Where do you buy Lego on the weekend?

[jpschwarz2]

I was just curious where everyone goes on the weekend to shop for Lego? You might go out and look or look online. Where do you shop for Lego on the weekend?

[fuzzy_bricks]

http://community.brickpicker.com/topic/9480-daily-lego-deals-4122014/#entry258053

[terrymc4677]

Ummm.....the same places that we buy it during the week. Are there secret lego retailers that are only open on weekends that we are unaware of?

[Ciglione]

I think this question is legit. 

 

I try to visit as many as possible retailers in the weekend to hunt for good deals cause I also have a daytime job. Here in Europe normal retailers close at 18:00 hours during the week. I especially hunt for retired or near retirement sets and offcourse good deals in general. Lately I have found some nice little toy shops not so far away where I found some nice older sets. I really like this treasure hunting. To be honoust, finding cheap or retired sets gives me a bigger rush than selling sets with a nice profit.

[inversion]

Countryside stores do the trick. Imagine my surprise when we visited a relative in a small town before christmas last year and I spotted a Green Grocer for 250$ equivalent of HUF. Apparently these little stores in Hungary sometimes carry a very expensive LEGO just for the show, to drool at. However considering average Hungarian income they can sit in the store for years without being sold. Well, that day it was sold. It was the same way how I got my SSD. Small store wanted to get rid of it and issued a ridiculously low sale price

 

By the way I usually visit the LEGO store I practically live next door at, since most stores here sell over MSRP (420$ TB was the best I saw...).

[justafrog]

Here in Europe normal retailers close at 18:00 hours during the week. 

 

In the US, like the OP is, retailers know it's suicidal to close their doors at 6 pm on a weekday and miss out on all that after-work traffic. Unless you're talking a "downtown" mom and pop type business (most of which don't carry LEGO anyway), everyplace likely to sell LEGO in the states is open till 8 or 9 p.m., minimum.

 

So, Terry's answer above is pretty much it for Americans: same places as on weekdays.

[isocleas]

I like going to toys r us on the weekends. I seem to get more leeway on coupons and price matching from the managers, might have something to do with them being busier and less interested in investing time into hassling me. Today they were busy with a kids lego build promo and the only dbag manager at the store actually let me price match their site and use coupons (a first for him).

[biniou]

Here in Europe normal retailers close at 18:00 hours during the week.

It seems that it varies a lot inside Europe because In France for most of toy shops open from 10.00AM to 12.30PM and 2.30PM to 7.30PM, Tuesday to Saturday. It varies about half an hour but that's all.

I know that in Spain opening hours are also different, especially the afternoon, something like 10.00AM to 1.30PM and 4.30PM to 8.00PM (after lunch nap is included in spanish way of life ).

 

 I really like this treasure hunting. To be honoust, finding cheap or retired sets gives me a bigger rush than selling sets with a nice profit.

Ah ! I feel the same. ^^

Open the doors of a toy store was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. (run Forrest, run !)

 

Somehow it reminds me the feeling you can have finding some vintage treasure at the bottom of a box in an attic sale.

[terrymc4677]

I find that shopping during the week is better than on the weekends anyway. smaller crowds, and less competition. also, it gives you a better chance at scoring the mega deals while those who work bankers hours are at work.

[Anakinisvader]

During the week, at the normal retail. On the weekends, from some guys trunk in a dark alley down by the docks next to the abandoned warehouse that is built over the old Indian burial grounds right on the disputed border between the bloods and the crips.

[jpschwarz2]

Does anyone ever have any luck at yard sales? I never seem to do good. Alot of people never get rid of old Lego at yard sales or they want to much money for them.

[Alpinemaps]

I guess it depends where you are.  I'm in San Diego.  There's a ton of people here, and there's a ton of area to cover.  People advertise on CL all the time for their yard sales.

 

If you're willing to put in the time, make contact with people, and be persistent, it can pay off.  Not all the time, but it happens.  I've had luck getting ahold of people when they advertise their sales, getting photos of the LEGO they do have, and then buying it off of them before the yard sale happens.

[MartinP]

I guess it depends where you are.  I'm in San Diego.  There's a ton of people here, and there's a ton of area to cover.  People advertise on CL all the time for their yard sales.

 

If you're willing to put in the time, make contact with people, and be persistent, it can pay off.  Not all the time, but it happens.  I've had luck getting ahold of people when they advertise their sales, getting photos of the LEGO they do have, and then buying it off of them before the yard sale happens.

I have also had some luck at garage sales. Sometimes I go to the sale towards the end and see if they have any Lego sets left. If they do, they usually give a nice discount.

[jpschwarz2]

Does anyone ever find them off of cragslist from anyone and then meet up with them at a public place to pay and get them?

[Alpinemaps]

Does anyone ever find them off of cragslist from anyone and then meet up with them at a public place to pay and get them?

 

Yep.  I've done it a few times.  Sometimes I buy, sometimes I pass.  The last one I passed on, his price was a bit high, and the sets weren't what I was looking for.  He said he had one thing, but it turned out to be a newer version (lower value) or it was a microscale, or something (can't quite remember).  Point was, the value wasn't there.

 

The first couple of times I bought bulk, I just bought it to have for my kids.  I've since learned that it's so common and easy to get bulk sets on CL, that I only buy when I see something of real value.  I haven't hit the jackpot like some of our other members (finding modulars in the bulk sets), but I keep looking.