Do you think of your collection as an investment?

[dragonfly]

I'm curious! Being away from collecting for so long, I see many ponies who were in my old herd, long since gone to new homes, have doubled or tripled in collector value.

Obviously we collect because we love the ponies. But do you have an eye for price increases over time when you make a more expensive purchase have, say a Nirvana or a rare/HTF pony? G3s don't seem to have much collector value at all, aside from a handful who went for high prices from the beginning. But I remember collectors who bought and kept MIB specifically with an eye toward future value, even if they loved the ponies as well. Curious if that will change over the years and different G3s will become rare as people realize they aren't easily available.

It's especially interesting to me because I also collect Kenner Shimmers. I bought many around 2008 or 2009 for high prices. I never bought them with resale value in mind, they're just gorgeous and I wanted them. They have been boxed up and not on display; I sold them on eBay earlier this year, even in mint condition with accessories, they were going for about a third of the price I paid. But all to good homes Back then, prototypes were going for hundreds of dollars. It's hard to guess what will happen in the collector's market with value. I suppose interest waxes and wanes.

ETA:
I am NOT talking about pony flipping! More like, if you spend $850 on a pony, do you do it in confidence you can sell it if necessary later for that price or more? Or do you not care as long as it's a pony you love and wanted badly - does that make it worth the high price to you?

[NovelNerd]

No, I've pretty much gone into all collecting knowing prices drop ect. In the end when you buy stuff to collect, I think no one should go in with the idea that "yes I can sell this and get such and such" because big chance is you won't. If I was more concerned on the money front I would just re open a savings account and let it build interest.

I'm not saying I've never had a collection that didn't make some money for me. When I sold my FSF most I bought from someone selling out their collection and they were cheaply priced. I know when I sold them I made I think over three times what I paid? That was nice, but if I calculate in all the money I've lost selling other collection pieces second market it doesn't seem like much. Nope, if o was on it for the money there are safer ventures that are more likely to generate profit, like I have some stocks too.

[LadyMoondancer]

No . . . I've definitely lost money collecting, even with some ponies gaining in value.  All those G3s I bought new for $5 and eventually sold for $3 or $2, ha ha.  I just collect because I like collecting. 

[Taxel]

Absolutely not. I think its foolish to get into collecting and think you're making an investment. At the end of the day, you're buying hunks of plastic/porcelain/glass, pieces of paper, various size/shapes of sewn together fabric, etc. Maybe back in the old days of collecting certain things, like how vintage Mickey Mouse stuff used to go for nothing and no one cared but the collectors drove up the prices by collecting, reselling to each other, etc.

I think my collection is especially worthless At least pony-wise. I love baity beauties and if I sold them, they'd go for nothing and most likely would be wrecked instead of restored. So for me, re-selling anything would almost never be worth it. (But if I found something amazing cheap, I'd definitely flip it.)

[Taffeta]

Definitely not. Who's to say that MLP will ever have any value in the future? I genuinely think too much money changes hands with Nirvana and the "it's worth (four figure number)" is dangerous given the fact that it's only worth that much to someone who will pay it. And there's no guarantee anyone ever will pay that again for it.

So no. I don't anticipate ever selling my collection. To me separated it is worth less than the sum of its parts, which is a value of nostalgia and emotion, not cold cash.

[Skeen]

Not really.  There are some pieces I know I could sell if I was desperate, but I don't plan to make money off of it on the whole.  I mean, when I'm elderly I'll sell it off I'm sure, if there is still a market for it, but if not maybe I can donate it to a toy museum or something.  I dunno, I'll be dead so why would I care?

[brightberry]

No, the majority of ponies aren't rare enough or in demand enough.  Demand is more likely to go down with time.  Unfortunately, inflation is also more likely to go up.   Even if you sold the pony for the exact same amount, it's technically a loss because money doesn't buy as much as it used to.

[SkyCakes]

No. If I went down that road I would of gave up collecting a long time ago. I collect because I love ponies. Sometimes yeah I think about their value. However, I couldn't base that on the memories I have playing with them. I guess Im going by sentiment value to me. They are worth more to me that way that just cash.

[Miniature Sheep]

Definitely not, a lot of my ponies are in less-than-perfect condition because I don't have much extra money to spend on those that are closer to being properly minty. Also based on past experience, when I've had to sell some of my ponies while I was out of work, I've never even got back half of what I paid for them in the first place.

[mlly]

Nope

[Pierlala]

I never started collecting because of the possible price increase for future sales. However it's quite obvious the price will increase over the years, for G1's especially. I don't think there are many people who collect pure for value. But I do feel comfortable that my collection isn't worthless. It's something you can feel quite secure about I think. But I love my Poniesdearly. Whenever I see one in a thrift store (G1 or G2 atleast) I will buy him/her. I just can't help myself.

[Galactica]

Alas no.

Especially since ponies are made out of material that eventually, will break down and will not last forever...

[SourdoughStomper]

No. Pretty much what Galactica says.

[ValeofSpring]

IMO if you're going to invest in something, don't invest in plastic that breaks down over time! I think G1s have held up *extremely* well over these 30 or so years--you can get *almost* any pony in mint condition if you're willing to pay for it. But where will they be in 60 years? 100? Also as the children of the 80s-early 90s get older and older, demand for G1s may decrease as people drop out of collecting, though the market seems pretty robust now.

One more point--many, many ponies sell for around what they sold for when they were in the store--and that is without adjustment for inflation. So in general, they are a bad investment for $$$, a good one for love!

[Leave a Whisper]

Nope. My ponies are the super commons with a couple of pricey Customs and two rare ones that don't even come close to the triple digit beauties that everyone wants.