Downsizing a collection?

[appleponygal]

Hi there!

I'm thinking to downsize my collection as lacking space and think a smaller collection would be neat.  I'm thinking to do this with my other collections such as dolls and bears. Has anybody any good tips on how to go about this? Should I choose a certain generation or certain ponies? How about childhood ponies?  Has anybody else downsized successfully? Any tips would be much appreciated!  I like to hear other people's thoughts! :)Like how do you decide?

Natasha

[Desert Rose]

I've never downsized my collection, however there are some things I wanted to give my two cents on.

First of all, if I were you I'd keep my childhood ponies. They usually hold a special place in your heart for the reason that they are your childhood ponies. I can not speak for you obviously, but I think most collectors who have gotten ridd of their childhood ponies has come to regret it.

Secondly, pick those who you really like and keep them. Don't get ridd of a pony because it belongs to a set if you really like the pony.

Other than that I don't think I can be much help but I wish you good luck and hope you end up with a collection you truly love

[Taxel]

It depends on the person. However I would say definitely keep your childhood ponies, as you can never just rebuy them like you can with other ponies. What I would do is take some ponies down from display and store them for a while. If I don't miss looking at them or don't even realize they're missing after probably around two weeks, selling them is fine. However if a pony is barely worth anything, like $1 or $2, I'd probably just keep them unless I'm selling in lots because its not worth the trouble for such a small amount.

[Wilford B Wolf]

imo anything from your childhood should be hung onto for last...cause those are the things in life we CANT replace...after those..keep your favs and then parting with the rest is easy

[darknessunisousboy]

i have downsized got rid of some of my g3s but then have received more customs and G1 in there place.

[kissthethunder]

I've thought of downsizing my collection. I can't. I pick one up thinking I can part with it and they stare up at me with those bright clear eyes and I just...melt. Even the most common ponies are just too precious

[SwordPony]

I have downsized both my ponies and my doll collections with success. It does take time however and there are some that just won't sell.

I agree with the others about childhood ponies. I can't and won't get rid of them. They will go to my childern if I ever have any. Like others have said they are trulyhard to replace.

Good luck!!

[relcelestia]

i did!!
i decided to sell my entire collection except for my argentina ponies (and childhood of course)
i dont regret it at all ^_^
i felt like i was out of control and needed to cleanse a bit...
plus i was starting to date a guy i really liked and was embarrased for him to see how extreme my colleting had become.

i sold them all individually on ebay (about 500). it takes longer (about a year) but in the end i made a lot more money than if i had sold them here or at an mlp fair/meet.

[ThriftyPony]

I am in need of downsizing too. My fakies are especially out of control. It is a lot of work to take good pictures and list all the ponies and their condition and flaws. That's the main thin holding me back. :/ But I'll do it, eventually.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I've done it. 

I didn't really have a choice, though.  My living situation did not have any room for them - we were driving so it was what would fit in the truck.  Given I had a lot of childhood things that were irreplaceable, most of my MLP collection ended up being donated.  I gave about 50 MIB G3s and MIB playsets to the local Child Protective Services agency so that the kids would have new toys in their new homes; I donated about two Rubbermaid bins worth of loose G1 and G3 and playsets and fakies and the bait projects to a local thrift store that benefits the low-income health care trust fund in the largest town nearby. 

It was hard... but I also had a time limit - I only had an afternoon.  So it was purely decision making from the heart, as it were.  I went with my first intuition about how I felt about the pony - was it the reason I bought the lot on Ebay?  Or was it just another one of those 35 ponies I got for $0.99 each?  Childhood ponies obviously were not leaving and my absolute favorites.  Enough to fill ONE Rubbermaid tub.  And I had about 32 square feet of stored pony to begin with!!!! 

But I am enjoying the re-hunt.  I've changed my focus and not re-bought some.  I've found that I missed a few.  But mostly I have added new ponies to my collection that I hadn't had before.    I have all my life to collect them, I'm not in a hurry.  There are like a thousand to collect.  :-p

[elvenwine26]

As wonderful as having a hoard of ponies can be, it can be overwhelming too. Having to figure out how to place and arrange them, making space to do so, giving up shelf space etc.  I guess I had about 300 at some point in g3s  60ish in g1s and I realized I was just collecting to collect.  I have about 30 ponies in my collection now (bait box does not count)  and I really like it like that.  It was hard to decide at first but once you've moved a sizeable pony collection more than 3 times 4 years you realize how much of a hassle it is to pack unpack, store, arrange, clean, upgrade, etc.  And I had nowhere to put my books and other nick knacks since the ponies were taking over.  And believe my book collection was larger than my ponies.  I ended up selling my shelves during one move because no one had a truck i could move them in and then at that point I decided that I was done with having so much stuff.  It sort of felt like it was defining me in a weird way.

I sold most of my collection here in the sales area with the intent of clearing them out.  I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of ebay listings.  They tended to sell pretty quickly for me for the most part and what wasn't sold ended up in my bait box.  I adore looking at other people's ponies and making happy noises at the new stuff, and  making customs and to me that is satisfying enough.

It's really a question of what you feel comfortable with handling.
When I started paring down I was like "okay I"m going to cut it down by 1/4 of the overall collection. " then I pared down to a half of that and so on and so on.  I kept my childhood ponies, and the ones that the colors really stood out in a way that I particularly enjoyed.  It's a nice mix of g1 and g3.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

As wonderful as having a hoard of ponies can be, it can be overwhelming too....once you've moved a sizeable pony collection more than 3 times 4 years you realize how much of a hassle it is to pack unpack, store, arrange, clean, upgrade, etc.  And I had nowhere to put my books and other nick knacks since the ponies were taking over. 

Totally understand your feelings about this!  After several moves, and trying to always unpack and arrange the ponies when there was no space for ANYTHING was very stressful.  It was much easier just to pare the collection down to a minimum and start again.  :-p  And there is NEVER room for any of my other collections, sadly...

[Bibinettepony]

I've done it, now I got only Frenchies, some Argies an some specials. It took me time but It's worth. Then you have a bit money to buy some special ones only.  and You have a better look on your collection 

[Moonracer]

I don't really feel like I could downsize my collection. First off I only started collecting, so it would be kind of silly of me to get rid of of all those lovely ponies I just got, lol. Then, I would be kind of afraid of getting rid of all those lovely ponies, especially G1 ones.

G1 ponies are not that rare here in my country, but they're not that common either. Polish auction sites are not like eBay: so this means that once you get rid of of one G1 pony, chances that you'll get this pony once again are 1 in 100000 or so. The only pony I've seen come up on an internet auction more than once here in Poland, was Lemondrop, and still it was like three times in a span of four, five months.

Besides, I feel too attached to all my ponies, be it my childhood herd or ones I got recently: they're just too precious for me to give away/sell.

[Visage]

I have never thought of downsizing my collection!
I have never sold a pony, although I should sell some that I have double, in order to buy some that I don't have and I really want. I am emotionally attached to my ponies.