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Would like to share and also want to hear your experience.... I started investing in Lego in Jan, 2013. I don't remember where I read this in Brickpicker forum. However, I remember some experienced member wrote something very similar to the title, "in order to sell $60,000 worth of Lego in one year, you should have $180,000 in inventory". Because I read that, I decided to actively sell for one year starting late Jan, 2015 to see whether that was true or not. According to the Brickfolio, current value of my inventory is $ 183,597.18. After almost one year of active selling, I have had $ 59,485.52 in sales, minus all the fees/shipping cost, and original cost of sold sets, the net profit is $16,646.05. The original cost of all the sold items was $29,218.82. So, the numbers are quite similar to the statement made by that experienced member. Over this one year, I spent time researching/learning how to sell, how to pack (gradually getting more and more efficiently)...... I do enjoy the process, and I see this as my hobby. Even it takes time, but It does not affect my job at all. Investing in Lego is fun and hope it would last for a while. But we are all witnessing the gradual change of Lego investment environment.

After the recent Telegraph article going viral all over the world stating that LEGO bricks and sets were better investments than Gold over the past few years, one has to wonder what other investment vehicles do LEGO bricks outperform. With the recent roller coaster on Wall Street and foreign markets, a question presents itself...Are the LEGO secondary markets and LEGO collecting and investment in general, more stable and profitable over the long haul than other more high profile investments? Let’s analyze some data… With 2015 coming to a close, the final financial year-end data on stock markets, crude oil and gold prices is available. Take a look at the major stock market and commodity returns for 2015 stated in an article from the USA TODAY: A quick analysis indicates an overall poor year for most major indexes and benchmark commodities. Only the tech heavy NASDAQ escaped the carnage and posted positive gains for the year. Now, compare the above chart to the “average” LEGO set returns over the past five years and this is what you find: Now, when I say, ”Average LEGO Set,” I am referring to the “mean” appreciation of all LEGO sets in our database. The Return On Investment is calculated from the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). There are thousands of LEGO sets in our database that get aggregated into these figures, some new and available at retail, but most retired and no longer available at primary retailers. The data shows a very consistent pattern for LEGO sets over the past five years. Even when other major investment vehicles were having a hard time getting into the black in 2015, LEGO sets held their ground. In an overall bad year for investing, LEGO bricks and sets still appreciated close to historical levels. Themes like Jurassic Park, Mixels, Speed Champions, Ideas and Lord of the Rings all had banner years, while Friends, Monster Fighters, Minecraft, DC Comics and Marvel Super Heroes themes all took a huge hit. There are many sets that appreciated very well, while others stagnated or fell in value. Just like stocks, the trick is picking the right sets. Now, before everyone goes out there and dumps their stocks, bonds and gold for LEGO sets, a potential LEGO investor needs to realize the pitfalls of investing in little ABS plastic bricks. First off, they are difficult to store and take up a lot of space. LEGO boxes play a large role in their values. The better the condition, the higher the value in most cases. They are susceptible to moisture and sunlight. Boxes are large and delicate, and a person can easily fill up a small room with a moderate LEGO collection. Another issue with LEGO investing is their expense. Their impeccable quality comes at a high price. They are very expensive toys. Period. Unlike stocks, bonds and gold, they are not liquid. A person has to sell and ship them to realize profits. This takes time and effort. Buying LEGO sets is easy. Selling and shipping them is not. Speaking of selling them, many LEGO secondary market sites such as eBay and Amazon charge high commission fees...ranging anywhere from 10-15% (Unless of course you sell on Brick Classifieds with ZERO commission and fees). This takes a huge bite from your appreciation. Granted, if you choose wisely and pick the right LEGO sets to invest in, these negative factors can be overcome, but many people do not choose wisely and end up failing at this endeavor. So are LEGO sets a better overall investment and more stable than stocks, bonds, gold and crude oil? At this point in time, probably, if you choose the right LEGO sets to invest in and buy and sell them with some creativity and frugality. What they seem to be is more consistent. Take a look at the chart below: A quick glance indicates a rather steady growth pattern for LEGO sets, while the various stock market indexes are quite turbulent. Even when stocks were down, LEGO sets yielded in the 10% range. Pretty solid. While the LEGO secondary markets will probably never take off into stratospheric levels like stocks did in 2013, there are multiple individual LEGO themes and sets that could explode in growth at any given time. To find those sets, one needs to research the markets and study the products. It also takes effort to find deals on LEGO sets when purchasing and work to properly list, package and ship LEGO boxes. Experience also matters. While a novice can make profits from investing in LEGO sets, it often takes experience in buying, selling, packaging and shipping to maximize profits. LEGO investing is no longer “easy” money as it once was, but if you educate yourself, make prudent choices, adapt to changing trends and get a little lucky, you can still see solid profits... View full blog article

Update to this crazy story. Of course the buyer never returned the item and never sent any documentation verifying they received their package with rat feces inside. I called eBay customer support last night, had them review the case & messages back and forth with the buyer. eBay closed the case in my favor. They also did NOT refund the buyer since they did not return the package. Some of these buyers and the stories they come up with are ridiculous!

I own a 1x4 grey brick that is in the UCS MF.

While I appreciate the comments about the picture from all members, I think it is a rather innocent and fun picture that exemplifies the fun of LEGO. One does have to be careful of what is posted on the internet, but in this case, I really don'r see any major problems if the parents are the ones who posted the picture.

I like what you did here. Make it look like you're just taking a picture of Lego display but in reality you've captured the image of one of the prettiest girls I've ever seen in a Lego store!

Drove from OKC to MO and made a few stops along the way. Below is what I picked up. I passed on a ton of stuff, but Chima, Friends, and Ninjago are not in my ballpark, so I don't mess with too many of them. I also passed on a few deals I probably shouldn't have, but I'm trying to stick to some kind of plan. ISD - $114 Mine - $69 Phantom - $19 Tydirium - $74 Bakery - I believe $19 Cement Mixer - $18.50

He's asking about $17 a pound. For that much work, you'd probably want to be in somewhere in the neighborhood of $4-$6. If he had sets that were mostly built, could show the minifigures, and the amount of work that you would have to do was a lot lower, it would be closer to his asking price, but $17 a pound is just way too high. You'd still have to sort through 215 lbs of LEGO to make sure there were no megablocks or other stuff. You'd have to spend the time to clean them and filter through to put together sets. Your profit per hour, if this is your first time doing bulk, and you don't have a system, would be piss poor. It's als disheartening to try to sort through all of this without a quick way to recoup your costs.

looks like there is periscope of the Target packaging guy...

I'll dive right into this article by discussing the investment potential of the "comes in black" 76023 Lego Tumbler set. It appears production was stopped for the $199.99 76023 Lego Tumbler set months ago about the same time Lego slapped the infamous "retiring soon" tag. European and US Lego Shop At Home websites have either sold-out (red font for those who track that) or removed this set's page entirely. In the US, only Amazon and Target have stock currently. According to Brickpickers who try to track inventory like @trekgate502 , the current inventory at those 2 online retailers could be gone by the time the 4th NFL Wild-Card game finishes this Sunday. Regardless of the availability left, the clock is near midnight folks. Time is running out so please check the Brickpicker Inventory Stock Checker. http://www.brickpicker.com/brickwatcher/lego-stock-checker.cfm#76023-1 Since coming out of my Lego Dark Age in 2012, there have been only one time I felt a set's popularity growth was guaranteed to grow after retirement (aka a Grand Slam) : 10212 : UCS Star Wars Imperial Shuttle. The Tumbler is the second set I've had this feeling about. In recent months, this set has fallen out of favor with many Brickpickers. They have their reasons. Reasons why this set is a "Grand Slam". It's Batman. This character has global appeal. Past set comparisons can help predict future growth. The initial $49.99 Tumbler set (7888 from 2008) continues to sell for a premium : $470 MISB and $244 used. Granted, this set had a very limited production run and was the only Lego Tumbler available for from 2008 to 2013. The Batmobile: Ultimate Collectors' Edition (7784 from 2007) retailed for $69.99 and grew to $432 MISB and $208 Used. 2013's Batman: Arkham Asylum Breakout has increased from $159.99 to $238 in one year of retirement. If this set performances 1/3rd as well as of the previous 3 sets, that gives us a secondary market price of $700-$800 within 3-4 years of retirement. If achieved, that growth will be considered a success. More Batman films are coming. Building this set is fun. The designer used various elements and techniques to create the Tumbler's complex outer design. Batmobiles are popular. There have been countless debates whether the 1966 Adam West version is better than the 1989's Tim Burton one and if the latter is better than the Tumbler. The Tumbler was introduced in Christopher Nolan's 2006 Batman film. He wanted something different than done in past films. The point is that any vehicle Batman drives remains popular. Lego marketed this set as an advanced model and included a UCS-styled plaque. Christian Bale and Health Ledger minifigures are included and both remain exclusive to this set. I doubt they will appear in future sets especially this Joker version. The vehicle is massive. It measures over 5” high, 15” long and 9” wide. Don't let the 1,869 piece count fool you as most pieces are Technic bricks, medium to large plates and semi-exclusive tires. The picture below shows the minifigure to vehicle scale. Many elements are still harder to find for those trying to "bricklink" this set. 9 non-minifigure elements are available in only 6 or less sets including 1 element still being exclusive as of writing this article (Pearl Gold Wheel Bearing Back). Retail availability of this set appears it will be less than 2 years since it was introduced in August 2014. I don't have many issues with this nor identified "Cons". One not is this model is meant to be displayed and not played around with by the kids. The fenders and rear roof are two of the more fragile areas. One review I've liked since the set was introduced, was written by Ace Kim's in Aug 2014. http://www.fbtb.net/2014/08/18/review-76023-the-tumbler/ In summary, The Tumbler has a "love it or hate it" affect on Lego fans. One thing for certain is that Batman fans will never forget The Tumbler when debating Batmobiles for decades to come. NOTE: Please be sure to check-out our popular forum topic and the Lego Designer Video for more information. Also included below is a link to the awesome Jay Leno's Garage episode which highlights a film used Tumbler. </p> <p>   </p> <div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo" contenteditable="false"> <div> <iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ydtGew7bWuw?feature=oembed" width="480"> View full blog article

I ship international and I love gsp. My only responsibility is to ship to Kentucky. How easy is that.

Look at the price of Mr. Gold from CMF 10. If only there is a chance to get a sealed case of Collectible Minifigures series 10 for cheap LONG after they retired.. Oh wait...

Thanks for notifying us.

I must be missing something - this cheapest this set is selling for on eBay is $280 only a few weeks after they were widely available in B and M stores...and this is a bad thing?

Good job! You didn't wanna do just 4 more sets...?

Now let's take that one step further. He now has a giant Lego set in his house he enjoyed putting it together and there are other LEGO sets that might be interesting. Boom! Gateway drug, we have a new Lego addict. That's why they do sets that are outside the mainstream. Trying to hook new brick addicts.

9500 Sith Interceptor. Picked it up at 20% discount, man what an amazing build. Really cool wing features, great on display. Expensive at full price (probably wouldn't get it) but IMO it's easilly one of the cooler TIE-like sets. And that Malgus minifig - pure beauty.

My biggest issue with it is Walmart seems to not attract the sharpest individuals to start with. Next issue is that I don't think retailers should EVER be offering parted out sets. What the hell is next loose pieces. Are you a retailer or a yard sale...

Yes, You Make Me Vomit seems appropriate

Must resist what? Making money?

Something just happened that prompted me to write this. It's not a negative thing, just a observation. I have recently got into parting out some sets, so I am having a go at 75902 Scooby Doo Mystery Machine RRP £30. I have all the figures, the Zombie Tree & the Van listed separately. Fred Jones is unique so I sold him for a BIN of £11. A few days later I sold the Van for £15. I'm writing the address, it seems familiar. I check my inbox and yes, its the person who bought Fred Jones from me a few days before. So over about a week they've spent £26 only £4 short of the full RRP of the entire set to get about 60% of it. WHY??!! I know we rely on these people but why? They could have gone to Toys R Us, could have ordered online from Lego ( no B&M stores where they are ). It struck me as odd. But HOORAY FOR THE ODD PEOPLE

The guy had this on Pawn Stars and wanted $150,000 but Rick only offered him $100,000 http://www.ebay.com/itm/321969025538#ftag=YHF6738a5f

Yesterday I was contacted by the website Tech Insider to help them list the Top 25 most valuable sets of All Time. It was good timing too since I did run the price guide numbers recently. With no real big surprise, Star Wars led the pack with getting 10 sets into the list. I think the one surprise is getting a set from 2015 in there with the Bat-Pod. No one is really sure how long that will remain in the list and if aftermarket builders will do a good enough job on the "fakes" to kill that market. Good old Mr Gold is still going strong after a few years and holding onto a value greater than $1,500. If you are lucky enough to have every set on this list, you are holding onto a pretty nice bundle of cash, $35,277.95! So the big question is, how many sets on this list do you own? SET NUMBER SET NAME THEME YEAR VALUE (NEW) VALUE (USED) 10179 Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon Star Wars 2007 $3,987.40 $2,499.34 10189 Taj Mahal Advanced Models 2008 $2,732.93 $1,219.53 10196 Grand Carousel Advanced Models 2009 $2,593.27 $1,450.53 3450 Statue of Liberty Advanced Models 2000 $1,998.87 $1,282.00 10181 Eiffel Tower Advanced Models 2007 $1,781.60 $851.87 10030 Imperial Star Destroyer Star Wars 2002 $1,744.00 $1,030.40 10182 Cafe Corner Advanced Models 2007 $1,676.13 $773.25 10143 Death Star II Star Wars 2005 $1,656.87 $875.11 710019 Mr Gold Collectable Minifigures 2013 $1,558.88 - 10190 Market Street Factory 2007 $1,537.40 $729.13 5004590 Bat-Pod DC Comics Super Heroes 2015 $1,530.20 $700.00 10129 Rebel Snowspeeder Star Wars 2003 $1,365.53 $734.13 10019 Rebel Blockade Runner Star Wars 2001 $1,199.20 $718.33 852293 Castle Giant Chess Set Gear/Board Games 2008 $1,128.20 $513.60 10134 Y-wing Attack Starfighter Star Wars 2004 $1,067.60 $621.93 10185 Green Grocer Advanced Models 2008 $959.93 $674.27 10221 Super Star Destroyer Star Wars 2011 $881.33 $687.20 7191 X-wing Fighter Star Wars 2000 $848.87 $320.80 10018 Darth Maul Star Wars 2001 $807.13 $388.60 10187 Volkswagen Beetle Advanced Models 2008 $754.13 $423.27 10173 Holiday Train Trains 2006 $734.40 $359.47 10210 Imperial Flagship Pirates 2010 $731.61 $477.20 10175 Vader's TIE Advanced Star Wars 2006 $673.20 $387.73 8275 Motorized Bulldozer Technic 2007 $671.87 $257.87 21021 Marina Bay Sands Architecture 2013 $657.40 $353.17 Here are quick breakdowns by Theme: View full blog article

Well, I played a role, but the holiday season and competition has definitely put a nail in the coffin. Even the set with Jar Jar Binks in it is gone. I pretty much sacked most of the vader boxes during October/November leading up to Black Friday, so I can't complain too much, but I think the days of finding any of those sets are over.

And shipment to The Netherlands. You're welcome

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$100,000 for that. Now that is a bubble. LOL

Heard a middle aged guy in the Lego store telling an employee that this was the first Lego set he bought. He was in the process of buying the new Firehouse. He said he wouldn't have been in the store if it wasn't for it. So that Is just one example of someone who isn't into Lego but would be quite interested in Ghostbusters sets.

4hr build time, 4hrs to apply the canopy stickers!

Earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization. It matters because is the real earnings. All the rest and random variables. None of which are fixed from tax payer to tax payer. The effectiveness of a business in its valuation is very heavily based on ebitda.

Let the building begin [emoji1] this was a secondhand stillg got two MISB.

Lol I throw the assembled set in a box and ship it.

Good write up!

Not complaining , heck I might jump on it if it becomes a good fit for me . Just think it is odd that Walmart would implement it in such a way .

I sold my used sdcc throne of ultron for $100 on eBay

Let me get this straight ... the 3PS on this forum are complaining about the 3PS on BN.com & Walmart.com ?

Your welcome.

You must have missed the meeting in the daily deals thread where we modified the acronym. @Dcdfan can give you the minutes to the meeting.

I’ve been stock piling used SW bulk for just over a year, waiting for the inevitable tsunami of SW popularity and over the holidays, I put this little lot back together. Still some work to do as they are about 90-95%, not all have the correct figs and Yoda just had a little accident, his head fell off. So I’m going to have to sort that out again.

I like it. Adds some nice color to the place.

11 x 75055 ISD's NIB, 1 x used, 1 x AT AT NIB and 1 x Used. Got them at RRP, which is good.

This actually happened yesterday but picked up 6 Spaceport 60080 for $20 each at Walmart. The ironic thing was, 5 minutes later I get a Slickdeals notification that you can pick up the Spaceport for $90ish on Amazon. Also managed a 1500 piece Large Ideas box for $30 at a different Walmart.

Wal-Mart 4 x Jek-14 Starfighter - $54

Built the Brick Bank today, took about 6 hours. While I wish the overall set was taller it does match up nicely next to the Detective's Office and PR. The mini builds of the safe and the washing machines were excellent and the white and sand green elements really compliment each other. Overall would rate it a solid B+

I find it's buy 3, build one, sell two usually nets it for me free, and maybe puts a few pennies back in my pocket, too. After you place your order, you should get a selection of buttons including something along the lines of "Remove Ordered Items from Want List". But in case you don't, there's also a button on your Orders Placed screen that allows you to see the items you've ordered against your Want List. Some people just delete from their Want List at this point. Me, I like to move the items to a newly created Want List, with the Store's name. Then I know what I ordered (and I make sure there's a note in the Comments field to tell me what set the part belongs to). I only delete it from my Want List when it's in my hand, verified that I possess it.