Beginner collector - Strategies from seasoned collectors!

[MerryAnvil]

Hello there! I've been collecting ponies for about 15 years now. I'm an unusual collector in that besides my goal of collecting every male pony Hasbro has released across all the gens, I don't have any specific sets I try to get. I generally just pick up ponies I like aesthetically. Sometimes I end up enjoying some molds more than others, like recently when I discovered a love for the newborn ponies. If I were to give advice, I'd just say 'collect whatever you're drawn to'. So I'm probably not very helpful in regards to finding a focus, but I'll try to offer some general advice!

I'm a firm thrifter/garage-sale-goer/antique-store-hunter. I know in many places it isn't easy to find ponies at those sorts of stores, but it's fun to look anyways and you never know what you might find! I often find bags of ponies for $2-4 at my local antique store. I only have one G1 that I haven't found 'in the wild', actually, and I got him from someone else in the community. If you do decide to try hunting for ponies in the wild, I would recommend visiting the stores just after the weekend (either Monday or Tuesday) if you possibly can. That's when I've had most of my luck.

If you're having no luck with that or you'd rather buy online from places such as eBay, my advice would be to pay attention to the condition of the pony before buying. Comparing the pics that the seller has given to an image on an identification site, such as Strawberry Reef, or a picture of the same pony MIB (which you can usually find quite easily by googling), will give you a good idea of the pony's condition. It can also help you tell whether the pony has faded any, had its hair cut, etc.

And I definitely agree with TwinkleEyedWitch about the Magic Erasers. Seriously, those things will transform a grimy, hopeless pony into a squeaky-clean, colorful, happy pony. They are indispensable to pony collectors! Just make sure to keep your touch feather-light over the painted areas such as the eyes, blush, and symbols, because it can and will damage them if you're not careful.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

1.  Figure out what you like and what you want to collect.  Do not go overboard with buying lots unless it's locally and cheaply.  That pony you want... it will ALWAYS show up again for sale.  Even Nirvanas...

2.  SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!!  Do not go on Ebay every payday and empty out your account just because you have items you can buy and money to buy them with!

3.  Figure out how you will store them.  Everyone has a moment where they have to pack 'em up and move. Or kids are coming over.  Or you're showing your house for sale.  Figure the proper storage solution out beforehand so you are not dumping them into cardboard boxes willy-nilly with no labeling.

4.  Keep a regular inventory!!!!  Especially when you start small! And yeah have a container just for those odd plastic bits because they do get thrown away and the last thing you want to do is have to re-buy a $40 piece of plastic!

[invaderhorizongreen]

I do inventory at least one a year, and update my want lists as I go along.  I now have a box full of extra ones, and yes I do keep an eye out at my local thrift store.

[banditpony]

Well.

The way I did it when I was starting out, is I would buy reasonably priced lots that had a few ponies I liked in it. Then I'd clean up and sell the ones I didn't like. And with that profit, I would rinse and repeat. But this was also a way for me not to spend "too much" on the hobby.

Then I realized I got tired of buying ponies online, because it was too easy...

So, I started only hunting them locally (unless it was something I *REALLY* wanted and was rare enough that it wasn't likely to pop up.) This has actually made my collection much more dear to my heart.

But I also agree with others to say take your time. Ponies absolutely show up again and again.

[ClosetAvalanche]

Stalk the newly listed on Ebay. This is how I scored my Rapunzel for $20, Baby Gametime for $5 and Mimic for $5. Many more, but too many to list. Have to be fast.

[Haruna]

1) Take some serious time to do some research.  Learn what's out there, and make a list of what you like best.  Make sure you also check into the market for anything you decide to buy.  Ended ebay auctions are always a good indicator of price, but you can always ask here for price checks on anything you're having a hard time finding a value for.

I second this Also, I'd recommend checking out some of the awesome pony websites that are out there so that you can easily ID ponies and just have fun learning about them -- two sites that come to mind are Ponyland Press and The My Little Pony Scrapbook (there are many, many more as well).