Strategy for collecting sets as a non-VIP
So I have my Shanghai and Alexandria badges, but only because those families are cheap. I only get 10 tokens a month, and I'm wondering whether it's wiser to progress at an agonizingly slow rate (aim for the badges -- hard to do when the rest of the families like Tower Grove, Amsterdam, Marseilles and Manhattan have only a couple of bronze sets) or pick up as many sets as possible, i.e., 10 bronzes -- in one go?
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darkelf2099 on May 05, 2008
well depends are u collecting to get badges or collecting sets that you like?
Im trying to collect as many badges as i can(Got shanghai and alexandria so far) then start collecting sets i like.The tower grove sets are still quite easy to get cause there is only one gold
marcelofigueroa on May 05, 2008
Well, i think you should go for one of the following:
1.- Diamond Deliverie
2.- 5 Referrals
3.- 10 Referrals
4.- 20 Silver
5.- 20 Gold
You shouldn't be very far from any some of those, and eventually you'll have to go for a diamond :o)
After that you should be close to 5000 points; that'll give you a badge too.
Then I'd go for the 50 gold deliveries sent, and while you are at it, you'll get close to the 200 deliveries sent badge, after that 10000 points will be on hand too.
After that I'd go for the 3-diamond and then, for all the expensive-family badges.
That's the strategy I've followed myself, but it has taken me about a year to come to where I am :o)
Greetings, Marcelo.
P.S: If I can help you in any way let me know, of course :op
JBVisions on May 05, 2008
Depends what you want to do. If you want to build the points by trading then grab the bronzes. You can get 10 a month which will build you a good base. Don't collect all of them though as you'll have trouble later on when you collect 3 silver and end up with 1 spare token and nothing to spend it on.
miranoriel on May 05, 2008
Thanks, everyone! You've been a great help. :D
Part of me just wants to collect all the cute sets that I consider my favorites, but my obsessive-compulsive side gets all antsy at the thought of flinging my precious tokens haphazardly all over the place. Especially when I'm hanging around IB Dashboard, where everything is laid out nice and neat and just sucks you into... planning and organization. XD
a2 on May 05, 2008
When I wasn't a VIP I always picked up the sets I liked or needed for projects. I had plenty of stamps & would cruise the blog watching for requests or wait for friends refill day to send them a few sets to help build points. That also got me quite a few badges for deliveries and point milestones. It was the best of both worlds for me.
Now that I'm VIP I've gotten all the sets that I like (unless a new one comes out I think is cute) so I focus on the family badges or other specific goals.
Maybe you can find a balance as I did. Have fun!
thedudedean on May 05, 2008
I say get a diamond set ASAP. I mostly send out Golds and don't bother with Silver or Bronzes much. You should also shoot for the halo and gold hat medals. They give you a little point boost as well. Also knock out the different city medals one at a time.
As a fellow non-vip member I know how you feel. Just so you know JBVisions and I are on the top ten list for points. We both also have the planet medal and the golden hat.
MrDee on May 05, 2008
I have to disagree ;)
unless you are going for being a diamond delivery expert smaller sets make more sense as you get more stamps - making future trading easier.
go for those that end up in a badge (shaghai etc)
but at the end of the day, the IB 'economy' is geared toward those that get referrals, go start networking.
Nice on May 05, 2008
Your badge order is similar to mine :). I collect the sets I like first so I don't collect Shanghai/Alexandria badge. I just recieved 3 diamonds in 3 months lol. When you want diamond set, please consider to trade with me.(I'll accept your 2 gold sets)
miranoriel on May 05, 2008
Thanks, Nice! That would be... nice! :D
sloan on May 05, 2008
I like to save my tokens till the last two days before refill. That way I know I did not blow them on something that was just ok.
When a new set comes out that I wish I had enough tokens (if I have no tokens it is only a short two day wait as I have held out all month long) Huh???? Brilliant
iamback on May 06, 2008
It's really simple isn't it? If you like badges, go for badges. If you like icons, go for icon sets you like.
Me, I do the latter exclusively (to the point of publicly stating which sets I don't like!). Those badges are just a funny extra as far as I'm concerned, but I can't do anything with them. And I am actually using some of the icons I have. I'm here for the icons first, community second.
As long as I have a wish list, my tokens usually go in the first few days after a refill. :)
iamback on May 06, 2008
It's really simple isn't it? If you like badges, go for badges. If you like icons, go for icon sets you like.
Me, I do the latter exclusively (to the point of publicly stating which sets I don't like!). Those badges are just a funny extra as far as I'm concerned, but I can't do anything with them. And I am actually using some of the icons I have. I'm here for the icons first, community second.
As long as I have a wish list, my tokens usually go in the first few days after a refill. :)
miranoriel on May 06, 2008
Man, get a load of these site hiccups...
:o
miranoriel on May 06, 2008
Man, get a load of these site hiccups...
:o
wmostrey on May 06, 2008
As a non-vip I can tell you you're going to need some patience. It will sometimes take you up to 4 months to complete a certain set and get a badge. I'm currently totally into badge hunting, with only a few more badges left. I recently hit the 10.000 points badge, after more than 2 years of active collecting and trading/hunting.
My advice would be to collect no more than 10 of a given family, and to collect the "lowest" sets first. Try to only collect sets that are in a family that provide a badge.
As you noticed Alexandria and Shangai are very easy to get. Next you could switch to Tower Grove or Marseilles.
Another thing you could do is to get as much sets as possible by only collecting bronze sets first. This will get you loads of stamps which you can use to gain points.
B3llit0 on May 22, 2008
I made myself a strategy last month on which I could act this month, and I really like it: it's the IB Shopping List strategy, and it goes like this:
1) Browse through icons that your friends own. Pick some that you like, and write them each on their own lines in a text file or piece of paper, along with the type of delivery (such as silver or gold), or the number of tokens each one costs. Don't worry if you have a list that goes over ten tokens, because you get to narrow that down in the next step.
2) Make some notes next to each set that can help you determine which sets to get. Things you might note include how far away from a badge you'll be if you get a set, whether or not you could use it in something you're doing, how many stamps you'll have if you accept certain deliveries, etc.
3) This is the hard part: you must eliminate sets from your list, one by one, until you have a list that costs exactly the number of tokens you receive per month (probably ten). This month I got a gold and five bronze. Other possible combinations include two silver, four bronze; two gold, a silver, a gold, and two bronze, and so forth.
4) Next month, request these sets from your friends!
5) Use the stamps you get to send any deliveries you own. Watch the blogs, because people frequently post requests there (narrow it down to just the Swap Meet section; the others are irrelevant). You will probably get more friends in this process, giving you a wider selection for the next month's list.
It's a good idea to make your list about a week before your refill, to give yourself the largest selection possible.
SawanM
on May 22, 2008
My strategy, get all sets except for golds :P
miranoriel on May 22, 2008
@B3llito: try using IB Dashboard. It makes tracking sets you have and which ones you want a breeze, and it lets you project your collection strategy over months. That's what I did, so I'm slowly but surely moving towards the badges I want, but still allowing room for cool sets. :D
thedudedean on May 22, 2008
Here is what having one diamond can do for you.
47 Diamond deliveries sent 11750 points
MrDee on May 22, 2008
when I started where was no points system.
IF I had my time over again I would only send diamond.
it would not be as much fun, but I would be closer to bonus tokens.
oh yeah - get referrals.
thedudedean on May 23, 2008
116 refs sure does help in getting points.