For me, the most effective raw set building method is to buy multiple lots/starter sets for the set that I am working on and piece together the set from the multiple lots, obviously keeping the best condition copy. From there, I sell off the duplicates, sometimes as singles, sometimes as smaller lots....in most cases using this method, I can recoup most of my original cost and end up with a near complete set on my hands. Going this route, my largest expenditure is the time I invest on the sorting, reselling, etc, but the in the end, the final price/cost meets my needs/budget. This process has worked well on my 53-75 Topps raw sets, 61-63 Post sets, Fleer sets, 50-55 Bowman sets, 40-41 PB sets, that are now either complete or just a card or two short of completion. Currently working on the 33 Goudey set using this process. Next up is the 49 Bowman set.
I have completed, or nearly completed (90%+), 5 PSA sets (52, 62, 71, 72, 75) with multiple others 50%+ complete. The method for building these sets is somewhat different from what I have done with the raw sets mentioned above, as I have done a lot more card to card collecting while building these sets.
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