Just thought I'd comment on the staggering prices of My Little Ponies on eBay and other sources. I am a male collector of My Little Pony...and sometimes I don't think that people realize that it's cool for guys to collect My Little Ponies too, but I digress. I remember my grandfather buying me my first MLP when I was about 5 or 6 and me loving them until my parents felt I'd grown out of them and then proceeded to sell them at a garage sale. It wasn't until recently that I fell back into the dreamworld and fantasy that is My Little Pony. I have spent the past few months building my pony collection back to what it was when I was young and it's been very sucessful, thank goodness. I do find it a bit disheartening to hear people's comments about various conditions of ponies and see how atrocious prices are for rare ponies nowadays. I would like a Macau or Argentinian pony as much as the next collector...but can't see myself spending $200 dollars or more on one, which is obviously better spent elsewhere. I just think people need to be aware about what it was like when you were young and had a favorite toy that you couldn't live without and what it felt like to play with it and to cherish it...and take that into consideration. Everyone deserves to embrace the magic that is My Little Pony!

As for keeping the G3s in their packaging, I don't, and I'm 16. The only one I have in the package right now is a double of Tink-A-Tink-A-Too who I'm planning on customizing. I'm not going to store her in a closet for 10 years and then sell her. I won't get to enjoy her. (Ooh, maybe I should leave them all in the packaging because of the Canadian, bi-lingual packaging... it will be worth more...WHO CARES??) It's like keeping the tags on Beanie Babies.. they were worth more at first, but now Beanie Babies are as popular as the McDonald's ponies.

Condition isn't a factor for me either. Although when buying off of ebay i do like some brushable hair for the price i'm paying lol. But my Blossom with her cut tail and mohawk hair cut is just as precious to me as my baby Snoozy who's mint. They all have too many memories. Just thought i'd let you know that other pony collectors out there are agreeing with you :)

Also if you may know any reputable sellers with baby pony pocket pal clothes i don't suppose you could let me know???

From Victoria (although its my mums account)

I read what you wrote about the prices of MLP's, and I have to say that I agree totally with it. I often go on Ebay, and I see a ton of MLP's being auctioned for what seems like a very reasonable price, but then those prices skyrocket (for example, a Twinkle Eyed Mimic).

It's not only the auctions that get crazy. Sometimes the Buy It Now Prices are just ridiculous! Last time I saw Mimic on BIN, she was $70.

Most of the G3 ponies I've seen in stores are pretty much $5.99, at least for single ponies with bonus ponies. A larger ponies, or playsets are a little more expensive, but still affordable. What makes me crazy is that the newer ones are going on Ebay for a lot more than they should.

What's worse is some of the older ponies I've seen. Now there are some people who do sell near-mint ponies for a very good price. Some of them are very reasonable. But a lot of sellers sell the G1's for some ridiculous prices. A lot of people can't afford them, and a lot of collectors, like myself, are on budgets when it comes to ponies. And then when someone buys a pony, I've seen the winning bidder sell it again on Ebay for a bigger price than what they bought it for.

My mother gave away all my ponies when I was 12, and thanks to Ebay, I've gotten a collection of G1's back to me. But it drives me crazy when I see a pony that I really want in my collection for over some $100, rare or not. I set myself on a budget for MLP's, to only pay up to $20 for a pony (that's how much I paid for a Mail Order purple Ember).

I am a collector. My collection started in 1984, age 1 year old, with my beloved Applejack pony. I immediatly decided Applejack was a boy, and he went everywhere with me. On one notable occasion, I dropped Applejack out the window, and screamed until my mother braved the busy street to retrieve him. Applejack is almost unrecognizable now. His hair is brittle and faded, his body is approaching a deep tan color, and his apples are almost rubbed off. I also had Glory, Wind Whistler, Baby Northstar, and Sunlight, and that was all until I started hunting at garage sales and thrift stores in my teens. My old ponies are in atrocious condition from the many adventures they have had, but none of them have been touched with a marker or scissors. I was always taught to take care of my toys, and not do them any permanent harm. When I find a much worn pony at a garage sale, I like to imagine what fun she has had. I was delighted to find your site and be able to identify my collection.

At the moment, I have all the new Ponies that can be bought in stores, all the new mail order goodies, and the only ponies I am missing are the Disney Princess ponies. Each and every one of my ponies has been removed from the package, admired, and played with. All of them have been enjoyed by the little girls that come to the house, be they children of friends or babysitting charges. We get all the ponies down and cover the livingroom floor with them. I do have 2 ponies that remain in their packages, gifts of ponies I already had. The others are all over the livingroom, on top of bookcases and shelves, proudly displayed. I take them to my classroom, I bring them along to business meetings or anywhere they might entertain a child for a little while. My original ponies are also still played with, gently, but they have gone on babysitting jobs and been pulled off the shelf for playtime. I have had little girls proudly show me their collections, often of new ponies mixed in with their mom's old ones. They are delighted when I can tell them all about the old ones. My doubles frequently become gifts to nostalgic friends and enthusiatic little girls. I have kept all the boxes and package inserts for my new ponies. I try to open them with as little damage to the box as possible. I'm not certain why I do this, maybe because I want to increase the value of the ponies while still enjoying them as much as possible. I do like to think that perhaps someday, someone in the future might be able to sell them in a tough spot. When they can no longer bring joy to me, they might at least bring financial gain to someone else. I suppose they are first a joy, and second an investment.

My new ponies are mostly no longer mint. They have the occasional eye rub, symbol rub, and tiny punctures from my roommate's cats. I have lost track of which brush goes with which pony. But their accessories are still there, I haven't lost anything yet, and no major damage has been caused. Like my first 5 ponies, these will be well-cared for toys that will delight little girls for a long time to come.

First of all, I want to say AWESOME awesome job with Dream Valley. Your site has helped me out sooo much with discovering and remembering the names of the ponies that I own *and totally refreshing the fact that there really WAS an 'bad guy' pony (Rep in 'Escape from Catrina')*. Seriously, if it weren't for Dream Valley, I probably would have ended up destroying the Baby Nightsong UK Starlight Baby pony I have *I didn't know at the time that her body is supposed to have that shiny clear coating on her ^^;*.

But anyways...

YES.. I do VERY much think people are overcharging for ponies and are thinking more about 'Oooo, how much money can I make for this pony?' instead of "YAY!! PONY!!!! WEEE!!!! *rips open the box as soon as the cash is handed to the cashier XD*'.
I LOVE having my ponies out of their boxes and all smelling like my strawberry conditioner and claiming up a quarter of my room. I'm only keeping one in her box *my Birthday Celebration Razaroo*, but only because I reeeeally like the stuff she came with and I don't want to risk loosing any of it in this mess I call a room X3.

I literally just stopped looking for ponies on Ebay all together.. or any other auction place. Now I'm pretty much just sticking to the MLP Trading Post and MLP Arena. Though it takes a bit longer to find what I'm looking for, being that we're aaaaall MLP lovers on both sites, I know that I can get a fair deal on a pony in good or even excellent condition *got a REALLY good deal on a near perfect UK Hopscotch recently on the trading post X3*.

But I do go onto Ebay once in a while just to see what people are selling as far as ponies go, and the prices I see for a G3 that I can easily pay maybe $4 or $5 USD for at Toys R Us, people are charging in the $20's and higher. Sorry, but no... I am not paying more than $12.50 *S&H included* for a pony... I simply won't do it and could never afford it. I LOVE MLP, but I'm not spending a small fortune for them, especially not the new ones. No way. If I do end up spending more money on a pony, it will only be on a pony that I had in my childhood and miss badly *coughcoughSHERBERTcough XD*, or if I'm buying more pieces to do a custom.

Hmmm.. I so have to hit up some of the antique stores around town and see if anyone has any *nodnod*.

Anyways, keep up the VERY awesome job with Dream Valley and best of luck to ya! =3

*and yes, you have my full permission to use any part of this ^___^*

I totally agree with you. Last Spring I gave my daughter what few ponies I had kept from my childhood. Due to unfortunate circumstances I had been in a financial pinch in my teens, living on my own, and was forced to sell the bulk of my large collection. She has been a horse fanatic all of her young life, ( she just turned 6) and was positively thrilled at the idea of not only toy horses, but the fact that they were something I had played with. She now has a considerable number of new ponies, but after watching the my little pony cartoon and going through your wonderful website, there are some older ponies that she would also like to have. I cannot afford to but them for her as I refuse to pay $5-$20 for a individual used pony. Occasionally we will come across one cheap, (so far 5) but it has so far never been the ones she really wants. I also have a problem with all the "exclusives" that are available in the States but not up here in Canada. She sees the ponies and playsets on the pony website, but I cannot get them for her. Hasbro has not made any clothing or accessories available up here either. My daughter is starting grade 1 next month and I can't even buy her a pony backpack as there are none available. In order to get any of these items I am forced to try ebay and hope not to get ripped off. If I am even lucky enough to win an auction with a low affordable price, the shipping alone might kill me.

The G3s each go through a rigorous box dismantling that leaves the points filed in an envelope and the name plate and back card filed in Applejack's Backpack (till I buy a file). The cord is cut from the top for rehairing ponies, the brush is labeled with pony initials so I know who has what brush, and all ponies with tinsel in their hair hae it clipped out carefully (as I am a pony stylist and the tinsel doesn't hold up to my play). I even detinseled Candy Cane and Mittens the day I got them, and haven't regretted it.

My ponies are not for monetary value. They're for memories and enjoyment. I can't enjoy stuff kept in boxes and just stared at. That might be fun for some people, but my love is to open that box, toss it, and make the pony part of my herd. That, to me, is the best part of pony collecting.

(You may repost this on your site)

I didn't know about the MLP Trading Post, so I did buy a couple of ponies off of Ebay. The highest I paid was $10.28, but the thought of the newer ponies going for over 30 was sickening.

Thanks for having such a wonderful site, I've been trying to find out the names of my old ponies for ages, since I was too small to remember their names when I first got them.

Best wishes!

The only way we can keep pony prices down is if we start refusing to pay the high prices, ponies sell for so much on ebay, because people are willing to pay that price for them. If the pony community did more trading, and selling within the community, and refused to rip each other off, we could help keep the prices down. I say we all need to stick together a little more, and stop letting greedy ebayers get the best of us.

Elizabeth

First of all sorry for my english, I'm from Spain ;) I completely agree with you! When I started collecting ponies I wish I could have them all, but now I've realised that I won't be able to afford it. I'd love to have a Scribbles (not because she is a mail order, just because she is very beautiful). She is supposed to be very hard to find, but since the beggining of the year I've seen her at least six times on eBay. And in all the cases, she has been sold for more than 100$. I wonder how many of the people owning a Scribbles love her for being beautiful and play with her, and how many people just have her because she is rare and expensive. I have Dabble with a haircut (the only one I could afford), but I love her, I always have her on my desk and I even play with her (and with my boyfriend's Transformers LOL). I love ponies because they remind me of my childhood and because I like them and I will never sell them!! And I like to save poor dirty ponies from second hand markets and take them to my home! I feel like I'm doing a favour to them :)

Sometimes I search ponies through the german eBay, and I can see ponies that can be considered Hard to Find in the USA. And in Europe we rarely see a So Soft or a mail order. I think the best we can do is trade a lot :) We should try to forget the topics about the price of the ponies, because this is very relative. If people says that Pony X is very HTF and it costs X $, then everyone is going to believe it.

Thank you very much for sharing with all MLP collectors your wonderful site!! Of course, you can post this!

Right now my orginal MLP collection stands at about 50 poinies. I use to have more around 150. I have been trying to get back in to getting MLPs but have not had the money. Since when did even the MLP videos from recording get to be $55 per tape? It is not like most of the episodes came out on video. I wish I had been luck to start earlier. I was bron about thier second year out. Also I love those that keep the price down and how it is a close-nit group. However it is very hard to get in to it so you have a chance to trade. I found this page in how to get in to the trade

http://www3.telus.net/leinhorn/faq/

I think she is right. I hope that I can start rebuilding my collection soon.

Now for ebay. My price for a pony usually is not above eighteen to twenty dollars. I won’t go higher than that. Not matter what the cost or anything.

I guess you can call me a unique buyer. The reason is, why most people go for the mint ponies on ebay, I go for the near mint ones because I really don’t care what they look like. The reason is, I’m visually impaired and can’t see as well as everyone else, so I go for the shiny mane that feels soft and the glittery symbols that I can see and feel, that sort of thing. And of course, the love the pony brings which is priceless as far as I’m concerned.

See when I was little, I had two best friends. Samantha and Colleen. Samantha I would se in school and Colleen was my next door neighbor. We would play MLP every day and I loved my ponies very much. They brought a lot of joy and comfort to me, especially Fizzy and Firefly.

Back when I was a little girl, I used to buy MLP’s for three to five dollars and to me, that was cheap. I didn’t mind of course. And the other ponies I got for birthdays and stuff. I didn’t like any of the nineteen ninety ponies except for the Rainbow babies.

My favorite ponies are: Fizzy, Firefly, Medley, Twilight, Ember, Baby Moondancer, Baby Cotton Candy, Baby Lofty, Baby Rainbow Star, (A baby pony I created(, Baby Sunflyer, (Another baby pony I created), Baby Glory, Baby Half Note, North Star, Galaxy, Heart Throb, Morning Glory, Peach Blossom, Baby Cuddles, and Posey.

I hope that helps you!!!
Just so you know, I’m looking for a Megan doll in near mint condition, do you know where I can find one? I don’t mind if you put this info on your site.

First I want to let you know how much I appreciate your website, it's very pretty and it has been a source of information for me. I first visited it when I was 14 or so, I believe, when I first got internet. I thought I was the only girl in the world who collected ponies *stunned when I saw all those pages!*
Then I visited many sites, including eBay, and I couldn't believe my eyes! Not online were there lots of collectors, they also sold there ponies for so much money! It's a strange thought I found 20$ a lot for some ponies that now sell for $70 or so....

My grandpa allways said: 'A hobby may cost you some money, that's what makes it fun. To know you must save up and get something to get your collection completer'. And he was right about that! But as a friend of mine not long ago saw a regular milky way go for $81 on eBay, that's just insane... There are lots of people out there grabbing ponies at fleamarkets to sell them for lots, it's just not fun anymore. I don't mind saving up for some HTF or rare ponies/accesoiries or so, but these prices are getting out of hand. No one without a very, very good job can afford them.

I used to trade with people on the condition 'a pony for a pony'. I got ripped off the same instant :( I was 15 years old then). I traded my Highlights for a (said to be) 'mint cha cha' (SHS). When I got her, she was terribly frizzed and not at all what she was said to be. When I heard Highlights was htf I was hurt, but even more about the fact she didn't send me the pony she promised! She got her for so little, and then still lie? I can't believe that's someone who loves ponies...

I still trade and sell my mlp at prices I believe are reasonable. Pony collecting should be fun!!

Oh yeah and one final thing, i was having another read of your essay on the prices of ponies and i wondered what you might think of this idea. You could have a section of your site where people can send in pics of their fave ponies and any stories behind them. I mean they might like them cos they're mint condition or because they have huge sentimental value. I know quite a few of my ponies that i could never replace and thats not due to their condition but because i loved them as a kid. Well its up to you, but i thought it might show new collectors that value isn't always how much the pony is worth.

Recently I became very addicted to the new MLP's. I know they are not our beloved 80's toys but i think they are unique and cute in their own style. However living in England its very hard to find certain ponies especially the ponies i like (seems to be the expensive ones) Anyway, Royal ribbon is curently one i'm after but she seems to sell for a fortune on ebay. I found her though with a BIN of $3.99 which i thought was great. Before i bought her i emailed the seller asking the shipping cost to the UK and if they could remove her from her box in order to bring the s+h price down. This was refused and i was told that the shippingcost to the UK would cost me nearly $15.00!!!! That to me is ridicoulous. I bought 6 new ponies from a seller and the s+h was only $13.00 for 6!!!!!

Mittens is another pony i'm desperate for. Not because shes rare but because i love her little symbol and her cute scarf and mittens ^_^ Ever since i first saw her i wanted her. However the story is one that MLP collectors hear all too often...she goes for too much. I'm 18, i can't afford $20.00 for a pony plus whatever stupid price the S+H is. (if anyone is selling a Mittens, with her accessories please feel free to contact me)

Also the boxes are so hardto get the ponies out of its almost like Hasbro want them to stay in them. I battle with my ponies every time i get them to take them out of their boxes. But I do take them out, thats why i don't mind sellers removing them for me. My cousin asked me (after buying sunbeam, applejack and crystal crown) if i kept them in their boxes and i replied 'no'. If we wanted something to sit pretty on a shelf in a box, we'd collect ornaments, not toys.

Please Share this Letter With those who view your website; fellow My Little Pony Lover and friend of Pony Land,

I've gotten all my friends to scour their attics for their old ponys.... I've taken in ponys with no tails, cut manes, ponys with their sides caved in and legs chewed off! I take them all in regardless of condition... beacuse they remind me of when I was little. I remember the Christmas when I was about 5 or 6. I woke up and from my bed, along out of my room, down the hall, down the steps, and all the way through the house to the tree was a line of ponys. They weren't even wrapped. And under the tree was Dream Castle, Paradise Estate, and the Nursery. I had ponys in my stocking and they were even hung on the Christmas tree! Needless to say, it's my favorite memory. I was living with my Grandmother and Grandfather who were the best people I've ever known. My mother, who wasn't in my life much when I was little, was there. So now when I see any of the ponys, I remember waking up and seeing all the ponys, leading me to the tree. So I take all the ponys I can find, even if I already have them. I love them, each and every one. I clean them about once a month and sometimes I even sit and play with them! And I'm 20 years old! Yes I am a 20 year old that loves to play with My Little Ponys and I'm PROUD of that!

I think it is important for everyone to remember that ponies have no intrinsic (monetary) value. A pony is only "worth" $100 because someone is willing to pay $100. Being rare does not make something valuable. Demand makes something valuable. If everyone stopped collecting ponies, the "market" would collapse and prices would plummet.

I've collected ponies for many years, and I generally stay in the under-$10 range for a single pony. But I did once pay $56 for a Princess with her crown clip, because she was the last princess and crown I needed to complete the set. Therefore, to me, she was worth the $56.

Do I leave my ponies MIB? Sometimes I do. I keep some of the G3s MIB because I can't keep track of all those little accessories. I also have a couple G1s MIB. I like to look at the packaging, and it reminds me of seeing racks full of G1s in the stores, and it makes me think of the birthday parties I went to as a kid, where someone almost ALWAYS got a pony for a gift.

But it's important to remember that these things often go in cycles. The prices in any collectible market will go up and down. Prices might be high right now, because of the new ponies and also the retro-1980's fad happening. Eventually the fad will die down, and the G3 line will end. Pony prices might very well go down in the future.

Thanks for keeping such a great site!
Ketchra, owner of Ketchra's World on eBay

I sell ponies on e-bay and I also buy ponies on e-bay. I sell my extra's to be able to afford new additions to my collection. And, yes I buy expensive ponies, moc/mib ponies, mint ponies and rare ponies. And, no- I do not have an endless cash flow! I save and I set a budget each month. I work very hard to be able to build my collection.

I'm not a greedy seller, I start my e-bay auctions very low (between 1cent and a dollar) and, from then on other collectors decide what they are willing to pay.

Often I will help out newer collectors by selling some of my extra's for only a dollar or two each, even though they are "guided" at 5 to 10 times that.

The majority of collectors will not buy a pony simply because it's rare, or has value. I know I don't. I just buy the ones I enjoy. And, unfortunately most of the ones I like are very expensive. :(

This is a World wide market! And, like it or not- the vintage ponies have a very large adult fan base. Most people who buy G1's are in their late teens, to mid thirties. And are purchasing them for themselves. There are many, many other mlp collectors out there who want a chance to bid on the same pony as you!

Odds are you won't be able to afford to buy every pony. I know I can't. I build my sets very slowly, but once I do complete a set- It is very satisfying.

I collect Moc/mib ponies, because simply, I love the packaging! I love the cover art! And, I love to see ponies all neatly displayed with their accessories. I do not care what they are worth, I just like them. :)

And, I would never open a MOC/MIB G1 pony, rather I would trade it with another mlp fan for the same pony out of the box, so another collector is at least able to enjoy the memory of a new pony.

I also collect backcards and the little mlp puffy stickers, why? I like them!

To close my point, collect what you like, the way you like. Don't buy for monetary reasons, buy because you really love the pony!

Friendly competition is alright in my books, but when collectors lie, cheat or steal just to get a pony, it's not cool.

I'm a 22 yrs old girl from Sweden. I remember the first pony I got, Peachy with pretty parlor. She was the dearest to me, when I was a kid.
However, I totally agree with you that the prices nowadays are terrifying. I often visit a site that is like Ebay, it makes me sad when I see those prices they want to sell them for. I know that I never will be able to by that special pony. On the other hand, I feel glad for it, because there are so many other MLP's that I can buy, and love with all my heart. They don't have to be Mint at all.
When I started to buy G3's I can honestly tell that I kept them in their boxes in several months! But after a while I couldn't stand to see them in those plastic things, so I set them free...
Btw, your site is adorable.

Love

While I agree with you that the prices for "collectibles" are out of control, I don't think there's anything to be done about it--it's just not that important in the great scheme of things. I believe that being an adult and having a toy's value depend on it NOT having been played with is seriously misguided. Sometimes I wonder why didn't I hang on to all my Breyer horses?! They'd be worth a fortune! But then I remember that I gave them to charity when I went off to college so that another little girl could get pleasure from them.

Feel free to post any part of this email on your site. I just wanted to share with you my views and to thank you for all the work you do to make this site so nice. It's really fun to check your site and see that it's been updated but when I want to I can explore other parts that I've never been to and learn somthing new every time.

My sister and I shared a small collection when we were young. We often reminise of the days right after they took ponies off the market. When you could walk into any thrift store or yardsale and find bags of ponies for less than a dollar. Those really were the days.

I recently won several lots from ebay that I probably paid too much for. Still, though, unless it's a pony that I need to rebuild my old collection, I will not pay more than $4 per pony including shipping! Of course, this means that I don't win many auctions, but I refuse to lose sleep and spend all of my savings to pay $20 for one pony plus another $10 for shipping! I have noticed, though, that the prices swing a lot. There are definately times to buy and times not to.

Anyway, I'll stop going on and on now. It just felt good to know that there were other people out there that feel the same way. Have a good day!

...Hi! Sure you can post my email. I"m sure that I could go on for pages about it : ). What really stinks is that if you were to try and set a trend of lower prices (like having a Buy It Now for $3.00 or saomething) people would just take advantage. They would buy it and turn around to sell the pony for double. Anyway, I love your site! Have a good weekend!

But I remember being excited everytime I saw a My Little Pony. I could always plan which one to get next, without worrying about not having any candy when I did. I could have candy and a Pony, if that's what I chose to do.

Now, I don't think kids get to do that. They can't have candy and a My Little Pony. It's either one or the other, unless you find them in a cheap shop. (Family Dollar sold some a short while ago in Pittsburgh, PA, and they were going for $2 for a single pony, $5 for a double-pony deal, and $10 for the Celebration Salon.)

Maybe the best thing to do, to be able to relive all those memories, is to urge local dollar stores to try and get the My Little Pony toys in stock for the long-term. My local one only had them for two weeks, and now I fear they probably won't get them again.

The prices of my little ponies are going up. I totally agree. I am 13 and I have only been collecting for four months. It first started when I was going round to my sister’s boyfriend’s house. His mum collects kinder egg toys, so I though I wanted to collect something. I went back home thinking of what to collect, I though hard and my mum mentioned my Little Ponies. I thought that was great, because I had some already and I love looking and the symbols their hair colour and everything else. I think that each pony is special.

I now look at my local car boots for them; I have found a material MLP book and a stamp with a pony on the top. This is from a yard sale. At car boots I think everyone knows that they can sell them for more on eBay. This has made it hard for me to collect as I can’t spend that much on MLP. I collect them for fun and to see how beautiful they are. I can hardly find them for £1 any more in a car boot. I find it really annoying. I love MLP’s and I don’t want the price to go up and up. I know I am only young but I think that I should have a say because I will want to show my collection to my child and so on.

I hope you agree

With love

I just recently found your site over the search engine, and I thought that I might express my gratitude for it personally. It's such an excellent site! It's info packed and really informative. It helped me identify several of my "unknown" ponies! I am a kid collector (I am ten years old LOL) and I adore ponies. I have all three generations of ponies, numbering 147 in all. I tried to persuade my mom to take me to the MLP fair in Minnesota, but unfortunately, the gasoline cost would be way too high and she can't get off work, but maybe next year!

I wanted to also tell you that I have some G1 and G2 items that you don't have on Dream Valley. From G1, I have some puzzles (50 piece) that I don't believe you have pictured unless I missed something. I also have a carousel game. And from G2, I have a perfume bottle from France, some puzzles, and two mini booklets with ponies and a fold-up booklet thing, plus a few ponies (but you probably don't need to see them because you don't have the sections on Dream Valley).

Finally, I wanted to write you about your price campaign. I do think that the cost of MLPs are getting way too high (I do all of my MLP shopping on Ebay). Some ponies I believe should have a higher price, like a rare Argentina, Brazilian, Greek, Italian etc. etc. pony, but many of the ponies go way over my budget and several thousand people's budgets as well. I also hate the fact of seeing a collector get a MOC MLP, because I know that they will most likely never be taken off the cards. I have had three or four MOC ponies that I immediately ripped open and started playing with, and I am not sorry that I did. MLPs are meant to be played with and loved by a little girl, not to be kept on their card until the end of the world. I sometimes feel sorry for those ponies that are MOC, because although they have a nice snuggly place to stay, they have never fulfilled their purpose. The cost for these ponies is way too much!

Thanks for reading this email, and please respond. :)

~Star Hopper (Hope P.)

I am a proud collector of MLP's, and have been some time now. I am a big fan of going and searching threw garage sales and flea markets, at wich I have found some GREAT finds. One day I took my daughter out with me, and searched the whole day at a flea market. I thout it had been a GREAT day. I had found Sea Shimmer and her greenish purple turtle floaty. My daughter kind of laughed and smirked at me, saying that it was a waste of time, and that I should try online auctioning. So, she showed me the ropes of eBay, and I was all set. I typed in Firefly, and off it went! It was so easy! Then, when the results came back, there were prices such as $50 and $17, and one even $90!!! I couldn't believe it. I still buy ponies off eBay, but only ones I think that I'm getting a good deal on. I think this campain is a really good cause, as I love MLP, and my two daughters love them, too.

Scincerely,

And prices have been going up, especially lately. I went to the Minnesota pony convention this year and rarely found a pony over 15 dollars, on Ebay, it's rare to find a pony that's UNDER 15 dollars. The only approach to take to the situation is just to refuse to pay the outrageous prices (that are only getting higher). If no one bids, it sends a powerful message to the seller. That they're wasting thier time, and if their aim is to sell ponies for a profit they are barking up the wrong tree.

I have become increasingly irritated with the plethora of websites (unlike yours:) with photos of shelves upon shelves of "MIB/MIP/NIB" etc. ponies owned by people claiming to be My Little Pony enthusiasts who seem simply obsessed with having them all instead of enjoying them. Hello, these are toys, and they are meant to be enjoyed, not worshipped! What about all of the normal people (not to mention children--hello?) who would get so much joy out of one of those ponies?

Anyway, I just live pony to pony, trying to rebuild the collection I gave away ten years ago (if I knew then what I know now...). Sometimes I get lucky and find a herd who need some TLC, but mostly I just feed on the scraps left over by greedy collectors and dealers--I get so annoyed watching them outbid me on Ebay, knowing that I'll be begging the same pony off of them in a week or so after they've cleaned her/him up and jacked up the price.

Thank you for listening. (p.s. I'm still looking for a Rainbow Dash that she can play with and I don't have to worry about it's collectability. They are just too much on e-bay)

My little girl asked for he own ponies after she discovered mine in a box. I bought her 2 at the store and became interested myself in finding some of the ponies I had lost as a child. I turned to ebay and was shocked to see the prices at the used ponies. Since christmas she has been asking for Sunny Daze and Rainbow Dash but I couldn't find either of them at a reasonable price. I recently got both of them from ebay but it took a lot of work to get them. They are both extremely expensive, especially Rainbow Dash. New in the box I saw her for over $20! I can't afford that much for a pony, especially a toy that is going to be played with. The most I've spent on a pony for her has been 8 except for Pinky Pie as Cinderella. I was hesitant but it was her first trip to Disneyland and when she saw a pony dressed as Cinderella (her favourite princess) she just had to have it. I was shocked when I later saw them on ebay for over $20.

All of my personal ponies came from thrift stores. My mother would buy them for me for no more than 50 cents or a dollar each. I had no idea they were going for so much. I think it's time to revisit those thrift stores.

I frequent your site for various reasons. I just came across the section about the cost of ponies. I am doing my best to keep the costs down. I trade with other collectors, and I won't bid on ebay unless I am getting the pony for what it costed in the store, give or take shipping. I still have some of my back cards from the 80's and my mom paid $6.99 and even $7.99 for some of my ponies. Perhaps the stores around here just had a high price on toys. Thinking back that was expensive. I think some people would die if they knew I let my niece chew on a double Mimic while she was teething two years ago. By the way the pony shows no signs of play, and she has been played with by many children in various places. Like at a ball field while my nephew played a game of baseball. You could imagine my surprise when about a month ago I saw a Mimic on ebay sell for $150 in no worse a condition as mine. She is quite "minty" through it all.

I can not tell children no when it comes to these beautiful toys. I play ponies with my nephews. Sure there are some ponies like the SS they don't know about but the others in my opinion were meant to be played with. We even open up boxes, play with the ponies, and then put the ponies back inside the boxes. It is fun and they understand how serious I am about my ponies.

I read about the Chuck-e-Cheese pony, and I thought you might find it interesting that I found the pony in 1996 at a Chuck-e-Cheese in the Los Angeles area. Of course I won the tickets to get it! I had a lot of practice as a kid at Ski-Ball. Now my nephew wins all the time, I guess he learned from me. I was shocked to see it there as I worked at KB at the time and there were not any ponies on our shelves. My nephew never forgot about me winning all the tickets and we still go to Chuck-e-Cheese together.

I hope I didn't bore you with my stories, and feel free to share any of this info with who ever you wish.

Snicerely,

Janae

Anyway, I just thought everyone would be happy to know that at least one Rapunzel in the world will not be making it to ebay. She'll remain just another one of the ponies in my small collection of about a dozen. Right now she's on ebay by another seller for a buy it now of $700. I don't think I could sleep at night.
If I ever did sell her, I'd probably donate the money to a cause or charity. There's just something wrong about selling a pony for that much money! Ponies are of course innocent childhood toys, at least originally, and although they are collectors items now, they are inherently toys for little girls or boys. I won't be letting my 2 1/2 year old play with Rapunzel, but you know what I mean ;) She has her own pony.
Just a few days ago I wasn't aware of how many people collect MLPs, or how big the market's gotten. I have a newfound interest in collecting ponies again, and rebuilding my lost collection, at least only the ones that I can afford..

Rapunzel means the most to me though out of the ones I'm missing. I was forbidden to send away from her, my mother had decided I was too old for ponies and wouldn't lend me the money to get her or any of the last mail order ponies. Twice, my beloved boyfriend has ventured on Ebay to try to buy one only to watch her go for $500+. My one time bidding on her, I won at $250 but the seller decided not to sell her for that much at the advice of a certain well known pony dealer. It was easier to take a strike on their account than take a lesser price. Still.. $250! I'm disabled and at the time, that was half my entire monthly paycheck! Honestly, how do these people sleep at night?

And I see it happening again with the G3's, this time with Hasbro helping. Limited editions, "bonus" ponies at different stores.. etc etc.. If you want to keep up, you either need to work at every retail outlet in your country and in several others or be prepared to pay through the nose to whomever was lucky enough to reach the store first and buy every last "rare" pony they had. Sure you can trade with others but I learned the hard way that unless you're "popular" or willing to be ripped off, you're not likely to get noticed, not even if you have a very rare pony to trade! They would rather go to Ebay or to trade with someone "popular" who usually has one already. Most of my trades were with people overseas whom no one wanted to bother with because of postage cost. I swear Hasbro needs to make an all green pony with dollar signs all over as an homage to the way pony fans behave - they can call her "Greedily" and her best friend can be Scrooge.

It's insane, why are colorful ponies that are suppose to promote love instead causing anger, frustration, arrogance, greed and stress? The pony community is a hateful, spiteful place and I think the collectors need to stop and take a look at the values of the toys they so cherish: Giving, loving and being friends.

I've been a huge fan of you site for some time now. I, like many others love it and it helps me out so much when trying to sort through which ponies are which and what goes to which one. Like many of the MLP fans that have already commented on your site I too think prices are outrageous. I must admit that when I was an older teenager I gave up many of my beloved ponies to my niece who loved them as well but lost them when they moved. I have always still had a love for them and was very upset when they told me they were gone. When I first heard the announcement of the new G3s being release I started digging right away. I had always kept my purple baby ember, she was always a favorite of mine and my original Spike (I have a dragon collection as well), He has always been on top of my dresser. I also started searching. Any info I could get on them and any I found at flea markets, garage sales and such. Then came the Ebay search, how disheartening, I do purchase occasionally and try to get deals when I can but between the prices and the shipping cost it's hard to expand my collection too much.

One incident I would like to tell you about is my older sister and I driving to the flea market a few weeks ago. We were discussing the price of ponies on Ebay and I started to tell her about Mimic and she goes for over $100 now. My sister was never a big pony fan and as I described Mimic to her, she lit up and said "I remember her, you had her and always took her with you everywhere". This broke my heart a little, as I will probably never be able to get her unless I get lucky some day. I told my sister something like that and she immediately felt bad and said, "well maybe we (meaning my brothers and her) can all chip in and get her for you for Christmas". I immediately told her no and that I would be very upset if she spent that much on one pony for me. She said ok, but somehow I don't really believe her. I understand if there are collectors on there and they all want that pony and it goes a little higher, but when a pony is sold in a lot with about 50 other ponies for over $500 and bought by someone with a name of a reseller, it angers me so much because you know it was only bought for profit and not to be loved.

I'm glad to see that I am not the only one that feels this way, but unless we all set limits, they will continue to raise in price. I am lucky enough to have a couple of Targets, Walmarts and Toys R Us stores around me so I can find the "Exclusive" new ponies and get them at regular prices, (and sometimes clearance after holidays :-) ) but it doesn't help get those ponies from "My" cartoon and "My" childhood that I would just love to have, box or not, I am a big kid still and dress and brush my ponies as much as I want too!

Thanks again for this lovely site!