Buying in person vs. buying online?

[InkyMilk]

So for those who strictly buy the older generations, this may not as easily apply to you, but I'm curious, do you prefer one method of buying new ponies over another? That is, buying online versus buying in person?

I almost strictly buy G4 ponies, so it's always a huge thrill when I see a new one I've been wanting pop in stores and I get the chance to see her in person before snatching her up. However, there are some G4s I've never seen around here (which I'm pretty sure were sold in the US) that I've been searching for, such as Flitterheart and Snowcatcher. I've seen them for sale a few times here on the forums, but I always hesitate because I wonder if that takes some of "magic" out of happening upon her in the stores, that rush that comes from finding a pony you hadn't expected. I'm having the same feelings with the pre-orders for Sunny Rays, is it worth it to get in on it, or just sit back and wait and hope that she hits a store nearby?

Opinions? Suggestions? Stories to share?

[Shenanigans]

I really like to buy in stores when I can It's the rush of the "OMG NEW PONIES!" feeling and digging through them to see how many new ones you can find So I wait a while for new ones, but if it seems like my area isn't going to get any (like Star Dreams/Applejack set!!!!) then I'll go ahead and buy online Buying in stores saves on shipping as well

[Gingerbread]

It depends. I've only bought a few g4s in shops as distribution around here is, well, a bit pants. So unless I go on a day trip to a TrU or Smyths I buy online

[Elisto]

I primarily buy G1s, but pretty much what Shenanigans said. If I can buy in person, I much prefer it and find it more fun, but if I'm looking for a specific pony, it makes more sense to go buy it online if I can't reliably find it in a store. And since in that case my goal is to get a specific pony, for me it doesn't really feel any different to pick it up off the shelf or have it arrive in the mail.

[BrightSide]

I can't say I've ever bought a non-blind bag G4 in person.. I've had two bought for me as hospital gifts, one as a birthday gift and I've bought a fair few blind bags and dollymix ponies, but aside from that we only seem to have the Mane 6 luggage sets, certain glimmer wings and the odd playset out here.

I've bought a plushie in person, and a G3.5 pony, but other than that I buy online because we simply don't get variety.. or any other generations of pony! There aren't even any decent sized toy shops where I am, so it's only in supermarkets I see the G4s.

If we had different ponies (i.e Honeybuzz, Plumsweet, Dewdrop Dazzle..) I would definitely buy them in person!!

[Wilford B Wolf]

all i can say really is "thrill of the hunt"..and it doesnt just apply to ponys really...but some things you have to just come to the point of.."if i really want it online is the only option"...it does take some fun out of it...but if your trying to complete a set or something sometimes youve got no choice...im still activly hunting for FS AJ ive been thru pretty well all of victoria, western washington and westen oregon.......its one of those..i wont give up till im truely defeated

youll still love an online pony like you do the rest but some of the thrill will be gone unless you get in a bidding war LOL

[Zenobiaa]

For newer ponies, unless they're ponies I can't find here, I'll buy them in person. I don't see any reason why I'd buy a pony online I could easily get at the store. Buying it in person eliminates shipping costs, the waiting of a parcel to arrive, the "what-if-it-gets-lost-in-the-mail" worry, ect.

[Wilford B Wolf]

For newer ponies, unless they're ponies I can't find here, I'll buy them in person. I don't see any reason why I'd buy a pony online I could easily get at the store. Buying it in person eliminates shipping costs, the waiting of a parcel to arrive, the "what-if-it-gets-lost-in-the-mail" worry, ect.

not to mention being able to check for quality issues like a mismatchhed head color etc

[CrystalCrown]

When it comes to G4, I only really buy the ponies at the store, because if i get the pony in the store i can look at it in person and check that theres no flaws on it. if i bought the pony online i can't look at it from every angle, so there could be a good chance i end up getting a pony with uneven eyes, dirt smudges, symbol scratches, etc thanks to hasbro's abysmal quality comtrol for the g4s.
However, i only buy pervious gen ponies online because there really aren't many secondhand ponies around where i live. i don't always like that because sometimes the items can be misrepresented or have vague description or bad photos (sadly its happened to me before :/ ), but its really the only way for me.

[tulagirl]

I would give anything to buy G1's in person rather than online so I could really see the condition they are in before I spend the price they have listed for that pony.  I have gotten so many poorly described ponies online that I have gotten to the point where I just expect it rather than hope they are perfect like the seller says.  I have pretty much quit buying ponies for myself now as I have most of the ones I want and only a very short (to me) wanted list. I don't think I would ever find them locally and in person at all.

[Sonata]

I really enjoy buying in stores, but I can't do it right now as it's cheaper to buy online on Ebay or Amazon. I do miss going out to a store and just picking up a pony I'd like to have.

[Phekzhen]

I buy a lot in stores or get them as gifts. The best way to get blind bags is in stores!

I did get quite a few playful ponies by taking care of a promotion Hasbro had, where it was 1/3 off the total and free shipping. So I have, like, waves 1-5 of basic ponies.

I'm pre-ordering the Collector's line collector's set, because I don't want to deal with having to hunt one down, since I know that there's a lot of bronies in my area, and I don't think TRU is going to have a large number of physically-large box sets.

The McDonald's toys I really have to get online. I wasn't into poni when the 2011 toys were out, and the 2012 toys went out of stock really quick. Though when the 2011 toys hit the Phillipines, my dad had some of his coworkers get them and send them over to us! That was the only way I could get Rainbow Dash without being scalped online.

[Koudoawaia]

I prefer buying in person to avoid the shipping costs.

[Desert Rose]

When it comes to the G1's - G3's there's not really an option anymore than to buy them online. At least not for me anyway. However, when I do I try to buy them from fellow pony collectors who can give me an accurate description of them since I'm a very picky collector.

So when it comes to the G4's I obviously prefer to buy them in the stores. Then I can stand there and inspect them from every possible angle to make sure they're flawless before I buy it. It also saves me the waiting-on-them-to-arrive part. So it's quicker, easier and cheaper to buy them in the stores.
The only G4's I buy online are the ones I can't get a hold of here such as exclusives and ponies that for one reason or another aren't around in any stores nearby. So yeh, I've bought a bunch of the G4's from online stores and I've been lucky so far with their condition.
The only reason I buy the G4's from online stores rather than hunting them down on Ebay or buying from other collectors is because you usually can pay wth your debit card in the online stores while everywhere else you have to use Paypal (which Im still not familiar with). And like I've said, I'm very greatfull that the ones I've bought on online stores are in great condition so far

So to sum it up, I have no issue of buying ponies online at all. I know my ways to go about it to be satesfied But yes, it does save time and money plus you can give the ponies a thurough quality controll before you buy them if you pick them up in the store which is a big plus.

[StoryDreamer]

I only buy new and exclusive G4s online. All the rest I buy

I've seen Snowcatcher at Family Dollar..have you checked there?