Hi Mark, you have asked them great questions there and it is good knowing that you are looking for advice rather than rushing in and possibly wasting money.
1 What is a good way to get my collection started? Any tips?
There are various ways of going about this. Personally I would recommend learning a bit first and buying some of the more common smurfs as you are less likely to get ripped off buying fakes. Buying in large lots is a great way to get your collection going fast. It is certainly the cheapest way to do it and you can then trade or sell any doubles you pick up. The disadvantage here though is that you may end up with some smurfs that have rubs or are in a poor condition. This isn't the end of the world as you can always look out for better examples in the future and if you are careful or lucky you can find some wonderful smurfs. Other collectors prefer to buy a mint example to start with, which will cost more but you know what you are getting. There are even collectors who go for the rare ones first knowing they can pick up more common smurfs at any time. I don't think there is a right or a wrong way, all personal preferences.
2 Is it best to buy all Smurfs that are in current production first?
Buying the current production or at least the smurf that have been released over the last few years is a good idea as the prices will be good and there is also the chance some of these will get discontinued after a couple of years and will become harder to find.
3 How did you do it when you first started?
Apart from the few I had from childhood, most of our smurfs were bought initially in large lots on Ebay. I was very lucky as when we first started recollecting there were very few smurfs being sold in the UK so we bought large lots from Germany and other countries in Europe and America, kept what we wanted and then sold the rest. This actually meant the collection was paying for itself. These days it is a lot harder to firstly find the bargain and then to resell at a good price, plus we are mainly looking for harder to find figures so they cost more.
4 Are there any particular things that I should be aware of when collecting/buying Smurfs?
Unfortunately, as with just about any product, there are plenty of people out there looking to make money however they can. There are many fake and unlicensed items out there and quite a few dubious sellers. Just use common sense and always remember "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true........."
5 What is the best way to get the Smurfs organised?
I would certainly say get a katalog but I can see you have done this so you are already on the right track. Obviously having your smurfs out on display helps a lot too. Lots of members here have made databases for their collections. I decided to build a website for myself to help me keep track of what we had.
Hope this helps a bit and please remember, any question, just ask.
Maureen 
Holland is a great country when you're a smurf collector ! 
