G1 eBay Pricing (in general)

[dreamerinivy]

I have been collecting ponies since I first had them in the 80s, and I started looking for missing ones when I first joined eBay in 1998. I know pricing waxes and wanes, and the farther from the initial date raises the price, but does anyone feel like the last 3-5 years have just seen pricing go absolutely insane? For example, I remember when I first tried to get Rapunzel - I thought $300 was a fluke. Now, she regularly goes for around $1000. I’m not saying people shouldn’t make money, but I feel like trying to complete my collection will only happen If I win the lottery

 

[Tak]

I have been collecting ponies since I first had them in the 80s, and I started looking for missing ones when I first joined eBay in 1998. I know pricing waxes and wanes, and the farther from the initial date raises the price, but does anyone feel like the last 3-5 years have just seen pricing go absolutely insane? For example, I remember when I first tried to get Rapunzel - I thought $300 was a fluke. Now, she regularly goes for around $1000. I’m not saying people shouldn’t make money, but I feel like trying to complete my collection will only happen If I win the lottery

I completely agree. I attribute it to more new collectors, and then the rising fees, taxes, and shipping costs.

 

[JadeCade]

Someone actually pays $1000 for a pony?! And here I am thinking I’ll never own Mimic because I can’t imagine spending even $30 for a single pony. (I’ll also never own Gypsy at that rate which is sad)

 

[dreamerinivy]

I completely agree. I attribute it to more new collectors, and then the rising fees, taxes, and shipping costs.

I agree, except, most times, you pay for shipping now ...

 

[dreamerinivy]

Someone actually pays $1000 for a pony?! And here I am thinking I’ll never own Mimic because I can’t imagine spending even $30 for a single pony. (I’ll also never own Gypsy at that rate which is sad)

My limit is around $65 - especially for UK/Euro ones - those I give a little leeway since I’ve never been there! Lol

 

[MustBeJewel]

Someone actually pays $1000 for a pony?! And here I am thinking I’ll never own Mimic because I can’t imagine spending even $30 for a single pony. (I’ll also never own Gypsy at that rate which is sad)

I've seen collectors spend several thousand on a pony--though I haven't done that myself! Prototypes / super rare ones like Blue Lickety Split / South African ponies can really skyrocket!

 

[Tak]

Those nirvana ponies can get crazy spendy. So pretty, though!

 

[bluerose9978]

It's a hobby for those who an afford it. You may have more luck with second-hand stores or thrift shops. Some people pick up rare ponies there.

 

[dreamerinivy]

We don’t really have anything like that here. I scoured those years ago and all I could find were some common ones and trash.

 

[Tak]

We don’t really have anything like that here. I scoured those years ago and all I could find were some common ones and trash.

Same here, the thrift stores and spa meets are completely lacking in any pony items. Too many eBay resellers here.

 

[LittleFlurry]

I'm new to this, but it does seem like prices are going up in general. After selling on eBay for a couple months and spending lots of time on price research, I've also noticed there are certain eBay sellers who consistently charge disproportionately higher prices than most others, and I don't understand how these people manage to sell anything at those prices, but they do. Then there are sellers who auction things starting low, and don't end up getting as many bids as they probably would have liked. This disparity results in prices so all over the place that it's often very difficult to figure out what's actually reasonable to ask for a particular pony. If you're selling, it seems safer to start out with a price on the slightly higher end of what you think is a reasonable range, then just lower it if there seems to be no interest after a while. At least that's how I've been approaching it lately.

 

[JadeCade]

I'm new to this, but it does seem like prices are going up in general. After selling on eBay for a couple months and spending lots of time on price research, I've also noticed there are certain eBay sellers who consistently charge disproportionately higher prices than most others, and I don't understand how these people manage to sell anything at those prices, but they do. Then there are sellers who auction things starting low, and don't end up getting as many bids as they probably would have liked. This disparity results in prices so all over the place that it's often very difficult to figure out what's actually reasonable to ask for a particular pony. If you're selling, it seems safer to start out with a price on the slightly higher end of what you think is a reasonable range, then just lower it if there seems to be no interest after a while. At least that's how I've been approaching it lately.

I agree. I think a lot of it may have to do with the quality and staging of the pictures. The ones with fancy borders along the picture or ones with really high quality lighting seem to draw in more people and those sellers tend to set the starting bid higher. I generally look for the listings with lower quality pictures and maybe even the ones who don’t bother cleaning up the ponies because those don’t attract all the bidders and you can usually win at lower costs.
I have even seen some cases where I’m following a listing that’s starting at say $20. The listing ends with no bids and instead of dropping the price, the seller raises it to $50! I wonder how they imagine that sort of reasoning works and if it does work for them? As I always unfollow the listing when they do that I wouldn’t know.

 

[LittleFlurry]

I agree. I think a lot of it may have to do with the quality and staging of the pictures. The ones with fancy borders along the picture or ones with really high quality lighting seem to draw in more people and those sellers tend to set the starting bid higher. I generally look for the listings with lower quality pictures and maybe even the ones who don’t bother cleaning up the ponies because those don’t attract all the bidders and you can usually win at lower costs.

For sure. Most of the people who charge higher prices are clearly putting more effort into cleaning up their ponies, styling their hair, taking nice photos, etc, and they should certainly be compensated for all that effort, but there are certain sellers whose prices seem a bit ridiculous even considering all that. I am one of those sellers who puts the effort into cleaning my ponies up, taking lots of photos, writing very detailed descriptions, etc, so I do feel justified charging more than people selling lots of dirty ponies with horrible photos (and my buyers seem to appreciate the effort), but I also try to be reasonable. It's just very difficult to judge sometimes.

I have even seen some cases where I’m following a listing that’s starting at say $20. The listing ends with no bids and instead of dropping the price, the seller raises it to $50! I wonder how they imagine that sort of reasoning works and if it does work for them? As I always unfollow the listing when they do that I wouldn’t know.

That is... a very interesting strategy, lol. Maybe they assumed that if they started their auction at $20, it would get bid up to $50. Since that didn't work out for them, they raised the price. I don't run auctions very often, but whenever I do I always start them at the lowest price I'm actually happy to accept, so I can't be disappointed.

 

[dreamerinivy]

That is... a very interesting strategy, lol. Maybe they assumed that if they started their auction at $20, it would get bid up to $50. Since that didn't work out for them, they raised the price. I don't run auctions very often, but whenever I do I always start them at the lowest price I'm actually happy to accept, so I can't be disappointed.
[/QUOTE]

That’s what I do. I never start anything at $1. If it sold that low, it wouldn’t be worth my time to pack and ship it! Lol

 

[evilbunnyfoofoo]

I figure it's a trend as MLP struggles to hold onto its popularity. When G4 hit, prices went through the roof with the crop of new buyers. When their interest wanes and they move onto the next fad, they'll sell off their collections and stop ramming up prices on the rarer ponies. It'll be cheaper to get the more rare items then.

Also though, as time moves on, more and more people find their old toys and just trash them (sadly). That means less toys with hit the market, so harder to find toys will will get even rarer. We picked an expensive hobby, let's face it.

This is why I stick with well loved baity ponies, I guess. I'm too cheap to pay for the good stuff.

 

[Nachtlicht]

I remember in the early days of eBay pony sales. I saw TAF babies go for as high as 300. Back then, a lot of collectors were just discovering (or rediscovering) all that there was out there that they didn't have when they were younger. Kim Shriner's Dream Valley opened up and a lot of people just went nuts. Mail order ponies went high back then as did a lot of the UK and Euro variants we now see as pretty common as buying and selling overseas has become easier and safer. I remember seeing a Baby Cherries Jubilee close at over $200.00.

The market ebbs and flows. Just keep at it, you will get lucky. In the last 20 years I have... I've found 3 TAF babies at a thrift store. Have paid 30 Deutschmarks for one of my Nightlights. Found MIB Dream Beauties at the thrift store. They weren't selling for crap back then so I unloaded the for pennies compared to what they sell for now. Yes. I have regrets. I left the MLP community for a few years and wish I hadn't sold off as much as I did. And now- I have months where I avoid eBay because I'm busy or avoiding buying ponies, but almost inevitably when I do come back, I find things for cheap that make me smile and fill a spot in the collection! I also still can't find certain ponies I want very badly but won't throw down the $ for.

Stay patient, vigilant, and keep your eyes peeled. There are always bargains to be had. The joy is in finding these things in places you least expect them or rescuing something special from a rubbish or thrift shop bin. I expect it will continue to happen. I also collect vintage clothing and jewelry, and the trends have shot the value and availability of those things through the roof as well, but you often find treasures and time capsules. I think the best day ever for my collecting was when I was invited to go through the effects of a very glamorous woman who had passed, and I bought her incredible collection of bakelite jewelry and also a tub of ponies, She-Ra, and SSC she kept for the grandkids. I offered to pay more but they refused. "Just plastic," they said.