Sunshine ponies and other overpriced G1's

[Eternia]

I've noticed this too, there are no more 'good deals' on ebay- everything goes high or is overpriced. :/

[Sugar]

Curse you, invisible hand of the market!

I usually (not always, but usually) try to buy my ponies in lots if I can.  Except for So Softs, I'm not outrageously picky about my ponies...  thanks to all the wonderful ponyfolk here on the Arena, I can fix up so many beat-up old ponies to a reasonable condition, and there are sometimes hidden gems in those lots.

That said, I've noticed fewer lots of late.  I don't know if it's just my imagination or what, but more and more ponies come one at a time, and pricily to boot.

Given my druthers, though, I'd rather buy from wonderful Arena members anyway.   It's really only impulse pony-buying for me now on evilBay.   But I am an impulsive sort, so I guess I pay for it!

Ramble over.  I find most of the Newborn Twins and the second set of Rainbow Ponies are stupidly dear on eBay atm.

[FantasticFirefly]

Since I take the time to clean them I have to raise up the prices, there's my cost of buying the pony, cleaning supplies, shipping supplies. The time cleaning and drying the pony, if I were to sell on ebay with their fees I'd have to seriously overprice ponies  just to make it worthwhile and come out with a little money, rather then a loss and the hassle of dealing with the less then nice people there you run into sometimes.

I will say the collectors forums are an entirely different market then ebay- on ebay or etsy you have people who don't collect ponies but want one or two they had as a kid, those people are the ones paying $30 for applejack cleaned up with a new ribbon in her tail, not pony collectors. 

[hathorcat]

I dont think we can judge every pony reseller the same way. As Fantastic Firefly says, some of these people take the risk in buying a lot which some of us either could not afford or could not be bothered to wade our way through. They purchase them at the risk sometimes of getting a lot of ponies which they cannot resell for the value they paid. They then have to clean and spruce up and list and get hit by ebay fees. Yuck!

I am not saying everyone is perfect but personally I have taken advantage in the past of such sellers. I dont want to spend $300 for a pony lot which has 2 items I want and then have to clean all the other ponies and resell them - I wish I had the time, patience and talent. So if someone else wants to do that and I simply pay a higher price per item with less effort, no risk then that works for me.

As mentioned before, some ponies are simply not as common as we think while others are just hard to find in reasonable condition. BINs are almost always "overpriced" in comparison to what you get on an auction. But thats because thats what a seller wants and not always what a buyer is willing to pay. No one forces anyone to purchase anything so while I completely agree its frustrating if the one pony you are looking for only seems to pop up BIN, it will eventually show its face on auction. And then you need to be careful that because it doesnt show up too often you get caught in a bidding war which goes higher than a BIN Been there...done that!

As for general prices - yes some prices are up, but equally some prices are down. I dont think right now the hobby is that much more expensive than 5 or 6 years ago. Many of the ponies I have purchased in the last decade have significantly dropped in value while a few have increased.

If you are a bargain hunter and have the patience, I am sure you will find them eventually.

[SeaStar777]

I know what you mean with G1's being TOTALLY overpriced! I saw a really nice G1 Posey (non SS) sell for over $40..... REALLY? Really? What is going on here?

[ValeofSpring]

if a pony you want at a BIN has been relisted many times, it is worth sending them a nice little email, telling them how much the pony would be appreciated, and offer them a best offer.

This is absolutely true!  If there is something you want BIN that has been relisted (especially multiple times), it's always a good idea to message the person and make a *reasonable* offer.  The worst he/she can say is no.  It's important to remember (I have to remind myself of this) that there is no conspiracy among sellers.  I think many sellers are afraid of pricing too low so they price too high, and most have no idea what distinguishes one pony in price from another. 

[FantasticFirefly]

Vale, and Cat - agreed. I've had success using the best offer feature and I'm nice about it. Often the (if they're not pony people) seller doesn't know the average true selling price of what they have and are simply placing a BIN to match others. Also, There are a couple pony sellers with higher prices I DO buy from on ebay, as they price high but also have good stuff and better customer service then most brick and mortar stores around here. So, I spend that extra knowing exactly what I'll get, and if there's an error on their end, they are more then happy to work it out fairly without hassle.

I love buying lots but sometimes you just want one pony or accessory and not an entire box of junk along with it, or handy if you want an item on short notice (gift, wishlist item for someone). Also my biggest pet peeve is yellowing, it's so hard to tell before a pony is cleaned if it's simple surface dirt that will wash away, or if she's permanently discolored underneath. So buying what would be a $5 pony uncleaned not knowing if I'll even keep her, for $16 all cleaned with no yellowing knowing for sure she's collection worthy is sometimes well worth it to me.

I know what you mean with G1's being TOTALLY overpriced! I saw a really nice G1 Posey (non SS) sell for over $40..... REALLY? Really? What is going on here?

If it's on etsy or ebay, it's likely non-collector buying, or bidding against eachother. It was non collectors on ebay bidding my commons I'd only get $3-$6 for here or on the TP, to prices like $18- $35+. All I did was clean them and put a satin ribbon in her tail. Very common ponies for us collectors means more little girls once owned them, it's those non-collectors generously bidding or hitting a high BIN to buy a childhood memory.

[katrine2309]

It's not really overpriced when  the market is willing to pay and especially if its starting to be a tendency. Then it is just pricey I guess it just going to be more and more of these things though - the G1s are getting old and vintage-y now, more and more each year. Wanting the ones in good condition means you either has to wait and have patience - or pay the asking price the market demands. But I also think that a lot of sellers are having trouble selling their ponies to super steep prices though. Of course - if the seller is patient as well someone will always buy for what your asking I guess

[ponylovingmomma]

In all honesty I would prefer ponies I buy to not be cleaned or have their hair styled and pay $10-15 less which is why I do not bother with resellers. I'm not going to pay someone to do something I would rather do myself. As more people impulse buy overpriced ponies the market will permanently change and I know I will no longer be able to participate in collecting MLP. Unfortunately, that is simply the way it is. I do hope it happens later rather than sooner.

For right now I continue to make a price point for each pony I would like to purchase and I will not pay more than the amount I have decided on. I don't do lots because I often have a limited budget for ponies and most lots will go over a price I can pay. When I have extra pony budget money I do try to pick up lots.

[hathorcat]

I honestly would not worry too much as don't think people "impulse" buying overpriced ponies is going to change the market. If there are 10 ponies on ebay - 2  "over priced" at $50 and 8 at auction, then the market and pony collectors will decide what the 8 auctions will end at  - they wont be influenced by the high priced BINs. I know when I price check I dont ever factor in buy it now prices as they are not reflective of the market. If BIN prices were always on point and accurate then you would find most of them snapped up from ebay relatively quickly, instead they almost all sit for a short to long term. 

What will drive price up is ponies becoming harder to find due to most childhood collections making their way into collectors hands and a general increase in collector numbers. But to be honest thats the case with any collecting hobby - inflation even reaches ponies!

I know what I spent for my collection. I also know that in the current climate and with the current buying prices, I could not make back the same money that I have spent. Yes, there is a big increase in price in comparison to pony prices from a decade ago but if anything in the last 5 years prices have dropped a little from that peak of 06-09. I know that's not consistent over all ponies. But compare what we used to pay for everything from Diamond Dreams to Mimic 5 years ago and neither of them are as pricey as they used to be. Still high, yes. But not higher then they used to be.

Everyone is different; to be honest I will pay an extra $10 if I am getting a minty gorgeous pony than if I am getting one which needs a lot of work and restoration. But thats the market for you - for the main, the minty gorgeous ponies will be at the high end and those needing work at the bottom. Thankfully we have lots of different collectors with different budgets, different collection requirements, different standards so hopefully you will still manage to add to your collection.

[brightberry]

I'll admit, I've overpaid for ponies on impulse before.      Sometimes I get impatient during the hunt.