Thanks so much for the wealth of info! I'll be sure to check out those forums. What month is the fair in Nashville? If it's during the summer I can probably drive down there and make a weekend of it! I love road trips!
As for what I'm looking for, I'm basically trying to get one of each character that's been released. Since I'm just getting into it, I only have the ones that are currently available (mane 6, Sunset Shimmer, Celestia, Cadence, Luna, Dazzle Cake, Twirly Treats, Queen Chrysalis, Shining Armor, Diamond Tiara, Lyra Heartstrings, Lyrica Lilac, and Derpy).
So there's a super long list of previous releases that I'm looking for. I'm not picky about what series they are from, just hoping to get one of each of them. Highest on my list is Nightmare Moon from the 2012 Favorites Collection TRU exclusive but I just can't justify the $130 for the set people are asking on eBay. Yikes!