Just got a set from ebay "no box but complete". Just looking at the bags i was like " where are the minifigs?" I looked up bag # info for the set and is complete, only 4 bags... But again, where are the figs????

Then i notice that two bags are missing the jagged lego bag edge and look resealed!!!

Anyone encounter this before?

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If the figures are missing, then it's a NAD.

Wow, sad thing is it really is very easy to do. Definitely tampered with by someone, then heat sealed. Sorry man, I would file a complaint (NAD). 

Seller refunded funds, denied knowledge of this of course, and told me that bags went direct from the sealed lego box into the shipping box. He may have acquired the tampered set but who knows. Seems the seller sells a lot of set w/o boxes which is a strange practice but kinda makes sense bc it saves on shipping for those buyers who dont care to have a box, but also is suspicious if he were engaging in this resealing practice. He has 100% feedback which makes me inclined to believe him.

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Seller refunded funds, denied knowledge of this of course, and told me that bags went direct from the sealed lego box into the shipping box. He may have acquired the tampered set but who knows. Seems the seller sells a lot of set w/o boxes which is a strange practice but kinda makes sense bc it saves on shipping for those buyers who dont care to have a box, but also is suspicious if he were engaging in this resealing practice. He has 100% feedback which makes me inclined to believe him.

 

I think I would believe him too. If he has a high sales volume, 100% feedback, and bent over backwards to find a solution (refund) then he is probably a good guy who sourced a bad set. Seems plausible to me and people doing fishy things don't generally keep their 100% feedback for long.

I think I would believe him too. If he has a high sales volume, 100% feedback, and bent over backwards to find a solution (refund) then he is probably a good guy who sourced a bad set. Seems plausible to me and people doing fishy things don't generally keep their 100% feedback for long.

I agree. People reported finding similar stuff on the shelves at retailers. Everyone could just buy there at discount and be happy, without knowing what is inside. And with that kind of resealing I don't really blame the reseller either, although I could imagine he/she will look more carefully in the future too.

Hearing about this and similar issues, I wonder if a new classification will develop like, "New, open box, contents certified".  I'm thinking particularly for EOL sets.  Why should it hurt the value of, say, a Haunted House if you - as the seller - cracked the seals, and checked the contents to confirm it was all there - as a service to the buyer (and to help protect your good name)?  Or maybe offer it to the buyer after the sale?  Of course, I see lots of issues here:

 

1 - A bad buyer will be a bad buyer, regardless of what steps you take.  It offers no protection from a fraudster.

2 - Certainly there are collectors that want sealed boxes (may never open the box themselves).

3 - This is an added, time consuming step for higher volume sellers.

4 - etc

 

Hmmm... I don't know... sure sealed a sealed box is great when you're talking about Stinky Pete the Prospector (remember Toy Story 2?) ... where you can see what you've got through the cellophane window.  But for a collector's toy with 2000 lose pieces, it makes sense to me to look inside and see it's all there.  It least when buying on ebay, or bricklink... if I'm buying a set I want to build... I may start asking the seller if they'll check it before shipping.

Hearing about this and similar issues, I wonder if a new classification will develop like, "New, open box, contents certified".  I'm thinking particularly for EOL sets.  Why should it hurt the value of, say, a Haunted House if you - as the seller - cracked the seals, and checked the contents to confirm it was all there - as a service to the buyer (and to help protect your good name)?  Or maybe offer it to the buyer after the sale?  Of course, I see lots of issues here:

 

1 - A bad buyer will be a bad buyer, regardless of what steps you take.  It offers no protection from a fraudster.

2 - Certainly there are collectors that want sealed boxes (may never open the box themselves).

3 - This is an added, time consuming step for higher volume sellers.

4 - etc

 

Hmmm... I don't know... sure sealed a sealed box is great when you're talking about Stinky Pete the Prospector (remember Toy Story 2?) ... where you can see what you've got through the cellophane window.  But for a collector's toy with 2000 lose pieces, it makes sense to me to look inside and see it's all there.  It least when buying on ebay, or bricklink... if I'm buying a set I want to build... I may start asking the seller if they'll check it before shipping.

 

The issue is way overblown - Lots of terrible things can happen in any transaction, but thankfully they rarely ever really do.