I ducked into my closest Smyths just to see what was available...

I simply cannot believe how busy it was in there. Usually if I go in on a weekday, it's one man and his dog but it was so busy they ran out of baskets and trolleys!!

I didn't pick up much - mainly storage heads and minifigure displays for Christmas but I did go for a Mystery Machine as it's nearly always sold out and so I am not convinced it will ever be discounted and I also picked up the only Double Decker Couch I found.

I fancied picking up a Sandcrawler and an Ewok Village as I've still not got these, but don't have any chance of doing that today and both are showing "low stock" in my local outlet.

I'll check first thing in the morning if they still have stock, but don't hold out much hope!!

 

 

 

 

 

Was mental in Belfast this morning Went in got a death star and a tumbler so happy at that

It's a good opportunity to get hold of the big sets that won't be discounted at any point but I simply don't have the budget right now.

I really need to get selling...

It's a good opportunity to get hold of the big sets that won't be discounted at any point but I simply don't have the budget right now.

I really need to get selling...

Likewise. I've got quite a few sets that I hope to shift this Christmas and then doubly hope the big sets I want don't go EOL.

I kicked myself when the Imperial Shuttle was dropped and I didn't manage to get hold of one.

 

Missed out on Tumbler at symths so checked to see if amazon had priced matched. Ive just bought 2 @

£153 ONLY 2 LEFT!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lego-76023-DC-Comics-Tumbler/dp/B00MQJY2HA

Tumbler retails at £159.99?

haha my bad I thought it was £169. I'm seeing numbers today.

 

On the bright side, you’re selling more raptors. 

 

On the bright side, you’re selling more raptors. 

Yep another one down, actually sold while I was buying more @ symths  

Amazon Ordered has been canceled thanks for pointing that out . I did manage to get an EV this morning tho.

Just called into my local Smyths and it had been well and truly looted.  No DS, Slave, Tie or Sandcrawler (what I really wanted) no Simpsons house.
Just 2 Kwik, a stack of sea cows, a lonely beat up PS and 2 EV’s (which I took).

JW was about cleared out, no Rex no Rampage and the kids were picking over the remaining few sets.  Scooby was almost done, just the small set left.  Ninjago heavily down as was the Marvel/DC.  Only the new SW looked pretty much untouched, plenty of the new MF and Kylo’s ship. Too early to be popular I guess.  
Big change from this time last year, when most of the big sets stayed on the shelves most of the weekend.  

I’ll check in next week to see how quickly they restock. Wouldn’t surprise me if they limited the sets on sale today. 

 

Big change from this time last year, when most of the big sets stayed on the shelves most of the weekend.

Well there are two people behind the scenes working very hard at getting the 'investing' word out to everyone. We've had the Telegraph article, followed by the Mirror article, soon they'll be the book. All we need next is a weekly podcast and a Youtube channel just to ensure no stone is left unturned.

If anyone is near Donegal, take a spin to Letterkenny. The Smyth's there still has sandcrawler, slave 1, Simpsons house, Kwik e, pet shop, mkii, and others. Scored what I think were the last 2tumblers for €319.98 and series 14 CMF for €2.39 each. Pity that this deal wasn't on next week. Payday is Wednesday so didn't have so much to spend!

Well there are two people behind the scenes working very hard at getting the 'investing' word out to everyone. We've had the Telegraph article, followed by the Mirror article, soon they'll be the book. All we need next is a weekly podcast and a Youtube channel just to ensure no stone is left unturned.

Don´t forget the "Are you investing in Lego?" messages on milk cartons and Mars Bars, the telemarketers who promise to save you 20% on your Lego purchases if you buy with them, the Lego stocks table in the Financial Times and the pawnshops that offer to pay the best rates for your old Lego and lend you money to buy food, petrol or gold.

Edited September 19, 201510 yr by valenciaeric

Stock was very low in both Smyths i went to today - just picked up a few Pet Shops

Well there are two people behind the scenes working very hard at getting the 'investing' word out to everyone. We've had the Telegraph article, followed by the Mirror article, soon they'll be the book. All we need next is a weekly podcast and a Youtube channel just to ensure no stone is left unturned.

I didn't take this seriously over the weekend and the nearest Smyths was looted yesterday evening when I finally decided to go. The two sets I really wanted were all gone. There was a Slave I on the shelves but I think there is loads of time to stock up on this one. 

And yes....now the word is everywhere and the big & nice sets are all gone from the shops. It was difficult enough already and now with all the new people jumping on board it becomes even more difficult...

Those pesky new investors.....

It’s not investors, it's the general retail arbers, big bank roll boys who will buy and flip anything for 10% after costs. The pure volume guys. 
They’ve been tipped off on Lego exclusives holding value, so the buy at discount sell at RRP works.  
Problem we have is it how it makes it virtually impossible to pick up exclusives in the UK with any sort of discount in any real quantity. 
Sand crawler in the UK is available from Lego and Smyths, the only chance of getting a discount is Smyths 20% weekend and Lego discount/VIP. That’s it.  As far as I can tell no one on this site that wanted to pick up Sandcrawlers managed to get any.  To build or as a long term hold.  

 

Aren´t those people investing too - buying cheap and selling for a profit?

It is what it is and this happens in all markets, as well as those who trade in "hot" gear. One can only compete by selling when their stocks run dry or by using a different strategy to them.

This Xmas is going to be interesting as there will be all the usual suspects plus the long investors wanting to offload their SW classics plus the new sellers. Let´s hope there are enough customers to go around.

Aren´t those people investing too - buying cheap and selling for a profit?

It is what it is and this happens in all markets, as well as those who trade in "hot" gear. One can only compete by selling when their stocks run dry or by using a different strategy to them.

This Xmas is going to be interesting as there will be all the usual suspects plus the long investors wanting to offload their SW classics plus the new sellers. Let´s hope there are enough customers to go around.

Investing implies long term, arbitrage is much shorter term, but sure they are both trading and I agree it is what it is. But the “the new investors will not last long” that springs up every time someone raises the issue is a distraction, it’s not Lego “investors” that are making it harder. It’s the established traders that know what they are doing moving into the Lego reselling business

I've all but moved out the used business, due to the combination of the fall in value of used figs (largely due to the East Asian fig imports) and people shifting Lego weight for tiny, tiny margins.

It’s what’s going to happen in the exclusive reselling business, the margins will tighten until only the really big guys with the scale can afford to be in the business. 

We’ve seen how the market has moved in the UK in the last few months and to be dismissive of the effect of the publicity of the value of Lego is irksome (that’s not directed at you btw).

 

 

Investment is buying now to sell in the future to create wealth - it´s people´s definitions of future and wealth that are different.

Old school investors will aways say that the grass was greener back then but maybe it was just  different hue of green.

I agree that the recent publicity about lego investing is not great for those of us who started earlier but we do also need to acknowledge that there is more interest in the product from genuine end users thanks to this publicity (hey, I can buy one now, build it and still make money back in 5 years).

Moreover, if you live in the UK you now have access to better deals across the Eurozone due to the strengthening of the pound whereas 2 years ago it was the opposite. Great for buying but bad for selling.

My main worry is that the only people trading on the secondary market are investors and that the "bubble" scenario is real when the high buyers can´t find anyone to sell to and need to recover their cash but that´s another story and thread.

 

 

 

Arbitrage is buying now and selling now for a higher price elsewhere.  We’re seeing on eBay now, EV’s, Slave1, Tumblers etc.  are all coming on at around retail. They are just flipping on the 20% discount and the few % they make as margin is sufficient for them.  But I guess I should leave this subject alone.  

The shelves at the Reading branch were nearly picked clean over the weekend only to be replenished with a lot more last night. I'm now out of the investing game and have sold most of my "stock" to fellow members at cost price. I'm just waiting for a few other sets to appreciate enough to recover my initial outlay and I'm done with all this. However, I love the product and I'll always be a collector.

The shelves at the Reading branch were nearly picked clean over the weekend only to be replenished with a lot more last night. I'm now out of the investing game and have sold most of my "stock" to fellow members at cost price. I'm just waiting for a few other sets to appreciate enough to recover my initial outlay and I'm done with all this. However, I love the product and I'll always be a collector.

I have been wondering the same thing in the past months. I love lego, I am a collector personally and will always be and I am doing this thing to make some profit on cash that's sitting in the bank (considerable cash actually)...However at the end of the day I wonder if it's really worth it. My job/profession is way more interesting and pays much better than all this stuff...not to mention the time it consumes. I'll see how it goes in the near future and then decide...

I have been wondering the same thing in the past months. I love lego, I am a collector personally and will always be and I am doing this thing to make some profit on cash that's sitting in the bank (considerable cash actually)...However at the end of the day I wonder if it's really worth it. My job/profession is way more interesting and pays much better than all this stuff...not to mention the time it consumes. I'll see how it goes in the near future and then decide...

If lego investing seems like a job or a chore but pays less then you have probably answered your own question already.

Yeah I think it all depends on what your looking to get out of it. I started as a collector, then moved into investing to pay for it. 90% of my portfolio is long term hold. I've sufficient cash flow to invest in Lego put it away and 'forget about it'. For me it will be nice in 3-4 years to able to sell a few sets and take the family on holiday.

The collector in me wants to keep 1 of each of my favorite sets extra long term (10+ years), see what they get to, and probably pass them on to my kids. All my used sets will be boxed back up at some point and the same will happen with them. At some point if Ive had enough, I wouldn't rush out and sell all my inventory, I just wouldn't buy any more.

The stuff I sell now, I offset on the lego i'm buying to hold. I've sold 5 RR this month which means the 2 I have left have cost me near nothing.

I enjoy doing this, but do not consider it a career, just a hobby with benefits.