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Hello everyone! I've been lurking around here for some months now, gaining huge amounts of information while getting my brickfolio off of the ground. I thought it was only fair that I show up and introduce myself. For the record, my name is Steven. I just thought Stuntman Mike was a cool character from "Death Proof." How did I end up here? It was a culmination of three things, or more importantly, three sets: 1) 497 - Galaxy Explorer: I was nine or ten when the Classic Space theme first rolled out. I had the old Coast Guard Station (575) but Space was the first time I'd seen minifigures with movable arms and legs! I had the Space Shuttle (442), Mobile Rocket Launcher (462), and the Alpha 1 Rocket Base (483). I played the crap out of those things. So much fun. But I always remember wanting the Galaxy Explorer. That box was so big! That ship was so awesome! That ship was over $30?!? (Keep in mind that this was over 30 years ago and $30 was a chunk of change! Plus, my family didn't have a lot of money, so $30 may have just as well been $1 million. I wasn't getting that one. Not a chance.) I still remember trips to K-Mart with my parents and spending the whole time in the toy department's Lego section. I could look at the small sets and think there may be a chance of me getting one or more for Christmas or something. But even though Galaxy Explorer was always on the bottom shelf, it was always out of reach . . . 2) 7468 - Discovery Kids Saturn V Moon Mission: I remember seeing this one years ago when it was on the shelves. Since I am of that age demographic, I liked this one too. Even before I had the Lego sets mentioned above, my bedroom walls were plastered with NASA posters from the Apollo missions. (Funny how I later became a mechanical engineer and now work in aerospace, eh?) I was at a coworker's house who happens to be a friend of mine too. He's got a five year old son and in addition to all of his Star Wars toys, race cars, iPad app's, etc., they also show him videos like "From Earth to the Moon", "When We Left Earth", and "In the Shadow of the Moon". I think to myself, "Hey, that Apollo Lego set was only $20 or so. It would be pretty cool if I got that set for Owen. It's probably not on shelves anymore, so I'll go get one off of ebay." Then I go on ebay and see that they're selling NIB for over $150?!? Holy crap!!! Owen didn't get that Lego set. But gears were turning in my head . . . 3) 21101 - CUUSOO Hayabusa: So a few weeks after my experience with #2 above, I'm telling that story to a few other co-workers one day during lunch. Unbeknownst to me, one of my lunch buddies that day had some fairly recent Lego sets. He says to me, "Did you know that Lego came out with some sort of limited run Hayabusa set? I just got one at the Lego store at Downtown Disney." Here's the deal: The company where I currently work supplied hardware for Hayabusa. In fact, we're also supplying the same hardware for Hayabusa 2 and I was even helping out with it a little bit a few months ago. (You know the part on the back of the spacecraft where the four 1X1 round plates are surrounded by the two 1X4 flat plates and two 1X2 flat plates? The rounds are supposed to be the ion engines and the flats are the frame where they mount. We make the pan/tilt assembly that moves the engine frame, which vectors the ion engine thrust and "steers" the spacecraft. We also make the rotary motor drives that point the solar panels.) All of a sudden I thought to myself, "Limited edition Hayabusa Lego set is currently available? And that Apollo set is worth how much now? And remember how much you wanted that Galaxy Explorer? I wonder if there is such a thing as Lego investing?" So I got home that night after #3 above and Googled, "Lego Investing". Brickpicker.com was one of the first (if not THE first) hit in the search results. I clicked in and my jaw dropped. There are sets that have annual ROI's that beat my mutual funds? Someone is monitoring the appreciation of all of these sets that closely? Look at all of these Lego themes!!! I was shot out of the dark ages like a cannon . . . Next thing you know, I've dropped $2000 on Legos in my first two months of brickfolio building. May 4th B-Wing bonanza. Ordering two Jabba's Palaces from amazon on the day of the "protest" without even knowing what had just happened. The high of finding Vampire Castles on clearance at WalMart to the low of buying a Helm's Deep for full price at Target just because I had "Brick Fever" and had to buy SOMETHING. I have no children of my own, but now my co-workers know of my "hobby" and ask me what good prices are for Lego sets and where to get them for their kids. Other friends who I haven't seen in a long time who have two daughters are floored when I ask their girls if they have any Friends sets, which they do, and I seamlessly ask them whether they like the city pool or the veterinary clinic better. ("Uncle 'teve" got major cool points that day.) I am amazed how everyone you meet in some way, shape, or form, is tied to Lego somehow. And would you believe that I still don't have a 21101, a 7468, or a 497? Maybe someday. I should probably score a used 7468 for Owen too. Thank you for reading; and I'll see you in the Lego aisles! Steven

The way to deal with this is to not accept the transaction cancellation from the seller and that way the seller has to pay the ebay fees. If you paid but the seller doesnt ship, the first thing the seller has to do is refund you, then they should send a cancellation notice. As a burned buyer - you should not accept the cancellation request and then the seller will not get a final value fee refund. If you do not respond in 7 days then ebay will treat that as an accept and refund the seller. Make sense? You should also report the seller to ebay. I have gone to almost exclusively buy-it-now listings because I got so many deadbeat winners who never paid. I set my price and I just wait to get it. Certain things I will auction off, but that is rare for me now.

What you do is hide the set behind something where no one looks in walmart and when it goes on sale go and buy it

I wish I bought some of those because of how much they are going

Limiting short term resellers is good for the long term LEGO investor. It will remove the short term flippers and shrink the herd. There will be a premium on data and information. Time(and patience) and rarity of sets will become important once again.

Doesn't sound like that big of deal. It should be considered as an element of your job, especially since an auction site is the medium of choice you chose to do business in.

ok, we get it. you and leaving feedback are like water and vinegar. ...and with this, i'm over 1k posts. yay

I heard target just got the same letter! They bought a whole bunch of orc forges, Sat on them until shop at home lego sold out, then started selling them...stealing all the customers from lego. AND they are keeping the points...and the jor els! Take that lego! And they clicked through here first...pay the conversion too wood shoe!

I cant wait for lolol

That's a good deal. now how much are you to sell them for

Well, this one caught me by surprise. If anything just for the simple fact it is a Technic set and I haven't seen any reviews on the 2013 ones save for maybe one or two others. Come on, it's Technic. Why is no one reviewing these?! Then again, I don't see these in store anywhere come to think of it. Here is the link. Name: Mobile Crane MK II Number: 42009 Pieces: 2,606 Retail: US - $219.99, CAN - $249, AUS - $279.99, UK -

I have eight shopko stores near me that I frequent often. currently they have 3315 Olivia's house on clearance for $56 plus tax. if you stack their current $10 off $50 purchase coupon, you can get these for $46 plus tax. in my area tax is 5.5%, so mine came to $48.52/ each after tax. this is a petty solid deal on one of the larger and more popular friends sets. I have attached a link to the coupon. print as many as you need, and u will need to do separate transactions if you are buying more than one. I suggest using different cashiers as well since they only allow one coupon per person per visit. you need to be a rewards member to use the coupon, but if you are not one already it is free to sign up. the coupon is good through 7/27. good luck!http://e.shopko.com/a/hBR57yuB8ffmrB8z7RRAABnqq7n/coupon

Walmart may smell like sweat and dirt, but K Mart smells like depression.

Don't want to step on your toes if it's something that you want control over, and its obviously super time dependent on ebbs and flows of my job, but I'm willing to help people who are in need of a ad and can't supply their own, come up with something creative. Out of the game for a few, but still photoshop/illustrator savvy enough to create something worthwhile... and free. EDIT - And for anyone questioning this advertisement space being worthwhile, don't bother. For a site that does this much traffic to offer an ad spot, this deal is much more than fair and will help drive traffic without a question. I'd jump in before they realize they can charge you MUCH more for the tremendous gains they are offering.

lol - no kidding! (We have one or two nicer Walmarts around us, but most of them are pretty funky looking AND smelling and there always seems to be some unfortunate screaming child getting spanked in every one of them.)

If anyone is interested, heres the link: http://gifts.barnesandnoble.com/Toys-games/LEGO-Minecraft-21102/e/673419188067?cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-MfQy8kfx*Gk-_-10:1&r=1

Their called trolls, stop feeding them and they go away.

Quacs, just a small correction on the eBay in #1 - a BIN listing can run indefinitely, in 30 day increments. It's called "Good till cancelled" so the fixed prices on eBay can be very misleading - they may have been up there for years without a sale. Look at sold on eBay and that'll give a better idea.

Yeah, it has really been dry. Here are a smattering that are at or above retail on Amazon right now: 10233 Horizon Express 10237 Tower of Orthanc (3rd party reseller) 853373 Kingdoms Chess 10937 Arkham Assylum 10240 Red X-Wing Starfighter (3rd party reseller) 10232 Palace Cinema - this one has only hit MSRP once! Now at nearly $200 10220 VW Camper 10225 R2D2 10229 Winter Village Cottage 10221 SSD 10197 Fire Brigade 10218 Pet Shop 10211 Grand Emporium 10214 Tower Bridge 10224 Town Hall What's worse is that apart from a few isolated opportunities, the prices on these have barely moved since that awesome May 30 sale. When comparing these to Lego S@H with their freebies/promos, S@H looks better every day, especially if you have to pay sales tax to Amazon.

I check on ebay today and the lowest one still in the box was

eBay Spain charges 8% as their commission. S&**** is up to the seller to set. So, selling a 10

Did I miss the spam? I was going to fry it up with some eggs and have it for breakfast. yum.

yeah but its all proportional...... I mean how much is shipping and fees gonna be on 30 or 40 dollar sale??

How exactly is the B wing at $99 a flop? Last I checked anyone who bought at $99 could sell today on eBay and make a few bucks or break even at worst after fees. And that is not even 3 full months after the sale on may the fourth.

There is no reason to sugar coat it. People will have to adapt or move onto the next investment. There is still plenty of money to be made though, but as I said earlier, it's going to take some research, some luck, some effort and most of all...time. Keeping The LEGO company strong and prosperous is necessary for our investment growth.

Twice now I have been in Target and the Stagecoach has been sold out while the other LR sets are still well stocked. I agree with Quacs, the Stagecoach will be a solid performer at the very least. It looks great and with the iconic status of the Stagecoach in the western genre it will have a timeless appeal even after the LR Movie has been forgotten.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SBw6nVvJSo

I hope I am wrong, If it would be Target's Black Friday Sale, that means thousands of more vampire castle's flood the market. Target had the Black Pearl for the Black Friday sale, and Toys R Us had the Ninjango 2507 Fire Temple for $91 on Black Friday. So maybe Toys R Us Black Friday sale might be the Epic Battle. But if you look at the Black Pearl and the Fire Temple 7 month's later and there price has increased pretty fast.

Ask yourself why you saw everything but the stagecoach at Target, and then go buy a couple to test the water if you still have doubts. TRU online has a decent price on it now - $26.99. Amazon has it for even better -$25 - and you may not have to pay sales tax or shipping.

Oh Good Lord.

You're signature shows you already own an Eiffel Tower! I can't get you another one. I GOTTA SPREAD THE WEALTH AROUND!

not leaving feedback is terrible. now lets move on. it is common courtesy

I would imagine as well if multiple people are reporting an item as oppossed to just one Ebay is going to take the report more seriously. Brickpicker could become somewhat of a "neighborhood watch" that stops this kind of thing dead in its tracks. That is if enough people care to join in...

Take a breath people, consider different strategies and see what happens.

I would like to respectfully disagree with this logic. In am not going to call out anyone on this site but I could give you several examples of this being BS. As for the poker analogy, If I sit down at a poker table with Doyle Brunson, and a bunch of other famous names in poker, would that mean I am a poker all star?? If I drop 50k on LEGO a month does that automatically make me some investing guru who knows all the ins and outs of the game?

I know you and the Macks agree with my sentiments....and lots of others here as well...but its not worth it.

Delete please.

Help Wanted Need buyers to purchase Amazon Lego sets on your Amazon account, within minutes of my text message to you telling you to buy. Will pay $1 to $5 per item. Must live in Blah Blah, Michigan, I will meet you at Blah Blah Park on Tuesday at 6 a.m. to pick up, I will be wearing dark glasses and driving a non-descript Ford without license plates. Call me "Jim". (Basically, once any of us know they're serious about their limits, we can find ways around, under, or through them if we really want to. Amazon and LEGO Shop at Home will only catch the inexperienced, innocent, or arrogant once word gets out they're lowering ban-hammers.)

I ordered some thing from firestartoys.com has any one else used them before? I also have

Since this is a Target Post, A good investment money maker are the Mega Bloks Halo Big sets, Target has the Rhino Set half Price $42.99 I got 14 of them, Toys R Us still wants $90 for them, but the Big halo sets are the good ones. I been buying and selling the Mega Bloks Sets for a few years now, and do pretty good on them. So for $42.99 its a good deal. Ed

today I got 5766 log cabin 7346 seaside cabin 9678 twin pod cloud car x2 for free 9496 desert skiff 75000 clone troopers v drodikeas battle pack 9498 clone troopers v commando droid battle pack 31009 small house it cost me

Simply put, any LEGO set sold on the secondary market, at any time, can take business away from LEGO and the other retailers selling current sets. Most people have limited funds to spend on LEGO sets and must choose between old sets on eBay or new sets on LEGO S@H, Target or Amazon. Money spent on the older set is money taken away from the new LEGO set money pool. Of course resellers do buy a ton of sets, so it might balance out, but LEGO might view any reseller as a threat. The reseller does have a very important ally in all of this...eBay. eBay makes a ton of money from reselling LEGO sets. Just a thought...

Sounds very Socialistic of you. Let's develop LEGO "welfare," so that the less fortunate can have every LEGO set.

that looks epic

DAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM that iz gud deal

yea your right about how it looks because I loved both of those set and I wish I got more of them when they were out

LOTR ftw!

I always try and give you guys the lastest scoope on anything I hear, My friend thats gives me this info along with that 2013 wholesale order form told me the SSDS, Tower Bridge, Fire Brigade are retiring. And there is a chance the Haunted House is done also, but not 100% Confirmed yet. "And with the new Summer 2013 Catalog that just came in the mail today, Well that about confirms it. The SSDS,Tower Bridge, and Fire Brigade are not listed.So if you don't have any Tower Bridges & SSDS I would not wait forever, Hopefully Lego will have a SSDS Black Friday Sale cheap, but as me and my son both got a catalog with a 10% Coupon I will be going to the Lego store in a few days and get 2 more Tower Bridges,plus I have 2 20% Coupons to use with it, I am waiting for a sale for more SSDS, and these will be big bucks in a few years, and i have plenty Fire Brigade's. And all you guys that wished you would of gotten alot of the Dubai, Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower's etc sets well don't screw up on the Tower Bridge. A well Known landmark will do very very well. "And about the Haunted House Retiring, well I am buying one or 2 a month, so in case in goes all of a sudden I will have plenty, I also have 13 SSDS, 21 Tower Bridge's, 17 Fire Brigades. "AND THE B-WING IS IN THE SUMMER CATALOG, AND MY FRIEND ALSO SAID THE DEATH STAR IS HEAR FOR ANOTHER YEAR." Still 6 months in the year and anything can change but this is the latest scoop. Ed

Ok As a LOTR fan since a kid I was obviously thrilled about LEGO LOTR (both game and sets) and I would like to open a nice discussion about LOTR investing. I would like if everyone who likes the sets and wish to devote some time to write why each set could do good and at what price do you consider them purchase material for investing Remember LOTR only here. You can also include new sets incoming in June since we saw the pictures. NOTE: The predictions price range is US-EU price range since our initials started higher and import taxes etc. NOTE: All my predictions are for 1-1,5 years AFTER the set officially goes EOL. 9469-1: Gandalf Arrives I believe it will stop at double retail within 1 year after EOL, but will probably not climb much more, It is an iconic set of introducing Gandalf in the movies but that is about it. Predictions: Stopping at about 20-25$ 9470-1: Shelob Attacks I think this is worth getting, it is 99.9% the only Shelob we will ever see, it is currently exclusive Sam, which we are likely to see if 3rd line of sets come out. If you can get it below retail (25% off) then I think this might do very well in MISB condition. Predictions: Stopping at about 45-55$ 9471-1: Uruk-Hai Army I read that due to restrains from the contract LEGO/TLG cannot make battle packs (like SW) for LOTR, which makes this just a great, and probably the ONLY chance for Uruk-hai battle pack, If Eomer is not re-released (Pelennor etc) then this Battle Pack might just increase nicely. Predictions: stopping at about 65-80$$ 9472-1: Attack On Weathertop Questions are: Only time we see Nazgul? I doubt it, Merry? possible (but there is still pelennor) I think this set might actually do rather bad. It might just be cheapest set to get 7 Nazgul but that will be it. i expect it to not increase much over the next year (after EOL) so unless you got heavy discount (30%+) I think this will do poor, I skipped it) Predictions: stopping around 70-90$ 9473-1: The Mines of Moria I think this is the sleeper of the line. With unique figures (Boromir and Cave troll likely to NOT be repeated) currently also Legolas, Pipping and Moria Orcs, this set just have it all, except that it is purely a play set (looks worse on display than lets say helm's Deep) I think this will easily double, i expect it to go 2,5x retail aswell within 2 years. Predictions: Stopping at about 140-180$ 9474-1: The Battle Of Helm's Deep Every says this is a winner, and i cannot object with much theory, but I am just afraid everyone got it and it will take year(s) for price to grow(unlike Mines) I guess this has the potential on 3x retail IF LOTR is re-released in 3D if Hobbit makes great children appeal and IF Theoden will not be re-released much more. Predictions: 240-300$ EXCLUSIVE SET: 9476-1: The Orc Forge I think it will do well, especially considering we get Orthanc released. With unique white hand armor printing and Lurtz (If it does not come in Orthanc then it will likely never come, doubt about Amon hen) this set is a potential winner, People who buy Orhanc would want this set (or even 2-3) for their display. Predictions: 80-120$ Hope this is somewhat useful and good to read, these are purely my views and predictions, will enjoy reading anyones else. Kind regards