Does anyone here invest in Lego for a living or make great money per year?

[Snowcrash]

Something else about people who Spend Thousands on Lego's or Toys or just about anything and they see that stuff just sitting in the corner or in there house alot of people start saying to there self I must be crazy buying all that stuff, and then the wife gets on you, we need a new roof or a new car etc, and you are out spending thousands on Lego's and whats bad about it we have to wait 2-5 years and hope to make money, and then thats when the guy cracks and then he starts selling stuff hoping to at least break even, and then there are the guys that can't stand to just let that stuff sit there without selling something. I feel the same way once in a while, its killing me to look at my 61 Imperial Shuttles just stack high and I am not selling at least one. On Lego Sellers alone, the drop out rate in the first year is about 50 percent, 2 years 75 percent. On Ebay Discussion board there all 100's of horror stories on people who crack when the key is wait 2-5 years to make money. Ed

Ed, you're already "in the money" on this set, so you should feel very good about that. I'm assuming you accumulated them slowly when they were on sale for an even bigger profit, but even at retail you've made some money. It seems unlikely that the set will lose value at this point, so barring a catastrophe on your end you only have to sit back and wait for the optimum time to sell. Even if you ran into an unexpected financial crises and had to liquidate quickly you should still be able to make a profit.

I do think that anyone who thinks there's even a chance they might need the money they're going to put into their Lego investment in the next 5 years needs to rethink the entire enterprise. This is not, repeat NOT a short or even medium term investment. If your horizon is 5 years though you should expect to do very well indeed.

[Rich B]

Could be the first train to hit that mark......I don't think there are any. What is the most expensive train in the secondary market? I'm gonna make you earn the title of resident train expert that in gave you

Haha, here ya go:

The most expensive train I am aware of is the Holiday Train 10173 which retailed for $90 and is now going for $433. Now while that is the most valuable individual train set that I am aware of, technically the orignial 9V Santa Fe is the most valuable, however it was sold in 3 separate sets (10020 which is the engine, 10025 car 1, and 10022 car 2). Below are the retail and current values for the Santa Fe based on Brickpicker data.

10020: retail $40, currently $254

10022: retail $35, currently $277

10025: retail $35, currently $189

So a total current value for the Santa Fe would be $720, not bad for a $110 retail price. Hope that was a good enough response in order for me to retain the crown and title of Brickpickers resident train expert ;)

[stephen_rockefeller]

Ed, you're already "in the money" on this set, so you should feel very good about that. I'm assuming you accumulated them slowly when they were on sale for an even bigger profit, but even at retail you've made some money. It seems unlikely that the set will lose value at this point, so barring a catastrophe on your end you only have to sit back and wait for the optimum time to sell. Even if you ran into an unexpected financial crises and had to liquidate quickly you should still be able to make a profit.

I do think that anyone who thinks there's even a chance they might need the money they're going to put into their Lego investment in the next 5 years needs to rethink the entire enterprise. This is not, repeat NOT a short or even medium term investment. If your horizon is 5 years though you should expect to do very well indeed.

At retail someone is only in the money by a few bucks! People who are selling this set right now are nuts unless they paid a ridiculously low price for it. The lowest I saw this set for from a retailer was 160+ tax and shipping. I don't know what Ed paid for his 61 shuttles but I guarantee it was nowhere close to retail.

[stephen_rockefeller]

Haha, here ya go:

The most expensive train I am aware of is the Holiday Train 10173 which retailed for $90 and is now going for $433. Now while that is the most valuable individual train set that I am aware of, technically the orignial 9V Santa Fe is the most valuable, however it was sold in 3 separate sets (10020 which is the engine, 10025 car 1, and 10022 car 2). Below are the retail and current values for the Santa Fe based on Brickpicker data.

10020: retail $40, currently $254

10022: retail $35, currently $277

10025: retail $35, currently $189

So a total current value for the Santa Fe would be $720, not bad for a $110 retail price. Hope that was a good enough response in order for me to retain the crown and title of Brickpickers resident train expert

great info......thanks!

[Rich B]

No prob, you know I love my trains!

[stephen_rockefeller]

I saw some dude on ebay selling HEs but in custom colors, they looked pretty cool but like most customs on eBay the price was just stupid!

[Snowcrash]

I thought the shuttle was going for around $350 or so on ebay. Even after fees and shipping someone who paid retail should, theoretically be "in the money" by approx. $10 or so. That's not a good margin, and there's no room for error, but many investments fail miserably so profits are profits. Like I said though Ed's been doing this for far too long so I highly doubt he paid retail for any of his sets. Even if he did he isn't going to waltz out and sell them for a 3% profit margin. This does illustrate though why its so important to keep track of all your expenses. If one were to say " I paid 260 for it, I sold it for 350. Lolz, I'm rich" you'd deserve to get ground up and spit out by the market. There's no red and green arrows here to neatly tabulate how much you've made/lost. Time to break out the spreadsheets.

[stephen_rockefeller]

Right.....around 350, so like I said you would only be in the money by a few bucks at retail. The people selling these on eBay right now fall into 1of 4 categories (probably) 1. They got amazing deals when it was available 2. They have no clue what they are doing. 3. Its some type of scam or 4. They fell on some type of financial hardship and need some quick money.

[Snowcrash]

Well, if there's one thing I've learned its that people are bad at math...

[stephen_rockefeller]

Well, if there's one thing I've learned its that people are bad at math...

Raises hand ;)

[CNH1974]

...er.... 1 + 1 is...... .....wait for it...... 11 woohoo - sings, 'I'm in the money, I'm in the money....'

[TheDarkness]

More money to spend on Lego this way :D

[Darth Lego]

Well, if there's one thing I've learned its that people are bad at math...

Here's another thing about some people... common sense is not so common.

[stephen_rockefeller]

Here's another thing about some people... common sense is not so common.raises hand again.

[CNH1974]

Here's another thing about some people... common sense is not so common.

This is what we rely on.

[StarCityBrickCompany]

I think there are still sets out there and sets that have yet to be made that have the potential to be $1000 sets.

Certainly there will be - but the MSRP might be $899 by then :)

[StarCityBrickCompany]

Could be the first train to hit that mark......I don't think there are any. What is the most expensive train in the secondary market? I'm gonna make you earn the title of resident train expert that in gave you

I think the 65524 Hogwarts Express could be the most expensive (not sure).

[StarCityBrickCompany]

I will also try to include an insurance option, or something along those lines.

FYI - If an ebay buyer doesn't pay extra for insurance, the seller is still fully accountable for the item arriving safely. Any insurance that is purchased is really only to protect the seller (since ebay policies already protect the buyer).

[CNH1974]

Yes I found that one out the hard way :(

[exciter1]

I know Emazers doesn't believe in this theory. There is still plenty of profit to be made in sets picked up at clearance prices. Especially if you get them 50% - 70% off retail price. These sets will still be sought after at Christmas time and you should probably turn most of them around a little quicker. No use in holding on to smaller sets for 2-3 years. One thing to note, it does take a little more work, but you can bundle up some stuff or make sure to have designated shipping days to save trips to your shipping depot.

[CNH1974]

Looking at the graphs on the price guide the numbers sold for any one set shoots up in Nov/Dec time (and surprising January). But do these sets actually sell for more than they would during the rest of the year? Does the market not flood and lower the selling price?

[StarCityBrickCompany]

Looking at the graphs on the price guide the numbers sold for any one set shoots up in Nov/Dec time (and surprising January). But do these sets actually sell for more than they would during the rest of the year? Does the market not flood and lower the selling price?

Conventional wisdon says yes (prices go up), but it isn't that clear-cut. There are many sellers that show up at Christmas time & sell at prices lower than they should. Most Christmas buyers are buying sets for kids & the kids mostly want what they see at the stores or in commercials (so they buy mostly newer sets). If the sets are currently out of stock, there certainly is a spike (since having the set available in Jan doesn't help you on Christmas morning). You also have to consider the fact that many adult collectors are spending the money they would normally be spending on themselves on others (which I find is a plus for Jan & Feb sales - when they start to spend on themselves again).

[emes]

Where does she find scores like that? Walmart? Walgreens? Are they usually clearance-type deals? What online sites does she usually buy from for reselling purposes?

She does a ton of research. When possible she buys things on clearance or on sale, but there are some items, mostly cosmetics, that can be purchased at retail and sold within a few months for very significant profits. Cosmetics are easy to store as well.

The Denorex I mentioned came from a local drug store. Basically she leaves no stone unturned. There's a market for most things out there if they can be purchased at a sufficiently low enough price. Look at all of the random nonsense that sells on eBay. Seriously, when I stay in a hotel I collect all of the free shampoos they give me because someone will want it. I don't care if I have to sell 10 for $5, it's still free money. Also there are limited edition items that people tend to get hooked on while they're available that can sometimes be purchased at retail and held until they're retired.

[emazers]

I sometimes buy the cheaper sets if I see a sale, Like 5 X-wings for $25.00 each Etc, but these sales don't come around everyday, and I am also get the sales on some Transformers and the New Ninja Turtle Playset TRU had for Christmas, Paid $100 each sold all 18 for $200-$250. But back to Lego Buying I still would rather have 50 Black Pearls Paid $60 each and 49 Queen Revenge I paid $80, Now take the TRU sale in Nov buy one get one half price well for 2 days TRU opened it up for The Shuttle 10212 and the Potter 10217. So I got the Shuttle for about $205.00 each and the 10217 for about $113.00 each, and when Lego had there say last May I went over the Lego Store and they had the Shuttles for $207 each. Or the Lego 8129 AT AT TRU had them on sale a few years ago for $83 in the store and online so I got 25 still have 20 left and they are selling for in the low $200's, I have 20 of the 10198 paid $100 each, the 10195 paid $175 when Lego had them on sale a few years ago 25 of them left. A I have 10 haunted Houses that I Paid $135-$150 for using 5 Amazon Cards getting all the Money Points, I just got $75 more from Amazon Credit Card Points and I ordered 2 more last night so that will make 12 of them. so that about $142 each, check the Amazon Invoice below. So all I am saying is the big buck money making is 95 percent with the big sets $100 and up,Good Exceptions The Funhouse, Friends Olivia's House, Hobbit The Gathering. So Buy what you think you can afford and make the most money. Ed Mail Contacts Calendar Your Order with Amazon.com Monday, February 25, 2013 8:12 PM From: "[email protected]" Add sender to Contacts To: "[email protected]" Amazon.com VIEW CART VIEW CART | WISH LIST | YOUR ACCOUNT | HELP Thanks for your order, Ed Mazerski! Want to manage your order online? If you need to check the status of your order or make changes, please visit our home page at Amazon.com and click on Your Account at the top of any page. Purchasing Information: Email Address: [email protected] Billing address Ed Mazerski Order grand total: $284.94 Get the Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card and get $30 instantly as an Amazon.com Gift Card. Order Summary: Shipping Details : (order will arrive in 1 shipment) Order #: 112-8958207-7705810 Shipping Method: Two-Day Shipping Items: $359.94 Shipping & handling: $0.00 ------ Total before tax: $359.94 Estimated tax to be collected: $0.00 ------ Total: $359.94 Rewards Points: -$75.00 ------ Order total: $284.94 Delivery estimate: Feb. 27, 2013 2 "LEGO Monster Fighters Haunted House 10229" LEGO; Toy; $179.97 In Stock Sold by: Amazon.com LLC

[Seifer]

Here goes my 2 cents on this topic... I entered the lego investing business not 2 months ago when I decided I wanted some more fun. And this is how I regard lego investing - as a hobby which can earn me some extra profit. But I have a steady job which is my main source of income. I love LEGOs and as a big fan I'd love to keep some of the nicer sets, but I also love the thrill of the hunt when hunting down those rare or EOL sets that have been left behind in some of the stores that aren't that frequented. My philosophy is to always buy a set cheaper than it sells on ebay - and by selling on ebay I don't look at the listings, but on how high the bidders are willing to pay for a set. Some sets don't bring a big margin for profit YET, but they will in time. Patience is a virtue in this business So far I invested in several sets and I can flip them this instant for a revenue of 30% of my investment. But I'll wait a year or two and we'll see how it goes.