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I got married for the first time almost 4 years ago. Little did we know that I would have a stoke 6 months later. If her daughter would not have been home and her office close to the house I would have died. So its very easy for me to say it was the best decision of my life. ......and she never lets me forget it.

I know some people have bought a set (new or used) simply for the build experience then resold the kit down the road as a whole or parted out. I can relate to a degree as a number of my purchases were more for the build itself while other times primarily only for the pieces. Moving along. * Does keeping the plastic bags increase their value? I do not believe so. That plastic may be part of the original packaging but once it is sliced open even with a pair of sharpened scissors, it's inconvenient waste. Since most everything is numbered anymore, you could keep the front of each bag as a means to label every storage bag of parts assuming you willingly want to go through the extra effort of sorting out all the pieces as per the instructions. I see this less of affecting resale value and more along the lines of receiving potentially better feedback. * Keeping the extra pieces? So long as all the pieces to completely construct the set in its entirety is there, buyers should be fine. While sites such as BrickLink do confirm a general list of expected extras (when the kit comes straight from the source), those numbers are not infallible. Plus, no one can keep track of what extras they actually did get with the set versus what is listed. I would consider the extras as "pocketed parts". * Negative feedback for smudges from greasy fingers. You can clean the parts before packing for resale leading to potentially better feedback. Usually, buyers do this themselves when going for used. Fingerprints on pieces is kind of expected. Unless we are talking about the amount of grease I could use for coating a frying pan to cook eggs or the kind thick as peanut butter, you should be alright. People can be pedantically picky but there is only so much one can do. Mind you, these are based off observations and personal opinion rather than genuine experience. I am just a builder who typically buys new that has been here for a very long time. Haha.

wash your hands before building...it is after all ...a sacred art. Respect the build dammit! order an extra set of stickers (or Sails or similar unique non-brick pieces) from BL for the really special sets. If the white pieces ever yellow then the stickers are toast especially if you want to do the H2O2 trick. I would keep the box (broken down ofc.) no matter what the condition as when flat it's takes up so little space (and can keep the manual in a ziplock bad inside the folded box together)...and gives your Used set one more thing to support authenticity. I find that reverse building and putting the pieces back into their original numbered bags (not the original actual bags...that's just being anal) does get more buyer attention albeit a real PITA but maybe some folks like the process as well. The best tip i ever got on storing/selling used sets was to store the loose set in USPS priority Large box (one with the sealed ends) w/ its manual. I seal it and note the level of completeness. I usually print a picture of the set and tape it to the sides. Highly efficient and ready to sell/ship (altho this approach assume no original box). I think the buyers for high end used sets are going to be more authentic and realistic. Less scammers in general (if I am going by my anecdotal past experiences). They tend to ask more questions (good thing). be ready tosend pictures and ofc close ups of the MFs showing proof of authenticity...most know that the MFs drive the drive so missing some small common pieces is almost expected. Also if you plan to take apart...wait (if you can) to get a buyer first as they may request it shipped mostly built.

That's a pretty hard trump card to overcome. W: "So, honey, I'm thinking I want to buy a new Lexus." H: "Geez, you just bought one a year ago and we don't have the money." W: "Which one of us is still breathing because of the other?" H: "So, which model are you thinking?"

https://www.thebrickfan.com/last-two-lego-bricktober-2022-sets-coming-soon-to-rewards-center/

I have sold a lot of used sets, some at over $1K each. I have found that if someone is buying a used set they are already making a compromise so if they want what you have to offer they will just buy it. I have seen people breakdown sets by color, element, and even by bag # but that is a lot of work and I have only ever done partially broken down to help make shipping less. I have only ever had 1 return on a used set 9497 that had a dark reddish brown plate break when the buyer disassembled the set. Even though they are always 100% complete I list them as 99% as a piece may go missing, and as AFOL displayed only never played with, smoke free pet free house which all goes to the good condition of the set.

Their "postcard" was ridiculous. It was a 16 x 12 sheet of cardstock stuffed into a paper envelope with a priority mail label. I was expecting a tiny cost friendly first class post card. Instead they invented a new reason to raise fees.

And to think the guy had even more Exploriens minifigures sitting in a plastic tub to the side. On a numbers game, the army is impressive as I said. The overall grand scope of them all however, I am kind of whelmed. The vehicles with their included characters have a purpose whereas the yards of astronauts at the ready are just standing there purposelessness. There isn't an armada of dropships large enough to house all those troopers let alone an enemy force big enough to take on. I am not meaning to discredit the builder. And I know what I am saying is influenced by my personal preferences of having a smaller focused force where every character has its place in a scene. Also, I have seen so many large-scale dioramas filled with people all doing something making this less interesting outside of the sheer numbers to me. Chalk this up to my inner critic coming out. If anything, this massive chapter of marines makes me appreciate my small squads more, strange as that my sound. Aside from that tangent, I believe he did a fairly good job on the spacecrafts although looking back at the original theme these could have incorporated some more black parts for detailing. I realize now how much the Exploriens color scheme is awfully close to the third wave of Space Police and an inverse of Blacktron II. (I freakin' loved Space Police III.)

Probably a simple question but how do you add Lego sets / add my portfolio ? Cheers.

and that post card is "in process" forever. Mine says my postcard should arrive by 6/11. it's already 6/8 and hasn't been mailed yet.