As the PP said, there are ways to collect the vinylmations even if you don't live close to a park or Disney stores. The biggest drawback is the cost. Originally the vinlymations were $10, but the newest sets have gone up to $13 (I think) each. So if you want to collect complete sets, I'd say be willing to shell out pretty big bucks.
You can order some of the vinylmations through the
Disney Store's website:
http://www.disneystore.com/vinylmation/mn/1000828/
They don't carry all of them, but they have a pretty nice selection. You can often get free or discounted shipping coupons, so that helps.
I've not tried, but you might also be able to mail order the Vinylmations from the parks directly. Note that shipping from the park is expensive.
The third option is to see what's up for sale on ebay. Sellers are often asking for premium for popular figures, but that's one way to know which figure you're going to get. Sort of along the lines of: should I spend $30 (for example) on a $10 figure that I want or should I spend $30 on three and hope that I get the one I want. That's a question you have to answer for yourself before buying anything off ebay. There are also full sets for sale (make sure to know if the chaser is included or not) - sometimes these can be a pretty good deal because you'll get the one you want plus some to trade (though it sounds like that might not be as much of a benefit to you because you're not near a park).
I hemmed and hawed about starting Vinylmations for a while (mostly because of the cost and the 'blind' nature of the buy). I really wanted one specific figure and was having a hard time justifying the cost and knowing that I could end up with one that was really awful (at that time there was no trading occuring). Since then, I've bought a few more, always from series that have a few that I like so that there is a chance I'll get something I like.
