Not investing in clearance sets.

[legoeggo]

Even at 50%, just like galaxy squads it's still not a good investment if you want to horde it. Get it if you actually want to build it or use the parts.

[dulait]

Even at 50%, just like galaxy squads it's still not a good investment if you want to horde it. Get it if you actually want to build it or use the parts.

Exactly, and those uneducated hoarders wonder why they cannot flip sets like these makes me lol. Which reminds me of the UCS Bwing some of these hoarding quick flippers tried to make a big profit off of, what a rude awakening they got, lol.

[joshmxpx]

Even at 50%, just like galaxy squads it's still not a good investment if you want to horde it. Get it if you actually want to build it or use the parts.

Seems like that is a quickly shrinking minority these days. Does anyone actually want to buy these and build/play them with their kids, or is everyone just looking to make a quick buck on these sales?

I always look forward to trying to grab some of these clearance sales but the hoarders grab everyone available off the shelf... /rant

[Brick75T]

If it makes you feel better: I only buy lego for myself or to give as presents to my daughter or her friends when they have a birthday and such.

[nami]

Even at 50%, just like galaxy squads it's still not a good investment if you want to horde it. Get it if you actually want to build it or use the parts.

In my opinion, anybody buying for investment (to put away) themes like Galaxy Squad, chima, and even ninjago have to be careful. These themes, when current, are driven by kids asking their parents to buy them the "cool" set they see on the shelf. As for flipping them, there's a reason they are sitting on the shelf in the first place. Just check Ebay prices for 70003 and you'll see that you would have a hard time getting your money back right now buying them at even 50% off. Parting them out would even put you at a loss by the time you add selling fees. Now think 2 years down the road, what kid is going to ask his parents for 70003, when kids want what's in front of them and current.

The secondary market revolves around adult collectors If you're buying to put away for investment stick to themes that appeal to adults and there's money to be made. You'll never go wrong with star Wars, super Heroes, Harry Potter, etc. If you're buying sets like 70003 to "flip", then maybe you should re-evaluate your priorities and leave these sets on the shelf for families that can't afford to buy these sets at full price.

Investing in Lego can be fun and profitable if you're smart and don't just grab everything that goes on clearance. Remember to be sensible and not greedy. If you leave some for others everyone gets to enjoy building Lego, and even the investment side if they choose.

[Brick75T]

Investing in Lego can be fun and profitable

Just because it is one of my pet peeves... but buying lego to sell at a profit later, is not investing. It is speculating*. Same for buying anything only on the assumption (or even certainty) that you will be able to sell it at a profit. Investing is buying (into) something that is actually productive. Ie, stocks that produce a dividend. Or an appartment that produces rental income.

Btw, personally, I don't speculate - but I don't consider it something bad somehow. Each to his own.

* I think the phrase has a bad rep somehow, which is why everyone I know calls themselves investors, even if they only buy stocks 'because they will go up', rather than 'because the company, based on its income, cash flow, position, etc. is cheap'.

[dr_spock]

Those children playing with Ninjago and Galaxy Squad today will become adults some day and they may want to buy those childhood sets again in 20 years time. You could make money off them if you have some stashed away in MIB. (Disclaimer: past results do not guarantee future performance.)

50% or more off sets can also be good for parts for yourself and/or to sell off on your Bricklink store.

My local Target has only a small aisle of Star Wars, City and Chima. Not even worth the gas to drive to there.

[nami]

Investing in Lego can be fun and profitable

Just because it is one of my pet peeves... but buying lego to sell at a profit later, is not investing. It is speculating*. Same for buying anything only on the assumption (or even certainty) that you will be able to sell it at a profit. Investing is buying (into) something that is actually productive. Ie, stocks that produce a dividend. Or an appartment that produces rental income.

The defenition of an "investment" is to expend money with the expectation of achieving a profit. Most of my Lego I have purchased over the years has been 50% off or better so I would say I have an expectation of achieving a profit. There certainly is a better "upside" that I will make money, but we all know how this game is played and there are no guarantees. I consider myself a medium risk stock investor, and based on my Lego knowledge I have gained over the years I am fairly confident with my purchases. At the same time the tens of thousand of dollars I've spent is forgotten as it's been over several years. Worst case scenerio is I have alot of fun opening and building sets, and making alot of other people happy by donating them. By the way, I do donate alot of sets every year to the Salvation Army. It's no secret that this forum doesn't like Lego investors or "hoarders" as you call them, but putting away Lego is no different that putting away anything else with the expectation it may increase in value.

[Blacknight]

The way I see it, Lego speculating is a bit like racism. Yeah, hear me out.

We're all a little bit racist, it's true


And we're all a little bit Lego speculators, as well. Even if we just buy sets to give to kids to open and play with, there's that little voice in the back of our head that says "yeah, Johnny loves it, plus in 10 years time it'll be worth a lot if for some innocent reason we have to resell it...."

We're all (hopefully) a little bit ashamed when our racism shows up in conversation. We try not to do it when kids are around. But every once in a while, stereotyping proves a helpful way of making sense of the world.

We're all (hopefully) a little bit ashamed when we try to make a buck off of scalping children's toys. Even if we've only thought of doing it. We try not to be seen doing it in the toy aisle when kids are around looking for the same set. But every once in a while, we're glad we did as a set skyrockets in value and we make some pocket money for more Lego. Or on the flip side we're able to purchase a long retired set we never thought of buying at the time from a collector who had the sense to squirrel away a mint condition box for safekeeping all these years.

Endless forum debates aside, there will always be a little bit of racism in our imperfect world. And there will always be a little bit of speculating going on in any hobby. It's only when either gets taken too far, to the extreme, that they become real problems.

[brickity]

Wow, this thread got derailed quickly. Can we get back to Target Deals instead of investing opinions and rants about not getting 75% off?

[stevebuscemi]

Investing in Lego can be fun and profitable if you're smart and don't just grab everything that goes on clearance. Remember to be sensible and not greedy. If you leave some for others everyone gets to enjoy building Lego, and even the investment side if they choose.

Thanks for the morality lesson, lol. I'm sooooo sure that one person can buy up all the stock of one LEGO item. It's a multi-billion dollar company, lighten up.

And if everyone could figure out what is "sensible" then we'd all buy that set. That's not how it works otherwise everyone would've bought a UCS MF or a AT-AT.

All investing is speculating. All speculating is investing.

[sketchman]

buying just to hold on to to sell again maybe one day is risky....I think the sets that are unique (different kinds of buildings, unique vehicles,etc) is good, but some of the other, perhaps more quirky sets, I think is an easy pass

[Slickson]

Anyone have any opinions on the recently discontinued lone ranger sets? especially the train set ... at 50$ for a train set I imagine even breaking it down for parts you would make a good chunk of change. Just selling the tracks for 2$ a piece is 32$

One of the stores around me still has three on the shelf as of this afternoon.

[Zeya]

Anyone have any opinions on the recently discontinued lone ranger sets? especially the train set ... at 50$ for a train set I imagine even breaking it down for parts you would make a good chunk of change. Just selling the tracks for 2$ a piece is 32$

One of the stores around me still has three on the shelf as of this afternoon.

I don't invest, but if I did, I would avoid the Lone Ranger sets entirely. The movie did so poorly and the brand is very unlikely to re-appear. So there's no "Star Wars effect" likely to happen with the minifigs/characters. So it's just kind of left on the merits of the sets themselves - the design and the parts mainly. I'm personally not blown away by the designs. There are some unique parts there, like the tee-pee, train parts, and the cavalry soldiers (uniform torsos). But if it were my money, I would pass. I don't see too many people hunting these down in years to come... maybe just some stuff here and there like the teepee part or the cavalry soldiers. Although I do think the train set is one of the only ones with much of a chance for reselling purposes, just for those types of people down the road who collect only trains.

So yeah, I'd say your money is spent better elsewhere. If I were an investor today, I would have my interest piqued by the Lego Movie stuff. Get it while you can; might be the type of movie that stays popular year after year that people play for their kids, like Disney movies etc...

[dr_spock]

Anyone have any opinions on the recently discontinued lone ranger sets? especially the train set ... at 50$ for a train set I imagine even breaking it down for parts you would make a good chunk of change. Just selling the tracks for 2$ a piece is 32$

One of the stores around me still has three on the shelf as of this afternoon.

The train sets are a good source of train parts like curved tracks, wheels, buffers, etc. So if you have a Bricklink store...

[emazers]

The Lone Ranger Lego sets are not retiring because the movie did not do good, Lego had the License until the end of 2013.

[Stepho556]

The Lone Ranger Lego sets are not retiring because the movie did not do good, Lego had the License until the end of 2013.

But if the movie had done well, they might have considered renewing that license. My take on the sets is that the cavalry builder would have been worthwhile at 50% off, since it contained a horse, a cannon, and four minifigs. Sure the lone ranger figure is of dubious value, but the cavalry figs might draw some bulk purchase interest.

All that is just empty prattle though, since i never saw that set on sale at any discount.

Stephen

[Zeya]

Just wait until this Black Friday, I'll bet you will see the Lone Ranger mine set as the big door-buster toy deal at Target.

[Stepho556]

In november?

[Luciant]

The train is really the only set in Lone Ranger to buy. I guess if your a horse collector the stagecoach too. Wish my walmarts had some.