Lego: Guide to buying used LEGO lots on eBay
I'm a recent convert to a Lego world thanks to my son. I hate to call myself AFOL but it is as close to a definition as possible. As our collection of small sets grew we started making a list of sets, especially Star Wars that we would love to buy and to our disappointment prices on these sets were very high.
We decided to look for older used sets, especially 10195-1 Republic Dropship or 8039-1 Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser but prices were just way too high for us. My other hobby is treasure hunting and I knew that with enough research and knowledge, and a bit of luck supported by chance one could have wonderful results so I turned my eyes on eBay. The conclusion was that we need to buy a lot of mixed bricks that had sets we were looking for and spend time and elbow grease to reassemble it into complete sets. So here are the lessons I learned about buying used Lego lots to try to fish out complete sets:
10195-1 Republic Dropship
It takes a lot of time.
Be prepared to spend a lot of time sorting, waiting for missing parts and building. Make sure sorting used Lego is something you can do and have satisfaction out of it.
Finding a proper lot.
Searching
Do not jump on the first lot you'll find, make sure to look for the perfect one before buying it. I have set up shortcuts to my favorite search term "Lego kg" on eBay, sorted by date added and have checked it several times a day. There is also a brilliant iOS app - BayWatch - it'll check every 15 minutes and let you know about new items found.
BayWatch for iOS
Perfect lot
Color
Since I was looking for a perfect star wars lot I was always looking at the dominating bricks color. Star Wars Lego usually comes in light or dark bluish gray. There are hardly any yellow, red or blue elements. There's some tan color but not that much. So if look at a spilled bricks photo is sure to see dominant color gray.
Minifigures
Avoid lots that are missing minifigures. The idea is you are buying a lot that is complete and has all the pieces. Minifigures are always fun and sometimes very expensive. This can also be a sign that someone has combed it. A lot of sellers buy used Lego lots, strip it from most expensive bits and minifigs and sell it on eBay. It's safer to avoid this kind of deals.
Seller
As mentioned before, you are looking for something that could be assembled back into the sets. Look at other auctions from this seller, and do not bid if he has any other Lego for sale. Also look at his completed auctions and feedback. Perfect seller has never sold Lego before! If a seller is selling one lot, and some complete sets it means that probably he has to rebuild interesting sets and you are getting what's left. If he has sold other lots recently it may men he got a huge lot and is selling it part by part. There's no chance you would be so lucky to get a complete set in 10kg out of a 40kg original lot. (I have done that mistake before). So to sum it up: perfect seller has never sold Lego before, and is selling a complete lot. Possibly a parent looking to get rid of kids toys.
Instructions.
These make it easy to identify potential sets but it may also cause auction price to be too high as others will also calculate lot value. A perfect lot has instructions but these are not listed in the description and are not photographed. This will ensure lower lot price.
Non Lego bits.
I prefer lots that have non-Lego bits. First of all almost every lot have some non-Lego bits, without a lot of sorting these are hard to eradicate. But more importantly, there are some very expensive Lego parts that don't look like bricks and could be easily removed as trash by the seller. I always calculate 10% of Lego weight as being non-Lego parts. Perfect lot: unsorted, untouched.
Lego presentation
Very important but usually overlooked part is how Lego looks on the photos. A perfect lot has is half constructed and you can make out parts of original sets. If Lego is separated it can be a sign that it has seen a lot of play, if on the other hand, you can make out parts of assembled sets there's a greater chance that Lego was once assembled and than put into the box. Best lots have a few sets that are packed in separate bags.
Lego that has seen a lot of play
Parts of sets still assembled, that is a perfect lego lot!
Lot size.
This can be a bit of personal taste but I like my lots to be between 10 and 20 kg. Some sets I look for the most weight 1-2 kg and there's a bigger chance to find them in bigger lots and since shipping is usually required 20kg seems enough to ship with cheaper carriers.
What sets are there?
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