How do you end up with your baits?

[tulagirl]

I was curious how people are ending up with bins of baits?  I see bait lot auctions all of the time. I am curious.  I only buy ponies that look really nice.  Its rare for me to ever have a bait.  If I do it would only be because I found it at thrift store in a bag with other ponies.  I currently do not own any baits.  I have a baby shady that has regrind really bad, but I don't consider her a bait. All of my ponies are in really nice shape with the exception of Tex who has had a hip replacement and visited the hair club for men ponies.

So how are you guys that have bins of baits ending up with so many? Do you buy them in lots?  Are you just finding them in thrift stores?  What would make you consider purchasing a bait if you don't customize?

I can't bring myself to spend money on a pony that is a mess even if its a bargain lol.  I can't customize, so I wouldn't know how to fix a bait. I don't have storage space either.  So, I only buy the nicest ponies I can find.  Out of the lots of ponies I have purchased on ebay, I have to admit I have been really lucky. No baits really.  I think I only have like 4 ponies with major issues, but I don't consider them baits.

[kayveryn]

Some i get from thrift stores, etc, but most are from buying bait lots. Usually about half of them are fairly easy restores, so I get collection and bait from the lots.  then again, I'm not a picky collector...=]

kayveryn

[DaffyDilly]

I customise, and occasionally I'll buy a bait lot but mostly I'll buy a specific bait for an intended custom.

I have a lot of ponies in my bait box but many of them are just waiting on restores.

[Enolaalone]

I'm not picky at all so I generally buy baits or ponies that look a bit crazy on eBay and fix them up. Or sometimes Etsy.

[Gingerbread]

If I see a pony in a lot I want, I will sometimes buy the entire lot. With eBay lots there is usually a few baits in there! If I see a bait in a charity shop/car boot that I know is popular (white bodied G3s for example) I will pick those up for trades

[kittybethy]

I try to buy or trade for baits!

 It works around here!

[Dragonflitter]

I'm not much of a customizer but at one point I wanted a Big Brother custom from a great artist who didn't have a Big Brother to use, so I had to find a bait lot on ebay that included a Big Brother. I finally found a perfect lot, but it had quite a few ponies in it! To this day I still have a box of baits from buying that lot lol. Can't get rid of them, sale or trade! (Suppose I should just put them back up on ebay...hmm, never thought of that until just this moment.)

[reanna-mator]

I like to restore, so I like baits for that reason! I'm also not a picky collector, so one person's bait is often fine for me, especially if I can work on the pony a bit and get her looking a bit nicer.

[partypony566]

It's a case of getting pony lots on eBay, sometimes there will be loads of baity ponies, also I'll buy bad condition ponies to restore but never get around to it, and finally 9 times out of 10 when I find ponies in thrift stores they are usually bait condition. So that's how I end up with my baits.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Mostly the thrift store.  I never really got to the point where I was buying bait lots on Ebay to restore... I just didn't have faith in my skills at that time.

[Ivy]

I get them in with lots on eBay - I buy the lot for one or two ponies in it and sometimes they have nice ponies with them - and sometimes they are baits - sold a ton off at the fair three years ago for $1 a piece.

I only have a few baits now - though I just acquired several more a few weeks ago- I was at a few yard sales and found a few G1's for a quarter each... All of them were in bait condition but I can't leave G1's behind no matter how bad they are...
I'm currently working on trying to restore the Surprise but the Princess Royal Blue and Glory I got will need a major custom job.

[starrypawz]

Ponies I grab from second hand stores and the like, sometimes I don't realise the pony is out of my depth until it gets home.

[emery]

I don't customize so I don't specifically look for baits. I generally have a bait bin for sale/trade though and I usually get them either from spares in a lot I bought off eBay, from yard sales (only if they're cheap since I will only sell them for $1 anyway) or sometimes I find them in a little bag of toys at a thrift store and I have to rescue them!

[hathorcat]

A combination of buying lots for one or two nice ponies and ending up with 10 other very poor condition ones or simply being fooled in a sale by a nice picture and/or a slightly misleading description from a seller to purchase a pony which is no where near as in nice condition as I had planned.

So mainly "bait gathering" for me is accidental.

[Ariadna]

I've only got a few bait ponies who I got from a friend as a birthday present, she gave me three ponies One is in ok condition, the other two are going towards being my very first customs. My chilhood ponies, no matter how mangled, will never be baits! I love their brightly coloured socks irregardless of how grubby and malformed they look
I'm currently looking for a few more baits, I've been looking out for cheap lots or browsing through my local opshops, and have also checked out posts on here