Just curious if anyone from here was an Australian lego investor and had any insight on what the market is like in Australia. Any tips or things to avoid, etc.
Any Australian LEGO investors here??
brendongl on 14/06/2016 - 10:48
Comments
how much to print a piece?
Lego can be had for approx. 10cents a piece when buying setsBut you can't 3D print the box?
I can cast a copy of any gold coin quite easily, but the real thing is worth more.
I can inkjet print any stamp, but it is worthless compared to the real thing.
Knock-off chinese lego is nearly as good as the genuine article, but sells for 60% less.
If you are buying a set to hide in your cupboard for years until you resell it, 3d printers are irrelevant.Yep! Love this really miniature Lego knock offs. Hours of building
I would say 3D printing is 10 years or more off replicating the torrerance that LEGO requires to achieve the required clutch power.
That and ABS injection molding is just so much better.
The shine of the bricks, the strength. It's something even the other big companies like MegaBloks still haven't mastered.I agree, LEGO would have a proprietary ABS blend giving it extra strength. The ABS filaments for 3D printers vary greatly in their physical properties because each manufacturer has different additives modifying various properties. I have some PLA that prints stronger than ABS for example.
Surface finish of LEGO is far superior to 3D FFF printers unless you print excruciatingly slow, and then dip the print in acetone for a few seconds but you will lose tolerance.
SLA printers that have really good tolerances use a different type of plastic (it's a liquid resin based material), they can't do ABS at the moment. Only FFF printers can 3D print with ABS filament.
The cost of the part is negligible, it's $35AUD for 1kg of Verbatim ABS from Officeworks. Your typical Ultimaker Robot uses 6grams of filament to print. I'd say a LEGO piece would use a quarter of that so you're talking 1.5 grams or 5cents worth per piece (not including electricity and printer maintenance).
LEGO are pretty switched on too, they are making money from games and movies at the moment, not just LEGO bricks!
To be honest I thought this thread was about investing in Lego shares, not buying sets to be resold at later times for more money.
Can imagine in years to come you wont be able to buy most toys; pay for the downloaded instructions and make your own at home.
I have a friend who does this. According to him, you have to be smart and only invest in vintage/special edition ones. Keep them in top notch condition and for a few years. He has made profits up to 300% and occasional minor loses -10%. You will be surprised that even though is a niche market, many collectors are willing to pay top dollar to complete their collections.
Yeah don't open the box once open value drops..
My son always wanted the Star Wars Sand Crawler; that was a much sought after item, but they sold out quick. I think that one was highly collectable; hard to find intact, unopened box. There was another one brought out later too, but I dont know anything about that.
Big W currently have on their toys catalogue for just under $400. You may be lucky to find a set tho, but worthwhile phone around.
I will have to check them out soon. Looks like we may have to move eventually with shortage of space to keep them all 😊
Not an investor as such, but I did manage to snag the DeLorean from this deal: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/125180… It's still sitting in its box :D (been tempted to open it a couple of times)…
Even if i was a collector / builder. I would buy 3 of each set if i had the room and open one to set up and keep the other two as an investment or at least try to make my money back on my own purchase down the line.
Sort of like how when i used to smoke pot, i'd just buy an ounce and smoke a quarter and sell the rest to my friends. :)
the space in your room would get small real quick with the amount of lego sets being released each year.
Careful, LEGO can be addictive.
Yes my son's Star Wars Lego boxes alone have taken over the majority of MY wardrobe space (his is already full of all these assorted storage boxes). We need to move to larger premises if he dares buy any more!
Some people buy the boxes just for the minifigs alone, sell them on individually with ebay. Seems a waste really; breaking up a set. This seemed to rise at the time of the first Death Star.
Taj-mahal, unopened if you can find :)
I have been "investing" in LEGO for 10+ years now. (Almost 35+ if you count my younger years)
I purposely put quotes around that as it's such a false economy. My investment yeilds one return, it's called fun.Now can you make money from LEGO? Yes of course your can.
Is LEGO worth more than what you paid for it. Not really. It's basically worth a few cents a piece unless you can find some sucker to part with good money to make it work more than you paid for it.History will tell you any of the large sets will generally get you ok returns.
Taj Mahal that someone mentioned came out in 2008 for something like $350-$400 here from memory.
People get $2500 for one mint in sealed box and around $1250 used for it now. So not a bad return.
So any of those big world icon sets you will do ok.
Also licensed themes do ok. Star Wars, Harry Potter, LOTR etcHaving said all that, everyone is a LEGO investor these days.
So you will find the return on investment over the next 5 or so years is going to be really poor IMO. (simple supply and demand)Do I invest. Not really.
Firstly I only buy sets I want to own/build. They go in the cupboard and one day I will pull them out and build them.
I have a few doubles and triples of some sets. Only because I got them at an absolute bargain price and I know they will be sort after in a few years time.
In order to do it right, you need to look after your stuff though.
You need to wrap it properly. Double box it. Store it in a location it wont get damaged. Also make sure it isn't damaged to start with.Very useful information.
Just wondered, as my son has been buying Star Wars sets for years; would they be worth much now as son's have all been opened, and most still in model form (glass cabinet). He still has the boxes … in my wardrobe as there are far too many now. He has kept everything in great condition.
(He also has a collection of storm etc. troopers kept separate from those)
Do you think any of them would be worth anything? He has most of them since about 2002.
He made up a database file some years ago as a project for school; may still be up to date. I don't think he has much from the recent collections though; lack of space apparently. (He does not have the Death Star)
Son also collected all those Hasbro figures (some I purchased from USA; the 3 monsters from the Arena). Again, all has been opened and played with but in great condition as in a (very) large storage box. I kept all the boxing material I possibly could too.
Probably not once you opened it. Unless it is a very special limited edition
Not always true.
It comes down to condition of the parts and how rare they are.Pretty much works like this.
- Bricks loose value straight away unless they are a rare colour or are a rare printed piece.
- Minifigs are where the money can come. Again sort of like bricks, if they are rare prints/colours, they can be worth a lot.
Used sets do also fetch a high price as well. Not as high as unused boxed ones of course, but if hes got all the pieces they can be worth quite a bit.
There are sites decided to showing you the price history for used and brand-new in box.
www.brickpicker.com/ is one of them.Some of the minifigures can even fetch a large sum of money on their own, like $40-50 for one piece of lego….its nuts.
Yes, I have noticed the minifigures aspect of collecting too. I think you have to be careful to ensure you are not buying a made up one, like some not so nice people are doing and selling on. You may find part of the clothing is not right, the light sabre or weapon the wrong type etc. Some are relatively easy to spot if you have the real thing. Bits and pieces of missing Lego can be replaced by buying online, ebay etc. Fortunately son has taken real care of his sets although he has had the fun of making them up; the investment on fun is great with this one! I have seen them at the Lego Exhibition in Melbourne (*Brickvention) doing just that. I am not into this collecting thing at all but tend to notice what he has etc.
- If people are interested in attending Brickvention, the only way to purchase tickets is online. It has been open only on weekends and I have seen many people turned away at the doors which is a real shame.
Do you have an interest in Lego or looking to buy sets to hold onto and make cash in the future?
Well i have never built a lego set before, i probably would start if i invested in them and had the room to display them. I love bulding games like rollercoaster tycoon and cities skyline so..
why's that?
I started collecting again last year and don't resell, but I find myself spending a lot of time/effort in looking up sets, trawling websites/forums, searching gumtree and visiting multiple stores just so I can get the best deal/discount.
People wanting to make money on this would do the same in order to maximise their profits. Just asking because the last thing I would want to do is spend time on something I wasn't interested in.
Buy the falcon for 600bucks wait profit
Is that the original Millenium Falcon? That was about $220 when it first came out in Lego. I think there has been at least 2 remakes (different boxes) since then. I have often wondered if the design changed at all in the newer boxes. Sons one (opened box and made up) was always collapsing underneath and it was a hassle to keep putting back together (in reverse). Perhaps he was not pushing the bricks together hard enough in the beginning; much younger in those days! He has kept all those books too. They were bought to play with; cannot give a 6 yesr old a box of Lego for any other reason.
I should mention Star Wars lego etc. Seems much cheaper in the USA; Postage is a killer though; but if you know someone hoinh there for a business trip you may be lucky.
Just about all children's toys are collectable these days, and most collectors are adults.
The 10179 UCS Millennium Falcon was never $220 (AUD or USD). It was $499 USD RRP. However there was one time on the May the 4th day sale 2010, LEGO Canada made a database mistake and instead of making it 10% off they made it 90% off, thus making it the price of $170 CAD, at the same time LEGO USA gave 25% off the 10179 set and it cost $374.25. A lot of people bought 10 sets however LEGO limited the amounts to 2 per person. So even the $170 CAD got only 2 afaik.
LEGO is cheaper in USA because of the market, when you have 300 million people in a 1st world country there are heaps of kids thus they discount and make and release sets there for that particular market. In Australia we only have 24million people, hardly anything for LEGO to look at, thus we are lumped under EUROPE, and get inflated prices due to the currency.
Dont forget LEGO in USA (in some states) have sales tax usually 10% extra on the prices shown.
LEGO is for all ages.
I feel quite confident I have never paid more than $220AU for a Star Wars set of Lego; this being most expensive box I purchased (I always sought out the Lego during sales; ToysRUs, BigW or Myers) well in advance, but I wouldn't think I received more than 20-25% off max). I was a struggling sole parent, working but not receiving child support for years; just didn't have much for luxuries like a $499 box of Lego!
Will advise lot # soon (out atm). I know there have been a few releases of the Falcon since buying son's box, possibly one or two before too. I have kept most boxes and all related books too. Unless there is still a sticker on a box I don't think I could verify how much I paid … 14 years later.
I think JefiJan is talking about 7190, the original falcon. http://brickset.com/sets/list-5125
It fetches anywhere between about $150-$300 depending on condition. So in terms of investment not really good.10179 was AUD$1000 here and USD$499, and yeah the infamous pricing error in the states smashed those prices.
There are people holding cupboards full of them. I have seen photos of 10 stacked high from that error.
Those can now get upward or $3000. I think a second hand one sold for $4500 on a facebook group a few weeks ago. (not sure if he got that, but there was a lot of interest)As for right now, US vs AU. It's about the same, if not cheaper to get things here especially if they are on sale here.
Clearance and sale prices in the US can be a lot better though, but you need someone local buying for you.
Shipping and local taxes are the hidden cost of buying in the US.@JediJan: Oh wow you got it 14 years ago? hmm that is possible the 10179 falcon was around in production - 24 Oct 07 - 04 May 10.
The 10179 Falcon was actually afaik only sold from S@H lego online, I could be wrong. With price tag of $599 AUD.
Yeah check it out if it is a VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY big set and has 10179 on it keep the box and everything, it is worth to the right person maybe $1000-$3000 used. Brand New in box sealed is like $4000-$10,000.
@xordis: Ohhh 7190 I see. Got picture of said photos? I know there were a lot of fake sellers at the time selling fake 10179 on eBay for $199.
yeah that error was major! and to date LEGO hasnt made a mistake afaik. I reckon S@H USA was just getting rid of old stock but damm. Lucky for USA LEGO buyers.
@xordis: Just home and found the book (so far)… the number is …
4504So sorry for the delay everyone (had an appointment)!
I did not buy the box (or any of the Lego) on eBay as I didn't even have an eBay account way back then, and always purchased the boxes during sales locally, some up to a year before I gave them to my son. I only bought the Hasbro Star Wars toys from the USA a few times years later (I don't think those ones were available here as we never saw them in the shops).
4504 is the box with blue behind the red Lego sign, wh8ch gives an idea to it's vintage. (Son suggests 2004 … he has more idea than I) The minifigs included were Snow Trooper, C3PO, Chewbacca, Princes Leia & Han Solo.
There are even more boxes than I thought there were, so a bit of a nightmare trying to find that particular one at the moment; no doubt at the bottom of the mountain! I hope to see a price sticker on to verify the price. Myer and the other stores often had 20% off sales etc.
I would say it's more like $3000-$5000 used, and maybe $6000-$8000* new in box.
There are plenty listed at $9000+, but you are seeing those cause they just don't sell.
Everyone thinks lego is worth so much cause it's advertised at insane prices, and maybe suckers buy it at those prices sometimes.- hard to put a price on peoples stupidity. I personally wouldn't pay anywhere near that.
Any good ozbargainer would be bricklinking the model using replacement parts. If you do it that way I believe you can have one for well under $2k these days.
- hard to put a price on peoples stupidity. I personally wouldn't pay anywhere near that.
There is a link in my post to all the falcons (excluding the most recent)
In this case it was 4504 not 71907190 - fugly old one
4504 - much better model. just shy of 1000 pieces
7965 - slightly refined. over 1000
75105 - current one. again very similar to the last two. Most people couldn't tell them apart.10179 - The uber 5000+ piece one that worth a mint
All up I think there are 15 official versions of the falcon released as lego sets.
4 big one, 1 massive one, and a bunch of smaller micro and midi sized ones.@xordis: That 5,000+ piece one (10179) sounds like the Star Wars Lego collector's ultimate dream. 😨 Lol; perhaps it is good we don't have enough space for more.
Item worth mentioning is the Christmas Star Wars advent calendars; these are very popular and getting a little more expensive each year (I still watch for those specials) with a few cute unique minifig creations. If one has the original complete, unopened boxes they are well worth investing in … if eBay etc. is anything at all to go by.
I still buy one Star Wars advent calender each year for my now adult son (opens them but keeps the minifigs in pristine condition and separate from the others). Lego also brings out another one for the girls each year; last year I believe it was Lego Friends.
@xordis: Searched high and low for the database of son's collection, on his laptop and several usb's and hard drive. Apparently it was on a corrupted usb that was turfed out in 2011. A lot of wasted effort lost due to not making a remote backup. His laptop was wiped clean also after becoming infected over a year ago too or that may have held a copy somewhere. What a waste! Hope a printed copy may surface. If there is any particular box # you would like any information on (that we have) happy to provide the details. Son reckons the AT-AT #4483 and Republic Gunship #7163 are firm favorites, probably in same price range as the 4504 Falcon.
Aargh … backup backup backup! ðŸ˜
Not happy Jan!
Firstly they are first editions which can fetch $1k-$2k more than the ordinary edition.
Second they are BIN sales, so the actual sale price isn't always listed if the seller accepted a lower offer.I would be surprised if they fetched more than $8-$9k to be honest. But hey, it's ebay, and people do stupid things on there.
I use bricklink for pricing things, and the past 6 months there have been sales ranging from about $3k-$7k on there.
Again you don't know the condition or terms that went into the sale (although they are supposed to be brand new items)Unopened First edition sold on ebay yesterday for $8700
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/STAR-WARS-LEGO-UCS-10179-FIRST-ED…
So I was about spot on saying they fetch $8k-$9k
I can't say much about the Australian market as a whole, but yes there are certainly people who do pay a premium for retired high-end sets. I mean if you collect and something is too good to pass what are the options. For the sets that have doubled in value, even you can't sell them locally it is usually not too hard to find an overseas buyer via EBay, Bricklink etc.
That said though, starting a profiting model purely on the speculations can be a bad idea.
I know everybody talks about falcon and Taj Mahal, but those are quite out of the norm. Most sets don't appreciate that much (even the high end exclusives like R2D2 and the Tumbler) and even if they do it usually doesn't happen overnight. To land some 300% returns you really need a strategy that invest in a wide range of sets (like the turtle laying many eggs) and you are pretty much at the mercy of TLG's retirement schedules (yeah I'm looking at you the Death Star). That really requires some capital, storage space and a lot of patience. Considering all these and the risk, I would only recommended doing this if you treat LEGO as a serious hobby (that way your house will be full of LEGO boxes and you can part out the sets that don't sell anyway).
The best flipping I've done is on a Town Hall that I grabbed from a Myer sale right before its retirement which sold for 3x after 6 months. Didn't keep the money long though as I blew it on a mint Emerald Night for myself.
I'm still kicking myself for when I had the opportunity to buy 3x Town Hall for the price of 2x (buy 2 get 1 free deal at Myer) just before it retire, instead I made the worst decision to get 3 city trains!!! OMG! :( No Town Hall nor Emerald Night for me! :(
I have a friend who is crazy with lego,
she has a study room full of lego boxes unopened, recently she traveled to US and got back with a rare item (She said) Ferris wheel (lego creator)It can pay for itself as a hobby as long as you have enough money at the time to buy x3 of whatever set your after. And don't mind holding onto it for possibly 2-3years.
Ferris wheel isnt rare yet. Still avaliable at S@H.
sounds like my nan lol crazy for it and whole downstairs is dedicated to LEGO!
great thread!
Just noticed 30% off Lego at Myers this weekend (9-10 July)… if anyone is looking to purchase at a decent price.
Wouldn't the commercialisation of 3D Printers spell trouble for Lego as you can download their plans and print your own blocks?