Yard Sale Ripoffs

Kotton

We have all heard of great yard sale finds, but what about people who are asking just way too much for legos...

I stopped by a yard sale today and saw a crate of legos and got a bit excited... Until I learned the lady wanted $250.00 for the crate!

I was full of bits and pieces of Aquazone sets and a few small castle sets from the late 90s but they were all dusty and scratched...

There were a few instruction books, but I doubt there would have been any complete sets there.

I told her I would pay $25.00 but she said the lowest she would go was $200.00.

Am I crazy? Or was she just out Of her mind!?

mackrel

No she's crazy.

legoDad

I'd go back to her just before the yard sale ends and say I'd still give ya' the $25.00 for the lot.

Ypres

Well given that you said the lot was "all dusty and scratched" there probably wasn't a lot of care involved in that collection. That lady probably saw the outragous re-sell value of Lego (which is surprising to many non-AFOLs) and decided to try and make a greedy buck. It goes without saying that she's not going to sell it at that price.

The lady is crazy, but so is the condition... not a huge loss.

drdavewatford

What you describe isn't unusual - people are getting WAY greedy; you only need to look at the ridiculous prices that some are asking for mediocre lots on eBay these days to realise that. There are still bargains to be found, but sadly they're becoming harder and harder to uncover.

davee123

I wouldn't say she's crazy per se, but it's unlikely that she'll get what she's asking for. Basically, she probably guessed (and correctly so) that she spent several hundred dollars on LEGO-- so, if she SPENT (say) $400 on all the LEGO, that she'd naturally expect about half that ($200) when selling it. So... I could see where she's coming from.

But that doesn't mean it's still WORTH that much. Obviously, it depends on what's in the box. If the sets are mostly complete, it could be worth a few hundred, I suppose. But if she's not willing to verify that, then the buyer takes on the risk, and spends less. For garage sale prices, $25 is probably reasonable-- but once you go through the effort to figure out what's in it, it'd probably be worth more than that.

DaveE

Kotton

I'll probably stop by toward the end of the day tomorrow and see if they are still there... Maybe she would be willing to deal a little more...

Redbullgivesuwind

punch her and nick it. that will show her

Redbullgivesuwind

while scream "I'll never pay that for it"

vwong19

It sounds like you could be ripping her off by paying 10% of her asking price. If she wants top dollar she should make the effort the clean and inventory her lot.

dimefield

I see this all the time here on Kijiji. People want 3-4 hundred dollars for a rubbermaid bin full of mixed lego along with marbles, megabloks and k'nets all visibile in the ad photo. I dont mind sorting out the junk if the price is right, but if you want top dollar clean and sort it out yourself.

squiz

I guess she feels she can get that much for it. If she does then fair play to her. Its the same with the 'expensive' ebay items, no one is forcing you to pay it.

Legoboy

@Redbullgivesuwind - I have physically just burst out laughing to your comments and felt the urge to explain my outburst to my wife.....who didn't find it as funny. The thought of someone punching a lady and running down the street with a crate full of LEGO - brilliant! Shouldn't laugh, but I did. Sorry Mum.

As it happens I don't normally entertain the thought of attending these kind of functions. Entertain is probably the wrong word. I never hear about them and don't go out of my way to find them. However, my Mum phoned a couple of days ago to say that a flyer had been pinned up at the local park advertising one at a local address on such a date. I managed to track a phone number down for them and told them I was interested in the LEGO that was advertised on the flyer. The garage sale has now taken place although she took the LEGO out so that I could have first dibs on it next week when I'm available. She said she preferred to not sell in the sale anyway since she was afraid she would get peanuts for it. I don't think she's going to be overly greedy, but I don't think she'll be giving it away either. Watch this space.

legomatt

It's the same with anything, only pay what you're happy to pay. If the price doesn't suit, walk on by.

It's all swings and roundabouts really, isn't it?

Finding a bunch of UCS sets, in perfect condition, all parts and instructions included, boxes too, all for just a few quid/dollars, is the find we might dream about.
And in such a situation, I doubt there's anyone here who would say "What? You only want a fiver? But they're worth thousands! Please, you must take all my money! No, take it."

I think we'd pay them real fast, ask if they've got any more lego they want to sell, and leave ASAP, in our best running shoes, leaving scorched earth in our wake.

...So I think there is probably a little room for us to equally find the occasional laughable pile of rubbish being sold for hundreds. You might even say good luck to them, as we would wish such extraordinary luck to ourselves to find equally unfathomable deals in our favour.

It's just the two extremes of the bargain hunt adventure, what fun would there be if everyone knew the true value of everything...? (and what a deep question that is)

:o)

Bluefox1966

I only pay £5.00 a kilo, tops. If it's any more I walk away, there is loads of the Lego out there, another lot will always come up ,

indy1973

I am sure Davee123 is right... The seller simply calculated that if SHE originally paid a total of $500 for all of it, then she should get at least half of its retail value. She just didn't realize that scratched, unsorted, incomplete sets are worth far less to a fan...!

So she's not greedy, really, just not very savvy!

*Sigh*, amateurs! =O

Redbullgivesuwind

@flump6523 yeah i said it to my girlfriend she didnt get it either.

I think this is with all the promotions and the collectable figures people have gotten them or found rare ones go for alot and this has led them into to looking at sets and because a few go for more than they are worth they assume that all must do

Kotton

I'm pretty sure she was just being greedy...

All her stuff was high priced. I went back on Sunday, and she still wanted $200+.

When I mentioned I would still pay $25.00 if she wanted to get rid of them because they were dirty and scratched, a neighbor (or maybe husband) butted in with "Well, then why do you want them?", like I was unload them and go on a trip around the world with the proceeds...

I don't have time for people like that...

But the though of punching her in te stomach and running off with them crossed my mind...

They were just stuffed too far back in te garage... :)

dougts

tell the dude you want them because you are willing/able to put in a lot of your own personal time to clean them up, sort them, figure out what sets are there (if any), part them out, etc, etc. So yes, you will probably make some money off them in the long run - after a lot of time and effort. If they were willing to do all that, then yes, they can likely expect to get closer to her asking price. But since she just has them thrown in a dirty heap in a box, she's asking the buyer to do all the work, and therefore shouldn't expect to see all the reward.

Legoboy

^^ + ^^^ The pair of you are about to start a new craze - LEGIT LEGO. Let's start up a new thread. Points will be awarded on a 'distance v lb' basis.

Eric

^ Bahahaha.

Redbullgivesuwind

^^I like it also though for how hard it was to get them out. so stealing from this old lady would only score 2 but from a body builder that would get 5

madforLEGO

I am sure Davee123 is right... The seller simply calculated that if SHE originally paid a total of $500 for all of it, then she should get at least half of its retail value. She just didn't realize that scratched, unsorted, incomplete sets are worth far less to a fan...!

So she's not greedy, really, just not very savvy!

*Sigh*, amateurs! =O

It is called 'eBay effect' folks...Some people probably do value used toys in terms of how much they paid when the toy was brand new, but I think most see eBay prices online and think they can get that with the folks who usually go to garage sales... guess what? aint going to happen OR these people need to realize that condition also means everything...
As for going to the sale on the last day, good luck.
Most people will then take their crappy condition Lego parts, put them up on eBay and make a killing just because of people who pay WAYYY too much for Lego lots, especially when the condition could be 'iffy'

bmwlego

There is no such thing as Yard Sale ripoffs. You can't get ripped off at a yard sale. Simply leave the LEGO with the seller or talk them down. It is a yard sale after all. My best LEGO finds are all at yard sales and when someone was asking ebay prices I politely said no thanks and walked away.

If a seller wants ebay prices, go on ebay, take photos, write up a description, calculate postage, wait for the auction to end, wait for payment to clear, package the item, go to the post office, mail it, wait for feedback and then relax. Otherwise you are not getting my business!

I know what the post is addressing but it should be titled differently because each time I read the title it seems like someone is complaining they were ripped off at a yard sale.

And dougts...so true! It takes forever and a day to clean yard sale LEGO finds!

Galidorneveragain

Some people think they can charge lots of money for lego which is broken,dirty and in bad state, but there are good yard sales, if we didn't have bad yard sales we wouldn't appreciate the good yard sales we find sometimes find.

I find it quite rare to find a yard sale, where I am in the UK, but when I do all I find are late 90's/early 2000s lego games, which don't really appeal to me.

I do however find hunting around charity shops a good way to find cheap lego for eg. I found a 1000 piece creator box in good condition and clean lego for only £4.75, aswell as spares from batman set, like printed images!

dimefield

I just picked up a 40 lb lot by talking down the seller, pointed out the fact that the lego was dirty, filled with mega.. knex, marbles, cars,crayons. Im the one doing all the work, went from 350 to 150 fairly quick!

bmwlego

^ha!
LEGO Yard sales usually include the odd rubber band, marble, hot wheels car and almpst always at least 1 penny!

Town

^So true!

Rainstorm26

^^Don't forget about an army man too

bmwlego

So I'm not the only 1 then?

Rainstorm26

^I have bought two bulk lots from totally different people/areas. Each of them had almost the identical list you mentioned above.

bmwlego

That is pretty cool. Definitely not a coincidence then.

doodlebird

great thread. i always have to work saturday mornings, so i don't get to hit up garage sales. but i do peruse our local craigslist (is this US specific?) and am floored by the number of people who post crappy blurry picture of "legos" for $10+ per pound and clearly state that there are no manuals, no minifigures... so you KNOW you're not getting any complete sets. i can't imagine anyone every buys these... but you rarely see the price come down. the listing just sits there. un-bought.

Rainstorm26

^These people selling at $10/pound are out of their minds. I wish there was an easier way to find bulk old lego for sale. I realy don't like the parking lot of a gas station approach with craigs list, but it can work.

LegoFanTexas

I have used Craigslist just once for Lego, picked up a good deal on a sealed 10179 for about $500 below eBay prices.

Did that deal in the lobby of my bank, no gas stations for me with $1300 in cash on hand. :). Must have looked funny to the tellers to see two grown men with a huge Lego box and a pile of cash trading hands.

madforLEGO

^These people selling at $10/pound are out of their minds. I wish there was an easier way to find bulk old lego for sale. I realy don't like the parking lot of a gas station approach with craigs list, but it can work.

You MAY still find decent deals at flea markets.. MAYBE.... I think in this eBay age getting good deals will be harding to find

cavegod

yeah ebay is getting silly!

i have been offered 20kg of lego for £200

http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardthebrickman/6257983375/

i don't have the expendable income unfortunately and it needs collecting or courier from newport.

emilewski

I just discovered two days ago that my local Salvation Army Family Store as they call it gets a lot of LEGO in, several times a week. I am told that it is sometimes still NIB. Unfortunately it is not on my way to/from work and they don't open till 10 AM so my actually getting there will be difficult to time it just right (I am told that it does not last there long). But if anyone has a Salvation Army near them it will be worth stopping by and inquiring.