Friday, August 05, 2011

Be Careful when you Pony Hunt


Yesterday, I went pony hunting.  Some people call pony hunting the simple act of going to the local Target or Walmart or Toys’R’Us, checking out the toy aisle, and leaving with something pony related if there’s anything interested.  I call that a scouting mission.  A true hunt, for me, involves five Targets, five WalMarts, two Toys’R’Us’, one Kohls, three Meijers and five thrift shops. I drive through four cities and travel about an hour away from my house on a hunt.  And, now that I don’t have a ‘real’ job, I can do this about once a week!

I love guessing what ponies are inside the store before going in.  I love going to the toy aisle and finding where the ponies are.  I especially love it when I find the last hard-to-find pony hiding behind the Barbie’s or Littlest Pet Shop.  I get this giddy little jolt of happiness when I was right about what gems were hiding in the store.

One Target out of the three I went to yesterday had the Canterlot display.  And it was mostly empty!  I was surprised that one of the Targets didn’t have it; it’s a Target Greatland and they have a huge amount of toy space! But, I did find the new Rarity’s Carousel Boutique, the Riding Along with Rainbow Dash/Twilight Sparkle/Fluttershy sets, and Applejack’s Farm Truck.  But, the creepiest thing I found was the Pinkie Pie Learns to Walk.  
So Soft Pinkie Pie "Learns to Walk" from HasbroToyShop.com


I was searching for Lily Blossom when I moved in front of the so soft Pinkie Pie.  I hear this eerie “Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie!” coming from near my feet.  I look down and there’s a hideously swollen headed, beak faced monstrosity of a baby doll trying to pass itself off as our cheerful Pinkie Pie.  “Look, I can walk!” she proudly declared from within her plastic imprisonment. Thankfully, she was chained to her cardboard high chair and couldn't reach me. This pink imposter had me in her bug eyed trance; I couldn’t get away, no matter how hard I tried.  Just as I reached for her to buy her, a little boy came running down the aisle, chasing his sister.  They broke the demon-Pinkie’s grip on my wallet by almost running into me.  I snagged the Riding Along with Rainbow Dash and got out of there!

To whomever their mother/guardian is, thank you for letting your children run amok in the toy aisle.  You saved my house from invasion of psudeo-Pinkie!

Monday, August 01, 2011

When to list on eBay


 
I’m very lucky to have a father who has taught me how to search for items and sell them.  Some of my fondest memories are getting up at the dreadfully early hour of 6 AM to go garage saleing in Colorado.  Sometimes my younger sister would come; sometimes she didn’t want to get up that early. He would buy us doughnuts for breakfast and we would cruise around neighborhoods, evaluating sales from the street before deciding to pull in or not.  It didn’t take me long to figure out that brightly colored items usually equaled toys or that boxes lined up under tables most likely contained books.  After a couple hours of looking at things, Dad would go to 7eleven and buy me peanut M&M’s and get a Big Gulp for himself.  What a delight to get a drink of the soda whenever I asked for it!  These trips always yielded some sort of treasure: a pig for my collection, a new book to read, some pretty figurine, or, best of all, a new pony.

Dad also liked to sell at flea markets and gun shows.  Mom occasionally sold items at craft shows.  I always went, coloring book, crayons, and a few toys in tow to keep me occupied.  I didn’t know it at the time, and I doubt they did either, but my parents were instilling in me a love for the hunt and the joy of the sale.

After rediscovering my love for ponies, I turned to eBay to sell extras that I found at garage sales, flea markets, and thrift shops.  I had been buying Dinotopia items for a long time, but it was the ponies that I sold.

I have been selling items on eBay ever since 2000. At first, because I wasn’t 18, I had to do my buying and selling under my dad’s account.  The day I turned 18, I opened my eBay account, Dinosmart, and started selling for myself.  I looked at ended items and tried to figure out why some would sell higher than others, despite being exactly the same.  It came down to two things.

First, your listing must be extremely appealing.  The item has to be clearly described and made to sound exciting.  A vintage glo worm to cheer your little one in the middle of the night is far more appealing than just a 1980’s green glo worm that works. Lots of pictures are a must too!  If the item glows in the dark, take it to a dark place and try to photograph the glowing action.  Black lights help with this too.

Secondly, the day your auction ends has a tremendous impact on the final selling price.  I have listed items on every day of the week and Sunday night seems to be the consistent time to get the highest price.  People are home Sunday nights because they have work in the morning, they’re in a good mood from a great weekend, and they’re looking forward to the money they’ll make in the coming week, so they’ll spend now.  List your item on Sunday night and you can’t go wrong.

And speaking of Sunday night listings… I listed 26 auctions, including Canterlot ponies and the very desirable McDonalds Friendship is Magic ponies.  Go check them out!  Maybe you’ll find something you like.  Dinosmart’s eBay auctions