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    Brickpicker blog articles on LEGO investing, news, reviews, evaluations, discounts and more...
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    • MartinP
      There are many people who have invested, are investing, and will invest in various markets, like the stock market. There is a wide variety of what you can invest in, and there is a lot of people to invest in them. Alas, the Lego collecting market is a lot smaller. Not that many people see that Legos can be used as an investment. They just see it as a great toy for children to play with. But, there is a few people who see that you can make a buck or two investing in Legos.
      The stock market is continually changing. That is very different for the Lego collecting market. Lego sets are no sold as often and not sold in great numbers as the stock market, but the sets do gain or lose value as the stock market does. There is one aspect that I have not noticed in the stock market, that sometimes occurs in the Lego collecting market. That is that a Lego set will just stop gaining value and stay at the value it is at. Most likely increasing or decreasing a little at a time. This idea seems far-fetched, but it is very possible.
      I check the values of sets every month. Then I compare that to what the previous value of the set. Most likely, the set has ether increased or decreased in value, but after careful observation at various charts, one aspect has appeared several times. The set seems to stop gaining value. If you look at a chart for the set, the values for the past months appear to be in a straight horizontal line. Some of these sets will be anaylzed. Here are some sets.
      10018 Darth Maul
      The 10018 Darth Maul set is an Ultimate Collector's Series set. The set has 1,868 pieces, with a retail price of $149.99 USD. The set was released in 2001.
      Here are the values of the set:
      New: $727.33 USD, 0% change from the previous month. Used: $412.73 USD, Up 2.8% from the previous month. Current CAGR: 14.06%.
      This set has not increased or decreased in value much over the past six months. Over the past year there has only been 10 Darth Maul sets sold new. The sale trend for the set has been the same for the past two months. The four months before that, the sale trend were only a few dollars away from the sale trends from the past two months. Those close sales trends have been affected by how many sets are available to be sold, how old the set is, and how desirable the set is.
      10143 Death Star II
      The 10143 Death Star set is an Ultimate Collector's Series set. The set has 3,441 pieces, with a retail price of $298.99 USD. The set was released in 2005. Here are the values for the set:
      New: $ 1,089.19 USD, Up 8.26% from the previous month. Used: $ 534.20 USD, Down 12.18% from the previous month. Current CAGR: 17.54%.
      The set has not increased very much over the past two to three months. Over the past year there has been ninty-eight sold new. I do not consider that a lot. Some other sets have sold hundreds in one month. Because there were more sets sold, the sales trend is a little more varied. The past three months, the sales trend stayed almost the same. If there were less sets sold, then the sale trand may have been less varied. For this set, it is a case of temporary stopped growth. The value of the set did not change much for three months, then the value of the set changed a lot. The set having stopped growth for a short period of time may have been affected by how many sets are available to be sold and how desirable the set is.
      7115 Gungan Patrol
      The 7115 Gungan Patrol set s a Star Wars set from Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The set has seventy-seven pieces, with a retail price of $9.99 USD. The set was released in 2000. Here are the values for the set:
      New: $25.73 USD, Down 3.27% from the previous month. Used: $12.81 USD, Up 25.47% from the previous month. Current CAGR: 7.55%.
      The set had its period of barely any growth from November 2012 to February 2013. That is four months of little growth. Over the past year there were sixty sets sold new. That is not a lot for a whole year. From November 2012 to February 2013 the sales trend only varied thirty-three cents. That is very little. For four months, the set did not grow in value. This may have been affected by how desirable the set is, how many sets are available to be sold, and how old the set is.
      8010 Darth Vader
      The 8010 Darth Vader is a Star Wars set. The set has 391 pieces, with a retail price of $39.99 USD. The set was released in 2002. Here are the values of the set:
      New: $82.87 USD, Up 4.46% from the previous month. Used: $35.60 USD, Up 19.74% from the previous month. Current CAGR: 6.85%.
      The set has two different periods of little growth. Over the past year, there were sixty-three sets sold. That is not a lot. The first is between July and October 2012. During this period, the sales trend for the set stayed relatively the same, only varieing thirty-four cents. That is not a lot. The second period is Janurary to February 2013. during this period the sale trend for the set almost stayed the same. It only varied thwenty-seven cents. That is very little. These two different periods of little growth, may have been affected by how old the set is, how desirable the set is, and how many sets are available to be sold.
      65153 Jango Fett's Slave I with Bonus Cargo Case
      The 65153 Jango Fett's Slave I with Bonus Cargo Case set is a Star Wars set. The set has 360 pieces, with a retail price of $49.99 USD. The set was released in 2002. Here are the values for the set:
      New: $316.00 USD. Used: $170.00 USD. Current CAGR: 18.25%.
      The set has a very long period of NO growth. There has only been one set that has been sold this year. That set was a used set. For the past year, the sales trend for the set has stayed the same. This set is one of the best examples for a period of no growth. The set may have been affected by how old the set is, how desirable the set is, how many sets are available to be sold, and how many sets were produced.
      7142 X-Wing Fighter
      The 7142 X-Wing Fighter is from Star Wars. The set has 267 pieces, with a retail price of $29.99 USD. The set was released in 2002. Here are the values for the set:
      New: $80.86 USD. Used: $30.20 USD. Current CAGR: 9.44%.
      The set has a period of very little and NO growth over the past year. Over the past year there were only eight new sets sold on eBay. That is very little. The sales trend for the set is very similar for the whole year. The set has only varied in value by $2.66 USD. That is very little. The set may have been affected by how old the set is, how desirable the set is, and how many sets are available to be sold.
      7152 TIE Fighter & Y-Wing
      The 7152 TIE Fighter & Y-Wing set is from Star Wars. The set has 410 pieces, with a retail price of $49.99 USD. The set was released in 2002. Here are the value for the set:
      New: $ 36.56 USD. Used: $13.33 USD. Current CAGR: -2.8%.
      The set has a very long period of NO growth. Over the past year, there were only six sets sold in the past year and those were all used. The sale trend for the set has no growth. It is a horizantal line at $36.56 USD for the whole year. The set may have been affected by how old the set is, how desirable the set is, and how many sets are available to be sold.
      65081 R2-D2/C-3PO Droid Collectors Set
      The 65081 R2-D2/C-3PO Droid Collectors Set is from Star Wars. The set has 581 pieces, with a retail price of $39.99 USD. The set was released in 2002. Here are the values for the set:
      New: $116.33 USD, Up 1.22% from the previous month. Used: $75.67 USD, Down 1.08% from the previous month. Current CAGR: 10.19%.
      The set has a very long period of very little growth. Over the past year, there were only fourteen sets sold new. The sale trend for the sets during the year was between $120.33 USD an $110.20 USD. That is a $10.13 difference in the prices for the whole year. Now the average is $116.33 USD. That is in the middle between those two numbers. The set may be affected by how old the set is, how desirable the set is, and how many sets are available to be sold.
      6963 X-Wing Fighter The 6963 X-Wing Fighter is from Star Wars. The set has forty-one pieces, with a retail price of $ 4.99 USD. The set was released in 2004. Here are the values for the set:
      New: $20.42 USD, Down 1.64% from the previous month. Used: $18.46 USD. Current CAGR: 16.95%.
      The set has had a very long period of slow growth. There are only eleven sets sold new in the past year. Over the past year, the value of the set has decreased very slowly. Over the whole year, the set only decreased in value by ninty-six cents. That is 2.67% down for the whole year. The set may have been affected by how old the set is, how desirable the set is, and how many sets are available to be sold.
      6967 ARC Fighter
      The 6967 ARC Fighter is from Star Wars. The set has forty-two pieces, with a retail price of $4.99 USD. The set was released in 2005. Here are the value for the set:
      New: $15.79 USD. USed: $10.81 USD, Up 2.95% from the previous month. Current CAGR: 15.49%.
      The set has had a very long period of slow growth. There have been only five sets sold new in the past year. Over the past year, the set has only decreased in value by twenty-five cents. That is 3.31% down over the year. The set may have been affected by how old the set is, how desirable the set is, and how many sets are available to be sold.
      After reading this, many of you may be wondering why these sets has little to no growth, when these sets have a CAGR. The CAGR should predict that these sets will grow in value over time, but it is not always possible to know when these periods of little to no growth occur. Here is what happens to the CAGR. The CAGR is a percentage that can shows how much the set is growing in value annually. If you use the CAGR to find the value of a set in a certain amount of time, it can be very helpful if the set does not run into any slow growin periods. During these periods, the CAGR is adjusted so that the value of the set is the same but the amount of time is different. Say that a set has a retail price of $49.99 USD. The current CAGR for the set is 45%. After one year the set has a value of $72.49 USD. Next year the set has the same value but two years have gone by, this means the CAGR has decreased. The new CAGR for the set would be about 20.50%. The aspect of time has affected the CAGR to allow the value of the set to remain the same.
      There are various reasons that the set may have stop increasing in value, like how old the set is, how desirable the set is, how many sets are available to be sold, and how many sets were produced. Each of these will be explained.
      How old the set is. The age of a set affects when a set may stop growing in value. If a set is only a couple months to two years old, the set may still be avaiable in the primary market. If the set is not available in the primary market, there will most likely be a good amount on the secondary market like eBay. If there is a lot of sets available on the secondary market, the value of the set will change for a while. If the set is two years to five years old, there probably is a decnt amount of the set on the secondary market. Altougth there is not as much as the above, there is still some to be sold. thus affecting the value steadily as time goes on. If the set is five to ten years old, there are some sets available on the secondary market, but there may be periods of no growth. If the set is ten or more years old, there are few to no sets available on the secondary market making the no growth more noticable. From the sets above, I would put the no growth around eight years and above, but all the other factors play in with this too. How desirable the set is. The desirability of the set affects how many sets are sold in the secondary market. Take the Star Wars theme. This theme is very popular, which makes the sets more valuable. They are more valuable because they are more easily recognizable. The more interest there is, the more sets are sold. Also, take the Prince of Persia theme. That theme is not very popular. Because there is less interest in the theme, less sets are being sold in the secondary market. All of this may affect when a set stops growing in value with all the other factors. How many sets are available to be sold. This play a very big role in when the value stops growing for a set. If there are no sets to be sold, then the value will not grow. If there are sets, then the value may grow or decrease. this factor also ties in very closely with the next factor. How many sets were produced. Along with the above factor, how many sets are available to be sold is dependent on how many sets were produced. For example, the 10188 set has been produced for five years and it is still going. For this set, there would be more sets available to be sold in the secondary market. Also, the 10026 Special Edition Naboo Starfighter was only produced for about one year. In that short period of time, there would only be a limited amount of sets available to be sold on the secondary market. All these factors are intertwined together to determine when a set may potentially stop growing in value. You cannot just judge when the set may stop growing on one factor. All these factors are used to determine when a set may stop growing in value.
      All of the above sets show temporary no growth, but there may be a "Magic Number" in which a set may never rise past in value. This may occur when a set reaches that point, and may not rise past that because people are not willing to pay more than a certain amount for the set.
      Unfortunatly, with all this data it is still hard to point out a number for a set. Here are my best predictions for all the sets I explained above.
      10018 Darth Maul: $727.33 10143 Death Star II: $1,090 7115 Gungan Patrol: $29.33 8010 Darth Vader: $89.13 65153 Jango Fett's Slave I with Bonus Cargo Case: $316.00 7142 X-Wing Fighter: $82.30 7152 TIE Fighter & Y-Wing: $36.56 65081 R2-D2 / C-3PO Droid Collectors Set: $120.33 6963 X-Wing Fighter: $21.38 6967 ARC Fighter: $16.04 With all these sets some of them had had some temporary times of no growth, but then their values changed. Those sets still may have no reached that point yet, while other sets have stayed at a price or either have come down from it. Those certain sets may have reached that point when the growth will stop and a set's value will never go above that point.
      The "Magic Number" is a very hard number to find and predict, but it is very helpful if you would want to see when a set may stop growing in value. My predictions above are only predictions. Some of them can be wrong and they can change at a moments notice. Hopefully any Lego set does not reach this number. It is a dreaded number. There will be another article about how to find out if a set is close to hitting that number.
      Thanks for reading!
    • MartinP
      The 10215 Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter is the latest UCS set to be retired. Saying this the value of the set should increase soon, as almost all UCS sets do. This UCS set is one of the smaller sets. The set only has 676 pieces. This makes it the second smallest UCS set. The smallest is the Special Edition Naboo Starfighter with only 187 pieces. The set has no minifigures, like many other UCS sets, but the set does have a larger astromech head. Usually, UCS sets do really well in the secondary market. Since the set was just retired about a year ago, it is still hard to tell if the set is a good investment this early.
      Here are the statistics for the set.
      The set has a retail price of $99.99 USD. Since the set has 676 pieces, the Price Per Piece(PPP) ratio for the set is fifteen cents ($0.15 USD) per piece. This set is on the higher end for the PPP ratio. The UCS sets have an average PPP ratio of ten to fifteen cents ($0.10 - $0.15 USD) per piece. Althougth the set has this high PPP ratio, you could still find the set discounted in many places.
      Currently, the set has a value of $95.83 USD new, which is $4.16 USD, under the retail price. That is not a lot under the retail price, but it is still a negative return. If the set was purchased on a sale, there probably is a positive return on the set. Because the set has a negative return off the retail price, the Compounded Annual Growth Rate(CAGR) is -1.41%.
      My recommedation for this set is to buy it. Eventhougth the set has a negative return and CAGR, the set is an UCS set, which usually do well in the secondary market.
    • DoNotInsertIntoMouth
      In the first part of this blog, I gave a lot of reason's why Best Offer can be a great thing for buyers purchasing sets on Ebay. However, it is also a great tool for a seller as well. Auctions are definitely a really good way to sell items, but if you want to go with Buy It Now for any reason ( and there are advantages to Buy it Now), I recommend using Best Offer as well.
      A lot of seller's avoid Best Offer for many reasons:
      They don't want to deal with low-ball offers. The don't want to spend the time responding to offers. You may feel people wont hit Buy it Now because Best Offer is there. While these are understandable concerns, there are a lot of pluses to using this feature when selling.
      1. Best Offer attracts more buyers to consider your item
      Whether your price is fair or not, having a Best Offer puts it in range for more buyers price wise whether you will actually accept their price or not. Yes, this means you may spend more time replying to offers, but if you really want to sell your item, this can only be a good thing.
      A buyer may only want to pay $110 for your $125 item because that’s all they have, and they wouldn't even look at your item otherwise. After looking, maybe they decide they can spend $125 on it, or they at least watch it until they can. Otherwise they may have just passed right on by it.
      As well, when searching through items, Best Offer has its own logo which makes it stand out over top of the price when someone is mindlessly searching through Buy it Now items. This means someone may at least read your title or actually click into your listing. I find that items I list for Best Offer get more hits than a normal Buy it Now.
      2. You can actually get more money for your item in some cases.
      How is that? Well, if you are patient and just want the best price for your item, list it a little high, but give impeccable details and pictures and chances are someone will eventually send you an offer. Now you are in a negotiation. I sometimes find after a counteroffer or two, a buyer may offer me more than I actually wanted to get for an item in the first place.
      Just as I mentioned in the last article, the buyer is bound by what they offer. If they offer you a better than fair price, they are stuck with it and it's your gain.
      3. If you are selling bulk, you can sell it faster.
      In part one, I mentioned how this was an advantage to the buyer. It has its advantages to the seller (as I mentioned in the article as well) too. For one, you might be able to sell all of them to one person which means lower shipping and less shipping hassle writing down all the different addresses.
      On top of that – BAM! Your listing is done. Yes, you may have taken a little less money, but its quick money in your pocket which is sometimes worth a little more long term money.
      A few extra tips using these suggestions:
      If you use number 2, make sure your price isn't two high. Sometimes I do this and so I regularly check the listings views in “My Ebay” to make sure that people are looking at it. If not I lower the price. Be prepared for some low-ballers. The great thing is you aren't required to respond to an offer. So if you really don't have time, you have 48 hours or it will just magically expire. In my experience, avoid using the auto decline features. I touched on this in part 1 where this sometimes shows a buyer you aren't really committed to the Best Offer. More importantly, this wastes one of the sellers offers if they get declined. What if at the end, their next offer would have been your lowest acceptance. I would much rather see all their offers. Also avoid using auto-accept unless its a very small percentage off. If you do, a seller may offer the lowest you put you would auto accept, but they were willing to go higher. You could lose money you would have made! Try a few of these out and report your successes in the comments.
      Note: All of the information here are my own opinions and are pulled from my experiences. You may or may not have success with these methods.
       
    • comicblast
      One day, while searching on eBay, I decided to have a little bit of fun and search the term “LEGO” and sort by Highest Price + Shipping. What I came across was mind blowing! The most interesting listing I came across was about a person selling their whole store, for about $30,000 including the stock of LEGO’s that they had. Now I wondered, was there a key to buying in bulk? Did you buy small lots, then sort them by color then send them off to some other person who would have to sort through them, or did you buy a huge lot of completed sets, the sell each off in individual lots? Forget about selling, how are you going to even buy it? How much should you look for per pound, what color, what theme?
      When buying LEGO’s that are used, you should look for a price per pound ratio of less than $7.50. Depending on the theme of LEGO and color, the price per pound ratio also is different. For example, lots that primarily have gray or black, would sell for up to $15, and lots that include pieces from themes such as Star Wars, Castle, or Harry Potter go for more than a pile of miscellaneous bricks.
      Before buying, you need to establish the combination that you will take when selling the lot of LEGO’s:
      R1: Instant resale R2: Picking through for a few pieces then reselling R3: Long-ish term investing R4: Buy big, then sell in small lots T1: Find a good deal then immediately sell it again for a higher price T2: Buy several smaller lots and then combine them to sell in a larger lot T3: Buy a lot, then sort by color The BIG question is what is most profitable? That depends on the type of lot you are buying (complicated, right?).
      If you are buying a large lot of pieces (35+ lbs) that are of no apparent interest to you, but it was too good a deal to pass then the best combination for you is:
      Selling instantly, sort by color, each color lot having no more than 7 lbs of LEGO’s. Selling instantly, but aim for a higher price than you originally sold for to make less money, but less effort. Selling instantly then selling it in smaller lots that are randomly assembled in lots no less than 5 lbs each. Of these three options, option 2 is the most profitable, because you have small lots, and by sorting it by color, buyers know exactly what they are getting. The color that generally is most sought after is darker colors, mainly gray and black. These are in more demand than others because of their use in MOC’s. Another color in demand is white, though it is significantly rarer than other colors such as gray.
      If you are buying a large lot of pieces (35+ lbs) that was bought because a portion of the pieces are of interest to you, and the deal was only decent deal, then you will probably lose money. To sell this kind of lot, I would also sort by color. If there is a small amount of a certain color (~1-2 lbs) then combine it with a different color.
      If you are buying a small lot of pieces (1-10 lbs) that was bought for the pieces, and you plan on using 50% or more of the pieces, then I recommend just keeping the pieces.
      One of the big reasons why people buy bulks of LEGO bricks is because there are often many valuable sets in the lot that are simply waiting to be claimed. This is a very difficult and laborious process, but it is possible. I do not recommend doing this with more than 15 lbs of bricks because there is simply too much to sort through, and is not efficient on your part. Also if the seller is selling multiple lots that originate from the same lot, the odds of having a complete set is low, because there are that many pieces.
      Once in a while, however, you will come across a large lot of complete sets that are sold for a lower price than their actual value. If you are successful in these highly competitive auctions, then it is best to sell the sets valued $300+, such as MTT’s, and UCS sets individually, selling smaller sets that are valued at $50 or less, such as battle packs and other small sets in small bundles, but make sure that the bundles make sense. When I say this, I mean that the bundles should be from the approximate same era of storyline, or same theme. By doing this, your listing is more desirable to buyers looking for a certain series of sets. Medium sized sets should also be sold individually to maximize profits.
      Before selling a “complete” set, make sure to verify its completion, or else your reputation could suffer.
      I hope this helps you when buying and selling your LEGO’s in bulk!! Good luck!
       
    • Guest
      Ever since a Lego store opened in my area, I have been fascinated with the concept of Pick A Brick (PAB) cups. The clear cups, coming in two sizes, offer the customer with the ability to not only choose what they want from a wall of different elements, but also how much they want through packing methods that have been refined over time.
      As years went by, my ability to fill every nook and cranny grew. My collection of empty cups grew. And my interest in the cups as investment tools grew as well. Once I realized that the cups offered people with ways to purchase bricks for extremely cheap Parts Per Piece (PPP) ratios, I saw that the cups could lead to excellent investment returns. The following is the result of my investigation into the cups and whether they pack an ideal investing punch.
      The Large Cup vs. the Small Cup
      Currently, most Lego stores sell two types of cups. There is the small cup, which retails for $7.99 USD, and the larger cup, which retails for $14.99 USD. Obviously, most people believe instantly that bigger is better value, but is that the truth? I conducted a volume test to make sure.
      Upon first site, the only noticeable difference between the two sizes other than their height was that the small cup has a wider ring along the bottom of the cup.
      For the test, I calculated the volume of each cup and the lid, by filling each container until full with water and then pouring that water into a liquid measuring cup. My unit of measurement for this test is the Milliliter (mL), which I believe provides a more accurate measurement (a Milliliter is equal to 1 cm cubed). However, I have also translated the values to their approximate imperial cup equivalents for universal understanding.

      The results displayed on the chart show that the large cup is indeed a slightly better value than the small cup (at no lid, it is 0.28 cents cheaper per mL). This is also good since the smaller cup can’t fit some of the longer elements, such as large plates. I included the differences between lid attached, and lid barely touching the rim because I have found generally, Lego employees are very lenient and if the lid isn’t on, will even provide tape so you can close it with it only touching at one point. Overall, the results of this test mean that it is more economical to pack your pieces into the larger cup, assuming you can pack the big ones just as good as the small ones.
      How to Maximize Cup Space
      There are several methods to packing parts into your cup. As the cups are cylindrical rather than square or rectangular with 90 degree angles, it is difficult to maximize cup space. This is where all the interesting methods come in. Generally, I would say that packing a small cup is much easier than packing a large cup because it is easier to get your hand into. When packing a Pick A Brick cup, the main objective is to place elements in a way that leaves very few air pockets. Unfortunately, dumping bricks into a cup and shaking it every once in a while still leaves lots of wasted space. In the following section, I will explore the four most popular methods of packing, and see how they fare against each other.
      Method 1: Dumping
      This method of packing involves pouring bricks down into the cup with no strategy and little to no brick placement. This method is not desirable when packing bricks/plates bigger than 1x2, as it leaves lots of air space in the cup, and the brick placement is random so does not follow the circular curves of the cup.
      Bottom Line: good for packing irregular-shaped small pieces or when you are in a rush. I highly recommend against using this method with large bricks, as it wastes lots of space.
      Method 2: Central Tower(s)
      The central tower method is my personal preference, because it allows you to pack in bricks and irregular pieces without consuming as much time as level packing or circular placement. Basically, this technique involves creating a square tower that grows in size as it reaches the top of the cup, surrounded by smaller pieces or plates that fill in the curved spaces. You can also use this method by making multiple stacks or towers of pieces.
      Bottom Line: this method is great if you want a variety of bricks or plates (placed in the “tower) and irregular parts. Plus, it is less time consuming compared to the following two methods.

      A partially complete cup packed using the central tower method.
      Method 3: Level Packing
      Level packing involves making multiple levels of bricks in a circular shape, before putting them into the cup. Generally, the “levels” of bricks grow in size to match the growing width of the cup. This method was made famous by the YouTube video claiming “pack 169 2x4 bricks into a PAB cup” (link below). This method can be time consuming and it is best to practice at home before trying it at the Lego store.
      Bottom Line: level packing is a great way to pack a large amount of larger bricks (2x3, 2x4 etc). However, the method is difficult if you aren’t already familiar with the level dimensions you are using.
      Link: Pack 169 2x4 Bricks into a PAB Cup (a example of Level Packing)

      Method 4: Circular Placement
      The last, and arguably most difficult method, is what I call circular placement. Usually used to pack 1x2 or similar bricks, the method involves carefully arranging the bricks into circle-based formations to maximize space. The bricks are seldom connected and this method is very hard and frustrating. If you aren’t good at reaching into small spaces and gently placing bricks, stay away from this method. I have pasted a link to an example of this method below.
      Bottom Line: only use this method if you are packing small bricks and have lot of time. Do not use this method if you have difficulty doing small, intricate tasks.
      Link: Example of the Circular Placement Method
      http://www.flickr.com/photos/notenoughbricks/4910234440/in/photostream/

      Extras: Lids, Rings, Tips and Tricks
      In addition to the basic methods, there are several tips and tricks that I use to squeeze in a couple extra bricks. Here is a list of them:
      The Lid: the lid of the cup will sit in different places, depending on how many bricks you packed in. However, no matter how full the cup is, there is always the same amount of room in the “stud” of the lid; the cylindrical part that sticks out. Always fill this up, whether it is with 2x4 bricks or 1x1 plates. Remember: wasted space is wasted money. The Ring: as you may or may not have noticed, the cups have a small ring on the bottom encircling the circumference of the cup. This allows the cups to be stacked with the stud. To make use of this area, I usually fill it with sideways 1x2 bricks, resulting in an extra 18 bricks in a large cup. Containers: If you are including barrels or stoves in your Pick A Brick cup, be sure to slip pieces into them. You can also use this trick for small windows by placing them facing away from each other, and then inserting a brick in between them. Sales: As with most items in the Lego store, Pick A Brick Cups rarely go on sale. However, they have been known to be included in promotions such as “buy a large cup for the price of a small”, or just the regular 2x the VIP points promo. Other Methods: some Lego stores sell their Pick A Brick stock by the pound. I generally would discourage this as it is much more expensive unless you are buying large, rare parts. Also, some Lego stores offer boxes for $70. These boxes are the boxes that the pieces came in, so you only get one piece and it is pre-packed. However, these boxes are still a good value, especially since they feature 90 degree angles. Lastly, we have the Holiday PAB boxes, which are given out with special purchases. Use these boxes wisely, as the corners are straight and allow for easy packing. So which method is the best? Ultimately, other than the first method, all make good use of the space, so it depends on your time and what pieces you are packing. But, since I know you all love charts and numbers, here is how the different methods compare when packing 1x2 or 2x4 bricks. Keep in mind that some methods (like the central tower method) are meant to be used with a specific combination of pieces so this isn’t the most accurate representation of how they work, and that I made it so the lid is touching in one place at least. I did my best to accurately replicate each method, keeping within a half-hour packing timeframe for each to model the amount of time you might have in a store.
      The chart shows that the last three methods are all very successful, and any of them can be used to efficiently pack bricks. If you use the level packing method and pack in 695 pieces like I did, then you will end up paying 2.15 cents per piece. That is about the best deal you find on new Lego, period.
      Scoping Out Useful Pieces
      Whether you are planning on buying a Pick A Brick Cup for yourself or to invest in, it is important to know where the good pieces are located. You can drive to different Lego stores to check them out, but it would be preferred, especially if travel distances are long, to check them remotely.
      The two ways to check the selection of a stores Pick A Brick wall are to call the store and ask them, or to use the website Brickbuildr. Brickbuildr is a user dependant site where visitors to Pick A Brick walls can input what was there and when for other people to see. While I have found the information to be generally reliable if new, the site is not free of inconsistencies. Lastly, always make sure to ask a Lego employee if they have any elements that aren’t on the wall. Usually, they are very helpful and may even take you into the back to look for other pieces.
      Scoping out the right piece is very useful if you are strategically planning a PAB haul to maximize profits. Knowing ahead of time what is on the wall can allow you to research the value of the pieces to determine which will lead to the best profits.
      Link: Brickbuildr:
      http://www.brickbuildr.com/view/pab/
      Investment Returns
      When you can pack in the elements for such low PPP ratios, the investment potential for PAB pieces is huge. By using a part-out website such as Bricklink, you can sell the pieces as individuals. This may sound tedious, and it isn’t for everyone, but since the stock can be purchased at minimal pricing it is quite profitable.
      The pieces I have chosen for my investment returns chart are all pieces that I myself have purchased from a Pick A Brick wall. As I earlier concluded that large cups are better than small ones, everything is based off if the elements were packed into a large cup. Unless otherwise stated, my approximate piece counts are based off my previous estimates using the best result and my theory of one stud volume. Basically, one stud volume says that a 1x1 plate is half the size of a 1x2 plate, a third of the size of a 1x1 brick and so forth. Obviously, this theory is proven (a plate is a third the height of a brick), and is a cautious estimator because generally the smaller a piece goes, it can pack more one stud volume into a cup.

      The chart shows two things. One, smaller elements are much more profitable than larger ones based off the sheer number that you can pack into a cup. Two, Pick A Brick investing can be extremely profitable. Now before everyone runs off to buy up all the tiny pieces at their Lego store, remember that selling even one cup’s worth of pieces can take a long time, and to move stock faster you will have to lower prices. If you already part out sets, than you should seriously consider starting to invest in Pick A Brick cups.
      Selling pieces for a profit of 160 dollars is unprecedented when the stock cost you $14.99. Plus, I haven’t seen or heard much of PAB elements being used for resale on Bricklink so as of right now, there is little competition. Pick A Brick cups give part out investors a fresh and cheap source to an already thriving market. For that reason, their investment potential is massive.
      In conclusion, Pick A Brick cups offer great PPP ratios if you can pack them right, and a decent ones even if you don’t. Whether they offer a profit-pouring punch really depends on investor; if you already work with Bricklink you will enjoy spectacular profits, if you don’t, I suggest you dabble before taking the time and space to start a Bricklink store. But one thing is for sure. Packing a PAB cup is fun, challenging, and the rewarding contents will leave you smiling.
      ]
    • Fcbarcelona101
      There has been a lot of talk in the forums about the Lord of The Rings LEGO theme over the past few months, most of it enthusiastic and positive, but also with some doubters and skeptics. My intent with writing this article is to get a little deeper into the future prospects of this line of sets in the secondary market, and for that I will be making use of another theme that has been recently retired to get a more accurate prediction about what should we expect with the LOTR, and that is Harry Potter.
      Those of you that have read some of my LOTR reviews already know that I love making the comparison between these two themes when predicting future performance, and the reason I do is for the current lack of historical information about LOTR sets, since as of this date only one of them has been officially retired by LEGO (Attack on Weathertop 9472).
      The similarities between these two themes are pretty impressive once you take a closer look at the way these two series became so popular outside of the LEGO world first, and then how they made their way into the Danish's company portfolio. Let's summarize some of the most important before going further:
      Highly successful book series: Both Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings originated as a series of 7 and 4 books respectively before making their way into the silver screen. Harry Potter was first published in 1997, while the LOTR did well before that, in 1954*. From the books, into Hollywood: After a very short while for Harry Potter, and quite a long one for the LR, and that is Harry Potter.OTR, both of these series made their debut on theaters with theatrical adaptations of the books being released fairly often over the past decades. Harry Potter's box office average per movie was around $1,000,000,000 a figure that is very close to the LOTR's average of around $ 990,000,000. After the movies, interests explodes: Even before the series of movies came out, there was already a large fan base for each of these themes, but once the first movies starting showing in theaters, interest in both started to really get even more spread around. Merchandise and a great varieties of products going from video games to action figures, passing through theme parks (HP) were developed based on the success of the movies. And that is how we got two have two very interesting LEGO themes dedicated to both series.
      Now that we have compared the success of this themes outside of our main area of interest, we are prepared to go ahead and see how the one that has already been retired has been performing, so that afterwards, we can go ahead and analyze each of the sets on the LOTR first wave and finish with a more accurate prediction about where this theme might be going.
      Taking a look at the Harry Potter theme average CAGR on Brickpicker's data section, we see that the theme places on the Top 20 of all the LEGO themes has released over the course of the years, and considering that it ran for almost a decade including more than 50 different sets, that is a very respectable figure. If you go in a little deeper into the data for individual sets, I can tell you that you won't find even one set of this theme that has not increased in value after being retired. You heard that right, not even one single set with data available from Brickpicker has ever depreciated or even stagnated at its retail value. Pretty impressive if you ask me.
      For your information purposes, and to not make this article as long as it could be, next I will present the price guide information of some of the recently retired sets from Harry Potter, as well as some that have already been retired for a few years, to later get into how I think this will be helpful in giving some insights into the LOTR's future performance.
      - 10217 Diagon Alley (2025 pieces)

      - 4842 Hogwarts Castle (1290 Pieces)

      - 5378 Hogwarts Castle (943 Pieces)

      - 4766 Graveyard Duel (548 Pieces)

      - 4711 Flying Lesson (23 Pieces)

      As you will notice from the tables above, there have been a large variety of sets released under the Harry Potter name over a 10 year period, but no matter how old, how big or small, how well known or not, any of these sets has been, the commonality between all of them is a very simple but important one: SUBSTANTIAL PRICE APPRECIATION
      Now that we have some accurate information about how the very comparable them of Harry Potter has performed over the years, is time to analyze this in the context of the Lord of the Rings.
      Despite the multiple similarities that exist between Harry Potter and the LOTR, the latter has a big advantage that has to be considered to be able and make an accurate analysis, and that is the time it has been around and its popularity over that period. As said before, the Lord of The Rings was first published on 1954 and if we count The Hobbit, it actually has been around for well before that. During this time, the theme has stayed highly popular, especially with adults, and more recently it has added another range of age groups into its fan base, thanks to the release of the movies. As a result, it can be safely said that the LOTR has stood out and passed the test of time already, and that means that more than likely it will stay at least as popular as it has always been.
      On the other hand, Harry Potter is a fairly recent phenomenon, that started and finished very quickly, and despite still being very popular franchise, one has to wonder if that will last over the course of the next few years or just fade away once more time has passed without the addition of new content.
      I would say that now that the table is set, we can go ahead and evaluate every individual set* from the Lord of the Rings theme first wave, before going ahead and leaving you with you my last comments.
      * Not including promotional sets or polybags.
      - 9469 Gandalf Arrives

      My Analysis: Despite being the smallest one of the LOTR's first wave, this set represents one of the most iconic scenes of the whole trilogy, since it represents the scene that could be considered the beginning of the long journey ahead. A very affordable set that includes two of the most important, but also common, characters in the series, this set can net you some small profits once it reaches retirement, even if only by parting out and selling individually. These have also been spotted on clearance recently for as low as $ 9.00, that makes it an much better deal.
      - 9470 Shelob Attacks

      My Analysis: One of the best deals of the whole theme when considering its low PPP ratio ($ 0.09), this set is sure to be a winner once retired. In this set you are not only getting Samwise Gamgee's exclusive minifig, along with Frodo and Gollum, but also included is a really cool brick built Shelob that is highly unlikely to make a reappearance in the future. To me, it is this fact that will drive the growth of this set after going EOL, since it is not very often that you get to build a creature as cool as Shelob out of LEGO bricks, plus every Lord of the Rings collector will need to add the giant spider to their collection in order to really be able to say they have at least the most important scenes of the series.
      Sam is likely to be re released in the future on some other set, but if for any reason it is not, then we will see 9470 explode in value even more. You just can't have a Lord of the Rings collection without him.
      Value prediction: $ 50 by the end of 2014
      - 9471 Uruk-Hai Army

      My Analysis: A necessary addition to 9474 Battle of Helm's Deep, the value of this set relies on its compatibility with said set as wells as the inclusion of the exclusive Eomer minifig, not likely to make a comeback in any future release. Several minifigs and a pretty decent price tag make this one a great candidate for parting out. My recommendation for investors is to buy at least 1 of these for every Helm's Deep you own to sell later as a combo and maximize your profits. Great army builder.
      Value prediction: around $ 52 about a year after retirement
      - 9472 Attack On Weathertop

      My Analysis: One of the most iconic scenes of the first movie of the series, but at the same time one of the most negatively seen sets by most investors and slightly over priced. In my opinion, this set will give a lot of people a great surprise in a couple of years, mostly due to the fact that will more than likely be the only set that includes the Ringwraiths, who are VIPs in the LOTR series.
      An extra incentive for getting this set is the exclusive Merry minifig, but quite honestly I don't see TLG restraining him to only one set in the whole theme.
      Value Prediction: Look for this set to double in value two years from now.
      - 9473 Mines of Moria

      My Analysis: This set has one of the best PPP ratios of the whole theme, and it gets even better when you realize it has been heavily discounted for long periods of time. Only set as of this date to include the exclusive Boromir and Cave Troll maxifig, who are both characters unlikely to be brought back in future releases. LOTR collectors will be all over this set to be able to complete the Fellowship. Some investors and fans don't like this set too much given its "openness", but since this is your typical playset t
      Besides those two, Pippin is also exclusive, but unlikely to stay that way for much longer. Great play features and the iconic scene it represents make this a winner in my book.
      Value Prediction: if it follows some of the patterns set by HP, I see this one selling for at least $ 125 in one and a half years after retirement.
      - 9476 Orc Forge

      My Analysis: One of the most unique sets I have ever seen, and a Target exclusive. I don't see this set duplicating the performance of the well known The Zombies just for being exclusive to the same store, but I do feel it will perform extremely well in the secondary market. Completely different look than all of the other LOTR sets, the Orc Forge will enjoy the status of being the set that grows faster in value thanks to the upcoming Orthanc Tower. The fact that TLG will probably have these two sets in the shelves at different times pretty much guarantees that not everyone that wants to pair them will get the chance to do so at retail pricing. DO NOT get caught without one well before 10237 is released. Set this as your # 1 Priority.
      Value Prediction: this set will probably double in value in a little less than a year if as many people as I think end up wanting to pair this set with their Orthanc. Best potential of all of the LOTR sets in my opinion.
      - 9474 Battle of Helm's Deep

      My Analysis: This is the flagship set of the whole LOTR first wave of sets. One of the sets I consider to be part of the "castle" type, this one represents one of the most iconic scenes of the whole series, and is sure to be one of the most popular sellers once it is retired. The one with the best display value of the theme so far also includes two exclusives never to be seen again (probably) in King Theoden and Haldir the elf. Theoden already goes for a large amount of $$$ on ebay, and if it stays exclusive to this set then we will probably see the impact of that on sealed 9474s. The Battle of Helm's Deep comes with a great number of interesting play features and the possibility to extend the walls by doing MOCs or simply purchasing several Uruk Hai Army sets.
      Value Prediction: I expect this set to take a page from Hogwarts Castle and go close to $ 225 just a few months after it is retired. It is just to good and iconic to perform any other way.
       ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      So, you just finished reading my individual set analysis and are left wondering how in the world can I be such an optimist regarding every single set of this one theme. My answer to that is quite simple and touches on some of the same points I did before when comparing this theme to Harry Potter.
      All of the sets included in the Lord of the Rings first wave, and even those that are coming in the summer now, is as good or most of the times better than most of the sets released over the life cycle of Harry Potter. Take another look to the sets examined above and you will have a very hard time to find even one set that you don't distinctly remember from the movies or even the books, because it so happens that all of the sets that LEGO has currently produced under the license recreate some of the most iconic scenes in the movies.
      Even more, unlike Harry Potter, the Lord of the Rings hype and popularity will continue to increase for at least a couple of years more thanks to the current production and release of The Hobbit movies. This fact alone will keep bringing more people into the theme, and some of them in turn be interested in acquiring the LEGO sets representing their favorite scenes.
      Last but not least important, the Lord of the Rings LEGO theme will probably not have any of the sets remade ever again, making the value of every single set originally released and retired to increase at a faster pace and sustain that growth for a longer period of time. How many of you remember how many Hogwarts Castle were produced over the 10 year period of LEGO Harry Potter? at least three large ones. This is something that more than likely will not happen with sets like Helm's Deep, so you better make sure that you get some of these sets and add them to your Brickfolio as soon as possible.
      I can't finish this article and leave my own question unanswered, so let's get to do that quickly and directly to the point: Will Middle Earth replicate the success of the Wizarding World (LEGO)?
      My answer would be a resounding Yes.
      Thanks for reading.
       
    • Fcbarcelona101
      Now that Quacs has dissected the real value and investment viability of this lot when it comes to complete sets, I wanted to give you all some perspective and information about a very different way to consider the potential of the lot: Parting out the whole lot.
      When you start to think about just how many parts are included in this lot, it becomes quickly apparent that there is a lot of upside to opening every single set and selling each brick on a Bricklink store. But let's evaluate this thought a little further and really see the potential benefits for the investor/re-seller.
      First of all, I will assume that the buyer will pay the $ 13,500 asking price. Getting a larger discount will of course just make the potential profits even greater, but let's just focus on the "worst" case scenario:
      Total Number of Pieces: 183,318 MSRP: $ 18,747 Price Per Piece (MSRP): $ 0.102 Asking Price: $ 13,500 Price Per Piece (Asking Price):$ 0.074 Examining the price per piece based both on retail pricing of the sets as well as the seller's asking price we get two very different numbers. At $ 0.10 per piece based on retail the lot is actually not that bad to begin with, but once you consider the discounted price you get a very nice $ 0.074. When you consider that most sets have a higher part out value than MSRP even when they are available in the market, the appeal of this lot takes a very positive turn. (The following part out value is based on Bricklink's average price for the last 6 months for each element, including whole minifigs and instructions)
      Total Part Out Value of the Lot: $ 33,105.85
      Crazy, right? This number of course assumes you are able to sell every single brick and minifig for every single one of the sets included in the lot, and ignores all expenses associated with packaging, time, shipping, etc. The only expense I was able to include just to give you a little estimate would be Bricklink's commission from the sales (3%), that amount to around $ 1,000 when all is said and done. That would mean you would get around $ 32,000 for around $ 13,000 in profit.
      Even if these numbers may look incredible at first glance, there are several things you have to consider. There are a large amount very desirable and expensive pieces in this lot from sets like the modulars, UCS, and some others as well as a very large quantity of somewhat expensive minifigs that account for a very significant part of the total value of the lot. Just to give you an idea, you would get around $2,200 just by parting out the 3 10188 Death Stars that are included!
      Also good to keep in mind is the fact that the number above represents an ideal scenario that is not realistic by any means. There are several costs and drawbacks to parting out LEGO sets, let alone hundreds of them. Some of them are listed below:
      Time: Parting out and sorting just one set is a very daunting and time consuming task. To do the same with hundreds of them, including some very large ones, would take a lot of dedication and a very organized storage space to make finding parts a lot easier when selling Not every part included is in high demand. This means that when the time comes to sell, you will for sure have a large quantity of slow moving common pieces that will take a long time to sell, and in all likelihood you just won't be able to sell all of them. This is to me a key disadvantage in this case, as I find no accurate way to really find and estimate the cost of those slow movers. These two are to me the most important things a potential buyer should consider if the objective is parting out the sets. You can see that the potential revenue is very significant, but it would take someone who is really polished in this kind of strategy with an already set up Bricklink store to be able to maximize the profits by parting out.This is not something I would ever consider attempting myself, but it is an opportunity for someone willing to take the plunge.
      I attached an Excel file based on Quacs work along with some of the data I collected as far as part out values and number of pieces. I included them on a table format so that you would be able to sort whatever way serves you best.
      Thanks for reading, and special thanks to Quacs for his work on this and for allowing me to expand on his analysis.
       
      Houston lot 3.xlsx (29.85KB) : 23
    • Fcbarcelona101
      This entry of our regular BrickIndex spotlight features a set that some of you may be surprised to find in the list at this point: the 10189 Taj Mahal.
      The largest set (by piece count) that LEGO has ever produced has been retired for around three full years and has a current market value of almost $ 1,600 according to last month's data. It is quite amazing that an incredibly expensive set like this finds a place in the Top 20 (#19) fastest growing sets of the past 6 months, but with a growth of around 44% over the period, the Taj has rightfully earned its current spot.
      I really don't know for sure, but the way LEGO has been releasing sets over the past few years has me thinking that this may very well be one of the last times we see a set with such a high MSRP and Piece count. I had some hopes for the Sidney Opera House to be very close to this model in both aspects just because the structure, in my opinion, was the perfect choice to bring back a crazy amount of pieces and a higher retail to cater to the AFOL community. The released model still does this to an extent, but I feel that it was a signal that LEGO is not thinking too much about releasing sets of this size anymore (MF and Taj).
      Having said that, let's examine some of the performance numbers for this set over the last year:


      As you can see, for a set of such high value there are several New and Used copies sold per month, suggesting strong demand. The holiday spike in sets sold is pretty clear in the second graph.
      As far as market value is concerned, the set has grown over 40% in the past 6 months, a very significant percentage and dollar amount when you consider the price of the set. The growth in value since December has been quite admirable, going from $ 1,100 to almost $ 1,600 in that short period of time, a very nice return for such a short holding period. There is something that I want to note, however, and it is the fact that in the past 12 months the set has grown almost the exact same percentage as it has over the last six. Why is that? well, as you can see on the market value graph the December Effect is present once again bringing the set down almost a full $200 relative to its November value and back to the price it was selling for in the month of June 2012. Effectively, the set lost all its growth from the second semester of 2012 in one single month. Since then, it has recovered and broken the previous resistance level of around $ 1,300.
      Now into my analysis of where the set might be going from this point forward. It is my belief that this set will continue growing over the next couple of years product of being the largest set ever and outstanding level of detail. Having said that, at this precise moment I can't really recommend anyone to purchase this set, as I think that a safer play for those interested in investing in the set would be to wait until the month of December where the model will probably dip in value once again to a price lower than it currently is. The December Effect is actually a quite helpful situation that retired set investors or even collectors can take advantage of in the case of these large sets.
      As a result, my recommendation at this point is really split two ways. First, for those that plan on selling the set this year, doing so now or at least before the end of November would maximize your profits. Assuming the December Effect repeats this year again, as I think it will, you would be losing a significant amount of money by selling then. Second, those who own the set and are not considering selling just yet can probably be sure that they will continue to see the value of their holding grow at a decent pace into the end of 2014, in my opinion.
      Recommendation: HOLD/SELL (7/11/2013)
    • comicblast
      Thanks to those of you who have been reading this series of the LEGO Star Wars BrickIndex Top 20 Performers! If you are just picking up here, here's a small introduction to what I have been writing about.
      One of the helpful features of BrickPicker is that it provides the values of LEGO sets from various themes throughout the LEGO world. Another is that BrickPicker does a basic analysis of sets from a certain theme, and finds the Top 20 Performers of that theme, or of all themes. One theme that particularly interests me is LEGO Star Wars. In the following article, I will be making a more in-depth analysis of the Top 20 Performers of LEGO Star Wars in increments of 5. You can read the first entry by clicking here.
      6. 8031-1: V-19 Torrent
      7. 10175-1: Vader's TIE Advanced
      8. 20018-1: BrickMaster AT-AT Walker
      9. 8009-1: R2-D2
      10. 10179-1: Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon

       

      6. 8031-1: V-19 Torrent
       This is the first polybag thus far in the Top 20 SW BrickIndex. This set plays a fairly important role throughout the Clone Wars TV show, but to me, does not particularly stand out amongst other vehicles. Prior to the month of February 2013, this set saw stability, mainly slightly above the $7 mark. After the holidays however, it saw a growth in value.If we compare the number of sets sold and the sold price, we see some correlation in between the two charts.

      **Please note that the Units Sold has been divided by a factor of 5 in order to better show change.** In particular, pay attention to the region in the red box, which shows a very close relationship between the Units Sold, and the Value Amount. As more are sold, the value increases, because once a unit is sold, the supply goes down, but demand stays more or less the same. This is fairly unique circumstance because usually when the price is higher, there are less sales, in anticipation for a lower price.
       
      This is the first set that originates from the Clone Wars. My prediction of why it has done better than many of its “kin” is because of its low cost. The majority of the targeted audience of the Clone Wars TV show is children, in the 5-12 range. Because they do not have high paying jobs, and rely on allowances for gifts, often small things will have to make a substitute for larger things, in this case, the V-19 Torrent polybag serves as a substitute for the larger V-19 Torrent.
      7. 10175-1: Vader's TIE Advanced
      Vader’s TIE Advanced plays an iconic role in the epic chase between Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader, which ultimately results in the destruction of the Death Star. Because of the nature of its origination (in the climax of Episode IV: A New Hope), it is one of the most iconic scenes and vehicles of the movie, lesser than very popular ships like the Death Star itself. The build is much stronger than those of regular TIE Fighters more commonly found, with a stronger structure connecting the wings to the main central cockpit.
      In the last 6 months, this set has increased in value over $100, up from $255 to $357. This is a prime example of an set that can serve as an investment even several years after its retirement. If this set continues is current trajectory until the holidays, it should be a $350+ set at the start of 2014.
      8. 20018-1: BrickMaster AT-AT Walker
      The 20018 BrickMaster AT-AT Walker is the second polybag in the Top 20 Performers, and the first promotional item. BrickMaster was a program in which subscribers paid a flat fee of about $40, and then receive “two coupons for use at LEGOshop.com, 6 LEGO models (delivered by mail to your home every other month); 6 issues of the Brickmaster magazine with Bionicle comics; and one coupon for one free admission to LEGOLAND California.” * BrickMaster lasted from November 2007 to June 2011, and included 3 LEGO Star Wars BrickMaster sets, one of whom was 20018 AT-AT Walker. Because of the exclusivity of the availability of the set, and because it is one of the most iconic vehicles in the Star Wars world, it is not a surprise that it is valued so highly. Unlike the V-19 Torrent polybag however, the growth in value doesn’t reflect the quantity sold. It is rather the opposite.


       **Please Note: The units sold has been lowered by a factor of 10 in order to better show change.**

      If we focus into the region in the red box, we see nearly mirrored movements, which is usual. Generally when there are more sales, the value is less, due to increased availability.

      * Quote from http://voices.yahoo.com/review-lego-brickmaster-club-membership-2457109.html.



      9. 8009-1: R2-D2
      This is one of the few LEGO Technic and Star Wars sets, and they have generally been strong performers. This particular model is very nice because it has several moving parts, as well as since it stars the universally recognizable R2-D2. Though R2-D2 has never uttered a single word, with his counterpart C3P0 usually translating, he is loved throughout the world. I see very little correlation between the number of sets sold and the value amount, as there is a highly variable amount of sets sold per month. The price of 8009 R2-D2, had largely remained constant around the mid-to-high 30’s, in the 6 months before February 2013. In March 2013, the highest number of new sets were sold at 17. The value of R2-D2 also increased about $7, which is the largest change in value we had seen for several months. It has slowly increased in the last 3 months to rest at a value of $49.00.
      Note: I expect the UCS R2-D2 to do similarly in value, at least doubling. Pick those up!!
      10. 10179-1: Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon
      What can be said of this gem of a LEGO set? Only that it is the most valuable LEGO set ever, and is still climbing!! When the 10179 UCS Millennium Falcon was first released, few who wanted it could afford it. Those who could afford it were in for a little treat…
      At just a glance, the value of the UCS Millennium Falcon looks to be all over the place, varying in value $500 some months! Do not be fooled! The Falcon is just about as sure an investment as you can get, and as sure a display. What is the key to the set’s success? Well, this is one of the few, few, UCS sets to have more than 2 minifigures. The whole set is minifigure scale, which gives it some edge over other UCS sets that it can accommodate them. Also, this is the largest UCS set ever. In addition, this is the most expensive UCS set, which makes it much harder for many to afford. One thing that does not go for this set is production run. This set ran for three and a half years, which is longer than sets usually last in retailers for. Does this hurt this set as an investment? Sure, maybe 100 investors were able to get a handful more each, but the value of the set does not diminish no matter how many more you might put on the market!
       
       
    • akohns
      I know I've seen a few people say a few things about sourcing shipping boxes so I wanted to share that you can get free USPS priority boxes at your Post Office or online. Flat rate boxes are going to be good for really heavy lots (probably over 6-7lb or more) and all the boxes with an "O" in the title followed by a code are just general use Priority boxes. I just found boxes that will fit the Orc Forges I bought allowing for a layer of bubble wrap to go around. Just be aware that, though these boxes are very ridged and crush resistant you are taking some risk sending medium sized sets in boxes like this.
      https://store.usps.com/store/browse/subcategory.jsp?categoryId=subcatMSS_PriorityMail&categoryNavIds=catGetMailingShippingSupplies%3AsubcatMSS_PriorityMail
      Also I find the moving boxes at Lowes Home Improvement to be large enough to fit larger sets in a pinch and are under $2 a box. You'll need a box cutter to bring the box down to size but this alway keeps me getting packages out on time when I run out of large boxes.
       


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