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The country's finest Federally employed janitor on a billion dollar war machine- or as the government calls me a us navy sailor

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO step this way, i got some questions for you

Wow, dad of the year award to you. I get annoyed when my 6-year-old wants one of my series 11 minifigs I'm trying to sell and you are giving a 2-year-old a Death Star!

Most of you will know R2D2 from Star Wars and of course the LEGO Set might be on your list when it comes to investments. (I guess if some investors did actually build the sets they own they could build a small droid army ^.^ ) Since it's an awesome LEGO model I guess that a lot of you own one for yourselves as well. Doing most important research on the internet I found some nice R2D2 MOCs/Versions that I'd like to share with you all because I think they are awesome and add some spice to the normal model. Hope you enjoy them.

Every good Investor should either be buying the Batman Ayslum now and then when you have the money, or if you haven't started yet don't wait to the last minute like it seems like alot of would be investors do. The set has been out for about 2 years so avoid the panic buying and spending money you don't have buy charging big bucks on those Credit Cards. As this set will always bring big money, I got 4 more today so by the end of October I will have about 30 and still will be buying them each month. So as most waited to the last minute on the SSD and Haunted House and some got none to only a few, and some got a good deal of them. So please don't miss the boat on this set. Ed

Indeed. It's always good to keep in mind the disclaimer "past performance does not guarantee future success." The unfortunate fact that many here will find out in the not too distant future is that the performance of sets currently on the secondary market post-EOL does not provide any indicator of what the currently-available sets will do post-EOL. Although the secondary market demand for Lego sets is robust, it is not bottomless and prices tend to stagnate when a set is held in large quantities by a large number of sellers. Everyone who is dreaming of future returns on par with the current performance of exclusives that have already retired should expect much slimmer margins in the future simply because there is a substantially greater amount of capital being allocated to modulars than there has been in the past.

Set of Mixels Series 1 - $114.95. Most I have got for a set so far, they are creeping up! Also sold Volectro solo for $23.95 x2 yesterday

I'm a high school guidance counselor. It basically gives me time to think about what I want to be when I grow up. Which is, of course, never.

Whoa whoa whoa back the truck up! Who said anything about giving him the Death Star? That bad boy is mine but I'll LET him play with this one.

Yeah, definitely 3,796 pieces, 7 missing. Yeah. ***Note, posted for comedic value only - Not actual DS***

Alpinemaps performs: "I've Smooshed Everywhere" I was totin' my pack along the dusty Carlsbad road, When along came a semi with a high an' Lego logo-covered load. "If you're goin' to Legoland, Mack, with me you can ride." And so I climbed into the cab and then I settled down inside. He asked me if I'd seen a road with so much dust and sand. And I said, "Listen, I've smooshed every road in this here land!" [Chorus:] I've smooshed everywhere, man. I've smooshed everywhere, man. CMFs are running bare, man. I've breathed that Mixel air, man. Of flipping I've had my share, man. I've smooshed everywhere. I've smooshed at: TRU Reno, Discovery Chicago, Wal-mart Fargo, Target Minnesota, Walgreens Buffalo, TRU ca Toronto, Mom & Pop at Winslow, CVS Sarasota, Jewel/Osco Wichita, dumpster in Tulsa (Quizno's), Craig's List Oklahoma, Series 1 in Tampa, 2 in Panama, 3 in Mattawa, 4 La Paloma, 5 Bangor, Emazers house in Baltimore, 7 in Salvador, Series 8 Amarillo, 9 in Tocapillo,, I'm a killer. [Chorus] I've been to: Lego store in Boston, Simpsons Figs in Charleston, skipped Louisiana, Washington, Houston, Kingston, Texarkana, Monterey, Faraday, Santa Fe, Tallapoosa, Glen Rock, Black Rock, Little Rock, Oskaloosa, Tennessee to Tennesse Chicopee, Spirit Lake, Grand Lake, Devils Lake, Crater Lake, for Pete's sake. [Chorus] I've been to: Louisville, Nashville, Knoxville, Ombabika, Schefferville, Jacksonville, Waterville, Costa Rica, Pittsfield, Springfield, Bakersfield, Shreveport, Hackensack, Cadillac, Fond du Lac, Davenport, Idaho, Jellico, Argentina, Diamantina, Pasadena, Catalina, see what I mean-a. [Chorus] I've been to: Pittsburgh, Parkersburg, Gravelbourg, Colorado, Ellensburg, Rexburg, Vicksburg, Eldorado, Larimore, Atmore, Haverstraw, Chatanika, Chaska, Nebraska, Alaska, Opelika, Baraboo, Waterloo, Kalamazoo, Kansas City, Sioux City, Cedar City, Dodge City, what a pity. [Chorus] (I've smooshed everywhere) OK joke runs out of steam, too many damn places in that song.

What are the odds that Slave I UCS retires before DS?

This month I will surpass 600 sets in all. Here are some photos...

Materials guide for LEGO selling & shipping Many members have asked for a centralized place where they can go for shipping box information. I'm going to pin this post and update it as new information is provided. I just want to take a few minutes and thank those who wrote the following articles. They are still very good reference materials for the LEGO storage and shipping process. I may develop this into a blog article eventually. Fcbarcelona101's : Selling LEGO : Basic Materials Guide Mos Eisley 's : LEGO Storage Wars Incompetech's Catalog of Amazon.com Box Sizes - (thanks No More Monkeys) Amazon Boxes Sorted list by length - courtesy of pstebbing I've scoured the forums and here is a list of box sizes with basic set information: Boxes: 24x20x8 : Super Star Destroyer; Death Star, Roller Coaster, UCS Sandcrawler, Assembly Square 24x20x6 : Thicker sets like Town Hall, Tower Bridge 24x16x6 - 60052 Cargo Train, R2-D2, Maersk Line Triple-E, 7939 Cargo Train 24x16x4 - Helm's Deep, Vampyre Castle, Black Pearl, Friends Riding Camp, Parisian Restaurant, High Speed Passenger Train, Jabba's Palace, Downtown Diner 24x20x4 : Grand Emporium, Pet Shop, Imperial Shuttle, Haunted House, Palace Cinema, Fire Brigade 24x14x4 : Dolphin Cruiser, Coast Guard Patrol 24x4x12 - Dolphin Cruiser, Coast Guard Patrol 20x16x4 - Volkswagen Camper Van, Olivia's House, Sonic Raider, Sopwith, Creator Bike Shop, Batcave, Quinjet, Moria & Ambush 20x16x6 : Thicker sets like the Republic Gunship; City Cargo Plane 20x14x4 : Attack on Weathertop, Hulk 's Helicarrier Breakout, X-Wing 9493, Black Gate 16x16x4 : Gungan Sub, Pre Viszla, Tie Fighter 16x10x4 : Council of Elrond, Desert Skiff, City Grand Prix Truck 16x10x6 : Thicker sets like Creator Family House, Hillside House 15x12x4 : Funhouse, Orc Forge, Tumbler Chase, Daily Bugle Showdown, Hulk Lab Smash 12x12x4 : Uruk Hai Army, City Cargo Truck, Creator Treehouse, City Fire Emergency 11-3/4x8-3/4x4-3/4 : Wolverine Chopper, Arctic Batman, Power Armor Lex, Droid Escape, Cloud Cuckoo Palace 12x8x3 - Battle Packs, CA Avenging Cycle, Catwoman, Gandalf Arrives, Holiday sets 10x8x4 : Battle Packs, CA Avenging Cycle, Catwoman, Gandalf Arrives, Holiday sets Envelopes: 4x8 : Minifigs & small polybags 6x9 : Polybags small & larger 10.5 x 16 : Larger shipments of 3 x polybags or more Packing Tape : buy in bulk or on sale : you can throw some in during a Staples coupon promotion to get up to free shipping Walmart.com Duck Brand Packaging Tape http://www.staples.com/Staples-Standard-Grade-Packaging-Tape-Clear-189-x-110-yds-6-Rolls/product_380107 Retailers: Uline.com : holiday sale starts first part of November (usually 30% off) Staples.com : use coupon promotions - $10 off $30, $20 off $75, free shipping over $60 Walmart.com USPS Priority Mail (free boxes at USPS.com) Michigan Box Company: Flat Boxes 18"-23" L (thanks pstebbing) GBE Packaging (thanks pstebbing) PackingSupplies.com http://www.packaging...ated_boxes.html (thanks pstebbing) Bubble Wrap: 3/16" thick x 350' ft x 12" wide - eBay Sams Club 3/16" - 12"x240' $12.98 (In store) ($.05/LF) (thanks pstebbing) I like to use large and small retailer plastic bags to wrap items in, even after I bubble wrap it. For battle packs and even small sets, I sometimes use Wal-Mart, Target, or plastic bags from any store. Additional packing isn 't really needed. Usually like 2 bags on bottom, one to wrap the item, and two bags on top. Make sure to cover the corners of the item real nice to provide extra padding. Rule of thumb : ship & pack all of your items the same way you 'd like to receive items you've purchased. Shipping Paper: Collect it when you receive shipments. http://www.amazon.com/Pratt-Multipurpose-Packaging-KPR30241200R-Length/dp/B00AI652CM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408061459&sr=8-1&keywords=pratt+kraft+paper+1200? Shipping Labels & Printers: Dymo 450 & Dymo 400 Brother QL-700 DoNotInsertIntoMouth's : How to setup your label printer for shipping on eBay Feel free to post a follow-up or point out anything I missed. I 'll update it with what everyone wants added. I hope this is helpful.

Source: The Brick Fan

With all these sales on, don't forget to ensure you keep your rewards cards handy. I have been cashing in rewards points for Frequent Flyers, Fly Buys and MyerOne for more gift cards to use later. Stack those on top of the 20% off sales and you start picking up R2-D2 and Arkham sets for $150.

Maersk EEE ship.

If he's shooting for 30% margins, that's a somewhat realistic goal. However, I question the wisdom in laying out one's strategy so clearly on this website. I know that there are others that do so, but all such posts are based on the assumption that the secondary market is deep enough to absorb all of the sets that will be stockpiled by those who copy that strategy while leaving enough room for the original poster to continue executing on the strategy. Personally, I wouldn't be (and am not) so upfront about what I'm doing because, although it is certainly neighborly and considerate, it does little but foster additional competition, which ultimately undermines the viability of the strategy.

If tumbler showed up on same day in all retailers, with limit 5 at LEGO Shop at Home, resellers would not be as hoardy

As a doctor you probably have some income to help you out. Lol.

Electrical and computer engineer for 18 years. I architect and develop computer hardware. Married. One 4-yr-old daughter than I'm training to be an engineer by getting her hooked on Legos. Especially technics . I got started with a classic space set from the early 80's. I'm into brick picking for the fun of it. I've been selling into a different profitable niche market on ebay for about 6 years and wanted to expand. My next career might be as lego anonymous sponsor though.

Space Miner

Train collectors don't need every single train to come with motorization. it is easy to just pop the motor parts onto whichever engine(s) from your collection you want to run. If every engine came with a motor, battery pack, IR receiver, and remote it would unnecessarily raise the prices. The key thing is that there be a way to "officially" and easily motorize it.

Prices for this set seem to be higher now than last year, there do not seem to be the large discounts around. Could be a sign of EOL coming soon.

Ok, seriously, I think that it be sold out on november/december and retired on January. Just my two cents, as always.

As expected

What also made Walmart pretty decent last year was the fact that 30% off was on top of any sale price. If a $20 set was on sale for $16, you got the 30% off the $16. It made for some pretty decent deals for me.

Sorry bruddah. I won't buy anymore from the island

Apparently they will be adding a scene to Sparks of Rebellion when it premieres on ABC on October 26th featuring the Inquisitor and the James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader. I am really liking what they are doing with this series so far. http://www.cnet.com/news/james-earl-jones-to-voice-darth-vader-in-star-wars-rebels/

When I was there today, the store was very quiet. One or two regular people. They may have looked at me oddly, but if they did, I didn't notice. I did notice one of the employees look over at me with a "oh, geez, it's one of those" grins on her face. But, at the end of the day, it's on a display, I'm being polite and not disruptive, I'm not keeping people from getting to the items (nor telling them they can't have one that I've already moved), and we were all good.

I visit the seven So Cal Lego/LL locations on a weekly basis. Currently, six of those-this week- received shipments of 36 Tumblers either once or twice based on there store size. They are still selling out, but for someone trying to get one at this point it is not difficult. The local quick-flip market is drying up fast.

You probably will be shocked, but if you look at the list of "middle men", I bet 70% of them will be from this forum

BA don't you know those vicious thieving greedy 3rd party middleman resellers that stock up skids of sets to flip short term and long term? Who are they I did not know such people existed on this site? ROFL

That's some hot bacon. :whistle:

Yeah, I was seriously disappointing by the swooshability of 10181. Every time I try flying it around the living room I end up with a pile of gray bricks on the floor. I guess that's what happens when a Frenchman designs a rocket.

Sure it is. Lego probably considers profits to some degree, but what matters most to them is when it is time for a set to go. That question is answered by The Schedule, which sits next to The Banhammer in an undisclosed location somewhere in the general vicinity of Area 51.

Take it to lego store to exchange for undamaged set! Sent from my iPhone using Brickpicker

What is with the returning thing? Regardless of what happens, isn't it nice to say you have them. They won't be around forever.

I must say that the multitude of Mini-Mazers out there is concerning. So many buyers, buying such high quantities of just a few select sets that don't really sell in very high quantities sounds like trouble.

NEW / SEALED Death Star II (10143) - $450 Bought it from a company intranet page. Couldn't believe my eyes! How often do you see a set that's almost 10 years old still sealed like that. Woman's husband got it years ago as a gift...always meant to built it and set it up on display. They moved a few times and he never built it. Wife found it in their basement recently and said "he'll never build it" and decided to sell it. They must not like to sell things on eBay/CL so they "low-balled" it on her company site. My mother actually saw the ad and forward it on. Picked it up yesterday...seals are perfectly in tact. This set is a monster and I'm a happy camper!!!

Like Stephen said, read the "What I heard from a LEGO employee today" thread. You will then realize that they don't know their ass from a hole in the ground. That, my friend, is absolute.

Lego trains 101: Trains are good! $$$$$

Forgot to add, this is the massive internal structure. Really impressive part of the piece in my opinion.

Ladies and Gentlemen... it is done! Final verdict coming soon.

I looked at this image and first thing I thought it was a guillotine for the Empire. Haha.

If you like it, then you should put a ring on it!

I remember people boasting about eating at Wendy's days and nights to get those coupons. :D

This coffin will be a nice addition to my Haunted House.

This is an excellent thread. Way too many people concentrate on buying and don't ever try out selling before they are just too deep. I am one of these people and I have long since learned my lesson (I think). For the first year and a half all I did was buy. I bought up over 1000 sets during this time. I would say that I was addicted (still am). The point came where because of money and space it was time to offload some of my sets. In order to buy more I would need to start selling first. So in January of this year I started selling. This was an eye opener. I know everyone says that it takes time to list, sell, package, ship, etc but you really don't understand until you do it yourself. It is very time consuming. You also have to expect there will be problems. Lost packages, buyer returns, etc. This all eats in to your profits and time. I know a lot of people say large sets are the way to go and I agree to a point. Just know that those sharks on eBay/Amazon looking for sets to scam people on aren't looking for small inexpensive sets. I've got burned a few times already and it is always on large sets. A mint condition Imperial Shuttle returned banged up and opened, a Robie House returned destroyed after FedEx left the package in the rain, a AS returned because the buyer "bought it for someone who didn't like LEGO", a Robie House and AS on the way back now for a mystery reason, 0 feedback buyers everywhere, etc. Some of these can be avoided with experience and others are just part of the selling process you have to deal with. And here comes the big one everyone is warned about over and over but never really understands until they sell.... FEES. The fees are much more of an impact on your bottom line than you may think. Make sure you find a good fee calculator online and just play with it a little and enter some values in for sets you have. See what you must sell at to get a certain return on your investment. This is easy and takes just a couple minutes but it will be an eye opener for some who haven't even thought about the selling side of this yet. Make sure you add in estimated shipping costs and add a little for supplies. I know most people don't think about tape, boxes, paper, ink, etc but it adds up very quickly when you start selling at a higher volume. As an example I have spent $40 this year just on packing tape itself. I made the mistake as I am sure a lot of others do of thinking if rough times come or I need the money to reinvest I will just sell a bunch of sets and be fine. The truth is it takes a lot of time for things to sell. Like others have posted its not like selling stock. It will take months before you can sell a large inventory of sets. If you need your money fast you will be basically giving your sets away to sell them fast. Many times I have been the lowest price and still had to wait weeks for the item to sell. To sum this all up I am still learning but I feel much more confident that I have gone through the selling process and know what is involved. It will actually change your investing and buying decisions. It has drastically changed mine and now I am making more money and spending less time because of it. Since I started selling in January I have sold almost 600 sets totaling just over $37,000. This has allowed me to grow my investment to over 2100 sets and make much better investment decisions. If anyone wants the exact numbers on profits, fees, etc on those 600 sales you can PM me. Buying is only half of the investment process. Make sure you try the other half before you get in too deep.

I'm 40, and I run a web design, development and usability consultancy. I'm father of a four year old boy who already has about a thousand times more LEGO than I did growing up, and my wife loves LEGO too - we built the Grand Emporium recently, and I was only allowed to be the lowly parts-sorting monkey!