Good Will has too many ponies

Locket

Locket

Dollar Store Baby Fakie
Joined
Feb 17, 2011
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551
Apparently there are no pony fans in Seattle. They are swimming up to their eyeballs in ponies down at the good wills. As near as I can tell, a few of their stores combined their ponies to sell. Check out this massive lot on ebay! Wow!

[Live link removed. Please do not post live auction links as it can be unfair to those already planning to bid. Thank you. --MBJ]
 
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The Goodwills in the Seattle area have always been a good source of ponies. A few years ago they stopped putting them on the store floors and started selling them in lots on auction sites like ebay. I think it was around the time that lead was being found in toys and many thrift stores would no longer sell them due to the new laws regarding lead in toys. They have massive lots like this on ebay several times a year.
 
Good will pulled all toys off the shelves with that lead scare. So they are now Ebaying the toys that are donated. Nothing like here in Utah, they just have trailers at various spots and you dump your stuff in the trailer.
Or at least that is what is going on with the southern oregon good wills.
 
What is the difference between selling them to a person on the floor verses selling them to a person on ebay? They are still being sold to people and if lead is an issue they are still selling??? I don't get it...really I don't. Unless there is a law they can't sell toys, but I know thats not true because Goodwill is the only store I know of that decided that when it came to toys they could make more on auctions then on the floor. Personally I never shop their stores and I refuse to buy their auctions..even though they have a right to get something at a better price it seems unfair to me in a way to remove these items from us when we go to the store. All other thrift stores sell toys regardless of lead..I can't help but feel its profits they want. They are selling all the hot items online and the not so hot items are on the shelves in the stores. Stuff people don't want. That stuff could have lead too...and its toy related...hmmmmm Why are not all thrift stores so concerned about lead...its only Goodwill in our area that auctions out the hot stuff like American Girl, dolls in general, ponies and stuff.

Basically if there were laws that thrift stores couldn't sell anything with lead they would all go out of business. There is lead in toys, housewares, pens, markers, lunch kits, things with painted vinyl, glassware and even china.
 
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The difference might be that they can add a "disclaimer" type thing when selling online, or they can say they're selling to collectors only, whereas if they sell in a store it is more likely to be bought for play and they could get in trouble? No idea tho.
 
Actually, there IS a law, and it's possible the older MLP toys fall under it. It's a stupid law (government attempting to do parenting for parents). Any paints that MAY have included lead, used on children's toys, have rendered them unable to be sold AS toys. They have to be sold as "collectables" and distinctly NOT marketed at children. By putting them on Ebay, Goodwill doesn't have to worry (theoretically) about some kid picking up a pony in the store and saying "Mommy, buy this for me!". The law affected a whole bunch of older kids' toys, and even picture books. Libraries were forced to destroy, give away, or sell their older copies of kids' picture books to collectors because *gasp!* they use a lead-based paint for white inks. Unless your kids are eating entire books, it's an idiotic thing to attempt to regulate.
 
The Goodwills up here in Canada don't do the ebay auction thing. They put a whole bunch of toys (often broken and/or useless and/or incomplete) on the floor, but usually they throw out ponies for some reason. Not entirely sure why, they just don't put them out.
 
They started doing this AFTER we left Seattle. I would have TOTALLY taken advantage of the pick-up option! LOL!! Maybe it's a good thing. I would probably be up to my NECK in ponies!!

However, I found a MANY a pony in Goodwill in Bellevue and Lynnwood back in the days. :)
 
I tried to reply to this last night but something was wrong with Tp or my Pc. Anyway what I was going to add to this is
yes it is the stupid law prohibiting many thrift stores from selling older toys. What Goodwill specifically does is ship all there toys to a sorting center in Seattle where they then list them for sale on ebay. Sometimes our local Goodwill has toys up for auction on their own web site, but once again the larger the customer basis the better for their sales but harder on us. I think it is sucky for us vintage toy collectors but what can you do?? To me the thrill of the hunt has been lost because none of our second hand stores really put out any toys, I have never seen MPL at the antique markets.
Seattle must have a different law about selling second hand toys.
 
c_slipsager said:
I tried to reply to this last night but something was wrong with Tp or my Pc. Anyway what I was going to add to this is
yes it is the stupid law prohibiting many thrift stores from selling older toys. What Goodwill specifically does is ship all there toys to a sorting center in Seattle where they then list them for sale on ebay. Sometimes our local Goodwill has toys up for auction on their own web site, but once again the larger the customer basis the better for their sales but harder on us. I think it is sucky for us vintage toy collectors but what can you do?? To me the thrill of the hunt has been lost because none of our second hand stores really put out any toys, I have never seen MPL at the antique markets.
Seattle must have a different law about selling second hand toys.
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Yes I totally and completely agree as this is how I feel. The hunt is the most fun thing in the world and it has been ruined. In my area toys are sold in all thrift stores except Good will (unless the toy is not a hot item you will find it at goodwill.) so...I am unfamiliar with thrift stores not being allow to sell because of lead. That is not happening in my area. Maybe its not a law that exists in every state, or perhaps it just isn't being enforced. Thank goodness because if I could not go into a thrift store to find my stuff I would not have anything. I rarely spend ebay prices for things I know I can get for 1.00 in a bag. Nothing can be done really I know.
 
Zanny said:
Actually, there IS a law, and it's possible the older MLP toys fall under it. It's a stupid law (government attempting to do parenting for parents). Any paints that MAY have included lead, used on children's toys, have rendered them unable to be sold AS toys. They have to be sold as "collectables" and distinctly NOT marketed at children. By putting them on Ebay, Goodwill doesn't have to worry (theoretically) about some kid picking up a pony in the store and saying "Mommy, buy this for me!". The law affected a whole bunch of older kids' toys, and even picture books. Libraries were forced to destroy, give away, or sell their older copies of kids' picture books to collectors because *gasp!* they use a lead-based paint for white inks. Unless your kids are eating entire books, it's an idiotic thing to attempt to regulate.
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ROFLOL the last time I looked not one kid in my house ever ate and entire book but I can't say so much for the pug I use to have LOL.:blah:

You know what about garage sales? People sell toys all of the time at garage sales and kids pick up things. How would they ever regulate the secondary market sales of items? I just don't see how.
 
tulagirl said:
Yes I totally and completely agree as this is how I feel. The hunt is the most fun thing in the world and it has been ruined. In my area toys are sold in all thrift stores except Good will (unless the toy is not a hot item you will find it at goodwill.) so...I am unfamiliar with thrift stores not being allow to sell because of lead. That is not happening in my area. Maybe its not a law that exists in every state, or perhaps it just isn't being enforced. Thank goodness because if I could not go into a thrift store to find my stuff I would not have anything. I rarely spend ebay prices for things I know I can get for 1.00 in a bag. Nothing can be done really I know.
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It was passed at the Federal level, so it's possible that the places near you just aren't bothering to follow the stipulations. I was working in an art store at the time, and we even had to pull new merchandise from the shelves because of it. Other ridiculous things affected included brass children could touch (because the alloy contains lead, even though it's encapsulated and can't be absorbed) such as all the railings and doorknobs and instruments in schools. Oh god, cancel all school bands! Don't let kids touch doorknobs. That book or that pony might harm my child! Feh. *WE* grew up with that stuff and it didn't kill us. The government needs to stop trying to legislate parenting, and parents need to suck it up and look after their kids themselves.
 
Zanny said:
It was passed at the Federal level, so it's possible that the places near you just aren't bothering to follow the stipulations. I was working in an art store at the time, and we even had to pull new merchandise from the shelves because of it. Other ridiculous things affected included brass children could touch (because the alloy contains lead, even though it's encapsulated and can't be absorbed) such as all the railings and doorknobs and instruments in schools. Oh god, cancel all school bands! Don't let kids touch doorknobs. That book or that pony might harm my child! Feh. *WE* grew up with that stuff and it didn't kill us. The government needs to stop trying to legislate parenting, and parents need to suck it up and look after their kids themselves.
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How in the world will they enforce it? So many second hand companies will just go out of business. Sometimes you have to wonder about stuff like this. I have been tested for lead several times because doctors were so convinced I had lead issues due to living in a very old home. Nope..no problems and I have been in my house for years. I have been a vintage toy collector for years and I have tests to prove I have no issues with lead. LOL I think its just overboard to the max with everything.
 
I think they're counting on people to just follow it without question, or for the typical busybodies to report those who aren't. It's a whole lot of nonsense.
 
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