G1 Is it just me or do you notice this too?

tulagirl

Proud Owner of Cat Pee Pony
Joined
Dec 24, 2010
Messages
5,474
I am noticing a lot of people are getting rid of their collections. Almost every day I see some getting rid of their best ponies. Is the apocalypse coming or something? I mean I plan on selling all the ponies that are not huge favorites here soon as I can move properly again. I just can't quite figure out why so many are selling prizes they work so hard to attain. Not just one or two, but many of my old pony buds. I am also noting a whole new generation of new G3 collectors hitting the scene which I am happy about. I loved G3. So many people I was once actively enjoying talking to have disappeared from the community complete. Not just a few but a lot. What is going on? Real life, raising babies, no more money because of raising babies, life is yucky they are depressed, over the pony craze, broke need money, no room to store collections, no time to collect anymore? What do you think?

This happened in my doll collecting community where I was considered one of the younger ones. People just started dying, getting diseases, not feeling like collecting dolls anymore, getting rid of all their dolls, putting their kids through college and boom the doll craze on ebay was over in the blink of an eye. I miss those friends too. Sigh...things change. I am referring to antiques here not newer dolls.
 
It's probably any number of different things for different people. Life and all that.
 
I think people are struggling so much that they're literally having to choose between their collections and eating. Which makes me so sad. I've been there. I sold tons of comics I really loved when we needed car repairs. It broke my heart. But I had to do what I had to do. After my husband died, I had to sell off more plus toys to make sure I could have enough cash to bury him. It was degrading and humiliating. Some people might be just deciding to 'leave their childish things behind them" which I've seen a lot too. I think that always sadder in a way, because when it's financial, you have no choice. When it's just a 'hey, I gotta grow up' you really don't *have* to give them up and most people really, really regret it later in life.

It's always sad seeing tons of dolls at the thrift shop, knowing someone maybe died and no one in the family wanted their dolls. I have a house full of my mom's dolls and only a few went to family. So I guess they'll just stay where they are, no way am I ditching mom's collection. Someone else can after I'm dead. lol
 
You know what bothers me is when I see stacks and stacks of old family photos from the 50's and 60's that no one in the family wanted after mom or grandma passed away. I treasure my family photos and shake at the idea of my childhood school photos being sold in a thrift store. I don't have kids so, I guess that is where my stuff will end up. There or the dump and most likely the dumb as people won't want to take the time to price and sell my things. I think you are right about the financial things. Jobs are not paying much, most are part time and it is just hard to manage life expenses in general for many. Yea I think leaving childhood things behind is a big one. I went through a phase in my early 20's where I got rid of everything. I am still beating myself up over that one. Mom was moving though and didn't want to take all my toys and books with her. I did save a great many things, but there were a few things I am really missing now that I never thought I would want again. I have sold my pony collection before. The first time I sold it, it was because I have grown bored with it and thought I was done. Then a few years later I was buying it back.
 
My thing is if Its a bill I know I have to sale to pay it but other then that it has to do with they way my brain works. I love my ponies and dolls but I can get board with them my interest can shift so easily and I find myself wanting thing with my new interest and generally I have to sale a few thing I have in my collection to get them. I try not to sale to trade to much cause I know this interest will pass as well. But I know if I don't get a few things I will drive my self crazy with want and its not a fun thing. Mostly its a poster or a action figure and I am good. I will drift back to ponies and stuff soon enough but when something else holds my interest nothing can really take me away from that.

Like Right Now I want the Poseable Jumping Spirit riding free Horse and a Mass Effect Andromeda Jacket, Necklace and Shirt. I also am back into barbies and there are two I am looking for and two outfits. However the barbies are want to try to learn to custom them.
And more Barbie horse I forgot how much I love Barbies
 
Family craziness made me need a car, manic episodes made me shop, glasses, vet bills, and a fence busted us. You all know why we're in such a bad place. My only guess with others if not similar reasons, then maybe they just spent savings on ponies so are forced to sell when unforeseen circumstances come up.

I cherish my old photos. I have on of a space rocket launch that my grandpa made the guidance system for. Unmanned and launched before I was born. My grandpa worked for NASA. In a very important capacity. How cool is that to have a reminder of? Wicked awesome I think. I could probably sell it since not many photographs were allowed, but it's a little piece of my history.
 
You know what bothers me is when I see stacks and stacks of old family photos from the 50's and 60's that no one in the family wanted after mom or grandma passed away. I treasure my family photos and shake at the idea of my childhood school photos being sold in a thrift store. I don't have kids so, I guess that is where my stuff will end up. There or the dump and most likely the dumb as people won't want to take the time to price and sell my things. I think you are right about the financial things. Jobs are not paying much, most are part time and it is just hard to manage life expenses in general for many. Yea I think leaving childhood things behind is a big one. I went through a phase in my early 20's where I got rid of everything. I am still beating myself up over that one. Mom was moving though and didn't want to take all my toys and books with her. I did save a great many things, but there were a few things I am really missing now that I never thought I would want again. I have sold my pony collection before. The first time I sold it, it was because I have grown bored with it and thought I was done. Then a few years later I was buying it back.

The photos are the most heart breaking of all. If I see old photos, I generally buy them. I like to give people names, and make up back stories for them. A few times I even had enough info to track down the families and find someone who actually wanted the pictures, but hadn't been offered them. Other times the family wanted no part of them. And what a shame. I LOVE our old family photos. They're our history.

Oh, Tak! I'd love to see that photo of of your grandpa. I bet that's amazing!

I lost most of my childhood toys when our family lost our house when I was in high school. We packed what we could and the rest... who knows what happened to it. Hopefully some kids got the toys and loved them. At least I still have my Mego Spock. He's my most cherished toy now. I got him when I was nine.
 
The photos are the most heart breaking of all. If I see old photos, I generally buy them. I like to give people names, and make up back stories for them. A few times I even had enough info to track down the families and find someone who actually wanted the pictures, but hadn't been offered them. Other times the family wanted no part of them. And what a shame. I LOVE our old family photos. They're our history.

Oh, Tak! I'd love to see that photo of of your grandpa. I bet that's amazing!

I lost most of my childhood toys when our family lost our house when I was in high school. We packed what we could and the rest... who knows what happened to it. Hopefully some kids got the toys and loved them. At least I still have my Mego Spock. He's my most cherished toy now. I got him when I was nine.

It's funny that you mention old photos. My dad just got finished scanning and emailing all our family members an amazing number of old photographs that my grandma had, many from the early 1900s through the 1950s. I mean, if people don't want their photos on-hand, they can do what my dad did and scan them in and keep them on a disc so they are preserved and won't take up so much room and then whenever they are feeling nostalgic, just pull them out and give them a look.

As for ponies, I think people just get past the phase sometimes and move on. Others go back to it. Some don't have little girls to share their pony love with. (I have a boy, and I'm sure when he gets older, I may have to give them up, too, because I'm going to get teased not only from my husband but from my son. But since he's still only 2, he's OK with it.)
 
That is interesting. I have a massive amount of things I am into. I do sometimes sell things to purchase other things, however it isn't common for me to do that. What is more common for me is to purchase something with great value that is all messed up. I get it for 10.00. I pull it apart and sell it for parts and make 150.00-300 on it. I have found that this has funded a lot of my collections. I don't pass up the broken very old toys because, I know which ones the collectors want parts for and there is so much more money in certain toy and doll parts than you could ever imagine. The key is knowing what people want and which things people will pay the most for. There was a time I could make 65.00 on one pair of Strawberry Shortcake's Blueberry Muffin's shoes. Now they are not worth that. So, there is a time to sell to make the maximum you can on things and then that may not ever come again. The craziest thing of all is realizing you can make more money selling your item in parts than in it's whole. The smartest people I know are the ones that sell before the market falls on their item. So, I have a few people I watch. ROFLOL Some people that collect do not collect to resell. I actually feel that I am the collector to think about selling later. Sometimes it is really tricky knowing which toy on the shelves today will be worth mega amounts later. It is a future investment. It is an art and a trick that I find a lot of fun. Some people get all upset at the flippers and people who make money off of stuff. The truth is you can't collect what isn't for sale. A buyer is in control over what they spend. Many sellers over price. If they would lower the price they might be surprised how high the item would go if it is the right time to sell whatever they are selling. When it comes to pony sales things are all over the place and it seems to go in waves. Right now I feel I see a dead phase where one of two sellers is out there. The ridiculously high priced pony that isn't worth more than 3.00 and the seller that figures out how to get the most for their ponies by pairing them with other ponies or toys that would sell less if sold by themselves. It's like the auction looks like a sleeper and so everyone wants it. This is an amazing thing to watch. It is looking like the buyers want major deals almost to the point of below pony value on many things. That only works if you paid less than value to begin with, otherwise you are taking a huge hit on your collection value.

I don't like the flippers that remove everything from the store shelves though and force the higher price for that item. ARGH

@evilbunnyfoofoo We have the Mego playset for Star Trek with all the characters and Spock. It was a vinyl like number and it was my R2's when he was growing up. My favorite thing about it is the little thing you turn to pretend you are beaming up an alien into the Enterprise. If you want to see a photo I will take one and post it on the Friends forum. We also love Big Jim stuff. Huge favorite.
 
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I seen this longer than just now. I seen people getting rid of things a few years back. I know there are various reasons for that. I just seem very sad by it. Though I know bills have to be payed. I am very fortunate to still be able to keep the ponies. I know there will be a time I will have to downsize my collections of G3s-G4s. I keep stopping myself because they are so pretty. :/ I will have to stop my other non-collections. I find I have alot of perfume,keychains that I could have go. I have a bad collectors habit bug. Though my floors are clean everything is tidy in boxes or totes.
 
I don't know though the community has changed a lot in the last couple of years. Its like everything went into a coma. LOL
 
I love old photo I have some from waaay back in our family in my hope chest. after my great aunt died I sort of became one of the keeper of the old photo and family history I mean phote from the 1800 early 1900. I only have one or two picture of Minnie dove my Native American grandmother and her family and one picture of my great grand mother as a kid.

What I don't get is my sister. Now I know parents put pictures of there kids up and all but my sister has nothing but photo of her kids there like 35 pictures of my nieces in her house non of my parents or me or other family just them and one or two of her and my brother in law. Its kina creepy to me
 
I noticed the shift when social media exploded in popularity. More people moved away from the forums to Facebook groups. I really miss how active our forums were; I miss certain people on the boards whose real names I don't know to be able to connect on Facebook. Or I wasn't really good friends with them enough TO connect on Facebook. For me, personally, it's a combination of things. Some of them, I won't talk about here. After the 2012 MLP Fair, we conceived. I had major preeclampsia difficulties near the end of the pregnancy; we both almost died. My son has A LOT of medical complications; they could be worse, but I'd be lying if I said they don't impact our family's day-to-day life. My dog, my first "baby," died in 2014, way before he should have. We miscarried in 2015 then had a daughter in 2016. We both got better jobs, but I just don't have the time to customize because they're killing each other every time I look away. We want to buy or build a house, and we want it to be the last time we ever move, so I also don't have the disposable cash to drop on my collection at this time. I buy ponies here and there, and I haven't gotten rid of anything. Things are just slow going right now. Space is definitely a factor. Pony is my "main" collection, so a lot of the "side" collections are going to have to go. That's a project for this summer since my job is seasonal and I only work October-April.
 
Yes I have noticed that Facebook seems to have changed things. I am not comfortable with social media as I have had some issues in the past. So, I dropped Facebook completely. I have never missed it or the problems we had a result of being a part of it. I am just waiting for Facebook itself to explode. Something else will be invented that will completely change the social media generation. There are some observations I have made in the community as well that are better not discussed. Yea I know how the real life thing can kick you hard and make all the collecting stuff disappear from your life for a long while. I have heard that a lot from members. For many it has been personal illness, moving, health issues (or passing of family member) with children/family member, having children and careers. I feel badly that people go through such hard times. For many we don't even know it to send a cyber hug.
 
That is interesting. I have a massive amount of things I am into. I do sometimes sell things to purchase other things, however it isn't common for me to do that. What is more common for me is to purchase something with great value that is all messed up. I get it for 10.00. I pull it apart and sell it for parts and make 150.00-300 on it. I have found that this has funded a lot of my collections. I don't pass up the broken very old toys because, I know which ones the collectors want parts for and there is so much more money in certain toy and doll parts than you could ever imagine. The key is knowing what people want and which things people will pay the most for. There was a time I could make 65.00 on one pair of Strawberry Shortcake's Blueberry Muffin's shoes. Now they are not worth that. So, there is a time to sell to make the maximum you can on things and then that may not ever come again. The craziest thing of all is realizing you can make more money selling your item in parts than in it's whole. The smartest people I know are the ones that sell before the market falls on their item. So, I have a few people I watch. ROFLOL Some people that collect do not collect to resell. I actually feel that I am the collector to think about selling later. Sometimes it is really tricky knowing which toy on the shelves today will be worth mega amounts later. It is a future investment. It is an art and a trick that I find a lot of fun. Some people get all upset at the flippers and people who make money off of stuff. The truth is you can't collect what isn't for sale. A buyer is in control over what they spend. Many sellers over price. If they would lower the price they might be surprised how high the item would go if it is the right time to sell whatever they are selling. When it comes to pony sales things are all over the place and it seems to go in waves. Right now I feel I see a dead phase where one of two sellers is out there. The ridiculously high priced pony that isn't worth more than 3.00 and the seller that figures out how to get the most for their ponies by pairing them with other ponies or toys that would sell less if sold by themselves. It's like the auction looks like a sleeper and so everyone wants it. This is an amazing thing to watch. It is looking like the buyers want major deals almost to the point of below pony value on many things. That only works if you paid less than value to begin with, otherwise you are taking a huge hit on your collection value.

I don't like the flippers that remove everything from the store shelves though and force the higher price for that item. ARGH

@evilbunnyfoofoo We have the Mego playset for Star Trek with all the characters and Spock. It was a vinyl like number and it was my R2's when he was growing up. My favorite thing about it is the little thing you turn to pretend you are beaming up an alien into the Enterprise. If you want to see a photo I will take one and post it on the Friends forum. We also love Big Jim stuff. Huge favorite.

I'd love to see R2's set up, tula! I have the whole crew, plus most of the aliens (the Gorn and Talosian are still on the cards, but the cards are pretty beat up) but never had the deck. My Uhura is in pieces sadly, and Kirk's leg broke at the knee (which was rife with the old Mego toys). Spock's clothes are so worn that one day I need to buy him new clothes. But I carried him everywhere for years, so he's just 'road weary'.

I just lucked on to some old Fisher Price toys and was rubbing my hands in glee. I don't really 'collect' them, but I have a lot of what we owned as kids. They make me so nostalgic. :D

By the way, anyone who *is* on Facebook that wants to friend me, I'm under Becca Upson. Feel free to send me a friend invite! I'm not there every day, but I do check often because my sisters put up stuff I just gotta see. :D
 
Oh yes we love the vintage Fisher Price too. I have a bunch of loose pieces and then the A Frame House. I would love to get the playsets I had as a child in mint condition, but I have no place for them. So, I have all the little pieces I adored as a child and that makes me happy.
 
I like looking at old toys when the rare time I go thrifting. I like seeing the old toys there. http://www.wishbookweb.com/ there are so many good pages on those old catalogs too. I went through the 80s and I was lost in nostalgia and they had the old fisher price toys there too.
 
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I started with G3 and have started to collect a few G1s that I can remember having as a kid. When I bought my first lot of ponies because it contained one I remember having, I did research on the different strains of the pony market. This is what I determined:

  • Children are gross. The older the pony, the more likely it was used as a tub/pool toy and has internal issues that need addressed to preserve it as it is. I picked up different G1s from different sellers but the result was the same... too many cosmetic and potential cleanliness issues for me to collect them. G1s are just harder to get in the kind of condition that I would want to display them in, and expensive as all get-out. A $700 Moonstone is not $700 to me at all, especially without a box and obviously previously played with. I would end up taking the head off to check for internal issues and tail rust, and if you mess up doing a clean-up job it becomes a $700 mistake. Some owners (who are likely not the original owner...) cannot guarantee that these ponies are without awful imperfection or haven't bothered to inspect them as thoroughly as I would hope. I have heard some horror stories of people achieving their Holy Grail Pony only to find out it was not what they expected condition-wise and have been ripped of a good chunk of money.

  • G2s are "meh". If I end up with them that's fine, but they look like dwarf giraffes versus ponies. G3.5 look like candy-colored cows- My Little Heifer. I do not actively collect G2, but I try to actively avoid G3.5 and get rid of them as soon as I obtain them.

  • G3s are much easier to get my hands on and look more like the G1s that I remember compared to G2 and G4. While I am not as opposed to collecting G4s (and G4.5) as G3s, I have ended up with a really nice sizable collection of each loose AND NIB, where only recently the amount of money I was spending on them outweighed how much I was making on flipping the duplicates. I do not need an army of G3 Pinkie Pies that are more common than what they should be. I use the money from them to fund my habit of purchasing others. I live in a small apartment so I need to rehome the ones that I do not have the room to keep.

  • I am collecting (though, only semi-actively), Hasbro's G1 not-ponies, like Fairy Tails. Those take more of a precedence over G1 ponies in general.

All-in-all, if I were to guess, MLP G1 collectors are becoming fairly niche. Taking care of G1s and collecting them is expensive, and it looks hard to find a buyer for those super-rare ones that cost more than a car payment. As time goes on it's more prevalent that there are super-picky collectors that want the NIB/MIB ponies but that can't afford to purchase them, so they don't try to collect at all.
 
Some times life make you choose collection or Real life needs sadly.
 
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