As mentioned in the title. I'm preparing a move overseas so I'm having to unload quite a few of my collection pieces.

The Paradise Estate I would put in Good Condition, there's some very minor yellowing to two of the roofs, has both heart pieces for the pool awning and 100% of the stickers and accessories. It comes with the box (which is in very beat up condition, so it's been stored in another box), and the instructions.

The Dream castle is the most gorgeous pink I've ever seen. Stickers are on the sheet. Comes with all of the accessories including the flags and all small accessories. Includes a gorgeous box and the instruction sheet.

I'll be looking to sell and I'm trying to avoid eBay.

Working on dilgently selling my collection pieces. They've been in storage for going on 10 years now and I just decided it was time to pass them along. Prices are not what they used to be, so I'm not sure what to ask for this piece.

It's in excellent condition, I hate to say mint simply because it IS opened. The hinges are not broken or cracked. It comes with ALL of the accessories that were original to the set. It also has a box that's in excellent condition and the instructions. I'll add some pictures in the morning once it's not dark outside.

What's the ballpark I should ask for this item?

Thanks,
Shanna

Working on clearing out my collection:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Toys-Hobbies/220/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=&_ssn=kithsidhe

I will be posting my SDCC and Fair Ponies - I have them all from 2005 (Bay Breeze) through 2012. I will be adding them shortly.

Presently I have some older G3's and the remaining G4's I am clearing out.

Okay, so as a participant in the last Pounds for Ponies event, run by psyknife, I wanted to make sure that someone else hosted round two so that our lovely previous hostess could also participate with us for prizes. I also wanted to change the name of the 'contest' for a couple of reasons, the idea that we are wanting to present is developing healthy habits that will hopefully lead to weight loss. If not that, at least something that makes you feel better about yourself, what you're doing, and to help each other form healthy eating/exercise habits that we can stick with. Since the idea we would like to emphasize is that overall development, I thought that a new name was in order.

I will also note, that I did copy and paste some of my text from the previous thread, as I certainly don't intend to fix what's broken!


WHAT IS HEALTHY HABITS FOR PONIES?

This is a fun journey that we can all help each other with, the development of healthy, sustainable habits (that will hopefully lead to weight loss in some cases)! We will also be working towards a secondary "reward" to help train ourselves away from food rewards ~ in this case PONIES!!  This is a "journey" and not "competition" because, in my eyes, weight loss is not a competition and should not be viewed that way... ever (sorry "Biggest Loser")!  You are in this for YOU, and no one else.  We are all here to provide companionship and support to each other during the journey but we are not going to be comparing ourselves to each other. The only comparison will be 'Start!You' and 'Finish!You'. So don't worry about what everyone else is doing, worry about what you are doing and let others inspire you to do more for yourself!


HOW DOES IT WORK?

YOU set your goal.  Below you'll find the info I ask for BEFORE we start... and then you'll record your AFTERS as well.

• You are able to change your goal as YOU need to. You know yourself better than anyone else in the world. If something happens and you need to adjust your goals, feel free to do so.
• I  ~ personally ~ would like it if you check in and post once a week. Just so we know you're still around and participating. I don't expect daily updates or 'records' of accountabilities ~ since we are in this for ourselves, if you don't follow through you're only hurting yourself.
• The 'time frame' is a 3 month period, to give everyone plenty of time.
• You keep track of your own points ~ I know that for myself, in the end I used an excel spreadsheet because I got tired of adding up all the points individually. I am more than happy to share this if people want it.

HOW DO I GET PONIES?
Ah, the good stuff. Here's the deal. Most of us will be looking to lose pounds for ponies. As long as you've stuck with your goals and really put some effort into maintaining and being a part of the thread you WILL get ponies at the end of the journey. I don't have an excess of ponies on hand however, I also find that I am much more motivated to work for something that I am wanting (in my case, nail polish!) so here's the deal. You put in the effort, I will reward you. I'll be asking up front for you to send me a wish list that contains 3-5 items on it. These items can be from any generation and do not just have to be ponies. As the weeks go along, I'll have 'Healthy Habits' packages set up for each participant that I'll be adding items to. I believe in rewarding and helping my fellow ponies get healthy and get happy!

Some things to keep in mind:

• Please no Nirvana ponies (I wouldn't know a good one if it came up and kicked me)
• Keep your per pony price to about $15 a pony
• Every single participant WILL get something, however, remember you're working for you for prizes that YOU pick. I'm just going to be the fairy that puts the boxes together in the end.

EARNING POINTS
Okay, so now I want to talk a little bit about how we earn the points, at the very most you can earn 2 points each day.

• 1 point for completing some form of activity. I don't care if it was for 5 minutes or 50 minutes (or more). As long as you were able to complete your 'activity' plan then you can award yourself 1 activity point.
• 1 point for completing/eating according to what your eating plan/schedule is. As long as you did what you wanted to do that day, then you may award yourself 1 food point.

Weekly Points, you can also earn extra points for participating in the posted weekly challenge

• 2 points for participating in the challenge, as long as you try that's all I ask. I will try and make sure they are challenges that are available to everyone and something everyone will feel comfortable posting about.

You will be keeping track of your own points, as mentioned I used a spreadsheet for the last one because I got tired of calculating them and I was only posting infrequently. I expect you to be honest and to hold yourself accountable, I'm working on the honor system =)
HOW DO I START?

Reply to this thread and include:

Your Username:
Your GOALS:

• Whether that is a weight, inches, habits you want to develop, things you want to stop, etc. What over the next three months do you want to accomplish

Your PLAN:

• How you intend to accomplish your goals.

Both your GOALS and your PLAN can be amended at any time during the next three months. Do not think that because you decided something today, that if you find you can't do it you can't participate. The idea is to be supportive of each other and help each other. If you need to change your goals, please, feel free to do so.
Okay, now offline (or on your computer) I want you to write down the following:

• Age:
• Height:
• Weight:
• Measurements using tape measure -  Chest: Waist: Hips:
• GOALS 1.) What is your goal weight? 2.) What are your goal inches? 3.) What habits do you want to break? 4.) What habits do you want to develop?
• PLAN 1.) What program will you be following (this is important, you need a PLAN for success, so be detailed)?  This includes how many days per week you are exercising... how many minutes/hour(s) you are exercising that day... WHAT type of exercising you are doing... etc. 2.) What steps are you going to take to improve your nutrition?WHYWhat are your reasons for wanting to get into better shape and play with us in this journey?

Lastly, I want you to PM me (surfstar) with a "Healthy Habits for Ponies Wishlist", that includes the following:

• 3-5 ponies (or other wish-list items, I'm not limiting this just to ponies) that you're wanting. They can be any generation, additionally if they are coming soon, just make sure they will be released before October
• Your username
• Your actual name and some way to contact you outside of the arena - email, phone, facebook. Your choice.
• Allergies of Any kinds
• What your favorite types of NON food extras would be (stickers, glitter, custom supplies, etc.)

THINGS TO PONDER

Yes, it's a lot of information to ask, but I find that in order to have success, you need to get detailed... you can't just throw wishes to the wind or make general goals... you need to be specific (also be realistic, saying you want to lose 50lbs in a week would be unrealistic - so be both specific and realistic). If you have any medical conditions or are on prescription medications, definitely consult with your doctor on the types of activities and activity intensity you are allowed to do given your circumstances. I am not a medical doctor (though I do work in mental health) and while I have done a lot of research in this area (with the help of a wonderful nutritionist) I am not an expert.

• I will try and post/run weekly challenges that will keep the thread moving and get people involved
• I am available a LOT, you can reach me via Facebook, tumblr, phone, etc. Fortunately, because I work in the school system I get more free time over the summer.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

CHALLENGE INFORMATION
Signups Open: June 5th to June 15th
Journey Start: June 16th (start tracking points here)
Journey Ends: September 16th (stop tracking points here)
Point Tally, End Check-In: September 17th - September 21st
Shipping Healthy Habits Boxes: September 22nd - September 30th

During the challenge, if you go MIA I won't message you. However, during that last week I will send out a PM. Even if you haven't posted in the thread but have still be following along, as long as you post during the End Check in week you will still get your box =) It is during that week that I will also ask for addresses, since at that point, I will be able to just wrap everything up and get it posted. I'm giving myself a week for shipping, just in case I can't make it to the post office after work.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
WHO IS SURFSTAR?
Well, despite my not so significant feedback I've been around the Arena forever and the Trading Post as long. I started collecting back in 1997 and I've lurked and posted at the boards for most of that time. I am a School Psychologist and I enjoy helping people to succeed, I've struggled with weight issues, body image issues, and eating issues for as long as I can recall. While I am not an expert by any means, I have a lot of research and personal experience to call on to help with anything that might arise. Nutrition and eating are two areas I feel comfortable helping people with, however, please remember that my advice is based on my personal experience (some research and science too!) but I am not a medical doctor. If you have serious concerns regarding your health or nutrition I would always suggest asking a registered dietician, nutritionist, or your doctor.


DO YOU SUGGEST ANY TYPES OF EXERCISE?

The BEST exercise is the one you will stick with.  Find something that you enjoy doing so that you look forward to it and don't dread it.It's recommended that for a well-rounded regime that you include cardio, strength and flexibility... and this needn't be all on the same day.

~psyknife

Honestly, I hate exercise. I dislike getting all hot and grungy. I don't like that I have to have special clothes (I am a bit top heavy!) to work out. However, walking is great. My suggestion is to try something for a week, if you hate it move on to something else. I know that for me I tend to not want to do super sweaty things (e.g. run) if it's stupid hot outside (this happens a lot in Texas!).  My best suggestion is to just find something that you enjoy! That way it doesn't feel quite so much like ~work. I also know that for me it helps if I schedule it (then I can't make excuses about not having the time!)

Example weekly routine:
MONDAY: 45 minutes of cardio + 10 minutes of stretching
TUESDAY: 45 minutes total body strength training + 10 minutes of stretching
WEDNESDAY: same as Monday
Thursday: same as Tuesday
Friday: 45+ minutes of stretching or yoga
Saturday: Cardio or strength
Sunday: rest

Depending on your current fitness level your exercise time may be more or less.  If you are NEW to exercise, I'd say start by shooting for 20-30 minutes for the first few weeks, and then bump up to 45 minutes.  If you are already active, go for 45 mins-1hour at a time of exercise :-)If you need help, let me know... like, if you belong to a gym that has group fitness classes and you want to figure out a weekly regime using those, let me know!
~psyknife

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
HOSTESS: Surfstar

PARTICIPANTS
1. hyenacub ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
2. TexasGal ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
3. Ponytails ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
4. JazzMatazz ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
5. PrincessSparkles ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
6. rayechu ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
7. RainbowRevolver ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
8. Candy_Bang ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
9. fiwen30 ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
10. Pinkamena ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
11. renee_chan ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made]
12. Rhini ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
13. BrightSide ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
14. Salli ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
15. Crowning_Glory13 ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
16. kaninchen ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made]
17. Marlin ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
18. babystarz ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made]
19. LizabethDawn ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
20. ZettaMomo ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
21. Lemontwist ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made]
22. silverskimmer ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
23. MonstarNomNom ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
24. hlbmlp ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
25. psyknife ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
26. Vintergatan ~ [Tentatively] Good Luck with your summer job though! Sending positive thoughts your way!!
27. Yuitsu ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made]
28. kiwimlp ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
29. Yurusumaji ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made]
30. TornadoLovesMelody ~ [Tentatively]
31. egyptiondragon ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
32. banditpony ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made]
33. nessa16 ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
34. stopxmotion ~[Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made]
35. gemini_pony ~ [Tentatively]
36. DaffyDilly ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made]
37. ZennaBug ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
38. cuddlebuggy ~ [Posted in Thread/] Missing PM
39. Taxel ~ [Tentatively]
40. Kitkumi ~ [Posted in  Thread/PM Received/Folder Made]
41. LeighAnnApanites ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
42. shockponie ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
43. StoryDreamer ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made]
44. HollowZero ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made/Address Received]
45. madhatterada ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made]
46. Tribble79 ~ [Posted in Thread/PM Received/Folder Made]


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Okay, and now I'll get us started.

Your Username: surfstar
 Your GOALS:
 

• I'd like to lose some weight this time. I was able to maintain my weight last time, but now that things aren't as crazy for me I'm focusing on actual weight loss.
• Additionally, I'd like to get back into my size 12/14 pants. I'm back at a 16 and I'd love to be able to wear my summer shorts again!
• Get moving! I'd like to get back to being more active
• Planning my meals ahead/eating out less

Your PLAN:
 

• For weight loss, I will be counting Points/Calories. For the next 4 weeks I'm allowed 26 points a day (+35 for the week), and I'm aiming to keep my calories below 1500.
• The weight loss should help get me back into my pants!
• I'm going to be pledging to be active at LEAST 15 minutes each day. I'm starting with Yoga/Pilates/Ballet since they are something I can do in my living room
• Using my notecard meals (I'll post some pictures!) to help with meal planning, point tracking, and calorie counting.

Some helpful websites that I use are:

• My Fitness Pal ~ username Cyzzane
• Calorie Count ~ username Cyzzane, I get achievements! This makes the gamer in me happy.
• Daily Challenge ~ Under Shanna E.

I've also found that tumblr has been pretty helpful. I follow several really nifty fitness blogs that have helped to keep me motivated.


I look forward to working with everyone and seeing what healthy habits we can all develop over the next 3 months! =)


Thread Updates
Page 20 - Official List of Participants
Page 24 - Week One Challenge
Page 40 - Week Two Challenge
Page 51 - Week Three Challenge]
Page 68 - Week Five Challenge
Page 73 - Week Six Challenge
Page 77 - Week Seven Challenge
Page 85 - Week Nine Challenge
Page 90 - Week Ten Challenge
Page 93 - Week Eleven and Twelve Challenge
Page 99 - Last Challenge

Welp. I need a bit of help with this because I'm not sure how to resolve it. I sold 4 pairs of Gypsywildflower's Flutter Wings to a buyer that lives in NZ. I took photos of them:

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


And when the buyer asked about the differences I said this:

I've noticed that both of the repro ones are far sturdier than the real wings. They seem less flimsy as it were. GypsyWildflower's repros have the long folded piece of the wing plastic that stick into the slots. So it's all one piece. The film on Gypsy's doesn't look *quite* exact, but without a real one right there, there is hardly any difference.

The only difference in Nora's wings is that the tabs, they look like 1st edition wings, are white. Otherwise there isn't any difference. I would love to know how they did it visitors can't see pics , please register or login
 I got rid of all my real wings, I prefer the repros to the real ones. And I don't freak out as much if they get a little bent or break!

Now the wings have arrived and the buyer is telling me this:

i recieved the wings and thank you for posting, however im not very pleased, they are very rough and there is a big difference to the real ones and they are more flimsy to the real ones also not the other way around, im quite upset, after currancy was converted and getting charged for sending money as gift also the expensive post was alot of money for me, i know it may not be alot to other mlp collectors it can be alot to others. i feel like i cant use these, unfortunitly to send them back would cost me far more then what it cost you to send to nz, i could always sell them but i would not get back what i payed,  visitors can't see pics , please register or login
 
looking forward to hearing back

~*~
I'll be honest, I'm not sure what to do here. The wings were not rough (and I'm not sure what she means by that since all flutter wings are textured?). The wings are also sturdier than the real wings. In fact, this was also mentioned to this person within a thread that she posted about them.

The other thing I'm upset about is the emotional blackmail over the gift payment. - I DID NOT ask the buyer to send the funds as a gift, so I am very upset that she is holding that over my head. I also only charged her exactly what I paid for them from GypsyWildFlower since I in NO WAY wanted to profit off another person's work. The buyer, has already said they don't want to send the wings back to me for a refund because the postage would be "too much" - I guess I don't feel that a partial refund is okay because I don't feel as though I misrepresented the wings.

I'm just really upset about this whole thing. I've had a huge rash of negative issues on the Arena lately and this is just icing on the cake. I'm not sure if the buyer is using the repro wings correctly, they were aware that they ARE reproduction wings. So I just don't even know. I also don't want to just outright refund her (though I feel that's what the BUYER wants) because then I'm completely out.

Down to the last few tiny things that I would like to finish up my collection. I'm glad that I can finally see the end of the tunnel as it were! Working on getting my To-Trade list going for pony stuff.

G1 Stuff
Paradise Estate Box
Paradise Estate Instructions
 
Dream Castle - Lavender Version, Complete (or Almost)

G4 Stuff
Picnic w/ Cheerilee
Applejack & StarDreams