So tonight I did something I told myself I would never do...buying a bulk listing off Craigslist. 2-3 times a week I'll scroll through CL, offerup, letgo, etc to see if there is any deals or anything worth while. I've bought a few sets off offerup/Letgo with overall success from my reason used Tumbler for 160 or the UCS AT-ST for 120.

I've always looked over the "bulk/lot/Lego by the pound" post for the thought of going through all the sets gave me shivers down my spine. Despite that feeling I came across a deal I didn't want to pass up. I bought roughly 130 sets for 700 dollars tonight. Sets from all different themes (mainly city and SW) from Detective office to Kwik E Mart a pretty big Variety of sets.

The listing started at 1500 and after back and forth was able to get it for 700 (plus an hour drive north of me) I think I did ok. The reason I'm making a new post is because it's a mix of "what did you buy, Craigslist list, buying/selling, best practices, etc. wanted to mix all that into one, mainly about bulk lots.

Knowing I went against my better judgment I am asking for members who have done this in the past to post what they do when they buy these sets. How do you go about selling them? Try and complete the sets (this lot is listed as all sets complete yet 75% are mixed together) once complete sell them. Do you part everything out? Piece by piece..minifigure by minifigure? Do you try and resell as is for higher than you paid? I'm curious of the best way of going about this. Which is the most sane way and most profitable.

Here is a picture of the stuff I bought (lucky I had my grandfathers van) sets and boxes go all the way to the front of the car. It's a bit overwhelming and curious how you guys would/do it. Thanks!

This is the list of what I got and what the dad thought he paid lol. Some of them are pretty off but that being said I think I made out well for 700!

I know I PMed a few of you about the potential buying of the lot but figured I'd share and see what other stories and advice members here could give!

25 minutes ago, AZNSalinas96 said:

Where is a good place to find bulk lego minifigure lots? i think it would be fun to sift through minifigures trying to decipher what is what and what might have truly been a gold find in a pile of what seems to be nothing

There are still great lots to be found - they simply sell quickly.

If you can't identify, or if you don't know the valuations of a range of rare parts/minifigs (and are unable to calculate the value of a deal quickly) without needing to do research - it will be gone.

(Update)

I'd say I've dedicated about 6 hours to this project so far. Still feel like nothing has been done lol. I sorted all the bags/boxes and pulled the minifigures/accessories/etc out of all them.

Today I went out and bought 3 different size zip lock 2 1/2 gallon, 1 gallon and 1/2 gallon.

Color sorting now. Big pieces go in the big zip lock medium in the 1 gallon and small in the half gallon. I feel once everything is fully sorted it will be much easier to rebuild a lot of these sets. About 50% are 30-60% complete and shouldn't be to hard to put back together.

Seems Timmy (or Mathew I think his name was) liked drawing permanent marker on top of a roof (looks to be the roof of a Christmas set judging by the colors) im sure this has been brought up before but figured this would also be helpful to anyone buying lots. After 20-30 minutes on the internet came up with a few solutions. Went with what I had in my house. I used rubbing alcohol, a brush and toothpaste. After 30 minutes of scrubbing I can see it removed about 90% of the marker.

I didn't think about it at first but make sure to use gloves...lol my fingers are burning...



My DIY kit! Very professional

Where is a good place to find bulk lego minifigure lots? i think it would be fun to sift through minifigures trying to decipher what is what and what might have truly been a gold find in a pile of what seems to be nothing

I've bought minifigure lots on eBay with success. If you have a good eye, you can flip the valuable minifigures and pay for lot. If you enjoy hustling for free LEGO (I do!), scan minifigure auctions on EBay periodically.

Where is a good place to find bulk lego minifigure lots? i think it would be fun to sift through minifigures trying to decipher what is what and what might have truly been a gold find in a pile of what seems to be nothing

Apps are getting popular. Main ones are OfferUp and LetGo. I typically just type in Lego and filter newest and put max (I believe it's 35-50 miles from your location) people live on these apps. I woke up the other day to a listing for a sealed At At for 60 dollars. Was up for 1 hour when I saw it messaged the person and she sold it 12 minutes after listing it.

Depending where you live (higher population more competition) I make it a habit of checking Craigslist, offerup, letgo almost daily.

Really appreciate all the mentoring everyone does here collectively

Apps are getting popular. Main ones are OfferUp and LetGo. I typically just type in Lego and filter newest and put max (I believe it's 35-50 miles from your location) people live on these apps. I woke up the other day to a listing for a sealed At At for 60 dollars. Was up for 1 hour when I saw it messaged the person and she sold it 12 minutes after listing it.

Depending where you live (higher population more competition) I make it a habit of checking Craigslist, offerup, letgo almost daily.

Had to delete both of those :/ this is my first year and I've already dropped $500... I started December 26

Apps are getting popular. Main ones are OfferUp and LetGo. I typically just type in Lego and filter newest and put max (I believe it's 35-50 miles from your location) people live on these apps. I woke up the other day to a listing for a sealed At At for 60 dollars. Was up for 1 hour when I saw it messaged the person and she sold it 12 minutes after listing it.

Depending where you live (higher population more competition) I make it a habit of checking Craigslist, offerup, letgo almost daily.

You were not supposed to tell anyone about those sites, as I find some great deals on both

I apparently have a problem sharing stuff like that. I share everything I come up with and all my "tricks". I'm not a private person lol.

People help me on here all the time! Just paying it forward.

On 1/10/2017 at 4:03 PM, Lego Templar said:

After 20-30 minutes on the internet came up with a few solutions.

The best solution (most effective and by far quickest) was to purchase a dry-erase marker. Preferably a black one. Colour all over top of the existing sharpie markings... wait a few seconds for the dry erase to dry, then wipe it all off like magic. 

You mentioned slopes though.... I know many slopes have a very mild texturing to them.... I have never tested the dry erase method on these.... It might not work the same since the ink could get into the micro valleys on the texture. Excellent for any glossy flat surfaces though. 

Has anyone gotten rid of ballpoint pen ink? Looks like a minifigure in my lot has pen ink coloured on it :S

11 hours ago, seapotato said:

Has anyone gotten rid of ballpoint pen ink? Looks like a minifigure in my lot has pen ink coloured on it :S

I used a magic eraser, but you have to watch out because it acts like a very fine grit sandpaper and can damage the finish or remove paint if you scrub too hard.

Is that the Mr clean magic Eraser?

I used a magic eraser, but you have to watch out because it acts like a very fine grit sandpaper and can damage the finish or remove paint if you scrub too hard.

23 hours ago, seapotato said:

Is that the Mr clean magic Eraser?
 

 

Yes that one.

He's offering all of these for $1200. Plus a few more I think. It's a boat load of money. But there's some profitability in here....

Hey Guys i am thinking about buying a LotR Lot and i would like to hear your opinion. Every Set is complete and has OVP.

 

79000 Riddles for the Ring

 

79011 Dol Guldur Ambush

 

79003 An Unexpected Gathering

 

79012 Mirkwood Elf Army

 

79010 The Goblin King Battle

 

79001 Escape from Mirkwood Spiders

 

At the moment jetzt asks for 200 Euros but i think a can negotioate [emoji106]

 

Good price? Profit? Opinion about the LotR Lego Sets in General?

 

Greetings

 

iF YOU CAN TALK THEM DOWN A BIT IT'D BE GOOD FOR YOUR  COLLECTION. nOT SO MUCH FOR INVESTMENT.

 

Wow, Caps were on. sry

Edited February 18, 20178 yr by MarleyMoose

I think i can bring them to 150 Euros. Why not good for Investment?

 

1 hour ago, AlMa2017 said:

I think i can bring them to 150 Euros. Why not good for Investment?

 

Because there is very little demand for this line and that is not likely to change short-medium term. For the one or two sets with potential you´re going to be burdened with a lot of dead wood.

After the fees/shipping, time/effort they're still just used LOTR/Hobbit sets. 

Because there is very little demand for this line and that is not likely to change short-medium term. For the one or two sets with potential you´re going to be burdened with a lot of dead wood.

 

And what if i buy only this two sets? [emoji39]

 

I can't understand this little demand. I really think there are very nice sets. But since the movies are over maybe theres little interest [emoji52]

They just don't sell much higher than MSRP. I am not sure why and don't care why, but I can assure you mine have been listed forever and not selling. After fees and shipping I may make between -5 to 20 per set  

feeling like a theme should do well and actual data are separate for investment purposes 

They just don't sell much higher than MSRP. I am not sure why and don't care why, but I can assure you mine have been listed forever and not selling. After fees and shipping I may make between -5 to 20 per set [emoji20] 
feeling like a theme should do well and actual data are separate for investment purposes 

Well, seems like I should not buy the lot, even at 150 Euros. Thanks for your help so far [emoji123] We will see how far the neogation goes [emoji120]

You'd make some money at 150 Euros, but not much. Keep in mind these guys are talking about selling NISB sets (in all liklihood anyway). So with that in mind, if you think getting your hands on and building all of these sets is worth a few dollars to you from an entertainment perspective.... you can probably have the opportunity to build all of those sets at least for free... maybe for a little profit. Factor that into your equation if there's any value in it to you. I think the advice you're getting is exclusively from an investing perspective! 

@AIMa2007 It's probably a bad idea to "invest" in a theme that's dead. The future growth would be fairly limited since the big jump usually happened already. If you're looking to flip the sets, you're wanting to be closer to 50-60% of the value just so that you have some room, especially since getting the premium sales price will take a very very long time. You'd be more likely to sell it faster at 80-90%. So, if you're buying for you, figure out where your comfort level is. If it's to flip, look for a line that has greater potential or that you have a much better margin on. Look at how much the sets may have appreciated since retirement to get an idea of how popular the line is. Low, no, or negative appreciation means that there's no demand. No Demand means don't pay much or you'll get stuck with it.

Well guys! Thanks for your time and great answers! I will make my decision tomorrow based on all the input I got.