Here is an interesting quote from a website 5 years ago that I agree with very much and wonder what some of your thoughts are. Albeit some on here have such large collections and sell mostly misb so it takes some less time than parting out a set but for the most part arent we all limited by time and space and will find it hard to make millions selling lego. I do make a good living from reselling but do not see a bright future personnaly in Lego no retirement other than my toy stock no benefits and little time off and an ever challenging and ebay marketplace are just some of the difficulties we face...

"As someone who actually does buy and sell Legos on eBay and Bricklink, I can tell you this is not the way to become a millionaire. Sure, the economics look good on the surface. However, there are hidden costs the seller incurs. First, one must pay between 8 and 12 percent just in eBay and PayPal fees. There is also a certain time commitment in setting up a listing. Then -- even though the buyer usually pays for shipping -- the seller must spend time packaging and mailing whatever is sold. Plus, one must spend time -- usually a LOT of time -- acquiring inventory (whether by going to Toys R Us or -- more likely -- shopping on eBay). And in order to acquire inventory, one has to know the value of different sets and characters, which takes time to research and become familiar with (and, as one person has commented above, these prices can fluctuate drastically in a short period of time). One has to set aside space for inventory, and -- especially if one has a large collection -- organizing that inventory so that parts can be retrieved in a reasonable amount of time to fill an order. It's all about time, really. Not only does your time have an inherent value that you spend in the activity of selling, time restricts the net amount that you can actually sell. So, no one is getting rich off Legos. I buy and sell Legos because I enjoy the process of putting together sets I wouldn't otherwise be able to afford, and because I'm able to feed my habit by continually accumulating a personal stock from the leftovers of the profitable transactions. So, unless you truly love Lego, I'd not recommend this path for anyone, and I DEFINITELY would not quit my day job to pursue it." written 2008 by Brad Moon

6 of one, half a dozen of another.  No matter how you want to look at the points, you're getting 10% back on money you had to spend.  If you want to account for all the discount on your current purchases and put none toward the purchases that originally earned you the $115 in points, that's up to you.  But the bottom line is that you aren't really getting $30-$40 off each set because those points cost you money to get in the first place.  

Fair point. No you aren`t getting the money taken off "cleanly" with no strings attached, but you are getting a discount on a future purchase. If I bought 5 HH for $900, and got $90 rebate value to point towards #6, which I then buy for $90, I could simply take an average of the 6 sets and say that I saved $15 on each (final cost would be $165 + taxes). Ya I had to spend 100% to get 5% (or in this case 10%) back, but that adds up to a 50% discount on my 6th set. If I bought 10 at full price, I`d receive my 11th free. Though it is small compared to clearance sales, no one can legitimately say that you aren`t getting a discount even though you had to initiate a purchase first in order to achieve it. 

 

 

 

In my opinion, I think you are completely wrong on this one.  Not saying that the Haunted House will perform poorly, but it will likely be out for another year.  Another thing to think about.  Also, we always mention the Compound Annual Growth Rate, the Crawlers will perform well, simply sell them before the Haunted House retires.  Thus eliminating your need to make a decision on which to have.

 

I do think that the long term price of the HH might be higher, but remember, CAGR is where it's at!

 

CAGR = Get the best return in the shortest amount of time so you can put the money into something else faster. I like it! 

I think double points is good only if you live in a State that doesn't have to pay sales tax, otherwise, the double points will only be good enough to offset the sales tax.  Of course, it's better than nothing.

That is very true. The sales tax where I live is 8%, so double VIP points does help a lot when reducing the price, but it is just under the normal retail.

I do agree that you arent going to get rich doing it but at the same time if you sold legos 8 hours a day 5 days a week you could probably make a decent middle class living off of it, especially if you ran it out of your house in like a basement or garage to keep costs low.

 

I personally have tried "flipping" lego sets, but found that at an avg of $10 or less per hour i spent it wasn't worth my time, especially when i am making $30+ an hour as a desk job as an engineer with great benefits. I also tried running a parts selling business on bricklink but again it was time consuming plus the capital cost to acquire a massive selection of pieces was crazy. In the end i settled on lego "Investing", as most people her do i buy popular sets near being retired at greatly reduced clearance prices, store them in a closet for 1-2 years and then sell them for a 100-300% profit.

 

Im not making enough to quit my day job or take lavish vacations but it covers the expense of my LEGO hobby and there is usually enough cash left over to help with other hobbies like playing in a mens hockey league. Plus it keeps the wife off my back, my buddies are always pleading with their wife for a few bucks to buy something, i just say "Im buying this and ill sell a lego set for it"

 Plus it keeps the wife off my back, my buddies are always pleading with their wife for a few bucks to buy something, i just say "Im buying this and ill sell a lego set for it"

 

Just a brief side tangent: I don't get why people run their marriages like this. Every man, woman, and child in this house gets a sum of money handed to them each month for whatever personal spending (clothing, hobbies, whatever) they wish to do with it. They can save up that sum for something big, they can fritter the sum away on lots of small things.

 

Married people: make a family budget that, unlike our government, matches your income and stop bickering about who bought too many lattes last month and who wants too many Lego this month. It's so simple it Just Might Work!

 

(Tangent over.)

My LEGO sales paid for my wifes Mercedes. Ok, its not a Mercedes, its a Dodge Caravan and the LEGO money only puts gas in it.