Hi guys, How do you balance the desire to build a set vs the desire to keep it MISB for investment and return sale price? I like building - especially the big sets, but due to the cost sometimes struggle to justify spending the money on a 'treat', especially as money is not as available as I'd like (need a better job). When you look at some of the sale prices of discontinued sets and see it's worth 400 new, but only 150 used (a generic example) it makes my head rule my heart a bit. I suppose with some sets you could buy a used one to build, without box etc to save money, but what do you do when it's one of the modular's or lego exclusive for example that are never that cheap. Do you just bite the bullet and accept the cost, or are you at the stage of investing where your profits on other sets allow you to 'treat' yourself?

My thoughts on this topic will probably vary from others. This site is really about investing....however you need to do what you think is wise. You will have to separate emotion (IMO) of selling vs collecting. As you can tell from my tone I am a big collectector vs investor. I have a huge dilema...I have a Maersk Train that I bought just before EOL, now its worth almost twice what I paid for it...do I open it or do I hold on to sell....

This is tough. Especially once you have the set in your house. It is easier to move it from your investment inventory to your own collection than it is to go out and buy a set and spend new money. arobert125, it is funny that you mention the Maersk Train because I have exactly the same dilemma. I bought it when it went EOL and it is still new in the box. I had always planned on building it until recently. In my opinion this is the coolest train and I really want to open it but you see the price going up and up and it makes it hard.

I did buy an Imperial Shuttle a few weeks ago at the Atlanta LEGO Discovery Center....the box was so beat up, it forced me to open and build.....I am sure glad it was beat up....it looks cool in my Man Room!

I bought a Maersk Train just before EOL too. I even have a spare set of "Power Functions" for it. Lucky for me we already have the red passenger train and yellow cargo train on our Lego railway so there really isn't any room for it. We've had good luck with buying used sets that were EOL we wanted to build so that is definitely a good option. But sometimes there is no better feeling than cracking open a $600 Green Grocer MISB and profits be damned!

I honestly look for used sets to build of the one I want. Before they go EOL, you can get great deals on them. If it is something I know I will likely want to build later on, I always buy a used set or a set with a beat up box that is on clearance that I know I would never be able to sell. I know that later on when my son is old enough to play with those sets I will have a very bad internal conflict about letting him open a set that may be worth a thousand dollars just to play with, so I felt the need to stop that before it happened.

Tell me about it! I have made it a new unofficial policy in my head to buy 2 of anything whenever it is something I potentially want to build (case in point: my recent purchase of 2 Volkswagon T1 Campers at great discount. One is built and now being displayed, another is still new in box). Makes things a bit more expensive but I will feel better not having this guilty feeling anymore. Wish I bought 2 Imperial Shuttles.. only have one. It's something I'd love to build. Also would love to build my Tower Bridge but not as much as others, because I simply don't really have the space to keep it as a display (I would have to build it and then put it away when I need space again). Doesn't bother me as much as others for not having 2 Tower Bridges.

I try to always have a 2nd copy to sell if I'm going to open a set. It makes it a lot easier.

At least I know it's not just me wrestling with this dilemna. I'm trying to keep my head in charge, but I have 10225 R2-D2 and 10211 Grand Emporium sat in their boxes... 'looking at me' lol. Must resist.

Often have the same dilemma. I just tell myself that my storage area is like a virtual shop and would I really like to buy a set from it now to build at the current market price.

I try to always have a 2nd copy to sell if I'm going to open a set. It makes it a lot easier.

That's my preferred way of doing it also.

That's my preferred way of doing it also.

I agree as well. If I know im gonna want to

Build something I buy I try to make sure ill have another that I don't open. It's expensive but if you can afford it it makes it alot easier to open and buid a set.

I'm going to be brutally honest here: if this is something you consistently struggle with then you need to step back and further evaluate if investing in Lego is really appropriate for you. It will be hard enough to consistently turn a profit if you have a limited budget and are only buying 1-2 copies of a set, as opposed to some of the larger investors on here who are buying 20+ of each set and "may" be able to absorb the "occasional" impulse opening/build if they're already sufficiently in profits in a set. For the small scale operation even a single move like this can devastate a portfolio a wipe away multiple sales worth of profits. I'd also question how serious collectors will react when their investment portfolios shoot up in value. Will you have the discipline to part with these sets when the time comes? Many advocate buying 2 sets, one for a personal collection and the other to sell later in order to make this a self funding hobby. I think this is a brilliant strategy, as long as you follow through and actually sell. ...and I thought the futures market was rough...

no problem at all keeping the inventory from being tapped into here. when a set is purchased it is logged on my spreadhseet and brickfolio with appropriate data, and then put away in my locked storage area. out of sight, out of mind until it is time to sell. the only time i take anything out to open is when i need a present for my kids for birthdays or christmas. they don't know about my stash, but i only take out what they (not me) think is cool. my son gets the lego magazine and is always showing me the sets he likes (as he is showing me i am always thinking in the back of my head "if you only knew i had 6 of those downstairs" lol). then i get to build it and enjoy it with them. my son's birthday is a few weeks away, so i just took out a jabba's palace and rancor pit for my wife to wrap. i have all of my old sets from my childhood (1980's) that i share with them as well, so if i ever get an impulse to build a set i will put together one of those.

Tell me about it! I have made it a new unofficial policy in my head to buy 2 of anything whenever it is something I potentially want to build (case in point: my recent purchase of 2 Volkswagon T1 Campers at great discount. One is built and now being displayed, another is still new in box). Makes things a bit more expensive but I will feel better not having this guilty feeling anymore.

I couldn't leave the Lego store today with buying the VW T1 Camper. Looks great.

I ended up earning double VIP points for my discount and not paying sales tax (bought in Delaware). How much did you get it for?

I don't fight against this temptation, because my desire will usually find a way to beat any battle of logic. Instead, I tell myself that I am free to open any set I want, but I have to wait until I get one that arrives in a damaged box. That mindhack seems to work well for me...thus far. I hope it doesn't catch on. ;)

At least I know it's not just me wrestling with this dilemna. I'm trying to keep my head in charge, but I have 10225 R2-D2 and 10211 Grand Emporium sat in their boxes... 'looking at me' lol.

Must resist.

That's why I keep all my lego sets in sealed brown shipping boxes ready for delivery.

no problem at all keeping the inventory from being tapped into here. when a set is purchased it is logged on my spreadhseet and brickfolio with appropriate data, and then put away in my locked storage area. out of sight, out of mind until it is time to sell.

This right here. Put 'em in storage and add it to your Brickfolio. Done and done. If you have the finance to, you could always buy more than one of a set so that you have one for yourself to build and one or more for investment later on.