MartinP Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 People talk about too many resellers, the jump on the bandwagon and they jump off quickly. Not too many of is newbs stay on board :-) I have 2 people in mind that tried and gave up quickly because they couldn't make a niche out of Lego investing. I have also observed that, but the number of investors that stay are steadily increasing for what I have seen. 1
levimahan44 Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 So is Lego investing becoming too popular? Or will most of the new investors quit, leaving the rest to make a profit?
Guest TabbyBoy Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 Post Christmas credit card bills and Summer holiday bookings I think is the main reason for the downturn. Competition is fierce of course (we compete with each other!) so buy the right sets as cheap as possible. Last year I saw nobody browsing the Lego aisles in supermarkets but, now I see other blokes during every visit checking eBay prices before loading their trolleys. I'm changing strategy now and the first theme I'm dropping is CITY as current sold prices are poor, FRIENDS may be headed the same way due to massive increases in supply. So bad that I've returned over 200 sets (even at -40/50%) in the last month alone! By the end of this year, I'll be holding large
MartinP Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 So is Lego investing becoming too popular? Or will most of the new investors quit, leaving the rest to make a profit? A good portion of those who try to invest in Lego quit after a short amount of time, while other keep on doing it. I don't think that Lego investing is becoming TOO popular, but it is gaining popularity.
exciter1 Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 I have also observed that, but the number of investors that stay are steadily increasing for what I have seen. Just on this forum, which is a drop in the bucket.
StarCityBrickCompany Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 Post Christmas credit card bills and Summer holiday bookings I think is the main reason for the downturn. Competition is fierce of course (we compete with each other!) so buy the right sets as cheap as possible. Last year I saw nobody browsing the Lego aisles in supermarkets but, now I see other blokes during every visit checking eBay prices before loading their trolleys. I'm changing strategy now and the first theme I'm dropping is CITY as current sold prices are poor, FRIENDS may be headed the same way due to massive increases in supply. So bad that I've returned over 200 sets (even at -40/50%) in the last month alone! By the end of this year, I'll be holding large 3
Crustybeaver Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 Hmm, bike parts - PedalPicker anyone? PMSL Sent from my iPhone using Brickpicker
Crustybeaver Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 Do u really think there are that many new resellers? Lego investing isn't cheap either... It's not like beanie babies or other fads. Sent from my iPhone using Brickpicker Definitely no doubt in my mind. Think about it if you convinced yourself that Lego was a sure fire way of making money how do you think most others view it? Sent from my iPhone using Brickpicker
MartinP Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 Just on this forum, which is a drop in the bucket. There are so many investors that are not on the forums that we really don't know any exact numbers for anything.
jal4u2c Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 I only sell a few LEGO sets on occasion but i do sell a lot of star wars and diecast items frequently. One thing that i have noticed is that Ebay and Amazon have been gouging on fees. Ebay even charges fees on shipping, which a seller doesn't even make any money on. To compensate, you have to raise prices. But buyers don't realize the costs involved now in selling so they just think you are price gouging. In some instances, Ebay is actually making more on the sale of my item than i am. That's just not right. So i will be selling less and less. Ebay will eventually fee themselves into the ground because of their greed. The toy market in general has taken i hit lately as a whole as well. With Hasbro's poor marketing and distribution and Mattel's inability to provide what they sell, it's no wonder LEGO has moved to number one. But the flaws mentioned have soured a lot of consumers' mouths and they have been much more choosy in how they spend their dollars. I know LEGO doesn't share in these flaws that Hasbro and Mattel have, but it does have an effect on the buying habits of the consumers. 1
Rich B Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 Helms Deep not going anywhere??? Not sure what you mean. Helms Deep was available multiple times between $90-110. Right now the cheapest one on ebay is $170 and the set just retired a few months ago. As far as the VC, well it's still available at TRU and some other smaller retail stores. You have to give these sets time!! Just wait a couple years and you'll see, both Helms Deep and VC should give decent returns, even if a lot of people are hoarding them. 2
Crustybeaver Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 So is Lego investing becoming too popular? Or will most of the new investors quit, leaving the rest to make a profit? It's become very popular. There will be people who quit out because margins will become tighter but the number of investors will continue to rise until profit becomes hard enough to no longer justify the investment. Sent from my iPhone using Brickpicker
Rich B Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 Ebay does not always fee on shipping, that all comes down to how you sell, when you sell, how much you sell, whether you have a store, etc. The only fee I pay on ebay is a final value fee on BIN items, and those fees are roughly 8% of whatever I sell the item for. Now keep in mind I do pay a flat rate monthly fee for my store. I think there are a lot of resellers getting in the game. However, many of them are just buying and hoarding, they have no idea what it's like to sell. Once they start trying to sell things too quick they will realize how much time and money they are losing. Also, they will not like dealing with negative customers, returns, overhead expenses such as shipping labels, boxes, tape, bubble wrap, etc. So while there are many newbies to the game, many of them will be weeded out or quit before they're ever able to make a significant difference. 2
Crustybeaver Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 Really... And what category do you fall into? What makes you so sure that newbies are not making money? I was a newbie once and I've not lost money on a single set I've sold. With Emazers banging on about stocking up on the big exclusives week in week out I wouldn't be so sure that newbies don't know what they're doing. Sent from my iPhone using Brickpicker
exciter1 Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 Really... And what category do you fall into? What makes you so sure that newbies are not making money? I was a newbie once and I've not lost money on a single set I've sold. With Emazers banging on about stocking up on the big exclusives week in week out I wouldn't be so sure that newbies don't know what they're doing. Sent from my iPhone using Brickpicker Big sets are not the only way to go. 1
Crustybeaver Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 Big sets are not the only way to go. I agree. I was using exclusives as an example because they usually have a higher success rate
Rich B Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 We were all newbies once, I never said all newbies won't be able to make money, just said that MANY of them will be weeded out, not all of them. Being a newbie now is a lot different than being a newbie 4 or 5 years ago. Years ago there was way less competition and a lot more room for error. 2
Ciglione Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 Maybe it is a coincidence. I am on ebay since 2 weeks and I am selling very well.
Crustybeaver Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 Numbers of investors will surely continue to increase for the foreseeable future. I don't see this weeding out as you put it, all I see is more and more auctions on eBay, more new members signing up and offers getting stripped from stores in record times. Sent from my iPhone using Brickpicker
naf Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 Are Helms Deep and Vampyre Castle the canaries in the coal mine? Really cool sets that have gone NOWHERE since retirement. Helms Deep and Vampyre Castle *just* retired. I can still find both at TRU stores, so there is still some stock out in the wild. These sets are not quick flippers. Wait until this time next year This is not the first time I've seen posts on these forums complaining that their sets aren't appreciated months after retirement. When you put money into Lego you have to consider that money tied up for at least a year, most likely 2 years to get good returns. With regards to too many sellers, I would argue that there are also a lot more buyers looking for product than there were even a few years ago increasing our customer base.
hxckid88 Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 People talk about too many resellers, the jump on the bandwagon and they jump off quickly. Not too many of is newbs stay on board :-) I have 2 people in mind that tried and gave up quickly because they couldn't make a niche out of Lego investing.name drop
StarCityBrickCompany Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 It is interesting how most newer sellers seem to believe that nothing is wrong, yet long time sellers (Pre Brickpicker) are convinced of the opposite. You would not believe how much things have changed (Thanks BP) - The fact that anyone can say that there are not too many sellers is just crazy. 2
legoman12323123 Posted March 26, 2014 Posted March 26, 2014 Maybe it is a coincidence. I am on ebay since 2 weeks and I am selling very well. Whats considered very well? Because I used to sell 20-40 things a day on ebay and thats very well to me .. not its dropped down to about 15-20 items a day on feebay .. but I guess its because ive been focusing 75% my efforts and attention to bricklink lately
naf Posted March 26, 2014 Posted March 26, 2014 It is interesting how most newer sellers seem to believe that nothing is wrong, yet long time sellers (Pre Brickpicker) are convinced of the opposite. You would not believe how much things have changed (Thanks BP) - The fact that anyone can say that there are not too many sellers is just crazy. Guess you better get out of the business then Like I said, more sellers isn't necessarily the end all of Lego selling as there are probably a ton more buyers than before. Yes, the days of selling Cafe Corner for $1000 are probably over, but that happens in every speculative market. There's still money to be made, it just has to be made smarter.
cladner Posted March 26, 2014 Posted March 26, 2014 I would imagine there are thousands of people worldwide everyday that get into Lego investing. Plus when you consider that most re-invest their profits with many buying large quantities of favoured sets. EOL gains are going to get slower and a thousand cash out every day too. ultimately its about how long is your time frame. if you are buying modulars and large creator sets, you are going to make your money back if you are patient. not always about CAGR - sometimes overall ROI is more important if LEGO is just one part of your overall investment portfolio. if its how you make a living, than yeah, overtime, short term gains except for good picks will be thinner and thinner especially with the minimal margins a lot of people are willing to accept. i wonder how many people "investing" are using credit cards and then realize after like 2 months that they are losing money on the deal and so they sell for whatever they can so they don't end up losing 10%. that being said i think there is a big opportunity coming up with the simpsons minifigures for those who get going on ebay right away.
Recommended Posts