I need to sell off some of my herd BUT...

[Shenanigans]

I can't find a single pony I want to part with! We have a very large vet bill we need to pay for that's due January 19th. I'm paying $400 this month and we owe $800 next month. I only make a little over $400 a month so this is quite a problem! My parents are supposed to be paying the rest of the $400 but I'm a little more than worried that it might not happen.

So how do I decide which ponies to sell when I love all of them? I thought of selling my Frozen Coronation Anna doll, but she's my most favorite doll and I'd never be able to get her again. I wouldn't have to sell if I could be certain my parents would be able to pay the rest of the $400.

What would you do?

[amazonarabian]

I would try to appy for Care Credit through your veterinarian.  It helps low-income or stuggling pet owners pay for unexpected bills, and as long as you don't skip payments, they are reasonable folks.

Otherwise, if you cannot work more hours or find higher-paying employment due to school or whatnot, you may have to consider parting with your ponies.  It sucks, but your living, breathing pet will have to come first.  I think you already realize that, though.

I'd offer up some here on the Arena before heading to ebay.  I think you'd feel better knowing they were going to collectors who would love them.  I'd also suggest picking just a few, more expensive ponies.  Although it sucks to lose them, you'll still have the majority of your herd for comfort, and can always save up once your pet is taken care of to purchase those few replacement ponies.

Good luck.  I hope your pet is doing okay.

[Katika]

First of all, I'm so sorry that you had to go through having an unwell critter and that parting with your ponies seems like the best way to secure funds to handle that emergency.  Personally, I've always considered my collection 90% a hobby/enjoyment and 10% an investment, taking into consideration situations like this.  As long as there are collectors, ponies will have some sort of value that can be used to rescue collectors from emergency situations.  For me, personally, my ponies are all replaceable, but my pets are not.  It will probably be no fun to sell your ponies, but the truth of the matter is that you can always buy replacements for those ponies once your funds allow you to.

If it was me, there are certain ponies that I have that I would keep a hold of if at all possible due to sentimental reasons.  Some of them are worth a decent amount, some of them aren't.  Those would be who I'd sell absolutely last and only if I had to.  I think that I'd aim for selling off the higher end of mid-priced ponies ($20-$50 range value) that I wasn't attached to first, since I'd have to sell the fewest there and they weren't the ones that took me a long time and a big chunk of money all at once to nab in the first place.  I suppose if you do have some big ticket ponies that still come up frequently enough that you'd be able to buy them back in a reasonable time frame, they'd be your best bet to get money in a hurry, but in my experience, most of them that are worth a whole lot are harder to track down.

Completed sets may also help you get money in a hurry, and you'd hopefully get more for them as a group than you would if you only sold two or three of the set at individual prices. 

[DaffyDilly]

It sucks to do this. I'm also looking to part with some (most) of my collection but I don't need the money in an emergency.

In your shoes I would post a picture up of my collection and open it to offers. If you have Mimic and somebody offers you $50 then you can say no, but if somebody offered you $100 then suddenly parting with Mimic is a lot easier because you know what you're parting with her for IYKWIM.

Also, as much as you might not think it's true, there are very, very few ponies that you would miss once they were parceled up and sent. Honestly, out of sight out of mind.

Do you have any duplicates? That would be a good place to start

[Shenanigans]

Those are good points. My furbabies ALWAYS come first My poor Haley had a kidney stone almost the size of her bladder! I asked if she was in pain and the vet said yes so it was an easy choice to make to get her surgery and fixed up. We're so lucky they're working with us on the payment.

I have no credit so I would probably be turned down for a Care Credit card and my parents have bad credit o_o

I don't really have any valuable ponies besides a few. But they hold a lot of sentimental value so I would probably see if I can sell the cheaper ones first. And I'd definitely sell on the Arena because ebay has some crazies

ETA: I actually do have Mimic but am hesitant to part with her because she's very special to me and was a birthday present. She is not in the greatest condition but I wouldn't even trade her for a perfect Mimic. I know I sold a ton of dolls for my last vet bill and there are only a couple I regret parting with.

[dashesndots]

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do... Last November our dog had a $1000 vet bill that I paid by selling off a large chunk of my model horse collection instead of dipping into our savings.  There were definitely a few I held back that had extra sentimental value, but most of it was expendable.

Eventually I was able to buy some of them again, but most of them I don't miss.  I love my collections but I know they are an asset I can liquidate if I have to (although having said that, hopefully not again any time soon!).

Glad your pet is feeling better!

[Eily311]

I'm so sorry about your dog I hope she gets well soon. As someone said above I would try to sell any duplicates first. Or if you are artistically inclined maybe you can sell some art works.

[ashlyne]

I totally understand vet bills.  Our dog had knee surgery when she was 4 years old, and two years later, she had to have another surgery on her other knee.   Pets are not cheap!  But you're doing the right thing, taking care of your animal. 

As far as selling goes, if I loved every single last one of my ponies, I would go through and pick out ones to sell that were both ....
1.  Valuable and could bring in big money fast
2.  Not terribly hard to find

You don't want to spend all your time photographing, selling, and keeping track of gobs of $3 ponies here and there.  It's a lot of work with little pay-off.    It sounds like you need money fast, so selling higher-end ponies makes more sense.  Then, once you're in a better financial place, you can buy them back.  Ponies like Mimic and even Rapunzel  come up fairly often, so even if you sell yours now, you should be able to find them again.   

[IreneL]

Sorry to hear about the financial problem! Big unexpected vet bills must be a pet owners nightmare?!
The payment plan seemed to be a somewhat good advice, but I would probably not have chosen it myself because of a few reasons;
A) Sad to say if there has been a medical problem, there is always the risk of complications or other problems caused by it (like - the meds creating stomach problems or stuff like that) so especially if you have a low income, it is better to calculate for the worst (even if it would still strike hard), then it is a big plus if you have not already used up your emergency plans
B) I would feel very bad knowing I would have to go a few months without any money left for other things I want to do/stuff that comes up. Bad enough if it is just one month.

But that is totally up to you!

If selling ponies (still mainly speaking from how I would think myself, but people are different of course), I would pick out a few ponies I felt was nearly impossible to find if I want to buy them back later, ponies of big sentimental value (like childhood ponies), and really cheap ponies.
Those remaining, and especially those of higher value, would go.
I figure if I would sell of lots of ponies, it would cost me more to buy them back with shipping cost considered, since it is unlikely you will find the exact same ponies in another persons sales lot. (And if you would, it is likely to be an even bigger lot and cost more).
So by selling a few, that are not way too hard to find, but still gathers some funds, I would have minimized the cost to buy them back, unless prices inflated by then of course. 

[ValeofSpring]

You don't want to spend all your time photographing, selling, and keeping track of gobs of $3 ponies here and there.  It's a lot of work with little pay-off.    It sounds like you need money fast, so selling higher-end ponies makes more sense.  Then, once you're in a better financial place, you can buy them back.  Ponies like Mimic and even Rapunzel  come up fairly often, so even if you sell yours now, you should be able to find them again.   

Exactly + what IreneL said. If you need to make $400 pretty quickly, don't waste your time with selling off $1-5 ponies individually. I recently made $163 in an eBay lot of 30 ponies + accessories. Almost all the ponies were in good condition but few would have sold for more than $5. It's just not worth it (IMO) to sell them off individually unless you 1) really have the time 2) enjoy those kinds of sales. If you get too caught up in lots of sales of one or two ponies each, I promise you that you will find hours and hours of your time consumed (I know from experience). You would make more money getting a part time job at a fast food restaurant.

Try not to get too caught up in sentimentality--I'd just pick 5-10 you love most and then proceed as needed.

Good luck!

[LittleSpiffy]

I have a theory that everything comes back to you.

I have found ponies and toys that I parted with many years ago come back into my life, usually when I'm not expecting it!

Keep the ones that are closest to your heart (like Mimic) and sell the others.  You will see them again!  (well, not the exact same ones, but you know what I mean).

[buddyboymama]

If selling ponies (still mainly speaking from how I would think myself, but people are different of course), I would pick out a few ponies I felt was nearly impossible to find if I want to buy them back later, ponies of big sentimental value (like childhood ponies), and really cheap ponies.
Those remaining, and especially those of higher value, would go.
I figure if I would sell of lots of ponies, it would cost me more to buy them back with shipping cost considered, since it is unlikely you will find the exact same ponies in another persons sales lot. (And if you would, it is likely to be an even bigger lot and cost more).
So by selling a few, that are not way too hard to find, but still gathers some funds, I would have minimized the cost to buy them back, unless prices inflated by then of course. 

^ This! I hadn't thought of the cost of shipping when replacing the ponies you sell, but that makes a lot of sense. If I had anything extremely rare or OOAK, I would keep it. Then I would start with selling the most valuable. Since you asked what we would do, I personally would sell the doll, too, if it's something that will bring in big bucks. I'd probably even sell Mimic. I might even sell a kidney. I feel for you, though. We just had major medical bills, and I sold the car I had for 13 years. Anyway, hope everything goes well with your pet.

[Shenanigans]

Thanks for all the replies I'm a bit OCD about keeping completed sets, but what's the point if I'm not fond of the pony in that set? I have to tell myself it's ok to break them up and I can always get them later

I definitely don't want to list a bunch of dollar ponies! Too much stress and time. I'll probably make one big lot and take offers and list the expensive ponies separately And considering selling some dolls too!

[cloud_weaver]

How about picking out a few of your 'star' ponies that would bring interested parties (that are replaceable, and not childhood/gifted ponies) and holding a raffle?  Then you may not have to part with as many of them, and you might raise just as much $$$.  Especially if it's for a good cause!  I would love to participate!  I could possibly donate a prize or two for you as well (though I am moving at the moment...  O.o  Crazy time here!)

[Katika]

Another thought that is completely unrelated to selling ponies, but may be of benefit for if there are unexpected emergencies like this in the future is maybe if you are able, try sticking a little bit of money every month into an emergency fund.  My husband and I have a VERY full house when it comes to critters (23 lives besides the two of us, and several of them in or nearing the geriatric stage) and a couple years ago, my soul mate dog bloated and struck us with a very unexpected and very large vet bill.  Fortunately, we were able to cover it at the time, but it was a big wake up call for us that if something like that happened again at a different time, or if something major happened with one of the horses, we may not be able to cover it and an already terrible situation may be complicated by needing to make an even harder decision.  We decided to set up a "critter emergency fund" in a separate savings account with a pre-determined amount of money per critter that we keep in it.  Our money-per-critter amount likely isn't enough to cover an entire emergency visit with each animal's individual portion, but with as many animals as we have, it balances out, and we're keeping our fingers crossed that we won't have more than one emergency at a time (we have enough to cover two relatively major things at any given time, before we'd need to completely rebound the fund).  We've already used money from that fund twice in the two years we've had it going, so it's definitely been beneficial for us. 

Sorry if this was unsolicited advice, and even more sorry that it didn't have to do with ponies, but it has given us great peace of mind knowing that we should be able to afford emergency care if necessary and may be something that could help others, as well