Adding OOP Sets to your Collection

Crownie

I'm curious: I've recently purchased some new, sealed 2012 Dino sets off of eBay, and have this niggling feeling that I should somehow  keep them 'separate' from the rest of the sets in my collection (the ones I've purchased myself through retail channels or LEGO.com). It sounds irrational on one level, but I'm wondering if this thought (or ones similar) plague anyone else?

As long as the set looks like it came from a clean environment and doesn't smell oddly, it's probably fine. Right?

I suppose this is an escalation of sorting bricks by 'new' and 'used' in a way. Thoughts?

BrickByBrick

You can create a custom flag in the collection manager where it says sets flagged. Will appear in the same place as the I want and I own checkboxes on a set's page. They don't get added in with your owned sets either.

Crownie

I love that option in the collection manager, though I meant keeping the physical sets separate (Not just from an organizational standpoint).

Yodalicious

I don’t mean this in a snarky way at all, so please don’t take it as that, but I have to ask...

...why do you feel the need to keep them away?

And the reason I ask is because, in my opinion, they are now your sets regardless of how you purchased them. At least, that’s how I view my collection. Whether I got the set at a store, online, through Bricklink, from the Marketplace here, or some other way, as soon as it joins my collection it is an equal among its friends.

BrickByBrick

Crownie said:

I love that option in the collection manager, though I meant keeping the physical sets separate (Not just from an organizational standpoint).

You know, that's probably he more obvious question.... I was only half-thinking ;)
I kinda tried to do the same thing with a bulk lot of sets I bought off a Facebook Yard Sale because I was trying to put together complete sets, but eventually I just combined them with the rest of my collection because sorting them all was taking too long. 

Crownie

No I totally understand, ha ha. I'm just bouncing the idea off of everyone here - but it may be my OCD getting the better of me. In my head, I just (quite literally) wonder if the sets acquired secondhand are somehow 'less' than the ones I've bought myself. As if the sets weren't stored 'properly' before reaching me - maybe the pieces might be more prone to cracking later on down the line?

At the end of the day, it's whatever keeps me from going nuts, I suppose. I mix my parts together when sorting, so I wasn't sure if I would want to throw in these Dino sets with the main lot or not. Typing this out certainly does make it seem a bit nuts, so I might just take the plunge and mix them in. Chances are, I'll forget all about it in 2 weeks and it'll be too late to worry further about it anyway.

@Yodalicious I really do like your viewpoint on the subject; thank you for sharing!

FowlerBricks

Parts will crack randomly no matter how they're stored. Unless they make the piece unusable, you just have to ignore the cracks.

playwell

I think a sealed set is a sealed set, you don't know how the store kept it before they sold it to you or if it's a costumer return.

vwong19

^ Seal sets are sealed until you find out they aren't.... See related thread.
http://bricksetforum.com/discussion/28016/walmart-return-scammer-caught#latest

CCC

I can understand keeping someone else's used separate, but not sealed. Are you going to crack them open or store them as sealed?

Crownie

I intend to open them. I'm leaning towards 'throwing caution to the wind' and combining them. Anything else feels like pandering to my OCD, ha ha. As Darkwing Duck used to say, "Let's get dangerous."

I'm a wild one.

Shib

Crownie said:

As if the sets weren't stored 'properly' before reaching me - maybe the pieces might be more prone to cracking later on down the line?

This might mess with your head even more, but every shops stock room is different, so if you’ve bought from different shops then some might have been stored in better condition than others. Not to mention transit to shops - you might have things that were left in trucks for different amounts of nights.


No offence meant but personally I’d say you are massively overthinking it.

Crownie

Shib said:

Crownie said:

As if the sets weren't stored 'properly' before reaching me - maybe the pieces might be more prone to cracking later on down the line?

This might mess with your head even more, but every shops stock room is different, so if you’ve bought from different shops then some might have been stored in better condition than others. Not to mention transit to shops - you might have things that were left in trucks for different amounts of nights.


No offence meant but personally I’d say you are massively overthinking it.

No - you're entirely right. Left to my own devices I tend to waaaaaay overthink things. I could also get in a fatal car accident tomorrow and this would all be moot anyway. I might as well enjoy it while I can, no?

CCC

As you are opening them, I wouldn't worry about it. If they look new inside, the just add them. If they look like dog food then don't.

Crownie

CCC said:

As you are opening them, I wouldn't worry about it. If they look new inside, the just add them. If they look like dog food then don't.

I laughed out loud at that.

Lego_Lord_Mayorca

You mentioned considering "secondhand sets" as "less" than ones purchased by yourself. Aren't those secondhand sets still purchased by you? From my perspective, when I buy Lego secondhand, like from a thrift store or yard sale, I thoroughly inspect and vet the items before I decide to buy them. I've definitely opted to not buy bundles of Lego secondhand not because I already had the set, but rather the pieces came in such horrid shape that I didn't see it as worthy of being in my collection. I don't want to spend days cleaning bricks and tossing out broken pieces just for the sake of a "big haul". So in conclusion, I'm with everybody else on this one. If I made the willful choice to purchase any Lego, be it off a store shelf or in the back of a car, it becomes part of my collection, indivisible and equal to all other sets.

madforLEGO

If the set has 'old color' palette instead of the 'new color' palette I would keep them separated. I would not mix my parts from the 80's and 90's with parts today.

colay

Sorry, the gamer in me was like, whats an OverPowered set and where can I get one?!

Then I was like, doh

AustinPowers

Imho, if it's a sealed set I get, whether new or second hand, I just clean the box - if necessary, but the contents immediately go in my collection of bricks no questions asked.

The only separation I do is by age, meaning pieces from sets from my childhood and youth are stored together with pieces from sets of that era I bought second hand (used or MISB), while pieces from newer sets, i.e. after the old/new grey dividing line get stored in a different part of my collection of bricks.

The main difference for me is that my old sets basically need just about 10 parts bins, while the new sets require far more, simply because there are so many colours now.

Crownie

Okay, so I opened my new Dino Defense HQ set, and it smells like fabric softener. I have a huge problem with perfume and chemical odors so this is a deal breaker. (And probably why I should never buy anything on eBay again...) I simply can't deal with it. I don't suppose anyone wants a boxless #5887 Dino Defense Set for $125.00 shipped do they?

Some days it doesn't pay to be me. Oy.

datsunrobbie

Vinegar may help neutralize the odor, works well for clothes - if you can deal with the vinegar.

FowlerBricks

Crownie said:

Okay, so I opened my new Dino Defense HQ set, and it smells like fabric softener. I have a huge problem with perfume and chemical odors so this is a deal breaker. (And probably why I should never buy anything on eBay again...) I simply can't deal with it. I don't suppose anyone wants a boxless #5887 Dino Defense Set for $125.00 shipped do they?

Some days it doesn't pay to be me. Oy.

Man, if I had the money I'd jump at that. Unfortunately my Lego budget is $0 right now. :(

Crownie

I've listed it in the Marketplace if anyone is interested. I'll get this sorted out one way or another. (I guess that applies to both life and LEGO, no?)

gmonkey76

@Crownie pm sent

madforLEGO

Crownie said:

Okay, so I opened my new Dino Defense HQ set, and it smells like fabric softener. I have a huge problem with perfume and chemical odors so this is a deal breaker. (And probably why I should never buy anything on eBay again...) I simply can't deal with it. I don't suppose anyone wants a boxless #5887 Dino Defense Set for $125.00 shipped do they?

Some days it doesn't pay to be me. Oy.

Or just let it sit out in the open air for enough time and the smell could dissipate

1265

Practicing psychologists wanted.

AustinPowers

Had it been "shipped" as in "shipped to Germany" I would have taken it off your hands immediately. But I guess you meant "shipped within the continental US", so unfortunately I'm out. Would have loved the set though. Must admit, I didn't even know this set existed. Was just about coming out of my dark ages at the time...

catwrangler

I hope you can either find a buyer or do something about the smell. Seconding the vinegar idea - with fabrics, both it and sunlight can help, though I understand that, depending how strong the sun is where you are, you might have concerns about fading the bricks. 

My partner has problems with perfume and chemical scents too (they set off his migraines), so I've had to deal with this kind of thing before - thankfully never with Lego, but there's a first time for everything...

MegtheCat

Better the fabric softener smell to cigarette smoke! I received a set recently from an eBay seller and it had a slight smokey smell. It was NISB but I immediately cut the seals and found that though the box smells, the bricks were protected inside the plastic bags. I'm guessing the seller did not have it long enough for it to get thoroughly permeated by the smoke. The instruction books were tolerable after a few days airing out in the garage. Close call though - I noticed the one feedback mentioning smoke smelling product after I won the auction.

@Crownie Hopefully you will be able to get some of the upcoming Jurassic World sets if you are looking for dinos. I think both the T-Rex and Raptors will be included in sets.

Crownie

Thanks everyone. Chemical sensitivities can really disable a person in situations like these. I found a buyer though, so that's good. Even though I'm taking a large loss, I view it as a life lesson. What else can I do? Moving on...

@MegtheCat That is exciting to see! (And maybe more aligned with my nostalgic-induced tastes.)