[mintacular]

As a relatively new set-builder (currently working on 57 & 69-72 BB) is it always economically more efficient to just buy a set complete rather than piecing it together? Isn't the sum of the parts greater than the whole with these set? I'm looking to gain insight from experienced set collectors as to whether this is always true and to what extent.

Of course all of this: (1) assumes you have the up-front cash to buy a whole set and (2) you are willing to sacrifice the "fun factor" of building a set piece by piece...

The counter-argument could be that if you are patient and wait for the right deals you can build a set on the cheap by "cherry-picking" your way to completing a set. Any comments on this topic would be appreciated...