Ponies...

[Pizzlypuzzly123]

Should I buy a Baby Gametime pony? I was just wondering if it would be a good investment. I saw it for sale on this website for $120 something and I didn't know if it was worth it?  Should I also buy these Merry-Go-Round ponies for $48 each in box BRAND NEW? The seller has 4 of them I think. Then theres also the TAF Munchie ponie for $75. I'm not sure if its a good investment or a waste of time.. Thoughts?



Thank you and have a wonderful day!

[FantasticFirefly]

If you are looking at things you LOVE and will be thrilled to own, then go for it! some of the MGR are common and not worth a terribly high amount MIB. If you don't adore any of those items, and it's purely something to hang onto for a while I'd rather have cash myself.

I might get pelted with fakies for this, but collecting isn't typically a good investment purely speaking $'s and not passion. It can be risky, many people will buy and keep things in hopes they will make money in the future, and most of the time it doesn't pan out. the collectors who do manage to make the best money if they decide to move on from ponies are typically well known, highly passionate & very knowledgeable about the hobby, but even they will have the odd item here or there that sells for less then what they originally paid. It's just something you have to be comfortable with as a collector.

One example in the pony world was the mommy charms. years ago they would run $20-$45 a charm. they were very HTF in good condition and I lost as a bidder many a time with $35-$40 high bids for a single charm. people spent years and $400+++ getting them all. A fellow in the Philippians ended up with HUGE pile of them mip a few years back, and when he realized the person who was buying them from him was listing on ebay he started too, and flooded the market. I bought more then two complete sets of 20 for well under $200 together. and they still are on the lower end. So there is always a risk that a pony which is rare right now, might not be later, or a pony will simply be less popular, or the economy will be bad all over. I love the charms though, so I'm not upset or sad on the ones I spent larger $ on, rather I was ecstatic I got to complete a pristine set. Ponies have a few examples of items that used to sell higher and no longer do. but other hobbies which used to be simply unaffordable to most people now are, like sections of the doll world. My friends mother has dolls that used to sell for thousands (pre-internet/early-internet) and are now only worth a few hundred.

[Pizzlypuzzly123]

Thank you for the thorough reply. I know what you mean. Do you know what Wuzzles are? I bought two extra Baby ones fro about $200 each or so and its been many months and i can't seem to sell it. I saw some sold for like $75 for two of them... Its sucks sometimes...

[hathorcat]

I am 100% agreeing with FantasticFirefly's statement - pony collecting cant be about investment. Please dont every buy mass market collectible toys [even if they are vintage] with the hope they could appreciate with time. Over the years I have seen more ponies drop in price than any increase in price. In the long run its better to collect because you like things - thats the sanest option

As to the prices - there is no RRP on G1 so you should always pay what makes you happen. The prices you mention - for Munchy and Baby Game Time - are perhaps at the higher end of their value and you would probably manage to pick them up cheaper at some point in the future. But as long as you are happy then go for it. As for the MGRs - it depends which ones - Diamond Dreams and Sparkler that would be an awesome price, for the other 4 a good price but on the money rather than any kind of good bargain.

[Prideth]

Agreed with what everyone else has said.. collect only if you love! 

...With that being said, if you aren't going to buy the merry go round ponies, I'm dying to get the set (although not necessarily MIB..)  Let me know where to buy them if you're not as interested!   

[Leave a Whisper]

well to this I say, if you have the money then go for it! if your not sure then think about it a little more before you make a decision either way.

 if something is far outta my price range, i tell myself that at the end of the day I won't die a horrible death if I don't have it, they are pieces of plastic and a lot of them sold for about 5 or 6 bucks originally. I don't need them, I merely want them....really badly.

*please note that you are talking to a bit of a scrooge who thinks that any single toy equine over $30 bucks is seriously starting to push it for herself. *

[ponyqueen]

Investment? Try S&P 500.

[Pizzlypuzzly123]

what do you mean ponyqueen?

[FantasticFirefly]

Stock reference. 500 common stock traded on NASDAQ.

I also remember wuzzles.  Shame that they've come down so much on you, some common popples were also hitting some high prices a few years ago as well before dropping again.

[MoondancerMilkyWay]

ponyqueen reads moneymagazine in her spare time. and by spare time I mean the time when she *isn't* caring for her menagerie or washing ponies.
Ponies and any other collectible should be bought because you love them not so they will one day pay for your (or someone else's) college education one day.
remember beanie babies? you couldn't pay me enough to buy them now where before just one was selling for thousands...

[Elfpony]

I agree, some really good advice here.  It's extremely difficult to make money buying and selling "modern" collectibles.  Unless you're lucky enough to find a Rapunsel for $1.00 at a garage sale, or you're willing to pay market price and hold on to the toy indefinitely in the hopes that prices will go up in the future, you're probably not going to have much more than a few dollars return on investment.  But if you're collecting for the love of the toy and you don't mind paying that price, then that's the important thing.

Elf

[Galactica]

Ponies are super fun to collect, but terrible investments (shhhh don't tell my wife though)

The prices fluctuate wildly, they don't appreciate very fast if at all, and they often get vinyl breakdown which can destroy their value utterly.

So yeah, don't buy ponies to re-sell, unless you are buying from the goodwill outlet at .50/lb (which is still a killer deal!  - but still not a great investment after factoring gas spent getting there, and hours digging through mounds of crap, then cleaning them all up...)

[SeashellnBubbles]

My BF referrs to my ponies as "tulip bulbs". Most people have no idea what he's talking about and he was surprised I knew the reference. Tulip bulbs, Beanie Babies, Ponies...they're all the same. If you're buying as an investment, it's not a good idea. The insane populatrity of them now means nothing in the long run as fads come and go...Though if you know how to work it and your timing is good, you can make Ok money...but very few people have the abilty or the timing

[MoondancerMilkyWay]

My BF referrs to my ponies as "tulip bulbs". Most people have no idea what he's talking about and he was surprised I knew the reference. Tulip bulbs, Beanie Babies, Ponies...they're all the same. If you're buying as an investment, it's not a good idea. The insane populatrity of them now means nothing in the long run as fads come and go...Though if you know how to work it and your timing is good, you can make Ok money...but very few people have the abilty or the timing

I think I understand the reference! yay history channel!!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Most of the G1's that are selling for $30-80 MIB/MOC/NRFB have been selling for those prices for almost a decade or more.  They don't appreciate in the same way that you would think, looking at prices on Ebay!