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Hello. My name is Elaine, and I am a Lego addict. I have often said this in jest, but I’ve started to realize that it is not a joke. I woke up this morning, and the first thing I did was check Brick Picker for the deals buzz. As soon as I had put the kids on the bus, I started planning my buy of the day. Since I went to see “The Force Awakens” (again) last night, I was feeling like I needed some more Star Wars sets. I took to the web, and made a plan to go to TRU (since it was Thursday) to buy a First Order Tie Fighter, using the Walmart price (20% off) plus another 10% through TRUTH and 8% back in rewards. It was only 9 am. I spent the next hour itching to buy as my local Toys R Us opens at 10 am. I even considered settling for price match plus 5% off using my Red Card at Target because they were already open. I didn't used to be like this… I am a collector. I still have 90% of the sets from my youth, and I started collecting again around 2010ish. For several years it was buying a modular for my birthday and lots of sets for the kids. It wasn't until a snafu with the Town Hall that things started to turn ugly. It was October 22nd, 2014. I had a lovely birthday dinner and decided that I would buy a Town Hall as my present. I already had a Fire Brigade, Grand Emporium, and a Pet Shop. I had briefly flirted with the idea of buying a Green Grocer long after it went EOL, but decided that $500 for NISB was too much to spend. (This was some time before the Town Hall incident, but it was what first enlightened me to the existence of the Lego reseller market.) Needless to say, when I went to my local Lego Store that day, I was dealt a crushing blow. I could not understand. I was buying each modular in order, I should have had plenty of time to buy the Town Hall, but it was gone. I was heartbroken. I was devastated. I was desperate. At first, I was ready to scrap the whole idea of my Lego city. It seemed pointless to not have all of them (or at least all of the ones released since I had started collecting modulars). I was still secretly pining for a Green Grocer, and to miss out on the Town Hall too was too much to bear. Within a couple of weeks of calling and searching stores and coming up empty, I bought one on eBay for 50% over RRP. I justified it saying that if I did find one in the wild for RRP, I could always resell that one to break even or better. For a little while, I was content, but it didn't last... Fast forward to March of 2015. It was my anniversary. There was an hour wait at the restaurant, so we went to the Lego Store. It was double VIP and I was determined not to let another modular pass me by, so I bought myself current, and had a lovely dinner. The next day, I was feeling guilty about spending so much, and I came up with the perfect plan. I would buy two of every Lego set I liked, build one, sell the other when it hit 2x RRP. Perfect! I immediately pulled $2k out of a never-touched savings account (because bank interest is a joke anyway) and had the most satisfying Lego spree I had ever experienced. I felt so powerful and successful with every package that arrived. It was incredible. I wish I could have stayed up there forever… Within a few months, (but just over 90 days), the reality of what I had done started to sink in. After that first $2k, I spent at least another $1k acquiring discontinued sets via eBay and craigslist, and probably $1k buying new releases because I was still flying high and I had 5,000+ VIP points to burn. For those of you who roll big, I will put this in perspective for you: $2000 is my entire monthly spending budget for utilities, food, etc. I spent 2 months of my household budget on toys. I panicked. I couldn't return anything. I couldn't break even through selling because everything was still readily available. I watched my stocks drop at sickening rates. I wanted to take it all back, but I had gone too far. All I could do was wait and see… It was the release of Lego Dimensions that brought me to the Brick Picker forums. My stocks were still junk (TB, ToO, EV, PS, PC, Simpson House…), but my buying had calmed down some. I started watching the Daily Deals. I started hiding purchases from my family. I started getting carried away again. I started bargaining with myself. If I didn't buy a coffee for a week or if I put off a haircut or if I returned some other nonessential item, how much could I spend on Lego instead? I started exchanging my “investment” sets for things I wanted to build. The lowest point was when I returned some sets that I had bought at discount, for full exchange value, to get my husband a Red Five for Christmas. I took a few weeks off after that... I used to have other interests. I used to have a modest savings account. I still have a roof over my head and my kids are well fed, but all I see are Lego. I want to know why I got this way. I can rationalize any purchase. “It helps me relax” “I had a coupon” “I had extra money this month” “But I need to have ALL of them!” (I tell my husband that I would have been a great Pokemon trainer). Sometimes I get mad at TLG. Sometimes I blame the QFLL. Sometimes I blame the AFOL trying to reclaim a happy childhood build. The truth is, I can only blame myself for getting so caught up in a hobby that I really can't afford… This morning, while I was planning my hunt, I came upon the “why did you start?” thread. The story is slightly different, but it's really all the same. “One time_____ and then I was hooked”. I can't decide if it's genius or predatory, either way, Lego is like a drug, and we are all pushers or addicts. I have 2 Tumblers in my trunk... View full blog article

$20,000.00!!! NICE!

I am nominating myself for the fruitcake on eBay award. Last weekend, I accidentally listed a Poe's X-Wing w/ no minifigures for $7.99 w/ free shipping...oops. Needless to say, the listing sold within 1/2 hour of posting, so I never had the opportunity to catch my mistake. I wound up honoring the sale and shipped the set at a significant loss. It actually COST me money since the shipping exceeded my $7.99 sale price! Hopefully the seller actually leaves me positive feedback... Git your X-Wings here! Only $7.99 shipped!

received an 8010 NISB with a slight blemish on the box. seller didnt specify that i will get a free wifebeater as a bonus with that. packaging by some ebay sellers never stops to amuse me. regardless the item arrived as described at half price of what these go for nowadays, with a freebie.

There was a time when Lego was just about Lego and not exclusive minifigs or movie licenses. Sets like Birds are just well designed, fun to build and look great. A great Lego set in other words, with a wide appeal to people who just like Lego for being Lego. These fundamentals still matter to many Lego fans and collectors and should be ignored at your peril if you're an investor.

I am sure quite a few people will be able to relate to your story

Series 1 and 2 Microfighters $199.99 + shipping

this is an ambiguous question. 4 would not be enough for me. you have enough faith to put $800 in the set. why not a few more? there are people in this group who bought 30 of these at a time. i went to the lego store on Tuesday - i would have bought a Tumbler if I could have gotten a mint one. they had zero and the manager literally barked at me "NO - it's RETIRED" when I asked about the Tumbler. I think I would buy any decent shaped Tumblers I could find in store despite the hoarding. The set has the demand. Coupled with a short life, this is all very supportive for post-EOL price gains. Early price gains may be muted by early sellers taking their money and run or mispricing and possibly not understanding the fees/costs involved with selling a set this large. Time flies. 2018 will be the 10 year anniversary of Heath Ledgers death and The Dark Knight release so we can expect significant uptick in interest and hopefully demand at that time. at least that's what the voices in my head are telling me today.

Welcome to Lego Investing. I have been in this game since the 1990's and my prime years were from about 2004-2007. All I can tell you from all my years of collecting and ebaying is that there is no guarantee, but the large lego sets are the closest thing to a guarantee as you can get. While not every Large set is a home run, you are pretty much guaranteed to NOT lose money, which is more than you could say than any other investment. Legovesting has become increasingly popular in the last 3 years, making it more difficult to make money as fast, and Ebay fees and the post office are continuing to cut into profits heavily, but you can still make good money. Just not as much and as fast as the mid 2000's. There are many naysayers on this forum about the Tumbler and they have their reasons. I personally believe this is as sure a bet as any due to the fact that despite what many people on this forum state, the interest for this set is VERY HIGH. It has more reviews than almost any other UCS set that was out for only 16 months, and has been a consistent top seller on Amazon since it has been out. While more interest drives more people to hoard, there is only so much supply out there, and this was hoarded less than many of the other sets out there. While the extra couple hundred resellers that picked up the set to resell will cause this set to take longer to sell out at lower price points, once it does, it will rise higher than the average 200 dollar set. Right now there are only 78 resellers for this item on Amazon. That is much less than Red Five, DS or many other UCS level sets. The set is already up to 300+shipping on Amazon which again is higher than Red Five or any other set retired in the last several months, and it's only been sold out a week, and there is even a small trickle of supply likely secondary to returns. The set was only available for about 16 months before retirement which is about 8-12 months less than the average UCS Set, again decreasing supply. People state Batman is not a "popular" commodity or as popular as Star Wars or Jurassic Park. While it is not at the level of Star Wars, it is very high. Batman has been popular in a tv format since the 60's and more popular in comics for lord knows how long. Batman has had 7 and soon to be 8 movies made, and will continue to have movies made. Batman will always be at the forefront of people's minds. People state that the Nolan Batman trilogy's time has come and gone, and thus interest in the Tumbler will die. Well look at the Delorean!!! Hasn't had any reason to be on the forefront of people's minds in 20 years except it was the 30th anniversary recently and people are paying 150 for some dinky little car that doesn't even look like the real thing. People state that no one will want to buy a Lego model of a car featured in only 2 Movies. Again, I point to the Delorean. The Millenium Falcon is only in 4 movies! The Super Star Destroyer in just one. The Nolan Trilogy is one of the definitive trilogies of the 2000's and is revered. It was a box office monster. The Heath Ledger Joker is one of the most legendary performances of all time. Batman, and especially The Dark Knight is HIGHLY RELEVANT and POPULAR. Especially among the crowd that can afford a 300 dollar lego set. This set will do well. How well is the only question. Lego investing is one of the safest investments out there because the number of Lego fans, unlike almost any other toy out there, will always continue to grow. Lego is not a Fad. It is not a beanie baby or a furby. It is a time honored toy, in which a lego from 1950 will still interact with a lego from 2016 the same. Lego never dates. While building techniques improve, (just look at the early X wings and first Star Wars sets, which I bought all of them when they were first release in 1998) a Lego from 50 years ago still functions the same as a lego today. With a constantly growing fan base, there is a constant stream of people who are becoming new to lego. With a constant influx of new Lego fans, there is a constant stream of AFOL's. Lego has always been a "higher" end toy as the prices for legos are higher than an average toy of the same size. Because of this it is a toy that tends to skew more toward the "upper" and "upper middle" class. Because of this, there are always children who grew up with Lego's that have a high likelihood of making a good salary. This leads to more AFOL's who when they start earning those salaries want to capture the magic of their youth, and also share it with their children. They then buy the sets they couldn't afford as a child, and then further the resale market. For many of these people, they will pay whatever it takes to get what they want. Lego is one of the most unique toys out there and it's ability to withstand depressions and stock market crashes makes it one of the safest investments out there.

I'm looking for an "adds no value" emoticon. Sorry, can't find one. Look, if you just wanted to be a hater, you could have gone through each ship and knock them down individually to fit with the theme of the thread, and perhaps added some insight. This post is just "Look at me, I have nothing to say."

Yeah, LEGO can become rather draining on the funds and time devoted. Still for a product most had long considered as little more than 'a simple toy' has made great strides showing otherwise. It is the one 'addiction' I am grateful to have. Haha. Who needs another $60 video game for another 'soon-to-be-outdated-and-replaced' couple hundred dollar console when I could buy enough for an epic LEGO cityscape. While some of us happen to be both a peddler and the addict. I may not be good with predictions but I do know those Tumblers will be anything but junk.

Try listing a Chima Speedorz for 79.99 last thing at night - maybe some drunk will buy it and you will have erased the loss. Karma works both ways.

The Birds was the first set that i bought after coming back to LEGO. I started with CMF's and then I started looking for buying a set but all there was were Star Wars, Super Heroes, Friends, City and all these generic or licensed themes with which I didn't had any kind of relation. The only ones that catch my eye were the modulars, but they were/are to expensive. When I found out about the LEGO-Ideas program I was very pleased with its community nature and the fact that the resulting sets were made by a collaboration between a non-Lego employee fan and the Lego design team. The Birds set was the only non-licensed set available i i could relate with more than with the licensed stuff. So, I don't know if this brings any light to why the Birds set can enjoy a growth in price, but sometimes it's not about the licensed stuff, but the other way around.

Lego 21010 Robie House. What an amazing and challenging build! I really like the fact that the instruction pages really make you work to build it correctly. You are scrutinizing placement based on the studs around it. Tons and tons of tiny red pieces and can be somewhat repetitive, but that is because the design emulates the brickwork beautifully. Catch this thing in the right light and just soak in the great details. The book is also awesome covering the history and sections of build. A great experience. This set does not really fit my normal display models, so if anybody is interested in owning a Robie, shoot me a PM and we'll chat.

Got another farnsworth house + villa savoye at mrsp Man, I love architecture sets!!!

Like you have a credit card and click buy on a website? Uhh, sure.

Friends don't give friends Chima sets

I give it as gifts. Maybe that's why we don't get invited back the next year.

My wife has strict orders to buy any and all LEGO at 50% off, no questions asked. I'll worry about it later if it's a bust, but there's always a kids birthday or Toys for Tots.

I have 2 Batman sets listed on Ebay as New in Box factory sealed. I receive a message asking if the minifigures are included....... Duh, yes they are...

SOH has less, but larger bricks. Weighs 25% more than TB with 25% less pieces. Anyway, why would LEGO make a $300 set out of this?

Im sure this will be the most hoarded exclusive in human history when all is said and done. Just watch! And lego will cater to it.

Well, I imagine I won't have another chance to make this sort of reference.

If you find yourself in the LEGO store begging for "just a taste" you need a program.

Yes. here's a pic (from google) of the 6080 king's castle's rear box.

Hit the way back machine at an out of the way Walmart. $75 Vampyre Castle and damaged box 7965 MF $140

Awwwww

Well........ I might have to delve into the world of the Elves theme. Five new dragons and they look fantastic! Emily Jones and the Baby Wind Dragon (41171) Help Emily Jones teach Fledge to fly! Join Emily Jones as she searches for dragon cherries in Elvendale. Look up in the tree; a beautiful, sparkling dragon egg has hatched! Help her get the baby wind dragon out of the egg with some chocolate. Use the wobbling stepping stone to teach Fledge how to fly back up to the moss nest! Includes an Emily Jones mini-doll figure, plus Fledge the baby wind dragon. Features a waterfall with cave, tree, wobbling stepping stone function and a moss nest. Help Emily Jones lure the baby wind dragon, Fledge, out of her egg with a chocolate bar. Join Emily as she uses the stepping stone function to teach Fledge to fly. The Water Dragon Adventure (41172) Fly with Naida and Merina to discover new parts of Elvendale! Help Naida Riverheart the water elf, hold on tight as Merina the water dragon, flies around Elvendale in search of new and interesting places! Explore the waterfall while Naida feeds Merina by using her magic water powers to toss food to the dragon. Discover hidden treasures in the magic waterfall, and help Naida brush her hair and try out the other magical beauty accessories before the next adventure! Includes a Naida Riverheart mini-doll figure plus Merina the water dragon. Features the crystal waterfall with water catapult function and a hiding space for hidden treasure. Climb on Merina the water dragon’s back for a flight around Elvendale. Elvendale School of Dragons (41173) Work with Tidus Stormsurfer the Dragon Trainer to train Miku the baby dragon, to improve her flying! Ring the bell and start school with some flying lessons at the blackboard. Help Miku climb the tree during the break, and then time her with the hourglass as she flies down the zip line. Use the cookie shooter to encourage her to fly further. After practice, it’s time to take a well-deserved nap! Includes a Tidus Stormsurfer the Dragon Trainer mini-doll figure, plus Miku the baby dragon. Featuring the dragon school with classroom and tree for climbing using the zip line and a napping space for Miku. Enter the dragon school classroom and take a seat on the mushroom chairs. Encourage Miku to fly faster and further with the cookie shooter. The Starlight Inn (41174) Make a stop on the journey and have a sleepover at the Starlight Inn! Travel with Azari Firedancer the fire elf, and Spark the baby fire dragon, to the Starlight Inn! Meet Sira Copperbranch the Sky Captain, who takes care of the Inn, and take a tour inside. Set up Spark’s egg in the cellar before you have some tea and learn more about the Inn and the Sky Captain. Tuck Spark in his egg then sleep well so you’re ready for more adventures in Elvendale! Includes Sira Copperbranch the Sky Captain and Azari Firedancer mini-doll figures, plus Spark the baby fire dragon. The Starlight Inn features a turning telescope that reveals a hidden staircase and key, a drawer under the bed that opens, cellar and inn doors that open and close, as well as a flame element that can be turned to light a candle or heat a teapot in the oven. Visit the Starlight Inn in Elvendale for a cozy night’s rest during your adventures. Fire Dragon’s Lava Cave (41175) Have a campfire at the Lava Cave with Zonya the fire dragon! Join Emily Jones and Azari Firedancer the fire elf, as they explore the Lava Cave! Meet Zonya the fire dragon, then enter the Lava Cave with the use of Azari’s magic fire powers. Discover the secret map and roast a marshmallow around the campfire. Spend the night tucked into the warm and cozy moss beds in the cave, and in the morning join Emily and Azari on Zonya’s back for an epic flight! Includes Emily Jones and Azari Firedancer mini-doll figures, plus Zonya the fire dragon. Features the Lava Cave, with a sliding function to move the lava fall aside, moss beds and a campfire. Includes the Shadow Fountain with a sliding function to transform the fountain from green poisoned water to blue clean water. Clean up Shadow Fountain so Zonya can drink from it once again. The Secret Market Place (41176) Find the Secret Market Place with its enchanting residents! Join Farran Leafshade the earth elf, and Aira Windwhistler the wind elf, as they find the Secret Market Place, run entirely by animals! Meet Thorne the earth dragon and feed him pumpkins. Visit Owlyver the post owl at the post office and watch Flamy the goldsmith at work. Search through the library with Aira then help Farran use his magic earth powers to reveal the Book of Dragons’ hiding place! Includes Farran Leafshade and Aira Windwhistler mini-dolls, plus Flamy, Owlyver and Thorne the earth dragon. The Secret Market Place features 2 levels with stairs, a lever for activating the hammer in the goldsmith, opening drawer and a turning function to move the tree and reveal the sacred Book of Dragons. Includes Thorne the earth dragon, with space for a storage box and a mini-doll on his back. The post LEGO Elves 2016 Set Descriptions appeared first on The Brick Fan.

This is the advice I most agree with (other than the usual star wars stuff). People say the same things every time with large star wars sets like the red five, "too many resellers!" but when the time comes, prices go up. The 42009 is an astoundingly intricate and functional model. I don't know how I feel about buying many at retail (still ok), but it was certainly excellent with the sales. This is likely the last chance to get this set at near-retail price if you want any at all. 21301 Birds is another great pick. One year lifespan and has casual appeal across the board (meaning beyond just lego lovers). Casual appeal should not be underestimated. Everyone I know thinks this set looks great. Don't trick yourself - is the set sweet? Would you buy it yourself? For both the birds and the crane, the answer is yes - I own the models myself, and have even given birds as a gift.

The dude literally sold you the shirt off his back. I'd give him a hundred positive feedbacks if possible.

I sold a B-Wing and a Rebel Snowspeeder together for $100. It was about $65 including Tax buy in, so I figure not too bad, considering that one of them is a B-Wing and the other one might be reissued in the Hoth base.

Jeff has been adding some new features once again. There is a lot going on behind the scenes to improve the site and Brick Classifieds.

They don't appear to have as many unique elements as Chima, so these should do great for the parts bins. That's one thing that turned me off about Chima. I'd see a set for 50% - 75% off and think, "What am I going to do with the leftovers?" They are usually more leftovers than useful parts too. Too many claws, horns, wings, and crap.

Nice observation. Damaged box got me 25% off. That was back in 2011.

Here it is next to a Tumbler for scale...this thing is huge! I personally have one more sitting in inventory right now, and I feel pretty confident that this one will see some growth after retirement. Just not sure how much. It's definitely a great/challenging build. As @areyounormal mentioned, the interior could have had a bit more, but I'm perfectly happy with the exterior and that's what's being displayed anyways. High MRP can be a turn off for a lot of buyers, but that also means this set won't be hoarded as much. We'll see how it goes.

Yes, I could see myself go the same way, but circumstances were a little different here. But in the end it sounds as if you already did the most important step: you can look at yourself and see and judge what you do. Maybe at some point you can get those initial savings back into the bank and still have all the Lego - the current investment and your own. That's what I've set as my goal, anyway.

TabbyBoy lives in Berkshire and I believe works for United Airlines, just saying

That box has a monty python and the holy grail feel to it.

Bit disappointing, really: - I had fully prepared my order. Literally at 00:01H when I wanted to check out, the Arocs wasn't in my basket anymore. It was 'out of stock'. Honestly? - The 20% discount only applies to 1 set. - Signed up for the newsletter two hours ago, still didn't receive my 5 euro code. So I got the Heartlake hotel for 80 euros + 7 euros shipment costs within Germany. Not the deal I hoped for. Still, the ungrateful-seeming nagging aside, I thank Chillreign for the trouble to tell us about the discount. It's always nice to be notified of deals. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't (much). Probably the best remaining deal (in my view) is the Volvo technic loader 42030 for 143 euros + shipping. Edit 00:17: the Volvo is gone also. The reactions on the site re. the immediately sold-out Arocs are quite... sharp Edit 00:19: probably the best remaining deals are now the ugly Kylo Ren ship 75104, Friends hotel 41101 or Crawler Crane 42042, either for 80 euros + shipping. Or the Tyderium 75094 for 72 euros + shipping. Note that shipping is only to Germany or Austria.

Spent my ebay bucks on this giant thing! Good times building it, took about 8-9 hours and it's cool to see the thing taking shape as it's coming together. Highlights for me were the micro scale vehicles and quinjets for the deck.

Thanks...Knowing members on this site, there are quite a few procrastinators. LOL

Only my third post on these forums, and just wanted to commend you on your effort. Just bought my tickets last night, which makes me supporter #426. However much you raise, I think what you guys are doing is awesome! I remember when we had to raise money for our school every year, my mother would go around and sell cookies to her colleagues at work so that we wouldn't have to do it ourselves in our neighborhood. And she did this every year for 12 years! Hopefully, everyone is procrastinating like me. Best of luck!

Tooting my own horn...For the first time ever I made powerseller (Bronze-Titanium?) status on the Bay. Woo Whoo...so I save some money on shipping and fees? Anything else? http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/sell-powersellers.html#benefits

Why insult someone over a box of plastic?

yes eBay buyers who leave negative feedback as positive are in violation of the process and you can have the feedback removed

I wrote a review of ultimate Robin, look at blog section. App is fun for kids.but don't really need upgrades