For a while, I bought dishes at Wal-Mart and had the same problem - they were always either chipped or really faded. It was also really hard for me to find exactly what I wanted.
When I redecorated the kitchen in blue, white and yellow, I wanted sonething specific and couldn't find it. I started going to thrift stores and found a bunch of those blue and white "willow ware" (I think that's what they're called). They don't match perfectly, but I like the effect. Plus, it was much much cheaper to buy them that way, and if something happens to one plate, it doesn't ruin a "set". I can just go out and look for another one.