What is the deal with pony prices in the G1 line?

tulagirl

tulagirl

Proud Owner of Cat Pee Pony
Joined
Dec 24, 2010
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I have noticed in the last six months that sellers on ebay on charging crazy prices for their ponies and pony merchandise. What is going on? 25.00 for a pony like Sun Spot. Nearly 50.00 for a newborn pony set with no accessories? Singles ponies as common as Sherbert with no accessories ranging from 17.99 to higher?? These are not normal prices and they don't include shipping. These sellers have good feedback too. So why all the high prices in the G1 category now? I would be buying a whole lost more from the pony community if the prices were fair. Then you get the pony in the mail and see flaws not mentioned and its just very unsettling to me. Is it because of ebay fees? What are your thoughts? I don't want to talk bad about sellers, I just feel like this is unfair to start a pony so high. Even if a pony is mint but common as a toothpick in a restaurant...its seems to me it should be marked for sale at the price its worth not an inflated price. I admit I am not great at values but I do have a guide that tells a different story on prices.
 
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I think there are two categories of sellers who overprice their ponies on eBay.

One group doesn't know the first thing about MLP. They see that some ponies fetch high prices and are convinced that every pony must be worth a fortune, regardless of which pony it is and what condition it's in. You can't really blame those sellers for trying. Okay, they could do more research, but at least they're not trying to scam anyone...

...unlike the second group of sellers. They're often professional resellers, who know the prices very well, but still mark their items way too high. They've often got really nice pictures, which is why their ponies are being bought, usually by new fans or else people buying for someone else.

If you want fair prices, I suggest you buy ponies here or on the Arena, rather than on eBay. It's more fun, too, and less stressful.
 
yeah I agree, buying here or the arena is the better way to go... sellers on ebay either think their stuff is made out of gold, or they don't know what they're selling...

also bidders hike up prices too, I've seen ponies go from $1 to $50 and it's like a pretty common pony... so that doesn't help either.
 
I honestly think a lot of it has to do with the FiM crowd. Ebay sellers are well aware that My Little Pony is the latest craze so I'm sure a lot of them (from group 1 as Snork said, that can't be bothered to research) go "OMG a MLP! From the 80s! OMG SUPER RAREZ *lists Peachy at a starting price of $50*"
 
ristvak said:
I honestly think a lot of it has to do with the FiM crowd. Ebay sellers are well aware that My Little Pony is the latest craze so I'm sure a lot of them (from group 1 as Snork said, that can't be bothered to research) go "OMG a MLP! From the 80s! OMG SUPER RAREZ *lists Peachy at a starting price of $50*"
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In addition to this ^ we also just came through the Christmas season. Prices went up because of that and now it's the after-Christmas buying season where people have gifted money to spend. The prices may come back down to normal in the next few weeks. But I agree that the best places to purchase ponies are from fellow collectors on the boards.
 
Yea it seems we have a lot of ebay bidders that don't know how the auction process works and bid and re bid and bid and rebid over and over and over. The professional way to bid on an auction is to wait until the last minute and then bid. The over bidding and bidding wars are creating a false and deceptive value on ponies or pony products. Why these people want to do this kind of bidding makes no sense to me. Its such a waste of time and money. When I see that happening with an auction, I leave it and look for another one. Yes a seller wants to see a bidding war on an item, but us bidders don't. Why pay 50.00 for a pony just to be the winner when you can wait and possibly snag the pony for a whole lot less by letting the current bidder think they are winning...

My dad was into antiques and auctions and I learned the power of last minute bidding and the negative issues from bidding too high too soon or bidding too much because the floor went nuts and bidders lost self control.

Thanks for all your comments.
 
still not sure why people bid this way... but like I said that has a lot to do with the way prices are going right now.

atleast all the auctions I've lost recently they've been sniping me haha.
 
Novavelle said:
still not sure why people bid this way... but like I said that has a lot to do with the way prices are going right now.

atleast all the auctions I've lost recently they've been sniping me haha.
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baaaa I am a sniper..lol:allecto:
 
I can be... it's just lately I can't be bothered lol.
 
this is why i stick to here or the arena or ghost of the doll. IT is far more reasonable among most fellow collectors. Also on here you can negotiate prices as well.
 
I've noticed huge disparities in pony prices over the last 2 years. I bought Buzzer almost 3 years ago for $8. She has been listing on eBay for over $20 lately! Of course there was no FiM then, so maybe that has caused the price hike on G1's. In other news, I did just snap up a MOC Argie Sunglider on eBay for an unbelievably low price!
 
Prices,
It may be best to just skip even looking at anything you think is priced outrageously. I do. :)

But, I think Some of those sellers are collectors too, and I am assuming bought their collections during the pricing highs a few years back. For some, I think it's an attempt to get out what they put into those ponies. (which can be difficult when you count your time, paypal and ebay fees.)

Others, it's wishful thinking. They find some ponies, They see a fluke sell high, and want the same. I saw a piece of merch I wanted for sale by a non-collector. He had it priced pretty outrageously, So I waited and watched the listing run it's course and end a couple times with no interest. Then, when it was relisted I put in a offer for about half the amount he wanted with an explanation as to why. Took it right away. Others won't even entertain a fair offer, no matter how many months they've had something sitting on ebay unsold. It's just part of collecting.

Flaws that weren't mentioned is another thing entirely. Sometimes the seller truly doesn't know any better. If you have the opportunity, always ask questions, or for more pictures. Most people are willing to do their best to correct it later too, either via a return or partial. Still frustrating though, I've had my share of disappointments.

There are a few people who are KNOWN to do this intentionally. Positioning ponies to hide flaws, Usually using terms like "Minty". They know a bulk of their buyers won't cause a fuss, so they simply refund the few that complain. I have a list of people I refuse to make purchases from because they do that. I know about their selling practices thanks to the people here who start discussions.
 
I've noticed the price change since, I haven't been able to afford an ponies! My birthday is coming up and often Christmas/Birthday gets combined by my family and usually I save up what cash I get but I always get myself 1-3 ponies. Then again... I have most of the commons I want.

I've also started getting some of my G1 collection ready to sell but... between school and other activities just haven't gotten around to it. I have a few rare beauties I want to sell just I'm at a loss where I want to sell yet... forums/ebay/etsy... I agree selling on the forums is a lot easier than ebay.
 
Yea all true very true about the different types of sellers.
 
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