Just curious

[Jo-Anne]

So if a pony has been "retwinkled" or "rehaired" do they still hold their value of an original? Just wondering And how does "Customized" prices work.

[Cron Sacchariferous]

Yes and no. It would all depend on the buyers and sellers preference. Also keep in mind that there are two different kinds of people for custom work; one who refurbishes and then there is strictly custom work. Some buyers will pay more for a customized pony verses the actual untouched, unfinished version because they are paying at the commissioners expense. Refurbished work would probably make less or could make a decent amount if it is highly requested and if one has a high volume customer base. It could go one way or another. For example, the Twilight pony I re-twinkled. If I where to refurbish ponies symbols and sell them accordingly like.. let say, $5-$8 a pony, I would not be making very much. Realistically, the quality and precision of ones work and if done well, can go for more then $5-8. Not saying my work is shoddy, but I just used those numbers as an example. If I where to customize ponies as a whole, I would be making a little more bank. Because it is more thought provoked, time consuming and the materials used for the pony would have to be somewhat accounted into what I sell the piece for. And of course, some people do custom work for a living! Then there are some individuals who would pay more for a pony based strictly on the rarity, 'as is' sort to speak. Things you have to factor in are commissioners prices vs. collectable prices. As far as patching up a high valued pony, yes, that would devalue it tremendously imo. Hope this makes sense. 

[lunar_scythe]

The biggest thing I worry about with refurbished ponies is tracking them.  A lot of them get sold unmarked, and while the first person who buys it knows,  if they end up selling their collection years later, they won't necessarily remember which ponies have been, repaired. 

I ended up with a pony that had a painted leg to cover up a stain, and the seller didn't say anything about it, so when I gave it a good thorough cleaning a year later, the paint came off revealing the marks! Of course, by then, it was a little late to bring it up with the seller, assuming they even knew about it.

[shelvesofwhimsy]

I know in some cases people do not want a pony that has been refurbished. Like if it was a nirvana and its maybe cut hair was rehaired it may not hold as much value since its been altered.
I know personally I've paid for custom work that has cost quite a bit more than a refurbished pony, but I think that value can't necessarily be transferred if you sell the pony.
Like I paid around $45-50 for a very beautiful twinkle eyed bowtie. And I love her and wanted her, but she may not sell for that much again to another arena member. Especially if its a specific custom, so maybe its just sentimental value

[Whippycorn]

I would say that re-hairing or restoring will tend to decrease the value compared to that same pony in good original condition. If the pony is in really poor or baity condition then restoring may increase the value somewhat, especially if the pony is hard to find. I would always mark the hooves indicating what, if any restoration work has been done, so that future buyers are aware!

Alternate re-hairs I would probably classify as customs of a sort and so worth slightly more than restorations. Complete customs vary in price depending on their complexity and the skill and popularity of the customiser. The best way to get an idea is just check out several of the customiser's commission prices...

[Sweet_Stuff]

I had this same exact question! This is great info, thank you every pony.  In particular, the G1s I had in mind / question about whether or not to re-glitter were Sunlight (nondisplay side, display side could use some help) and Starshine (not really bad, just traditional rusting/glitter fading, equally on both sides..I know they are fairly common, though.. So, what say all ponies? Thanks!

[cloud_weaver]

As a collector, I do not take repaired or repinked ponies into my collection.  If it's not original, I don't want it.  :/  my only exception is in the case of rare nirvanas or more HTF ponies.  I had a Mimic who had been attacked by a kitty at one point and 1/2 her horn was gone.  I had a talented customizer redo her horn and you couldn't even tell she'd been victimized. 

[Sweet_Stuff]

As a collector, I do not take repaired or repinked ponies into my collection.  If it's not original, I don't want it.  :/  my only exception is in the case of rare nirvanas or more HTF ponies.  I had a Mimic who had been attacked by a kitty at one point and 1/2 her horn was gone.  I had a talented customizer redo her horn and you couldn't even tell she'd been victimized. 

I can see all sides on this.. very interesting...I myself would keep any pony I got repaired/re-glittered anyway..but I wouldn't want to buy a fixed one.. haha, I know that's kinda weird.. But that's just me.

Oh wow, poor Mimic! But glad she was fixed! Bad Kitty! I'm glad my feline doesn't want a thing to do with my ponies! -- knock on wood! -- 

[hathorcat]

Pricing on customs would be best answered over in the Customs forum no doubt

For me (and you will find for most collectors in this hobby or any collecting hobby) anything changed from the original release is automatically devalued. How much it devalues will vary depending on what has happened and who is buying of course but the more originally minty something is, the higher the value; equally the more changed something is from its original release the more value is dented (sometimes by lots sometimes minimally). Deflocks tend to be the exception to the rule - they are not quite customs but they are sought after enough they hold value and sometimes even go higher than their initial release.

[Brightglowpony]

These are good questions- I was wondering if there was even a "proper" way to mark an altered pony.  Like is there a certain letter or symbol the pony is marked with if it is re-haired, re-glittered, re-twinkled, etc? 

I personally feel that an alteration usually de-values a pony, but then again I would totally understand not wanting to leave a pony bald or in a sad state.  I don't generally collect restores, though I did purchase a re-glittered g1 Sparkler that I absolutely love

[ringwraith10]

A "restored" pony can never be EXACTLY like an original, no matter how much the restorer tries. So if you had a choice between buying a pristine original and a restored pony that looks nice, the pristine original should be worth more.

And the creed with nirvanas seems to be to NEVER re-hair. Never ever. At least, that's what I've heard. I only own two Nirvanas, and, thankfully, they both have nice hair. This is usually because with some Nirvana variants there are only a handful (or less) floating around, and their original hair is all that exists to show what that pony originally looked like.

[Taffeta]

As a collector, I do not take repaired or repinked ponies into my collection.  If it's not original, I don't want it.  :/

This. While I respect everyone's individual opinion on this matter, it also worries me about restored ponies inadvertently getting sold as not, too. I upgrade flawed ponies but to me the moment the original pony is tampered with, it is no longer an original pony with the features it came with. I know a lot of very skilled customisers but it still is something I don't really like in my personal collection. This includes taking off a pony's head under any circumstances. I would buy a pony with a loose head but even if it had only been removed to clean the pony, to me that is tampering with the original seal and also makes it less clear if a pony might also have been rerooted.

So I would buy a pony with a loose head, but I would pay less than if she had factory seal. I would actually rather have a pony with a name written on the base of her hooves by a kid than one who had had a neck seal boiled and prised open by an adult, since with the hoof name, you can at least be relatively confident the fundamentals of the pony hair, tail etc have not been altered.

My only exception to this is replacing a missing tail, but then the donor tail has to come from that exact pony and I don't replace washers so it is clear the tail is loose and may not be original, thus making it a flaw.

Wow. Looking back at what I just wrote, I guess this is the part of my collecting where I get picky . I don't mind flaws in ponies, but I don't like ponies that someone has tried to fix, cos even a buzzcut pony is more original than a rehair can ever be.

I am all for new customs and designs but against restoration that replaces or touches up original pony features.

[Elfpony]

These are good questions- I was wondering if there was even a "proper" way to mark an altered pony.  Like is there a certain letter or symbol the pony is marked with if it is re-haired, re-glittered, re-twinkled, etc? 

I personally feel that an alteration usually de-values a pony, but then again I would totally understand not wanting to leave a pony bald or in a sad state.  I don't generally collect restores, though I did purchase a re-glittered g1 Sparkler that I absolutely love

Any ponies I have restored or rehaired I have signed on the bottom of a hoof much like I do with my customs. I also mark what I've done to them on a hoof bottom (rehair, repaint, etc).

Elf

[Gizmo]

I have a few restored common baits (Blossom, Bowtie, Posey, etc..), they're marked and stored in a separate drawer and I find them useful as they're great for pony wear or whenever I want to display a pony in a sunny area without worrying too much about causing them to fade since my original collection is kept away in an oxygen chamber (i.e. my windowless collection room). I certainly agree with all the previously mentioned points though and I'd definitely be furious if I buy what appears to be an original pony only to discover that it's been taken apart or rehaired, those things has to be clearly disclosed and sold as such.

[Sweet_Stuff]

I have a few restored common baits (Blossom, Bowtie, Posey, etc..), they're marked and stored in a separate drawer and I find them useful as they're great for pony wear or whenever I want to display a pony in a sunny area without worrying too much about causing them to fade since my original collection is kept away in an oxygen chamber (i.e. my windowless collection room). I certainly agree with all the previously mentioned points though and I'd definitely be furious if I buy what appears to be an original pony only to discover that it's been taken apart or rehaired, those things has to be clearly disclosed and sold as such.

Same here, Amen! I would be bummed too..I have a reglittered "suspect" pony but I think I will keep her. If I decide to sale/trade her, I will definitely mention anything even if I'm not the original owner.. I'm actually debating on whether or not to de-rust a pony tail because of this whole "original vs.restoration" thing..