Dang it, Patch...

[PrincessLyra]

Okay, so a few of you might already know I bought Patch from eBay last week, and she arrived today! YAY!

However, she had a number of issues that weren't in the description the seller provided, or even visible in the pictures. More accurately, she had a few strands of hair cut off, a weird dark mark-ish thingy in the neck seam on one spot, TAIL RUST, and she smells a bit musty, so chances are she's not exactly clean inside, either. Not so yay.

So now I don't know what I should do. I'm happy to finally have a Tales pony, but to deal with the issues she has, it goes almost to the realm of restoration, which is far from being a strong suit of mine. For one thing, I'd have to open her up - something that I have never done before, nor do I feel particularly confident about. Plus I don't think I'm gonna like what I find in there.

The seller accepts returns, but I have mixed feelings about that. On one hand, I'm not expecting to get another shot at a Tales pony anytime soon... But on the other hand, I'd get my money back.
I still haven't left feedback, by the way. I'll have to make a decision before I do so. The transaction went absolutely great, but the tail rust issue is a bit glaring. Could be the seller wasn't familiar with pony ailments, but still.

If anyone can give me some advice, I'd be VERY thankful.

 

[Stormness_1]

Patch can be a HTF girl, and even though she's not the prettiest pony, you just fall in love with her anyway! As for the ebay deal, I'd definitely send the seller a message. Just let them know that the item is not what was represented to you, and you'd never had bid so high if you'd known her condition. Let them know that you'd prefer to keep the pony, but a partial refund is in order, or you'll be leaving appropriate feedback, given the unseen major flaws on the pony. Oh, and make sure you save the listing photos, and take some of your own, showing the flaws.

As for the restore, there's some great tutorials in the tutorials section

My Little Pony Trading Post Tutorials!

which you probably shouldn't test on Patch, but if you have any spare common ponies, or baits, why not have a go on them, and learn some new pony skills!

 

[fantasticfirefly]

Oh no! I hate being disappointed like this when something arrives. You're such a nice buyer too, absolutely lovely to sell to, I'm sorry you got unlucky this time.

If you are considering mailing her back- do not alter her in any way or clean her until you've made up your mind. Regardless of what a seller claims their return policy is, you can return for refund with ebay. You have to pay for a return shipping method that has tracking and I think delivery confirmation and as far as I know, you only get the purchase price back and not shipping costs. I haven't sent anything back yet on ebay. I've usually just sold or re-homed those items I've been disappointed with myself.

Fixing,
yes, for tail rust in order to correct this you do need to break her neck seal and remove her head. I have pretty strong hands so it's easy for me, but even when I had arthritis in them pretty badly I still managed to clean out some ponies. The easiest way I've found is to rinse the neck seam under some nice hot tapwater and rock the head back and forth. If this does nothing, toothfloss with acetone and "sawing" the floss at the glue can get you started. Be careful that the acetone doesn't run or drip onto any painted features- it can take them clean off.

Insides, if it's musty or moldy. First, push through her tail and pull it out her neck. set it aside. I use a foaming bathroom cleaner (the kind for tile-mildew) and spray the inside of the pony and leave her for awhile. Later, go back, rinse her out and finish getting her clean inside with a toothbrush lathered with soap. If you get your pony warm under hot water first I find it helps when reaching around trying to brush all the nooks and crannies.

The tail, the metal clip that is in the middle I scrub with a magic earasor. People have had wonderful results scrubbing the hair stained with rust with some toothpaste and a toothbrush (the baking soda toothpastes work well). Once it is clean I condition, dry and reinsert. You don't really need the washer to hold it in place, and if the tail is rusty likely the metal washer will be too far gone anyway.

the smell- Once she's all clean, and you've allowed her to dry fully I highly recommend sticking her in a tub with fresh baking soda at the bottom, and placing the pony on top of a fabric scrap. Seal and leave. It could take a few weeks for it to go away.

Her other flaws I'd really have to see them to get an idea of what may work to fix them.

 

[fantasticfirefly]

Patch can be a HTF girl, and even though she's not the prettiest pony, you just fall in love with her anyway! As for the ebay deal, I'd definitely send the seller a message. Just let them know that the item is not what was represented to you, and you'd never had bid so high if you'd known her condition. Let them know that you'd prefer to keep the pony, but a partial refund is in order, or you'll be leaving appropriate feedback, given the unseen major flaws on the pony. Oh, and make sure you save the listing photos, and take some of your own, showing the flaws.

I agree with messaging the seller saying had you known about how bad the pony was, you wouldn't have bid so much. but do NOT mention feedback at all, a seller can report you for feedback extortion. They don't have to partially refund either, but I have gotten them in the past. They DO have to accept returns though, if they try and refuse you can open a "item not as described" case through ebay.

 

[HighFlyer]

I agree about a partial refund. You really wanted this pony, but you didn't want her in this condition.
Opening her up is more difficult than it seems. Soak her in hot water and wear thin gloves since your fingernails can leave nasty scratches. If the head doesn't come off easily, try thin scissors (I use a very small thin angled scissor that can cut in very precise millimeters) around the edges, but don't cut too deep! If you're unsure, don't use it, but try the toothfloss as mentioned by FantasticFirefly.
A soft baby tooth brush works wonders on removing dirt. Don't forget the feet and the ears . A cuetip can help you get into the nasty holes where dirt is piled up.
If Patch is really dirty and smelly, you may have to bathe her more than once, You can also use cleaning products like Oxy Action products.
For tail rust I have my own little recipe: soak the tail in lemon juice for 24 hours or so. It will remove the rust from the tail and even from the metal top, but you have to dry it well before putting the tail back in. I usually put some coating on the metal parts to prevent it from rusting again, and I rather remove the ring around the tail completely.
Good luck restoring this beautiful girl!

 

[PrincessLyra]

Thank you so much, everyone...

Well, I've decided to keep her for the time being, she is hard to come across and was one of my favorite characters in the show when I was a kid. Though I see I'm gonna have to get a few baits on purpose to try out head poppin'. ...It's a bit unsettling for me, though ^^; Buying baits is not something I do under normal circumstances, since I don't restore and don't really like having doubles (one of the reasons I don't buy lots).

And I'll definitely take your advice on the partial return and subsequent feedback. Although, about that... I should mention Patch wasn't up for auction, it was a BIN AND she was on sale, 30% off, I think... Dang, can't remember (she was originally 50 GBP, around $78-ish). Does that change anything? Also... Would this situation automatically warrant neutral feedback?

Here is the listing, by the way: [link]
As you can see, the lighting makes it almost impossible to see the tail rust.

I already took a few quick pictures, including one of that dark neck seam mark I mentioned (I sure hope it isn't mold), and a greenish mark above her DS eye. She does have a few others scattered around her body, but they're either difficult to discern (especially with this quality) or are just not cause for concern as far as I can see. All in all, she's not THAT bad, just in need of care that I'm not sure I can provide.

And you know the best part? This weekend I saw a pretty darn NM Starlight go for $16. I would've gladly paid $20, but just didn't bid on her because I was already waiting for Patch. UGH. 00)

 

[HighFlyer]

You paid 35 GBP (55 dollar) for her? I think that is still too much in this condition. On Dutch auction sites I've seen her sell for €20,00 (27 dollar) in much better condition. Remember that when you remove her head, the value decreases, unless she's in a very bad condition on the inside.

 

[fantasticfirefly]

In the end it's up to you if you decide to keep her or not. Blueroses price guide for Patch:
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Patch $25.66 (May '10: $40.30/Oct. '09: $9.99)

I've paid well over "price guide" prices on some ponies, but for ones in stellar condition. She did mention this pony having stray marks, but made no mention of the odor or the rust in her hair, so it's well within reason to justify a return. I couldn't tell from your photographs if the hair has been trimmed as I couldn't see that flaw at all, but sometimes the last couple plugs get rooted a little shorter, or sometimes it is a haircut....


If you're not happy with the price for the flaws not visible and unmentioned in the listing, I'd consider sending her back and perhaps enlisting a euro friend to help you track down a nice one you don't need to restore.
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[CJ Thimble Bright]

If you do decide to keep her and try restoring her, this is a lovely compilation site of all things pony cleaning:

The My Little Pony Preservation Project

Good luck!

 

[PrincessLyra]

If you're not happy with the price for the flaws not visible and unmentioned in the listing, I'd consider sending her back and perhaps enlisting a euro friend to help you track down a nice one you don't need to restore.

Hmm... Yeah, I guess you're right. It is a lot of money for a pony that's not even in that good of a condition... It would be one thing if I was confident I could restore her to her former glory, but as it stands, I'm just not. I had bought her specifically for my birthday, I thought, hey, a very special pony for a very special day. But maybe it's better if I just return her and use the money on other ponies, or something. I'll message the seller after dinner.

Oh, and... I'm in Portugal, so yeah. But I do wonder what would be good places to look for Tales ponies. I mean, other than eBay. I know they sold here, but culturally we don't usually buy/sell used toys. And 60% of the time I see Tales ponies on international eBay sites, they only sell to their own countries. In fact, there are two like that right now. Yeah, at this point, ANY of the Tales ponies would do. I've given up on looking for a specific one months ago. Does anyone know of good places to look?

Thanks again for all your help, guys. :smilepony:

 

[fantasticfirefly]

I've found making fellow collecting friends really helps! I've gotten e-mails and pm's with ebay links to things I've been after forever from friends who knew and happened to spot it for me. This is while I was actively searching myself for those things. I've also had help from out of country folks with items from sellers that were available to them, but wouldn't ship to Canada. Of course, I return these favours whenever possible.

Luckily Patch and the tales ponies show up for sale often on ebay (just not shipping outside europe), and some of sites like tradera (Sweden?) regularly and often sell cheaper to local collectors there then the ones that get listed on ebay with worldwide shipping.

 

[PrincessLyra]

Well, I messaged the seller. Let's hope he/she's nice about all of this, and that it all turns out for the better.

You know, it's funny - I've thought of doing that (sending links of things people are looking for) quite a few times while looking at the Want to Buy section, but never did because... Well, because I didn't know if that was allowed, so to speak.

I do get kind of shy when it comes to asking people to do things for me. I'm afraid I'm intruding, or that I'm asking too much of people I barely know. ^^; I have trouble making long-lasting friendships in general.

 

[fantasticfirefly]

I can be pretty shy too.
Sadly I'm not in Europe which seems to be the easiest place to get Patch, but if you find one that doesn't ship to Portugal, but will ship to Canada just send me over a pm.

You know, it's funny - I've thought of doing that (sending links of things people are looking for) quite a few times while looking at the Want to Buy section, but never did because... Well, because I didn't know if that was allowed, so to speak.

You cannot post as a reply, or as a topic unless it's your own auction. You can however send an e-mail or PM if you found an item you notice one of our fellow pony friends is after.

 

[PrincessLyra]

Thanks, FF! I'll keep that in mind whenever I go browsing on eBay! :smilepony:

Well, the seller answered me, was awfully nice about it, actually. Whew!
Well, it's just like I thought. Not a collector and didn't know those were big issues, so to speak. He/she says they can take her back, or give me a partial refund for half the price I paid, so 17.50 GBP (around $27,50). That would make her closer to a reasonable price...

It's kind of bad, but by this point, I feel kind of guilty about sending her back. It's like Stormness_1 said, it's hard not to fall in love with Patch. She still has her issues, though... I mean, I can't even be sure I can safely display her alongside my other ponies. If she does have mold, I don't want it spreading...

I had a thought... What if I put her up for sale here on the TP? That way I'd have more of a guarantee she'd go to someone who'd care for her. And who can actually restore ponies reliably. I really think she'd turn out absolutely lovely, I just don't think I have the skills to give her the work she needs. I'd still have to part with her, but it'd be less... painful, so to speak. I guess.

Man, this is tough...

 

[fantasticfirefly]

Oh wow! great update!
Usually sellers want returns (which they have to accept), they don't have to send partial refund offers, so it's always a pleasant surprise when I'm given that as a choice when an item arrives with a piece missing or not as described. Her partial was substantial too.

If you still want to keep her, pm me. I'd be happy to clean her up for you free of charge, de-rust, if she has any mold inside remove that and the musty smell, smooth her hair etc. I'd just have to check the costs in shipping her back to you first, it didn't cost me that much last time to send to Portugal, unless I went with high end shipping services.

 

[HighFlyer]

I'm glad things turn out this way!

 

[Pinkie]

it's a shame about the unmentioned problems, but you sure are lucky to have her, and she is still beautiful! :smilepony:

 

[PrincessLyra]

Yeah, Patch is pretty cute all right. I loved her on the show. I wanted to be like her and Melody, self-confident, assertive, outgoing, popular, adventurous, good at sports and making people laugh... But I was actually a lot more like Clover and Bright Eyes, with more than a bit of Starlight mixed in for good measure.

Well, still waiting for the refund... If until monday I get nothing, I'm messaging them again.

 

[nsunshine]

You did alright, you got on here and asked questions so you must be coming out of your shyness a bit! Let Fantastic fix her up for you! I bet she can do an awesome job!!! and Patch will probally look like the top priced pony you paid for!!! Hope you get that refund, yet another example of a seller who does not have a clue as to what they are selling yet want to charge an arm and a leg....and it was 30 percent off to boot? Crazy!!!

Here's to hoping it all works out for you!!! and if you need someone in the states for that shipping issue, I certainly can help you out, too!!!

nsunshine

 

[PrincessLyra]

Thank you so much for everything, nsunshine! ^_^

Okay, so I got the note from PayPal saying the seller has indeed refunded me. However I don't see the money anywhere, not on PayPal, not on my bank account, nothing. I'll admit I'm not very used to Paypal outside of paying for purchases, so this could very well be me just not knowing... Do these things take time, or something?