The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: Leave a Whisper on April 11, 2017, 02:56:29 PM
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Hypothetical question:
Like, let's say you found Rapunzel or Mimic or Lightning at a thrift store or swapmeet for three bucks. They aren't perfect, maybe a noticeable, but not extreme hair cut, a pen mark here and there, a scratched symbol.
They aren't your cup of tea and you'd like to give a fellow pony fan a chance to own it without making the lucky buyers wallet beg for mercy.
Would it be wrong, or at least "seem" suspicious to sell it in double digits instead of triple? Like maybe $20-$40
Cuz you know that old adage, if it's too good to be true, it probably is.
Or offering to trade it so you can have a pony for far less then its value but your both happy.
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Sure thing, you could absolutely do that. Though the buyer could end up flipping it soon as they get it.
It might seem suspicious, but with paypal protections and stuff, I wouldn't be too worried.
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I think that it's a good idea and I maybe would explain why the price, but I'm pretty sure, someone wouldn't think twice and take it.
The real problem to me, isn't the vendor, but more the ones who could catch it to sell at higher price after, ruining the first initiative :(
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Cool. As far as flipping it, once it's in their hands, they can do what they like. That's just my opinion personally and for all I know, that pony could have helped them pay off some bills or for a college fund or something.
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So, this isn't quite what you asked...
If I found a rare second hand pony at a flea market-- I'd be more likely to give the person who is selling it a fair price. Maybe not the full amount but I'm not going to take advantage of them either. (Probably not so much with a thrift store. )
I've gotten to do that in the past, and it's really a good experience. :)
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I would do that for a friend, somebody I knew wanted the pony for their collection. I don't think I'd tell a vendor an actual collector value on a pony, it's on them to research and presumably they've priced it at a markup they'll be happy with
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I know it's not the same as a 3 digit G1 but I've found some pricier G4's that I could have sold on ebay for a good price and instead sold them on here for $5 or traded them here for other ponies or 80's toys I collect. I feel like it is a win win, especially the trades because I get some items that I'm after and I'm able to help someone else out.
My only concern would be someone flipping it to make a profit. Yeah they can do whatever they want with it once they own it but I could have sold it for full price to help my family out too and instead decided to help another collector fulfill their dream. That would be super shady and upsetting if someone got it from me cheap for the sole purpose of flipping it.
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I'd probably try to gift it to a friend, or someone I knew would keep it in their collection - yeah, it's their choice to flip it if they want, but I would rather it go to a home where it would be loved! :heart: I have a couple of pony-collecting pals, and I like to keep an eye out for deals for them when I can! :)
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The hardest part to me in that kind of hypothetical situation is how do you decide who to sell it to? Like, if its a desirable pony, odds are you know several people who are looking for it...so who gets it? The person whp responds first, rhe one you are closest to, the one who lives in the area and, if luck had been with them, might have found it instead of you, or maybe maybe the one you know has been looking for it forever?
Thays why I've always sold more valuable ponies through auctions, including trades in the pricing usually; its too hard to decide who gets it any other way.
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Sure, that'd be fine as long as you sell it to me.
Otherwise of course not, what were you thinking?!?
Seriously though it'd have to be to someone you know isn't going to turn around and sell it, in which case you could sell it yourself and use the money to buy lots of less valuable ponies and just give them away to lots of people instead of just one.
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I did that a few years ago at the Fair. I had several Mimics that I'd gotten cheaply and had sold all but one. She was priced fairly for her condition, and a little girl had been eyeing her all weekend. Finally her parents asked how much she was, and said they'd go to the hotel's ATM to get the rest of the cash they needed, because the little girl had seen Mimic's Golden Horseshoes episode and fallen in love. When the found out that the ATM had actually run out of money due to the number of Fair attendees withdrawing from it, I sold them Mimic for whatever cash they had on hand and the little girl's promise that she'd love Mimic forever.
So, no, it's not wrong unless the money you're missing out on is some that you need for a vitally important purchase, in which case it wouldn't be monetarily responsible to sell it for less (like if you're paying off a bill and the full amount of the pony would cover it, etc.) but would still be perfectly alright to do so if you wanted. Your pony, your call.
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The hardest part to me in that kind of hypothetical situation is how do you decide who to sell it to? Like, if its a desirable pony, odds are you know several people who are looking for it...so who gets it? The person whp responds first, rhe one you are closest to, the one who lives in the area and, if luck had been with them, might have found it instead of you, or maybe maybe the one you know has been looking for it forever?
Thays why I've always sold more valuable ponies through auctions, including trades in the pricing usually; its too hard to decide who gets it any other way.
First come, first served I guess?
Post Merge: April 12, 2017, 08:29:21 AM
I did that a few years ago at the Fair. I had several Mimics that I'd gotten cheaply and had sold all but one. She was priced fairly for her condition, and a little girl had been eyeing her all weekend. Finally her parents asked how much she was, and said they'd go to the hotel's ATM to get the rest of the cash they needed, because the little girl had seen Mimic's Golden Horseshoes episode and fallen in love. When the found out that the ATM had actually run out of money due to the number of Fair attendees withdrawing from it, I sold them Mimic for whatever cash they had on hand and the little girl's promise that she'd love Mimic forever.
So, no, it's not wrong unless the money you're missing out on is some that you need for a vitally important purchase, in which case it wouldn't be monetarily responsible to sell it for less (like if you're paying off a bill and the full amount of the pony would cover it, etc.) but would still be perfectly alright to do so if you wanted. Your pony, your call.
That's a wonderful story. ^.^
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I have always dreamed of finding a spendy pony like that and putting it in the prize box at a local pony meet. Someone did it with Blue Ribbon at the Wisconsin Meet, and it has been a dream of mine since then.
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Someone here found a Big Brother 4-Speed with his hat and bandana in a thrift store and raffled it for a good cause. That was years ago, but I remember so well because I was the lucky one who won him :) I had never won anything before that and I am still smiling everytime I see the little guy on the shelf. It is a very happy memory connected to this wonderful community and he will always have a special place in my heart and will forever stay in my collection!
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I mean it might come across as suspicious. But all that means is you'll have to find a buyer that either trusts you or is willing to take that risk. If that's what you do want to do with your own pony though you should.
I personally wouldn't do it because I have massive student loans, and would rather sell to pay them off. But at the same time, I would be super happy if someone else did that with a pony I wanted because it would mean I have a chance to get them before my loans are paid off in hopefully 12 years lol.
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I would do it for a pony friend that I knew fairly well... but not for someone I don't know.
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I don't think so- I had an autographed muffin pony card from comic con that I sold very cheaply when someone inquired on it. Passing on good things to fellow collectors is not just good vibes and good karma, but it makes people happy <3 Spreading happiness is something this world needs <3
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I even like gifting rare ponies. I see no problem with it. I like to bring a smile to someone's face. The pony community has done so much for me.
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I agree with others, gifting it or making it a prize would be so fun! As for selling I think it's ok because like it's been mentioned there's PayPal protection and they can choose the risk. If you got the rare pony for like 3$ then sold it for 40$ it's still a good profit. Personally I'd just do it as an auction with a .99 starting price and let the market decide (in reality I'd keep the pony as I have no rare ones haha)
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So many interesting answers.
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My solution to this question when pony (or Breyer) hunting, is that if it is a piece I don't really care for & there are no extenuating/odd circumstances, I leave it for someone else to find. I love the feeling of when I find something really special, something that truly excites my collector's heart, in the wild for a reasonable price & would rather pass that chance on to someone else than buy something that won't make me happy in the long run. Probably not a popular solution but I believe in collecting for my own enjoyment, not as an investment.
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I have before, and I would again :)
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I do it most of the time because I want people to have the chance to buy a htf pony for a nice price. But trading for another htf pony is also an option.
I had it several times that me and a collector looked at each other as in "we both know we didn't pay full price so we might as well trade"
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I even like gifting rare ponies. I see no problem with it. I like to bring a smile to someone's face. The pony community has done so much for me.
This!
I'd definitely do it. The first pony I ever bought online was a Baby Sugarberry. My husband and I wanted her so much, but there was no way we could afford her. But a very kind Arena member sold her to me for a much lower price. Okay, the pony did have some flaws, but still, she could have asked a much higher price for her. I am still super grateful for this, especially because I didn't even have any feedback at all back then. It's nice when people are willing to give you a chance. ^.^
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I just bought Mimic from a member here for well below eBay value with one flaw I don't mind and otherwise in much better shape than on eBay so I guess I'm already a beneficiary of this concept....though the person had owned her for some time and didn't get a very good deal on her so she was super generous with me.
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but let's be honest, if I find Rapunzel at a boot sale for $5, I'm either keeping her or selling her for market price. Because that's a lot of money and I can buy a lot of cheaper ponies for all that. :drunk:
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If I was in this situation I would either sell cheaply / gift to a friend or I would find a way to raffle / donate it to an auction for a good cause. I'm not a big seller--though I do have some stuff I need to get sorted, just so I'm not putting my foot in my mouth saying that!--and I far prefer swapping or gifting ponies over dealing with eBay sales.
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but let's be honest, if I find Rapunzel at a boot sale for $5, I'm either keeping her or selling her for market price. Because that's a lot of money and I can buy a lot of cheaper ponies for all that. :drunk:
Oh thank god it's not just me thinking it XD
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I don't see why it's a problem. I think it's a good thing to make people smile. :) I know that I've lowered the prices on some of my rarer ponies if people tell me that it's their grail or something they've had their eye on forever.
I did that a few years ago at the Fair. I had several Mimics that I'd gotten cheaply and had sold all but one. She was priced fairly for her condition, and a little girl had been eyeing her all weekend. Finally her parents asked how much she was, and said they'd go to the hotel's ATM to get the rest of the cash they needed, because the little girl had seen Mimic's Golden Horseshoes episode and fallen in love. When the found out that the ATM had actually run out of money due to the number of Fair attendees withdrawing from it, I sold them Mimic for whatever cash they had on hand and the little girl's promise that she'd love Mimic forever.
So, no, it's not wrong unless the money you're missing out on is some that you need for a vitally important purchase, in which case it wouldn't be monetarily responsible to sell it for less (like if you're paying off a bill and the full amount of the pony would cover it, etc.) but would still be perfectly alright to do so if you wanted. Your pony, your call.
That's such a lovely story! :lovey:
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I just bought Mimic from a member here for well below eBay value with one flaw I don't mind and otherwise in much better shape than on eBay so I guess I'm already a beneficiary of this concept....though the person had owned her for some time and didn't get a very good deal on her so she was super generous with me.
UM... Pics please when she arrives lostpony! :heart:
I do this sort of thing all the time- not with ponies but with things like, online currency/etc. i use chickensmoothie a lot, and i give away "rare" pets all the time. especially to younger players or people who dont have a large collection under their belt. Now..would i ever give away a mimic if i found her? PROBABLY NOT IMO... but i don't think its in any way "wrong" to share the love!
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I don't think it'd be "wrong" at all. That said, I personally wouldn't do it for anyone but a friend I trusted because I know I would be frustrated if somebody took what was supposed to be a gesture of goodwill and used it to make a huge profit.
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its not wrong at all