Do You Care Where They Go?

[Snapdragon]

I tend to only sell here, so I assume that every pony I sell goes to a good home. 

That said, awhile back, I got a friend into collecting and would sell her all of my double g3s.  Then, without telling me, she decided she was no longer into g3s and turned around and re-sold them at a garage sale. I was very surprised; I wished she would have told me in advance.  I told her I would have gladly bought them back - and I would do the same if she ever got rid of her g1s.

Oh man, that reminds me of the worst pony story I have...

When I was in college several years ago, I joined a pony forum where a bunch of collectors chatted and shared fiction, and made a bunch of friends... at first. The moderator (who was older than me, and supposedly married!) made pretty blatant appeals about how it was her birthday soon, and she was so sad that she wouldn't be getting any birthday ponies because they were so expensive in Europe, since her birthday was soon (hint hint) and she was just soooo saaad that she couldn't (hint hint) afford any (hint) for her (hint hint) birth(hint)day. (Hint!)

So I got together a big box of G3 ponies for her, culled from quite a few eBay auctions where they were very cheap since G3 was still in stores! I washed all of them, set their hair nicely, wrote her this nice birthday card, and even included a mint G1 baby - with factory curls! Cost me like $25 to mail it to her in Europe, on top of everything else, but I figured it was a gift for a friend, so it was worth the sacrifice!

Not only did she rudely inform me that she "didn't collect G3s", after our "friendship" fell apart she told me that she wanted to mail them back to me, because my "bad energy" had tainted them. But, you see, she was "too broke" to mail them back ... she just wanted me to feel bad, you see, without actually spending any money.

A year later, she had a photoshoot with the mint G1 baby pony, talking about how adorable and sweet she was. I guess the bad energy didn't taint that particular pony!

[Shaz]

I'm not into the whole selling thing, which is probably just as well because I would find it hugely difficult to part with ponies!

I mostly buy bait ponies - but for restoration, not customising (well, I do sometimes do alternate rehairs, which I think counts as customising). I like giving homes to ponies who were once very loved but are now regarded as not being worth much on account of their condition. I take quite an interest in my ponies' history, and like to write down where they came from, and if the seller mentioned them being from a childhood collection. Sometimes I get a bundle of ponies clearly from the same childhood collection, and I think how nice it is that they've been together for so long.

[SkyCakes]

I do care where a pony goes. However once it leaves my hands there is nothing I really can do about it. I just wish the pony luck and let it go on its way. I am just happy it goes to another collector.

This is pretty much my feelings. I love when I see photos of ponies in their new homes and will generally avoid serial resellers but whatever happens happens. I only get upset if someone lies about how much they want the thing and then resell/trade it immediately because its incredibly rude.

However I also think the community's definition of "bait" is way too loose and ends up with far more destroyed G1s than necessary for customizing, rehairing, etc. G1s are not an infinite resource and I take the preservation part of collecting very seriously. I will not sell "baity" ponies because I know that odds are they'll end up destroyed.

Lastly, I'll only sell to collectors. Children should NOT be playing with toys from the 80s or earlier; its dangerous because of different safety standards and because plastic breaks down over time.

I totally understand people's feelings about 80s toys not played with adults but I dont mind my child playing with them. To each their own. I like to think I run a reverse lost and found for ponies. I just keep them until they find the right owners. Do not want to go off topic but just think of it like the very old show Bagpuss. If anyone remembers it.

[Taxel]

I do care where a pony goes. However once it leaves my hands there is nothing I really can do about it. I just wish the pony luck and let it go on its way. I am just happy it goes to another collector.

This is pretty much my feelings. I love when I see photos of ponies in their new homes and will generally avoid serial resellers but whatever happens happens. I only get upset if someone lies about how much they want the thing and then resell/trade it immediately because its incredibly rude.

However I also think the community's definition of "bait" is way too loose and ends up with far more destroyed G1s than necessary for customizing, rehairing, etc. G1s are not an infinite resource and I take the preservation part of collecting very seriously. I will not sell "baity" ponies because I know that odds are they'll end up destroyed.

Lastly, I'll only sell to collectors. Children should NOT be playing with toys from the 80s or earlier; its dangerous because of different safety standards and because plastic breaks down over time.

I totally understand people's feelings about 80s toys not played with adults but I dont mind my child playing with them. To each their own. I like to think I run a reverse lost and found for ponies. I just keep them until they find the right owners. Do not want to go off topic but just think of it like the very old show Bagpuss. If anyone remembers it.

Its not a possessive thing or "ew don't let the kids have them". Its legitimately dangerous. It may not outright kill a kid but why risk anything just for the parent's nostalgia? Buy a new toy.

http://mlparena.com/index.php/topic,377373.msg1518414.html#msg1518414
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/toys-from-the-seventies-and-eighties-could-be-poisoning-your-children-10125415.html

[SkyCakes]

Its not a possessive thing or "ew don't let the kids have them". Its legitimately dangerous. It may not outright kill a kid but why risk anything just for the parent's nostalgia? Buy a new toy.
http://mlparena.com/index.php/topic,377373.msg1518414.html#msg1518414
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/toys-from-the-seventies-and-eighties-could-be-poisoning-your-children-10125415.html

I totally understand your concern but she isn't 2 or 3 she is almost 7. She never puts anything in her mouth and she washes her hands regularly. There are seriously poisons in everything we touch. :/

[Duenia]

It depends on how I came to get the pony. A lot of mine have come from people's childhood collections. A lot of my G1s and some of my G2s have come directly from people selling their childhood collections. I even have stories for some of them. Like my Applejack was this lady's first and favorite pony (Applejack will stay forever because of that, but probably not everyone that came with her). Another made me promise when I bought them to love them like she did. So if I were to rehome any of those ponies at some point I'd definitely want them to go somewhere they'll be loved.

But at the same time once it's out of my hands, it's out of my hands and the person can do whatever they want. If I want to have any control over what happens to them I shouldn't sell them. Simple as that. The best I can do is fix them up as nicely as I can and hope that someone loves them the way they are.

[LadyMoondancer]

I only care to the extent that I don't want ponies to get baited for minor flaws.  I've seen people describing G1s as bait when they only have pen marks or a minor haircut!  The reality, though, is that it's out of my hands after I sell a pony.  So I just hope for the best.  I do have one pony who I keep because I know she would end up as bait otherwise (she's in terrible shape) and her story is too awesome and sentimental for me to let her be baited.

I think it would be awesome if someone posted pictures of their collection and a pony that I sold them was in it, being valued and prized. But it's not like I'd get upset if someone had the pony hidden away in a box somewhere.  (Half my collection is hidden away in cardboard boxes right now, LOL.)

I've got to say, I would be put off if a seller ASKED for photos of the pony in my collection, like Ponyfan described some sellers doing.   That just sounds inconvenient and a bit intrusive.  I'm buying a toy, not adopting a puppy.

[shelvesofwhimsy]

For me I think it depends on the pony or toy I have a few toys I've sold that I do very much care where they find a home! And that's why I love when they find other collectors. But I also love being told that a toy is for someone's children, and that they'll be playing with it But at the end of the day it is out of my hands, so I just hope it wont be destroyed or thrown out

[cyberunicorn]

I do sometimes wonder what happened to them after I have sold them but it is more ones from my earlier collecting days than now.

But I do remember once I bought a pony from either the us or canda cannot remember which now (it was a while ago now) and there were two extra ponies in the envelope in let's be honest bait condition one was ember and the other rain feather. But there was a note in there saying that they hope I did not mind but the two could not be parted from their friend and hope that they cAn find a home across the pond. 

Call me soft but to this day I will not sell or get rid of them two just because of that one note. And to be fair they are not in that bad condition. I don't know if the original seller ever thinks about them but they are still here and will be for a while longer

[kasin]

I bought from several big collection sales this year and a couple of them were people I know or got to know. More than one commented that they liked knowing where their ponies were going. 

Then recently I was talking to a collector friend who had just met a well known community member. I asked my friend what this person was like in real life and my friend described them as "all business ". I was so surprised! I always think of collectors as being more emotional about our hobby. I absolutely don't judge anyone, but it just made me think alot about what collecting means to me and what it might mean to others.

all said, yes absolutly it's out of our hands once we sell or trade something, but I was curious if it affects weather we sell a item or who we choose to sell to. like many of you I hate to bait ponies and normally keep them instead. But I also have to say seeing those collection photos from my old trade partner and how she cared for a pony I'd probably value arround $2-3 made me want send her more.

[Aflame]

i try to sell mlp on here then i know that they probably will be appreciated and when i sell my custom sindy horses i send a fact sheet about them how old and what they are meant to be ,what age/colour/ sex /dam/sire ,i talk about them as if they are real sort of

[KarentheUnicorn]

When you sell or trade a pony (or any toy really) do you care where it goes or what happens to it?

To a certain extent. For my personal ponies I sold all of my G2 years ago, but selling them really didn't affect me much. I think I was never really totally connected to those ponies. But I mostly sold them on ebay and to other collectors.

I think generally selling ponies, I don't have so much of a worry as to where they end up. It would be different if I was selling them at a yard sell to random non-collectors for $1.00 or something like that. That seems to be different than what most of us do online or at collector meets like the fair.

Generally if you are selling/trading here at the arena or other pony related boards, or if you are selling on ebay or if you are selling at a collector meet like the fair, etc., I think on some level you know the ponies are going to people who are collectors. Generally they are not going to just toss the pony in the trash or abuse it, at least in most cases.

[lunar_scythe]

I hope they go on to good homes, but the only ones I have second thoughts about are my childhood ponies I sold when I got upgrades, before I really thought it through.  Most of them were sold on ebay before I was on here, so I'll never know where they ended up...

[invaderhorizongreen]

I kinda wish mine luck wherever they go, and hope they can bring a smile to someone along the way.  Though I always wonder where they have been.

[Stormness_1]

If I sell sentimental ponies (I often don't), then I sell them on forums, where I know they'll be bought by collectors and looked after. Ponies I got from less caring homes I sell on ebay, and it's usually parents that buy them, which can be nice too. I had one dad come and pick up a bunch of G3 playsets and ponies, he told me that his daughter had been so excited all day about coming to get them that she'd worn herself clean out and had fallen asleep in the car, just around the corner from my house! She tried so hard to stay awake, but just didn't make it. She was the cutest thing I'd ever seen! I helped him load up the car, and wished him luck playing ponies with his daughter. He was so excited about her reaction to the big pile of pony stuff when she woke up.

I've had horrible buyers too. At one time I had sales pick-ups set to after 3 on weekdays, which was when I got home from work back then. I had a buyer turn up in the morning when I was at work, but hubby was home that morning. He knows nothing about the ponies, and because I usually had a couple of lots in the entry for people to pick-up, he didn't want to get involved in case he mixed things up. She screamed at him to give her her stuff, and he told her to come back at 3 when I'd be home (I'd told him this was what I'd arranged with everyone when giving out the street address), and knew what was hers, because the ebay stuff wasn't his. She never messaged me, and must have come back, or sent someone else, because all the lots were picked up that day. Crazy people.. She seemed so normal in her messages, and no-one seemed unusual that day to me anyway... I wish I knew who it was, but I seriously thought they either wouldn't come back (apparently she wouldn't leave and hubby had to threaten to call the police) or they'd come back extremely pissed off, and I'd have known who it was.