JamieDey5
Hopefully you don't mind me responding. In the thread when I read it, I saw someone who was new who truly didn't want to disappoint or inadvertently take advantage of her customers.

I'm also picky, and I have bought a lot. Here are things I've noticed, and how I buy. As a collector- I am VERY, VERY, VERY picky with my personal collection. No loose heads, touch ups, restores, replaced parts, etc etc etc. And, being on the forums/ebay for a number of years my personal experience has been that, very often other collectors opinions of VGC, Excellent, NM, Mint have been are a far cry from mine. It's very rare I get a VGC,Ex pony in better condition then described (in my opinion of those collecting terms) from a fellow collector.

There are a group of us though that are as picky, and among us a perfect or near perfect or perfect ponies, especially early ponies like moondancer/glory will be sold with detailed photos in the best lighting and a detailed description at a premium- no way anything close to $7 more like $18-30 per piece. When you are talking about a $3-$4 pony, you are taking a chance.

That said, There are many people who don't know how, or unable to take accurate, clear detailed photos (because they only have a cell or tablet). or whose noses don't work as well, or have seen enough examples of something to know what an excellent version of that specific character looks like. and, for the most part I see pricing in these listings is in-line for the detail provided and gamble a buyer assumes.

I still buy "unknowns" BUT I anticipate flaws that could be unseen or missed in the quality of that photo. But I only buy from these listings when they are priced in a way that if I receive something that a quick gentle clean leaves something better then anticipated I am stoked, and the pony is part of my collection or if there are flaws present I consider expected I could at least recoup my cost for a little of my time, or clean the pony as a gift for my not picky collecting friend. Seller gets good FB and life goes on.

If it's grossly misrepresented, or packaged in a way that causes or could cause damage a nice note to the seller first explaining it- and don't assume they intentionally did something wrong, as they may not know what to look for, or even how to identify that issue. Most here love ponies and do not want to put one over on another or disappoint or upset a fellow collector. those that do don't last long before being banned. Automatically starting a claim is a no-no and I assumed on ebay too when I was new in the olden days. I know I'd want someone to contact me first before opening a claim, I always gave others that same courtesy.