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This is an excellent thread. Way too many people concentrate on buying and don't ever try out selling before they are just too deep. I am one of these people and I have long since learned my lesson (I think). For the first year and a half all I did was buy. I bought up over 1000 sets during this time. I would say that I was addicted (still am). The point came where because of money and space it was time to offload some of my sets. In order to buy more I would need to start selling first. So in January of this year I started selling. This was an eye opener. I know everyone says that it takes time to list, sell, package, ship, etc but you really don't understand until you do it yourself. It is very time consuming. You also have to expect there will be problems. Lost packages, buyer returns, etc. This all eats in to your profits and time. I know a lot of people say large sets are the way to go and I agree to a point. Just know that those sharks on eBay/Amazon looking for sets to scam people on aren't looking for small inexpensive sets. I've got burned a few times already and it is always on large sets. A mint condition Imperial Shuttle returned banged up and opened, a Robie House returned destroyed after FedEx left the package in the rain, a AS returned because the buyer "bought it for someone who didn't like LEGO", a Robie House and AS on the way back now for a mystery reason, 0 feedback buyers everywhere, etc. Some of these can be avoided with experience and others are just part of the selling process you have to deal with. And here comes the big one everyone is warned about over and over but never really understands until they sell.... FEES. The fees are much more of an impact on your bottom line than you may think. Make sure you find a good fee calculator online and just play with it a little and enter some values in for sets you have. See what you must sell at to get a certain return on your investment. This is easy and takes just a couple minutes but it will be an eye opener for some who haven't even thought about the selling side of this yet. Make sure you add in estimated shipping costs and add a little for supplies. I know most people don't think about tape, boxes, paper, ink, etc but it adds up very quickly when you start selling at a higher volume. As an example I have spent $40 this year just on packing tape itself. I made the mistake as I am sure a lot of others do of thinking if rough times come or I need the money to reinvest I will just sell a bunch of sets and be fine. The truth is it takes a lot of time for things to sell. Like others have posted its not like selling stock. It will take months before you can sell a large inventory of sets. If you need your money fast you will be basically giving your sets away to sell them fast. Many times I have been the lowest price and still had to wait weeks for the item to sell. To sum this all up I am still learning but I feel much more confident that I have gone through the selling process and know what is involved. It will actually change your investing and buying decisions. It has drastically changed mine and now I am making more money and spending less time because of it. Since I started selling in January I have sold almost 600 sets totaling just over $37,000. This has allowed me to grow my investment to over 2100 sets and make much better investment decisions. If anyone wants the exact numbers on profits, fees, etc on those 600 sales you can PM me. Buying is only half of the investment process. Make sure you try the other half before you get in too deep.

I picked this one up at Target last night. It was a quick build, but it was fun. Sorry for the bad lighting. I will get better finished pictures later. Two large bags with one small bag in each. Bag and book 1. Bag and book 2. Just a few extra pieces.

naw nowhere near $5000, I got it all for $1200, the other half of stuff has lots of coastguard, grand carosel, and more stuff

Looks like after this set retires, this thread is going to move on from "pointless speculation" to "how do I ship ths #$@&ing thing???"

>MichelBaygelo by Oky - Space Ranger, on Flickr

This was an 80 pound lot I just picked up cheap. No instructions, few minifigs. It looked to be from the late 90s to early 2000s. I just washed it and a boxed it and am selling as is. I'm getting a little over $7.25 per pound shipped. I'll take that, and not spend the time sorting colors. I only rarely sort out bulk lots like this one by color when I sell them. If it's a lot that I've sorted to build sets from than sure, sell each color/style by itself, otherwise I don't spend the time. I did pull out all the mini figures and any rare pieces and will sell the mini figs as their own lot, minus a couple rare ones that I will sell individually and the few that I wanted to hang on to. I try to treat each lot individually and maintain a pile of less than 100 pounds at any given time. Otherwise they do have a tendency to take over.

Gondorian, I would like to thank you. I think your honest posts have been a great service for the BP members, Especially us newer ones. I wish you the best of luck in the future.

Here they are...

See you in the semi-finals, Bernard

Due to the excitement about the pending retirement of the 10221, I decided that I had to build one. Luckily I had a damaged outer box (destroyed actually) SSD that I got from Amazon Warehouse Deals for about $275. Taking a page from jaisonline's book (although not nearly as detailed), I decided it would be nice to try and document the process as we go along. I apologize in advance for the pictures, my cell phone is currently my camera... First off, as many know, the box for this thing is huge and it weighs nearly 20 lbs. Inside the large outer box there are three numbered boxes and one manual box. BOX 1: Box 1 has 2 unnumbered bags, six bag 1's, and six bag 2's: 14 total bags. The bag 1's have the five minifigures in them. Admiral Piett, Darth Vader, Dengar, IG88, and Bossk. I am a big fan of the bounty hunter books, so I really like this selection. The remainder of the contents' of the bag 1's (and some misc items from the unnumbered bags) ends up looking like this when completed. It is very large, but it is fragile right now. Had to keep it put away or my 18mo old would remove pieces for me. The 2 bags add a lot of support and strength to the model. I would consider bag 2 the skeletal system of the 10221. Box 2 coming soon...

Wondering if US SAH would offer that white classic spaceman in the future like what they are doing now in UK and other countries from 7/1-7/7 . Don't really care about that Chima Phoenix figure they are offering while it's icing on the cake together with that white spaceman. And yes mini mini cooper is in August, while it looks just like a normal Lego small vehicle (similar to the vehicles in the cargo train).On the other hand the T1 looks closer to the Actual Lego T1 and it's unique. With that said I'll still try to get at least one. lol.

Like maybe the instructions and parts list?

I remember last year people finding this item or something similar as part of a Black Friday special at Walmart or Target perhaps.

Here's a small ice skating rink I came across today: I really like the little shed to rent the skates at. I had already started to sketch out some sort of idea for a pond. I really need to pick up some more hockey players (I have one or two), because I'd love to have a 3 on 3 game going. And then have a little area for some ice dancers/skaters, as well.

Sold my last available MISB Queen Anne's Revenge,

That is ok... here in the Netherlands on this "craig's list" it is how it works. I bought numerous stuff this way (not only lego). First transfer money, then you receive the merchandise. It always went good. Also when you sell you always receive the money first. Also I had to send the money quickly cause it was a great deal. If others would see it they would surely bid more. I thought this lady was unknown about the value of lego. She also asked right away when I wanted to come and pick it up. Very smart lady. If I would say I would pick it up I would not hear anything anymore. But with shipping she had me just where she wanted me. Well... Like Tony Soprano always said: What can you do.

Never pay for anything on classifieds like Craigslist through money order, money transfers, western union or paypal. I would only meet in person at a public place and pay in cash.

it already did...

This is a lego investing forum not a socialist propaganda chatroom.

How did it go with shipping this time?

May be you are correct 18r4...its pretty dark in my dungeon where all lego stashed...) I will doulbe check correct numbers

I really like this set and will grab one for our city even though we have the last camper. Not sure why Lego thought they needed 2 instruction books for a 200 piece set. Thanks for the pictures.

In 07 I went into a Lego store to buy a 10179 and the clerk said I should wait about 4 years because a much smaller and completely inferior version was coming out.........so glad that they tried to downs ell me. It has made me much money!!

Jerks.

79010 - The Goblin King Battle is finally completed and what do you know, it's a set with play features that actually work! First instruction booklet has you build the three dwarves with a couple tiny bits of landscape as a sort of warm-up. Second booklet goes through the Goblin King's throne which is pretty darn big. There is a hollow area underneath with some treasure that slides outward and to the one side is a cage I guess you can spring outward. Neither feature makes sense to me but they are there and generally function at least. Last booklet is a goblin bridge which could have been a set in itself and my favorite area. You have a ladder that can be knocked over, a bridge that can get 'broken off' on one side, and a little bucket thingy for the goblin scribe to sit in and be spun around. I could have plenty of fun just with this last section. I've already placed the dwarves in The Unexpected Gathering set I built prior around the little table which is looking great of a scene. The three goblins may be fugly but they're the cool kind of butt ugly fugly. Haha. Each one features unique torso printing which is a major plus in my book and the detail is fantastic. Now I know I said the Cave Troll was fugly but, man, the Goblin King may be even fuglier. So much that I shall call him and all other fugly maxifigures as 'BUB' or "Butt Ugly Bastard". In all honesty, the detail of him is very good in matching the film material mixed with Lego's own sense of style. Another to note, the Goblin King seems to have an easier time standing up whereas the Cave Troll can be toppled over easily. Something about the balance is off I guess. In the end, the set doesn't feel like a $100 set and I would not have bought the one I just finished building unless it was at a heavy discount. However, all characters minus Gandalf are exclusive to the set, there is a wide assortment of pieces in brown, gray, & black, and this is one of the few sets with a more natural looking appearance in its rock formations and such. Well, that was the last Hobbit set I had left to put together until the new ones are released later in the year. I now just have one final item to build. It is the ultimate battle scene between good and evil. The very pinnacle of Lord of the Rings sets. Everything has lead up to this climatic ending. My hands shake with such eagerness and excitement I can practically feel my heartbeat through my eardrums. Oh, that's right. You know exactly what lies ahead. Wish me luck as I venture into the realm of supreme awesomeness as I may not be able to return....

It is fun and easy to buy, but despite the work, the selling part is where you get paid, to me, thats what is fun!

Bought a Technic 42000 Grand Prix Racer (MISB) today. 25% off.

Over the last week I've sold almost 50 pounds of random bulk broken into 5-10 pound lots.

WOOT! Let's all make up production numbers Someone start a new thread please.................................

If you accept Paypal as payment then you agreed to a 45 day return policy when you signed up for your account. Next year Hassle Free Returns will be mandatory to sell on ebay USA so you will also be offering free returns to every customer then. 8 defects on ebay over 1 year (unless you sell 400 items every 3 months) and you are permanently banned from selling on ebay (so 4 returns and 4 people asking questions and accidentally opening cases over a 1 year period). Don't kid yourself thinking you have any control over your ebay business and remember it can be taken away at any point in time (same goes for Amazon). This is an EXTREMELY risky business (not mentioned on these boards very often), so never invest hard earned money into it unless you enjoy getting kicked in the teeth. If you are using your own funds you better be looking at very large returns every year to compensate for the very large risk.

If you're referring to me, I did actually run up that debt whilst still having sufficient savings to pay it off. The problem is that paying it off leaves me with very little savings unless I sell the Lego. Since I now have no job, I might start needing the savings. I suppose I have to decide if the work of selling all this for the revenue I am getting is preferable to the work of just getting and having a new job for the revenue that might give. I do think there's time to do steady selling and have a job again. Trouble is that my last job heavily deskilled me and I was depressed for 4 years and occasionally hypomanic (both of which fueled the overspending). I feel better being out of there, but I still don't feel like I have much to show for those 4 years and I don't think I could impress at an interview right now. I'm spending my days on my own software engineering projects now, trying to get my skills back up again. Some of those projects might become a business, but worst case I will have confidence in myself again and a portfolio to show off when I do go for another job. Anyway, I guess the point is that you need to stay conscious of where your most valuable resource (time) is going and try to spend it as wisely as possible.

^Love your deals on 4x4 Crawlers, but not others. btw, I think you overpaid 60061. MSRP for this set is only $29.99.

Box 2 Box 2 has five bag 3's and three bag 4's for 8 total numbered bags Bag 3's contents add a ton of texture to the top and rear of the model. Bag 4's contents include the cover for the bridge scene, the stands, and the nameplate. Box 3 will take a bit longer to update, hopefully I will get it completed before the Holiday weekend..

I'm not sure what happened, but I was not able to expand the toolbar from the create a new post page. However, I went to send you a PM and it had an option to "use full editor" and when I enabled this on the messenger screen the toolbar showed back up on the create a new post page. I swear I could not find how to expand the toolbar on the create a post page, it just wasn't on there. I have a computer engineering degree and am very comfortable with my ability, but I was about to go nuts. Anyways, thank you for your help, since the issue is resolved, please feel free to delete my post if it will help to clean up the forums. Thanks again!

LEGO usually waits until just before Comic-Con to announce their exclusives and giveaways, but sometimes it's a secret up until people show up at their booth on Preview night. Good luck because SDCC exclusives are a real bear to track down even if you are there in person and LEGO has had some of the hardest exclusives to get in my experience attending the last 4 years.

Scored all this off Craigslist for $75 today. Haven't checked to make sure all pieces are there but it seems like solid deal even missing a bunch. Soccer: 3403, 3408, 3409, 3411 Rock raiders: 4990, 4980, 4950, 4970, 4940 Technic Robo Riders: 8509, 8510, 8511, 8512, 8513, 8514 Random others: 8252, 5956, 6454, 8238, 7130 Plus a few pirates/islanders without instructions. What's the best way to identify sets with no instructions? Sent from my iPhone using Brickpicker

I still think it is some sort of glitch. See how there are no customer reviews. It would be very counterintuitive for lego to do another run of retiring soon set that already has direct competition. Maybe some retailer (tru online?) returned their stock. Still does not explain missing reviews...

Try living in the middle east.

That's a good one. Now tell that to your nearest Ferrari dealer. "I don't know anyone who spends $300,000 on a car so your dealership should be out of business soon." Sent from my iPhone using Brickpicker

post of the week

As someone that is going to try and sell a couple of these down the road, I don't care why someone buys this. It's not my job to educate them on their purchase or what is or is not a "good" deal. I don't care if it's for their kids, themselves, of if they want to light it on fire.

The exclusive set only for vips isn't gonna be a lego ideas set. Its always been some sort of lego "exclusive". I don't see lego granting early access to VIP members for such small sets.

Three nights, three modulars. Not a lot of sleep but great fun!

Here is the model constructed in LDD in case anyone would like to build it themselves. It may not be 100% accurate but fairly close.

Hmm. Well there is this one topic on Eurobricks where someone is building a vampire castle that is very....big. You can see more and better images in his Brickshelf gallery. Here is a nice castle on a mountain side called Kaldrfell Castle and there was a large vampire castle mountaintop MOC thingy I remember seeing on Eurobricks some months ago yet figures I can't seem to find it now no matter what search term I use. Anyway, here is a decent Halloween setup with a few sets and some MOCs to finish off the post with. Ooo, and some Steampunk Vampire Hunters!

Jumbofig, bigfig, colossalfig, gigafig? Or how about my personal favorite of BIG MOTHERF***ING FIG!!!!

I think our goal is to have personal CAGR and ROI for every set you input into the Brickfolio. The new Brickfolio will have inputs for when an item was bought/sold and the prices at which they were bought and sold.

Sorry on the situation. The key to this is investing. Investing is a long haul event. Occasinally I find something I can turn around and make money on today but it is rare and not really my goal. Investing is four to five years from now when I start selling. But I have sold some and that is a bear. The first thing I am starting to do is gather boxes. I get them from work and put my new sets in boxes today before I put them away. By preparing I get them for free today and I can find the things thatt fit the best. Investing wise I am preparing to sell today even though it will be years before I do. If I sold my entire collection today I would net $600 is my guess after fees and shipping. But if I sold the sets I have sat on for years. AT-AT, the first falcon, NASA sets, UCS Yoda, etc. I could net a lot for these only. All of these are themes. Diversification is the other key. Buy lots of different themes. Feel better about some and buy a few more of those but don't be shy about buying others. Even in the city theme there are sub themes that are worth having if bought at a discount. (Coast Guard, Farm, Police, Fire, Airport, etc.) Anything I bought today isn't a money maker today. Also, Credit Cards and Lego investing don't go well together. It is like buying on margin. don't do it - I know I am tempted but I pay them off at the end of the month and I use them to get for discounts only. Margin buying is a bad game to play. My two cents (Really sorry you are now an "unplanned" seller and no longer an investor.)

Here it is. After years of games, toys, and TV appearances. The Roast of Mario! Warning Some strong language and suggestive dialogue Viewer discretion is advised