I’m wondering if anyone on the forum has any experience of selling Lego sets? I have been fortunate to rediscover some old sets which have been assembled once and then put back in their original packaging with the instruction booklets. They are probably 15ish years old. I know that there’s quite a market for them and wondered what was best: EBay, a specialist Lego site or an auction. Any thoughts?
Thank you
Ali
I sold my son’s lego on ebay this Christmas, and yes some was quite old but not in the packaging as yours and I was quite surprised just how much it sold for.
Lego has a helpline - maybe ring them and ask if there is a specialist site they would recommend?
I read an article in the NY Times online recently that stated the surprising fact that Lego sets (complete and with original instructions) have risen in value $ for $ more than gold or property.
Definitely sell them. I have received very good prices for collectible toys (like Happyland figures) in the past using the Ebay auction site but it is as well to make sure you set the right reserve before you list them and consider listing them in the run up to next Christmas if you don’t need to sell them right away.
Some of the Lego mini-figures are particularly sought after so I would advise you to study other people’s listings and see how much the final price is to give you an idea as to how well your sets will do. Lego themselves will be able to tell you if you are in possession of a rare set, so it is worth asking them.
Another way of finding out whether or not you have valuable Lego, is to consult the written guides Lego produce themselves as souvenirs or Christmas presents. These may well be available in libraries, but they are not comprehensive because they are usually themed (e.g. “Star Wars” or "D. C. Superheroes), and you didn’t say that your sets were themed. This information is probably also available online because there is an army of nerdy Lego collectors out there willing to pay these high prices. The most collectible set is probably Star Wars Display Set 3, which contained Luke and Han Solo minifigures disguised as stormtroopers. This set was available at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con for one day only. There is also a platinum/gold C3P0, which was produced as a limited edition.
This is why it is good to research what you have before you list it because you don’t want your buyer to be walking off with a bargain
Love Sam x
Wow Sam thank you for all that information. I must admit I was all for making it, photographing it and listing as soon as I could, but I can see now it would be more sensible do some homework and time it a bit better. Thank you so much for taking that time to respond - no Star Wars Sadly!!
Ali
Thank you for responding - some homework to do!!
Ali
My Pleasure, Ali! I think most people don’t know about this aspect of Lego (although they do refer to it in the Lego Movie). The only reason I know is because my son has some of the character encyclopedias. Reading them was quite a revelation!
Sam x
Did anyone see the programme about Lego over Christmas. There was a company who did Lego Corporate displays, they did a train engine that was put in Covent Garden. The programme was really interesting. I wish I had kept my son’s old Lego.
No I didn’t. Wish we had though because my middle son adores Lego. He’s got wind of the sets in the loft and is desperate to liberate them for his own collection!
I saw that programme it was super and I loved the train with the smoke.