Pony-buying ethics?

[PinkRosedust]

:/ Sorry, but I don't feel guilty when I get a good deal on a pony from a flea market or thrift store or something. It's nice when life throws you a bone once in a while. And I do kind of agree that it's a seller's responsibility to do their research. If you don't have the time to put into finding out what your pony is worth, that isn't your buyer's fault.

[Snapdragon]

The one time I DID find a pony for a huge steal - Mimic, for $10!!! - I talked the seller up to $25, because that's all the cash I had on me at the time.

She ended up being a huge JERK!!!

So although I used to be very 'be honest, honesty is the best policy,' now I'm tempted to say, rip 'em off, maybe it's karma. It certainly was for that lady! I wish I'd kept my money!!

[LadyPinwheel]

Well, I don't know in the rest of the world, but here in Spain most of the things they sell in flea markets or second hand stores they get for free. I mean, they don't pay for the rare pony. They get them from storage lots, emptying houses (for wich they get paid for), donations... or even from the trash. So even if they sell them for 2€, they are getting a profit, because they spent nothing at all.

And on the other hand, collecting vintage toys is becoming a fashion here in Spain, so people think they have a jewel, even if it's a normal peachy or sundance, and they try to sell them for hundreds of euros...

So, to the question: If I found a rare pony very cheap, I would buy it. If the person selling it is happy with it, why shouldn't I? My collection is in need of rare cheap ponies!
When people want to get a real profit out of something they take the time to search and see what is it they have and how much it is worth.

[TinyShinyUnique]

I couldn't agree with Tulips more

You know, there is a saying that if you're ignorant of something, you have to bear the consequences.

If I'm buying from a friend, or even a collector I know via Arena or TP, I will always try to make a deal on the items I'm buying that will make both sides happy and I request the same as a buyer. When I'm buying off ebay, thrift shop or at a flea market I don't feel the slightest guilty about getting a great deal. Those people could have researched what they're selling and set a price on them that would reflect their value. If they ask for $5 for a Mimic, it's because they would be happy about that price. They could have googled My little pony unicorn with a parrot symbol if they wanted to surely know the price - but they might have not cared enough, had no time for that or just hated that ugly green alien-pony thing and were happy to see it gone  

Guilt-tripping someone for getting a rare or valuable pony for less than it was worth is low. Making a seller feel bad for selling a pony for too low is not nice as well - if the both sides are happy, it's the most important Plus there are people who overvalue some ponies and some newbies will fall for their tricks. Or if they see a pony they desperately want and overpay... It's a two-sided coin

And nhal039, you're right that sometimes identifying stuff isn't easy - but you can always ask for help other collectors, people who know their hobbies better.     

[goddessofpeep]

It depends on the situation.  There are some lines that I'd never cross, and there are some things that I think are ok.  I have some strong ideas on right and wrong on several aspects of pony collecting.

If I see a good price for a pony at a flea market/ebay/thrift store, I'd probably pick it up and count my blessings.  These days anyone can do research on the value of any item with very little effort.  Dream Valley is still one of the top hits on any google search of MLP, and once you have the names, it's not that hard to track down some sort of value(if you search for images of the pony, a lot of time links to past auctions pop up, and message boards are always great places to go).  I'd generally consider it as if they really wanted the best price for their item, they would've looked it up online. Also, just throwing it up on ebay can be excellent research.  Take a picture of it, put it on ebay as an auction, and it'll sell for its value(whatever that may be).  For flea markets/private sales I'll always make an exception if I'm dealing with someone who is obviously in a very bad way and *really* needs the cash.  I've paid more than the asking price when I can tell that someone is only selling something because they need that money to live.

That said, I do not take advantage of new collectors/sellers, or try to get a seller to lower their prices on items of value to the point where I'm really screwing over the seller. I'll sometimes ask for a few bucks off a big purchase, but I'd never try to convince a naive seller that their stuff is worth less than it actually is.  Every now and then you'll get a new collector or seller trying to start out selling their stuff, and an experienced collector picking through their sales list for all the good stuff at bargain prices.   My friend had that happen to her when she first joined the pony community.  She had *mint* childhood ponies(and some very valuable ones like complete flutters with intact wings), but the buying collector kept telling her that her prices were too high, and that things were only worth a fraction of what they really were worth.  She ended up selling a good chunk of her childhood ponies for pennies on the dollar to a collector who knew exactly what she was doing. 

I also don't ask ebay sellers to end auctions early for me.  That's just low.   Collectors who do that never offer what the pony would have gone for if the auction had run its course. 

In stores(Target, TRU, etc), I am always happy to help out anyone who is interested in ponies with anything I can.  I once spent 45 minutes helping a family with young children pick through a box of blind bags.  I knew about the codes, and so I made it possible for the parents to buy their kids the exact pony they wanted.  I'm always happy to give advice about new ponies, where to get ponies, sales on ponies that I've seen recently, or anything pony related.   

I also will not interfere with a child's enjoyment of a pony under any circumstances.  If I'm pony hunting and I spot some ponies, but a child has gotten to them first, I'll back off completely and they have first dibs on anything they want.  If I'm digging through a bin and a child comes up and wants to look at the ponies, I'll stop and let them have at it.  Even if they end up walking away with a MIP Rapunzel - it's theirs.  I would *never* try to take any pony from a child or do anything that would create bad feelings in a child about ponies.  I also would never try to "rescue" a pony from a child(or a daycare).  I *loved* my ponies as a kid, and as far as I'm concerned, kids are #1 with ponies.  If a child was selling their ponies, I would tell them how much it's worth.   

When shopping at chain stores(Target, TRU, etc), if there are kids in the pony aisle, I let them finish what they're doing before I start to browse.  Ponies are for kids to love, not for collectors to hoard.  That doesn't mean I'd let any kids visiting my house have at my pony collection.  It is my property, and I did pay collector's prices for a lot of it.  I also wouldn't let them play with my Steiff stuffed animals, or my miniature glass animal collection.  Those things are mine.  However, I do not interfere with kids/parents who are buying ponies or who own ponies.

[MikeysGrrrl]

It depends on the situation.  There are some lines that I'd never cross, and there are some things that I think are ok.  I have some strong ideas on right and wrong on several aspects of pony collecting.

If I see a good price for a pony at a flea market/ebay/thrift store, I'd probably pick it up and count my blessings.  These days anyone can do research on the value of any item with very little effort.  Dream Valley is still one of the top hits on any google search of MLP, and once you have the names, it's not that hard to track down some sort of value(if you search for images of the pony, a lot of time links to past auctions pop up, and message boards are always great places to go).  I'd generally consider it as if they really wanted the best price for their item, they would've looked it up online. Also, just throwing it up on ebay can be excellent research.  Take a picture of it, put it on ebay as an auction, and it'll sell for its value(whatever that may be).  For flea markets/private sales I'll always make an exception if I'm dealing with someone who is obviously in a very bad way and *really* needs the cash.  I've paid more than the asking price when I can tell that someone is only selling something because they need that money to live.

That said, I do not take advantage of new collectors/sellers, or try to get a seller to lower their prices on items of value to the point where I'm really screwing over the seller. I'll sometimes ask for a few bucks off a big purchase, but I'd never try to convince a naive seller that their stuff is worth less than it actually is.  Every now and then you'll get a new collector or seller trying to start out selling their stuff, and an experienced collector picking through their sales list for all the good stuff at bargain prices.   My friend had that happen to her when she first joined the pony community.  She had *mint* childhood ponies(and some very valuable ones like complete flutters with intact wings), but the buying collector kept telling her that her prices were too high, and that things were only worth a fraction of what they really were worth.  She ended up selling a good chunk of her childhood ponies for pennies on the dollar to a collector who knew exactly what she was doing. 

I also don't ask ebay sellers to end auctions early for me.  That's just low.   Collectors who do that never offer what the pony would have gone for if the auction had run its course. 

In stores(Target, TRU, etc), I am always happy to help out anyone who is interested in ponies with anything I can.  I once spent 45 minutes helping a family with young children pick through a box of blind bags.  I knew about the codes, and so I made it possible for the parents to buy their kids the exact pony they wanted.  I'm always happy to give advice about new ponies, where to get ponies, sales on ponies that I've seen recently, or anything pony related.   

I also will not interfere with a child's enjoyment of a pony under any circumstances.  If I'm pony hunting and I spot some ponies, but a child has gotten to them first, I'll back off completely and they have first dibs on anything they want.  If I'm digging through a bin and a child comes up and wants to look at the ponies, I'll stop and let them have at it.  Even if they end up walking away with a MIP Rapunzel - it's theirs.  I would *never* try to take any pony from a child or do anything that would create bad feelings in a child about ponies.  I also would never try to "rescue" a pony from a child(or a daycare).  I *loved* my ponies as a kid, and as far as I'm concerned, kids are #1 with ponies.  If a child was selling their ponies, I would tell them how much it's worth.   

When shopping at chain stores(Target, TRU, etc), if there are kids in the pony aisle, I let them finish what they're doing before I start to browse.  Ponies are for kids to love, not for collectors to hoard.  That doesn't mean I'd let any kids visiting my house have at my pony collection.  It is my property, and I did pay collector's prices for a lot of it.  I also wouldn't let them play with my Steiff stuffed animals, or my miniature glass animal collection.  Those things are mine.  However, I do not interfere with kids/parents who are buying ponies or who own ponies.

I agree wholeheartedly with this ^

It's not often that you get lucky to find a pony for cheap, especially a rare one, so why not grab it up? Even someone who isn't savvy enough to look things up themselves knows someone who can help them look it up.

Thrift stores used to be a great place to find hidden treasures years ago, however in recent years more and more thrift stores are price checking their items and either auctioning them off or putting them in a showcase with a hefty price tag

A few years I went to a yard sale where someone was selling their book collection, I got a First Edition copy of To Kill A Mockingbird for .15, I ended up selling it for $100+ on ebay right before we moved last year. I didn't feel bad then, and I don't feel bad now. I've paid market value many times and I've most certainly overpaid numerous times. To me it's a blessing to have a little pony luck from time to time

[minamarie]

I would never make an offer thats way to low but if they give me a price its ok (they could have looked it up) and i just give them some € extra. When i saw really rare ones like nightlight or a piggy i told them about it

[hathorcat]

I don't think its any different than winning an auction which goes super low or snatching a BIN which is under priced on ebay - in all cases you are paying less than the pony is worth. If you see a Punzie for $50 on ebay, you are going to message the seller and suggest to them to times that price by 10? No, most people [myself included] would hit that BIN pretty quickly. It may sound harsh but its is up to a seller to work value and set their price. If they dont want to or dont have the time to research then that is their personal decision. If I sell something for buttons which is worth hundreds of $$ sure I would kick myself afterwards but at the same time I should have checked it out or made enquiries.

[LordBlumiere]

I'm not 100% up to date with pony prices myself, so I honestly don't know what I'm getting sometimes. Thus, it really doesn't bother me to buy ponies at lower prices--but I will definitely help people who are confused about ponies for their children to ease my conscience I guess

[achab1984]

For me, I try my best to help any confused parents if they are in the pony aisle with me. That way, they know the difference for ponies so their kid doesn't get any unwanted duplicates.

I did this at TRU and WalMart at Christmas time...I ended up staying there for over an hour because people would ask for help as soon as i was done with someone else! It felt good, so i guess that (and when i do it any other time of year) cancels any pony guilt I may get...though I've never had any

That was very nice of you

[KarentheUnicorn]

I think it's up to you what you want to spend on a pony. If the pony is too cheap in your opinion offer the person more. This is strictly up to you however and you shouldn't hold it against someone else just because they paid a dollar for a pony you ended up paying $100 for.

How I feel about it: A majority of my G1 ponies were purchased back in the 80's from stores. I'm certainly not going back to K-Mart and giving them $50 more dollars just because I bought mimic for under $6.00.
I don't go to McDonalds and complain that the dollar menu is to cheap and give them more money.

It's up to the seller to decide what they want for their item - be it on ebay, yard sale, flea market...whatever. It's their responsibility to research the product they are selling. I take the time to do that when I sell stuff that I am not familiar with the value.

Plus, sometimes I just want to get rid of stuff and selling it cheaply means I can get rid of it faster.

[Star Spark]

Well... the only pony of value I'm likely to recognize on site is Mimic, and my phone has poor service at the flea market, so it's a bit of a moot point for me- I buy G1s and other vintage toys because I enjoy them, but I don't have a huge budget so I buy what I can find at thrift/flea prices. Which is not to say there's aren't circumstances where I haven't told people (usually friends) what a pony or other toy is worth when I knew it- but my experience is that non-collectors don't care. They usually just offer it to me at the same price or even just give it to me for free- it's worth nothing to them and they know I enjoy them. Selling at collector's prices means having to either wait for a collector to come along or enter an unfamiliar on-line market, which they just won't bother with. That said, there are people at my local flea market who do try to sell toys as collector's items but don't necessarily know what they're worth- this can cause prices to be all over the place, so I don't feel too bad about underpaying on one item if I'm overpaying on another- it's just easier than trying to haggle fair prices for everything.

Regarding kids... I have little qualms about taking vintage toys off the thrift store shelf. They're often in need of a good cleaning, which the average parent won't know how to do (or just won't do) before handing it to their child, and there may be other defects (like leaking plasticizer and other component breakdowns) that may make them unideal or unsafe for children. There's always plenty of G3s (I take what I personally like and leave a bunch more) and newer dinosaurs and other animal toys for kids to play with instead- I'd rather see them with one of those than a moldy G1 with dirty hair or an old electronic dinosaur with leaky batteries.

[Epona]

Aside from actual money, everything is only worth what price you value it at. Be it a vintage pony, a car, food or whatever.

If a pony is worth $1 to the seller it doesnt matter what the "market value" might be, it is still only worth $1 to that person. If a buyer values it at more than that, its the buyers perogative. And it works both ways. If the seller values something at $100 that is only worth $1 at "market value" its the sellers perogative.

Personally I have way overpaid for some items and gotten some crazy good deals on others. It all works out in the end. Karma seems to even things out.
 
When it comes to children though its different. If there is a child looking at a pony I will wait until after they are done, if they dont get it then I will pick it up. Ive even waited when its a pony for my own daughter.  Also if a child is selling their ponies at a yard sale, then I will often give them extra. If its adults selling them I will just give them asking price, or offer them less if I think its overpriced for the condition.

[Galactica]

Well, I don't know in the rest of the world, but here in Spain most of the things they sell in flea markets or second hand stores they get for free. I mean, they don't pay for the rare pony. They get them from storage lots, emptying houses (for wich they get paid for), donations... or even from the trash. So even if they sell them for 2€, they are getting a profit, because they spent nothing at all.

The same thing happens in the US.  Although the stuff is not free-  what happens is that people bid on lots of junk that people abandoned in their storage or never came back for.

I used to go to a flea market in Huntington Beach- and almost all of the people there (with the small exception of the people selling snacks/produce or those super cheap plastic toys from China)  - were selling off storage stuff.

I got all kinds of weird clothes and furniture.  Sometimes there would be toys, sometimes ponies-  I always bought ponies when I saw them to clean them up and give them a new life. ONCE I got a Mimic!  I think she was only a dollar but I didn't feel guilty.  Sometimes you just get lucky!

In turn- I once sold by accident a leather coat (from the thrift store) on ebay-  like for BIN of $75.  It sold literally in seconds and I then received dozens of emails asking me if I had more, from different people.  I looked up the coat and it turns out it was a super super expensive designer coat that was worth more like $500.  I was REALLY tempted not to follow through with the sale- but I did.  I guess you win some and you lose some.  It's the seller's responsibility to do the research, not the buyer.

[Iceglider]

All the ponies were originally worth $3-$8 when they were bought from the store. Do you feel bad about not giving Hasbro all the profits for their product? They are the original creators after all. I mean it is not like they are secretly made out of gold. Just something to think about.

I agree with the idea that sellers need to do their research. Collectors and dealers have to put in alot of time to research every product. Most old toys are considered garbage and are thrown in the trash. If it was a friend I would tell them because I wouldn't want them to hold it against me. Otherwise I don't feel bad about getting a good deal. If I felt I could give the money to a good cause, like if they were hosting a fundraiser, I would be willing to spend more and offer them more.