emazers Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 I am posting this as I been getting alot of E-mail from people saying they really screwed up by buying hundreds of the small cheap sets, instead of getting the Big and exclusive sets. Now I guess Everybody on here would get as many old Exclusives as they could afford at the regular Retail price right now if that had a chance. Like the Remote AT-AT, Imperial Flagship, Carousel, Cafe Corner, Green Grocer, Dubai, Statue Of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, Imperial Shuttle,Diagon Alley, 10195 SW Dropship, SW 8129 AT AT and there are more, but the point of this is so most screwed up and missed the Train on Most of these. So I am telling you that you don't have to screw up this time. Everybody wants the Haunted House, Tower Bridge on one of Amazon's Flash sale, well if you are on the computer at that time and you get 2 thats great, but its only 2, and that goes for all the other exclusives we are all hoping for a flash sale,But don't hold your breath.Thats why buying some of these exclusives at retail for me is still a deal, But it looks to me if most of you who can't save 30% or more on the sets you won't buy it. And the ones that said that on the older exclusives I listed should be pissed off at thereself for not buy at retail. If you would of just bought 5 of each you would of cleaned up. Well its going to be the same situation on the exclusives out now. I am 64 years old and spent about 24 grand on Lego last year, and looks like this year will be at or more, because in about 5-6 years I should have hundreds of thousands of Lego ready for selling, So $179 haunted house from 2014 sold for $500 and up in 2019 and I have 49 left, thats why if you have to pay full retail do it, get those HH, TB, Batman Arkham, Death Star, SSDS, Fire Brigade,GE, Town hall, Pet Shop, Ewok Village, ETC.So After I make a few hundred grand I will most likely be done selling Lego, I think I no what I am doing on selling lego I have made lots of money selling them, so much I paid Cash for a new car in 2004 and another brand new car in 2008 in cash.I will be investing 90% of my Money on the Lego sets that I think will do good,"AND THERE ALWAYS BE EXCLUSIVES,AND THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PEOPLE THAT WILL BE BUYING AND PAYING BIG BUCKS FOR THE RIGHT SETS." But for you new investors who want to make serious money you have to spend money not $50 or $500 I mean thousands to get started, and the hard part after you spend thousands you have to way a few years. And for you guys riding around all day looking for cheap sales well good luck, but the big money is not going to be made doing that, now if you are making money flipping and buying the big and exclusive sets well thats great. Ed 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylay Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 another post from the great emzers ... always very informative on everything he posts ... totally agree with the above ... probably no where near his scale but to even just follow a tad bit of this advice, will net you some profit ... i just started a few months ago and ive spent thousands already (shoot, dont even know where that money came from) wife would kill me if she found out!!! but like emazers said, ill have to wait a few years if not more to realize the money that can be had in these ... patience is an important factor ... if any of us investors can shell out $1000 a month on big and exclusive sets i believe we will do well in the future ... but harder said than done ... i know ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eightbrick Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Wow. Thanks for the great advice. It is always a pleasure to hear from you Ed. For myself, I unfortunately don't have the money to dig in deep with Lego, but I have 2 exclusives in my brickfolio thus far (Winter Cottages I scored for half off). Although I may have to rethink my strategy and save up for one or two big sets instead of ten smaller ones. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justafrog Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Ed, there aren't a lot of people I would bother deciphering a giant wall of text from, but you're definitely worth reading any time. I think you're absolutely right that investing in big, attractive, exclusive sets is smart - ten years ago, two years ago, and today. Even at full retail. (I also think it's okay to ride around all day looking for bargains - not everyone is looking for big money; not everyone building a Lego business is looking for sets to buy and hold - for example, of the sets I bought last month, 80% plus are being parted out). But again, I read everything you write, and when you recommend a buy and hold set, I write it down and remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDarkness Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Great post as always, and it is exactly what I am doing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pirate Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Ugh, the enter button and paragraphs were invented for a reason... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eightbrick Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Ugh, the enter button and paragraphs were invented for a reason... If a little clump of words scares you away from the some of the best investment advice you will ever see on this site, I suggest you stay away from horror movies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperLegoTramp Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Great post Emazers, Bet big, win big Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gondorian Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 This post made me consider buying more Tower Bridge from amazon.it, but they have at least 999 left right now, so I didn't buy any yet. (I really need to hold off buying more until I am in my new home.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exciter1 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Great post Emazers, although I do plan on cashing in the smaller sets I bought on clearance last year and reinvesting them in the big sets before the end of the year. I'll do the same next year from the clearance stuff I get this year. Emazers, where do you get all the vintage signage you sell? Those seem to be a pretty good cash cow too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Mack Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Not to poop on anyone's "big set" parade, I just want to point something out to members. Jeff ran some quick data for an article that is being done on the site and came up with this interesting tidbit: Here are the TOP 5 RETURN ON INVESTMENT SETS: 10190-1: Market Street $89.99(MSRP) http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=10190-11413.42% Value Up 10123-1: Cloud City $99.99http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=10123-1759.72% Value Up 4766-1: Graveyard Duel $29.99http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=4766-1737.18% Value Up 10026-1: Special Edition Naboo Starfighter $39.99http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=10026-1663.87% Value Up 10182-1: Cafe Corner $139.99http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=10182-1599.05% Value Up Besides the Cafe Corner, the top growth sets are medium to smaller sets. Large sets might reach higher price points, but from a pure % growth standpoint, smaller and medium sets are proven to be just as good, if not better investments. Some Holiday polybags are the best performers out there. To be quite honest, I believe Jeff removed a small set or two for effect because this was going into an article. I will see if Jeff remembers what small and "boring" sets he removed. Diversification is the key. If every person has 20 Haunted Houses, how valuable will that set ever become? As Ed said, it's about picking the "right" sets. Many successful investors dabble only in smaller sets and medium sets. Good luck... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M4x18 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Not to poop on anyone's "big set" parade, I just want to point something out to members. Jeff ran some quick data for an article that is being done on the site and came up with this interesting tidbit: Here are the TOP 5 RETURN ON INVESTMENT SETS: 10190-1: Market Street $89.99(MSRP) http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=10190-11413.42% Value Up 10123-1: Cloud City $99.99http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=10123-1759.72% Value Up 4766-1: Graveyard Duel $29.99http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=4766-1737.18% Value Up 10026-1: Special Edition Naboo Starfighter $39.99http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=10026-1663.87% Value Up 10182-1: Cafe Corner $139.99http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=10182-1599.05% Value Up Besides the Cafe Corner, the top growth sets are medium to smaller sets. Large sets might reach higher price points, but from a pure % growth standpoint, smaller and medium sets are proven to be just as good, if not better investments. Some Holiday polybags are the best performers out there. To be quite honest, Jeff removed a small set or two for effect because this was going into an article. I will see if Jeff remembers what small and "boring" sets he removed. Diversification is the key. If every person has 20 Haunted Houses, how valuable will that set ever become? As Ed said, it's about picking the "right" sets. Many successful investors dabble only in smaller sets and medium sets. Good luck... When you invest $160 on a set and receive $320 back, that's double of what you paid, a 100% increase in value. If you invest $20 on, let's say, Ice Dragon Attack, and get $80 back, that's FOUR times what you paid, 300% increase in value. But some investors only see that $160 is more than $60, final numbers and not percentages, leaving aside what was initially invested and the time that the money was tied up there. I don't exclude sets based on size or initial investment, I buy sets that I like and that I feel it's value will increase over time. Also, I think that there are more people that would easily shell out $80 for an Ice Dragon Attack (or any $80 set for that matter) than $1k+ for a Cafe Corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadowsk1 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 This reminds me of investing in stock. Buying the Lego exclusives that can only be bought online or Lego brand stores seems like a solid investment, like Coca Cola or Johnson and Johnson. Solid performers at a solid pace given time. I like the smaller investments and view them as a riskier investment with greater breakout return value. Every portfolio needs a little diversity and for myself a little bit of fun. I understand Emazers calculated approach but what he talks about is way out of my league. I'm small time and always will be and that's alright with me. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fcbarcelona101 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 This reminds me of investing in stock. Buying the Lego exclusives that can only be bought online or Lego brand stores seems like a solid investment, like Coca Cola or Johnson and Johnson. Solid performers at a solid pace given time. I like the smaller investments and view them as a riskier investment with greater breakout return value. Every portfolio needs a little diversity and for myself a little bit of fun. I understand Emazers calculated approach but what he talks about is way out of my league. I'm small time and always will be and that's alright with me. Great post. What people need to realize is that everyone's goals and resources are very different. Emazers strategy works for him, and that's great, but we can't all be expected to follow it when our circumstances are extremely different from him in some cases. This is why some people invest in hedge funds, while others focus on index funds. Different risk/return profiles and investment goals. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grolim Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Not to poop on anyone's "big set" parade, I just want to point something out to members. Jeff ran some quick data for an article that is being done on the site and came up with this interesting tidbit: Here are the TOP 5 RETURN ON INVESTMENT SETS: 10190-1: Market Street $89.99(MSRP) http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=10190-11413.42% Value Up 10123-1: Cloud City $99.99http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=10123-1759.72% Value Up 4766-1: Graveyard Duel $29.99http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=4766-1737.18% Value Up 10026-1: Special Edition Naboo Starfighter $39.99http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=10026-1663.87% Value Up 10182-1: Cafe Corner $139.99http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=10182-1599.05% Value Up Besides the Cafe Corner, the top growth sets are medium to smaller sets. Large sets might reach higher price points, but from a pure % growth standpoint, smaller and medium sets are proven to be just as good, if not better investments. Some Holiday polybags are the best performers out there. To be quite honest, I believe Jeff removed a small set or two for effect because this was going into an article. I will see if Jeff remembers what small and "boring" sets he removed. Diversification is the key. If every person has 20 Haunted Houses, how valuable will that set ever become? As Ed said, it's about picking the "right" sets. Many successful investors dabble only in smaller sets and medium sets. Good luck... Exactly! Percentage net returns are where it's at. Any other measure is just a related to the quantum invested, that has no bearing on different performances. I rather take 2 $100 sets with a 600% return than 1 $200 set with a 400% return. No love for the 7884 ? 1286% ROI right there. PLenty more in the last table of my blog http://community.brickpicker.com/blog/4/entry-207-top-20-lego-movers-and-shakers-may-2013/ Some are low volume so can be ommited, but plenty of small/medium set winners there. This reminds me of investing in stock. Buying the Lego exclusives that can only be bought online or Lego brand stores seems like a solid investment, like Coca Cola or Johnson and Johnson. Solid performers at a solid pace given time. I like the smaller investments and view them as a riskier investment with greater breakout return value. Every portfolio needs a little diversity and for myself a little bit of fun. I understand Emazers calculated approach but what he talks about is way out of my league. I'm small time and always will be and that's alright with me. Indeed! Great point. Different strokes for different folks. There is not one best strategy. It all depends on your individual circumstances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonysbricks Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Emazers: TLG's highest grossing exclusive set sales rep. Ever. (This was in jest, I heart emazers as much as everyone else) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoNotInsertIntoMouth Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 When I started out, I was buying these small sets at small discounts and trying to sell them - doing a bunch of work for $10. Honestly though the point is this: Time is money. People say - well this $10 set has an AMAZING ROI!!! But each set you sell takes a listing. Whereas, if you bought a set with worse CAGR, but for $400, you are making money off of one listing. Time is an important factor in all of this. Big sets are where it is at. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fcbarcelona101 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Put me back in 2007 and I would be buying 8 Market Streets instead of one 10179 MF... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkieu87 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 I agree with the OP's strategy. I've shelled out about 5 grand, mostly big sets (I have some of the medium SW sets, several orc forges, and chess sets). Whenever I read on the forums, I feel like a chump missing out on deals. Most of the stuff I've bought are at retail. But I think with time, I would still get profits and this topic makes me feel a bit better about my bigger investments (I've got 2 SSDs, 2 HH, Pet shop, etc) . Of course, I would've gotten more profits if I got better at snatching up deals lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M4x18 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Put me back in 2007 and I would be buying 8 Market Streets instead of one 10179 MF... DING DING DING! Aaaaaaand we have a winner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sauromosis Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 The fees associated with selling are a big reason to prefer the big sets. A 40 dollar set that doubles gives 40 in profit, of which half is eaten by shipping/fees. A 100 dollar set that doubles gives 100, which can absorb the shipping/fees and you have more left. Emazers, I agree with everything you say except Batman Arkham. I just have trouble understanding why that would have the same demand as the other sets listed and I won't be buying that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exciter1 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 The fees associated with selling are a big reason to prefer the big sets. A 40 dollar set that doubles gives 40 in profit, of which half is eaten by shipping/fees. A 100 dollar set that doubles gives 100, which can absorb the shipping/fees and you have more left. Emazers, I agree with everything you say except Batman Arkham. I just have trouble understanding why that would have the same demand as the other sets listed and I won't be buying that one. I think Arkham Asylum will do well, along with The Batcave and Batwing over Gotham. Everyone already agrees that the Dynamic Duo Funhouse will do great as well. I've built all of the Batman sets and I still think these newer releases will be in big demand after EOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoNotInsertIntoMouth Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 The fees associated with selling are a big reason to prefer the big sets. A 40 dollar set that doubles gives 40 in profit, of which half is eaten by shipping/fees. A 100 dollar set that doubles gives 100, which can absorb the shipping/fees and you have more left. Emazers, I agree with everything you say except Batman Arkham. I just have trouble understanding why that would have the same demand as the other sets listed and I won't be buying that one. I think it is because the last one did incredibly and this one is better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spener90 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Big sets? Wait? So my Captain America's for 6.50 a piece aren't worth my time? I really don't see what all of the fuss is over the big sets. I dabble in everything. I've paid anything from $3.00 to $300 for a set. I sell some sets for $15, and some for as high as $500. You won't see me ever put all of my eggs in one basket, simply because this is a hobby for me. I want the confidence that if things did by chance fall apart, I wouldn't be stuck with 30 TB's (not suggesting the TB will flop, but I would hate being stuck with 30 expensive sets). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoNotInsertIntoMouth Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Big sets? Wait? So my Captain America's for 6.50 a piece aren't worth my time? I really don't see what all of the fuss is over the big sets. I dabble in everything. I've paid anything from $3.00 to $300 for a set. I sell some sets for $15, and some for as high as $500. You won't see me ever put all of my eggs in one basket, simply because this is a hobby for me. I want the confidence that if things did by chance fall apart, I wouldn't be stuck with 30 TB's (not suggesting the TB will flop, but I would hate being stuck with 30 expensive sets). They are - but not like a Cafe Corner would be. You have to list every single one of them. You have to ship them all separately. Thats the point. They are possibly worth your time, but not as efficient time wise as big sets. But if its a hobby, its no big deal. I hate shipping so I am getting out of the small set business. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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