Oh no... I've started collecting accessories!

[banditpony]

Am I the only one that doesn't want them.  I just can't figure out what they are and what a fair price is... where'd you get that collectors guide?
It won't suck me in, too, will it?! 

I don't want them

I feel like if I did I'd be doomed cuz I'm the type of person that is all or nothing. So it would drive me insane.

Eta: (Although I do like bows and barrettes... Uh oh <<)

[Haruna]

Oh dear, this could be the start of something both wonderful and fearful.

So, I recently finally got myself a copy of the G1 Collector's Inventory, and I had a wonderful time taking inventory of all the ponies and accessories and pony wear I have. Now that everything is checked off, I've been getting...

THE URGE. 

I have a fair amount of accessories. Combs, baby stuff, etc. A few ribbons and most of the accessories to go with the playsets I have. But now I'd like to work on making my collection more complete. And so I was wondering, for those of you really keen on accessory collecting (I know a few of you already ), what is the best way to get a hold of pony accessories, if I decided to buy a good number of them at a time? Right now I mostly have stuff that came with lots, stuff that just sort of found its way to me.

Thanks guys.

I'm in pretty much the same boat! I've started to casually collect accessories, and I've been pretty confused about fair prices for them or, on the flip side, how not to pay what seems like too much for, say, tiny pom-poms stuck together (adorable though Pocket Pals are) or a tiny pearl necklace. Part of my problem is that I can almost quote U.S. pony releases in my sleep but as far as accessories go, I'm much less knowledgeable! Plus some (like Megan's shoes ) are so hard to find.

As far as finding stuff, a lot of my stuff came to me in lots, as well, pretty much randomly; occasionally I slightly overpaid to get stuff (like Pocket Pals) from Ebay. I also recommend Star_Warrior's eCrater store (she's a member here), as she has lots of accessories for sale right now; I'm sure there are other members with lots of accessories who you can buy from in bulk, too. I have a lot of extra accessories myself right now that I need to take pictures of and post for sale . . .  yikes, got to get on that . . . 

[reanna-mator]

Thanks for the links, everyone who gave the link to the guide. I recommend it for collectors who love keeping things in line... love lists... love being detail oriented. I'm Twilight Sparkle basically. >.>

[ashlyne]

My condolences 

First, be VERY organized.  Use a checklist and start with the sets you want to accessories the most.  If you try to collect all the accessories all at once, it can be very overwhelming.  Set small goals (like princess accessories or sweetheart sister accessories) and go from there. You'll find yourself buying large lots and "accidently" collecting accessories from other sets as you go along.

If you have that completist itch and it bugs you to be missing a few key accessories, just come to terms that you might have to spend a lot of money to get those set-completers.   One tiny barrette can cost more than expensive pony.  But if you like accessories as much as a lot of us do, they're as exciting as collecting ponies.

I've had the most success buying in large lots, and then reselling the stuff I don't need at the Fair yearly.   I don't like selling on ebay, and even selling and trading here can be a lot of work.   The money you get from selling your extras can go towards buying another lot.   If you don't have a way of selling off your extra items, you may end up drowning in them  *lol*   It piles up fast!

Feel free to contact me or any number of knowledgeable accessory collectors here.   It can get tricky, especially between US and international releases, and not all the information in older books and online are accurate.   

I've used Taffeta's site a lot for international accessories. For US accessories, I found www.greatponies.com very useful. I think there are some checklists you can print out too.   It's pretty accurate, for the most part.