Why are baby ponies so expensive?

[Leave a Whisper]

Ah. Understandable.

[Taffeta]

It's likely a supply/demand thing.

Baby ponies were more of a luxury buy than adults back in the 80's by and large - a lot of the babies came boxed with accessories, and cost 2-3x more than an adult pony with just a brush/ribbon or came with playsets.  It's likely there are fewer examples of each, which drives up their price when you compare them to adults of their year.  Poor condition ones are still popular for customs, as their smaller size makes them faster to do and the common 'make a baby pony for an adult design that never got one' projects, which further shrinks supply. 

There are exceptions, like anything else, but Hasbro didn't make nearly as many babies as they did adults.  Perhaps as a marketing choice?  Later years featured carded babies much like the adults but for most of the run they never sold baby ponies without a playset/large accessory or a bunch of small ones.

This makes a lot of sense, thank you! Custom G1s in general make me tear up a little (I'm TEAM RESTORE vs. customize) so a lot of babies being customized when they're already in short supply makes me super sad.

That's the opposite of my childhood experience. It's true that there were a lot of earlier sets with accessories, but towards the end of the line, babies were far more affordable (at least here in the UK they were) than the adults for kids with pocket money. At the start of the line here, adults were £3ish new, by the end they were £6-7. By comparison, a baby with accessories in the 80s might be £5, but by the time they got to the end of the line, we were looking at £3ish for a baby pony. For that reason, as a kid with pocket money, I mostly bought babies.

True, we had some babies here that weren't sold in the US, but there are a ton of babies not sold in the UK that the US had, and the US market is much bigger than the European one was, so, probably, there are more of most of these babies than others.

It's if you see them with their accessories that they are more likely to price up.

I think there are a lot of common and cheap babies, but I think that ebay sellers sometimes overprice ponies from the same set as rarer or more expensive ones because they don't always understand the collecting nuances. Plus there are a lot of $5 ponies on ebay all the time for $10-15 BIN, so that doesn't help.

I would suggest maybe looking to get lots with baby ponies in. The division per pony will probably be less, and there may be ponies left over that you can sell to reimburse your outlay.

[nessa16]

Who all are you after ?

Nobody in particular. I can't buy any more until January (points to sig ) but I window shop on eBay a lot and noticed the prices of babies and figured I'd ask about it.

It could also just be this time of year...prices often are higher during the holiday gift buying season.  Also, eBay is often higher than buying on the Arena or TP.  Other places you can often find decently priced ponies is eCrater or sometimes etsy.  I have been collecting for almost 25 years and while it was much easier to find G1s 20 years ago, you can still get lucky and find them at thrift stores, flea markets, and garage sales.  Good luck in your collecting!

[LadyMoondancer]

It depends a lot on the set, too.  It's easy to find the original set of babies (Baby Moondancer etc) for under $10, especially if you're not interested in the accessories.  But the odds are against finding a TAF baby pony for that price--even if we wish they were that cheap.

[cyberunicorn]

I will guess it's the cuteness factor..

 

First thing that came in to my mind too

[Sweet_Stuff]

Who all are you after ?

Nobody in particular. I can't buy any more until January (points to sig ) but I window shop on eBay a lot and noticed the prices of babies and figured I'd ask about it.

I have an extra Baby Wooly.., if you want her, just let me know! All I'm asking is the cost of shipping.. 

Post Merge: December 23, 2015, 10:43:55 AM

I will guess it's the cuteness factor..

 

First thing that came in to my mind too

Hehehe..

[Majesty]

Most common ones are cheap but you get the nirvanas and really rare ones, which will be expensive.  Congrats on becoming a new collector but don't turn away from a pony, because it's more than $10.  It depends a lot on the pony itself and condition of the pony.  I bought a baby bowtie at the last Rhode Island MLP convention and she was around $20 but she was near mint, still had her original curl a little.  Most people here know value (how much a pony should cost) so you can buy from people here.  You're lucky if you can find G1's in the wild, I did once at a yard sale and it never happened again. (lol)

By the way, did you make your avatar?  It's cute.

I've never paid more than $5 for a baby pony, lol, and I have several that I've bought in the wild. So they ARE possible to find!  Even though I've been collecting for quite some time, I was always a little surprised at the higher going rate for them compared to adult ponies, too. As far as not turning away from ponies because of cost, everyone has different parameters for their collections, and finances can play into that.

I'd probably shy away from a $10-20 baby pony as well, unless I'd been able to work it into my budget.

Baby Sugarberry, thanks for that! I never really thought about it too much, but when I look at checklists, you're right, there are definitely a lot less babies to begin with.

Are you the sister of Emerald?  Yeah, like I said baby ponies can be pretty cheap but I got a Baby Bowtie for $20 I think at the last Rhode Island MLP Convention, because she's a UK exclusive I think.  But, then you get ponies like Baby AppleJack which I also saw and she was around $75 I think, but those are the more uncommon or rare I think.

[Emerald]

Who all are you after ?

Nobody in particular. I can't buy any more until January (points to sig ) but I window shop on eBay a lot and noticed the prices of babies and figured I'd ask about it.

I have an extra Baby Wooly.., if you want her, just let me know! All I'm asking is the cost of shipping.. 

Oh wow that would be fantastic! I'll shoot you a PM! Thanks. 

Post Merge: December 23, 2015, 01:26:44 PM

Most common ones are cheap but you get the nirvanas and really rare ones, which will be expensive.  Congrats on becoming a new collector but don't turn away from a pony, because it's more than $10.  It depends a lot on the pony itself and condition of the pony.  I bought a baby bowtie at the last Rhode Island MLP convention and she was around $20 but she was near mint, still had her original curl a little.  Most people here know value (how much a pony should cost) so you can buy from people here.  You're lucky if you can find G1's in the wild, I did once at a yard sale and it never happened again. (lol)

By the way, did you make your avatar?  It's cute.

I've never paid more than $5 for a baby pony, lol, and I have several that I've bought in the wild. So they ARE possible to find!  Even though I've been collecting for quite some time, I was always a little surprised at the higher going rate for them compared to adult ponies, too. As far as not turning away from ponies because of cost, everyone has different parameters for their collections, and finances can play into that.

I'd probably shy away from a $10-20 baby pony as well, unless I'd been able to work it into my budget.

Baby Sugarberry, thanks for that! I never really thought about it too much, but when I look at checklists, you're right, there are definitely a lot less babies to begin with.

Are you the sister of Emerald?  Yeah, like I said baby ponies can be pretty cheap but I got a Baby Bowtie for $20 I think at the last Rhode Island MLP Convention, because she's a UK exclusive I think.  But, then you get ponies like Baby AppleJack which I also saw and she was around $75 I think, but those are the more uncommon or rare I think.

She is my sister (in law). She is a pony magician though and finds things constantly so I think my view is skewed thinking everyone finds stuff like she can!

[Wardah]

It depends a lot on the set, too.  It's easy to find the original set of babies (Baby Moondancer etc) for under $10, especially if you're not interested in the accessories.  But the odds are against finding a TAF baby pony for that price--even if we wish they were that cheap.

BBEs are fairly cheap too.

[Taffeta]

But, then you get ponies like Baby AppleJack which I also saw and she was around $75 I think, but those are the more uncommon or rare I think.[/color]

Baby Applejack is not any more htf than Baby Bow Tie; I would definitely not be paying $75 for her loose these days.

[ghouldilocks]

But, then you get ponies like Baby AppleJack which I also saw and she was around $75 I think, but those are the more uncommon or rare I think.[/color]

Baby Applejack is not any more htf than Baby Bow Tie; I would definitely not be paying $75 for her loose these days.

Agreed, $75 seems a bit steep, even considering her seeming rarity! But that's just my opinion - ultimately, they're just worth what you're willing to pay for them. 

[Taffeta]

But, then you get ponies like Baby AppleJack which I also saw and she was around $75 I think, but those are the more uncommon or rare I think.[/color]

Baby Applejack is not any more htf than Baby Bow Tie; I would definitely not be paying $75 for her loose these days.

Agreed, $75 seems a bit steep, even considering her seeming rarity! But that's just my opinion - ultimately, they're just worth what you're willing to pay for them. 

True enough! I remember when baby aj first started to appear on ebay in the 90s, someone paid $300 for her!!

[hathorcat]

I dont think they are more expensive to be honest. You find everything from cheap to super expensive adult ponies and likewise with babies.

There are plenty of babies who will be within your $5-10 budget as with adults - its just a matter of seeking out the right ones

[Tak]

I have an extra baby cuddles and moondancer if you're interested I can do under ten. What were you thinking? Also, try shopgoodwill.com, thrift stores, and yard sales to find them for less. I have extras because it's less expensive to buy a big lot in the long run.

[RainbowQuartz]

I dont think they are more expensive to be honest. You find everything from cheap to super expensive adult ponies and likewise with babies.

There are plenty of babies who will be within your $5-10 budget as with adults - its just a matter of seeking out the right ones

I like keeping it around $5 for adults, but I have that IT'S SMALLER SO IT SHOULD BE CHEAPER mindset and don't want to spend more for babies. I've only been collecting since October, so it's cool if it takes me years to find babies I can afford. I have three now thanks to Sweet_Stuff!

Post Merge: January 12, 2016, 04:25:37 PM

I have an extra baby cuddles and moondancer if you're interested I can do under ten.

Thanks for the offer, but I can't buy anything right now.