20 lbs of Minifigs $4500

[ichiroll]

have an opportunity (if you can call it that) to buy 20 lbs of minifigs for $4500...

say one fig is 4.5g (0.01lb) it works out to be 2000 figs for $4500 or $2.25 per fig.

i don't do a lot of mini figure selling so wanted to throw this up here for some feedback.

thanks!

 

[Huskers1236]

Totally depends on the figures.  If there's 70% City/town, Atlantis, Power Miners, etc., then no, I wouldn't go near it.  If this has more top shelf stuff like it was from a collection, then this would have my interest.  Then you start talking about condition/completeness of the figures.  If there's a bunch that have cracked torsos, then this gets even more questionable.  My Bricklink store focuses on figures and their accessories, so these types of lots are of interest when I run across them(just got in an $1100 lot of Star Wars figures yesterday), but I have a checklist of questions to myself when I look at them and the lot needs to check them all off before I pull the trigger.  

Usually, when there is a lot this big, the condition is all across the board as the age of the figures is all across the board.  If the pictures don't show very well what is included, there is usually a reason.  It can be tough to photograph this much stuff, but I generally stay away from lots that are just a pile since the middle is generally '80s town figures.  

[odysea11]

Way too much work!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Brickpicker Forum mobile app

[ichiroll]

11 minutes ago, Huskers1236 said:

Totally depends on the figures.  If there's 70% City/town, Atlantis, Power Miners, etc., then no, I wouldn't go near it.  If this has more top shelf stuff like it was from a collection, then this would have my interest.  Then you start talking about condition/completeness of the figures.  If there's a bunch that have cracked torsos, then this gets even more questionable.  My Bricklink store focuses on figures and their accessories, so these types of lots are of interest when I run across them(just got in an $1100 lot of Star Wars figures yesterday), but I have a checklist of questions to myself when I look at them and the lot needs to check them all off before I pull the trigger.  

Usually, when there is a lot this big, the condition is all across the board as the age of the figures is all across the board.  If the pictures don't show very well what is included, there is usually a reason.  It can be tough to photograph this much stuff, but I generally stay away from lots that are just a pile since the middle is generally '80s town figures.  

Thanks so much for your reply, really helpful.

Got a few pics but like you said, impossible to get an accurate pic of so many of them and the pics could be just the good condition well known ones.

just curious, how many SW figs did you get for $1100?

 

Edited October 12, 2018 by ichiroll

[ichiroll]

10 minutes ago, odysea11 said:

Way too much work!
 

yea, I don't disagree, lol.  

and for the price I'd be paying, I can't afford to just let them sit and procrastinate...

[Huskers1236]

13 minutes ago, ichiroll said:

yea, I don't disagree, lol.  

and for the price I'd be paying, I can't afford to just let them sit and procrastinate...

If they are built correctly, not too much work at all.  Just have to inventory in your store if you have one.  If they are a mish mash and need cleaned(I would clean regardless) then more work but I think figures are pretty easy overall compared to sorting parts.  

 

17 minutes ago, ichiroll said:

Thanks so much for your reply, really helpful.

Got a few pics but like you said, impossible to get an accurate pic of so many of them and the pics could be just the good condition well known ones.

just curious, how many SW figs did you get for $1100?

 

About 325 figures, in New condition.  Almost all from the last 3-5 years or so.  Also included a few ships like 7965 MF and FO Tie Fighter.  Price per figure is higher than I would normally spend, but the quality of figure was top notch and in my store this will yield around $2300.  Some will go to my personal collection, like all the Solo figures(lot had every one)and some others to plug in the gaps in my collection but the rest will be in the BL store.  

[ichiroll]

15 minutes ago, Huskers1236 said:

If they are built correctly, not too much work at all.  Just have to inventory in your store if you have one.  If they are a mish mash and need cleaned(I would clean regardless) then more work but I think figures are pretty easy overall compared to sorting parts.  

 

About 325 figures, in New condition.  Almost all from the last 3-5 years or so.  Also included a few ships like 7965 MF and FO Tie Fighter.  Price per figure is higher than I would normally spend, but the quality of figure was top notch and in my store this will yield around $2300.  Some will go to my personal collection, like all the Solo figures(lot had every one)and some others to plug in the gaps in my collection but the rest will be in the BL store.  

I agree that I much rather inventory and sell minifigs than parts.

I've done some here and there but not in a batch like this.  I want to give it a try, but the cost scares me =/ plus I end up liking a lot and end up not selling very many lol.

Regarding cleaning, do you throw them into a garment bag in throw them in the wash?  I'm assuming you'd keep the figures assembled, right?

Thanks for the info regarding the Star Wars minifigs, so I guess a $3+/fig buy-in is reasonable for Star Wars esp in good condition.

[Huskers1236]

3 minutes ago, ichiroll said:

I agree that I much rather inventory and sell minifigs than parts.

I've done some here and there but not in a batch like this.  I want to give it a try, but the cost scares me =/ plus I end up liking a lot and end up not selling very many lol.

Regarding cleaning, do you throw them into a garment bag in throw them in the wash?  I'm assuming you'd keep the figures assembled, right?

Thanks for the info regarding the Star Wars minifigs, so I guess a $3+/fig buy-in is reasonable for Star Wars esp in good condition.

I based my purchase offer on what it was worth to me in my store.  In this case, this is what I came up with.  I never even figured out what the $/figure was, just what I wanted my total investment to be.   I try to get in at ~50% and it has worked well so far.  I wash all my figures in the sink with mild dish soap and then air dry with a fan.  It's a process but I don't want to put stuff in the washer and potentially scratch stuff up.  Parts would be another thing but figures with intricate prints need more care IMO.  I do take them apart, but after doing this for this long I have most figures memorized as to how they look and which parts go with which figures.  

I tried to purchase a large lot several months ago on ebay that I offered $5K as that was the number I wanted to get in at.  They did not take it and somebody else ended up buying it at a higher price I presume.  It sucks to miss on some that you know are good but you have to decide if the price is worth it to you and stick with it.  I try to take as much emotion out of my purchase as I can so that I don't overspend.  There aren't many figures I really NEED anymore so it's pretty much all business at this point.  

Bottom line, do your homework and don't be afraid to ask seller questions.  Get more pictures if need be.  If a buyer every balks or gives you the runaround, it's for good reason. 

[ichiroll]

1 minute ago, Huskers1236 said:

I based my purchase offer on what it was worth to me in my store.  In this case, this is what I came up with.  I never even figured out what the $/figure was, just what I wanted my total investment to be.   I try to get in at ~50% and it has worked well so far.  I wash all my figures in the sink with mild dish soap and then air dry with a fan.  It's a process but I don't want to put stuff in the washer and potentially scratch stuff up.  Parts would be another thing but figures with intricate prints need more care IMO.  I do take them apart, but after doing this for this long I have most figures memorized as to how they look and which parts go with which figures.  

I tried to purchase a large lot several months ago on ebay that I offered $5K as that was the number I wanted to get in at.  They did not take it and somebody else ended up buying it at a higher price I presume.  It sucks to miss on some that you know are good but you have to decide if the price is worth it to you and stick with it.  I try to take as much emotion out of my purchase as I can so that I don't overspend.  There aren't many figures I really NEED anymore so it's pretty much all business at this point.  

Bottom line, do your homework and don't be afraid to ask seller questions.  Get more pictures if need be.  If a buyer every balks or gives you the runaround, it's for good reason. 

sound advice, thank you so much!
 

[carini26]

For me, it's always time v. money driving these bulk lot decisions.  If best case is $5/minifigure at retail, let's assume 15% for fees/handling.  $5.00 sale  - $2.25 acquisition - $.75 fee = $2.00 net x 2,000 = $4,000.   Let's say avg.15 min per item for sorting, researching, listing, packing, printing, shipping  = 500 hours. $4,000 / 500 = $8/hr.  That's a lot of effort for best case scenario.

[Foreman Porgy]

Like people have already stated, be careful and know what you’re getting into. 15 min a figure is a good time overall. If you do decide to purchase, make sure you pace yourself. Sit down for a few hours here and there. You could end up with a bunch of City figures that sell for a dollar a piece. If you really wanna make the most out of it, assemble all the high value theme ones and then part down the rest. Sell by torso assembly, head, legs assembly, hair/helmet. The most time effective way I’ve found is to sort the torso assemblys by color, and use goatleg to identify them. This is the opposite of the way I sort parts, but there can be so many details on a torso print. Once you have the torsos identified and catalogued, then you can work your way through legs assembly, and also heads. 

Edited October 12, 2018 by Foreman Porgy

[$20 on joe vs dan]

Optimum sorting and storage strategy advice needed

So I have a few boxes of bulk LEGO which include partial sets, minfigs, etc. mostly Star Wars, some ninjago.

I've also had my eye out for various small storage options (think small clear parts bin like) and have a sets of drawers, clear boxes (shoe box size), and mini drawers. I do not have enough containers to seperate EVERY type of brick...I ain't JANG.

My goals are to:

A: keep my "organized" stuff separate from my son's "pile"...seems to be a classic dilemma...they should make a movie of it

B: organize the bulk bricks so I can find needed parts for future builds of incomplete sets

I already know to Separate out minifigs from bricks, sort out the large plates, large parts (ie window canopy), but after those obvious steps, I seem to settle on just color...which doesn't seem very helpful, but easy to do.

[CosmicSpeed]

I organize my completed sets in appropriately sized, close-able plastic bags. I organize those by theme and have as ingle theme per large plastic storage bin. For my girls, they have a tubs for their princesses and tubs for their Friends sets, those eventually get merged. We allow those on display along with other various sets. 

I swap out my Speed Champions for Winter Sets on display so those share a bin and are not broken down. More permanent fixtures are the Technic Sets, HP Great Hall and other HP Sets.

For my vintage bricks, Ive got those separated by color, and for larger color quantities, by type, in a storage area. However, they are just in bins and I dont know how I would prefer to organize them further. Individual bins seems like too much. My ultimate goal is to actually reorganize those vintage pieces into their respective sets and organize the same way. I do like to build and MOC, but it just isn't a realistic use of the space I have for me to want to get that granular with separation.

Edited August 28, 2019 by CosmicSpeed

[Phil B]

Organizing by color makes it actually harder to find bricks, but it is typically the first categorization system used. After a while you will realize that sorting by brick type is the way to go, which can later be refined into sorting by subtype or even color, depending on the amount of available storage.

[BricksBrotha]

I have all my un-built lego organized by how I like to build.  For instance, slope grilles and flat grilles go together to save space, and they make sense to go together. Single cheese slopes and 1x1 tiles also go together as well as 2x1 cheese slopes and 2x1 tiles.  Since like others here, I dont have the time or space to separate each lego on its own. I keep my lego separated based on what makes the most sense to me. 

[$20 on joe vs dan]

2 hours ago, Phil B said:

Organizing by color makes it actually harder to find bricks, but it is typically the first categorization system used. After a while you will realize that sorting by brick type is the way to go, which can later be refined into sorting by subtype or even color, depending on the amount of available storage.

this is tru-ism...and many times the color does not matter since it may not be an external piece

[Foreman Porgy]

https://brickarchitect.com/guide/

Best place to start. Tons of great information. Overall awesome site too. 

[$20 on joe vs dan]

3 hours ago, Foreman Porgy said:

https://brickarchitect.com/guide/

Best place to start. Tons of great information. Overall awesome site too. 

WOw

[exciter1]

$800 tops

[Kruppstahl]

This raises an interesting question which should be answerable:

What is the current market value of the average of all Lego minifigures ever released!?

Or, what is the average selling price of all Lego minifigures over the last 10 years, or even 1 year at Ebay or Bricklink?

Would it be anywhere near $2.25?

I get the impression many (most?) minifigs are too common to have any value at all, but then the others can go for very high prices, bringing the avg. up considerably.

If this seller had a ton of the good ones in there, why would he be selling them as a lot like this?  Just lazy?  Maybe.