Friends Animal Collectables

solinga · April 3, 2013

Thanks for the welcome, It was my Green Grocer that brought me to brickpicker. My husband and I are arguing about whether to open it. I had bought it to assemble. I didn't expect the value to shoot through the roof. Now I know better... Also I wanted to figure out a good price to sell my City Airport. But having a little girl means Friends Friends Friends.... As there is nothing else girly, we'll probably end up with every set.... The markup in Canada is ridiculous, so the cheap little foil packs is what we content ourselves with until we can visit the US this summer and collect all the sets I've been having shipped to my relatives...

TheOrcKing · April 3, 2013

Thanks for the welcome,

It was my Green Grocer that brought me to brickpicker. My husband and I are arguing about whether to open it. I had bought it to assemble. I didn't expect the value to shoot through the roof. Now I know better...

Green Grocer is a great one! If it wasn't for Palace Cinema, it would be the second favorite modular. The value has gone pretty high and will continue to keep doing so. By the end of this year, I think it may get an average value between $650-$750.

Also I wanted to figure out a good price to sell my City Airport.

If you could give a set number I would be willing to help if you wish.

It's just that there have been a number of Airports released so I haven't got a clue which one you have.

The markup in Canada is ridiculous, so the cheap little foil packs is what we content ourselves with until we can visit the US this summer and collect all the sets I've been having shipped to my relatives...

Yeah Canadian prices are killer. You have my sympathies.

Well should you want any advice, please feel free to ask. That's pretty much what we're here for.

Alcarin · April 3, 2013

I think those polybags from friends are by far the worst polybags period... even those little starships from Star Wars look better... Staying away from that :D

solinga · April 4, 2013

I think those polybags from friends are by far the worst polybags period... even those little starships from Star Wars look better...

Staying away from that

This proves that you are not a six-year-old girl. The market for LEGOs Star Wars and LEGOs Friends barely intersects at all, apples and oranges. My daughter would pick the squirrel house over some little starship any day of the week. (I should mention that my daughter has repeatedly asked to have the Death Star, so there is intersection - probably because it is basically a doll house. Too bad most of the girl friendly items besides Friends cost $150-$400.)

Alcarin · April 4, 2013

This proves that you are not a six-year-old girl. The market for LEGOs Star Wars and LEGOs Friends barely intersects at all, apples and oranges. My daughter would pick the squirrel house over some little starship any day of the week. (I should mention that my daughter has repeatedly asked to have the Death Star, so there is intersection - probably because it is basically a doll house. Too bad most of the girl friendly items besides Friends cost $150-$400.)

I think in the end it all depends what your little daughter was shown while she was/is a child... my cousin always watched Star Wars with me and her brother and she never liked Friends but happily picks TIE Fighter and does not even stops to look on Friends sets.... But she never played with girls stuff, and it is same with LEGO.

Fact is those polybags cos 4.99

TheOrcKing · April 4, 2013

This proves that you are not a six-year-old girl.

The market for LEGOs Star Wars and LEGOs Friends barely intersects at all, apples and oranges. My daughter would pick the squirrel house over some little starship any day of the week. That's the truth. They are two different markets in terms of interest not gender, but they share the factor of Lego and creativity.

I should mention that my daughter has repeatedly asked to have the Death Star, so there is intersection - probably because it is basically a doll house.

Now that you mention it, the Death Star could be considered the dollhouse of Star Wars! Ha ha.

Too bad most of the girl friendly items besides Friends cost $150-$400.

And there's another reason why I believe the Friends sets are greater than anything on the market. Stuff like Barbie's Playhouse or even her convertible are pricy when compared to what you can get with Lego. Plus the more Lego you have, the more you can build!

Like this exquisite dollhouse a lady MOCer, Signe Gravatt, built.

chess227 · April 4, 2013

My target had them as an in store deal for $3.99 this week and they were GONE. I am in the camp that passed on these. I thought about getting them a few times during the Buy 1 get 1 50% off deals that come and go, but I just can't see stockpiling these, taking the time to list them, packing them up and doing all of that work for $5-$10 profit. Picking up a few to sell at Christmas just for the heck of it, maybe, but I don't see them doing better than $10-$15 down the line.

solinga · April 5, 2013

This proves that you are not a six-year-old girl. The market for LEGOs Star Wars and LEGOs Friends barely intersects at all, apples and oranges. My daughter would pick the squirrel house over some little starship any day of the week. (I should mention that my daughter has repeatedly asked to have the Death Star, so there is intersection - probably because it is basically a doll house. Too bad most of the girl friendly items besides Friends cost $150-$400.)

I think in the end it all depends what your little daughter was shown while she was/is a child... my cousin always watched Star Wars with me and her brother and she never liked Friends but happily picks TIE Fighter and does not even stops to look on Friends sets.... But she never played with girls stuff, and it is same with LEGO.

Fact is those polybags cos 4.99

solinga · April 5, 2013

And there's another reason why I believe the Friends sets are greater than anything on the market. Stuff like Barbie's Playhouse or even her convertible are pricy when compared to what you can get with Lego. Plus the more Lego you have, the more you can build!
Like this exquisite dollhouse a lady MOCer, Signe Gravatt, built.

Wow! That house was amazing! All those interior Friends sets, just beg for big houses to put them in...

TheOrcKing · April 5, 2013

Those who believe a child's interests are due entirely to the parents' "nurture" are sorely underestimating the power of "nature". Regardless, I find it odd to criticize a girl for being girly, and to praise a girl that disdains girly things. I would like it if my daughter and I had more in common, but I would be proud of any child who is happy being herself and choosing her own path.

Very well said. I've found in life the whole 'nature vs nurture' thing is half & half, with a little usually going the way of nature over nurture. Nothing odd or wrong about it. Just how the world turns.

And wasn't that house great! I love all the little details like a flat screen TV, a washer & dryer, or even a pinball machine!

Alcarin · April 5, 2013

This proves that you are not a six-year-old girl. The market for LEGOs Star Wars and LEGOs Friends barely intersects at all, apples and oranges. My daughter would pick the squirrel house over some little starship any day of the week. (I should mention that my daughter has repeatedly asked to have the Death Star, so there is intersection - probably because it is basically a doll house. Too bad most of the girl friendly items besides Friends cost $150-$400.)

I think in the end it all depends what your little daughter was shown while she was/is a child... my cousin always watched Star Wars with me and her brother and she never liked Friends but happily picks TIE Fighter and does not even stops to look on Friends sets.... But she never played with girls stuff, and it is same with LEGO.

Fact is those polybags cos 4.99

solinga · April 5, 2013

You suggested that every 6 year old child wants Friends aswell, and I did not come here and corrected you, and you were OBVIOUSLY wrong.

Power of the nature is pretty much none-existant these days, with TV, PC, mobile phones, and her(daughters) friends, if you spend ENOUGH TIME (not if you have 9 hour job) with your child you can teach and make him lvoe MANY things outside ''power of nature''

As I said there are many examples where girls had older brothers and played with them only with male oriented toys (even in LEGO) and then followed the same path...

6 year old (+/-) does not mean Friends polybag lover, and there are many proof of that alone. It depends in what environment you grow up and what your older cousins, brothers/sisters play with you, (and also parents). Sure it might be some power of nature, but going for pink cloths is more TV/toys thing than ''power of nature'' anyway, i cannot recall they wore pink 10.000 Before Christ and yes there were 6 year old girls there aswell

My statement was not meant to imply not that every six year old girl likes these toys, which is the meaning you took. I meant to imply that only 6-year-old girls can like these toys. I don

solinga · April 5, 2013

Very well said. I've found in life the whole 'nature vs nurture' thing is half & half, with a little usually going the way of nature over nurture. Nothing odd or wrong about it. Just how the world turns.

And wasn't that house great! I love all the little details like a flat screen TV, a washer & dryer, or even a pinball machine!

I can't wait to show my daughter that house... wonder where she got all those bricks, creator sets?

There are some interesting studies that look at adopted siblings over time. They conclude that by the time they reach adulthood they had no more similarities in personality and interests than complete strangers, a powerful argument for nature over nurture. Genetic similarities between parents and children can help to establish the predisposition to the similar behaviors. Its nature, but it can seem like nurture. However, I'm still amazed at how my daughter turned out so different. I hated dolls and dresses my whole life. I've collected board games since I was 5 years old. We didn't expose to her anything really girly as a baby/toddler...we don't even have a tv in the house. But I'm not going to say no, you can't have a Barbie, or you can't collect Beanie Boos. My sister still collects Barbies and she has a PhD in chemistry. Actually, maybe my daughter has my sister's genes somehow...

By the way, for the record, when I called the Death Star a Star Wars dollhouse, this is not an original statement. There's a post in the Evaluation section of this website about the Death Star that mentions it. I happen to agree with it, and guess that this is why it appeals to my daughter much more than the miriad of starships.

Sorry, I'm getting away from the foil topic. Probably because I'm avoiding working on my PhD thesis... :)

Alcarin · April 5, 2013

My statement was not meant to imply not that every six year old girl likes these toys, which is the meaning you took. I meant to imply that only 6-year-old girls can like these toys. I don

emes · April 5, 2013

I've done really well buying and selling various Friends sets. I think much of the discussion in this thread is around trying to understand why the market is there, rather than simply taking advantage of the fact that a market exists. There was an episode of Pawn Stars recently that showed this when Cory didn't understand why people are into Star Wars, but really didn't care and was still willing to buy and sell things if there was a profit to be made. I see the 1st series of pets as likely doing as well as many other Friends items have done. At the moment I have many of all 3 of series 1 that I've purchased at a discount. I expect by the end of this Summer I will have sold all of them for for 30%+ traget profit amount. I've made a ton of money on Friends polybags as well as the other Friends sets, but with all of these small scale things it's a matter of volume to accumulate any serious money. Polybags and these foil packs are great from my perspective because they are easy to store, somewhat easy to sell, and very easy to ship. I understand the love of LEGO that many here have, but what I don't understand is assigning to these sets anything other than a way to store and transfer value. IMO emotion, or whether I personally like a set is irrelevant to the potential amount of money it can make for me. This has been a rule of thumb that has served me well throughout life for any investment I've made, or any arbitrage opportunity I've taken.

weakside · April 13, 2013

In CAN when there's 20% off, it's hard to resist especially for some sets/themes...or maybe I just have no will power/talent for investing Not the biggest discount but I took a risk anyways and purchased 20x of each series 1 animal sets. Maybe series 2 pieces can combine with series 1 pieces for a big animal house/thingy that people will want of all 6 animals. I don't have ANY interest in the Friends theme but most sets seem to be doing quite well. Hope the trend continues. If not I have 60 polybags as small gifts for kids b-day parties I guess haha.

solinga · April 15, 2013

Where did you find them for 20% off in Canada? I have yet to find a sale on Friends line anywhere here. My daughter has all three packs, and has already dissembled all three original designs to create an elaborate connected "pet village". She's using animals from the other sets (such as the vets, the medieval market), and built a few animals from scratch (including an octopus), along with homes for everybody out of all our extra pieces. She has asked for multiple copies of the polybags she already has (which I'm not giving her). However, I'm sure when the new series become available, they will be joining the village. Since Easter, she's been playing exclusively with the animals, not the dolls at all, even getting up early before school starts to continue her construction of this village. Of course she's just a sample size of one, but they are a big hit with her...

TheOrcKing · April 15, 2013

Besides some polybags, I finally bought that kitty collectible! Gosh darnit, these are just so CUTE!!

BigEZ96 · April 15, 2013

I bought 2 of each. I'm thinking if they don't appreciate well I'll use them in my modular town. Also saw series 2 at Target over the weekend!

weakside · April 16, 2013

If you saw Series 2 already...I hope Series 1 will be EOL/Retired sooner than later and more in demand As a rookie investor just a month in I'm nervious with my 60 polybags lol. I guess it's all about risk vs reward. It'll take some time but eventually I should be able to unload these and try to make a small profit if timing/opportunity is right. Solinga: if you go to http://www.playvaluetoys.com/ they have 20% off all lego, good deal for Canadians on some sets...check out shipping costs from their Ottawa location. Last check they have stock left for Series 1 Friends Animals. 20% off $5.99 = $4.79 not so bad. I'm sure your daughter will be happy if you made some more Pets purchases I saw one last Olivia Speed Boat at local Walmart CAN at retail price $13ish, picked it up but returned it the next day...I know it's harder to find but $13 seems expensive and you an still get it at Lego.com for the same price even with 'Retiring Soon' tag.

ibobpeb · April 26, 2013

I've done really well buying and selling various Friends sets. I think much of the discussion in this thread is around trying to understand why the market is there, rather than simply taking advantage of the fact that a market exists. There was an episode of Pawn Stars recently that showed this when Cory didn't understand why people are into Star Wars, but really didn't care and was still willing to buy and sell things if there was a profit to be made.

I see the 1st series of pets as likely doing as well as many other Friends items have done. At the moment I have many of all 3 of series 1 that I've purchased at a discount. I expect by the end of this Summer I will have sold all of them for for 30%+ traget profit amount.

I've made a ton of money on Friends polybags as well as the other Friends sets, but with all of these small scale things it's a matter of volume to accumulate any serious money. Polybags and these foil packs are great from my perspective because they are easy to store, somewhat easy to sell, and very easy to ship.

I understand the love of LEGO that many here have, but what I don't understand is assigning to these sets anything other than a way to store and transfer value. IMO emotion, or whether I personally like a set is irrelevant to the potential amount of money it can make for me. This has been a rule of thumb that has served me well throughout life for any investment I've made, or any arbitrage opportunity I've taken.

Thanks for posting your thoughts on this set because I am curious about the Friends line of Legos. In terms of selling these polybags, would it be better to list them on ebay or amazon?

weakside · April 27, 2013

For me, I'm just trying to sell these polybags locally since I imagine fees (ebay, amazon, paypal) will just eat into the already small margin. Best case scenario is wait until a parent needs a bunch of them or hope it appreciate more after retiring. Like the previous replies have mentioned, it's a matter of volume to get a decent total cash value back on small sets. Listen to other members much smarter than a rookie like me

kerrmando · April 27, 2013

I bought a few of each more because I wanted to make sure I had each of the animals.

Hendog · April 27, 2013

I bought 30 in total (10 of each) to sell after EOL. Not alot of risk there and if I can make a few bucks selling them in sets of three, I'll be happy.