Neither the tin nor the boxes contain any promo cards or anything relating to the regular series of trading cards, just so you know. They both contain card packs for the CCG, with the Rainbow Dash tin having a pack of Crystal Games cards (the newest expansion). All 3 do contain a poster, as well as stickers. The two boxes have foil CCG cards for Twilight and Luna, depending on which box you get. The Rainbow Dash tin also contains a dog tag.

The street date for these figures to be on the shelves was just last Tuesday (8/19). So ordering them last month just meant you got a pre-order in.
I did the same (ordered all 3 figures on July 17th) and had my order shipped to the store. Got it on Friday.
Just be patient.

I got all 3 yesterday and even had glitter Discord in my order! Here's a picture so you all can see it. http://oi60.tinypic.com/1gof4m.jpg

There are always clear variants for these figures. :) I got glitter Discord with my order, and a few people have posted glitter Rarity and Daring Do on the Funko forums.

The collector in me absolutely needs to have ALL of the sparkly variants. xD I know it isn't a huge deal, and some of them look much better than others when they're clear, but I'm super proud of my Funko collection and I love having rare things. Though I don't think the glitter variants are based on the Crystal Empire episodes. Funko likes to do variants of almost all of their figures, so pony was no exception. For instance, the pony POP! figures have metallic variants, and there's a glow-in-the-dark Doctor Hooves variant, etc.

I was going to give up on collecting the trading cards, but when I completed the first series, I figured I might as well keep going. The cards are something else I've been lucky with as well. For instance, I got both the coveted Rarity and Rainbow Dash series 1 promos for $4 each.

Derpy was a tricky pony to find, but I found 3 of her at my local Walmart. Got one for myself and two for my friends who weren't able to find her. Even though people complain about the "spaghetti" manes and tails of the Funrise plushes, I really do love them.

I get the comics as they're released, since my fiance frequents the comic shop near his job on Wednesdays. But yeah, over time those comics start to add up in price, not to mention having the side comics as well (the micros series, Friends Forever).

I agree though, I wouldn't normally drop $50 on something like a figure, but I've only done it 3 times: once for the clear Pinkie Pie, once for SDCC Derpy and again for SDCC Vinyl Scratch. Oh, and my fiance did pay $50 for me to have a Fashion Style Applejack (seriously the hardest thing to find ever. It easily goes for over $100 on eBay). While I understand the rarity of some items, it upsets me a little to see them selling for so much.

I hope none of this comes off like I'm bragging about my collection! D: It's just a really fun hobby for me, and I'm both thankful and lucky to have the funds (and an amazing fiance that likes to help) to complete my different collections. But hey, just keep your eye out for good deals, that's what I do! :) And, as always, prioritize your purchases, as you said!

$16.50, the same price as the regular variant. :) And yes, Twilight makes for an absolutely beautiful clear figure!

Weird. I just put in the 15 off 30 one that I posted as a test and it worked. Oh well.

15 off 30 is WEDF23NB
30 off 60 is SAZCTG62
45 off 90 is DUTH57UB

Hot Topic Hot Cash codes, for anyone wondering. ;) I used the $30 off $60 one and it worked.

Ah! I should've included the codes in the email I sent to EqD about this.

15 off 30 is WEDF23NB
30 off 60 is SAZCTG62
45 off 90 is DUTH57UB

I used the $30 off $60 one and it worked just fine. :)

I got clear Octavia in the mail when I ordered her from Hot Topic. I found clear Trixie at Hot Topic when I was shopping, and the Rainbow Dash and Derpy clear variants were just $15 each on Amazon when I got them last year. I recently got Pinkie Pie at a convention and she was probably the most expensive one I've gotten, at $50. I've never paid more than $35 for any of the other ones, though. I get really lucky on eBay, for the most part.