I'm looking to start collecting, no idea where to start

[Acheron187]

I have been collecting G4 stuff and am looking to expand, All generation stuff I find appealing. I have no idea where to start...

[egyptiondragon]

i had this exact question about a year ago when i started to expand my collection these webstis helped me bunches
http://www.strawberryreef.com/
http://mylittlewiki.org/wiki/Main_Page
both are ran by awesome people best i can suggest you do is browse these and the arena sales forums and make a want list i know a lot of members here have loads of other gens they would love to sell you i hope this helps

[LadyDi]

Honestly, I left it up to chance by going to value village/the thrift store and just seeing what I came up with. I ended up getting G3 first and then I started finding g1s. I found the motherload of G1s recently. And that's how I decided what to collect. Lol

I'm sure that wasn't helpful

[DazzleKitty]

Going to thrift stores and flea markets is a good start. It's especially easy to find G3 ponies there. They are practically in abundance.

But if you are shopping on eBay or another online source, just buy the ones that appeal most to you. That's what I did when I first started.

[achab1984]

If your buying on ebay make sure to check the prices. You can get some good deals and some not so good deals. I wish you luck and happy pony buying

[ravengusty]

i started with g3s when i got back into collecting last year but after a small pause in collecting I carried on with G1 thats my main thing right now. I still have a few g3s including a couple of special ones I got as a gift in a ponycon swap. With ebay I see what's going, I know specific ponies I want but I'm not fussed about buying a 'lot' of ponies that have maybe one or two I definitely want and the rest I filter into keeping coz I likes the look of them or selling on. I'm always checking the charity shops though round where I live they're useless for G1s I got two princess ponies a month ago and it was the first time in the year or so I've been back collecting that I've found any in shops. So its mostly ebay, here, and the mlp trading post that I get ponies.
Look online and see what you'd like perhaps you could start with G1s from a specific year like Gusty from 1984. Collect by year, or by type like unicorns, pegasus, rainbow ponies. Their are so many just sit down and have a think.

[PitterPatter]

When I started, given that I had limited knowledge I tried not to overcomplicate it. I went by what I saw and liked at the time.
So if I saw something G1 on ebay, I would search on this site for a price check on it, and then decide if it was a good price and what I was willing to pay.

G3 I would look on ebay for large bundles, particularly if they averaged at less than £1 a pony in total.

Doing this allowed me to build up my collection pretty quick and at a good cost. Now I'm a bit more picky as I a lot of G3 bundles now come with ponies I already have, and I know what I want more specifically from G1.

G2 are on a hiatus at the moment and G4 mostly come from the shops 

It really depends how you want your collection to look. Some people would rather buy specific favourites straight away. Which is perhaps a slower method, but certainly very satisfying!

And don't forget to check out sales threads on here. You can find all manor of things and with very, very nice people

[Radiance]

You can start shopping at thrift shops and just see what you find, or you can pic a color or theme and start searching for ponies that are in line with that. I love green ponies and ponies with bee symbols, so I search for those most often. No matter what you're into, there's a pony out there for you!

[bbassel]

When i first started it was with a box of g1's my parents got me for xmas ten years ago. They have always frequented auctions and I always told them if they ever came across original mlp then to pick them up for me. It was the best present I have ever received. From there I frequented every thrift store I could locally almost every day for years ( and two or three flea markets every sunday). I bought some books to i.d the ponies I had found and used the books to find my most wanted. From there I hit the internet and found some wonderful sites and collectors. Hopefully this helps you on your search. It has been a wonderfully fullfilling hobby for me! 

[Lucky_Ladybug]

May I also recommend checking antique malls? There's usually several sellers who have toys in their booths, and Ponies have been known to turn up in them, at least in my state!

[hathorcat]

I completely agree with everyone here - you need to go with what you like I would simply suggest taking time to look through the most comprehensive websites - http://www.kimsites.net/dreamvalley/ for G1 and as well as Strawberry Reef for G3. Choose the ones which most appeal - due to colour, style or even symbol and those are the ones I would start with.

I think a great way for someone who started collecting via G4 and FiM to perhaps initially search out the G1 versions of the G4 ponies - so Sparkler and Twilight and Posey and Surprise and Firefly and of course AppleJack. That can be quite cool!

You should be able to track down most of the more common ponies via the Arena sales and ebay given time.

[Sprinkles]

I would first pick a generation to start with. If you're interested in G3s, I would recommend those because they are the easiest to find. Like others have said, look at all the ponies on Strawberry Reef and pick out the ones you like that way you can form a want list. Then you can search for those

[LightingElectricDream]

For me I acquired 50 in 3 months, I bought my first 3 on ebay then I bought a lot of 8, then I looked on Craig list, then I went to thrift stores and flea markets.
But I suggest Thrift stores where you can find all gen for really cheep.
also try looking in junk stores too.
If you want to buy from someone on mlp area They have good prices, much cheaper than ebay. and trading is really fun too! I have never had a problem buying or trading the people here, They are grate!
Thank you everyone!
 

[Stormness_1]

With me, when I first got online, all the ponies i liked was too overwhelming, so I went to a sales post that was within my budget, and picked a few I liked from there. Then I looked at those ponies, determined what I liked about them, and then collected more like them. I also went onto ebay and found some bargains to beef up my collections, and traded what I didn't like when they got to me. There's no right way to go about collecting!