Are you considering acquiring new LEGO sets but want to know whether are LEGO sets valuable? Or you don’t want to be an expensive LEGO set but are afraid it might go down in value?
LEGO sets are among the most iconic children’s toys and can be a cool gift idea for your child or loved ones. They tend to become expensive when LEGO began developing massive sets and started seriously exploring the adult market.
Some LEGO sets like massive Star Wars sets or the Taj Mahal are very expensive and challenging to put up but are very impressive in their finished form.
But are LEGO sets valuable?
Certain LEGO sets and LEGO Minifigures are valuable and worth a lot more. This is due to demand, detail, feature, rare LEGO Minifigures, or branding collaboration with other LEGO franchises which make them appeal to broader collector bases.
According to Van IJken, “Properties such as Star Wars, for example, benefited from the restart of the movie franchise and the fact that people who loved Star Wars as kids — but didn’t have the money to buy sets that cost hundreds of dollars — are now buying them.”
Large and small LEGO sets tend to have the greatest increase in value according to Bloomberg, the larger sets increase in value due to their higher acquisition price while the smaller ones due to their rarity.
A new LEGO set will normally sell at retail price but the price usually increases when the demand of the sets exceeds its inventory, or if the sets are discontinued.
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Are Old LEGO Sets Valuable?
Old LEGO sets are usually more valuable than most newer sets. But this doesn’t entail that all old LEGO sets are more valuable than newer sets because certain factors influence the value of LEGO sets.
Old LEGO sets usually become valuable when they are discontinued. A set that is discontinued will mostly increase in value due to high demand while there are no new sets developed.
Another reason that makes old LEGO sets increase in value is when they become more popular and the demand exceeds their inventory. This being said a LEGO set that has been discontinued or is becoming more popular by the day will mostly increase in value with time.
Why Are Old LEGO Sets So Expensive?
Old LEGO sets are expensive because they have mostly been discontinued and there are no new ones available to buy. This makes them more expensive as they will become hard to find and anything hard to find will likely become more expensive.
Old LEGO sets that have been discontinued will not be found on the LEGO market but mostly found on other retail stores or online marketplaces like eBay where someone will list his products for sale and decide on the price they are going to sell.
People who sell old sets usually buy them in bulk and keep them until the set is retired or there is high demand for them. These types of people usually take it as an investment, they will buy and keep it sometimes for years, and will only sell it when it becomes more expensive so that they get a high return on their investments.
Is There a Market For Old LEGOs?
There is no specific market for old LEGOs, however, there are certain places where you can buy or sell your old LEGO sets.
- BrickLink
- Online
- Craigslist
- Facebook Marketplace
- Brick-and-mortar stores that deal in LEGOs
- Online LEGO forums and groups
- Local Events
Do LEGO Sets Hold Value?
LEGO sets can usually hold in value depending on certain factors and conditions that can influence the value to either increase or decrease.
They will hold or even increase in value if they become rare, discontinued, or more popular. It is assumed that the more time has passed since their production, the more valuable LEGO sets will become.
If you’re thinking of buying a LEGO set and keeping it to sell later when it increases in value, you should make sure to research more about that set and whether it has the potential to hold its value or not.
“There are lots of reasons some Lego sets become valuable — special edition releases like the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars and limited production runs to name a couple”.
Other things that make LEGOs valuable include whether it has been used or not, the box is sealed, there are no missing pieces, the box is not damaged, and pieces are not broken or scratched, among others.
Are Unopened LEGO Sets Valuable?
If you have Unopened LEGO sets and are hesitant to open them because you are wondering whether unopened LEGO sets are more valuable than opened sets.
You might be right as Unopened LEGO sets have more value than opened sets. Research from the Higher School of Economics (HSE) found that unopened LEGO sets saw an increase in value of around 11%.
But this doesn’t entail that all unopened sets are more valuable as certain factors and reasons make them valuable or not.
Also Read: 10 Best Places to Sell Used LEGO Sets
Final Thoughts
LEGO sets can hold their value and in most cases increase in value depending on certain conditions and criteria. They tend to appreciate when they are discontinued, become rare, gain popularity, or due to special edition releases.
Large and small sets tend to increase in value due to the rarity of small sets and acquisition costs for large sets. Sets that have many pieces and rare Minifigures are mostly more expensive and valuable than other LEGO sets.
