How did you start deciding what to collect?

[LadyBird]

I've just recently started collecting G1 ponies and I've noticed that I'm always impulse buying cheap ponies that come up. So I've decided I want to start going for "sets" instead of just random ones.  How did you guys decide on which sets to start with tho?

I know I plan to get Toppy because I have her twin. But then outside that I have no idea where I want to start.....

When you first decided how did you go about it so you weren't breaking the bank.


[Naturally I have a couple random grail ponies that I'd buy at any time if they price was right]

[An-Gel Sakura]

I buy what ever Hasbro tells me to buy.

[joce]

 I didn't go by sets but turned it into a hunt. I didn't do ebay or much buying online. I just saw what I could find at the flea market and goodwill etc. The hunt is the fun part!

 If I had one to complete a set that is usually when I would look here.

[reanna-mator]

My first G1 was Wind Drifter, who was my childhood pony. I got her with two other Flutter ponies. Then after that, I concentrated on the six ponies that inspired the G4 Mane Six. At that point I was pretty sure I would only get a few G1s.

Hundreds of ponies later, I realized that that plan didn't go to well. Lately I've been concentrating on completing my favorite sets.

[Miss_Pompon]

Well, at first I bought only the ponies I liked the most, then I complete their sets. But since I bought a lot of them by lot, I came with new ponies so new sets to complete and so on 

[Galactica]

I had a number of childhood ponies-  I always picked up G1s at the swapmeet/flea-market when I saw them, or at the thrift store.

I don't think I actually started "collecting" them until I encountered the ponies with the super long hair, and ebay...  it was a long and slippery slope after that....

[sundaygirl]

Oh yeah, ebay is a slippery slope.. 

I started collect the ones I found cute. I still don't have a strict plan for my collecting, but I prioritize the UK:s at the moment. An advice to make it easier could be to pick a couple of favorite sets and decide to complete them.

[partypony566]

Oh crikey, at one point I was buying every cheap lot that I could. But I decided to stick to ponies I like, and only now collect mint ones of the more rare pricey ones. I'm not a set completist, although I do want all the princesses at some point

[Emberfly]

I all started with Mom buying me ponies from a yard sale... I found some ponies I'd never known existed, like the So Softs which I fell in love with.  I mostly did what you're doing, just looking for ponies I didn't have that were a good deal that I liked, and then spent a little more on the first 2-3 years of ponies since there were the ones from my childhood and the ones that I loved, like the SS and talking ponies.

[SkyCakes]

My mother bought me my first G1 ponies then I started collecting them. I eventually got rid of all my childhood ponies save for two. Then I found them one day in the basement with my other childhood toys. I took them out then started looking on Dream Valley. Then I wondered if their were any other ponies? I found ebay and the rest was credit card debt history. ><:

[LightingElectricDream]

When I started collecting I really searched for a pony I really liked. out of all the ones I saw I really liked 'Milkey way' and 'powder'. I was determined to get 'powder' but ended up with 'milkey way' and love her more now.

So basically I have been buying adults and nothing else really. I realized I am just more drawn to them. So now I just kinda stick with them. I do have babies but not much of them, and I LOVE sea ponies but still drawn to buying just adults.

So as you collect more you will find out what you like the most, and you may have an exact goal now and that's ok. because your goal will probably change or you may find a clearer goal. So impulse buying is fine if you don't know what you like just yet because if you decide later on that you don't want that item you can always trade it or sell it.

I think buying complete sets is the smart way to go because it will help you later. Some people it takes years and years or collecting to complete sets as far as little accessories are concerned. Now if you are talking pony releases like TAF, Sunshine, ect.. then I guess it's up to you if it's going to be a fair price for the lot or if you will do better just getting them as you come across them.

So as far as not braking the bank. The way I went about it was I looked on ebay, craig's list, thrift stores, ect.

[Poster]

When I first started actually collecting, I was only really interested in the regular-size brushables, and even then in only one of each character. Then I saw the Rainbow Collection and oops, hello incurable fondness for blind bag sized ponies. And then my ability to resist buying the glimmer wings Rainbow Dash gave way, and with it my "only one brushable per character" policy.

I do still prioritize, though. Generally characters I already have in a format in which I already have them are low-priority unless they have some differentiating feature that I find noteworthy enough (e.g. tinsel or poseability).

[mlp4me]

When I got back more actively in collecting G1's I didn't care which ponies I got, it was more about quantity over specifics. Now I go off of my wishlist and when I'm actively searching I try to find set completers before others...

[Nemesis]

I... couldn't limit myself to certain sets or types of ponies if my life depended on it... They're all SHINY! I want all the pretty shinies! 8D

So yeah, I'm usually broke.

[lunar_scythe]

For G1s, I buy what I find at local flea markets and thrifts and so on, but as far as buying online, I *try* to limit myself to blue belles...it doesn't always work that way, cause I'm not gonna pass up a super deal!

The G4's I'll just be happy if I can keep it to just what I can find locally.  So the brushables, styling, funco and pop! Figures, with the odd blind bags here and there! I seem to be getting the aurora plushes BABW, and TY ones too, lol...