Why is it so hard to sell them?

[Beth3346]

I've been trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to downsize my collection over the last few months.

Since i no longer have a dedicated pony room my ponies are pretty much shoved into a cabinet. My petites are still boxed up and i just feel like i'm not enjoying having a large collection.  I still have around 400 ponies and sometime i can't even remember which ones i have because they are not displayed properly.

I know i need to sell a large portion of them.  I need the space and could use the money since i have credit cards that need to be paid off.

But selling them is so hard! I look into those sweet eyes and I just want to keep them all forever.

I know they're just toys.  I'm not selling any gifts and I no longer have any of my childhood collection.  Still its no difficult.  I list them for sale and I immediately feel sad.

How can i get over this and just sell them? Any one else go through this when you are selling?

[reanna-mator]

Oh my gosh, I feel the same about my G3s. All but my favorites are living in a tote for lack of space, and I never was quite as into collecting them as I was G1s, but while I've toyed with the idea of selling most of them, I just can't. I tell myself that it's partially because G3s tend to be harder to move than G1s unless they're rare or popular ones, so it wouldn't be worth the effort and money I would get for them.

As it is, I mostly just sell my duplicates, but it was a little hard to size down my Fluttershy army when I decided it wasn't feasible to keep it up, and they were mostly just living in a drawer.

[Beth3346]

Yeah in the past i mostly sold duplicates.  I also sold ponies because i needed that money to pay bills so there was really no option.

It was easier when i first started collecting and i was selling ponies that i had only owned for a few months.  Now i feel attached to them because they've been with me for years.

I know what you mean about the armies.  My baby cuddles army is up for sale right now. I know they're super common and easy to replace but it still hurts.

I really want to downsize to around 50 ponies that I really love but i don't think its possible 

[DazzleKitty]

I am having a hard time parting with my blind bags. I hate them. I think they are a waste of money. Just my opinion. But the ones I have from the earlier line I can't seem to get rid of.

But I have learned lessons from sellers regret. I sold my childhood collection for a cruise I was sick on. Never again.

[Shaymin568]

Ughh I feel for everyone in this thread. I just had to sell the remaining G3's from my childhood on Ebay.. I presume you all your your own private pony space? My ponies were at the mercy of my mother who always disliked them since G1 and sees no value in collections. (She and my dad routinely fight over his Star Wars collection) Apart from someone who has had an almost psychological attachment to dolls and ponies, my personal words of advice to other people who have had to sell their ponies is to try and think positive...

[banditpony]

I found it really hard.

The way I managed was to look at everything as a whole... choose 3-5 ponies I was least attached to... and sell those. When I felt ready to do it again, I would repeat the process. It was emotional, but taking it at a slow pace made it easier to deal with.

I'm down to 25 now. (I think). One day I'll probably own less, but for now I'm happy with all of them.

[scarletjul]

I've had the same problem.  It can be hard.

It's not so much of a problem when I've only had the pony for a little while.  But the ones I've had for years, even if I don't feel *that* attached to them?  Yeah, it's difficult to say goodbye. 

[Beth3346]

I'm glad i'm not the only one

[Marlin]

I'm lucky enough that I've not yet been in a position where I *have had* to sell ponies, but I did go through a stage a couple of years ago where I felt the need to downsize owing to an imminent house move and the heavy feeling that I had 'too many'. I sold off about 100 ponies, feeling really good about it at the time and not thinking for a moment that I would ever think of (or desire) those ponies again.

Suffice to say that about 60% of them I really regret.

We did move house, and my ponies are sadly not on display anymore owing to limited space, but I am actively collecting again within my budgets and have bought quite a few ponies back into the herd once more (and maybe occasionally apologising to those ponies on arrival for ever selling them in the first place, lol!  ).

So, don't rush, I guess is what I'm trying to say (though it does sounds as though you have been wrestling with this for some time!  ). I miss not seeing my collection everyday like I used to, but I do pull a box out every now and then and feel just as much love seeing and handling them only every few months. And unless things came to dire straits and necessitated it, I have no intention of culling the herd again!

[MintySocks]

I'm having the same problem... I started collecting G1 because of beautiful memories, G3 and G4 because I think they're adorable, but they do start to really take over a space! I am trying to keep in mind I can't take them with me when I die, and what greater good could that money be doing for humanity if I lighten the herd. At least that's what I try to convince myself. LOL!
But I'm finding letting go of my faves really hard, and it seems like the more a buyer wants my pony, the more I don't want to part with it. 

[SkyCakes]

I have been thinking of downsizing too and just keeping the G4-G3 favorites but every time I try I just buy more and there is no hope for me. : So I was thinking of keeping the ponies and getting rid of my other collections. I know I am going to have to downsize someday and only keep the G1s but its so very hard I just take a look at the G3 babies and they aren't going anywhere.

[zombie85chick]

My husband wants me to sell my ponies. Mostly because I've spent a lot of money on them. We've fought a lot about it. I get a lot of joy from my collection. I have bad anxiety and depression. I think they are a huge distraction but I have gone overboard. I feel guilty and sometimes feel I should get rid of them but I get incredibly sad at thought. I keep asking myself if I'm being selfish. It's hard to think about...

[DazzleKitty]

My husband wants me to sell my ponies. Mostly because I've spent a lot of money on them. We've fought a lot about it. I get a lot of joy from my collection. I have bad anxiety and depression. I think they are a huge distraction but I have gone overboard. I feel guilty and sometimes feel I should get rid of them but I get incredibly sad at thought. I keep asking myself if I'm being selfish. It's hard to think about...

I have anxiety and depression too, and ponies are a huge distraction and literally a rainbow (they are colorful, after all!) on a gray day for me. I can understand your husbands reasons monetarily, but have you ever explained to him what you just told us? Sometimes we depressed people need something in our lives that bring us joy, even if it is an expensive piece of plastic. At least you aren't finding your joy in illegal drugs. It's something innocent and cute.

I've had distant family members ask why I haven't sold my collection because it's worth money. I wish I could see the look I give them. I'm one of those people who will pay the price for one.

I know everyone has their reasons for downsizing. I'm a very lucky person. I live at home with my parents and have a room that can fit over a thousand ponies plus other toys. My parents are thinking about buying another home, and in this one I CAN have a pony room for myself. I realize I am fortunate.

But if you are really attached to your ponies, I want you to think for a moment. If you can find any way at all to have them.....maybe have a friend or relative hold on to them for you, store them in a closet, whatnot. I started collecting when I was nine. I sold my childhood collection at 13 because I was tired of being made fun of at school and my late brother wanted to sell them for a cruise. Now I'm glad it gave my late brother a good time (I miss him), but I was sick on this cruise with the flu. And I also miss my childhood ponies. I really want my childhood Hula Hula, Pony Bride, Quarterback, Bubblefish, and Chief back. Those were the ones I played with the most. I only have three childhood ponies I did not sell, and thankfully one of them is one I carried around a lot (SHS Rosey Love). Think hard before you part with them. Because you can really come to regret it.

[Beth3346]

Its awesome that your parents are supportive of your collecting.  Mine didn't even know about them until they came to visit for Thanksgiving    I couldn't really tell how they felt about it.  I think they were a little overwhelmed by the amount of ponies i've acquired.

I know what you mean about the ponies being a good distraction. I actually started collecting when i was going though a difficult time in my life. I was in between jobs and just unsure about that i wanted to do with my life.  It was great to connect with happy childhood memories though my pony collecting.

I'm lucky that my BF is supportive of my collecting.  He knows it makes me happy even though he's not happy with ponies taking over the apartment.  As long as my pony spending doesn't cause financial problems for us he's fine with me buying more ponies. Though he does get annoyed if i complain about not having money for other stuff because i spent it all on ponies 

I still love collecting and am actually still acquiring ponies but I feel like i'm not enjoying my collection when its just stuffed in a cabinet.  When i had a dedicated room for them i could see them all and i was so happy just to look at them.  It was my own little escape.

I'm also trying to be more in control of my spending, pay off credit cards, and actually start saving.  Pretty much just trying to be more responsible with my money.  Lately i've literally been sitting up at night worrying about money. Sometimes i feel like i'm just not good at being an adult.


I'm hoping that selling off some of my collection will help.

I feel so conflicted about it because feel like my collection is just too much but i feel guilty for selling the ponies.  I wanted them when i bought them and still like them but they're not even the ones i am most attached to.  I know that they don't have feelings and the people i bought them from will understand but i still feel guilty.  So either way i feel guilty.

I'm not planning on selling any that i'm really attached to or any that will be difficult to replace.  I did that a couple of years back when i needed some quick money to pay bills because I wasn't getting paid for contract work in a timely manner.  I'm still trying to replace some of those and I don't want to go through that again.  I really regret selling a couple of them.

Hopefully I'll have a pony room again someday.  Until then I'm going to try to downsize.