Waste not! Use 3 dinner plates and 2 teacups or coffee mugs turned upside down to make a tiered platter... unless, of course, you want to buy a new stand.

That said, I love my WS cake stand... I've used that on the bottom & have stacked (w/teacup & plate) on top of that too.

Yes-I love my cupcake stand from Martha Stewart's Macys line.

I have a small, inexpensive cupcake stand that I use occasionally for parties. I love the effect, and would purchase a larger, nice one if I entertained more.

I love the idea *keltrue* suggests of making your own temporary stand with plates and cups. Provided it's sturdy enough, that would probably look more elegant than my cheap store-bought stand.

I would love one of those wire ones, it's DARLING, but I don't have the storage.

I've used my two cake stands stacked on eachother, though, for cupcakes and other small foods.

Heck no!

Any cupcake that can't stand on its own deserves to be eaten.

Immediately!

Besides which a cake plate, stacked cake plates, or dinner plates and inverted bowls (ala @keltrue's example with coffee cups) work perfectly and are more versatile than cupcake-only displays.

Sometimes I need to 'Just Say No... to Martha'

For bakesales, yes. :)

Make your own with thrift-store vases, dinnerware and glassware! Very inexpensive, easy and awesome. Keep everything together permanently with a little epoxy. See this post from CraftyNest:

http://www.craftynest.com/2008/10/repurposed-cake-stands/

I use a tiered appetizer stand for cupcakes. It's basically just a three-level, wrought iron stand, and you add your own plates. It's very versatile, and you can change the look by using different plates.

Perhaps if you make a LOT of cupcakes this would be worthwhile, but I just see it as a bulky uni-tasker. I'm down for building my own out of plates and cups, or maybe even those super-cute ones made with cake circles, foam disks, pretty paper and ribbon if I'm feeling crafty. Unfortunately, I don't think you can reuse those.

Boo for unitaskers! And those would be very bulky to store. Just get a pretty tray--you'll use that over and over.

I bake a lot of cupcakes, especially for parties, so I have found a cupcake stand very useful.

I have a wire stand from Wilton, which comes in a few parts (three or four, I think) that are easy to assemble and take apart for storage (just keep the box). It was cheap -- retail is $10 at Michael's, but there are almost always coupons in the Sunday paper that you can use. The only problem I have with it is that if you put a ton of frosting on your cupcakes (as I am wont to do), it can be a tight squeeze between the tiers.

http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=4BD856D4-802D-F658-02A787D3CB120535

I'm really obsessed with Halloween, so I couldn't resist buying a Haunted House cupcake stand when I found one at party store. It's made from printed cardboard that can be taken apart to store flat. My advice for this kind of cake stand is to lay something down, maybe parchment paper, underneath the cupcakes to prevent grease stains on the cardboard -- unless you're using heavy duty grease-proof baking cups.

http://www.orientaltrading.com/ui/browse/processRequest.do?sku=25/5711&requestURI=processProductsCatalog

My aunt uses one, does that count?

I have ones close to the first and second ones. I didn't buy either of them, they were both gifts (I do, in fact, bake a LOT of cupcakes.) The second one is great - I find my wire one a bit wobbly but the plastic one, being more solid, supports more variety in cupcakes and are easier for guests to just grab stuff from. Both of them come apart and can be stored flat.

I've seen some really nice impromptu ones as suggested, too. Unless you were planning to make cupcakes your thing, I'd go that way - and it can be cool and modern, shabby chic, or whatever your personal style is.

Unless you really think you'll use it loads, I'd just use an ordinary cake stand that would be more versatile (or just nice plates).

I don't use one...yet. I tried to find a nice cupcake stand - even a more expensive unitask one (if that was all I could find). But the max level of cuppage was always 24. I'm an overachiever. When I throw a party - it is a rare day that there are ONLY 24 cupcakes. I have traditionally used huge platters and cake stands but they just take up too much space on the table! I plan to make my own - in a similar fashion to others that have mentioned but I believe I will look for acrylic instead of glass plates to work with - they are lighter/less breakable/and if I go the route of plastic instead of acrylic - cheaper. I have one of these from Ikea http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40101733 that works great for mini-cakes, petit fours, and other finger foods.

Def not.

I do like the idea of using plates and teacups to make your own.

Design*Sponge has a great DIY project to make your own cake stands.
check it http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/05/diy-project-kates-recycled-cakestands.html

I'd rather just get a cake stand - you can use them to display cupcakes, but they can also display tarts, cakes, and even stacks of appetizers (they'd look lovely stacked with, say, a pile of apple turnovers). and you can get varying sizes and stack them, if they're sturdy enough.

Cupcake stand? Barf! Don't buy that space-hogging unitasker. I was going to suggest a simple arrangement on a platter, but the previous posts of tiered plates seem like good hacks.

Sure do: http://www.cupcakecollective.com/post/116598606/what-is-the-cupcake-collective

I have 2 great cake stands that I use and a couple nice wood trays. I am def in the market for a three-tier stand but I want one that I can use for everything (veggies, appetizers, fruits, etc.) not just cupcakes. Target has a few good ones.

I love cake stands and have quite a few. So when i do cupcakes i serve them on various size cakestands stacked. I find and endless use for cakestands from cakes to aqppetiers to bread to cupcakes to centerpieces of fruit or veggies. Find them on ebay, collect them new and old. A cupcake stand seems cheesy to me.