So I am like Okay, I'm going to take a look at my ratings...4 star from a pony person, 4 star - pony person, 1 star pony person (the head switch bitch).
So...apparently the only thing keeping me from that dumb rating is pony people. Am I surprised? Nope.
Am I going to start raising prices on my ponies because if you plan on leaving a shit rating, you can pay for the privilege? Yup.
They were the reason for my low star DSR years back on eBay, and now they are the only ones leaving shit ratings on Etsy. They are expecting perfection out of a less than $10, played with, 40 year old toy.
I collect too, but I am realistic in my expectations, I'm a unicorn in that respect, pun intended.
They are usually over 30 and have been manhandled by a child 9 times out of 10. They going to show some wear. I expect that.
Most times a seller will see a pony at a yard sale/fleamarket/thrift store and just pick it up not knowing anything more about it than that it is a MLP. If I've been collecting since 1982 and still get 1-4 stars knowing what I know, I don't hold out much hope for a novice.
I see the community pissing and moaning all the time about how sellers should know about all the stupid shit that they obsess over. I wish I could help these sellers. Maybe I can.
Half the time, the "collectors" themselves don't know shit about a pony they bought - see my example from an old blog about the Argentine Cool Breeze I sold. The bitch was all like "It has a haircut!"
I TOOK IT OFF THE CARD MYSELF. It HAD short hair to begin with - the Alitas have shorter hair than China/Hong Kong Windy Wings. But she didn't know, and not only stole a back card from me, but tanked my rating and jacked shipping money both ways. It's been like 12 years and I still get pissed thinking about it.
So here's a little tutorial for the novice - Just remember that even if you state every little thing, some assholes will still ding you. I don't know WHY they are like this, and as a pony collector, I apologize for that. They're just petty, I guess:
It's only a My Little Pony if it says Hasbro somewhere on it. If it does not, it's most likely a "fakie". I have here Generations 4,3,2,1. I hate G5 but I imagine the hooves say Hasbro too.
Okay, so you've determined that you've got a real pony. You can go to Strawberry Reef to ID it, which is a decent site, however, pictures may be missing here and there. There is also a sticky wicket in the fact that certain companies now reproduce the old G1. They are usually a little different in feel and are marked on the feet as to date produced ballpark - feet always tell a story.
G1 ponies can have a litany of issues. There is pindot mold, which looks like ground pepper. It is usually ground in and best mentioned and left to someone who knows how to remove it.
There is pony "cancer" IE brown spots. Blue and white ponies tend to get this more than others. Same scenario as above, unless you know ponies.
There is regrind. Regrind affects hot pink, purple, and lavender colored ponies. It appears in the form of hot pink splotches. No cure.
Sometimes haircuts can be hard to identify, because some ponies were made with longer hair and someone just cut the hair to what looked like an appropriate length and it's not. But if you don't know ponies, you won't know. But they'll expect you to, so once you ID it, it's a good idea to haunt Google and look at other examples to make sure.
Sometimes a pony will have been bathed with and has telltale signs such as tail rust (rust at the tail base) and dry, frizzy hair. These ponies are usually full of rust and mildew/mold and sometimes it will stain the body from the inside.
But if you take the damned head off to clean it, there are some that will go apeshit on you because you broke a factory seal. God Forbid you scrape the crud out of the insides *eyeroll*. So if you see this - say "tail rust, and dry frizzy hair" and sell it like it is or you'll wind up with a crazy that will ding your rating for the pony having a head that spins, even though it is spotless inside. lol. Pictured below is a G1 Applejack. Photo Credit goes to MLP Merch Database.
There was a very limited run of G2 ponies in the USA. There's 12 ponies and a mail order named Seabreeze. The one I have pictured above is a European exclusive baby, they did not produce those over here but the foot stamping is much the same. You're not likely to find G2 much, the USA versions don't sell well. They have tiny jewels in the eyes that tend to get lost. They were produced in the late 90's and a little longer overseas. Pictured below is G2 Ivy. Photo Credit goes to MLP Merch Database.
G3's nearly always have a magnet in one hoof and that's when
the symbols started to be exclusively on one side. They are chubby and cute. They were produced from 2003-2007ish. They are still found out in the wild frequently and only a certain few sell well. Towards the end of their run, G3's were ruined by a phenomenon called "Core 7" Hasbro produced the same 7 ponies over and over with different accessories and gimmicks but largely the same color and pose. It took away variety and, frankly, it sucked. Hasbro apparently did not learn from this because this was repeated in G4 via the Mane 6. The Core 7 consist of Pinkie Pie, Starsong, Sweetie Belle, Cheerilee, Rainbow Dash, Toola Roola and Scootaloo. Pictured below is G3 Kimono. Photo Credit goes to MLP Merch Database.
G4's are tiny and look like little goats and they suck. With the release of these came "bronies" and stupid terminologies like "cutie mark". No. To us OG old fuckin' farts it's a symbol. lol. There was a "Mane 6" set of ponies that they kept producing over and over in different styles, but it's always the same 6. Usually Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight (Toilet) Sparkle, Rarity (a misnomer), and Pinkie Pie. If you find any of those 6, unless it's the original release with pets - it's worthless, don't bother. Some of the other oddball ones that aren't Mane 6 sell okay. Pictured below is G4 Fluttershy, original issue with her pet. Photo Credit goes to MLP Merch Database.
G5s are horrible. They are large, ugly, and they have weird Steve Carell eyebrows. Some people actually like these atrocities. They just came out last year and are still found in places like Target and Walmart. I made this pic collage on my own...lol.
