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So, you have found Brickpicker and probably have already bought a number of sets that you plan on selling at some point in the future. Or, maybe you are a somewhat seasoned investor that has accumulated a large number of sets and are just now starting to sell your first few items. Either way, I wanted to give you a by no means comprehensive list of best practices for listing your items for sale. Whether you list on BP’s Brick Classifieds, eBay or some other site, I think these basic first steps will help increase your sales and reduce the risk of potential issues. 1 - General Tips Before getting into more details, I wanted to provide some general tips when listing LEGO in any platform. Following them will help you avoid some of the most common problems sellers encounter when selling online, and might also help you get more exposure to potential buyers. DO avoid using “Good till’ Cancelled” listings. Using 30 day fixed price formats allows me to easily see which listings may need a price reduction; if I have had to relist more than once, then I usually do some quick research about current prices. Furthermore, I have read that eBay’s search engine tends to favor listings that are not “Good till’ Cancelled”. DO avoid Auctions. While this format has its uses (want to get rid of something quick or such), most of the time it can cause you to leave money on the table. Do some research, list fixed and get what you expect from your items! DO check before publishing your listings all the information is correct. DON’T list open box sets as New. While most of the time you should not have a problem when doing this, some buyers will receive a set with an open box, bags sealed, and still open Not as Described cases or a return request. DON’T list parted out sets as New. Pretty much the same reasoning as the point above. One last, but slightly controversial, suggestion for those using eBay: If you have reached the standards to become Top Rated, but are reluctant to because of the requirement to offer returns, understand that every single seller on eBay is already obligated to take returns. If you won’t take a set back, buyers have the option to simply open a SNAD case, which might count against you, and return the item just the same. The 20% benefit in Final Value Fees is very much worth it! 2 - Title As a seller, we need to make sure that the title of your listing has as much relevant information as possible. As you can imagine, having the key words in the title will make your item more visible when buyers start looking for sets using a particular site’s search engine. Obviously, the most important things to include in the title are the brand (LEGO), the theme and the set number and name. While you could argue that most end buyers don’t have the set numbers memorized, some re-sellers and investors do, and this provides a faster way for them to find your listings as well. Besides these key identifiers, let’s take a look at some other pieces of information that might save you time and help you avoid issues with your buyers. New Sets You might think that if you are selling a new set then things should be pretty straightforward when listing, and I would agree. Unfortunately, there is a portion of buyers that simply don’t research or review the items they are purchasing as much as someone like you and me would. For this reason, I suggest you follow the Dos and Don’ts below. DO NOT include condition qualifiers in your title that are subjective in nature. While it may be tempting to include the acronym MISB (Mint in Sealed Box) in your title, or description, this opens the door for buyer dissatisfaction and potential Not as Described cases. Box condition IS subjective. DO include NIB (New in Box) if you are set in having one of these nice acronyms in your title. While I don’t do it myself, this one is a lot more straightforward and less subjective than some of the others. DO include the phrase “Damaged Box” if your set shows more than average shelf-wear. This is a judgment call, but as a seasoned LEGO buyer you should have an idea of how much damage is too much. This will reduce the chances of a buyer buying without reading the description and then opening a SNAD case. Used Sets As you can imagine, listing used sets requires a little more detail. While you still want to include the basic information (brand, theme, name and number), you also want to make sure you indicate whether the set is complete or incomplete. To me, this is the most important piece of information to have in a used set listing title. Also, make sure to indicate if the set includes the box and the instruction manuals. Once again, this saves the buyer time, as well as potential headaches for you. DO mention if your listing is “Open box, sealed contents”. Some people care very little about the box or the fact that it is open. Indicating that the contents are sealed will lead most buyers to believe, as they should, that a set is new; just not what Paypal and eBay consider to be New. DO mention if a set is parted out. Make sure to be very clear about what component of the set you are selling. DO include if the set includes a new sticker sheet or set of instructions. Some buyers are really attracted to sets that have a “newer” feel; being able to apply stickers is a big one in my book. 3 - Description The description space is where you will make sure that you cover as many details as you need about your listing. DO make sure to repeat the information from the title once again. As redundant as this sounds, it is very important that you reduce the chance of buyers assuming or misinterpreting information. Dealing with returns or other buyer issues will waste your time and keep you from making as much money as you should be! DO include details about your return policy and Unpaid Item Case timeline. I usually just let buyers know that I will give them 4 days to pay, unless they contact me about it, and will require that the items be returned to me in the same condition as they were originally sent. DO include a shipping policy. Let buyers know how you will be shipping the items, so they know you won’t just be slapping a label on a set and sending it away (please, don’t do this). Also, make sure to indicate if you will be requiring signature upon delivery (and you should for items over $750, or its foreign equivalent). DO take the time to find or make your own template. While this is not a deal breaker, it makes your listings look a little more professional than most. DON’T mention that the set is MISB (I know this is the second time I mention this). I usually have a little note that reads, “Box shows shelf-wear” on my listings; helps reduce expectations and makes me look better if the box arrives MINT. 4 - Images Obviously, another extremely important portion of any listing is a proper picture. While uploading photos to any site is pretty simple, I still wanted to leave you with some basic advice you can follow. DO include your own picture. I for one had deviated from this a little as I found myself with less time to sell than I would have liked, but have started to do it again as I believe it does make a difference, especially for used sets and damaged boxes. DO print a sign with your username and place it in front of the item. This can help assure buyers you actually have the item and also, to a lesser extent, help create your brand. Buying LEGO sets is extremely fun, but I believe selling is just as much! Hopefully this article has provided some basic advice you can follow while you start your journey into the very unique world of LEGO investing. Thanks for reading!

Recently, several major news outlets have stated that there is a “looming” shortage of LEGO bricks on the horizon in some European countries. The continued strong growth of The LEGO Group...basically a Compound Annual Growth Rate of around 20% for the last seven or eight years, has taxed the production capacity of the company and has forced them to admit that there could be problems acquiring LEGO sets this Holiday season. According to LEGO press officer, Roar Trangbeck, "The demand for Lego products during the first half of 2015 has been significantly higher than our and our customers' expectations and projections and this has put a strain on the Lego Group's manufacturing facilities globally." In simpler terms, LEGO products are too darn popular...and for good reason mind you. Recently, LEGO has made an effort to bring the LEGO brick to the Far Eastern markets, exacerbating the shortage situation even more in non-North American countries. The LEGO Group is building a new LEGO factory in Jiaxing, China, but unfortunately, the manufacturing plant will not be ready until 2017. It also didn’t help that The LEGO Movie was extremely popular and many of the company’s new non-brick products like TV shows and video games have become Über popular as well. This is a situation that most companies would love...factories running at full tilt and customers buying up existing inventories at record rates. But LEGO has always been mindful of upsetting customers and their customer service and satisfaction has always been exemplary. So what’s the world number one toy maker to do? How about ban some customers? Now, before anyone gets offended or questions my motives, I would like to state this is all pure speculation based on recent activities and happenings. Over the past several years, there have been a faction of North American LEGO customers banned from the LEGO Shop @ Home VIP program and online purchases. Granted, many of these banned customers bought in excess of The LEGO Group’s purchase limits and were obvious resellers, which in itself is not illegal, but some companies frown upon the process. LEGO wants to sell to the end user first and would rather not have non-sanctioned resellers sell to the end user, unless a person goes through their approval process of becoming a brick and mortar toy and LEGO seller. This makes sense and I completely understand (...but respectfully disagree with) their possible stance on the situation. That being said, LEGO reselling has largely been a North American phenomena over the past ten years or so and European and British LEGO customers were rarely, if ever, banned for excessive LEGO purchases...until now. Over the past several months, more and more non-North American customers have been getting banned from LEGO Shop @ Home for exceeding purchase limits or just buying excessive amounts of LEGO sets in a short time period. This is new...and news. LEGO fans, collectors and resellers from outside the United States have never been subject to any sort of bans for purchases to my knowledge. Many people far exceeded purchase limits and were not banned and this went on for years. So why the change in philosophy? How about a shortage of LEGO bricks? Now, it’s possible that LEGO reselling has become rampant in Great Britain and Europe, thus the reason for the bans. It is also possible that LEGO is feeling the pinch of the shortages and is making sure whatever LEGO sets they have for sale are going directly to the end user. If they ban a reseller...so what? The savvy reseller will find other ways to acquire LEGO sets. But at least this way, LEGO assures that at least a portion of LEGO sets will go to end users instead of resellers, who could buy 10, 20 or more of one kind of set to resell on LEGO secondary sites. Personally, I found this recent revelation about a LEGO shortage in Europe and increasing bans from LEGO retail outlets too coincidental for there not to be a connection. Just from speaking with many non-North American members over the course of the last several years, I don’t think reselling of LEGO sets in Great Britain and Europe to be anywhere near the levels of the United States and Canada, but it’s probably a growing concern for The LEGO Group, especially considering the fact that there is a possible shortage of bricks. So what does this shortage mean for the LEGO fan and/or reseller? Well, fans will have to wait for LEGO sets in many instances. “Temporarily Out of Stock” has become commonplace on LEGO Shop @ Home. Many “exclusives” are backordered frequently, so fans can get impatient, especially with the Holiday season right around the corner. Resellers can take advantage of these shortages by being the only source for some of these sets. But resellers also need to be careful and purchase within the limits issued by LEGO or fear a ban from LEGO retail outlets and VIP programs. All in all, it’s an interesting time to be a LEGO fan, collector and reseller. The legendary LEGO brick has never been more popular, yet “everything is not awesome.” Poor Little Timmy might not get that fancy new Ultimate Collector Series set in time for Christmas. Good thing there are LEGO resellers ready to step in and sell their sets to Little Timmy’s parents...

Brickset.com has posted the first images of 2016 Star Wars sets and minifigures. The images come from an insert in the recently revealed 30605 Finn (FN-2187) polybag. Eight sets appear on the insert. The first four sets are battle packs. 75135 is Obi-Wan's Jedi Interceptor, which is very reminiscent of 9494 Anakin's Jedi Interceptor. 75136 will be the third iteration of the Droid Escape, following 7106 and 9490. I would expect values on those two sets to even out and show no other growth when this set premieres. Although each set is slightly different, "new" and "on-the-shelf" will eat into the market. Although the "dirty Sandtroopers" that appear in 9490 are still unique to that set. The final two sets are from The Empire Strikes Back. The most anticipated is 75137 Carbon Freezing Chamber. The Ugnaught minifigure has long been desired. Small in size, I would expect this set to do well after retirement. Boba Fett appears to be the same as 75060 UCS Slave-1, which may have some impact on the sales of that particular minifigure. A photo of all the minifigs appears on the back of the flier.

Welcome to a (maybe?) regular update on what I'm currently investing in. While some would prefer to read through threads to listen to various members' opinions about what they are buying – or not buying, as the case may be, I think some folks would rather save some time and get the real scoop on what Big Blue Dog Bricks (BBDBricks) is up to. In this case, putting my money where my mouth is and telling readers what I bought this week, and why. Big Blue Dog Bricks: What I'm Investing In Now: Guardians of the Galaxy Edition! I'm a small to medium-sized investor, height wise, weight wise and probably also in terms of total investment. I've sold around 30k or so (before fees, shipping, taxes, etc) in the last three years, so not big time but not exactly green around the investment ears. I started small, with about 1k in the first several months and built from there, so I imagine this post might appeal to those either at a similar level of investment or who want to move from having a closet full of Lego to a basement full of Lego without being a hoarder. (For clarification, the Macks are hoarders, in that they don't sell their sets, while I regularly shift inventory to make room for more inventory) What I bought this week: Guardians of the Galaxy Sets! It is time, sheeple, to follow my advice and grab a few complete sets of this line before the ship sails off into the EOL night. As an investment vehicle this small theme within the larger Marvel line has quite a few things going for it right now and not too many negatives. Pros: Pretty solid movie: I double checked the box office haul just now and, if Wikipedia is to be trusted, made $774 million dollars worldwide, which is perhaps a little more than 'solid'. As a casual superheroes fan Guardians of the Galaxy (GotG) wasn't well known to me and I imagine others were also not as familiar with GotG storylines, villains and heroes as well. Despite not being as ubiquitous as Batman, Superman, Spiderman et al, the movie managed to do pretty darn well. If people will spend money to go the cinema, it stands to reason they might want licensed toys as well. Of course, that alone isn't enough of a pro on its own, so let's also consider some other positives. 18 month mark: The Milano Spaceship Rescue and Starblaster Showdown have already moved to Sold Out on Shop at Home. They may or may not come back, but as of this writing that is where these two sets stand. The Knowhere Escape Mission is still available, but it seems unlikely it will not succumb to its fate sooner rather than later. This week I grabbed six Milano sets from Wal-mart.ca, 50% off. I laughed when I saw the sticker on the outside of the original Lego shipping boxes – Do Not Put on Shelf Before June 1, 2014. Clearly, initial demand didn't require Wal-mart to open these bad boys up, or they perhaps got stuck behind other boxes and patiently sat in a warehouse somewhere for the last year and a half. At any rate, they are mine, now, and I love them (especially at 50% off) . Even though these might not be available at the official Lego website, it should be possible to get creative and add these sets to your stash over the next couple months from other retailers. 18 months is a standard (well, I don't know if this word applies to any Lego sets anymore) cycle and I'm glad they seemingly aren't extending production for a full two years (or more) which would make the opportunity window potentially much smaller before new sets hit with the sequel. Now is a great time to buy, as your hold time will be significantly less than many who hit up clearance sales last fall or this winter/spring/summer. Definite sequel coming: Always good news – wait, almost always? My worries with slightly less well known licensed lines is that they will drift more towards Lone Ranger or Prince of Persia type returns. It is easy to forget that LR still had a large box office return even though critics didn't especially love it (or even like it). Box office alone doesn't an investment make. A sequel slated for 2017 means GotG will certainly be back in front of the consumer in perhaps another 18 months. This could be a double-edged sword if the new (probable) Lego sets are too similar to those out now, or worse, a straight up remake of, say, the Milano. That being said, if the current sets get the retired tag there should be a window to sell, and a savvy Brickpicker should have leaks about the upcoming sets long before the general public does, and can act accordingly. Although I am buying these sets, I'm certainly not going 20-30 complete sets deep. I think it might be hard to move that many at a decent return and the window is too short to go all in, at least for BigBlue. Easily collectible: Unlike a lot of other lines, there are only three sets. I think this is advantageous for a few reasons. Number one, easy to invest in. I've spent the last couple of weeks searching out deals to get complete sets for future selling. Number two, easy for buyers to get all three at once without breaking the bank. It appeals to a lot more collectors. I personally hate starting to collect (for myself or my family) in a theme with a crazy amount of sets as I am a bit neurotic and like to have ALL OF THEM. Having an uncompleted theme of all the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings sets makes my brain uneasy. I think the phenomena is common, or at least I tell myself that to make myself feel better. This is a neat and tidy package of three, relatively easy to list and ship together. Having one offs, even if you got them at a great discount, might be harder to move even if priced well. As a collector, I hate paying for shipping more than once, so if I want sets I seek out lots. I can't imagine the majority of future buyers wanting to shell out over MSRP + shipping for one of the three sets, when listings for the whole line are also available. Obviously, those buying gifts or completing partially collected sets would be interested in single set sales, but my gut says most serious buyers post-EOL are going to be collectors looking for all three. Prove me right, Marvel collectors! Cons: There are cons, and not the convicts terrorizing the Lego City sets. Although I'm pretty confident the sequel will do well at the box office, even if it isn't as good or nearly as good as the original, the threat of a remade Milano scares me. Chinese counterfeiters scare me too, but I still think the target market I'm selling to is interested in the sets and genuine Lego products. Another major con is I think these have a definite ceiling in terms of growth. I've been able to source my complete sets at around 40% off MSRP or better (for all three) with some careful planning and buying, so I think my risk level is quite low. That being said, I don't expect double MSRP by next Christmas and would be quite content with perhaps 20% over MSRP sales. Anything more would be a bonus, and I'm only looking to move around 5-10 lots, definitely not more. These are a nice tangential investment for me, and might be a good call for a small to medium-sized investor who is looking for a short(ish) hold with a decent return, provided they are carefully sourced with maximal discounts. I'm certainly not advocating lining your stockroom with these sets, especially at or near MSRP, but I think there will be a window to make a decent return.

Let me start by saying that I had no real interest in this set, or any of the constraction figures when it comes down to it. I got this set as an open boxed item as part of a Shopgoodwill lot that I actually wanted. I figured that I could try selling this set for some small amount, since the box was destroyed, or try building it and see if it changed my mind. REVIEW DETAILS Set #: 75109 Name: Obi-Wan Kenobi Theme: Star Wars Constraction figure Parts: 83 Price: $24.99 Before we get to the build, let’s talk value. At $24.99 this is the 3rd most expensive of the Constraction sets. The baseline seems to be $19.99, which is where Jango Fett, Commander Cody, and Luke Skywalker fall. So, this figure must have more parts or something to justify a 25% increase, right? Nope, the 3 previously mentioned sets have similar piece counts, and one can only imagine similar construction. The only difference is that Obi-Wan has a cape. Is the cape worth $5? Not in my mind. The price per piece works out to a bit over $.30 each, which seems terrible for those looking to be about $.10 per piece. So far, my mind has not been changed. THE BUILD AND EXECUTION The build is incredibly simplistic. You create an armature and just clip decorative bits all over it. This creates a fairly articulated figure, but that figure is ugly. Angular chunks and bits with gaps all over really don’t interest me in a humanoid clothed figure. I am sure that the aesthetic is better with armored or robotic characters, but this is not one of those. The waist seems awkward, but I can tell it’s designed to look like the lower part of his tunic. My 6 year old helped me with this set, because she saw what I was doing and wanted to be involved. It was much easier for her than comparably priced sets like 75099 Rey’s Speeder. So, after the figure is done, does it look like what it’s supposed to? Pretty much. It looks like a stylized representation of Clone Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi. When I think of him as the animated Obi-Wan, the angular features and armor pieces make more sense. They are not as awkward as Luke Skywalker. REACTION I still don’t like these models. My wife and daughter both thought it was cool, but as a longtime Star Wars collector, I know that Hasbro makes a comparably priced line of figures that have greater detailing and similar articulation. Hasbro’s figures are considerably smaller at 6” but to my eye look better. I don’t think that this line is for adult collectors. I think with the simpler build and greater play value, it’s designed for kids. One might argue that most LEGO building sets are designed for kids, but this one really shows a lack of style and ingenuity. FINAL THOUGHTS This set has many drawbacks in my mind. A higher than average price point, a simplistic build, and it’s part of a new subtheme that was created just for the sake of having something different. I’m sure that some people will dig these, but I doubt the mass appeal. Of the Super Heroes that were created similarly, there’s a few long term winners, but I remember a lot of those hitting clearance and sticking around a long time. With this being a part of the first series, if they do take off, the longer reaching value should be a modest increase, in my opinion. I haven’t heard anyone say that they really wanted this set or the Luke. I can see there being demand from completists later on, and with a lower demand now, the population will be lower than Vader or Grievous. This set will either sit on my shelf until I decide to dump it, or will go to my kids. I don’t know that I could get more than a few dollars for it now. I’d say stay away, you’ll see plenty on clearance. Even then, wait for deep discount. </p>

On the Facebook page for LEGO Ninjago, a new poster was uploaded giving us a preview on what to expect in the upcoming animated television series and sets. The hint of our ninja going against pirates was given prior at the last San Diego Comic-Con but this marks the first official image of our team’s next ordeal of villains to tend with in the ongoing battle to restore peace across the realm of Ninjago. From what can be seen, these airborne brigands are a bizarre hodgepodge of old and new enemies being led by a fiendishly omnipotent Djinn going by the name of Nadakhan whose sole delight is to turn people's wishful dreams into nasty nightmares. Interesting bits to note is the "big fig" in the distant top right hand corner, a new sinister sabre wielded by the Kabuki killer down in front beside the snake soldier, the wrench toting monkey which could hopefully be a return of the LEGO monkey figure (although possibly redesigned unless only appearing in the animated series), Nadakhan's hair could be Aurra Sing’s only in black, the pirate holding a flintlock pistol is sporting both the moustache and football helmet pieces with the rare helmet in a new color, epaulettes all around (primarily green it seems), and other stuff I probably missed. Aside from Metalbeard's Sea Cow, the sky pirates' aircraft could almost be considered borderline steampunk but not quite. At least to a degree a dedicated theme for such seems a more likely possibility than before.