Reddit Comment against LEGO investing

[Ed Mack]

Investing in LEGO bricks is a risk like any other investment. It takes money, space, time, research and some luck to make money. I have never seen a LEGO toy isle in a major retailer "empty" of product, so the idiots complaining that their kids can't get their XMAS presents because of investors are either jealous or don't have the resources and the fortitude to carry through on the idea of LEGO investing. The one difference I see with a LEGO investor in comparison to other collectible's investors is that LEGO investors enjoy and use the product most of the time. Can Beanie Babies investors say that? How about Cabbage Patch Kid investors? Maybe some Baseball Card collectors did before the card companies produced billions of worthless cards. The one collectible's market that I see most closely replicates the LEGO market is Barbie Dolls. Nobody talks about a Barbie Doll bubble and some dolls sell for $20,000.00+. Go figure...

[Rich B]

^^ I like these comparisons!! Both Beanie Babies and Baseball Cards have zero playability. However, I find it strange that Cabbage Patch Kid dolls haven't done well like Barbie dolls. I mean they have the playability like Barbie Dolls don't they??

[Ed Mack]

^^ I like these comparisons!! Both Beanie Babies and Baseball Cards have zero playability. However, I find it strange that Cabbage Patch Kid dolls haven't done well like Barbie dolls. I mean they have the playability like Barbie Dolls don't they??

Cabbage Patch dolls were freaky. My sister had several. Cute idea with the names and all. Barbie Dolls are a classic toy, just like LEGO bricks. In case you never read my article on Barbie Dolls and LEGO sets, check it out.

[kutaone]

Does anyone remember the M.A.S.K. action figures and vehicles? Those sell for a small fortune now too... ...and Hot Wheels too!

[Ed Mack]

Does anyone remember the M.A.S.K. action figures and vehicles? Those sell for a small fortune now too...

...and Hot Wheels too!

There are some toys that really appreciate well. I was looking at the old "SHOGUN WARRIORS" the other day on eBay. Cool stuff...and pricey.

[TheOrcKing]

Does anyone remember the M.A.S.K. action figures and vehicles? Those sell for a small fortune now too...

M-M-M-M.A.S.K.!

Remember "The Real Ghostbusters" cartoon? There's another set of collectibles....

Had all those action figures & vehicles when I was a kid. Even Ecto-1.

Anyway, here's a thought. Anytime somebody picks up something from the shelf and buys it, that means there is one less of that item in the store right? So by the logic of the persons in the article, we should be angry with anyone and everyone that buys something because that means there is one less set to buy/collect/invest in. Doesn't make sense?

Congratulations, you are sane.

I'm going to end this on a concise note.

People will complain, point fingers, and/or blame something or someone else for whatever reason or excuse.

And there is nothing that can be done about it.

Whatever, I have more important things to do like build that Ferrari Testarossa out of LEGO I've been designing.

[Doofy McGee]

M.A.S.K. as in Mobile Armored Strike Kommand??? The guys with the magnets on their feet?? I loved those! I remember being a kid and wanting them so badly that I thought I would commit murder if that's what it took to get them!

[TheOrcKing]

I remember being a kid and wanting them so badly that I thought I would commit murder if that's what it took to get them!

YEAH....wait, what?! (Heh heh.)

Just kiddin, I loved those and the cartoon!

Masked crusaders

working overtime

fighting crime.

Fighting crime!

Secret raiders

who will neutrilize

soon as they arrive

(at the site!)

Trakker's gonna lead the mission,

and Spectrum's got such super vision!

M-M-M-M.A.S.K.!

M.A.S.K., is the mighty power that can save the day.

M-M-M-M.A.S.K.!

M.A.S.K., no one knows what lies behind the masked charades.

M-M-M-M.A.S.K.!

M.A.S.K., always riding hot on V.E.N.O.M.'s trail.

Come see the lazer rays....

FIRE AWAY!!!!

Just for fun here's a couple of links.

M.A.S.K. Theme - The Extended Cut

M.A.S.K. - Cover by VideoMicro

[Jackson]

Maybe people who think they want to invest in Lego sets will quickly change their minds when they encounter the fees and all the work and time it takes to list, package, and ship Lego sets.

[Rich B]

Maybe people who think they want to invest in Lego sets will quickly change their minds when they encounter the fees and all the work and time it takes to list, package, and ship Lego sets.

Very true, making money from investing in Lego is no simple task, especially if you want to do it on a large scale. You need a lot of money upfront in order to buy the sets you want to invest in. Then you need room at your house to store everything. You can also pay for a storage facility when you have no room at your house, but doing that cuts into your profits. Don't forget you will also need to purchase shelves to store everything. Then if you sell online you have to pay Ebay or Amazon a cut, and if you use Paypal they take a cut as well. Then you need boxes, bubble wrap, shipping tape, etc. Not to scare anyone, just saying it's not as easy as some may think. Just some of the negative things to think about when getting started. But remember, as with anything in life, hard work can definitely pay off.

[stephen_rockefeller]

I think what got some people interested is when it was said that LEGO investing outperforms the stock market. While this may be true, I dont think that takes into account all the expenses that Rich listed. There is no space required to invest in the stock market.

[Jackson]

As an example of how much the fees will cut into one's profit, here are some numbers from a recent eBay sale of mine. I bought a LEGO set for $39.99 and listed the set on eBay. The buyer on eBay paid me $64.97. A nice profit of $24.98! Right? No. After the eBay fees, PayPal fee, USPS postage fee, and cost of the shipping box and the shipping label, I made a profit of just $5.71. And that $5.71 doesn't take into account my time, as in the time it took me to list, package, and ship the set.

[jaisonline]

Hi Jackson, Can you breakdown the fees ? That seems high for a $60ish sale. I assume you provided free shipping?

[Jackson]

Hi Jackson,

Can you breakdown the fees ? That seems high for a $60ish sale. I assume you provided free shipping?

Yes. The buyer didn't pay anything more for shipping.

eBay insertion fee: $0.20

eBay Final Value fee: $6.40

PayPal fee: $2.18

USPS postage fee: $9.72

Shipping box: $0.73

Shipping label: $0.04

[jaisonline]

Yeah, that is about right. PayPal plus eBay is usually 10% +/- 2% for most auctions. I was an eBay Power Seller but quit the program 1 yr after sellers were no longer allowed to leave neg feedback. Why didn't you charge for shipping? I think the Lego community sorta expects to pay for postage due to Lego boxes, size, price, etc... Just curious - not challenging you.

[kutaone]

That's a 15%(ish) return by simply putting something in the mail.

[jaisonline]

That's a 15%(ish) return by simply putting something in the mail.

yeah, not too bad.

[Ed Mack]

yeah, not too bad.

Well, if you look at it that way, that's a solid return. If you put it in terms of an hourly wage, he made less than the minimum wage for his efforts. LEGO investing is a grind. There is no easy money here...but there is money.

[littlenicky]

Nowadays, you almost HAVE to put free shipping to get front page results and to achieve top seller status. eBay now runs on DSR ratings and if a customer is somehow unsatisfied, they can almost ruin you if they wanted to. Is this right? No. But, eBay pretty much controls everything. So, as a seller, you simply at their mercy and have to adjust to their rules of the ball game. If you reach to powerseller and top seller status, they'll knock off 20% off your final value fees. Maybe you could find a cheaper alternative to sending the item. Is the item small? Are you using USPS? If so, they offer free boxes for use with Priority. That would cut out the box costs assuming there is a box right for your set. If you are using Fedex or UPS, maybe give them a call and see if you can negotiate a cheaper rate. Assuming you are doing a decent amount of business, they may work with you in giving you a minimal discount at the very worst. In the meantime, you just have to always keep your eyes peeled for good deals. Good luck.

[kutaone]

yeah, not too bad.

Well, if you look at it that way, that's a solid return. If you put it in terms of an hourly wage, he made less than the minimum wage for his efforts. LEGO investing is a grind. There is no easy money here...but there is money.

Exactly but ANYTHING requires you to do something. I am not sure how much time it takes to relist an item and then slap a new label on it....I would just ship in the package I got it in... In my mind this should take 5-10 mins...15 mins tops.

I guess i would rather make a few bucks doing something mindless as listing and putting stuff in the mail than the stuff i do professionally like make sales presentations, deal with contractors, sell a house etc. I have never lost sleep selling LEGO sets.

I am certainly not saying that selling ANYTHING is not some work but it's the simple mindless work that makes it easy and fun for me.

Although I do stand corrected on a comment I made before... It is not simple to unload LEGO sets if you have a new account. I switched from a personal account to one I set up under a LLC and it has been a SOB to get those first few sales. I have items that would have sold for more on my other account that don't sell at all on my new account. I took my established feedback on my personal account for granted.

Investing in LEGO is not simple, obviously, but it's not difficult either.

There isn;t a right answer here so i am not debating anyone. I am simply giving my opinion on my experiences.

[TheOrcKing]

All I am going to say is "Doing the right thing or anything worthwhile is never easy." Period.

[jaisonline]

yeah, not too bad.

Well, if you look at it that way, that's a solid return. If you put it in terms of an hourly wage, he made less than the minimum wage for his efforts. LEGO investing is a grind. There is no easy money here...but there is money.

ed,

so true.

Selling on ebay is a "grind" regardless.

i sold tickets to past bcs title games and even that was ample work (getting paid on time, shipping the tickets, upgrading shipping at my expense to make sure the tix are received a few days prior to the game, setting up the auction listing). sure, i was getting more profit % but it was still "involved".

Selling on eBay is a choice but we don't have much chance for selling Lego sets. There are other options (like mentioned in the recent shipping article) but each method has a list of Pros and Cons.

[tigereyes5811]

Well I've thought about something. Does it really matter if a investor/collector buy 1-5 or 20 or even 50 sets if they can afford it??? I mean the only thing I can see that LEGO can do to make the bubble burst is make too much of a certain set? Just as in inflation in our economic system. As long as LEGO controls how many sets are made and don't over saturate the market I feel as investors it will be ok. For example if they decide to make a 100,000 Grand Emporiums. The main number is 100,000. Does it matter if Ed and Jeff have 50 of each??? Wouldn't the value still be the same regardless. The only difference is more or less people owns the set no? Also another good investment idea is investing in little sets that you can build armies with because you can always break the sets down and flip your money that way also. So many ways too make $$$$ in LEGO!!!!

[Ed Mack]

yeah, not too bad.

Well, if you look at it that way, that's a solid return. If you put it in terms of an hourly wage, he made less than the minimum wage for his efforts. LEGO investing is a grind. There is no easy money here...but there is money.

Exactly but ANYTHING requires you to do something. I am not sure how much time it takes to relist an item and then slap a new label on it....I would just ship in the package I got it in... In my mind this should take 5-10 mins...15 mins tops.

I guess i would rather make a few bucks doing something mindless as listing and putting stuff in the mail than the stuff i do professionally like make sales presentations, deal with contractors, sell a house etc. I have never lost sleep selling LEGO sets.

I am certainly not saying that selling ANYTHING is not some work but it's the simple mindless work that makes it easy and fun for me.

Although I do stand corrected on a comment I made before... It is not simple to unload LEGO sets if you have a new account. I switched from a personal account to one I set up under a LLC and it has been a SOB to get those first few sales. I have items that would have sold for more on my other account that don't sell at all on my new account. I took my established feedback on my personal account for granted.

Investing in LEGO is not simple, obviously, but it's not difficult either.

There isn;t a right answer here so i am not debating anyone. I am simply giving my opinion on my experiences.

My comment was not made to deter people from becoming LEGO investors. It was meant to put things in perspective. A 15% return on any investment is fantastic and you can expect to see that in LEGO investing with minimal effort...but there is effort. It is a job. People have to decide what is "payback" is acceptable to them considering the effort and time invested. I am the biggest proponent of LEGO investing on the planet, but I am being honest with people here. It is a second job if you really want to make money on a large scale.

[kutaone]

Well said everyone. Maybe a good word to describe LEGO investing is tedious??