How long have you been a collector?

[HoustonCollector72]

It all started last summer, june 2012, I came across of MLP FIM on netflix, i love horses, and I have been buying litlle sculptures and home decorations of horses, but after watching the show online  I loved it, then I came across Fluttershy and RD at the Tuesday Morning store and I bought them, I came home and opened them and I just liked them alot, in the packaging there was  a coupon for the hasbro toy site and got on it and ordered the rest of the mane 6 then also some playsets, after that I started wanting to get the first release waves from 2010 and 2012, i went on ebay and bought some there and others on amazon,when I came across an item I wasn't able to get ,I found the MLP Arena from the Strawberryreef.com site and joined in September
and here I'm  300 plus ponies later  
It will be a year in July 27 a couple of months ago, I will get to celebrate with new ponies for sure

[ravengusty]

It began when I was a child, though I was made to get rid of my childhood collection when i was a teenager, I started again a few years later but had to give up because of financial difficulties.
I began again in 2011 when I was more financially sound. I joined UK Ponycon, mlp Trading post then the mlp arena. My collection isn't massive as yet, when I was made to give my ponies up as a teen I owned at least 50-60 G1 ponies. I'm not quite back to that yet but I'll get there.
At least now in my late twenties I have forums to help me find the ponies I want and make friends with fellow collectors.

[Malicieuse]

When i was 2 years old i got my first ponies (or so i have to believe when looking at photographs) and i always loved my G1 ponies. I often played with them and never got rid of them.
I first started collecting when i was a young teenager, during the G2 era. But for some reason i feel like i became a "real" collector at the start of G3. When i found the online community and was able to learn a lot about MLP.

[KarentheUnicorn]

Since 1983.

[Shiverdam]

I'd say 14 years. I'm 18 now and got my first G1 ponies when I was 4. My mom would find ponies at garage sales and thrift stores for me, and as I grew I took on the role of finding new ponies for myself!

[Acheron187]

Started about a year ago with G4 toys, and now I have a few G3 ponies. Now I'm looking at getting some G1 stuff, I already have a G1  favorite stories book.

[Alipes]

Wow, lots of new collectors, how awesome!  I started collecting seriously when I found the pony community online back in 1999, believe it or not!  I hung out at a few different places at the time but mostly at Quacker County.     And then I left for a while, until G4 came out which really sparked my interest in collecting and hanging out in the community again!

[Eternia]

almost 10 years now! I'm getting my first tattoo soon, and it's going to be my beloved twisty tail a nice nod to my collector passion.

[sharayahlynn]

I had a few G2 ponies as a child (sadly, those were eventually sold off in one our many garage sales), but never considered becoming a collector until recently, so I'm pretty much a newbie. I started collecting about two months ago. I now have 4 G3 ponies (rescued from a bin of fakies at a mom-2-mom sale), 4 G4 blind bag ponies (found on clearance at Kroger for $1 each), 1 McDonalds Princess Celestia (found NIP in a garage sale "junk" bin for a quarter), and 1 Crystal Empire Applejack. In fact, I just bought that AJ at Meijer today and am totally smitten with her.

[scarletjul]

Since 2006, so seven years. 

I had a few ponies as a kid but I was never really into them (I was more of a Barbie girl.). My best friend, however, got my a g3 themed MLP present for my birthday in 2006 and once I got Merriweather and Sikver Glow, I started looking for g1s - and then I remembered my old ones.  I've been hooked ever since. 

[brightberry]

I was considered a collector by friends by age 10 in the 80s.  I don't think I would have passed up a G1 at any age.  I just didn't know where to look.

[LunaDehligt]

I have been a collector for 2 years

[Baby Sugarberry]

Too long >_>
Near twenty years now, I'd imagine. 

[Beth3346]

It will be four years this September

[Marlin]

i loved them as a kid, but I have recently just got back into them in the past year and a half

Me too - had them as a kid, always held onto my childhood herd, and about two years ago pulled them back out (for my own children intially - until I decided I still loved them way too much!  ). That was when I got into collecting.