Mint in Box/Mint on Card G1's, Condition of packaging

[svleonard]

Does anybody really pay hundreds of dollars for MIB/MOC G1s where the packaging is damaged?  Why would you want it in the packaging if the packaging looks awful?  I see things going for big bucks on ebay with dents, rips, tears, rubs, smudges, and/or multiple twenty-five-year-old sale price stickers.  I just don't get it.

I would love to someday have some MIB/MOC G1's, but only if the packaging still looks good.  Otherwise, what's the point?

[Taxel]

Do you really expect every single MIB/MOC toy from 20-30 years ago to be perfect?
Neither do MIB/MOB collectors, I'm sure.

The fact that some ponies are still MIB/MOC is an amazing thing. And honestly the flaws you described aren't even that bad, in my opinion. Cracked bubbles are a lot worse than a rip, and I've still seen people buy MOCs with damaged bubbles.

[Shenanigans]

Perhaps just having the pony and accessories complete and mint is enough to drive up the prices. Could be a lot of people take them out? Not sure! I don't own and MIB/MOC G1s, but I know I don't like the plastic to be so yellowed on the MOC ones that you can't see the pony that well! I would probably take them out But if the boxes/cards were in good or fairly good condition I'd probably keep them in though wouldn't pay lots of money for it. Mainly because I can't afford it

[svleonard]

Do you really expect every single MIB/MOC toy from 20-30 years ago to be perfect?
Neither do MIB/MOB collectors, I'm sure.
.

No, I don't expect them to be perfect.  But when there are more than a few small flaws it seems to defeat the purpose of paying a really high price just to have it in the packaging.  (I love the style of the old packaging.  I think the designs and the colors are so pretty.)

[NovelNerd]

I guess it always comes down to how badly someone wants it, but no I wouldn't do it. Matter of fact a few weeks ago there was an auction for some of the ponies I wanted MIB. The boxes were so bad that I did bid, but I had a low limit. When the ponies got so high they were more than I've seen people pay for nicely boxed ponies my eyes just got big. I will say personally I do expect a beautiful awesome box if I'm going to shell out the money for a MIB pony. If it's going to have a torn up box with holes, then I might as well debox it and therefore buy a pony out of box. Those are my thoughts. I'll bid or try to buy if it's low, but that is about it.   

[goddessofpeep]

Getting a MOC pony can be an easy way to get a complete and(hopefully) mint pony.  Some people buy to keep on the card and display, some people only care about the pony.  The ponies with nice cards generally go to people who want the MOC to display since card condition factors into the price.  Really bad condition cards are popular with people who just want the pony to be mint and complete since opening up a pony on a severely damaged card isn't considered as bad as opening a really nice MOC.  They're also popular with collectors who don't have the cash to buy the really expensive MOCs, but still want to own a MOC pony.  For every MOC pony out there in every condition there's a buyer who will love it for their own reason.  Same is true of loose ponies.  Some collectors enjoy the challenge of restoring baity ponies, some collectors just want the mint ones.

I'm not a MOC collector though I've been collecting long enough to have a few in my collection.  I kind of like the old price stickers.  Some of them are from toy stores that don't exist anymore, and I think it's fun to see how much ponies went for in stores because the certainly DON'T go for that now!  It's a little bit of pony history right on the card!

[hellapostalia]

I'm a MOC collector (G1's and G3's), and I've had this discussion several times over with my other MOC collector friends. Personally, I collect MOC/NRFB so <I> can be the one to debox them, and know I'm the only one who's played with them. I know it sounds crazy.

I have many MOC collector friends who feel the same way. They want a 'new' pony, even if it was released 25-30 years ago. And they are willing to pay a pretty penny for it...

P.S. thanks to all who have welcomed me to the board!!!!!!!!!

[Rosette]

I take what I can get.  I love ponies in their original packaging (and keeping them that way).  I'd prefer them to be on perfect, unblemished cards but that's not always what's available.  And I'd prefer to spend very little in acquiring them, but with eBay, that's not always possible.  So, I get what I can and pay what I must to have what I want. 

[hathorcat]

I dont like judging other peoples collections or even what some of us are willing to pay for items we consider important to our collection. The joy of collecting is being able to pay whatever we want and can for what is important to us

Yes, it would be lovely to have a perfect no problem box/card but decades of storage [good or bad] can cause damage. I think you should simply look at it on scale - a minty box with a minty pony will be a premium price, a battered box with a minty pony will most likely be worth a little less. Thats all...a sliding scale of value - similar to a minty loose pony to a baity pony.