Goals in collecting?

[Clarabel Sapphire]

When I started collecting again back in 2001 after a 13 year hiatus, it was to find all the ponies that I wanted as a kid but missed out on.  First priority was to complete my collectors pose, Year 2 Earth pony and first Rainbow pony sets which resulted in Bluebelle, Blossom, Snuzzle, Lemon Drop, Bubbles, Seashell, Sunlight and Skydancer joining my herd.    Then it was the elusive U.S. Unicorn and Pegasii set that I'd always drooled over and various baby ponies. 

I have created an Excel spreadsheet for my collection and a want list to keep on top of things, the want list does change from time to time.  The priority for me now is that I like the look of the pony rather than getting it simply to complete a set.  That's not to say I have any ponies in my current herd that I don't like! 

[CottonTALE]

My goal is to collect one of every G4 pony in the playful pony, special size, and in the fashion style size. I set a promise goal for myself to accomplish before the end of this year at new years and I think i'm doing fairly well with it:

1. Finish my Wave 4 playful pony set (Honeybuzz, Plumsweet, and Twinkleshine Check. With Feathermay and Snowcatcher in negotiations)

2. Start a Fashion Style Pony Collection (check)

3. Get a Fashion Style Applejack

4. Get the Wedding Castle set (check)

5. Participate in a Customs Swap

[hathorcat]

I am at the stage now where I am only on the look out for one pony so thankfully my collecting goal is pretty focused At least on the pony side...on accessories...I honestly have to own them all!

However, when I had a massive want list, I used to keep an overview list of what I would like to own one day and then I would shorten that to perhaps 12-20 ponies which I really really wanted. Those were my focus - those were the ones I would buy or trade for. As and when I found 2 or 3 of those, I would go back to my master list and then select another few I was still looking for.

So like a giant pony want list cycle!

[PinkRosedust]

My goal is to get all the ponies I like and want. Which is not all ponies ever, but still a difficult goal. =P I just go with the flow...there is never one pony I search for and buy right when I find it.

[achab1984]

I really do not have any goals. I do like to buy G3 and G4 ponies in there boxes still if I can. I just mostly go on ebay and look to see if there are any good deals on any ponies that I do not have yet.

[Lady Starflower]

Sadly I'm the crazy "gotta catch 'em all" lady I collect G1, G3 and G4. I only want one G2 so I'm hoping to find her at the fair and be done with G2

I've been collecting G1's since I was 5 (with a few breaks in between). My goal for G1 is to get all the US ponies, all the UK, German (except the endless princess variants and oddities, I don't care much for them), all the Dutch and select Nirvanas that I like (which is a lot unfortunately).

With G3's I just go with the flow with them. I've found most at the thrift store. Plus the majority of them are super cheap which is nice.

With G4's I collect the brushables and fashion styles (even though I don't have any fashion styles yet). I'm really focusing on G4's right now. My goal with them is to finish the brushables (and hopefully the fashion styles) by the fall before the new ones come out.
I do like some "error/prototype" G4's so I'll go for the ones that catch my eye.

Hathorcat has a great idea with choosing a few from a master want list. It can really help if you're feel overwhelmed. Or working on a gen at a time can help too.

Since I'm going to the fair this year (yay ) I'm choosing to lay off G1's until then and buying a boat load there to save on shipping fees.

[ladyfenrir]

I collect only G1... and my goal is much like Lady Starflower's; I want all the usa release G1s (except punzie and scoops, can't justify spending so much for them), all the uk ponies, german ponies, dutch ponies... and a small selection of nirvanas.

I keep a checklist to keep track of my collection, especially as I currently have no room to display them and keep them all in boxes.

[Stormness_1]

I have a huge want list. HUUUGE. Seriously. So I cut it down to what I want now, and actively search for those ponies. If someone has a few things from that list, because I'm all the way in Oz, I'll take a look at whatever else they have, and if it's at the right price, I might get a bunch of things. That way, I save in my shipping cost per pony, but I also don't go on a crazy spending spree trying to get all the ponies I've ever wanted!

[Cherokie-chan]

I'm still trying to figure out what, if anything, I should focus on collecting.  I'm kind of partial to the Year 1-3 basic ponies, primarily because I already have quite a few of the ponies from those years and I like the ponies' designs.  Most of my childhood ponies are from Year 2, so I've thought about just rounding out that year for my collection goal, but I'm a little put off by the apparent rarity of some of the ones I'm missing (SEA PONIES  ) and I'm fixing to sell off my playsets from that year anyway, so it wouldn't even be a complete collection for very long.

I've also considered focusing on a few specific sublines, for varying reasons - Beddy-Bye Eyes because nobody really seems to like them and I like pulling for the underdog; Newborn Twins because they're extra-cute, even among baby ponies; Sundae Best ponies because...I'm a fatty and therefore love food-related things?  I don't know.  In each of these cases, though, I already have at least one item in the subline, so again, it's just a matter of filling in the gaps around it.

Basically, the factors I take into consideration when I think of what I want to collect are the level of difficulty and expense involved in completing a collection and whether or not the individual pieces of the collection are something I'm going to enjoy and hang onto for a while.  But I don't consider myself an "advanced" pony collector, and if I find a pony that appeals to me with a reasonable price, I'll buy it.  Chances are pretty good I can make up the price by reselling it in a few years if I find I'm not crazy about it.

[mlp4me]

I have a visual want list. I went online and printed out pics of the symbols for g1's that I need for set completers; it's helpful. I also have my want list here that I update regularly.
My goal is complete US non-mo sets before I die...