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​This is how I swallowed a flower piece.

I have a common dilemma that I'm sure others here have faced: I have a huge, sealed Lego inventory and in moments of weakness, I get the urge to build a set. Staring for months at my rack of sealed Death Stars, Tumblers, and Sandcrawlers can break down the resistance of even the most hardened investor. Anyway, once you've made the foolish decision to build a kit, I think there's some things you can do to preserve as much value as possible for later resale. Here's a couple of thoughts and ideas: 1) Face it, you're going to lose some value. This is unavoidable. A sealed kit with unopened bags will always be worth more than a built kit, no matter what else you do. If at all possible, try to buy the same kit already used, or with an open box, or some other variant. Break the seals on your new kits as a last resort. That said, here's some further ideas... 2) Obvious things are keep the box in as good a shape as you can (I store my opened boxes right along with my sealed kits), as well as the instructions. If the kit includes stickers, bite the bullet and don't use them. Keep all stickers on the sheet. For things like UCS nameplates, you can use color xerox copies for display, keeping the stickers intact. And this goes without saying: don't lose any parts or minifigs, including the few bits of extra parts. 2a) When selecting a kit to build, if you have multiple in your collection, build the kit with the worst-shape box. Also, obvious, but I carefully evaluate all my copies, and pick the one with the most damage, perhaps a broken seal, maybe some crease marks or a bit of crush-age. 3) Not so obvious things. I carefully open each sealed bag with a pair of scissors (more on this, below), and I SAVE ALL THE BAGS. Once the novelty has worn off and I decide to break down the kit, I re-use the bags. Here's the tricky part: I also use the instructions to reverse-build the kit, and I carefully place the disassembled parts back into the original, numbered bags. The goal is the next builder opens each, numbered bag and all the right parts (including extras) are present. This may seem excessive, but it certainly can't hurt value, and I think it will help on resale. 3a) For those kits that have multiple bags for each, numbered step, I've often taken pics of the bag contents prior to build. I'll try to re-package parts back into the same bags, but this isn't strictly accurate, and probably overkill. 4) All those tiny parts that come as extras in each bag? When building, I put the extras back into the appropriate numbered bag, then store them with the box. That way, the extra bits will be in the right place when I disassemble. 5) Make sure on disassembly that your kit is as clean as possible. This can be tough if its gotten dusty. I use soft-bristle brushes first to clean, followed by compressed air if needed. As a last resort, I'll run parts in the sink with the sprayer and warm water, followed by towel-drying and the blowdryer to remove excess water. 6) If you cut open bags with scissors along the long, non-sealed edge (the part that's continuous and wraps around), I've found you get a beautiful, clean re-seal of the bag using clear packing tape. I wrap the tape around the cut, then use scissors to trim the tape even with the sealed edge of the bag, top and bottom. Harder to describe than show (and I could get a picture of this if anyone is interested). When done, the bags look fantastic. You're not going to fool anyone into thinking its a sealed set, but it will look like the best, built set you can sell. 7) Much of this effort is for naught if you don't take good pics of the kit, both built, and after disassembly. Put these pics in your auction, if you're selling on eBay. It works wonders, at least for the half-dozen sales I've done in this manner. 8] Maybe all this is overkill and I'm anal. You're probably right. None-the-less, the steps above won't hurt, and there's a bit of extra fun in disassembling kits carefully and getting them back to as close to as-recieved condition as you can. BTW, the few sales I've had of kits given this treatment have all gone slightly above the usual resale prices on eBay, and 2 of those kits went for almost (within 5%) of new, sealed prices. Thoughts? What do you do when the urge to build strikes? Figure 1. End result of foolish Lego investment decisions... edit: Thought a few pictures might help illustrate my suggestions. Here's a Volvo 42030 Loader I built, then disassembled. Note the sealed bags. This particular kit didn't have numbered bags, but you'll get the idea. It's very hard to tell this has been opened and resealed, as you can see. I find buyers really do respond to this care, and it doesn't take much effort.

Did I hear for an encore? Just for you Ex. ............The Tower Bridge is Falling Down Falling Down Falling Down............ ............The Tower Bridge is Falling Down Falling Down Falling Down............ My Fair Lady

​I purchased complete sets. But, my reason was I don't care for the small transactions. If it is not > $100 I don't want to wast time. I will be selling lots of complete Series 1.

Some good tips, thanks. In general, time = money. You probably will eke out a few extra dollars by saving the plastic bags and photo-documenting the whole process. But the time you will spend doing that could be spent on other endeavors (building something else or buying/selling to make more $, for example). This strategy to maximize value on used sets ultimately will take more time, so it's a matter of how much time you have and how you choose to spend it. (Also, refer back to the CAGR discussion on quick flip vs. long-term hold, and note that your stance there is that quick flipping is too much work. So that is too much work, but saving & taking pictures of bags isn't? Conclusion: to each his own.)

FYI: The 10214 TB has a new limit of 2 at LEGO Shop at Home US. So, from 5 to 2.

appreciate the insight. when i open a set, I go all in,stickers included. I like to enjoy the sets that are for my personal collection and I really dont worry about how much they will depreciate down the road as I am yet to consider selling any of them. I keep the boxes in great condition along with instructions as much as humanly possible. I agree about choosing a box in a rough shape, that is a smart move and to me seems pretty logical. Some choose to buy used sets to save some money, that is not a bad idea especially for retired sets. Call me old school but I still believe Lego sets are meant to be played with and I am 35..lol p.s: open that sandcrawler and enjoy it. The build process is one for the books

Not mine, but something I came across and wanted to share.

Kind of like Life Hacks, but pertaining to our beloved hobby, I thought a thread for simple but useful tricks would be cool. I'll start: Make your own mini "space saver" bags with a ziploc and a straw. Put the pieces into the bag, zip it up with the straw barely inside the bag. Then, suck all of the air out of the bag. Quickly remove the straw and zip up that last bit in the same motion. Now, you have a super-skinny airless bag that won't rattle at all when shipped.

What about building the set inside the box, kind of like those ships in a bottle? I think that would probably help the resell value, as you could state that the seals are not intact, but the set was never taken out of the original box? Just a thought...............

I've been stocking up on the MF, SD and X Wing. So far the SD has been the most popular seller for me.

​Actually I meant this in a subjunctive way, I don't really have an opinion about this particular topic. I just wanted to point out what I thought Inversion meant without agreeing or disagreeing with him. It just felt like the conversation was turning into something neither of you two intended.

My stash is in Hungary and I am in the UK. New orders end up in parents' unused storage room. Problem solved.

06 by oasisv JO

Another tip if you're going to build it anyway, go into a LEGO store and ask if they have any damaged boxes for sale. Ask them which day they get their shipments in and go in the next day so you have a higher chance (mine is Tuesday). You either get a discount (10-30%) or points. Or if yours happens to arrive damaged, take it to the store and they'll give you points.

​Youngster. I turn 50 in 2 weeks. ​Yes, yes, yes! You've broken down my resistance! I shall obey your command. The Sandcrawler will go perfectly on the shelf below the other UCS kits in my picture, above.

​well 25% OF 24.49 is 6.12 but I guess you could word it 75% OFF 24.49 if you prefer. Whether or not that warrants a Joker Bumper Car is another story lol

​Do I get a Joker Bumpcar for mentioning that you meant 75% off?

Hi, I've really enjoyed reading this forum over the last month and appreciated the insight. I've certainly got carried away at times in the early days of investing having read some of the advice in the forums. However, I occassionally notice a post that says something doesn't really apply to Europe, e.g the popularity of a certain line, or where is good for selling, or the time it takes for items to increase in value. So as a lot of the advice is written with north america in mind, I thought it would be really useful to hear from those based in the UK and Europe. - What are the main differences for our market to the US - What sort of discout and ROI do you usually aim for? - Where do you prefer to buy and sell trom? - What delivery companies do you recommend for the mid to large sizes? - Any good cheaper 2nd hand selling sites for used sets we want to make ourselves? - Are there any yearly sales in our region to look out for? - Aside from xmas are there peak times to sell in the UK? - any good tips on saving in the UK by buying from the EU while the Euro is down? - Any recommended toy shops for picking up older stock? Sorry if this has all been covered elsewhere but i couldn't find a thread that focused on it. Cheers B

In hand - can't wait to build, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. i am envious of anyone holding sealed boxes of Grand Carousel. Paired with the Mixer, Ferris Wheel and the upcoming Jokerland, the Grand Carousel would make one helluva amusement park...I have a feeling we'll see more appreciation for GC.

This set could still be found on the shelves at Halloween 2014. I don't think anyone expected a big bang at that time. There will be nice gains this fall and really nice gains Halloween 2015. 100% return is my expectation.

​Fixed that for you.

Carpet was just for the quick pic, and I don't own pets. I've posted pics of my storage racks a few months back if you're more interested. My sales experience has been pretty good using this method. I have several data points, including sales of CC, MS, and 8043 in this "reconstituted" condition. In each case, I've gotten about 20-30% higher than used prices. My reconstituted 8043 sold for $400; while my CL lot 8043, no box and instructions, went for $260; my reconstituted MS sold at $1400; I sold 2 other MS w/box and instructions at $950 and $1050 (BTW, many of these sales were also posted here for trade). CC has been even better: I have 3 sales of used CC with box/instructions and they averaged about $1200; my reconstituted CC brought $1800. I can only guess that seeing kits in original bags, carefully packed, appeals to some buyers. Communication is super-easy. The pics speak for themselves. When looking at used sets, good pics and condition are everything. Buy hey, this is all optional. If you don't want to go through the hassle, by all means, don't bother. My intent was simple, to show some of things you can do to preserve value, and it works. Glad to see I'm not alone in keeping original bags, etc.

​I have a tip and a question: - Tip: I you want to retain value, stop putting bricks or bags on your carpet! Especially - but not only - if there are pets in your house. - Question: How are you going to communicate all the effort you spent retaining the most value of your set to a potential buyer in the end? Most buyers just read "used" or "new" and that's it.

​They sure do... The side pieces: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=30602 The top dish: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=44375a or http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=44375b But it looks like the dish may be new in the green and yellow colors and pretty rare in purple.

​If it was very limited release, it would be difficult to get by now. IDEAS hasn't had a limited release since RI/Exo, which were subsequently overproduced in new production runs. BTW, what is this 20% off coupon you speak of? I must have missed that, and the forum search isn't helping.

​If you're buying at MSRP, moving those funds toward an exclusive is probably a better option. This is a slow grower at best.

Yeah, never saw it here, sorry about that. Just got it in one of my LEGO news alerts. Maybe if it was in the daily summaries i would have know

All this effort might save you an average of 3% or less on your resale, if that. Enjoy your build and just make sure all the contents are there in the best condition possible when you sell it. If the box is a little banged up, it won't make that much difference.

Here is a Brickset review.

​Well kids, you backed Mr. LEGO into a corner and he put the claws out now. Where is Miami Bomb Squad and their obligatory London Bridge post?

Finally finished Jurgen's Ultimate 42009. Took me a few weeks of working on it in the evenings. Weighs a bloody tonne but impressive how he managed to cram ALL the powered functions in a package so similar to the stock set. For comparison, stock 42009 Crane Mk II on the right, on the left the Ultimate 42009 (with its remote controller). For those unfamiliar with the Ultimate 42009, here is what he has added (from his site): All the essential functions of the crane were motorized, which are: Driving (1x XL-motor) Steering (1x M-motor) Outriggers (1x M-motor) Outrigger-legs (1x M-motor) Lifting/lowering boom (1x L-motor) Extending/retracting boom (1x L-motor) Lifting/lowering hook (1x M-motor) Upperstructure 360+ degree rotation (1x M-motor) Functions that were improved: Boom extends further. Max boom-length 96 studs Boom retracts further Better steering-lock Solid metal hook Increased lifting power Faster outriggers More efficient drivetrains

​That is why most keep their inventory behind closed doors. "Out of sight, out of mind." I imagine some however in their sleep and at times waking hours seem to hear the sound of LEGO bricks sifting about through the box in the same manner as the beating hallucination of The Tell-Tale Heart.

Impeccable timing on this subject. My family is beginning the moving process and I have break down my display sets. I thought I was the only one saving the numbered bags and de-constructing using the manuals in reverse. I just re-packaged the Death Star this way. No pics of the process, however, as I plan on building these again when my boys are a bit older.

10235 winter village market in stock at walmart.ca, not on special but could be interesting find for some http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/lego-lego-creator-expert-winter-village-market-10235/927226

Thought a few pictures might help illustrate my suggestions. Here's a Volvo 42030 Loader I built, then disassembled. Note the sealed bags. It's very hard to tell this has been opened and resealed, as you can see. I find buyers really do respond to this care, and it doesn't take much effort.

I tend to agree with your technique, although I recycle the lego bags, and when I break one down, use ziplocks and number them with a permanent black sharpie. With many of these exclusive sets, I like to have at least three, then once I land the third set, I always open the one with the worst box.

The answer is quite simple. Buy a used set and build it. If you can't stomach Lego that has been touched by someone else get an open box/sealed bag set to build.

​Couldn't agree more. However after all this talking, it occurred to me. As their father, it's your job to teach them life lessons. Like more expensive doesn't mean better. And old movies without fancy CGI don't make them worse. You should show them 1 2 3. Then, in 10 years, you show them 4 5 6. They may hate you for a week, but it'll make for a good story.

Sandcrawler is the most deceiving if you just look at pictures. But the build is by far the best of the 4 UCS versions (although I haven't built tie-fighter yet, but that looks weak in comparison to all the features the sandcrawler has).

Hello fellow BP community members - I've been following the 'Retiring Soon' chat and have been coming back and forth to the Terms and Acronyms pages to refresh my memory on what they all mean. To make things easier - here is the list from above, along with all I could find in the discussions I follow, plus a few new sets. 3E = Maersk Line EEE (10241) see EEE AA = Batman: Arkham Asylum Breakout (10937) AC = Advent Calendar (any theme) AFOL = Adult Fan of Lego ALE = Adult Lego Enthusiast - an easier to pronounce alternative to AFOL B&M or B+M = Brick and Mortar - stores that have a door you walk through to purchase your LEGOs B&N = Barnes & Noble - Book Store Franchise that sells select Lego, primarily Architecture BC = Batcave (6860) BD = Boeing 787 Dreamliner (10177) BF = Black Friday BI = Building Instructions BL = Bricklink(Largest online LEGO store for new/used parts and sets) BOGO = Buy One Get One - usually a percentage discount on the second item purchased or BOGO = Buy One Get One Free - purchase two items for the price of one BP = Black Pearl (4184) BP = Brick Picker (you) Brickipedia = Another awesome LEGO resource site. Brickset = Top notch LEGO website with LEGO set data, reviews and new information CAD = Computer Aided Design CC = Cafe Corner (10182) CC = Cloud City (10123 or otherwise) CCP = Cloud Cuckoo Palace (70803) CMF = Collectible Mini Figures (any series) CS = Customer Support - talk to TLG on the phone! CUUSOO = A Japanese partner of the LEGO Group. They work with the LEGO Group to produce community supported sets. If an idea submitted to the website gains 10,000 (originally 1000) supporters, it stands a chance of being produced as an official LEGO product. CW = The Clone Wars (Star Wars) DA = Diagon Alley (10217) DC = Dolphin Cruiser (41015) DDC = Double-Decker Couch (70818) DO = Detective's Office (10246) DS = Death Star (10188 or otherwise) EDB = Epic Dragon Battle (9450) EEE = Maersk Line EEE (10241) EN = Emerald Night (10194) EOL = End of Line. Basically, when a set is retired from Primary Market. ESB = Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars Episode ET = Eiffel Tower (10181) EU = Euro or European Union EV = Ewok Village (10236) F-Mixer or F/Mixer = Fairgrounds Mixer - see FM FA = For Auction. FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions. FB = Fire Brigade (10197) FG = Fairground (theme or in general) as in FG:FM, FG:FW (*new) FH = Farnsworth House (21009) FM = Fairground Mixer (10244) FS = For Sale. FS/T, FSOT = For Sale or Trade. FT = For Trade. FW = Fallingwater (21005) FW = Ferris Wheel (10247) (*new) FWIW = For What It's Worth GC = Gift Card GC = Grand Carousel (10196) GE = Grand Emporium (10211) GG = Green Grocer (10185) Greebles = Pseudo-technical detail added to a LEGO creation to enhance its appearance, frequently seen in LEGO space and mecha creations. HD = The Battle of Helm's Deep (9474) HE = Horizon Express (10233) HH = Haunted House (10228) HP = Harry Potter (in general) IJ = Indiana Jones (in general) IMHO = In my honest opinion IMO = In my opinion ISD = Imperial Star Destroyer (10030), microfighter (75030), etc. JP = Jabba's Palace (9516 or otherwise) LM = The Lonely Mountain (79018) LTOP = Leaning Tower of Pisa (21015) MC = Minecraft (in general) MC = Mini Cooper MK VII (10242) MF = Millenium Falcon (7965, 75030, 10179 or otherwise) MF = Monster Fighters theme MM = Mini Modulars (10230) MOC = My Own Creation - Lego fans build their own sets MS = Market Street (10190) MSC = Metalbeard's Sea Cow (70810) - see Sea Cow MSRP = Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price MrskLCS = Maersk Line Container Ship (10155) (*proposed ???) MrskSCS = Maersk Sealand Container Ship (10152) (*proposed ???) MrskTrn = Maersk Train (10219) (*proposed ???) OH = Olivia's House (3315) OOS = Out Of Stock - status on Lego SAH, often as OOS 30 days OT = Original Trilogy - Star Wars Episodes 4, 5, 6 PC = Palace Cinema (10232) PEE = Painting Easter Eggs (40121) PR = Parisian Restaurant (10243) PS = Pet Shop (10218) PSA = Pirate Ship Ambush (79008) QAB = Quinjet Aerial Battle (6869) QAR = Queen Anne's Revenge (4195) QFLL = Quck Flip Low Life R2 = R2-D2 (10225 or otherwise) R5 = Red Five X-Wing Starfighter (10240) RI = Research Institute (21110) ROI = Return On Investment ROTJ = Return Of The Jedi, Star Wars RRP = Recommended Retail Price S-house or S/House = Simpson House - see SH S1 = Slave I (75060 or otherwise) LEGO Shop at Home = Lego Shop At Home - see SAH SA = Shuttle Adventure (10213) SAH = Lego Shop At Home SC = Sopwith Camel (10226) SC = Star Wars Sandcrawler UCS (75059) SCMF = Simpsons Collectable MiniFigures SD = Slickdeals.net SD = Super Star Destroyer (10221) - see SSD SE = Shuttle Expedition (10223) SH = Super Heros theme SH = The Simpsons House (71006) SL = Statue of Liberty (3450) SOH = Sydney Opera House (10234 or 21012) SOP = Sydney Opera House see SOH SSD = Super Star Destroyer (10221) SW = Santa's Workshop (10245) see SWS SW = Star Wars (in general) SWS = Santa's Workshop (10245) Sea Cow = Metalbeard's Sea Cow (70810) - see MSC SoL = Statue of Liberty (3450) T1 = Volkswagon T1 Camper Van (10220) TB = Tower Bridge (10214) TF = TIE Fighter (75095-UCS and the like) (*new) TH = Town Hall (10224) TLA = Three Letter Acronym - too many of these! TLC = The LEGO Company - see TLG TLG = The LEGO Group - The preferred term to use. See http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/TLC_vs_TLG TLM = The Lego Movie (series or in general) TM = Taj Mahal (10189) TOOS = Tempporarily Out Of Stock - a status on Lego SAH TRU = Toys R Us TT = The Tumbler (76023) Taj = Taj Mahal (10189) ToO = Tower of Orthanc (10237) Tumbler = The Tumbler (76023) - see TT UCS = Ultimate Collector Series (Star Wars or otherwise) UG = An Unexpected Gathering (79003) UN = United Nations (21018) USR = Ultra Sonic Raider (9449) VB = Volkswagon Beetle (10187) VC = Vampire Castle (9468) VIP = points you want to accumulate as a Lego Very Important Purchaser W-House = White House - see WH WH = White House (21006) WM = WalMart WV = Winter Village (theme) WVB = Winter Village Bakery (10216) WVC = Winter Village Cottage (10229) WVM = Winter Village Market (10235) WVPO = Winter Village Post Office (10222) WVTS = Winter Village Toy Ship (10199) YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary

yes please I will take this one.... 96 6863's sorry for the non lego items but they were part of the deal!

Your honor, I present exhibit A:

What is gained, in terms of story, by watching the first three? Nothing, IMO, and you get to avoid Hayden Christensen by not watching them.

I had to ask myself this question a couple years back when I decided to watch these with my son. In the end the way we saw them is the best. I remember reading some blog about it back then (can't find it today) but here's an excerpt from another blog I just found that captures it... " ...Watching the lightsaber duels from Episode IV after coming off of Episode III is beyond jarring. It's almost as if the entire universe went stupid between the two films. Jedis got lamer, spaceships got lamer...everyone got kinda...um...lame. Sure you can pass some of it off on the fact that these are "dark times" and that the heyday of the Jedi had long passed, but comon' that argument can only take you so far. In addition, there are some key plot surprises from the Original Trilogy that are completely ruined by the Prequels. The biggest of them being the revelation that Darth Vader is Luke's father. But other nifty twists also get lost in this viewing order, like the moment when we realize that this little green toad living on Dagobah is, in fact, Yoda the "great Jedi warrior" or that Leia is Luke's long-lost twin. The episodic viewing order all but renders these details meaningless to those watching the saga for the first time..." (excerpted fromhttp://www.fanpop.com/clubs/star-wars/articles/17/title/best-viewing-order-star-wars-marathon)

​It's a myth that people outside the US don't know or like the Simpsons, even now it's on multiple channels, for hours on end each day. I can come out with a Simpsons quote here in work and everyone will know that I'm quoting the Simpsons.

It'll be $199 US by 2016.

​hahahahahahahahaha. I don't want to offend you but if you're going to make comments like that you've got to expect to get flamed. The Sydney Opera House IS as iconic to Australia as the Taj Mahal is to India and Statue of Liberty is to America. Think Australia and apart from crocodile wrestling sheilas smoking shrimp on the barbie probably the first thing that springs to mind is the Opera House. Landmark sets are timeless and will always be in demand. Plus if the SSD has taught us anything it's that a sets price does nothing to slow down it's growth. There will be people who will avoid this set because it's considered too expensive and ones that don't like it because it's a 'boring build', I personally think neither of these will matter when it comes to retirement time because this is a sleeping giant and is destined to be a big winner.

​I'm not really understanding this . . . There's Ebay calculators online to figure out margins/profits/misc numbers. It takes about 1 minute to research past Ebay sales to see what the actual market is for your sets. Take a pic, list, sell. Rinse and repeat as necessary. There's a small learning curve I suppose, but just take pictures and pack things and ship how you would want to receive or buy it. Buying is easy. Selling is easy. The difficult part(if you want to call it that) is finding the budget and making good education decisions when buying. Or just buy modulars and hold them for a year or two after retirement. Maybe patience is the hard part . . . But I do agree--selling on Ebay is something I'm satisfied with as well.

Amazon is a perfectly reasonable option. I haven't used that route, because to date, I've been able to sell everything I need via eBay at good prices. Here's a hint on ebay: good pics are everything. Even for NIB sealed sets like Lego. Good box pictures + competitive price = easy sales. Doing a "virtual garage sale" via ebay to build feedback and get a hang for selling is a great idea. Sell a dozen or two items that way to get your feet wet, then dive in with the Lego....