August 2021

Michael Lund

Building with LEGO has been a favorite pastime for kids pretty a lot since the time the plastic bricks were invented. many adults are enthusiasts besides – known as AFOLs or Adult Fans of LEGO – and it can be an expensive hobby. But, did you know there are ways your collection could help fund your avocation, or even earn you some extra cash ?

Reading: How to earn money with your LEGO collection – that’s awesome!

I loved LEGO as a kid, but after years of separation, I immediately admit to being an AFOL .
Watching episodes of the LEGO Masters television receiver serial, I ’ ve seen equitable how creative some people can be with their original builds .
many fans are glad to do the same and create their own designs from scratch. Others prefer to build some of the many set pieces that you can buy in stores and on-line, such as the popular Star Wars, Harry Potter and other themes .
My rediscovery of LEGO started with the Las Vegas Architecture set I bought on vacation, in Las Vegas. Since then, my wife Ann ( another AFOL ) and I have enjoyed building many of these set pieces and we ’ ve seen our solicitation grow, at a cost .

How much does a LEGO collection cost ?

Some small sets will set you back barely a few dollars, but there are besides monster kits that cost more than $ 1,000, such as the Millennium Falcon from the Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series .
It ’ s not only the price you have to factor in as a LEGO fan, it ’ randomness where to display or store your solicitation ( we have a cupboard full immediately ). That ’ s where you can use your collection to potentially help fund your future purchases, and free up space at home .

LEGO Masters series 3 winners David and Gus with their incredible build.

Credit: Channel 9

Some LEGO sets appreciate in value

Some LEGO adjust pieces are available for a limited time and when you can no farseeing find them in stores or through on-line retailers, that can push up the price for people looking to buy any second-hand sets .
The returns can be pretty amazing, according to a research composition, entitled LEGO – The Toy of Smart Investors, published in 2018. Moscow-based researchers Victoria Dobrynskaya and Julia Kishilova looked at the resale value on 2,322 LEGO sets, sourced from the web site BrickPicker.com and the record The Ultimate Guide to Collectible LEGO Sets written by the founders of the web site .
“ We find that LEGO investments outperform large stocks, bonds, amber and other alternate investments, yielding the average return of at least 11 % ( 8 % in real terms ) in the sample period 1987–2015, ” the researchers said in the composition .
Discontinued sets delivered higher returns, as did seasonal, architectural and movie-based themes. Some sets they found increased in value by a stagger amount .
The three most profitable sets at the time were Café Corner, up 2,230 % after eight years, Market Street up 1,064 % after eight years and Holiday Train up 1,048 % after nine years .
But not all sets increased in value. The researchers found about one in 10 of the LEGO sets sold for less than the original retail price. Some sold for only half price .

How to sell your used LEGO bricks and sets

Whether you ’ re trying to make a profit out of your use bricks and sets, or fair want to get rid to make room at home, there are enough of places online where you can put them up for sale. Some people opt to sell on eBay, Gumtree or Facebook ’ s Marketplace .
Or you could approach one of the many dedicate resale websites such as BrickResales, which buys used bricks and sets from people at versatile rates per kilogram, depending on the discipline. It then cleans and sterilizes the bricks before reselling them from the company ’ south exit in Brisbane ’ s Coopers Plains or on-line .
BrickResales collapse and director Judy Friedman told Canstar she ’ s mindful some people try to make a profit from LEGO bricks resales, but manque sellers need to be prepared for some heavily work .
“ We know that it takes a batch of time and effort, ” she said. “ There ’ sulfur indeed much work involved to be successful and gain money. ”

Judy Friedman, BrickResales’ founder, among her brick collection at the Brisbane shop.

Credit: Judy Friedman

She said it ’ s important people do their homework to see what the realistic going price is for sets, as some websites can offer items she believes are overpriced. sol if you ask excessively much, you might not get a sale .
Mike Klonowski is an avid LEGO collector who told Canstar his solicitation was “ pretty boastfully ”, with some sets inactive left unopened in the garage. But he has sold some use sets excessively .
“ chiefly precisely to keep the hobby going, ” he said .
“ An example is the Ghostbusters Firehouse which is a massive set up I bought on sale for $ 200, and I sold it for $ 500. probably should have held on to it because now it ’ sulfur deserving $ 1,000, ” he said. BrickEconomy has it valued at $ 1,043 ( at the clock of writing ), more than double the original price.

That is a distinctive example of how a set assemble, now retired so no longer made by LEGO, can increase in value as it becomes more in demand .
Another exemplar from Mr Klonowski ’ s collection is the LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collectors Series Imperial Shuttle, which he said is now a try after piece. It was valued at $ 1,598 ( at the time of writing ), an increase of 255 % against the master retail price .

LEGO Minifigure Emmet, from The LEGO Movie, standing on the Imperial Shuttle.

Credit: Mike Klonowski/MK Photo & Film

When it comes to tips on how to get a good return on your investment, he said it is important to keep your sets in good condition .
“ Keep all the pieces, keep the instructions, possibly keep the box, although if you build a draw, you ’ ll probably have to flatten those boxes. But it ’ s a bonus if you ’ ve got the box, ” said Mr Klonowski .
If you have missing pieces from your put, there ’ mho a casual a specialist companies such as BrickResales will be able to help you replace them .
But Mr Klonowski warned people to be careful when buying used sets online as there are non-genuine sets being passed off as the substantial cover. The LEGO Group has some useful advice on how to spot juke LEGO sales .

How to connect with LEGO enthusiasts from around the world

You don ’ triiodothyronine necessarily need to limit yourself to the australian market if you ’ re trying to sell your sets and bricks. LEGO is an international brand with enthusiasts around the earth .
Torsten Schnoor is the founder of the web site PilotBrick that connects enthusiasts, both in Australia and abroad, to help them sell their use bricks .
“ PilotBrick itself is not a principal and does not buy LEGO sets, ” he told Canstar .
“ You have to remember that we are talking about a ball-shaped market. person from South Africa, for model, is concerned in a very particular LEGO fructify that person from Australia is presently offering .
“ so here it makes perfect sense that buyer and seller deal directly, and the goods don ’ t have to be shipped to a third party inaugural angstrom well. ”
popular sets he has seen include many from the Star Wars subject, the pirates theme including the Imperial Flagship and those sets from the Creator Expert and sealed LEGO Architecture themes that have increased in value .
“ besides, well-preserved sets from the 1970s and 1980s achieve identical high prices systematically, ” said Mr Schnoor .
I managed to track down this honest-to-god LEGO London bus ( pictured below ) for Ann as a surprise birthday endowment. It was the same exemplar as one she had as a child, and I ’ thousand certain I paid more than the original sale price .
Both box and bricks are a short dinge with age but BrickEconomy says an as-new, distillery sealed in the box translation would be valued ( at the time of writing ) at more than $ 700. But who keeps LEGO sets distillery sealed in the box ?

Vintage classics are sought after such as this LEGO London Bus from 1966.

Credit: Michael Lund

Some people do, apparently. Unopened sets do well, said Mr Schnoor, and his peak is to consider buying two : one to build, the early to keep and wait a few years .
“ As sad as it is, the best room to make a render on investment with LEGO is to never open and build the set, ” he said .
But remember, not all sets increase in prize, some decrease in value .
personally, I ’ m not a fan of keeping LEGO in unopened boxes. LEGO should be fun and the sets built and enjoyed .
thus if you ’ re a LEGO enthusiast looking to save up for your adjacent leverage, now may be a good time to check the cupboards to see if you can make any money from selling any old or fresh brick sets. How amazing is that !

How to earn money with your LEGO collection – that’s awesome!