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I think I'm seeing a pattern emerge. These scenarios seem to play out thusly

Nothing with "Maersk" in the title should ever be considered a sleeper.

I knew you(and a few others) stated that the SSD was going nowhere. I know you have your inside info, which is always spot, so my head told me to expect another run, but there was always a chance it could have went EOL. It would have been a nice surprise. It still may go EOL in August, but the trend seems to be August of 2015 or 2016, and that makes investing in these large sets very questionable for some. Personally, it doesn't matter to me from an investment point of view. I buy and sit on these sets, so what does it really matter to me? It gives me an opportunity to buy more of this set, which in my mind is still one of the best investment choices out there. Many people get a second chance today to buy this set, so take advantage of it...

Glad I never bought into the hype of this as an investment. Would be difficult to sit on several thousand in SSD's not being sure if they are retired or not.

Its back up for sale at LEGO Shop at Home!! Just picked up an extra!

I had a vivid dream last night in which I received simultaneous text messages from my contacts saying that several sets, including the GE, VW, and SC, had just retired. I saw the timestamps of the texts: May 28th. Given the credibility of our other sources, I believe this dream is worthy of sharing. Ignore the vision at your own risk.

No. Good question. I will discuss it with Jeff tomorrow at work. He is working on the Brick Classifieds. He wants to get that to Beta stage in 2-3 weeks. Jeff has been reprogramming the entire site in his language(Cold Fusioin), away from the WordPress template. He wants to make the site faster and more functional with a better Brickfolio and Blog section, so I have been waiting to see his new blog editor so I can give people an idea what we expect for an approved blog. Basically, we want to pay(with LEGO/Amazon GCs) some qualified members to write up top notch blogs. There will be a group of writers who we think are qualified and have done excellent work in the past and we will invite them to participate. We will come up a list of some possible members and requirements soon...

It was almost a sure thing Lego would have Extra SSD to sell after they filled there orders, and I still think these will around til the end of the year, and like a few people had said look how fast the price increased in a month, so if it retired today or 6 months from now the price will shoot up faster if we see retired on the Lego site. So if you have the money get as many you can as Once retired these should be about $800 or so after the first year and with the Movie next year its just makes sense these will be very popular.I am getting 5 more and that is it. Ed

Received my Amazon Warehouse $114 Palace Cinema last night. It was actually still sealed w/ all 4 seals and only had one busted corner. Thanks again B-A.

My son and I are about 3/4 finished building the R2D2 I bought off eBay last week. Used but complete (so far so good) for $130. All we have left is the head. What an amazing and incredibly detailed model! I have several sealed but always wanted to build one, which is why I bought the used one last week. Sent from my iPad using Brickpicker

Materials guide for LEGO selling & shipping Many members have asked for a centralized place where they can go for shipping box information. I'm going to pin this post and update it as new information is provided. I just want to take a few minutes and thank those who wrote the following articles. They are still very good reference materials for the LEGO storage and shipping process. I may develop this into a blog article eventually. Fcbarcelona101's : Selling LEGO : Basic Materials Guide Mos Eisley 's : LEGO Storage Wars Incompetech's Catalog of Amazon.com Box Sizes - (thanks No More Monkeys) Amazon Boxes Sorted list by length - courtesy of pstebbing I've scoured the forums and here is a list of box sizes with basic set information: Boxes: 24x20x8 : Super Star Destroyer; Death Star, Roller Coaster, UCS Sandcrawler, Assembly Square 24x20x6 : Thicker sets like Town Hall, Tower Bridge 24x16x6 - 60052 Cargo Train, R2-D2, Maersk Line Triple-E, 7939 Cargo Train 24x16x4 - Helm's Deep, Vampyre Castle, Black Pearl, Friends Riding Camp, Parisian Restaurant, High Speed Passenger Train, Jabba's Palace, Downtown Diner 24x20x4 : Grand Emporium, Pet Shop, Imperial Shuttle, Haunted House, Palace Cinema, Fire Brigade 24x14x4 : Dolphin Cruiser, Coast Guard Patrol 24x4x12 - Dolphin Cruiser, Coast Guard Patrol 20x16x4 - Volkswagen Camper Van, Olivia's House, Sonic Raider, Sopwith, Creator Bike Shop, Batcave, Quinjet, Moria & Ambush 20x16x6 : Thicker sets like the Republic Gunship; City Cargo Plane 20x14x4 : Attack on Weathertop, Hulk 's Helicarrier Breakout, X-Wing 9493, Black Gate 16x16x4 : Gungan Sub, Pre Viszla, Tie Fighter 16x10x4 : Council of Elrond, Desert Skiff, City Grand Prix Truck 16x10x6 : Thicker sets like Creator Family House, Hillside House 15x12x4 : Funhouse, Orc Forge, Tumbler Chase, Daily Bugle Showdown, Hulk Lab Smash 12x12x4 : Uruk Hai Army, City Cargo Truck, Creator Treehouse, City Fire Emergency 11-3/4x8-3/4x4-3/4 : Wolverine Chopper, Arctic Batman, Power Armor Lex, Droid Escape, Cloud Cuckoo Palace 12x8x3 - Battle Packs, CA Avenging Cycle, Catwoman, Gandalf Arrives, Holiday sets 10x8x4 : Battle Packs, CA Avenging Cycle, Catwoman, Gandalf Arrives, Holiday sets Envelopes: 4x8 : Minifigs & small polybags 6x9 : Polybags small & larger 10.5 x 16 : Larger shipments of 3 x polybags or more Packing Tape : buy in bulk or on sale : you can throw some in during a Staples coupon promotion to get up to free shipping Walmart.com Duck Brand Packaging Tape http://www.staples.com/Staples-Standard-Grade-Packaging-Tape-Clear-189-x-110-yds-6-Rolls/product_380107 Retailers: Uline.com : holiday sale starts first part of November (usually 30% off) Staples.com : use coupon promotions - $10 off $30, $20 off $75, free shipping over $60 Walmart.com USPS Priority Mail (free boxes at USPS.com) Michigan Box Company: Flat Boxes 18"-23" L (thanks pstebbing) GBE Packaging (thanks pstebbing) PackingSupplies.com http://www.packaging...ated_boxes.html (thanks pstebbing) Bubble Wrap: 3/16" thick x 350' ft x 12" wide - eBay Sams Club 3/16" - 12"x240' $12.98 (In store) ($.05/LF) (thanks pstebbing) I like to use large and small retailer plastic bags to wrap items in, even after I bubble wrap it. For battle packs and even small sets, I sometimes use Wal-Mart, Target, or plastic bags from any store. Additional packing isn 't really needed. Usually like 2 bags on bottom, one to wrap the item, and two bags on top. Make sure to cover the corners of the item real nice to provide extra padding. Rule of thumb : ship & pack all of your items the same way you 'd like to receive items you've purchased. Shipping Paper: Collect it when you receive shipments. http://www.amazon.com/Pratt-Multipurpose-Packaging-KPR30241200R-Length/dp/B00AI652CM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408061459&sr=8-1&keywords=pratt+kraft+paper+1200? Shipping Labels & Printers: Dymo 450 & Dymo 400 Brother QL-700 DoNotInsertIntoMouth's : How to setup your label printer for shipping on eBay Feel free to post a follow-up or point out anything I missed. I 'll update it with what everyone wants added. I hope this is helpful.

I would keep it sealed unless you fear there are drapes in the box look at the completed listings for 10179, I know a completely different beast, but this seems to be a big selling point. Not sure what the numbers show. I will trade you my two NMISB for your case and throw in 2 rapunzel polys, darn shipping ;)

I know it was just an example, but there's no way this set is $2k in 5 years (and I mean average selling price, not some fluke auction or graded).

In a shocking twist , my 2 ssd from Walmart from yesterday arrived today in a Lego box. Is there any value in keeping the original box sealed or should I open it to make sure the sets inside are in a good condition ?

I think I'm seeing a pattern emerge. These scenarios seem to play out thusly

true. i'm just 'concerned' those future AFOLs you speak of that are willing to pony up $800 later will now be able to buy 10220s at retail (for X more months / years) before the price hits $800 (or something new comes along like a "super duper star destroyer" ) case in point = the 10188 Death Star. think about all the people who spent $330 to $400 buying them regularly since 2010 thinking it would retire. 4 years later, the future AFOLs those early 10188 investors were banking on are still sitting on their sets. The Tower Bridge is in the same boat.

very true. however, it seems sets are produced in greater quantity and for longer durations than before 2011. the annual revenue reports seem to support this as TLG is now the #1 toy manufacturer. the exception is something like the fire brigade since that entire theme has a cult (in a good way) following.

already done my friend. If it holds i will order another 5 next week.

Anyone buying $400.00 set without a plan is a fool. Assuming no discount 30 of these sets you back 12k. At the current price befote today your paper gain was 6k. I would say that is pretty quick out of the gate. When it crosses 1k each i will pay attention, 1500 i am really happy, 2k i am listing for sale. If that takes 5 or 6 years i am good with that. The return is worth the risk.

This merely represents an opportunity to add to positions for those with a plan. To everyone else.move along. You can rejoin the craze when it EOL'S. I will keep stacking.

Man, I'd be happy to get some deals at KMart on an SSD, but I think they'd just slap a rope on them and use them for a sled.

Actually, it might hurt less. Like with the nails - the more the better. Not that I would try it though. Lego can be mean to feet.

It really hurts if when you walk over a few Lego bricks, but I can't imagine walking over a pile that big.

It was almost a sure thing Lego would have Extra SSD to sell after they filled there orders, and I still think these will around til the end of the year, and like a few people had said look how fast the price increased in a month, so if it retired today or 6 months from now the price will shoot up faster if we see retired on the Lego site. So if you have the money get as many as you can without Cgarging on a Credit Card and not being able to pay the balance each month. Once retired these should be about $800 or so after the first year and with the Movie next year its just makes sense these will be very popular. Ed

Whether you believed the retirement hype or not, having this set become available once again hurts all LEGO investors. Having a large exclusive like this retire after a 3 year run would have been a bonus. Now, this set becomes a huge question mark for some investors and sets a bad precedent for future large(and expensive) set investments.

Not from what my garbage man has told me. I am guessing early 2016 when the next big UCS set from the new film arrives.

I bet he's using it as an intruder alarm. Smart kid.

That looks just like my most recent bulk lot.

Ordered Tower Bridge from amazon WH for $166. Hope it's not too trashed.

Stopped by a couple of Walmarts while on a business trip to the middle of nowhere, South Carolina this week. Got 30 series 5 minifigs @ $2 each, and 2 Creator Forest Animals @ $10 each.

Don't open a case unless you can't work things out with the seller on your own. An opened case will go on his seller record even if he fixes the problem, so it should be a last resort. Just try to work it out with him directly.

Great, I may have to go back to TRU and pick up the 4x4's. I pass by them every time. Now, some guy on the internet I don't know has convinced me I probably need this.

Seller got back to me and offered a 25% discount. I don't think I am going to take it and probably end up requesting a full refund. The first bag was around 60% non lego pieces. The description mentions nothing about possible non lego pieces. I can understand a couple slipping though but the majority of the pieces being mega bloks is unacceptable.

We have some super hero fanatics here so I will let them weigh in.......I'm unsure of its potential myself.

Even with tax, you would be paying a little more than retail for the single $40 set which practically makes the $70 one almost free. These would have to bomb so badly as an investment to make a deal like this not worth it which I couldn't even fathom. Worst case scenario you end up selling either set around retail unless you had to sell them together as a bundle due to the box. I don't know how these bundle cases are setup to be honest.

i say Yay ... for a handfull ...

Thanks exciter, this is excellent. Got dimensions to add, incl some 2014 sets: Boxes: 24x16x4 - Parisian Restaurant, 60051 High Speed Passenger Train 24x16x6 - 60052 Cargo Train 24x20x6 - Tower Bridge 20x16x4 - 31026 Creator Bike Shop & Cafe

Just built the 70727 Kai's X-1 Ninja Charger. It's a pretty slick set, and when finished the car has that brawny 70s muscle car vibe. Love it.

Here is the BN Robie house locator when you search your zip code set it to 100 miles and look at the bottom of the results page for the next function to see more results. I used this to track down a few and it works great. They will hold it for you for 3 days and you can receive a text if it is truly located in stock. Also you don't have to pay until pickup so if the box is destroyed you can pass. http://gifts.barnesandnoble.com/search/store.asp?EAN=673419159685&zipcode=19904-1988

I picked up a used one for $150 last week. Box and manual included. If you watch these on eBay closely you can get a used one for less than $200. By the way, I love this set. Don't understand why some don't like it. Sent from my iPad using Brickpicker

Pay for it with some BN GC at 15% off. Due to the weight Mint boxes are hard to come by

Unfortunately yes, unless you can negotiate for the seller to cover return shipping. If they don't agree, I'm not sure that you can get ebay to help you in any way with getting it covered.

I just got my Walmart refund for my Haunted Houses and Tower Bridges that I bought a few months ago. They made me send in proof that I resold toys before they would do it for me. A link to my eBay store did the trick, but it is interesting they were checking even after they approved my reseller status. I am impressed that it only took a week considering how long it took to get initial approval.

Considering how much of a short run Lego did with last year's advent calendars, I don't think we will see any of the heavy discounting from previous runs on these or any future ones at this point onwards so chances are if you want one then buy it soon as you see it. I remember people really wanting last year's Friends Advent Calendar; could be a potential

Looks like you'll be building the Cloud City and Ewok Village from the current results, jaisonline. I hope you have enough room for both. Haha.

It'd be nice nice if TLG gave a Donald Duck about the bootleggers. How they allow eBay to advertise endless illegal fakes is beyond me

since folks already found summer release sets at TRUs, but nobody reported seeing ghostbusters, we will have to assume that if TRU does have them , then only online. I am just considering if it would be worth it to storm TRU stores June 1st with stacks of coupons, waving hands and mumbling random numbers, to get a chance for below MSRP action on these...

I hate to break it to many of you, but the ability to see how many sets Amazon had in inventory was always a worthless endeavor. What many assumed was Amazon's inventory of a set probably had nothing to do with real stock numbers or future inventory if more shipments were on the way. It makes for interesting discussion, but how many times has the 10188 Death Star gone down to zero in Amazon's history? At least 3 or 4 times that I know of and the set is still going strong. Judging EOL off of Amazon's inventory data is waste of time IMO. You are better off using a Ouija board.

Friends is a great investment. Why? It's UBER-popular and male investors don't want to buy them, so there will be a lack of them in the secondary market. Also, Friends sets are not discounted as much, so many resellers stay away.