>>9199843You have to hone in on what you want to collect. What characters, franchises, types of toys, etc. do you like? Then narrow that down, and you start getting into specific figure lines. Like for example, you mentioned Venom. Do you like Venom? How big do you want it to be? Wnat it realistic, comic-book style, or something else? Want a certain iteration of Venom? How detailed? How articulate? Price range? All questions you should ask yourself as you pick and choose what you like. Its overwhelming, but fulfilling when you do find that one toy or toyline you like. Some characters like Venom have tons of options, but others like Chameleon have a little less selection.
Here's an example: I really like the Bandai soft vinyl figures. There were several selections for a King Kong figure in that same scale with articulation. But I didn't want them, I wanted a King Kong vinyl figure. So I waited, and bam! They revealed one, and I got it (pic related)! I couldn't have been happier because I waited and got what I wanted instead of going with 'Well, alright I guess I'll just get this instead...'. You can be picky, but sometimes characters that are more obscure have much less options so you may have to be less picky if you want a toy of said character. I hope that helps.