Mystery Mini Set Hunting

Great things come in mysterious miniature or pint sized packages, but which great thing will it be? It's all a mystery until you open one. Then the fun begins.
User avatar
jagpop
Posts: 3288
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2016 3:24 pm
Location: So Cal

Mystery Mini Set Hunting

Postby jagpop » Fri Jan 13, 2017 11:19 am

How does everyone go about completing their sets or even just obtaining the ones they really want? I've been lucky enough to pull the ones that I have been seeking from boxes at Target. The rest I tend to be patient on eBay and snag them once I feel it's a deal. I don't see very many mystery minis out in the wild like at flea markets and swapmeets.
Image

I am not in danger, I am the danger! A guy opens his door and gets shot and you think that of me? No. I am the one who knocks!

davederoin
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2016 5:17 pm

Re: Mystery Mini Set Hunting

Postby davederoin » Fri Jan 13, 2017 12:17 pm

Mine has been 100% buying them retail and on eBay. I wish it was easier.

User avatar
Geescube
HoF 2016 & CotM
HoF 2016 & CotM
Posts: 6161
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2012 11:53 pm

Re: Mystery Mini Set Hunting

Postby Geescube » Fri Jan 13, 2017 1:30 pm

retail when the series first hits. Trade for extras for anything else i need.
Image

User avatar
Quazimoto
Posts: 924
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2015 8:17 pm

Re: Mystery Mini Set Hunting

Postby Quazimoto » Fri Jan 13, 2017 5:50 pm

Since I don't have the ability to go out and hunt in stores much... If the MM set is one I want at least half the figures from, I'll order a case online and hope to trade any extras for ones I might not have gotten in it. Otherwise, I'll try for a layout and send my Brother to GameStop (which is quite literally the only place around here to find new MMs on the regular) or just hit up the sale forums or eBay.
Image

User avatar
BigHow
Posts: 287
Joined: Thu May 07, 2015 4:30 pm
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: Mystery Mini Set Hunting

Postby BigHow » Fri Jan 13, 2017 9:20 pm

Every time I go to Frank & Sons or a Con, I always bring a bunch of my extra minis with the hopes of finding a booth to do some trades. And I'm almost always disappointed. :-/

I'd say that 90% of my mini acquisitions are from Hot Topic, Gamestop, and Target. The remaining 10% comes from trades with the cool cats on these boards.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Teen Wolf!

Image

http://www.fixitinpost.org - Infrequent Pop Culture Thoughts

Looking for any of the following Pop Protos: Teen Wolf 1985, Astronaut Snoopy, Halloween/Pilot Snoopy, Woodstock, Wicket, Skeletor, Target Bullseye, Sugar Bear, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Topanga (from Boy Meets World)!

User avatar
Shinfo13
Posts: 1124
Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2016 10:48 pm
Location: San Dimas, CA

Re: Mystery Mini Set Hunting

Postby Shinfo13 » Fri Jan 13, 2017 10:33 pm

I only collect a few sets (Fallout and Anime) so not too bad for me. I generally try to pick up stuff out of boxes I know are fresh where I can hopefully use a box layout posted somewhere as a guide to grab whatever higher ratio minis I can. Once I start getting close to a full set I'll forget blind boxes and simply go on ebay or find trades on here.

I do have one awesome tip though and it is definitely YMMV. I know of a Gamestop or two that opens their mystery mini boxes and puts them on display for purchase individually at the normal $6 price. I've had some excellent pickups in the past finding 1/72, 1/36 or exclusive figures this way. I just went in the other day and they had just unboxed all the GS Batman MMs so i was able to grab a few for a pal that was missing them which was awesome. I asked one of the managers once why they did this and he simply said it was because they sell much better when people can pick and choose since they're hesitant to buy and get duplicates. Makes sense really. I've tried almost every GS in a pretty widespread area around me and only 2 do this so always keep your eyes out. My experience is that some stores still have glass display cases on the wall somewhere they previously used for displaying phones or controllers and some have been converted to store mystery minis and other blind bag figs.

Oh and I work at Target so I've been fortunate enough to run across a MM that someone cheated and opened up only to dump on the shelf. I've been lucky that way too. lol
Current Pop count: 280
Current Dorbz Count: 16
Newest Pop: SSGSS Kamehameha Goku
Favorite Pop: SS2 Gohan
ISO: Not even sure anymore

Image

User avatar
Katers
Posts: 8260
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2016 3:12 pm
Location: Orange County, CA
Contact:

Re: Mystery Mini Set Hunting

Postby Katers » Tue Jan 31, 2017 9:59 pm

I stalk stores (both online and IRL), visit collectable locations (yay Frank & Sons), and any local conventions. Traded a few here, and I've been lucky in that some of my other online groups have other rabid collectors in the same boat as me (too many commons!). These boards have been an absolute find though, and ultimately buying a mini scale to keep with me in stores saved me hundreds in not buying duplicates!
Image ImageImage Image

User avatar
POPtor WHO
Posts: 499
Joined: Fri May 22, 2015 4:46 pm
Location: The Who-niverse

Re: Mystery Mini Set Hunting

Postby POPtor WHO » Wed Feb 01, 2017 1:14 pm

Shinfo13 wrote:I do have one awesome tip though and it is definitely YMMV. I know of a Gamestop or two that opens their mystery mini boxes and puts them on display for purchase individually at the normal $6 price. I've had some excellent pickups in the past finding 1/72, 1/36 or exclusive figures this way. I just went in the other day and they had just unboxed all the GS Batman MMs so i was able to grab a few for a pal that was missing them which was awesome. I asked one of the managers once why they did this and he simply said it was because they sell much better when people can pick and choose since they're hesitant to buy and get duplicates. Makes sense really. I've tried almost every GS in a pretty widespread area around me and only 2 do this so always keep your eyes out. My experience is that some stores still have glass display cases on the wall somewhere they previously used for displaying phones or controllers and some have been converted to store mystery minis and other blind bag figs.


I have one GS near me that does this as well. It's actually where I got my Syringe Freddy (but that was a lucky blind buy of the last box they had :D). I mentioned to the store manager that I thought this was awesome and he told me that his manager didn't like it and told him to stop, but that they have gotten such a positive response that he was going to keep doing it anyway! hard to argue with actual sales.

as for the OT discussion, I started out just buying a couple at retail every visit, but since I've become addicted I've started buying entire cases off the shelf at Target/Walmart.
Ebay for rares, older Minis and ones I absolutely have to have.
I just preordered my first case, Retro Video Games and will do the same from now on, I think.
I also bought a sealed case of TWD series 3 on ebay and a "supposedly" sealed case of 12, TWD series 2 on Amazon...I did get a rare in this one but I also got doubles (and a triple + a GitD, so 4 of the same) of 5 characters. So I missed on 4 1/12s but what are ya gonna do? ;-)

User avatar
kiptrip
Posts: 869
Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2014 12:38 pm
Contact:

Re: Mystery Mini Set Hunting

Postby kiptrip » Wed Apr 12, 2017 7:57 pm

Being international doesn't help much, so I ebay whole sets with exclusives if I can find a good deal.
ISO: Chase Error Batman, Walmart Toothless, HT Thor with Helmet, Metallic Nightwing, Glitter Celestia, Glitter Luna, MM Blue Trixie, MM Santa Jack


Return to “Blind Bags”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users