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Brickpicker Blog

Brickpicker blog articles on LEGO investing, news, reviews, evaluations, discounts and more...
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In this second entry on the Minifig Corner, I wanted to focus on one of the most sought after and expensive minifigs ever released: The Cloud City variation of Boba Fett.
First of all, it seems logical that a minifigure of this particular character is one of the most popular released by LEGO, given the high popularity of the character it is based on. For some reason that's completely beyond me, Boba Fett has been one of the most admired characters of the whole Star Wars series, even though he did not really have that much screen time in the movies.
The Boba Fett based minifigure has been produced in several different variations, from the classic 6210 version to the somewhat expensive white version, passing through the star of this article. Of all of these versions, the only one that even comes close to the value of Cloud City Boba is the promotional White Boba Fett polybag, but even then the difference in price is quite substantial.
In 2003, LEGO released what is, so far, the only Cloud City play-set. It included some great minifigures like Lando, Luke and this more detailed version of the famous bounty hunter. The set itself was not really one that had a particularly short lifespan, as it seems to have been retired around 2 years after release in 2005, basically the same amount of time as the average set. Having said that, the set is pretty hard to find at the moment, and fetches over $ 1,000 (MISB).
A very important value driver for this set is the unique version of the classic Boba Fett minifigure. Basically, it included the same version we see in other sets like the 6210 Sail Barge, with the added details of printed arms and legs. Those 2 factors are what propelled the value of this version to well over $100, also taking into consideration how rare it is to see more than 2 or 3 listed on ebay at any given time.
If you take a look at BL, you will notice that buying only the printed arms and legs will cost you well over $200. That's a pretty steep price to pay, but one that serious SW LEGO collectors probably see as a must in order to have a truly complete collection.
More recently, a printed legs version of Boba Fett has been released on sets like the new Desert Skiff, but it is pretty clear that no version of this character will ever hold the charm and value the Cloud City version currently enjoys.
Thanks for reading
Last February I did a blog on the Bottom 50 LEGO sets with regards to CAGR values. Among the Bottom 50 LEGO sets, there were 5 Toy Story sets:
7591 Construct-A-Zurg 7598 Pizza Planet Truck Rescue 7789 Lotso's Dump Truck 7596 Trash Compactor Escape 7593 Buzz's Command Spaceship Not only did the Toy Story theme make up 10% of the Bottom 50 LEGO sets, the worst performing set was a Toy Story set...the 7591 Construct-A-Zurg. Well, I took a look at the most recent BrickIndex, which shows the top appreciating sets over the past 6 months, and to my surprise, there were three Toy Story sets on the Top 20...7591 Construct-A-Zurg, 7590 Woody and Buzz to the Rescue, and the 7789 Lotso's Dump Truck.
What is even more amazing is that the worst performing set back in February of 2013, the 7591 Construct-A-Zurg, is now the BEST performing set over the last 6 months, increasing over 55% in value. The 7596 Lotso's Dump Truck went up 25% as well. If you check the other Toy Story sets that were in the Bottom 50, the 7598 Pizza Planet Truck Rescue went up 24%, the 7596 Trash Compactor Escape went up 24.5% and the 7593 Buzz's Command Spaceship went up 15% over the past 6 months.
From a personal standpoint, I am glad to see this theme attract the attention of collectors and investors. I have always thought that these Toy Story sets were true to the wonderful movies. Their minifigures were top notch and the sets had quite a few unique pieces and designs. What it also confirms for me is that once again, there is true value in many older sets that are retired and under the radar. While many investors are out there looking for new sets to invest in, there are savvy LEGO investors taking a chance on sets that were overlooked for various reasons.
For those of you who like to think outside the LEGO investment box a bit and like older sets, check out the Top Retired Sets page or the BrickIndex page to scan for retired sets that might be showing some late life and growth. They are out there...every month. Some sets are just late bloomers. Good luck...
So, it's been a while since my last blog entry, but I finally managed to find some free time to continue with one of my favorite articles to write, the effect of re-makes on LEGO sets.
This time, I wanted to analyze the impact the newly released Republic Gunship had on both of its predecessors. For some reason that's beyond me, this particular ship seems to be one of the most popular vehicles of the whole Prequel Trilogy, and LEGO has seen a lot of value in releasing it for the THIRD time this past summer.
This new version follows the same path as the 2008 version by having a pretty decent piece count of just over 1,000 pieces, along with a pretty nice selection of minifigures. As far as the actual ship design is concerned, both 7676 and 75021 share pretty much the same appearance. As one would expect, there are some changes here or there that make the new set unique, but other than that and a couple of new cool minifigures there is really nothing that would make me buy this set if I owned any of the other versions, especially 2008's.
Now, let's take a look at the price charts from Brickpicker for the older versions of the Gunship and see if we can determine the impact 75021 had on them:

I think this graph pretty much says it all. First of all, the graph shows both previous set's price trends, along with their lineal trend as well as the first month when we started seeing the new Gunship on the shelves (represented by the black vertical line). As you can see, the oldest version of the 2 has dipped some since the announcement and subsequent release of 75021, but it is 7676 that has seen the worst drop in value.
Despite going up around $40 from March to April and hovering around that price for a couple months, it suddenly dropped almost a full hundred dollars by pretty much the same time the new version started hitting the shelves or at least when it was expected to be released in a short period of time. So far, this has been the largest drop in value I have encountered when writing this series of articles, and this helps to make the inference that the market feels pretty much the same way I do: the similarities between the 2 newer versions justify just passing on the older, more expensive version in favor of the newer, cheaper one.
Those investors that unloaded their 7676 stock prior to the month of July are certainly happy they did, while those that decided to hold may be regretting it. Thanks for reading!
Okay so back in the 80's I used to work for a top advertising agency in the UK. This agency did very controversial adverts, one of which was the Carling Black label campaign's That always ended with the phrase "I bet he drinks Carling Black label!"
We were asked by Lego to do an advertising campaign for them. This campaign was to run in all the national newspapers and also on tube stations billboards etc.
After much deliberation with the creative and design departments of the agency, It was decided to focus the campaign on Michael Jackson (R.I.P) who of course was at his prime at the time. The idea was to create a life-size model of Michael made of Lego, and as advertising agencies do, add a few catchy phrases for the campaign.
Eight months in the making the model was made, shot and put together by the agency, and of course was given the go-ahead by the clients Lego. The campaign lead with the line "amazing what you can make out of plastic these days" At the time Michael Jackson denied ever having plastic surgery, and clearly this was taking the Mick out of that. The Jackson camp must've got wind of the campaign because two weeks before the campaign was due to be released, I received a hand written letter on Neverland's headed paper from the main man himself threatening legal action for defamation of character should we proceed with the campaign. Michael requested that the model was destroyed and the campaign was abandoned.
Although the campaign never pacifically mentioned Michael, after you see the advert clearly there is no doubt who it refers to. The head cheeses of the agency backed down and decided to totally abandon the campaign fearing a hefty lawsuit from Michael Jackson. The account manager for the agency ordered the model to be destroyed, but decided to keep the head for himself which he kept on his desk for a number of years before moving on and passing it down to me :-)
I was such a big fan of Michael Jackson, that I kept the original letter (as it has his signature on it) and the only copy of the advert, along with the lego head the account manager had given me. My plan was to write to him personally and maybe, just maybe I would get the opportunity to go over to Neverland and meet my idol. Alas this never happened :-(
The small print under the advert read:
"it's not our first facelift, of course. Year after year we bring out string of new hits. All of which help to keep us in the spotlight. And what about our long-term sales record? You just can't beat it. Twenty five consecutive annual sales increases, receiving no end of gold discs along the way. It always pays to remember just who's number one. And in the toy market there's certainly no bigger thriller. Lego the worlds most popular toy."


Hey there Brickpickers! Here's my first blog post, thought I'd make it a doozy. Wanted to share some of the sights from Brickcon 2013 in Seattle. I went on Sunday, day two of the event. Took my nephew and my 5 year old son, so if I lack details it is likely due to the attention spans of a 10 and 5 year old. :-)
Overall Impressions
The event is really a must see for any Lego fan in the area. The venue is somewhat small - I would expect it to expand in future years with Lego's growth - but there is a lot to see, and you can spend half a day there pretty easily. Not sure it is worth travelling a LONG distance for, but that could change in future years.
Here's a shot of part of the room to show how packed it was on the main floor.

Sellers, sellers, sellers
Being a Brickpicker, I was of course interested in the vendors who were there to sell their wares. There were a good number of custom sellers, including Brickarms and Custom Army Clones (I think i have that right).
Brickarms sells custom guns and accessories, molded from the same ABS plastic as Lego. I have to say, for a non-Lego item, they are pretty impressive and look and feel like the real thing. They had a sizable display and we picked up a few of their items.

Another cool vendor was one that sold custom capes for minifigs. All sorts of printed capes of different shapes and sizes, which again looked exactly like legit Lego capes.

A number of vendors were selling minifigs. Both custom minifigs, and minifigs from regular sets. You could find pretty much anyone you wanted, although I did not see Mr. Gold anywhere. Being there on day 2 of 2, I wonder what was sold on Day 1 when it opened.

One vendor was also selling some of the custom sets I have seen posted on here, like the Ghostbusters car.

Surprisingly, one of the busiest areas was a vendor (can't remember the name, maybe Math n Stuff) who was selling mostly current market sets at retail prices. Their area was pretty packed with people buying things they could go buy at their local Walmart or Target, or go to Amazon.com, and find for less.

A bunch of vendors were selling used and retired sets. Saw a couple of Cloud City's, and a few other cool things for market prices. There was a used adult owned Burrow 4840 for $100 which I was thinking of buying, but when I went back it was sold. I will say - I saw a number of Harry Potter used sets for sale in the morning, and they were gone in the afternoon. Ol' Harry still has a lot of draw. But I was surprised to see so many new sets being sold. Chowren Toys was a sponsor for the show, and I hoped they would have a booth, but if they did then I missed it.
There is probably an opportunity for someone like the Mack's to come in and blow everyone away with a bunch of old sets, but given what I saw the crowd buying during my time there, I am not sure it would be worth the time/money/booth investment.
Official LEGO presence
So....the only "official" Lego booth I saw was promoting - what else - Chima! Just stand in line and play some Speedzor game, and you would get a free set with Razer in it. So once again, they were using free giveaways to pump the Chima line. As a marketing technique, it might work - both my nephew and son didn't want to wait in line, we did anyway since I can't pass up free Lego, and once we got home they were having a blast with the set. Now my son wants some of the other characters. I don't think it will translate into anything better than Ninjago when it comes to investing, but something interesting to watch.

MOC's Galore
The number of MOC's on display was simply awesome and inspiring. Some you have probably seen before, but I was amazed at the skill of the AFOL's who had stuff on display. Sit back and buckle in, this will be a long ride.
There were a ton of cool things made from Bionicle parts - shout out to Exobro. :-)
This Dragon was probably 18" high and two feet long, and was really amazing.

The big alien monster thing from The Avengers was another cool one - you can see the crew batting it in the pic, sort of.

I also liked this Alien brain sucker head mask thing, which was sized for an adult!

Star Wars of course remained a popular MOC item. This was a cool mini scale Hoth battle scene diorama.

Another section had some detailed 15" tall Star Wars figures. The Han Solo in carbonite had blinking lights on the side, it was pretty awesome.

This R2D2 was as big as a real garbage can, but somehow lost his feet. Poor R2!

This one was a big MOC with an Endor scene on the top...

...and a Rebel Base hanger underneath, with regular sized X-wings and everything. pretty impressive.

I liked the Rebel trooper bowling with the soccer ball in front of the entrance.
They had the big daddy of them all of course, although I think this one had some modifcations.

And it was completely dwarfed by this. A 6 ft long Venator Attack Cruiser. This thing was amazing, and I can only imagine how many parts it was.

Here's a shot of the engines in the back. Amazing detail.

They also had the Giant Squid attacking the SSD, which people may have seen on the web making the rounds a bunch of months ago.

Super heroes were popular of course as well in the booths and on the floor. This Batcave was pretty amazing. The wall in the upper left with the costumes would rotate into a wall with bat weapons as well.

This semi-scale sized Sentinel from the Marvel comic books was pretty cool.

More super heroes stuff.

There were MOC's of all shapes and sizes. I probably took pics of like 20% of them at the most. Here are a bunch with a few comments scattered here and there.





Disney castle was cool.

This monastery on the side of a mountain was amazing. Modeled after a real life place.




Mothra was pretty funny.




This was the other cool space ship I saw, the Aurora. Just massive with a ton of detail.



I don't even know what the heck these were, cities on wheels I guess, but they were amazing.


This one cracked me up - a battle base with mechs manned by Friends figures. Really cool.

Here's the Delorean we wish we could buy.

And I would buy an A-Team van in a heartbeat - bring us a minifig BA Baracus please!

This might have been one of my favorites, just for the detail. A junked car wrapped around a tree. Such imagination, for something that most of us would never think to build.

And then there was Hogwarts...
Yes, they had the most amazing MOC of them all, the giant Hogwarts I think people have seen pics or videos of. It is breathtaking in person, and I try to say that without hyperbole. If you are a fan of the HP series, it is just incredible to see in person in every way. Every big scene at Hogwarts? It is in there. Every detail? They nailed it. I'm not sure what else to say about it, it was the best part of the show for me, and mindblowing to think of it being constructed and planned out.
Here are some pictures without comment.











Final thoughts
It was a cool event. Well worth a $9 admission fee. They were filming some sort of a documentary during the day, so perhaps you will see some video from it in the future.

And to end....obligatory Space Needle made out of Lego!

See you in 2014!
One very commonly asked question in the BrickPicker Forum is what is the better place to buy and/or sell your LEGO sets - BrickLink or eBay? More often then not, responses will list advantages and disadvantages of both services, but not necessarily which one is superior. The purpose of this article is to settle that dispute once and for all!
Several installments of this type of article will be produced in the near future, but for now, here is the first part of The Superior Market - eBay vs. BrickLink.
Several dozen sets, varying in size, will be compared, based on eBay and BrickLink sales of the last 6 months. I will try my hardest to keep these findings as non-biased and impartial as possible, as well as survey a good variety of sets that have qualifying data.
Small Sets - MSRP $0.01 - $9.99
If the image is a little small, you can click on the table and it will be enlarged.
*Average over the last 5 months. Numbers provided by BrickPicker.com and BrickLink.com Price Guides.
**Value in red signifies eBay USA has higher price, value in green signifies BrickLink has higher price.
***Percentage difference between greater sale price and lesser sale price. All values rounded to the nearest thousandth. On average, sets that sold for more on eBay USA sold 16.95% more on eBay. Sets that sold for more on BrickLink had sale prices of an average of 12.16% more than eBay. Overall though, of the 20 sets surveyed, 80% of them sold for a higher price on eBay than on BrickLink.


If you remember The Perfect Storm, it didn’t end very well for the heroes. George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg went on to create classics such as The Descendants and The Departed while their on-screen alter egos – Captain Billy Thyne and Bobby Shatford - were swallowed in a monstrous tidal wave never to be seen again. So how did I fare with my Lego selling experience in September? Was the “perfect storm” of Lego giveaways successful, or was it a disaster?
My Original Proposal
On Sunday, September 1st I will walk into the Lego Store in Downtown Disney with $102. With this $102 I will get 1 x Funhouse Escape (6857), 5 x Star Wars Battlepack (probably 75000...but might change my mind depending on qty available), 1 x VW polybag and 1 x Clone Lieutenant polybag.
I get a 10% discount at the Lego Store in DD due to my Disney annual pass. So 64.99 + 39.99 x 10% off x 8% tax rate comes out to $102.
I will sell the minifigs and Funhouse separately on Ebay, with short listings at first, maybe 1 day to take advantage of Labor Day. I will reconfigure my battlepacks to cater to the army builders (ie 10 Droidekas in a lot) and sell them all off as well. I will be one of the first VW polybags listed on Ebay as I will have both of those listed on Sunday morning, ending on Monday and shipped (hopefully) on Tuesday.
When I sell enough to earn another $102 in Paypal I will repeat the process as many times as I can during the month of September. Hopefully earning enough to where I have multiple Funhouses for sale at the same time.
Uh-Oh
So as many of you know, this is not how it went down. The Lego Store did NOT give both polybags to customers who qualified for them (while S@H did). This threw a large wrench into my plan, as I now I would have to choose: 10% discount or second poly bag?
There was a second problem I “ran” into. The Disney Marathon was taking place on Sunday, September 1st – delaying my purchase by one day. At the time this seemed like a monumental set back, but really had no effect either way on my overall outcome. So I was forced to actually make my starting purchase on Monday. I was staying at the Hotel there with my girlfriend for a nice weekend getaway, so no extra trips were required. I was also able to pick up a couple of crawlers while I was there, flipping one for a nice $150 profit in my pocket!!!
The Battlepacks also were not in stock, so I had to make a last second adjustment and went with 2 Corporate Alliance Tank Droids and 1 Mandalorian Speeder instead.
The Experience
Sales were okay. There were a few things that sold quickly (VW Polybags) and a few that just languished (thank you Robot Darth Maul).
I was able to turn my inventory about 3 times. After selling through my initial purchase I ended up with $130.46 (profit of about $28). The second wave of sales was actually done through S@H, and I bought 3 of the CATD’s and didn’t get another Mandalorian Speeder. The second round was more successful, because I also added a Golden Dragon from the Ninjago line. I bought this through TRU, surprisingly, and was able to get the free Sea Plane polybag. After this round I had $172.70 in my pocket (profit of about $70). Round three was the same as round two…but seemed like things took longer to sell. I was able to buy a second Golden Dragon and ended up with $203.35. I also had about $14 leftover that was unspent, and a Harley Quinn minifigure, and two of the CATD’s that are still unsold. My total time spent was about 6-8 hours of work. For $100. That’s about $12-$15 per hour of work. Plus a few dollars for gasoline (once to Downtown Disney, then twice to TRU, but it’s on my way home from work).
Conclusions
It was a lot of work. I spent time packaging and shipping, listing and re-listing. Also had to deal with people that wanted their items sooner (sorry buddy…but regular shipping won’t get that BatCycle to you in 48 hours for your kid’s birthday). Was it worth the trouble? Hard to say. I took what I thought was the most opportune time to part out sets and still only made about $100. The irony of this was that I made one and a half times that in about 12 minutes of work selling the 41999 Crawler. I guess the lesson here is that I probably won’t be parting out much more, as for me, it was too time intensive for the return that I got. If you are doing this, I wish you well and hope that you have better luck then I do!
So what set am I going to buy with my $203? Well, I am going to use my 10% discount, and I earned 292 VIP points…so that’s worth $14. I am just shy of being able to get an Ewok Village…probably get an R2-D2 and another Funhouse and call it a day.
Now…that Christmas Set doubled up with the Star Wars Polybag….maybe THAT’s the real PERFECT STORM!!!!
This is just a quick tip if you want to dust off your Lego sets without worrying about taking them apart and running them through the dishwasher, or meticulously wiping them with a cloth. So, I just got my Jedi Defender-class Cruiser the other day, and completed my Old Republic subtheme collection. However, my two Republic Striker-class Starfighters and my Sith Fury-class Interceptor had quite a layer of dust built up on them. They looked pretty lousy and unpresentable, so I decided to try out the 'ol air compressor on them. This turned out to be a very successful experiment, as it dusted those sets off in ten or fifteen seconds apiece. Now, they were not completely clean and still had a very thin,almost invisible layer of dust on them, but the shine of the plastic was back and the pieces were in no danger of being scratched like they are with other dusting methods. Of course, this won't work with cleaning dirt or grim off of sets, but I think that it is a great quick fix if you want to keep your display sets looking their best.
BrickPicker Notes: Hello. I would like to introduce you to Owen, AKA Stomping Freak. He has quite a story to tell. Owen was a Sergeant in the Cheshire Regiment of the British Army. He has served tours all over the world. Jeff and I thought Owen's story is a must read for many LEGO fans...and even some non LEGO fans. Owen suffers from many physical and mental disorders, but has found relief and help through building and handling LEGO bricks. I hope you enjoy his blog. It is our wish that his story might help others that suffer from similar health issues...Ed
Hi, everyone, this is me. I'm 43 years old...and disabled. I have a bone disease which is affecting my spine, legs, and hands. Depressed, well I should be. But thanks to my childhood friend, the LEGO brick, I'm starting to feel like a human being again.
Right. Let me give you some history. While most of you were leaning to wobble to the sofa, I was graduating high school, going to college, meeting girls(I was good looking with hair down to my waist), playing football, running, reading...really enjoying life. Then due to one too many broken bones, I found I was paralyzed from the waist down(There is a large piece of surgical steel in the base of my back).
Oh, check this pic, its me at my little sisters wedding:
As you can see, young, thin...Damn sexy... LOL!!!
While I was recovering, I started getting shooting pains in my hands. They began to shake and I had problems holding items. But because of my grip being strong like a clamp, I couldn't hold a cup without breaking it. Weeks passed and I had started to become run down. I could live without being able to walk, but I could not live without being able to use my hands. I was devastated. Then my friend came to see me. She felt bad that she had brought her son with her because she didn't want a child running around, making noise...etc., but he had brought his favorite toy plane with him. It was made from LEGO bricks. After a short time, the little fellow wanted me to play. I was scared of breaking his toy. I held the plane. I could feel it. It didn't break. I could hold the bricks without breaking them. One of the nurses saw this. The next day, she brought me a tray of LEGO bricks from one of the child wards. Even with shaking, I was able to build a little brick wall. WOW... it felt good! It felt friggin' amazing!
Over the next couple of months that I spent learning to walk again, my aides got me to play/build with LEGO bricks more and more. My hand/eye coordination began to improve. One week before I was discharged, I built my first LEGO Creator set, the 10218 Pet Shop. It took me three weeks to complete.
Since then, I have continued to use LEGO bricks to keep my hands working properly. I have been able to return to shooting(crossbow) on the range. I can hold mugs, cook, and perform personal care once again, all thanks to LEGO Bricks.
I love the stuff. I would like to thank Jeff for making me write this. I will continue to blog about fun things, my life, daft stuff and of course...LEGO bricks.
I know I have upset members of the forums, for that, I am sorry. I have physical and mental heath isuses(due to my past). I will delve into this next time. If you know anyone that has problems with hand and nerve injuries, buy them a LEGO set. It could really help them.
It helped me and is still is helping me.
Stomping
 
I know it has been a while, so I wanted to do a Set that I was really exited about for my next visual review/blog. I haven't been into Lego sets very long, but I am a huge Star Wars fan. Besides the obvious sets like all the UCS ships, my favorite retired sets are all the Duel sets. Mostly because they are simple and can be displayed in a bunch of different ways.
Unfortunately it has really been a long time since we have had one. Luckily, with the fall lineup we finally got a new one and it was a great one: The Duel on Genosis. Why does it look so great? Well, for one, its much bigger than the other duel sets there have been. Pretty much every Duel set there has been has had less than 200 pieces and just 2 minfigures. This one has 391 pieces and has a lot more play pieces which we will go over below.
On to the duel!
So first off, the box:

I really love this box. In general, I like two different types of boxes: Boxes that really make the ship or set stand out with a color complimentary background that really makes it stand out, and boxes that have a lot of different things going on making the set look really fun. This one fits the latter description. You have Poggle the Lesser flying around, the big column is falling, Yoda is hovering while in battle with Doku. Even the overhead lights on the arch are lighting up. There isn't a child that sees this set that wont want to play with it. The box is definitely one of the better ones of the new sets.
My only complaint against the box is that the background being brown doesn't compliment the set quite as much as I'd like. I am not sure the set draws you to it, though once you look you are pretty wow-ed.
Once you open the box, you get about what you paid for: 391 pieces for about 10 cents a piece. The opened set doesn't look any bigger or smaller - just about average. There isn't anything when you open it that tremendously stands out; most the pieces are of average size. The only sort of cool piece is the large, flat, grey piece in the middle:

On to the set!
First up, we get the "big name" exclusive minfigure, Poggle the Lesser. Though he not actually a big name, he is definitely a more unique minifigure and will most likely carry the value of this set quite a bit (at least in my opinion). Strong minifigures, as we all know, can be very important to a sets value - especially a duel set like this:

I really liked his wings. they are made of a thin, bendable plastic and fit on pretty well. The head piece is the best part as it very detailed and really stands out. This minifigure is going to be pretty sought after in the line because of it's uniqueness.
(Note: Yes I know the dog hair. Sadly, I vacuum, but with three dogs it just doesn't happen. Gonna get hard wood   )
Next up is FA-4, which is a redesign:

This figure is alright, but I don't find that it really has a wow factor. I am not really a big fan of minifigures that include normal pieces with a body and arms and head. It may have been the best way to build this one, but I like them to be more non-lego. Not a ton of value in this figure, but it is only in 2 other sets so its value will most likely be stagnant. I doubt it will show up in many more.
Next up is the excellent re-design of Count Doku:

Though our friend Poggle is the exclusive minifigure, Count Doku is really going to help the value of this set a lot as well. He is, as of now, an exclusive re-design to this set and he looks awesome with the chrome Lightsaber handle and the lightning.
I wouldn't underestimate the lightning effect on the minifigure. I was recently parting out the Jek-14 set and someone on Ebay was selling Jek with lightening (he doesn't come with it in the set). He was getting over $4 more for just having that piece. It is not a very common thing in Star Wars sets, so this definitely is going to help the value.
The face is also done really well with great facial hair detail.
He we go with the rest of the first bag. First up is the speeder the set comes with:

This speeder is pretty close to the one that comes with the 75012 Barc Speeder set. It has just a little different color scheme. though it is nothing crazy impressive, don't underestimate its value to this set. Speeder's are big time fun for children and sets that have them add a lot of play-ability. This adds to all the different things and scenes you can make with this set.
The next part you build is the Arch passageway along with the platform that uses the long, flat, grey piece I spoke of earlier:

The build is pretty easy and fun. Its actually much sturdier than other sets that include archs and things of that nature. The detail to it is really nice as well. the light fixture is also really cool as well as it has places to attach minifigures (in several pictures of the set Poggle is chillin' on top of it).

The last bag gives us another minifigure - an exclusive redesign:

Funny enough, Yoda is not in near as many sets as you think. For being one of the most iconic characters, and probably the most quotable character in the movies, he is only actually in 9 sets. Since there are over 300 Star Wars Lego sets, this makes him fairly rare for his popularity. Most of his variants sell for around $8 or so, and I think this one will fit right in that category, adding some solid value to the set.
The rest of the last bag is the back end of the playset:

The back part of the set is pretty bland building wise but shows off a few of the cool play-ability pieces of the set. For one, the black rod piece is for Yoda so oyu can fly him around while fighting Doku. Second, you have the big column (if you remember in the movie these were used as weapons in this scene quite a few times). This one can be tipped over to fall on an unsuspecting minifigure. It is controlled as well meaning you can stop it in thin air if you would like for Yoda or Doku to use the Force.
So how does the set look displayed?

I think it looks awesome for a $40 set. I decided in mine to have Yoda in clear battle with Doku, poggle is just chillin out watching everything happen and FA-4 is just dead in the middle. I think I have issues...
To display some of the cool parts of this set, here is the flying Yoda and the falling column:

Poggle is going to regret standing there.
As an investment, what can we expect from this set? Well I think it is a big time sleeper winner and here is why:
Duel Sets past investment success Solid minifigures Genosis sets 1. Let's see how the duel sets have done. If you didn't know, this is actually sort of a remake of the 7103 Jedi duel with Yoda and Doku. How did that set do?
Retail: $9.99 Current Price: $35.27 CAGR: 12.15% ROI: 253% over 11 Years
Not too bad. In reality, this set did a lot better because it has had pretty stagnant growth for the last while. How did the other Duel sets do?
7101 Lightsaber Duel. Retail : $5.99 Current Price: $21.67 CAGR: 9.67% ROI: 261% over 14 Years
7200 Final Duel. Retail : $6.99 Current Price: $28.40 CAGR: 13.49% ROI: 306% over 11 Years
7201 Final Duel II Retail : $6.99 Current Price: $14.82 CAGR: 7.07% ROI: 112% over 11 Years
Pretty solid, right?
And then, there is the set that most clearly matches up with this set: 7257 Ultimate Light Saber Duel.
7257 Final Duel II Retail : $29.99 Current Price: $116.28 CAGR: 18.46% ROI: 288% over 8 Years Pieces: 282 with 2 Minifigures
This set definitely depicts just a bit more iconic scene, but I think the fight scene with Yoda and Doku is probably one of the best and most iconic scenes of the early episode trilogy. Just think about it - it's the first time that we get to see the ultimate Jedi master in Yoda. He is flipping all over the place, tearing people up. This set has the same suspension type pieces used in 7257 for Yoda, and has some extra play pieces as well as being 100 pieces more. This is definitely good news for the set's value.
2. Here are rough averages for the minifigures on Ebay currently (these obviously will go down after a while but the price of minifigures definitely helps see the value in the set)
Doku: $15 Yoda: $9 FA-4: $4 Poggle: $8 Total: $36.
Definitely helps you see that the minifigures have definitely value. there were listings that sold for higher for each minifigure. The set has 375 other pieces on top of the valuable minifigures!
3. Genosis. If you haven't noticed, the whole fall line was based on these scenes and really most of the sets have been pretty exceptional looking. I haven't found a bad one in the bunch. With the Genosis battlepacks and the genosis cannon set along with the new line, this is going to add a nice collectible plus to this set along with its great display-ability, play-ability, and minifigures.
Why do I call this set a "sleeper"? Well for one, it is definitely not the stand out set of the fall line. Not that it isn't one of the best, but the redone Gunship and AT-TE along with the Jek set and the Ewok Village are going to overshadow this set quite a bit, especially for investors. That's why I don't think this set will get near as much attention. Plus a lot of investors are not investing in Star Wars near as much. Why does this help? Well, I feel like these investors will buy the more obvious sets like the gunship and the Ewok Village, leaving sets like this to really surprise.
Considering everything we have shown, past sets, the minifigures, the sleeper possibilities and the Genosis line, I am going to predict a pretty conservative 12.5% growth after 5 years (after release). I think this set will at least see 10% and could definitely see up to 20% before I would really be surprised. If it grows at that rate, you would be looking at a price of $72 2-3 years after retirement. I don't think it will be extremely hard to grab this set for $25-$30 meaning you should be able to double your money, and have a nice upside as well.
Eitherway, you have to grab one for your collection if you are a big Star Wars fan. this is definitely the best looking of the duel sets and will be a nice change of pace in between those 200 vehicles you have!
When I left Lego behind, I left it for something way more rock ‘n’ roll: rock ‘n’ roll. The move from primary school (elementary school) into secondary school (high school) marked the graduation from the precious toys of my childhood to the world of the pop charts.

Here in the UK in the nineties, the battle was on betweenthe two biggest ‘Brit Pop’ bands of the time; Oasis (from Manchester) and Blur(from London). As a cash-strapped teenager you followed one – for me it wasOasis (although my first ever CD was Blur). I loved both bands but looking backthey weren’t even comparable stylistically, and interestingly I listen to Blurmuch more often all these years later. For my dad things were the same – wereyou a Beatles fan, or a Stones follower? My dad has all the Beatles LPs fromhis youth but has recently been getting into the Stones too. Over in the USthere was the Tupac/Biggie beef, and the question of whether you liked Nirvanaor Guns ‘N’ Roses best... or Metallica or Megadeth. In the nineties the musicindustry thrived off that competition.
Flashback to the late eighties, early nineties. My bedroomwith my brother and sister. What would we play with that day? Lego? Or would itbe... Playmobil? The choice! In what way would we create our own adventuresthat day? I think back then my choice would have been Lego most of the time,but we definitely had time for Playmobil too. Just as Oasis and Blur fought formy attention later on, so both these European super brands vied for theprecious playtime of my childhood.
But is this really a case of Lego vs. Playmobil? Are the twocomparable? Is it possible to only be a follower of one? Is it fair to pit themagainst each other? Is it a case of loving both but only having the time ormoney for one?

For me, Lego is about the building and the creation ofsomething which only existed before as a pile of assorted bricks. Once I’dbuilt a whole town, zoo, Jurassic Park model, or whatever the theme was thatweek, I’d let my siblings play with it whilst I tinkered, improved, extended...Playmobil was about creating stories and adventures using pre-made vehicles,buildings, scenery and people. The way I played with both differed. Lego reallyis the more versatile toy although Playmobil has the advantage of not fallingapart whilst being played with. Playmobil had some great themes available (andstill does) whereas with Lego the only limit to themes was the imagination.
Last week I was wandering around my local toy shop and I wasfascinated by the Playmobil on offer – it seemed that prices were veryreasonable for what you got, some of the sets really grabbed my attention againand after sharing my thoughts with my wife she got straight on ebay and a fewhours later we had won a Playmobil auction (for our daughter, of course). Butdoes this mean I won’t encourage Lego? Does this mean the two toys are incompetition for her time now? No. Different toys. Different ways of playing.

You see, back when Blur and Oasis were battling it out, thereality was that the bands were so dissimilar to each other that it wasn’treally a case of choosing – you could appreciate each one for their own uniquecharacteristics. Same with Lego and Playmobil. But that doesn’t mean you can’thave your favourites – Lego had my heart back then, and it still does now butthat won’t stop me from enjoying Playmobil every once in a while.
Do you rate Playmobil? Do you hate Playmobil? Do you know ofany Playmobil collectors or any adult fans of Playmobil? Please comment andshare your thoughts!
The Art Cleaning LEGOs
Here's a topic we haven't seen here yet, and one that's near and dear to our heart... the Art of Cleaning LEGOs. After all, the difference between what looks clean, and what IS clean, isn't always black and white... but it is how parents keep their peace of mind.
So, you found that awesome used LEGO set on eBay for a fraction of the cost. Good for you! But, you don't need to be a germ-a-phoebe to know that you probably have some other, very small visitors attached to them. These visitors are called pathogens and are anything that can cause disease. They come in the form of bacteria, viruses and the such. So then, what you really bought were vectors. Sure, you could just ignore this fact and build it the second it gets in your home; risking a cold, or flu. Or, you could wait a few hours and have a B E A Utiful set that looks much better, due to it being clean, and safer, due to the lack of pathogens.
So, what are vectors? OK, I admit, actual vectors are normally DNA based molecules, like mosquitoes or flees, which help the pathogen multiply, mutate, etc, in addition to aiding in its spread. But for this specific example, we'll call your 'new to you' LEGOs vectors, since they do this last aspect quite well. Now that the technicalities are out of the way, lets discuss how can you can turn your vectors back into LEGOs?
Sure you can use hot soapy water, but how hot, and which soap? I'm sure there's tons of you that have more experience than I on this topic, so we don't claim to be the all knowing expert, but over the past year, we've experimented numerous technics to look for the best option. We've tried cleaning them in the washer with a cloth bag, but the ones that let the water in, also let our small pieces out. And we think we've found what works best for us.
So, in the immortal words of Khan: "Now, shall we begin?"
Temperature:
What temperature? Most hot water heaters are set for about 110 to 120 degrees F, but can be set higher. Important! If you have kids, particularly young kids, do not take apart your garage to get to the water heater and change its thermostat. Keep your water heater set about 110 to 115. If you want your cleaning water hotter, add some boiling water to the cooler water to bring up its temp. Besides, maintaining that higher temp in your water heater will cost you dearly and put a needless scalding hazard into your home.
Cleaner/Disinfectant:
So, you boiled your water and got your sink's water temp to 120-130 degrees F. This isn't really hot enough to kill all pathogens, but its about the hottest your hands will be able to take. So, you'll need to add some additional cleaners.
You need a soap to clean and an anti pathogen ingredient, if not already in your soap. If it isn't, you could purchase some lavender oil, or boil some fresh lavender in your water if you have any growing around the house. You can also use a variety of other natural ingredients from citrus, herb, or other oils to achieve the same effect, but we suggest lavender due to its antibacterial, antiviral, and anti fungal properties.
Another must have is white distilled vinegar. It also does the same as lavender, but adds in grease cutting abilities. In a single sink, we fill the sink half way with 120-130 degree F water, add one cup of white vinegar, 5 drops of lavender oil, and 1 tablespoon generic dish washing liquid.
Time to clean.
Cleaning:
Important! Remember that LEGO is adding more and more electronic parts to their sets. Be sure that any electric brick or part is separated before cleaning. We recommend cleaning these with an antibacterial wipe, then removing the cleaner with a moist towel before drying.
For cleaning, don't just throw your LEGOs in the sink. Keep them confined (except the really small tiles that always seem to find their way out) by using a plastic colander, or even better, an interior liner for a salad spinner. Make sure all pieces are submerged. If you have some dirty parts or large plates that like to collect dust, use a really soft brush, scrubbing in two perpendicular directions. Gently swish the pieces around the colander both in and out of the water. Then, using hot water, completely rinse all pieces, being sure to get both sides of the pieces.
Drying:
So they're clean... and wet. If you've ever cleaned LEGOs before, then you know how hard it is to get them completely dry. The little divots and crevasses underneath may increase its clutch power, but they also act like little sponge pores, trapping water for what seems like eternity.
Remember when I said it was actually better to use a salad spinner liner than a colander? Reason is because now you can take your liner and spin those pieces of plastic plastic gold. We've discovered that its better to start slow and speed up gradually. This decreases your scratch potential as we'll as decreasing damage to your salad spinner. Remember, these weren't designed for spinning something as heavy duty as LEGOs, so you need to give the pieces time to find a good position. Just like your clothes washer, you want to make sure your pieces' weight is distributed equally, or you'll have a hard time spinning the pieces fast enough to get all the water off. Once you give a good starter spin, move the pieces around to get out water trapped from the previous spin. Just repeat until you're not getting out any more water.
No salad spinner, no problem. You can also try some of these other methods:
- Cup a few smaller pieces in your hands and shake like you would before you roll the dice.
- Tap the larger pieces on their edge; hard enough to dislodge the water, but soft enough not to damage the LEGO or the surface you're tapping on.
- for larger plate pieces, tap first as above, but rub the stud face in perpendicular directions on a thick towel
Its important to get the water off your LEGOs as quickly as possible. First, residue from the water will dry in place, leaving spots on your clean LEGOs. Second, moisture is one of the biggest requirements for bacteria to reform on your bricks.
If you remember anything from this article, just remember these three things:
- If you have 'new to you' LEGOs, and kids to play with them, we implore you to clean any used LEGOs you buy.
- Using natural ingredients can be a safe alternative to harsh chemicals that can leave your LEGOs almost as toxic as when you got them.
- Lastly get the water off your LEGOs as quickly as you can to maintain cleaning's aesthetic and sanitarial benefits.
Also, if you're selling a set of LEGOs, putting in your listing the fact that you cleaned them prior to packaging couldn't hurt your bottom line either, right? We've seen some nasty stuff come our way, and we know that this time wont be spent in vain. Let's make sure we keep LEGO the safest, best toy in history.
Additional:
Some great sites for other natural cleaning recipes:
- http://www.macheesmo.com/2011/01/four-homemade-cleaners/
- http://gogreenamericatv.com/the-blender-girls-top-natural-cleaning-uses-for-essential-oils/
- http://www.herbsociety.org/resources/t4k/documents/LectureHerbalHousekeepingHandout.pdf
- http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art50467.asp
Note: We do not endorse, nor do we support any essential oil product. Whichever you choose will minimize the use of chemicals on the LEGOs.
We're coming up on the holiday selling season (it's the most wonderful time of the yearrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr) and with a lot of new investors around here who will be going through their first Christmas, I wanted to help out with a little advice on the shipping side of selling.
First, a little background on me so you know where I'm coming from. I worked for FedEx Ground/Home Delivery in the terminal unloading trailers and loading delivery trucks for 2 years and was a delivery driver and contractor for 5 years, so I've seen how your packages get handled. I want to help make sure that your 41999 gets where it's supposed to without being beat to hell.
Packaging:
First off, start stashing away packaging materials. Save the boxes you get from shipments (assuming they aren't beat up). Keep the bubble wrap and air bubbles from them too. Ask your friends, Romans, and countrymen to save them for you. Every piece you can save is a little bit more profit you're making.
Supplement your stash by getting on USPS.com and ordering a nice variety of Priority Mail shipping boxes. Most everything is free, so don't feel bad about ordering more than you think you need. The most useful boxes are the 1092, 1095, and 1097 boxes which will fit your smaller sets up to the size of Orc Forge. The square 4 box and shoe box are great for Minecraft. You also want to grab a few Express Mail boxes for those last-minute gifts. Don't forget to order a few rolls of stickers to slap on your box seals, since the ones on the boxes don't always stay stuck. If you've ever gotten an order that was delivered in one of these boxes, you'll know that they aren't very crush-resistant. It's OK if you're flipping a City set to some parent who doesn't care about condition. But don't send expensive sets in USPS-provided boxes or you'll be sorry.
Next up, you'll probably want to visit uline.com. The 16"x24"x4" boxes will hold the larger sets (like Jabba's Palace), and you have to buy them in 25 piece lots. They run me about $55 shipped, though your price will vary with the shipping cost.
You'll also want to stock up on thick bubble wrap and tape. Don't be cheap with your tape. It's a very inexpensive item and it isn't worth trying to save a buck if your tape breaks and you have a box come open.
For your more expensive sets: Double box it. Insure it. Require a signature. It's a few bucks that can save you a lot of headaches. Where you draw the line for "expensive" is up to you.
How Your Package Gets Treated
Take a look at this video just to get an idea of what your box is going to go through: http://youtu.be/iYzQ7JSBIGU?t=40s
Now that you've seen that, remember that's the video that FedEx is LETTING you see. You know all those boxes piling up? I've seen times when the overhead chute gets clogged and boxes pile up and start falling from 15 feet up. I've seen corners catch in the sorting aisle and get ripped apart. And just think what a 50 pound box sliding down one of those chutes will do to the box in front of it.
You also should remember that while it's a mint in sealed box Cloud City to you, to the people at the terminal it's just one of thousands of packages they deal with every day. They aren't going to handle it with care.
The Last Mile
The better relationship you have with your delivery drivers, the better they'll treat your stuff. Don't forget that your driver is a human being and not a cyborg. They spend 8+ hours a day driving a truck by themselves. Learn their names. Don't throw a fit because they didn't leave your package. Believe me, they want it off the truck too. For Ground/HD, it's usually money out of the driver's pocket if something gets stolen. Let them know where you'd like boxes left if you aren't home. Offer the guy a Coke sometime.
And please, take care of your guys at the holidays, especially if you see them all the time. The end of the year is a rough time of year. At FedEx, we worked 6 days a week from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Even just a plate of cookies will be appreciated more than you know.
Hopefully this has provided a little window into what your package is going to deal while your carrier has it. Use it and you shouldn't have any problems this holiday season.
And If you take nothing else away, remember this: Don't ever, ever, ever, under any circumstances write FRAGILE on your package. Ever. FRAGILE is a French word meaning, "I'm going to throw this box even harder than I throw every other box". Believe me, I know from experience. Write GLASS.
Remember: GLASS is breakable, FRAGILE is French. OK? OK.
As LEGO.com experiments with their new computer system, many of us have noticed slightly longer waiting times on their customer service phone lines. We needed to call a few times in the past week, and joined the waiting line. We had time, so out of curiosity, we did an average of our waiting times to calculate sets that you could probably complete while you're waiting.
While some of us might build a little faster or slower, we're assuming times for slower builders to make sure everyone could complete in time. Here's our top 10:
10. 3450: The Statue of Liberty:
9. 10030: UCS Imperial Star Destroyer
8. 10221: UCS Super Star Destroyer (Executor)
7. 10196: The Grand Carousel
6. 10181: The Eiffel Tower
5. 10143: UCS Death Star II (original trilogy edition)
4. 10188: UCS Death Star
3. 10214: The Tower Bridge
2. 10179: UCS Millennium Falcon
1. 10189: The Taj Mahal
We know no one likes to wait on the phone, especially when there's a problem to fix. However, if you pull out one of these sets and start building, it should take up most of your waiting time. Just keep that LEGO spirit and maybe it won't seem so bad.
There’s no way that I’d be an AFOL if I hadn’t first been a CFOL (child fan of Lego – is that a term?). So many of us grown-ups would cite “getting the Lego I always wanted” as a top reason for still being into Lego way into our 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond. For me, as a child, new Lego was only to be had at birthdays and at Christmas. Kids these days seem to be showered with expensive toys with no sense of occasion – that wasn’t me.
January to August would be spent playing with new Christmas Lego and pouring over the new year’s catalogue in order to make important decisions about birthday presents; the same process for August to December ready for Christmas. Between me and my brother we did pretty well, and since his birthday was in June there was another income of bricks during the year too. I was pretty influential in his choices but then everything was shared – for us Lego was not something to be played with alone.
So, in a roundabout way that brings me to my top 5 childhood Lego sets:

#6380 – Emergency Treatment Centre – 1987 – 308 pieces – 5 minifigures
In 1987 I would have turned 3 so I guess I would have been 4 or 5 when I received this set. This was my first ‘BIG’ set – more than just a vehicle or a ‘Basic’ set and with a detailed and sustained set of instructions. I can remember building this for the very first time and it felt wonderful to be making something so substantial. This one was rebuilt many a time during my childhood – whenever a town layout was built on our purpose built Lego play table (thanks Dad!).
As a build this one was very simple – a case of just building up the layers. I can almost visualise the instructions for this and perhaps know some of it by heart. The pieces included came in very useful for MOCing (I didn’t know it was called that back then, I just that’s what you did with Lego – old habits die hard). These pieces were also the basis for another model in the Lego Ideas Book from 1990 although I’m sure I made it, I can’t remember doing so.

#6274 – Caribbean Clipper – 1989 – 378 pieces – 4 minifigures
My first ‘BIG’ Pirate set (definitely my favourite theme as a child) courtesy of my Grandma (who always came through with the ‘BIG’ Lego sets). I probably also wanted the larger ‘Black Seas Barracuda’ from the same year but I was more than happy with this one. I can remember building this one too and I loved it even more because I loved the Pirates theme so much.
This was another simple build with the two hull pieces making up the bulk of the ship. The cannon were a fun play feature as were the small flaps for them to hide behind. The rigging and sails were a nice touch as was the wind-in anchor. I definitely remember trying to make this float too – not sure I succeeded.

#6278 – Enchanted Island – 1994 – 428 pieces – 7 minifigures
Notice how as the years go by, there are more pieces in the sets? I wonder if that’s a general trend or just a coincidence. Enchanted Island; so good Lego released this set twice – the second time much later on in 2001 (with fewer pieces?!). Man, I loved this sub-theme – I actually think I had ALL the Indigo Islanders sets (I need to check that, though). This was a very playable set and for me and my siblings it provided hours of entertainment, especially alongside the Caribbean Clipper (which may have been commandeered by the pirates by this point). I also remember that it took me a decent amount of time to build which is always a good thing in my books.
One thing that strikes me particularly about this set (and others at the time) is the base plates – many sets at a similar price point (£50) these days don’t come with a base plate, let alone two, and therefore seem a lot smaller to me. I like baseplates – these ones let our imagination run wild when creating our own builds.

#6195 – Neptune Discovery Lab – 1995 – 508 pieces – 4 minfigures
Yet again, a higher piece count at the same price (£50). This was not strictly mine – my brother got this for his birthday (he would have been 6 or 7). This was another theme which we were totally sold on – between us I think we had most of the Aquazone sets from when it was Aquanauts and Aquasharks. Without the other sets I think this theme was a bit limited for creative play as there is only so much you can do with underwater (if you play realistically) but we did enjoy this.
Again, plenty of playability in this set, great baseplates, lots of unique elements and to me still, really attractive aesthetics. The addition of the submarine craft was an excellent selling point too.

#5541 – Blue Fury – 1995 – 421 pieces
Sadly this was one of the last, if not the last, Lego sets I had before descending into teenage-induced darkness. 1995 was the year I started secondary school (I was 11) and whilst I definitely still played with Lego at that time and for a couple more years, I definitely stopped asking for new Lego at birthdays and Christmas. Looking back now, it seems too early to have given up. This model was still displayed in my room until I went away to university at the age of 18 so maybe my Lego love was just hibernating!
Anyway, as you can see, I’m in the throes of remaking this although missing parts are a pain. One particular difficult one is the curved section of chrome tailpipe – if anyone can find me one I’d be forever grateful! Rebuilding this is a ton of fun although having recently built the Creator Highway Speeder it is incredible to see how many changes there are in build technique – the Lego designers really have made progress in how they utilise both new and old pieces.
My childhood with these sets was a happy one – many of my hours were spent playing with Lego (it is almost the only toy I played with inside the house). For a boy growing up in the 90s there was nothing more one could want – it felt like we had it all (although I always wished for a Vikings theme). I know for some the 90s sets paled compared to the sets they grew up with in the 80s but I suppose we get very attached to things which were formative to us – there is much sentiment and attachment to the toys of our childhood.
I would love to hear from you – did you have any of these sets? How did you like them? What are your top 5 childhood Lego sets? What memories do you have of them?
People are always looking for the next hot investment.  With today's volatile stock market and falling real estate prices, people are looking for someplace safe to invest their money.  I'm here today to make a case for LEGOS.  That's right, you read it correctly...LEGOS.  Hard to believe?  Maybe, but let me show you some interesting tidbits and data that help me substantiate my claim.
In 2000, LEGO was named "Toy of the Century” by Fortune magazine as well as by the British Toy Retailers Association, beating out such other classics as the teddy bear and Mattel's Barbie.  These simple, colorful and durable blocks have been around since 1958 in their current form and are more popular than ever.   The LEGO Group works with other top entertainment franchises, such as Star Wars and Harry Potter, to keep their ideas fresh and popular.   Fifteen 'billion' components are produced every year by the LEGO Group.  They even have a line of LEGO video games that are available on all current video game consoles.  Impressive, to say the least.
I know what you are thinking...How does this information make me money?  Well, first of all, it indicates that LEGO is a solid company that keeps up with the times and puts out a quality product.  Secondly, it shows that people, both young and old have a love affair with these little plastic bricks and will pass this interest to the next generation.   Both these ideas are important in building a strong foundation for the LEGO Group's future and gives an investor a little piece of mind when plunking down hundreds of dollars to buy a new LEGO set for investment purposes.
Before we look at the data that backs up the idea that LEGOs are a solid investment, let us discuss what LEGO investing actually is.  When I 'invest' in LEGOs, I usually buy a new or used set that is MIB(Mint In Box).  MIB means that the LEGO box was never opened or the parts used in any way.  The box is still factory sealed and in good condition and is stored carefully in a smoke-free and clean environment.  Investing in older and rarer sets that have been assembled(box has been opened, obviously) is also an option for investment, but for our discussions here, we are talking about sealed boxes.
When speaking of LEGOs as investment vehicles, I like to associate LEGO sets with stocks.  There are thousands of different LEGO sets, just like stocks.  Both can be bought and sold rather easily.  As with stocks, there are LEGO sets that are top performers when it comes to investment purposes and then there are your dogs, or poor performers.  But unlike stocks, most of the LEGO sets that have been created over the last 50+years have increased from their original MSRPs(Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price) if they were kept in MIB condition.  That's more than a lot of stock investors can say.  How many times has a new company's stock price tanked soon after launch?  Too many to count,  I'm afraid.
Take a look at the chart below...
IMAGE LEGO SET RETAIL PRICE CURRENT PRICE % INCREASE 10018-1: Darth MaulPieces: 1868 149.99 393.47 162% 10019-1: Rebel Blockade RunnerPieces: 1747 199.99 713.75 257% 9302-1: Community Builders SetPieces: 1670 179.99 73 -59% 3724-1: LEGO DragonPieces: 1530 98.99 464 369% 8466-1: 4X4 Off-RoaderPieces: 1102 119.99 412.5 244% 10001-1: MetrolinerPieces: 782 148.99 275.28 85% 3804-1: Robotics Invention System V2.0Pieces: 717 199.99 224.22 12% 7317-1: Aero Tube HangerPieces: 706 89.99 94.17 5% 6290-1: Red Beard RunnerPieces: 698 99.99 170 70% 4709-1: Hogwarts CastlePieces: 682 89.99 161.98 80% 8538-1: Muaka & Kane-raPieces: 633 69.99 61.4 -12% 3451-1: Sopwith CamelPieces: 574 49.99 133.37 167% 7316-1: Excavation SearcherPieces: 471 49.99 36.96 -26% 6472-1: Gas N' Wash ExpressPieces: 470 49.99 114.09 128% 8539-1: ManasPieces: 457 89.99 149.32 66% 7186-1: Watto's JunkyardPieces: 443 49.99 194.35 289% 6776-1: Ogel Control CenterPieces: 422 49.99 35.12 -30% 6292-1: Enchanted IslandPieces: 419 69.99 143.75 105% 8549-1: TarakavaPieces: 411 49.99 50.74 2% 4708-1: Hogwarts ExpressPieces: 410 49.99 90.4 81% 8465-1: Extreme Off-RoaderPieces: 365 39.99 79 98% 8008-1: StormtrooperPieces: 361 34.99 41.5 19% 8007-1: C-3POPieces: 341 34.99 67.75 94% 4707-1: Hagrid's HutPieces: 299 29.99 44.35 48% 10002-1: Railroad Club CarPieces: 293 37.99 359 845% 6291-1: Armada FlagshipPieces: 280 49.99 104.81 110% 10000-1: Guarded InnPieces: 253 24.99 75.08 200% 8242-1: Slammer TurboPieces: 253 19.99 28.08 40% 7315-1 :Solar ExplorerPieces: 242 34.99 34.77 -1%   7166-1: Imperial ShuttlePieces: 238 34.99 84.96 143%     2300.7 4911.17 113%  
This is a chart of the 30 largest LEGO sets from the year 2001.  The year 2001 was chosen to show a ten year time frame when comparing the MSRPs to current values, which is a common investment time period.  Next to the LEGO set name and piece count, the set's MSRP and current market value according to www.BrickPicker.com are displayed.  After that, the percentage increase/decrease over a ten year time frame.  www.BrickPicker.com gets its information directly from eBAY auction results and averages out these results to get current new and used values.   eBAY is the most accurate source for used and older LEGO sets in the market today.  On any given day, there are 200,000+ LEGO listings on eBAY, both domestically and internationally.  LEGOs are one of the five most active categories on eBAY, which also includes collectible baseball cards, stamps, coins and Barbie Dolls as other active categories.  
 
As you can see from the data, over 80% of the LEGO sets increased in value, some drastically.  Some of the sets even tripled and quadrupled in value over a 10 year time frame, such as set# 10019(Rebel Blockade Runner) and set# 3724(LEGO Dragon).  That's some serious money if you had the foresight to purchase a few of these sets 10 years ago.  To put it in perspective, compare these 30 LEGO sets to the 30 largest US companies that make up the DJIA(Dow Jones Industrial Average), which is the benchmark for stock investing.  Back in October of 2001, the DJIA was at 9075.14 points.  In September of 2011, 10 years later, the DJIA was at 11153.98, for an increase of 22.9%.  During the same time period, the total increase for the 30 largest LEGO sets of 2001 is 123.5%.  That is over FIVE times the gain in value over the DJIA.  Impressive once again.  
 
To be honest, it is amazing how these 'toys' increase in value.  The world wide economy has been in a major recession for years, yet there are some sets that show 100-300% increases during that time period.  Www.BrickPicker.com has a feature, called the BRICK INDEX, that will show you the Top 25 LEGO sets/items that have increased in value the most over a 6 month time frame.  The BRICK INDEX also has another option that shows which sets have increased the most over their MSRP.  It is quite common to see 100%+ increases in market value in popular categories like STAR WARS and the TOWN(Modular Homes), even after a couple of years.  One reason for such an increase in value could be the fact that LEGO discontinues sets after a couple of years, thus creating a sort of a 'limited' edition for each set.  That, plus the fact that most of the LEGO sets are opened and built, not put away and saved to sell at a later time for profit, also increases their value.
Investing in LEGOs is not without its drawbacks, though.  As with any sort of collectible, the safe storage of the collectible is very important.  It is no different with storing LEGOs.  Although the actual LEGO brick is pretty much indestructible under normal conditions, the LEGO boxes and instructions need special care.  Due to the fact that maximum value is obtained when a LEGO set has a box and instructions that are in excellent and sealed condition, an organized and safe storage method is required.  A system of shelves in a spare room works well, but it takes up a lot of space and a lot of potential investors might not have the extra space to put aside for thousands of LEGO bricks.  LEGO boxes come in all sizes, but if you have a rather large collection, they start to take up entire rooms, unlike coins or stamps that take up minimal space.  Also, the storage area needs to be dry, smoke-free and out of direct sunlight.  The LEGO boxes also show shelf wear relatively quickly, thus reducing values even more.
Another issue that confronts the LEGO investor is insuring the entire collection. Insurance companies look at you like you have two heads when you tell them you want to insure LEGOs, but with some collectors and investors, they might have tens of thousands of dollars worth of bricks and boxes in their basement.  After speaking with my insurance agent, he stated it was possible to insure a LEGO collection, but a breakdown of the individual sets and their current market values are required.  A site like www.BrickPicker.com can help with a current market value of a person's LEGO collection by using their BRICKFOLIO tool.  The BRICKFOLIO tool of www.Brickpicker.com enables a collector to input their entire collection of LEGO sets and get up to date values for the entire collection.  It can be printed out and then turned over to the insurance company, so the collection can be insured under the investor's home owner policy.
Thus, in conclusion, it is this author's opinion that LEGOs are a worthwhile and fun investment.  Although it is not your typical sort of collectible like coins or stamps, LEGOs appreciate quickly if the proper sets are bought and stored correctly.  A site like www.BrickPicker.com can help show what LEGO sets are hot and increasing in value and which ones should be avoided.  Their BRICK INDEX shows the top value gainers in the past 6 months and from MSRP.  Now in days, online auction sites like eBAY are very useful in buying and selling these collectible LEGO sets.  Also, www.LEGO.com and www.Amazon.com are useful in purchasing new LEGO sets.  All three options are listed on the www.BrickPicker.com's SET GUIDE for comparison.  Personally, I have seen my own collection double in value over the last 3-4 years and that coincided with one of the worst economies of the last century.  LEGO investing is something that has gone under the radar for years now, with only a few smart people tapping into the market.  I'm here to say that everybody can get involved, even to a small degree, and make money from LEGOS...and have FUN doing it. 
Keep those bricks clicking...
Edward Mack
AFOL and LEGO Investor...

Lego Layout

By Ed Mack in Community LEGO Blogs

Ok, as some of you know I am building (or attempting to) build a HO train layout using Legos. The train set it self is not Lego. So far I have drawn out the Star Wars section, and my mini city. I just thought it would fun to keep anyone that is interested in this updated. I will buy the wood this weekend and the train track should be here soon. I will update this blog with text and pics as progress is made. Any ideas and criticism is more than welcome. I hope some of you find this interesting and want to follow this blog. Thank you to all that will follow my blog.
I just graduated in spring 2013 with a mechanical engineering degree, and the sole purpose of this blog post is to weigh in on the famous Lego vs. Mega Bloks debate with my "professional" opinion.
I remember recieving a Mega Bloks monster truck as a child. About half way through the build, a few pieces would pop off when I pressed a piece on. It was very frustrating, and I put it away. When I was a little older, I tried to put it together again. This time i only needed to place one or two more pieces and the thing would have been complete. However, random pieces started popping off again when I would press a different piece into place.
Therefore, I "maturely" remedied the situation by "zooming" the truck off the top of the stairs and watching it flip over and over, crashing, smashing, and tumbling its way down. It was a glorious sight as the beast dissapeared into a haze of purple bloks that were flung off during its first and last journey. At last the pathetic excuse for a toy came to busted halt at the bottom of the stairs. Barley recognizable. It was missing a wheel or two and shed most of it's body on the way down. Meanwhile, I was standing at the top of the stairs with an evil laugh thinking to myself, "If you're going to radomly lose bloks, then I'm going to give you a reason to lose them!" Watching that set explode was definitely the most fun I had with it.

That pretty much ended my interest in ever getting another megabloks set. In fact, I even asked my aunt and uncle for the reciept on a mega bloks skate park set they bought me one year for my birthday so that I could buy a lego set. I wound up getting 4950 Loader-Dozer from the Rock Raiders theme so it was a great trade in my opinion.

Many people (such as parents looking for a cheaper alternative) think that it is just a personal preference. These people believe that since Mega Bloks are "compatible" with Lego, that means they are just as good. I am here to tell them that they are wrong.
When I was younger, my opinion was the following: "Lego bricks are better than Mega Bloks because they stick together better." Even though I have gained a great deal of technical background and understanding since those days, my opinion has largley remain unchanged. This brings us to our first point.
Quality
Even at a really young age, I was able to tell the difference in the plastic quality between Lego and Mega Bloks.
-Color: Lego bricks are always so rich in color and shine, and Mega Bloks always looked like they have sat out in the sun too long.
-Density: Lego bricks are more dense than Mega Bloks. Density is the unit of mass per volume. If you take a 1X4 Lego Brick and compare it to a 1X4 Mega Block, they have roughly the same volume, but the Lego brick weighs more, therefore it has more mass per volume and is more dense. At any rate it is made of a stronger plastic. This higher density and stronger plastic ensures less flexing when pieces are pressed together. This results in a tighter fit and the Lego pieces do not randomly pop off like Mega Bloks do.
-Control: This is just a guess, but I also figure that the quality control for Lego is more strict than for Mega Bloks.
Tolerances
My final semester in school, I took a class called Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerances (GD&T). It has everything to do with the actual manufactre of a part. Take a lego brick for example. Lets say that a certain lego brick has to be 1 inch* in length. Well in the real world, that lego brick will likely never be exactly 1 inch. In fact 3 different bricks can be 1.011", 0.996", and 1.009". Very close to 1 inch, but not. I believe that Lego has strict tolerances. For this particular part the dimension may be 1+/-0.01". This means that the lego brick can be between 0.990" and 1.010" and pass quality control. Since the first brick fell out of this tolerance by 0.001", it would be discarded. (Probably thrown back into the oven and re-melted to try again). Mega Blok's tolerances are probably less strict. In this made up example, they'd be closer to 1+/-0.05" with a range of 0.95" to 1.05" so all three Mega Bloks of the same lengths mentioned before would pass quality control making it easier to get a piece that doesn't hold strong. Holding dimensions to a higher tolerance is more expensive on the company's end, Lego puts more money into quality control. because they have a brand name associated with high quality. This allows them to charge more for retail compared to Mega Bloks.
These tolerances would apply to every dimension on a brick. Take a 1X4 brick for example. There are height, depth, and width dimensions that must fall within tolerances, 8 diamter dimensions of the studs on top, 3 diameter dimensions of the tubes underneath. And probably a whole lot more. Also the studs have to be the right distance away from each other so that they are small enough to fit inside the bottom of another brick, but large enough so they press fit in tightly and do not allow the brick on top to slip off. Incredible design work when you think about it.
To recap: From my youthful experiences and recently gained technical understanding, my "professional" and largley biased opinion is as follows;
"Lego bricks are better than Mega Bloks because they are held to a higher tolerance." which...simply put...means...THEY STICK TOGETHER BETTER!
Keep Laughing! (This one's a cheap shot) From a literature standpoint, Lego is still better. It's name has foreign language roots. All Mega Bloks does is teaches kids how to spell blocks wrong....
I will leave you with a great quote from Family Guy.
Peter: You got Legos? Aw, sweet! Lois only buys me Mega Bloks.
Lois: They're the same thing, Peter.
Peter: You know what, Lois? They are not the same thing. And the sooner you get that through your thick skull, the sooner we can get this marriage back on track.
*Even though I'm from the USA, to all my UK or other country readers out there, I love the
metric system and I really wish America would switch...
This blog follows on from my first blog back in June that used data to the end of May-13. This is the next update in what I would like to be a regular series of articles that presents the top 20 sets in terms of secondary market price growth according to the data we have available here on Brickpicker.
Again, here are some notes on the scope before I begin:
I have not restricted the qualifying sets by size or age or any other dimension Information is based on US prices only Not all sets across all themes are included as I have zero interest in Bionicle/Hero Factory for example so have only gathered data on a few of those sets. (I just didn’t have the willpower to gather all the data for them really). Most of the rest are covered though. I tried to look at as many sets as possible, but there is a chance a few may have been missed, if you spot some that should/could be included please let me know The Last Rank column indicates changes in ranking from the last Top 20 Blog (May data) One Month Growth (change in Market Price from last month)

We have a Hero Factory set topping the charts! It’s on the back of a solid 70 units sold in July as well. As expected there are quite a few new entrants on the list as that reflects volatility in prices when only looking at a change from 1 month to the next.
It will be interesting to see if any of these sets can maintain some of this growth longer term. Which leads us nicely onto our next time period:
Six Month Growth (change in Market Price from Jan 2013 )

Another Hero Factory set tops the list! Maybe I should start to look into these sets a little more… or at least gather data on more of them. Lots of new entrants again, some with pretty low volumes but others that really deserve their position. 8083, 21016, 5887, 3936, etc have all been great performers and you be well pleased to have had a few of those in your investment portfolio over recent months.
One Year Growth (change in Market Price from July 2012)

Now we start to see some solid performers over a more reliable length of time. 6808 Galaxy Trekkor at the top can be discounted due to extremely low volumes, but there are plenty of others that command respect.
9574 Loyd ZX and 9465 Zombies enter the 1 year chart now that they have been released more than a year ago. Plenty of other great sets on this list that you’d have done well to buy at market price one year ago.
Two Year Growth (change in Market Price from May 2011)

Now into the two year time frame we begin to remove some of the short term fluctuations that can occur with some of the narrower time periods. Level Crossing hold on to top spot on the list with a phenomenal 272.7% increase over 2 years. 5 of the top 10 have actually gone up in ranks from our chart two months ago, proving that they continue to be excellent investment options.
Retail Growth (change in Market Price from last month)

Now for the full measure of growth from the retail value of the set. Obviously a set with a $0 listed retail price like all the promo giveaways etc are excluded as we can’t divide by zero, so that has weeded out a few of the small polybags or very very old sets for which we have no retail data. But the list is still dominated by cheap sets that have increased by large multiples.
The 1626 Angel takes top spot with a crazy 20,477% growth over retail thanks to 1 recent sale of $250 and another 2 years ago of $280 all from a set that cost $1.30 when relesed back in 1989.
Perhaps the first “real” contender is 10190 Market Street, such an impressive result for a set in just 6 years. Much better than another set from the same year that people often point to as the pinnacle of Lego investing.
Conclusions
Completing this exercise again it is still clear that cheap older polybag sets with super low volumes dominate the lists a little, hopefully that’s something I may address in the future with a volume limit or something similar.
One thing that does explain it a little is the fact that the filter algorithms Jeff has developed for the Ebay listings are constantly being improved and this means that the data you see for one month’s update may get altered next time around as the filters get enhanced.
The other major discussion point is that these top 20 lists all the absolute best investment decisions you could have made if you had perfect future knowledge. The amount of under the radar sets and “sleeper” hits have been a big wake up call for me. We sometimes become a little circular in discussing the popular sets for investing (Modulars, UCS, etc) and lose sight of the fact that many of the best investments to be had right now are probably some of the least discussed sets. It does mean there are plenty more topics ripe for discussion on the forums and in blogs.
I’ve only given a cursory analysis of the lists themselves and would like to leave it to you on how best to interpret the results. The numbers should speak for themselves and I’d like to hear your take on them in the comments below.
Back in 2000 a movie came out starring George Clooney and Marky Mark called The Perfect Storm. This movie told of a confluence of weather patterns that led to a "perfect storm". Unfortunately for our heroes, they were aboard the Andrea Gail in the middle of the Atlantic when the storm hit. So what does this have to do with Lego and Lego Investing? Well, nothing really...except that on September 1st a confluence of polybags has made a "perfect storm" scenario at the Lego Store.
To further explain, Lego Stores and Lego S@H are running a free promotional giveaway. Free with a $75 order is a Mini-VW polybag (40079). Also, if you spend $50 in Star Wars merchandise you receive a free Clone Trooper Lieutenant (5001709). By all accounts you could spend $50 on Star Wars and add $25 on anything else and receive both of the polybags. The Clone Trooper by itself sells for between $25 and $35 on Ebay. I am assuming that those buyers are aware that this polybag will be $50 in a few days...and you get $50 worth of free Star Wars Lego!
So if you have ever come accross any of my posts on the message boards you will have learned a few things: 1) I have an odd sense of humor 2) I really like the Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape 3) I do a mixture of selling off sets as well as holding sets and 4) I preach just buying the minimum amount to take advantage of Lego giveaways. With these things in mind, I am going to do a little experiment in September, and let everyone see how it goes step by step.
The Proposal
On Sunday, September 1st I will walk into the Lego Store in Downtown Disney with $102. With this $102 I will get 1 x Funhouse Escape (6857), 5 x Star Wars Battlepack (probably 75000...but might change my mind depending on qty available), 1 x VW polybag and 1 x Clone Lieutenant polybag.
I get a 10% discount at the Lego Store in DD due to my Disney annual pass. So 64.99 + 39.99 x 10% off x 8% tax rate comes out to $102.
I will sell the minifigs and Funhouse separately on Ebay, with short listings at first, maybe 1 day to take advantage of Labor Day. I will reconfigure my battlepacks to cater to the army builders (ie 10 Droidekas in a lot) and sell them all off as well. I will be one of the first VW polybags listed on Ebay as I will have both of those listed on Sunday morning, ending on Monday and shipped (hopefully) on Tuesday.
When I sell enough to earn another $102 in Paypal I will repeat the process as many times as I can during the month of September. Hopefully earning enough to where I have multiple Funhouses for sale at the same time.
Limitations
I will not be able to add any of my own money after the $102. I will also make sure that there is enough money to pay my Ebay fees at the end of the month. Also, all shipping will be paid with my Paypal account too, so what is left is my profits (less the $102 of course). On September 30th I will revisit the Lego Store and buy the single most expensive set I can with my money. So will I be able to buy a UCS R2-D2? Or will I only be able to buy a Chima Speedorz? Just a side note - I WILL use my VIP points earned throughout the month to increase my earnings.
I will try to keep my fellow Brickpickers updated as to my progress throughout the month, as well as keep a loose schedule of the time I spend doing this...as I am sure people would be interested to know for example, if I spent 13 hours to make $24.
I am open to suggestions of course...so feel free to add your opinions of how you think I will do or if you are even interested to find out how it ends. I will try to keep you updated through the forums or the comments section of this blog.
Conclusions
After I purchase my set on September 30th I will show everyone how much work it takes and how much money can be earned by parting out sets. This is by no means the be all end all for the debate on if you should part sets out or sell MISB or even if you should flip quickly or buy and hold. But it is probably the optimal time to part sets out, even if I am not the optimal person to do it.
To finish up our movie analogy: good old GC and Marky Mark were swallowed up by some ginormous wave and never seen again. Not sure how that applies to me, but I hope I do better than that.
I wanted to make the pictures I took at SDCC 2013 regarding the LEGO stuff I experienced available to everyone here, but rather than individually import about 100 images, I'll just post the public Facebook album link.
Feel free to use these pictures for anything you'd like as long as you give me credit for taking them.
The SDCC model was made by the SANDLUG and displayed at the LEGO store in Fashion Valley Mall.
Here's the link:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151831238849467.1073741832.535494466&type=1&l=606426e44d
If you have used Ebay at all, you know how important Ebay's feedback and rating system is to the buying and selling process. As a buyer, when you buy an item from a seller on Ebay, you have a chance to leave feedback for that seller and rate their services. You can leave positive, negative, or neutral feedback for the item, along with a 100 word phrase to describe why you left the rating you did. You can also rate them from 1-5 stars in several areas: The item description, the seller's communication, shipping time, and shipping and handling charges.
As a seller, you have a few more limited options. You can only leave positive feedback or report a buyer, as well as leave a short summation of your choice. This was implemented several years ago after Ebay had issues with sellers waiting until the buyer leaves feedback as a sort of leverage in the feedback process.
So how is feedback calculated? Pretty simple. Ebay takes your feedback for the last 12 months and then calculates a feedback score, which is a number that represents how many listings you have received positive feedback minus any negative feedback, and the feedback percentage which is simply the number of positives over the total feedback. The 12 month data is helpful if you have a string of bad luck, or something of that nature, it wont be held against you forever.
So with that short Feedback crash course, you know everything you need to know now? Unfortunately, no. There are some pretty important nuances that can mean everything in the feedback and rating system. So here are my list of things to be aware of and remember as a buyer and a seller on Ebay.
Buyer
As a buyer on Ebay, you really have about 90% of the leverage in the transaction. Ebay is historically very protective of its buyers because of two reasons: There is not another site with the traffic that Ebay gets for sellers to switch to, and large numbers of buyers keep Ebay as the auction powerhouse it is.
Having this power can pretty quickly go to your head. You can rate and leave feedback for a seller and they don't have much recourse to keep you from doing it. On top of that, are there that many sellers that really check out a buyer's feedback? In general, you wont know who buys it until they do – so the seller has to make a complaint retroactively if they don't like the buyer.
So as a buyer, you can just do anything you want, right? In some ways you can, but I would definitely advise this going to your head. Buyers should be aware of the following things:
Think about it before you leave negative feedback: If you have ever sold anything on Ebay, you know that some things just go flat out wrong. So as a buyer, you have to understand that too. Leaving a negative for something that was most likely out of the seller's hands is not fair to the seller. Let's say shipping takes a really long time for some reason. You contact the seller and they tell you that the shipping was delayed. There are some buyers who, in anger and impatience, leave negative feedback. This is punishing a seller for something they may not have control over – and this is what the ratings are for. If they are apologetic and communicative, make sure you don't unjustly punish them. If you consistently leave negative feedback for sellers, they can put you on their blocked buyers list. This is the seller's own list of buyers they don't want to deal with. Buying a lot of one type of product, like Lego sets, makes it inevitable that you will buy from the seller twice. If you happen to give bad feedback to a seller that has quite a few Lego items up for sale normally, you may lose out on some good deals. This is another reason why it is important to only leave negative feedback if the seller really deserves it. Along with the last point, some of the bigger Ebay sellers communicate and know each other in an online business setting. You think by irritating one seller, you are ok with everyone else? Unfortunately that is not the case. Buyers that are consistently unfair to sellers may have their account ID's spread around to other large sellers, telling them to block this buyer as they are too much trouble to deal with. All of sudden, you are having trouble getting those good deals you used to find. If you are about to leave negative feedback – consider neutral. Neutral doesn't affect their feedback calculations and you still get to write something. Unless the seller was doing something really improper, neutral is a way to get your point across. They don't get a positive rating and you show them you were dissatisfied, but you don't cripple their feedback over a smaller issue. Be careful when you rate a seller– the ratings have a big effect on the seller. Ratings determine how high Ebay shows a certain seller's item in "Free-for-all" searches. One rating that can really be a problem is the “shipping time”. If it takes a long time to ship, make sure before you leave a low rating that they didn't state it might take a while in the listing. Also make sure you ask them why it took so long as well. If they used USPS, it probably wasn't their fault. If you do decide to leave negative feedback, don't leave all bad ratings as well to spite the seller. As stated, these are a big key in Ebay's search results. More so, if certain ratings get low enough, Ebay may even suspend them as a seller for a period of time. Try to always rate the seller correctly whether you left them negative feedback or not. Make sure you always leave feedback and always rate the seller. Believe, me it is very nerve-racking for sellers to wait for positive feedback and ratings, as these help their Ebay listings appear at the top of searches (or not appear a the bottom). It is only respectful that you leave them feedback for their trouble. A while back I was selling quite a bit and trying to get my feedback rating up. This was before Ebay automatically rated people 5 stars in certain cases. I had a few customers in a row that rated me low on shipping time and shipping price – even though it was free shipping! After that, I had several who never left feedback or never rated me. My ratings were much lower than they should have been. I was just as irritated at the people who didn't leave ratings as the people that left low ratings. Seller
As a seller, feedback is much more important to your life on Ebay. Where as sellers aren't really aware of a buyer's feedback, most buyers are well aware of a seller's feedback when they look at a listing. If you have low feedback or low ratings, you can expect that you are going to have a much harder time selling items. With low ratings and feedback, Ebay starts to limit your sales, lower your items in searches, and even suspend your account. So what are some things you can do as a seller to limit your chance of receiving negative feedback?
Make sure your item is exactly as described and take clear pictures You may think that taking pictures and having a really good description is something that is just imperative to get the best price. It affects more than that. If a buyer receives an item with an issue and it was completely spelled out in the listing, the buyer will have a harder time leaving negative feedback. For example, I bought a laptop charger for my laptop by just glancing at the listing and clicking Buy it Now. The title was a little misleading, but in the listing it stated it was just the end cord – not the power brick. I was irritated when I received it, but when I looked back at the listing I knew I had made the mistake. So I still rated the seller highly and gave them positive feedback.
Communicate with the buyer throughout the process. Ebay only allows someone to rate your communication if you actually sent them a message. Some people think it might be better to just avoid that so you don't have a chance for a bad rating. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Being a buyer, you are always waiting – waiting for the item, wondering when it will get there, waiting to see if it was as described. If a seller just sends a short message at each part of the process, this can make the buyer feel much more informed. My process is this: Send the buyer a short message congratulating them and thanking them when they purchase it, along with details about when you will ship it. Send them a message again the day you ship it, letting them know. After they should have received the item, send them a message asking if they received it and if they are satisfied, would they mind leaving you feedback and ratings (don't be pushy though as that can really be irritating to a buyer). This always works really well for me and a lot of times they respond and are very thankful. If a buyer is satisfied, the may follow the seller's account meaning they see new items that are posted. This could get you more future sales quicker!
Also, make sure if anything does go wrong – you have a delay in shipping, you can't ship it the day you were going to, etc. - that you tell them. They will know anyway when they receive it. Being upfront can help the buyer understand that you were doing your best and will reflect when they rate you.
Make sure you use tracking and add a tracking number This pretty much costs you nothing ($.20 if using USPS and free with the other two big carriers) and can really make a big difference to a buyer. If a buyer just purchased a $400 Lego set from you, they want to know when it is going to be there. A lot of sellers have tracking, but they never add the tracking number! This can irritate a buyer and, if anything goes wrong, could encourage them to have ill feelings towards you as a buyer, which you don't want.
Respond to the buyer's messages as quickly as possible If the buyer has a question and needs to send you a message, the longer you leave them waiting and in suspense, the more impatient and irritated the buyer may get. You don't want them to feel like this because it could reflect when they rate you. If they ask a question you don't know the answer to, just send them a message right back and let them know you will look into it. If you are actively selling things on Ebay, make sure you are checking your messages often. Chances are, if you have a smart phone, you can get notifications when you receive a message.
Include a letter in your shipment This is a very easy one to do and can make a big difference. It wont be too hard as as a seller to make up a small letter and copy it 1000 times to send out with items. Simply put your ID on it and let the seller know you are very grateful for them buying your item. Also, make sure you let them know if they need anything at all, or are dissatisfied, to contact you immediately. Let them know you have more Lego sets for sale as well! The buyer will feel a lot better about the transaction and may even purchase more from you.
Offer free shipping when possible People love free shipping – whether the price is the same or not. Also offering it automatically gives you a 5 star rating in that category. It is an easy way to boost your ratings. If you don't want to offer free shipping, always do calculated over a flat rate and then make it very clear in the listing you only charge them exactly what it costs to ship so they know you are not making money off shipping. If it costs $.20 less, refund them that $.20. It is a very easy way to get on their good side.
If something goes wrong with the shipping, consider refunding them part or all of the shipping If you are worried there is a delay or problem with shipping – I recall during Hurricane Sandy a while back, mail was delayed for over a week – consider refunding their shipping to them. This may offset any anger they have at you, whether it is your fault or not. It is a cheap way to make sure you get good ratings.
Make sure you pack the shipment as well as possible This is a really easy way to get negative feedback. We all know, even if you put “fragile” on a box, it still probably goes through the proverbial dryer during the shipping process. If you pack your item poorly, you are going to eventually get burned. Yes, maybe you smooth it over by refunding the order, or you have an insurance claim, but it doesn't stop the buyer from leaving you bad feedback. Don't take the chance.
So, as a seller, these are the things to do to help prevent poor ratings and feedback. Does this mean you will never get another negative? Unfortunately, no. So what do you do when you do get one?
Contact the seller and resolve the problem If you resolve the problem, you can lobby to Ebay and the seller for feedback revision. A lot of times, if you fix the problem with the seller, they will relent and at least change their feedback to neutral which wont hurt your rating. A lot of sellers receive negative feedback and are angry. They don't want to try and figure out what was wrong and just move on. This is a mistake, as most people are reasonable if you fix their problem.
Always respond to negative feedback I don't understand why sellers don't do this more. Most buyers looking at an item want it. They look through feedback to be sure they wont get burned. If they see a negative feedback, that takes a toll. However, with human nature, if we really want to buy something, we will make excuses like “well maybe that was a bad buyer”. What better way to put that though in than to respond! You can respond to the negative feedback and refute what they said. Don't be mean or disrespectful, just try and say what you did to fix it and apologize. For example:
Negative feedback: Item arrived damaged and had to be sent back
Rebuttal: Unfortunately item was damaged during shipment. Immediately refunded customer, very sorry
This type of thing will make a buyer feel better about the fact you got negative feedback.
Use the block buyer list Some people are just flat out unfair with their feedback. Don't believe me? Go look at a feedback profile from an account that has 1000s of feedback a month. Every once in a while, they will get someone who leaves a negative with “item was too expensive” or “didn't like item as much as I thought”. It is pretty outrageous.
Don't dwell on it. If you can't get it removed, just add them to your blocked list so you don't have to deal with them again. It will avoid future problems and you can get on with your selling. At one point, pretty much everyone gets a negative feedback whether it was your fault or not. Don't always take it personally or freak out about it.
That is my set of info today. Again, I implore people: Think before you leave feedback. Never do it in haste and only leave negative when the seller really deserves it. Because if you are a seller, you know how it feels to receive it when it isn't your fault.
Note: All of the information here are my own opinions and are pulled from my experiences. You may or may not have success with these methods. Thanks for reading!
Hello fellow BrickPickers... The end of the Summer is approaching quickly and we are heading into the prime LEGO season...Fall. There are many great new LEGO sets getting released and many great old ones getting retired. One thing is for sure, it is an active time of year, with the Christmas buying season right around the corner.
Our recent Review and Blog content contests were very successful and we received a large influx of quality and informative LEGO set reviews and LEGO based blog articles. Building upon that success, Jeff and I would like to offer members DOUBLE BRICKPOINTS on any LEGO set reviews and blogs that are submitted from August 21, 2013 to September 21, 2013...the last day of Summer. I might even reward more than double on certain exceptional content.
Remember, these BrickPoints can be used to acquire LEGO sets in our BRICKPOINTS STORE. Here are a couple of quick points to remember:
Jeff and I will be flexible with the LEGO sets available in the store. If there is not a set to your liking, we can swap it out for another LEGO set of similar MSRP cost or LEGO Gift Card. BrickPoints awarded for review and blog content are based on character count, quality, research involved, photos and charts submitted. Blogs that are submitted will be published in the order in which it will be most effective and interesting for the other members. Any quality blog will be published and will get credited in due time, just be patient. Reviews are published quickly. Blogs are spaced apart. Reviews need to be 1000 characters long to qualify and blogs need to be more than a couple of sentences. Spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation all count. I do not want to waste my time correcting basic errors. Good luck and I look forward to posting some interesting new content. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns...
Welcome to the July 2013 Best Selling Sets on eBay blog entry. Unfortunately, there was a delay in the updating of June's numbers that did not allow me to write a list for that month, but that's in the past already. Here are the Top 10 Best Sellers in July!: (Positions in the list are determined by both Used and New listings, but I will only include information for new copies)
July 2013 Top Ten

1- One of the favorite sets for investors has finally made the best selling lists and in what a way. The Funhouse Escape has secured the top position of this month's list with 261 New units sold, up from 116 last month. This set is a TRU exclusive in the same price range as the Orc Forge from the LOTR, and is constantly recommended by several members in the forums as well. One has to wonder what exactly produced such a large jump in sold values, maybe investors are ramping up summer purchases?
261 Sold (New)

2- Once again Minecraft proves to be a sales powerhouse, staying in the top position of this list for several months already. It has been such a successful set that LEGO recently announced the production of even more models based on the online game, with even its own "theme" section in the S@H page. It seems Minecraft is here for the long run.
223 Sold (New)

3- Somewhat of a surprise, this Creator Construction Hauler set sits in the Top 3 of July's list. However, this is not necessarily a rare occurrence, as the set was just released and probably experienced that "new release" effect that gets a lot of people buying it as soon as it comes out. Pretty cool set, we will have to see how it positions itself next month.
232 Sold (New)

4- Another long standing member of the Top 10 list, the Millennium Falcon 7965 continues to prove itself as the single most popular ship in the Star Wars universe. The set saw a pretty decent increase in sales from June to July, and this trend will only get more prominent with the holiday season in the horizon. Will this be the last year for 7965? I seriously doubt it.
204 Sold (New)

5- This really nice looking Creator polybag really does not come as a surprise. The polybag was given as a promotional item during a pretty long period of time on purchases over $75, which generated a large supply of this in the market by sellers wanting to recover some of the cost of their LEGO purchase. Of course, this kind of sale activity does not happen with every single promo item, but the appeal of this particular one and its compatibility with LEGO City and modular layouts turned it into a popular item.
207 Sold (New)

6- On my last entry I wanted to check where this set would place once the "early retirement" situation was completely forgotten. Well, it seems that the set continues to be very popular, probably as a consequence of it being one of the most iconic locations of the original trilogy and a great collection of high quality minifigures.
168 Sold (New)

7- Interesting to keep seeing this set in the top positions. As I have said before, this is a really underrated set, in my opinion, that has proven to be an excellent investment in a relatively short period of time (Current Market Value: $ 383.93). Even at the higher price tag it continues to sell extremely well on eBay.
95 Sold (New)

8- This small set contains what I think is the most popular character of the entire X-Men franchise for a very affordable price. It is my belief that this is probably the reason it sells so well, but we have to note that even though it has performed (sales wise) very good in July, the previous months were nothing worth mentioning. I have no concrete proof, but I would assume that the set got clearanced in several stores and quick flippers are unloading them.
71 Sold (New)

9- First Ninjago set I see on the list, and one that I really did not expect. Most of my knowledge of these sets is limited to the largest sets, so I can't really give an informed opinion about why this set experienced such a high jump in sales. I would think summer clearance had something to do with it, as with the previous and next set, but that is only speculation.
137 Sold (New)

10- The last entry of this month is a small set that appears to be retired at this point. With 134 new units sold, I would assume that a lot of last minute investors and collectors hurried up to get this one before prices started to go up.
134 Sold (New)
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And with this, our July entry about Top Selling sets is officially closed. One thing to look for in the next update will for sure be the position of the Limited Edition Crawler, that with the short release and apparent success on eBay will probably find a place in the Top 20. Thanks for reading

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