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Actually both of you are saying the same: Collecting has nothing to do with logic. It is only that each of you comes to another conclusion. In the end you cannot really be an investor if you insist on enforcing logic on LEGO collecting, you rather have to accept that the whole business model of LEGO investing relies on people making "not financially advisable" buying decisions which you make your profit from. I for my part am kind of an anti-consumerist, hardly spending any more money than really necessary on anything, and I already wonder about 99 % of other people's everyday buying decisions, be it food, shoes, cars or toys. So, of course I'd never start collecting myself because this would be pretty much the opposite of my philosophy. Still, I am very happy about the fact that there are hundreds of millions of people out there who DO like to spend a lot of money on all kinds of stuff they do and don't need (one of them being LEGO sets). Without them the whole economy would not work. So, my own philosophical conviction aside, as an investor I love other people's unreasonable consumption very, very much. If it's their free will to hand me their hard-earned money I won't stop them from doing so. They "are willing to pay", and I am willing to cash in. Logical or illogical, abvisable or unadvisable - I just don't care.

I'd rather have one of these than 4 AoH...

More often than not, the main question LEGO investors are trying to answer is “When is this set retiring?”. As we all know, once a set is retired is when it really has the potential to start growing in value, so it is not surprising that the EOL question is as common as it is in the forums. However, focusing entirely on currently available sets may be causing investors to miss on a potentially lucrative market: sets that have already been retired for quite some time. It is not the first time I write about this, and I know some of other members like fellow Mod Grolim used to bring up quite often in the earlier years of Brickpicker, but taking a look at my last article pushed me to write about a set that I see as a potential money maker even at its current market value. Before getting into that though, let’s take a look at some of the arguments in favor of investing in retired sets. Removes the uncertainty of retirement date and, in some cases, performance. Investing in retired sets allows you to reap the benefits of growth as soon as you acquire a set, removing the need to park your money waiting for a set to go EOL. Most of the already retired exclusives that are performing great are way more scarce than any of the newer exclusives will be once retired. It is pretty clear that the LEGO investing market has seen an influx of buyer over the past couple years, prompting LEGO to produce more and more of the popular sets and keeping them around longer; the older sets were not as massively produced or hoarded. Of course, there are also a couple of arguments against this practice, and it would not be responsible of me to simply omit them. The ones that come to mind are: Risk of remakes. We have seen the two sides of the coin related to this point, as the remake of the UCS X-Wing failed to completely depress the prices of the older version but the new Winter Village Toy shop completely destroyed 10199. Acquiring an already retired set increases the likelihood that investors will be holding a set at the time a remake is announced. High amounts of capital are usually required. While practically anyone can invest on sets that are currently available, it becomes harder when you are targeting sets that are worth upwards of $500. Also, it is important to mention that this article assumes readers are Buy and Hold type of investors. Flipping and selling other sets in the short term can more than likely generate the same or more returns by moving sets quicker. The case for investing in the UCS Super Star Destroyer Some of you may remember the good old times when we saw the Super Star Destroyer selling for $319 on Amazon. Clearly, those days are over, but that does not mean that it is too late to put some money into this impressive set with the idea of making some good money in a couple of years. Why do I even bring this up? Well, just take a look at the following chart showcasing the performance of some of the UCS sets in the past two years1: 1Actual values for December 2013 and 2015. 2014 Data is just an interpolation. Clearly, the performance of these sets has been outstanding over the past couple of years, and some of them were already extremely expensive back in December, 2013. We are talking about an average return of close to 93% in just 2 years over an average price of $750! (90% if we do a weighted average). Even more impressive, most of the sets shown in the graph above have been retired for more than 5 years at this point. Seeing these levels of growth over just two years indicates how solid most of the UCS models are in the long term. The UCS Super Star Destroyer is already selling for almost $1,000 based on the latest Brickpicker data. As mentioned before, investing in these expensive sets requires a certain amount of capital and a moderately high risk tolerance, but looking at how similarly valued sets have performed in the 2 years we have data for, it is a strategy with high reward potential. Back when the SSD was available for retail it already sold for $400 most of the time, making it one of those sets that are somewhat more difficult to hoard for most investors, reducing supply in the secondary market. Besides this, the set is probably one of the most impressive in both size and detail LEGO has ever released, and one that we are more than likely won’t be re-released for quite some time. LEGO has so many other sets to re-release before we ever see another SSD in stores (Imperial Star Destroyer, Millennium Falcon, Snowspeeder, etc.). Honestly, I see this set with the potential to reach $2,000 in a few years, much like its older sibling the Imperial Star Destroyer. This is only an opinion, but I figured I would bring the topic up for discussion and let each investors make up their own mind about it. Thanks for reading! View full blog article

well, apparently the MF spends some time again on " Ahch-To " and a cool new building set of some sort.

Finished building the DO with my son. My favorite modular build so far, so much fun!

Many of the over $25 LEGO items on KMart.com have an extra $5 bonus points back on purchase. I'm not sure if this is one-time only?

I don't think it has been mentioned yet, but according to Rewards "R" Us site, 10% off on Thursdays has been extended until 12/30/16. Earn 2 points per $1 spent at Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us when you use your “R”Us Credit card (Purchases with account opening discount earns 1 reward point per dollar spent) Earn 1 point for every $4 spent everywhere else MasterCard is accepted** Get 10% off at “R”Us stores on Thursdays until 12/30/16** Enjoy all the benefits of Rewards“R”Us https://rewardsrus.toysrus.com/main/overview

Just to summarize: For a new set to be desirable, it needs to be: - For an old-time Collector: A fresh new spin on something (either completely fresh or a good refresh) - For a recently awoken Collector: Anything that the old-time Collector wants, plus potentially a rehash of something currently difficult to get (i.e. retired and appreciated in price) - For an Investor: CEO/father seal of approval - i.e. the "I gotta have that" factor - For a Reseller/QFLL: Met with a high initial demand including wow factor - For a Completionist: To merely exist. Did I get that right?

some BL love. Already on it =)

Stopped at Wal-Mart after the games today, my son saw the lone $35 75092 - Naboo Starfighter. He said, "Can we build one of those someday?" It came home with us.

Sometimes, I restructure Walmart's benefits and compensation plan such that it prevents attaining a livable wage and is disproportionately unfair to women.

This! Great advice/strategy tips for anyone considering investing in post-retirement sets. Something I've looked at quite a few times now and each time i re-visit it i end up kicking myself for not pulling the trigger last time i looked. One thing I'd add to be wary of when pursuing this approach is looking at what makes the set popular. Sets where its the minigifs that are driving the returns are ones where I'd be hesitant to buy in the aftermarket. Remakes and fakes are just too easy on those. Even though no ones talking about sets driven by minifigures thought I'd just point that out The thing I'd be wary on with the SSD is how long till TLG release a TFA SD. Ok, couldn't be anywhere near as epic but it will give some people an alternative option and whilst it wont cause prices to tumble I think it will cause any future increases to slow.

This might be the last set to join the 2k club for many years, but first it has to pass the 1k mark on a regular basis. Definitely a risk to drop 1k on one but sometimes they can be snagged for less. Whether it proves to be a better investment than the current crop of exclusives is a different question.

The horde activated on ev and sc from January. It's probably the only people buying lol

look at what i found :

Lol. My friend creepily snapped a pic to show me.

Bought 49 Disney CMFs (Target) to go through later and found 7x $.89 Lava Falls and 3x $1.39 Sleeping Beautys.

Finished a pair of townhouses from the 10218. I mirrored one, have not decieded which way I will place them. Going to add another townhouse with the pet shop, should make a nice residential block for my town.

As other posters already noted before me, the hate against this set is unprecedented. However it is because of two reasons: UCS tag and price. This set obviously has an identity problem. Lets go to cars for an example (abstract away from actual business relationship): Ferrari announces that there will be a new model The car is revealed: it is branded as a Ferrari and its price is also that of a Ferrari The car is actually a Ford Fiesta with a slightly larger engine Ferrari fans are offended People would buy it regardless if it was called a Ford Fiesta and priced as such, since it is actually a good car I hope this little fiction can shed light on the source of the hate...

Elves castle is $50 at Kmart.com

Probably Lego fishing for resellers.

^ no . Enter Porsche thread .

Codes and gift cards... are our online friends trying to find a way to bring in shoppers without allowing Amazon/others a price match? Personally, I like it when they race to the bottom.

A $250 UCS set should be way more than just decent in my book. The best sets as of late have been the Technics , hands down .

I heard the same thing last year from a manager.

I know this may sound like crazy talk, but there are some people - we call them fans - who collect LEGO sets and actually build them. Some of them even have the audacity to keep their sets, and never sell anything.

I even rearrange their normal LEGO shelves so the proper sets are at the proper shelf tags....

Got the attachment feature to work this time. Pics of the Mini and VW.

Not the place for this, but...definitive proof you've been out brickpicked:

I guess you are betting that positive appreciation will outweigh the risk of a remake/refresh within the same period.

I agree folks should divest their Lego investment portfolio. Kinda like retirement investments. Buying new and used retired sets can be a comparable strategy to adding bonds and low-risk stocks to your 401k. Investment yields might not be as high a buying sets prior to retirement but risk is less plus less storage space is required during set ownership. Investors should setup requirements that must be met prior to investing in post-retirement sets (new or used). Mine are... 1) should be a good deal compared to current secondary market price 2) needs to be a popular set / part of a popular theme 3) the set has a slim chance at being refreshed during my ownership. I began buying used and new retired sets 3 years ago when I wanted to fund my "build a great retired set, flip and buy another great set to build" strategy. It all started with a 10185 UCS Vader Tie Advanced that was purchasd for $95 and sold 4 months later for $250. Then flipped a couple of Indiana Jones and Batman 1 sets. After that, I rolled my profits into a $550 used 10181 Eiffel Tower that sold for $800 6 months later. Then I managed to score a $1,425 used in box 10179 UCS MF when it was selling for. $1,900. After that I flipped a $750 10196 a Grand Carousel and sold it 1 year later for. $1,450. The 10179 hasn't been flipped yet but I should be able to clear $2,500 in less than 2 years of ownership. I have done the same with new (NISB) sets since 2013. In mid-2013, I purchased a 10 lot of new The Zombies sets for. $1050. I just sold the 8th one for over $210. All sales have been for over $200. Also picked up 2 new 10221 SSDs for $500 each and as you mentioned, they are selling for almost $1,000 now. Another good one was buying a new in opened box Emerald Night for $260 and it's nearing $400 two years later. Not all purchases have been without loss though. I purchased two new Winter Toy Shops two years ago for $300 total and won't be getting my money back. With the proper strategy and some luck, @Fcbarcelona101 (and @ed_mack 's) strategy of buying retired sets can be a low risk / medium reward strategy.

Looks good... I'm gonna be doing this as well, although i'm not sure I'll mirror mine. I will also change one of the doors to red or blue and the flowers on the sills and garden to different colours. For yours I prefer the doors on the out side.

If you're taking about the 4 on the hood it's supposed to be that way. The others...meh.

Kids and I built a couple of things over the last couple of days: 76064 Spider-Man and Green Goblin Mighty Micros 75837 Audi R8 LMS Ultra 75129 Microfighter Wookie Gunship 75126 Microfighter First Order Snowspeeder 75141 Kanan's Speeder Bike

We just need to accept that UCS seal is nothing more than marketing gimmick from now on and move on. Had Chima not been such a flop for LEGO, I bet this set would have had the UCS seal as well

That is the hardest I've laughed at a post in a while

So using this logic then, Attack on Hoth would appeal to the 'recently awoken collector' who loves the original trilogy as they will have missed the opportunity to get the separate parts like the snow speeder and wompa cave first time round.

update on the case : got reimbursed. As others mentioned, i do cap FBA times to ~$350

76039 - SH: Civil War Airport Battle at KMart.com for $79.99 - $10 coupon - $19.90 in points - discount gift card = $50 + $17 points back

Bought 2 42030 for $190 each at my local TRU. I'm stocking up on these

It's early but stopped at my first Walgreens in Detroit and scored 6 sleeping beauty sets for $1.39 each. I have a feeling it's going to be a good day[emoji2]

I just placed my order for AoH along with 18 Disney Minifigures for the Kiddo's! That now makes three orders since April 30th and seven for the month. This may not seem like much to most of you but for me a builder only, this is a lot!

The snow speeder DOES fit through the blast doors. 7:05 of this video.

I met Jaisonline and another Brickpicker member at the early opening. I yelled "reseller" when Jaisonline was checking out! My son Max waiting to go in...

I should be on Walmart's payroll considering how many sets I've reshelved for them.

Anyone who builds Technic MOC supercars will know about this ICARUS Supercar. It was so much fun to build this car by the great Madoca1977. This supercar has 4 Large motors propelling it, a servo motor for steering and two lights and two LiPo batteries for power. I have substituted the Sbricks in the original build with two V2 receivers and a pole reverser so I can use only one IR receiver. This supercar looks amazing at every angle which is partly due to Madoca1977's crazy use of angled panels. It was tricky to assemble it with instructions, so the upmost respect to someone who can imagine, design and assemble models of this complexity!

Voltron - Defender Of The Universe Submitted on April 11, 2016. Already at ~5700 votes. As a child of the 80s - I *need* this to happen.