone.

Pretty clear that all I did was offer a colourful metaphor about how tricky it can be to track down all the different threads of different releases if you do it by region, rather than by year. Anyone who has tried to build a website, or done anything with real pony data will be able to agree that G1 is a lot more complicated than the other generations when it comes to the details.

The thing is, if you're going to make a website about MLP, you have to either cater for everyone - which means including everyone - or you have to specify your audience, which means excluding someone. You can't be a website for everyone and only cater for some people. But the actual work involved in catering for everyone - if you intend to do it properly - is complex.

The other implication, if there was one, is that the people who suffer at the end of it are those outside the US. Most every website is set up to not cater to anyone outside of the US. Even if they think they are, because of how they're set up, they don't really. People outside the US get used to looking for their ponies in multiple places. Often they take to using the US names as well, because it's easier.

In real terms, that can make it much harder for people outside the US to access information relevant to their childhoods, or their collections, or their experiences.

For example, the "Non So Soft" moniker refers to three separate sets, not all of whom were sold in the same country. In "US-site-world", they're a set because they're non-versions of the So Softs that were released in the US. In the real world, some of them are Movie Star Ponies, Posey is a 1986 Earth Pony, and Truly and Cupcake are Pony Friends. NSS is a term devised by US collectors because it's convenient for someone in the US to think of them collectively. But if you grew up outside the US and are trying to ID your childhood ponies, it's a lot different.

It's sort of like if you took Bow Tie, Bright Eyes and Night Glider and put them in a set together because they all happen to be blue.  Or if you took Gypsy, Gusty and yellow Moondancer and put them in a set together because they happen to be unicorns with glittery symbols. None of that makes any sense at all, and navigating that would be a nightmare. You'd have to know ahead of time what you were trying to track down, and where to find it...which is exactly the problem that faces people who didn't grow up in the US pretty much all the time.

Loa's point is also valid, although I didn't think of it when I made my post. In that context, several international ponypeople received real threats, and in some cases there were attempts to drive them offline. They were treated that way because they tried to correct misinformation on DV, and people didn't like it.

I don't think that happens any more, but in that sense, it is dangerous - or it can be. Misinformation always can be. Even if it's something apparently trivial like MLP.

 If you want to take dangerous at all literally, maybe take it in that context. Let's not forget that even if people are not still being threatened, there are still people spending money on 'variants' that are not actually real variants, based on bad information that has been circulating for years.

If one of those were to be included in a price guide...I think that could be considered a problem.

[Scout MLPPG]

Thank you all for feedback. I'll be updating the site soon.

[SunPony]

Taffeta, I'm glad to know you were warning them about dangers from OTHERS and not from yourself!

[Loa]

Taffeta, I'm glad to know you were warning them about dangers from OTHERS and not from yourself!

Oh I'm sure Taffeta could be quite scary with her plastic hooved army!

[Taffeta]

Taffeta, I'm glad to know you were warning them about dangers from OTHERS and not from yourself!

Oh I'm sure Taffeta could be quite scary with her plastic hooved army!

The most dangerous people are at their scariest when they're being nice.

Mwah.

[Eternia]

Holy wow. I’m super impressed with the amount of work you have put into this project. Not only did you design a beautiful website, but you wrote some code specific to figuring out the values and you are using (what I am assuming to be) custom done artwork. Wonderful job. This is a great resource.

[Sky_Rocket]

Congrats on Creating!  You have a monumental task ahead of you

I have been working on a personal price guide for myself since I started collecting 23+ years ago.  You would not believe the prices of some ponies back the day!  The first Baby Bowtie seen on eBay.com sold for $152, the first Baby Cherry Jubilee seen on eBay.com sold for $325. (This was in the summer of 1998)  The next Baby Bowtie on eBay sold for less than half that price a few weeks later.  A few years back, I started to track prices of MOC & MIB, and my project grew from there into merchandise and other rare non often seen ponies.  I now have a hard drive full of ended eBay auction screen shots of past auctions for a lot of interesting stuff I've come across in the past few years.  I've found when the majority of people are looking for price checks, it's on the items that don't turn up very often for sale.  (You'd be amazed at how many of the same ponies MOC turn up for sale over the years)

There is so much more to pricing ponies than what is just seen as the final sale price on eBay as price is just one touch point/factor.  Here's a few challenges I've run into when creating my personal guide -

1) Ebay is only one source.  There are just as many ponies sold on eBay as there are ponies sold by collectors on Facebook Groups, Instagram, Mercari, Etsy, Tradera, Gumtree, Kijiji, the Areana - to name only a few.  And then there are all the different Ebays.  Ebay France, eBay Spain, eBay Germany, Ebay Canada, Ebay UK, Ebay USA.  There are so many places to buy ponies now! 

2) How too take condition into account?  Some auctions end high because the ponies is AMAZING.  Some end low because they are in very played with condition.  Some are SS's with no Rubs or a Ponies who normally have plasticizer breakdown, with no breakdown - some have horrible haircuts and some have no symbols.   (I see that you have listings for those with and without accessories - very nice!!!)

3) How to take marketing of the eBay auction taken into account?  This is a very difficult one to measure.  You'll notice on eBay there's a seller who takes pictures of her ponies with cute little toys, with the ponies placed at 'artistic' angles, and they are priced at 3x's more than all other ponies for sale. There are other sellers who have a huge following of buyers because they sell incredible & amazing ponies/merch/accessories - while taking amazing photos.  How would a price guide measure the price between an Italian Bowtie being sold from those sellers (with incredible pictures, and an internet following) compared to an Italian Bowtie I might sell (meh pictures & no following)?  There was the storage auctions MIB & MOCs auctions last year - someone in San Diego found a storage locker with a large large number of MOC & MIB ponies - those auctions all ended high because they were well publicized.  But if another seller had only 1-2 MOC ponies selling at the same time, they'd get lower bids because they don't have the publicity of the other seller.

4) Does the seller ship internationally?  Not the cost of international shipping, but the act of shipping internationally.  If a pony is listed as only shipping to one country, that will limit the number of bidders, but if the same pony is listed with international shipping - now, collectors worldwide can bid. 

5) The cost of international shipping.  One seller is able to send a single pony for £8 to the USA from the UK.  A different seller for the same pony will charge £22.  Same for USA sellers - some use the GPS service, which is expensive (cost $75 CAD to send one package to me last summer) and some seller use USPS to determine the shipping price, which is half the price of GPS.   That would effect some peoples buying. 

6) The sold price on eBay isn't always the true selling price.  I can't tell you the number of auctions I've seen get bid up high, end, then are relisted a week later with the same pictures.  The assumption is the bidder didn't pay, but eBay doesn't remove the sold auction from the sold listings.   This is why for my personal price guide I didn't include the majority of the Storage Auction MOC's & MIB's - there was too much uncertainty in the prices they sold at.  Or if they were offered to the second high bidder.

7) Fluctuations in prices.  This is my greatest challenge right now with my personal guide.  At the moment prices are ASTRONOMICAL compared to where they were even a year ago.  Ponies that sold for $30 USD in 2019 are now selling minimum $130 USD.  For ponies that only turn up once every blue moon, this causes issues with pricing.  G3 Ribbons and Hearts pony is an example.  (note, I can't remember exact prices as I don't have my hard drive with me at the moment, so the below are examples) I have a few completed eBay auctions of her selling for $300 from 2017/8.  The next one that sold in 2019 went for over $450. What's her price then, is it the average of the three auctions, or is it the higher of the three, or is it...?
There might be a month where 4 Sweet Scoops turns up for sale, and then it might be 2 years before the next Sweet Scoops turns up for auction.  What in the world would be the right price for her? Would it be the price from 2 years ago, or would it be much much higher now that there's pent up demand?
There's a seller on eBay who's found old store stock - MIP Medley Charm Bracelet with a comb, who lists a new one each week (for 3-4 days auctions).  Prices for the ended auctions are all over the place - some end at $86 and a week later one will end for $50, then the next one for $79, then the one after that for the starting bid of $45 (I won this one), then the one after that has no bids.  I don't completely understand it, and I have no idea how to take this into account for my own guide.   I assume that some weeks more people are online and on eBay?  But then, what in the world is happening to bring or take them away from eBay?  And then why eBay, and not the other sites they can buy?? And, where are the second high bidders of those auctions that sold high, why aren't they bidding on the one listed the following week? So many questions!!

8) Lots/bundles of ponies.  This was one of the first problems I came across back in 1997 - what if there was a lot of ponies that sold for $50 and it had Mimic in the lot, and the rest of the lot was common ponies. I knew the lot sold for $50 because of Mimic, but I couldn't count it in my price guide because of the other ponies sold with it.  This can get frustrating because sometimes I only saw some ponies being sold in lots!! Lavender Woosie for years I swear I only saw in lots for sale, but never on its own. How in the world do I figure out a price for her???  Is it the price of the lot?  Is it the price of each pony in the lots with the remainder of the amount paid for the lot being the price paid for her?

9) Auction or Buy it now? Did someone buy the BIN because they needed a gift and were desperate?  Or were they patience and hoped for a lower price by bidding on an auction?  Is the BIN the true value, or is the auction the true value?  There can huge variation in the two type of eBay buying methods for pricing.  Or did the seller not research before listing and sold their Licensing show Pinkie pie for $25 USD because they'd be happy for $25 USD?   (I personally try not to include Buy It Now's for my guide unless I've seen others of the same item sell for around the same price, and if it stayed listed for a few days (i.e. didn't sell in the first hour of listing). I really only include BINs for items that don't turn up too often)

10) Unsolds - how many times was the pony listed before it sold?  How many of the pony are currently listed and then how many of those remain unsold at the end of the auction period?  There might be 3-4 Rainbow Windy's that are sold, but there might be 15-20 Rainbow Windy's unsold for the same period.

11) Items I've bought.  I don't include anything I've bid on, unless I was grossly outbid.  Meaning, If I bid $5, and the item sold for $125, I would include.  But, if I bid $120, and it went for $125, I would not include.  This is to remove any accusation of price fixing.  (I've been around long enough to have heard many rumours about this) 


Now, as you can tell Pony Economics is one of my FAVOURITE topics of all time.  If I could have studied this in University, I would have had a building named after me at this point (or a least a small memorial plaque in a forgotten hallway).  I post these challenges not to dismay you on your goal of creating an online price guide, but to bring them up before they become bigger challenges while you are creating.   I maybe the only person who has questions around these things, and if I am, that's great!!

While creating, You're going to come across ponies that you thought weren't worth to much, seller better than expected!  Another pony person who was working on a similar project back in the early 2000's found out that the Bride Pony from year 10 sold every time she was listed, which she thought was strange because she was such a common pony back then!  You'll also find ponies that you thought were hard to find, turn up for sale - a lot. 

Any questions - give me a shout

[galaxy22586]

Born from the flames of quarantine! Risen from the ashes of lockdown! Introducing the MLP Price Guide:

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www.mlppriceguide.com

I’ve put together a website which gives collectors an estimate for what each pony, accessory or merchandise item is worth. This is done by averaging 5 sold eBay auctions. There’s more info about the process here.

The 2020 stats have just gone up - find out which ponies were the most expensive and cheapest, as well as the total cost of every G1 US pony (spoiler: it’s eye-watering). See if you can guess before looking the least expensive ponies, as there were some surprises in there.

I’m trying to catalogue more info about the masses of G1 merchandise out there and have included photos of my collection. For example, did you know there are more than 100 MLP jigsaws/puzzles? I did not, especially before starting to make little pictures for each entry.

It’s just G1 for now, but there are plans for more generations. International ponies and MOC/MIB prices are coming soon, as well as more merchandise pages. Please keep checking back as there’s lots more to be added!

I found out on the TP that Bluerose has a price guide website too, so please check it out as well.
 
Coming back to collecting after a break, I was interested to see the Princess Sparkle craze has died down and Glow n Show ponies are really expensive now??

This is great and will be so helpful!!

I, too, have returned from a long lull in collecting and have picked back up again after selling a huge portion of my collection years ago. Glow n Show ponies are outrageous, and so is baby Princess Sparkle. I've even seen single petite ponies on ebay for $99.00 O.O

[Taffeta]

@Sky Rocket.

That was an amazing post.

I refer back to the can of worms again. G1 is complex.

I think the first baby aj was around  $300 too.

It was a different world...

[Carrehz]

WOW Sky_Rocket, what a fantastic post!! What more can I say but

[Scout MLPPG]

Eternia, I wish I was a coding whizz, I just use Excel formulas for converting the prices/adding the totals etc and type them up into the website. Yes, I’m slowly doing the artwork thanks for taking a look!

Sky Rocket, that’s fascinating about the early prices when some collectors were seeing a particular pony for the first time. It amazes me when previously unknown nirvanas are still being discovered now after all this time from when they were first made.

It’s funny, isn’t it, when specific sellers have a certain style, to the point where you know it’s their photo without seeing their username, and their auctions always go for higher.

I love your thought process re the MIP charm bracelets 

My main feeling is that it’s helpful to have the info as a starting point, while keeping in mind all the excellent points you make about what goes into a final sale price. I see the price guide as adding to the many resources of websites, message boards, all the different auction websites you mentioned. The prices fluctuate so much year on year, or a certain pony becomes popular for an unexpected reason, that each number can only be an estimate.

[FernMariposa919]

Sky Rocket, I think Pony Economics should be offered as a master class and you should be the professor! I would totally sign up for that class! Wow, fascinating post!

[Taffeta]

My main feeling is that it’s helpful to have the info as a starting point, while keeping in mind all the excellent points you make about what goes into a final sale price. I see the price guide as adding to the many resources of websites, message boards, all the different auction websites you mentioned. The prices fluctuate so much year on year, or a certain pony becomes popular for an unexpected reason, that each number can only be an estimate.

The problem is that we already have the info as a starting point thanks to bluerose's site (the link in your post is dead, by the way), which is already heavily used and recommended by word of mouth between people in this community.

True, bluerose's site doesn't have the fancy layout you've built, which is truly very pretty. But it does offer all of the information you currently are putting forward, plus additional, because it already includes international and Nirvana ponies, and gives a range of high and low over an extensive period. This is helpful given how much pony prices fluctuate.

So what is your site going to offer that we don't already have at our disposal?

So these days people don't tend to cross-reference or corroborate information the way they used to. The internet is a quick fix arena, and so people will often use one resource, for better or worse, to find out their information. That means that people probably aren't going to use your site in conjunction with forums, and other places as you mention. They will just look at your site and take the price as verbatim and that will be that.

In that case, if you want to be advice for people, it helps to make sure your advice is as solid and robust as you can make it. I don't know how much of Sky Rocket's excellent advice is applicable, but some of it must be. You might also want to talk to bluerose about the work done on that site - since it's more than possible you can help each other.

To put it in context, my site isn't anything to do with pricing and never will be, but while it's my site and I did a lot of the research for it (an ongoing state of affairs), it's also had contributions from many many other people. And I don't just mean in terms of photos. I mean in terms of information. People in various countries, who know more about an aspect than I do in that place. People in the UK who have some amazing information that I've been lucky enough to share. A real resource isn't about "THIS IS MINE!" but about what help you can get from others to build the best and most useful resource you can.

Sky Rocket seems like someone you absolutely need to speak to about your resource. So does Bluerose. I hold out hope you will also listen to what I said about regions and ditch the US/other idea completely, but there are definitely people here who know things. That's the beauty of community. When you consider that someone may well use your site without cross-referencing the information, and we're talking about real money, it pays to use that expertise and provide a robust service for everyone's benefit.