LEGO CONFESSIONAL

TheDarkness · 2013-10-24T00:53:57.000Z

So, this is partially inspired by DNIIM from another thread, basically targeting out biggest screwups and regrets in buying, not buying and selling. Buying Oh those early years. I was collecting the Toy Story Lego sets for my son, when it came down to needing the Garbage Truck set to complete it. I had already forked out significant dollars for the collection, though had been purchased the sets at some discount (only later for them to be heavily discounted). Well I saw the Garbage Truck set on a site called Fishpond for $99 (free shipping) and the set had proven to be elusive due to it's exclusive release. In the end I ordered it, then the wait began.... and continued. 9 weeks later, it hasn't been shipped and then I found one on ebay for $85 delivered so snapped it up. The day my ebay item shipped, Fishpond shipped theirs. So all these years on I still have a Garbage Truck sitting there which I paid full retail for. I leave the sealed copy in the middle of my stash to continue mocking me and remind me of that lesson. I have Cars 2 sets do the same, but since I picked them up for $25 a pop and can sell them at profit, they do not count as much. Not Buying It is easy to sit back and point to the Green Grocer, UCS Falcons, etc. But I am probably aiming more for those sets you saw heavily discounted and wanted that little bit cheaper (greed I know!) As I was getting into reselling, I noticed the clearances going on locally. One set that got my attention was the 7888 Batman The Tumbler: Joker's Ice Cream Surprise set. It was down to $25, 4 on the shelf. I was more interested in Star Wars and besides, who would spend a fortune on Batman? I went home and forgot about it, before looking the set up on ebay a week later and realising the prices were solid. A quick check found the line had been discontinued. I raced back.... all gone. A couple of weeks before I had been researching the Batmobile UCS and was watching the sets sell for $20-30, and kept thinking that with the freight over here it would be too expensive to buy (wayyyyy before my budget blowouts these days!) Selling Ahhh yes some harsh lessons learnt here. I am not going to pick out UCS ISD, DS2 or Market Street as I sold them for significant profit. Sure they are worth a lot more now, but I have learnt as I went on. Just before Christmas last year I sold off my damaged Black Pearl sets for $150. Very silly, but I thought they would still be around. Same with the 8109 Flatbed Truck sets. The Christmas before was the Technic Mobile Crane, sold them off at retail for a small profit only for them to go EOL not long after and see a nice jump. So yes, as buyers/collectors/resellers/investors we can't win on everything. Share your stories.