When it comes to completing a set of mystery mini figures, it can sometimes feel daunting. While Funko does offer 1:12 ratio sets, which are simply completed with the purchase of a single case, with a cost of about $65.00. Then there are the sets that include the 1:36, 1:72, and even 1:144 ratio figures, which really means, you are not completing this with the purchase of single case, or perhaps, ever.
If you are a purist and refuse to purchase individual figures that have been opened and marked up in price, there are a few sets you quite possibly might never complete. Certain figures from Marvel, Game of Thrones, and Big Bang Theory, that fall into the 1:144 ratio, are extremely sought after, and often come with a price tag well over $100.00, some even closer to $200. Certain 1:72 ratio figures have been selling for a similar price tag, such as Rosita from the Walking Dead Series, although she is also a Hot Topic Exclusive, which adds to her rarity. That is quite the jump for a blind box figure that retails, on average, for $6.99.
The main problem that arises from trying to complete a set by purchasing individual boxes, is duplicates. A purist will end up with countless duplicates of the more common pieces in the set, which can become extremely discouraging. One would eventually come to the realization that just purchasing the less-common pieces from a reseller, with the markup, will be a lower price than the cost of purchasing more blind boxes, which have no guarantee of finding that figure.
When you are searching for a particular figure, do you have a cut off when it comes to buying blind boxes? If so, how do you determine what you would be willing to pay for a single figure?
Matt Norris