How Do YOU Collect?

[NoPonySpecial]

  As far as Gen 1 (and 2, if I decide to collect them), I pretty much HAVE to look for specific ones online. I have zero luck in thrift stores, yard sales, flea markets...nothing. Sigh. And I so love to find treasures at a second hand store.... 
  For Gen 3, if I come across some by chance, I'll pick out only ones I really like, and even then, I decided if I must collect G3, I'm limiting myself to one of each pose.
  Gen 4, I really just collect the pocket-sized blind bag ponies, with few exceptions, so there's a lot of hunting and carrying codes in my purse.

[gabumon]

I love reading these!

Any G1-G3 (except McDonalds G3) I see in thrift I get.  G4 I get what I like, but not all, mostly yellow colored ponies, and for sure boys.  (building a G4 Blind Bag Boy collection)

My collection is less a collection and more a Haven for Ponies.  (IOW, I have a bin and when it's full, or I want to get more, I sell or trade!). 

I keep them; love them; then share them.  (except a handful of G1s that I'm keeping forEVER)

[applejackSA]

My method is odd:

MONEY:

I set aside approximately (the South African equivalent of) $60 a month from my salary, and then anything that I earn over-and-above that (as I do a lot of freelance work) - I allow myself one-quarter of whatever extra I have to put towards ponies.

At the moment I am collecting across the generations filling up main gaps

So - main wants at the moment:

G1 - My Pretty Pony (w/white spot on rump), Seashell and Moondancer
G1 - Complete Show Stable
G1 - a few Parade Petites (to complete my set)
G1 - Firefly plush
G1 - Mail Order March Birthflower

G2 - Light Heart w/Canopy Playset

G3 - Mittens

etc etc

I am a TOTAL "completionist" (I know this word doesn't exist!). I will hunt for months for a missing name tag for my Pretty Parlor, or... latest mission:

BABY BLUES RIBBON'S AWARD RIBBON (all I need to complete the mail order game set!)

I definitely have a "game plan", but I look through EBAY daily and fall in love with a new pony every day. So my collecting becomes totally random, and then I have to pull myself together and snap out of it and focus on my collecting goals!

VERY excited to have found a MINT G1 Bubbles (after 8 MONTHS of trawling ebay and the arena), and then an impulse purchase was the adorable Cotton Candy ceramic/porcelain figurine from a seller here on the arena. I couldn't resist.

Damn the cute buggers!

[Dawn]

I buy G1 and G2 ponies at flea markets to clean up, if any are on my list (very unofficial, mainly consists of TAFs, SHS and Nightlight!) or if they give me that "see how cute I am!" look, I keep them, if not they get sold on here.
G3s I only buy if I know they are sought after, then they get put in a dark drawer and left to accumulate value - mwuahahaha! x) I just never really bonded with this gen..
I tend to buy any g4 playful ponies that take my fancy too, but since that's not very many - most of the ponies I'd want are either exclusives, come with a stupid big playset or are only available as glimmer wings - I've only got 12 of those so far and about 4 blind bags that I only buy if hasbro hasn't released the pony as a brushable yet.

[Sea_Breeze]

G1 - only adults & of those only certain sets
G2 & G3.5 - none
G3 - I pretty much have every store bought that came out
G4 - Adults only, blind bags & standard size ponies only unless a special pony comes out in a different size. I also only buy one of each.. ie/ I have one Rainbow Dash even though there are like 10 versions of her

[blu_clouds]

What a great topic!  Let's see:

G1 - Only the ones I love which include a few Nirvana, mail orders and some sets like Wingers
G2 - Do NOT own any
G3 - Almost own them all, there are a few I need to track down, but not many
G3.5 - HATE these...yuck
G4 - Kinda just getting the ones I like.  Maybe one day I will be a completionist with this generation, but I can't afford it now

[partypony566]

I buy whatever is it I want at the time.
 I used to buy any G1s that I wanted, but now I won't buy commons hardly ever because in my mind all the money spent on the cheaper ponies all adds up to the value of a rare pony, so I'd rather get the big ticket stuff for now. By the end of this year I want to have completed some collecting goals.


For example, I went through a phase of REALLY wanting certain HTF G3s. I got Anchors Away and Caribbean Delight. Now I just want Beach Belle and I'll be done with G3s.

Then I really wanted paradise estate, which meant no buying ponies at all, I just concentrated on that. Now I have PE I am currently looking for Mimic. She will be my next purchase. I just have to find her :p

[Sonata]

Since I don't buy often, I tend to stay on sets and try to complete them before getting into other ones. But usually I just don't care and try to get good deals on bundles and that's it xD

[Honeycomb]

I wish I had a plan how to collect! I have a wishlist, but sometimes I see people posting pics of ponies that are not on my list, and I become obsessed to find that pony too. Or, I am trying to find something from my wishlist, but I cannot, and then I buy something else instead. Especially with MOCs this happens all the time.

[DaffyDilly]

G4 I buy what I find here - not a right lot at the moment! Eventually I'll have to pay higher prices for some of the exclusives.

G1 - well my want list is getting expensive now, so I buy when I can afford.
G2 and G3 - I tend to splurge now and again.

[Water_Fire]

I... er, don't have a style. Is that a pony? Is it pretty? Do I like it? Into my shopping basket it goes!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

G1:  I hunt through thrift stores and sometimes yard sales and keep an eye on Kijiji - mostly I will grab what I can find unless it's common enough I already have two.  I hang onto them for a week and decide if I want to keep or trade.  Mostly I concentrate on sets that I like - which changes every few years! 

G2:  Same... though I don't find many and therefore they are all "keep".

G3:  I grab them at thrift stores if I know it's a HTF or popular one to trade.

G3.5:  Ummm...  I don't look for them, they end up as extras in toy bags or from Kijiji lots.

G4:  I collect certain colors (mostly blue unicorns) so I keep an eye out at stores but no serious drive to acquire them... after all, they WILL be in thrift stores soon enough.  That's how I found a Fluttershy only a month or so after the FiM show debuted (must have been a very spoiled child who had their toys purged)!