Estate Sale Action - listing, lot pics and more

[Elkkthunder]

So as well all look to get legos we are tapping all resources

ebay

shopgoodwill

craigslist

i recently have had some success with estate sales. I realize they may be priced higher but have been good for some bulk lots and flips.

i hate seeing a listing and it's too far from me or can't tell what's in the lots pictured do I figured we could use this to share estate sale stories, post sale you see and more.

 

The below pictures are about 6 hrs from me

they are selling bins as a lot 

other items separately- 

 

Below is in texas

 

This is in georgia

 

Below is in Manasas virginia

 

I need family in more places

Edited August 14, 2015 by Elkkthunder

[conceptmachine]

Just curious, what is the largest lot you've ever come across?  I'd be happy with msrp at date of purchase.  I know i've spent at least 30K in the last 5 years.  Just thinking if there were any high rollers out there that could drop 40 to 50K on a basement full of stuff and hire a semi to haul it out.  

[Migration]

Just curious, what is the largest lot you've ever come across?  I'd be happy with msrp at date of purchase.  I know i've spent at least 30K in the last 5 years.  Just thinking if there were any high rollers out there that could drop 40 to 50K on a basement full of stuff and hire a semi to haul it out.  

the largest lot I've personally found was just under 300 pounds. It was a standard bulk lot with some sets complete, some in pieces about 60 instruction booklets and 250 pounds of mixed bricks. Paid around $500 for it. 

[dcdfan]

somethings wrong with my OS, keeps posting 2 times.  IDK

Nope. It happens all the time. It's not you.

[Alpinemaps]

Maybe it's a SoCal thing, but I never see estate sales come up that even mention Lego as a possibility.

[Elkkthunder]

Just curious, what is the largest lot you've ever come across?  I'd be happy with msrp at date of purchase.  I know i've spent at least 30K in the last 5 years.  Just thinking if there were any high rollers out there that could drop 40 to 50K on a basement full of stuff and hire a semi to haul it out.  

I found an older person sale that was a collector

Lego statue, modulars

all w/o boxed but still bagged like they never got around to building

I bought cafe corner, market st and ucs batmobile

kept cafe corner and sold the other 2 and paid for it all so I got cafe corner for free

 

I have not bought much bulk from estate sales yet, I am stalking them weekly now in my area of NY

[conceptmachine]

 Best find for me was about 5 years ago, I went into a garage sale and this fella must have had a collection that had spanned 20 years.  I didn't buy but only 8 to 10 sets that appealed to me at the time all for $25.  I know I could get around 1,000 just out of that  $25. I spent, but I find it a hassle to resell, I'm just a collector, besides, I really like them.   If I would have bought all his stuff, I probably would have spent around $400., but had an absolute ton of stuff to haul home and probably could have made a cool 10K easily in todays market.  It was a parent who bought for kids thru a course of them growing up and basically just wanted to unload them.  MOST sets had their box and instructions, but had a few missing parts.  I did grab one ziplock full of minifigs though.  Mostly pirates and castles.  I know for a fact if I asked to buy the lot for 250, he would have taken it.  It wasn't 10 minutes later after I was grabbing my stuff and loading it up a lady came in and bought the rest.  Good stuff doesn't sit long, especially at good prices.  I make a great living with my business, much better than I could do reselling stuff, so I just buy what appeals to me for the most part.  Sometimes I go overboard and collect a series even if I don't like all the sets.

[BrickStanley74]

Maybe it's the hangover I have, but I'm struggling to find any LEGO in that Texas picture...

[conceptmachine]

Stanley, I hear you, good deals are hard to find.  My best finds are just taking a couple hours off work on friday and hitting whatever garage sales are around.  I don't even check the paper, just go out and make a round.  My best finds are not looking in papers, etc.  Most people that have kids have legos today, so if you hit a garage sale first thing in the AM, chances are good that you'll find some sets, or at least something.  What I have noticed is that sometimes kids don't always put their cherished toys out on the tables.  Sometimes you can ask, "say, you have any legos you want to sell"  Sometimes you'll hear,  " I have them, but don't want to sell"  Sometimes you'll hear " yeah, i have (so and so), but I want this  (sky high price)  and SOMETIMES you'll hear "yeah, i have this (enter your set)  and I'd like to get $20 out of it"   ($40 less than MSRP)  Then thats a score for you!

[iamolego]

I rolled in over an hour late to a "moving sale" this morning in an older part of town that had 2 Atari 2600 consoles and cartridges along with toys, tools, etc. I was thinking it was going to be my parents' era moving sale with kids of my age's toys.  It turned out it was a kid about my age (30-40yrs old) selling his stuff DIRT CHEAP.  I thought I was doing good getting some quality power tools on the cheap, a year or so old Honda self-propelled mower for $200, and then I found this large tub marked vintage toys $1 each, so I pick out the Fisher Price Little People 1960S barn silo that is always missing and my kid's barn is missing for $1 and a whole bag of vintage little people and other things for $1. Inside that bag are instructions for various 1970s LEGO sets, it was confirmed that I was late to the party on those.  Looking at the condition of things, I am guessing they were all probably kept in their boxes, although missing instructions, for $1 each.  People were passing on stuff everywhere, the only correctly, possibly excessively priced thing was a vintage Tonka dump truck for $50. 

Its amazing that people really have no idea how much LEGO is worth still.  Some estate sale places try to get top dollar, some just try to empty houses.  I've had some good luck with the later.

[dcdfan]

Maybe it's the hangover I have, but I'm struggling to find any LEGO in that Texas picture...

So glad it wasn't just me!

[Elkkthunder]

In the closet there's a gray storage bin  with a black technic box in front of it, there is More in the bin 

[Thumper]

Several years ago I happened on a random garage sale that got rained out & cancelled, their ad said "toys & legos" so I stopped in just to see what hadn't been taken back inside (hardly ever find decent Lego anymore in yard/garage/boot sales around here) Turned out to be a former Samsonite employee's 30 year old collection...  so what does one do with a tub of 5000x rare printed bricks that only came a single set in 1987? Last time they were available on Bricklink they were selling at $5 each.

 

[dcdfan]

In the closet there's a gray storage bin  with a black technic box in front of it, there is More in the bin 

Hysterical! Were they taking the pic through the window? You'd think they'd walk over to the bin for the pic...

[iamolego]

Several years ago I happened on a random garage sale that got rained out & cancelled, their ad said "toys & legos" so I stopped in just to see what hadn't been taken back inside (hardly ever find decent Lego anymore in yard/garage/boot sales around here) Turned out to be a former Samsonite employee's 30 year old collection...  so what does one do with a tub of 5000x rare printed bricks that only came a single set in 1987? Last time they were available on Bricklink they were selling at $5 each.

 

My Yardsale phone app found a sale on my way to work a month or so ago with "Leggoes" or something like that, so the Craigslist apps missed it. Secured a Dolphin Cruiser that looked complete with instructions for $20 and another box of 5 or so mid-level Friends sets for $10, all with instructions.

 

[Elkkthunder]

Maybe it's a SoCal thing, but I never see estate sales come up that even mention Lego as a possibility.

is rancho bernando near you?

saw this listed for there

[Alpinemaps]

Actually, it's about 20 minutes from me. So next question....how are you finding out about these sales?

[exciter1]

Who buys used Ants that were already in someone's Pants?

[Elkkthunder]

Nothing good for me on local garage and estate sales

saw this onlinE, but too far for me

515 Cherokee blvd in Chattanooga TN

sale today and tomorroW

http://maps.apple.com/?q=515+CHEROKEE+BLVD.,Chattanooga,TN,37405

 

[Lucent]

Wonder how much that Taj Mahal is. I'd make the drive if I knew the price.

[Elkkthunder]

Someone get these

 Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234
9/25/2015 9am to 4pm (Fri)
9/26/2015 9am to 4pm (Sat)

[ravenb99]

Someone get these

 Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234
9/25/2015 9am to 4pm (Fri)
9/26/2015 9am to 4pm (Sat)

that spice girl doll is gonna be mine

[Darth_Raichu]

that spice girl doll is gonna be mine

 

Is that what you want, what you really really want ?

[Elkkthunder]

 

 

If anyone is near 

If anyone is near Kirkland, WA there is an estate sale Thursday that has some bins of legos

 

I managed a good vintage pirate, castle, paradisa haul last weekend for $50

best I can find by me, spot the legos

some good 80s stuff like board games too

Edited September 30, 2015 by Elkkthunder

[jaylay]

Castle grayskull, snake mountain and a gi joe rolling thunder. May have other 80s goodness there.