how many mates do you buy?

[TM2 Dinobot]

So I was thinking, I'm fairly much a complitist. I like to have everything hat gets put out. (except Rocky, BTTF and 24. Honestly, WTF are those even minimates?) However, like many of you, I'm working on a limited income here. That means that Marvel, DC, Star Trek and BSG usually only get one set apiece. BSG gets 2 if it's lucky enough.

So I guess my question is, how do you select what you will buy? Do you get multiples? How to the "big guns" on this board afford to order 8 cases at a time? Are they secretly not feeding puppies? And those that don't have hardly income at all, how do you pick what you get?

[Dan]

I have only ever bought one two pack at once. This will change when Avengers comes out beacuse I will be getting Thor+Loki and Scarlet Witch+Quicksilver. I have a very limited income and so I always have to save before even buying one 2-pack, and have to cut back on other money for that week, including food allowance.

[NightViper]

I buy one of each of DC, Marvel, and BSG. I plan on buying one of each of the Star Trek ones as well, if my LCS store's order went through (he claims it did, it's been four-five weeks now though) and I also bought the Rocky set.

Occasionally, I do buy multiples, if I think that there's good custom fodder in the set. For example, recently I bought an extra Thor/Loki, an extra Scarlet Witch/Quicksilver and an extra Hawkman/Hawkgirl. The Rocky set was basically just for customizing as well.

There's no way I'd be able to afford buying cases of them though, since I also try to collect Transformers and some GI Joe and Star Wars figures.

[Reideen1313]

Buy 'em by the wave. If there's a boxed set, I'll add that to the preorders as well. Same for individual exclusives. One set of each is usually enough for me though. Most of the time I even skip the variant as it isn't worth paying the extra for it IMO.

[gambitron]

I do one of everything as well of Marvel, DC, BSG, Star Trek and I will be getting the BTTF mates. Luckily I have a grandmother in law who pays me to mow her lawn every week which allows me to save and pre-order my mates! I wish I had a more non-juvenile way of getting the money but hey it works and I get my minimates which is the most important thing of all!

[pickle]

I don't collect very many lines of minimates. I buy Battlestar Galactica and a few Marvel. Of course this might change if there ever are Vertigo or movie mates I like. I have said this many a time before, but because I am the only one interested in mates around here, I end up purchasing whole cases of mates. For BSG I like three of each, two to keep in the package and one to open. Variants I like to have two of, both kept in the package. For the exclusives or individual cylons I like to get as many as I can get, which is not very many. For Marvel, I stick to one of each set that I like to open. If it is one I really like, I buy two.

[TBT!]

Everything in duplicate on preorder...

T.

[vbpanizzi]

I have just about everything marvel, all dc, and all Star trek, the rest I don't really care for. I recently have been picking up extras for trade fodder on here. In the end I only need one of each fig and I take them out of the package regardless of whether they are rare, promos, variants, or whatever. It's a toy...you have to play with them.

[Amazing.JL]

I've dug tunnels to everyones homes to get their minimates. :miner: :ph34r: Really I just get a truck load.

Seriously even though some may have deep pockets they might not have them so deep or maybe they are a minimate junkie that just has to have them. With the infusion of minimates this year and other priorities, I've basically cut down on other stuff like crappy Legends and Marvel books have been terrible so I'm cutting my subscription list again. I'm mainly minimates/statues and then only pick items I like. Marvel/DC I'm mainly 1 set to open, 1 set to save, 1 set to trade if a good opportunity presents itself. It also helps to have a comic shop that offers me discounts and other offerings that are hard to match. I've also been selling a few items that has kept my wallet from walking.

[Cappy]

My buying habits are exactly like Reideen1313 (scary, that). Except if it's a license I really like, say BSG or Trek, I'm likely to get a few random duplicates. And then there's the occasional purchase for custom fodder.

[buttheadsmate]

I buy a case of each new wave directly from the US . I buy all 'mates. I started collecting 'mates a year ago & buy exclusively ebay/internet. I am a total completist (including packaging)& it has been an expensive business creating my collection (all sealed MIB) which now contains all but a few promos & 2 certain Spideys .I cannot resist variant sets & rarities esp.C3. I am only able to do this since I drowned the puppies.

[infallible]

I preorder whole waves, including variants. I don't get duplicate extras (except when required to get a new figure, like with variants, or the TRU 10 pack), but do get duplicate characters (like Venom, tongue Venom, and big chest Venom).

It's expensive to get variants after the fact, so I just get them when they come out. Way easier and cheaper that way.

[Deadpool]

Being a poor bastard, it's all pick and choose for me. I just get what looks cool and I've got money for.

[Gillbob316]

I buy Marvel by the wave. DC I get the odd pack here and there (I'm not familiar with alot of the obscure characters). Same for Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica, just the odd pack here and there... If I see a part or a character I like. (If they ever make Star Trek: The Next Generation mates though, I'd pick them all up. I'm a child of the 90's so I grew up with TNG not the original, so I likes it better. )

(PS. Cancelled Stuff: Street Fighter I got everything but Evil Ryu vs Akuma. Never found them. LotR I got the majority of, but still need a few odd sets. Both sets, I just bought gradually, 1 or 2 at a time. Misc 3" I never collected.)

When a new marvel wave hits, I usually have no problem getting all the regulars. I've gotten the variants from a wide variety of sources. Verious local comic book stores, who soemtimes have them and sometimes sell out, Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure (though they don't seem to sell mates anymore, after having to clearance off about 1000 excess Patch vs Deathstrike sets), ebay, DST's booth at Wizard World Chicago. These are the many sources through which I've acquired my variants.

[captain_cbecker]

I've never gotten into the superhero and comic book scene as much as Sci-Fi.

That being said, BSG and Star Trek are my real priorities for minimates. Back to the Future is ranking up there, when they come out. I'm thinking hard about 24 also.

I pick up some of the Superhero characters in both Marvel and DC lines, but that's really about finding chacters that I think are cool like She-Hulk, Thor, Shazam, X-Men and Green Arrow, but I try to keep the amount I spend on those down to minimum. I'll also pick something up if the price is right (translation: Clearance) for parts.

[Aaron]

I buy two of every one that comes out, one to open, one to not open. However, since I spend a lot of time on-line after getting home from the bar, I tend to forget what I have ordered, and often end up with 3-4 sets and even multiple cases sometimes.

[luke314pi]

Usually I only buy one pack each of the characters I like, and I open everything. I am more of a Marvel guy than a DC guy, so I end up buying about half the minimates that DC puts out, and about 95% of the Marvel ones. I am not a completist by any means. I do have most of the promotional minimates, simply because I like how they look.

However, for Marvel series 19 and 20, I have a case of each pre-ordered. There is tons of great potential for customs and part swapping from these waves, and I want both chases, which is rare.

[maxcarnage]

If cash permits I buy the whole wave. but when BSG and Star trek came out I picked the characters that I really wanted and my LCS was nice enough to hold the rest for me. and after going back and forth to the pawn shop i was able to buy the rest of the wave and then the avengers too. my mom still wants her TV back though.

[rx78jj]

I usually try and buy the sets of minis. Before I had a job i would end up selling some of my own stuff on ebay to get the funds to support my habit. Then i got a job and had enough money to buy whole sets at a time, especially when the suckers would barely get out.

[link 46]

i buy whatever i see bttf,bsg,rocky(not seen)marvel,and dc

[wallbreaker2.0]

I only collect dcd and marvel and I get doubles of each sometimes I'm unable to get doubles of variants though. I don't really buy other toys except for Transformers classic and movie but I only get certain ones. I do pick up other toys to use for trade being in Canada and not having access to a Target it's really difficult to get the Taget exclusives.

[wtf this isn't Sparta]

I buy one pack of whoever I absolutely need.

I have all of the Spider-Mates, which I needed, and now I need the X-Men.

Normally that equals about four mates at a time.

One version each character, though.

Who the hell needs fourteen different Wolverines?

I always skip the variant.

[Will Work 4 Mates]

I buy everything Minimates that is released, and sometimes I get doubles or triples. I sometimes buy for my brother, who is broke, so I sometimes go double, sometimes go triple.

I have used EBAY for some of the older stuff, but I must say that Ebay sellers are pushing these Minimates prices way too high! I have a limit on what I will overspend, and I wish more bidders did the same. Do not get suckered into overpaying on Ebay!

[Cobramaru]

it usely matters how much money I have mostly I buy two pack which means I get four minimates

[featofstrength]

depends what im into and what all hits the market at what time...just the other day i bought Star Trek series one, the new series of DC mates, and Rocky set 1 all at once at my LCS...my wallet hurts