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Now I see how people can just go out there and create cults and have people follow them. I think Emazers posts some good things, but it's really nothing more than some decent common sense. If more people just spend a little time doing their own research and looking at the data that is in front of them, they can make many of the same statements on their own.

I would agree. I appreciate what Ed does, but if you take the time to research on your own, you can figure out different ways of investing. Ed has a particular way of holding for a while, but I know there are plenty of us on here who have no intention of waiting for a set to mature for more than a year or two. I feel a lot of people kiss up, and it takes away from the general conversation that this site is meant to be about.

I have noticed a number of these types of posts recently and feel compelled to comment. Look, I like Ed. I have traded a number of PMs with him since I became a member and he has been very generous with his advice. He has obviously earned the respect he receives here, but can we stop with the worshipping? Ed's a regular guy, just like the rest of us, who has been at the game for a long time and made some great money doing it. Again, he deserves to be considered a top member and a veteran reseller. I just get a little creeped out when people start referring to him as God-like. He enjoys movies just like you and me and he's not walking on water anytime soon (that I know of). Please understand this has nothing to do with Ed - I think he provides insightful posts and is an upstanding member. *edit* LegoHULK just beat me to the punch with his post.

To be fair, not everyone has put Emazers up on a pedestal.

"Retiring Soon" means nothing, some sets get the label and are sold out a week later, a set like Medieval Market gets the label and it was still available for like 6+ months. "Retired" is really the tag to look for but that doesnt show up until a set is almost completely sold everywhere so by time you see the label its worthless. Im sure LEGO does mess with buyers/investors to encourage them to buy a set they were on the fence about or were waiting for a sweet sale but instead rush out and buy it at full MSRP. Its all a big game with constantly changing rules, Investors either give up and get out, get burnt and loose money or you keep up with the changing market and actually make a profit. Nothing in life is easy or free, as ive said before the days of buying literally any starwars LEGO set and making 300-400% ROI in one year are long gone. There is still money to be made but its a much more complicated game now, to think that LEGO would hand you a profitable investment on a silver platter by labeling everything with "retiring soon" so you can go out at the last minute buy a bunch and flip them for loads of quick profit is crazy. Imagine if LEGO gave every set a 1-10 rating indicating its potential as for resale investment and then sent you and email letting you know when a set is being retired and always did a 50% discount for retiring sets. that would be amazing and super easy right?! But then again if they did that everyone and their mother would be investing in LEGO. One of the reasons why LEGO still has investment potential is because its actually pretty difficult so 99.9% of America doesnt stand a chance and making a profit, unless they did a ton of research and even then you still need a "feel" for the LEGO market, and thats not something someone can be taught, its just acquired with years of experience. Ok im done ranting!

I don't think Lego will overuse the "retiring soon" label. Did they just remove the Chima sets from the label though?

I think a big key to this theme will be the minifigures. If they are done well and there are lots of them to collect (and don't have the same main characters in every set), I think the theme could do OK. In fact, maybe LEGO should just do a CMF line for The Simpsons. There are certainly plenty of characters to choose from!

Okay, I was looking through the Amazon price grid to then came across the Umbaran MHC and it stated the set was half off! I immediately clicked on the link and just as quickly was disappointed. It was for the wrong set. Not only that but the list price was incorrect and the sale amount is above real retail! I mean, look at this ridiculous malarkey! This is actually being sold by Amazon.com and not some third party seller. Here is the Amazon product listing to see for yourself. This is just laughable.

The mostly adults comment was just a joke because we are all kids at heart (considering we invest in a toy and most of us actually build it). Thanks for correcting my grammar, mistakenly used the wrong there/their. My point with the comment was, make your (did I get that one correct, can I get a confirmation... yes? Okay, were good) investments on your own. Understand EOL dates, what is popular, how much you want to invest, and what % increase you want on the set, and proceed forward. Take personal responsibility, because if you are reliant on someone else, you are setting yourself up for failure. I think it's great that emazers shares his information, but I only listen to it when it regards EOL dates. Whenever he, or anyone else for that matter, starts to talk how long one needs to be sitting on a set, I begin to space out like I'm listening to a philosophy lecture... To each his own. Also, I never made a comment regarding a throne, I said pedestal. As for his advice regarding the Tower Bridge, it isn't exactly a gutsy call to say it will do well after it EOL's, everyone from emazers, to the Macs, to Mos_Eisley, to StephenRocky would all agree that the TB will do extremely well. It isn't a set that has exactly hid away from everyone.

Honestly I hate selling on Amazon. It has an easier interface, but for stuff Like Lego sets I think it is terrible. You can't put up all these pictures of your item, you don't have a detailed description, you have to follow the shipping rules that are really vauge and the feedback system is not as good. For books - amazon rocks, but for Lego sets, Ebay is tremendously better. I would not even touch Amazon.

Amazon's a great venue and we like selling there, but there is definitely stuff that does better on eBay than Amazon and vice versa. Not experienced enough in Lego yet to give specific advice, but basically with new in box sets, like others said, if you're not the cheapest you won't be selling until the cheapest are gone. And, you won't get as many chances to screw up on Amazon as you will on eBay, so as a seller KNOW all the rules and abide by them. Amazon doesn't play games, and their bans are permanent.

I use Amazon for selling and personally I feel like I sell items for more on Amazon than i do on Ebay. I feel it's a lot easier and it's easy to manage. The fees are higher than Ebay as mentioned, but I feel I can charge more to make up the difference. Also, I think Amazon feels more "secure" to buyers. Maybe it's just me, but I know as a buyer I'd feel more comfortable buying from someone off of Amazon than Ebay. But both are good for selling. Also, I believe there is an article about this. You may want to check it out. It's very informative!

Nobody knocked him off of a throne. There was never a throne to begin with. I appreciate Ed's advice when it comes to knowing when sets will EOL, but I really run in a completely different direction when it comes to the way I invest. I know a lot of people on here do the same thing. We are all (mostly) adults on this site, and contribute different thoughts each day. While there is nothing wrong with viewing one members thoughts highly, I would urge anyone who bases there purchases on what someone on here advises (even if it's me), to rethink how they play this game. Also, Ed understands that we aren't being critical of him, we are just trying to keep the conversation in the right place. Also, I believe emes lurks because of how many random questions being asked by new people on here, "If I have $500 what should I invest in?"

Amazon is a good sales outlet. It's a lot easier to use than Ebay in terms of listing products, but there can be a lot more competition. In general, you aren't going to sell any copies of a set unless you have the lowest price. When you have the lowest price, how fast you sell will depend on the popularity of the set. Popular sets will sell very quickly when you have the lowest price. One downside is that Amazon fees are higher than Ebay.

Amazon.co.uk has Summer Riding Camp for $95 shipped if anyone is interested.

41999......I put my forehead to the box and could sense it was LP #000001. I did much the same thing with my sealed box of CMF 10s , that's how I know there is a Mr gold in there ;)

Complete UCS TIE for $100

Investment angle aside...I actually think that the Dynamic Duo Funhouse is the best small (-ish) set out there. If someone says "Hey whats a good lego set to get for someone for a gift?" I would steer them towards this one. It is just so cool, great minifigures, and a decent pricepoint. If you add in the fact that it is an exclusive (and hard to find at that) well...I guess there are a few threads about that.

If Chima characters appear in the Lego movie next year, it may boost the popularity even more.

Don't worry mate, Eventually you will get your god-like status.

There should be a section on brick picker titled, "Emazers says". It would make keeping up with his sage advice much easier. I do say that in all reverence.

How are you still allowed to shop at the Lego stores? They haven't banned you?

Oh, lol, I'm very sorry. I had no idea that you'd take my general statement of comparison and then strawman the argument down to only taking the 2 flag ships excluding a really big set that is store exclusive for now. Yes, based on your narrow criteria then Helms Deep is probably better than Pirate Ambush. My opinion is however not altered. I own all the sets, and the only wave 1 set I have left on display is HD, the wave 2 sets are all on shelves and I can see them being there for a while. On average, in my opinion, wave 2 is better than wave 1. I think the vibe I have picked up around here and on other sites is that this opinion is shared by most people. If you'd like to set up a poll between the two maybe that will shed some light on it.

That is just semantics as it will be released either as a store exclusive, or to all of them. By that logic sets such as Orc Forge, Dynamic Duo Funhouse, etc do not belong in any of the waves of their respective lines.

So far this is the only funny part of the show I can find let alone remember. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQbF1mxYEVY

I wouldn't pay $20 for that Mega Crap.

Aha! I was about half way through your post and I was envisioning a conclusion that involved you walking away with the set and both the mom and the kid sprawled out on the ground behind you moaning and groaning from the beat down you just gave them. You show excellent restraint! Nice job!

I'm kind of having the same problem in a way. It does collapse to just then 'sit' there in the corner. Plus the only option it shows is facebook and I've never used that site or plan to. Maybe there could be an option to turn the rewards bar off? Right now it's only being a distracting visual.

Aww now its gone? Yeah, I'm guessing it was either maintenance or general server downtime.

Woah, Brickfolio landing page has changed. Cooooooooool...

Picked up 2 at the lego store. It was the Build a flamingo day for the little kids and it was funny to walk past the parents carrying 2 big tower bridge sets past all them..they looked at me like i had no life or something lol.

Wasn't that guy the intern at Toys R Us last year?

For my 1,000 post, I thought it would be appropriate to provide the BP community with a Legends of Chima post! I have been monitoring the television ratings for Episodes 4-6 and thought I would share them. First, Episodes 1-3 averaged about 1.5 million viewers per episode. Here is the data for Episodes 4-6: 7/17, Episode 4 - The Joy Ride: #22 on cable, 1.01M (0.187M adults 18-49) 7/24, Episode 5 - Market Day: #15, 1.19M (0.197M adults 18-49) 7/31, Episode 6 - Attack on Eagle Spire: #20, 1.03M (.15M adults 18-49) These are good numbers for Cartoon Network, and appear to show the burgeoning popularity of this line. Look for the ratings to increase when kids start going back to school, roughly around 9/1, and ride that crest to a strong final episode. There are 20 new episodes in Season 1, so if they show the episodes consecutively, the season finale would be around November 6. Encouraging signs from the television show - we'll see if it starts to increase viewership in the next 3-4 weeks! And now, an emoticon to celebrate 1,000 posts. Burgers are on me...

Let's put it this way, if the growth of the site stopped right here, we might as well close the site. There is a lot more we want to do, but there needs to be more people. There are so many Lego users that don't know of us but are true Lego collectors and investors. Every week we get plenty of emails from people who just found the site and have been Lego fans for a long time. Everyone is not just going to run out and buy tons of sets. Most people don't have the time, space or money to do it, but yet, they like to learn information on what their collection is worth or would be happy to know there is a resource like ours. I like Kelly Blue Book for reading what the value of cars are, but I don't run out and buy Aston Martins or Ferraris. I like looking at the value of homes as well, but I only have one. This site is used differently by many of it's users.

Damn Wieners!!!

Excellent point. Different strokes for different folks is my point. What works for one investor might not be an option for another. I love large exclusive sets as well, but I also have quite a few smaller sets thrown in. Small sets can make money for people on a budget or limited with space. But remember one thing, if every Tom, Dick, Harry or Ed buys the same large sets(...and this I know they do!), how much will the growth be affected by an overabundance of a particular large and exclusive set?

Since $ Investments in Lego are determined by price AND quantity of units purchased, comparing % Growth or even % CAGR across different priced sets is not always the best indicator of where you should place your investments. Why? Because the leverage of that x% changes based on the denominator. 100% Growth on a $10 unit will net you $10, whereas 100% Growth on $100 will net you 10x the amount. The #1 KEY FACTOR is expected rate of INVENTORY TURNOVER, relative to your expected CAGR. If 10 units x $10 ea. grow at 100% in half the amount of time it takes 1 unit x $100 ea. to grow at 100%, then you will obviously have the ability to make more with the lower priced units, and vice versa. Why does inventory turnover matter? Because you value your time. % Growth per Annum is a very attractive statistic, but none of us live forever, so the 'A' in CAGR becomes important. At the Age of 64, Ed has fewer 'Annuals' left in his lifetime than some college kids saving up for the next keg party. The ultimate goal is to generate the biggest bankroll of cash in the shortest amount of time. What Ed points out is that these higher priced units have a MUCH HIGHER rate of inventory turnover, later in their lives...meaning in 2-4 years from now, Haunted House could turnover 10x per year at 100%, whereas if you were to instead have invested that $ in, say, Avenging Cycle's at $10 per unit, it could possibly take several years to turnover enough units to generate enough profit that those Haunted House's brought in just one year. This is just in example, and everyone's valuations will differ slightly, but the principles remain the same. Get the idea? 2 items with equal CAGR will not necessarily have the same RATE of INVENTORY TURNOVER. More importantly, how does the rate of inventory turnover change, as the desired CAGR changes? Could it be possible that cutting your Expected CAGR in half could triple the rate at which your inventory turns over? Thus, when comparing LEGO investments between forum members, opinions will always VARY, based on your Expected CAGR, Expected Rate of Inventory Turnover, and the number of Annuals you expect to have left in your working lifetime.

I think the key word you have here is "same". Just like traditional stock investing, I am sure everyone would have loved to have gotten in on Apple, Google, etc back in the day, but that time has come and gone. Things will never always be the same and people who have been doing this for a long time do have an advantage (obtained older sets that are already EOL). You just need to set your expectations and have a number as to what will make you happy when doing this.

That is the key for smaller investors. Emazers may be ok with spending $24k last year and let it sit for 4 years to make $48k profit (assuming 300% ROI and all those sets retire this year), but I ain't got that kind of money Good for him to make the model works, but it took him several years to get all wheels running. Moreover, that was back in the day when LEGO investing was known only to the select few. With the increased competitions, how much longer will it take for new investors to make the same ROI percentage by following emazers' model ?

Here is the full list of the top performing sets from retail (% increase): As you can see, well over half are small to medium sets. My point is that there are many ways to invest. Big and exclusive sets work for some people and not for others, but do not ignore small and medium sized sets in your Brickfoilio, it is a huge mistake.

For the shelf life some of the bigger sets are seeing these days I'm sure the investor that thought investing big into the GE, FB, and Live Star kick themselves on a regular basis seeing that they haven't had a return on any of their sets if they bought a year into their release. They've been out so long and aren't going to see a large return for another few years because of the rise of buyers of these sets for resale. I could buy a pet shop right now but if it's shelf life follows the FB and I have to wait a couple more years before it's not being sold anymore, and then wait years on top of that to make a profit, that formula might not work in a couple years from now. In my own mind, I wouldn't buy an Ewok village now because I may potentially have another three years to buy it and Lego advertises when sets retire, why would I start buying it now?

Big sets? Wait? So my Captain America's for 6.50 a piece aren't worth my time? I really don't see what all of the fuss is over the big sets. I dabble in everything. I've paid anything from $3.00 to $300 for a set. I sell some sets for $15, and some for as high as $500. You won't see me ever put all of my eggs in one basket, simply because this is a hobby for me. I want the confidence that if things did by chance fall apart, I wouldn't be stuck with 30 TB's (not suggesting the TB will flop, but I would hate being stuck with 30 expensive sets).

Put me back in 2007 and I would be buying 8 Market Streets instead of one 10179 MF...

I think that $119.99 USD is too much for that set. It doesn't even have 1,000 pieces.

Where is the Stay Puffed MArshmellow Man though?

I would have preferred they included the service station instead of the crane. Seriously, how many mobile cranes does a city need? Everybody needs gas!

Or let's reverse it. Say I win

I saw this one on eurobricks awhile ago, it actually is what got me to sign up for CUUSOO. I would purchase it in a heartbeat

I'd rather Family Guy..

The Simpsons just need to go away........