How do you buy LEGO on a budget?

princedraven

If I had my time back I would sit myself down and try to understand what I am buying and why. Then I would try to stick to that and remind myself of the 'what and why' questions on a regular basis.
When you are in the midst of this hobby/obsession it is easy to find you get a delivery in the post, of something that you really had no intention of buying originally, it goes into storage as you have so many other things you want to build first, then another, then another, then another....
Above all, its Lego, they are plastic bricks, don't go into debt because of it. (serious case of do as I say, not as I do, there!!!)

Fizzlemesexy

It's very easy to get carried away. If you are worried on how much you spend, set a monthly budget and a priority list of sets you want. If money isn't an issue, you might even appreciate the bricks you have more. I use brickset to my advantage. It's easier to prioritize your want list.

Also some years are easier then others. This year, my want list is no where near as large as last year. In fact, I had to not even include some wants for last year - too many wants! On the flip side, this year I'm less willing to wait on some sales (super heroes). Space and storage, now that's difficult.

Try to catch sales as there are many and good luck!

greekmick

I only started buying since the turn of the year and have found my spending getting out of control way too easy. Unfortunately the continued clearance sales make you want just one more set because it is "cheap". I have started to keep a spreadsheet of my spending on Lego and added a column in which i insert the RRP. This makes my spending a little easier to explain to the wife. I will try not to pay RRP if possible throughout the year unless there are promos attached i.e VIP double points and May 4th. I did try to limit myself to £100 a month but that didn't work out for January, February or March.

rocao

A common pattern when people are new to LEGO (typically re-introduced from a prolonged absence) is to engage in frenzied buying.

For collectors, there are so many great sets from the past that we remember or may have missed out on completely, and there is no shortage of current sets. For builders, the availability, affordability, and infrastructure for obtaining parts has never been better.

If you need to budget, be honest when setting one and sticking to it. Move recently retired or soon to be discontinued sets up on your priority list. You can move less urgently on long retired sets and new/current sets that still have some time to go in their typical 1-2 year shelf-life.

legoDad

Assuming finances are in order...do things for your lady. Go out...get her something (NOT Lego...yes it had to be said)...spend time...and you can keep your hobby going smooth. Show some quality building time with your son can score points too. Wife and son, bills...then Lego. Learn it, love it, live it.

Robb

Yeah, I came out of my dark ages summer 2011 in the midst of several clearance sales in the USA (at target, walmart, kmart, and the TRU BOGO madness). I went overboard on some purchases and picked up products I wasn't even very interested in but couldn't pass on a deal.

I had to decided to limit myself to a small subset of lines that I was most interested in (for the most part, just the Modulars and Creators).

LegoFanTexas

Given the number of sets you can build, I am no longer building the retired expensive sets. Just sold my last 10019 Rebel Blockade Runner, was new in box and bought it last year to build it, but the price is just too high. For the cost of that one set, I can buy the entire line of Friends and have cash left over to buy Town Hall.

That is just nuts!!! :)

I have set a limit for sets of 20 cents a part, if they go over that, sell em... :)

starfire2

I can agree with the "getting carried away" thing. This month alone my husband and I spent $400 at the Lego store and I spent $575. on a Green Grocer on Ebay, and another $425. parting out the Cafe Corner on Bricklink. Probably more than others, but I am anal about matching the original colors.

BrickDancer

I bought a random Apple Treehouse with the girlfriend beginning of November and stumbled onto Brickset when she was searching for pdf instructions so we could build simultaneously. Little did she know that was unlocking the flood gates. Now I'm in for about $10K in 4.5 months and swimming in bricks of all sorts. I just loved the frenzied buying spree of Nov-Jan, that was the most exciting time I've had in ages. Half of it was for my own consumption and the other half for future resell to subsidize my habit. Now I'm trying to find how to get the most joy out of the brick, gravitating towards MOC and minifig collections. There's so much to do and so little time/money to spend, best advice is to explore the various areas you might be interested in before jumping in deeper.

Redbullgivesuwind

Accept that some stuff you will never own simply down to price SD im looking at you. And as everyone says budget budget budget

morbiczer

In the end it is all about willpower.

omgitsrenzo

For me, I finally realized that at such a young ate ( 16) Its nearly impossible for me to get the sets that I want at the meager wages I earn now .. So I just buy discounted , and sets near their end point and continue the cycle with the new sets.
All the major sets ( modulars , UCS etc) and all other sets I missed , in saving for when I'm a bit older and have a stable job since acquiring them would be easier and plus who could pass up the thrill of finding and buying an old Lego set that you've wanted ages ago?

Brewer51

As a poor poor student, I've certainly had to limit myself. Once I get a bit more money I'm buying Tower Bridge, but after that I'll probably wait until the summer to try and get another decent set (maybe a modular).

It's all about saying no and accepting that some sets have to pass you by.

mathew

This kinda follows from the Brag thread and the How do you store your collection, two prime sources of my Lego envy...

I'm new. My wife is, let's say, bemused by my recent spending splurge (of her
money, I might add). I guess it's gotten to be around $500-600 since the new year.
I claim somewhat honestly that all my purchases are "for our son." Except the
Hypersonic Aircraft, that's Daddy's.

Your story sounds like mine, same time frame too. I find that MOC (making own creation) is the most satisfying aspect of this hobby. The problem is acquiring enough bricks to make satifying 'MOC's. Buying lots of bricks from ebay is good for this but I find that per brick pricing is becoming a problem. Some people think Legos are worth their weight in gold...

Jonn420

i have sex with overweight women for Legos....

LegobrandonCP

i have sex with overweight women for Legos....

Hahahahahahahah... that made me smile.

BlueTaylor

I am very interested in hearing how everyone affords their Lego (especially those with 500+ sets or the teen collectors). Personally, I spend more money on Lego than I can probably afford but I'm guessing that's the same for most collectors. I have just started working full-time again after traveling for seven months. I now earn a decent salary which allows me to buy what I want but while I was traveling I got very anxious about not being able to afford Lego. I had to get my fix by buying just two or three Minifigures a week (although I did splurge on the complete set of Pharaoh's Quest when it came out, I couldn't help myself!) Let's be blunt, I earn $1,700 AUD a fortnight and from now on will probably spend $300-$500 of that on Lego. What about you guys? Oh, I'm also interested to know, are you the type, like me, to rush to the store on the day a new series comes out and buy the lot? Or do you collect it set by set?

drdavewatford

Having a decent job (and an understanding wife) and sniffing out the best bargains is a big part of it for me.

I very rarely rush in and buy any set on day one - I still adhere to a policy of not buying unless I can get at least 30% off wherever possible. The realisation that Amazon in Spain and Italy in particular will sell me so-called LEGO Exclusives at a big discount has been an important discovery.

Eric

^ I'm with you Dr D. I'll never pay full price for any Lego. (Maybe excluding the CMF's). I think with the prices of Lego over here in Aus, it's not surprising your spending that amount on Lego. Let's face it, it's not hard.

I'm only a teenager (19yo), and live at home, so all of my wage is effectively disposable after paying the expenses for my car. These past few weeks have been expensive, with all the Toy Sales at the moment, I've picked up a few big-ish sets at reasonable prices.

BlueTaylor

Yes, I've spent a bit at the Toy Sales lately too, Eric. It's been great fun though, like Christmas come early! Which sets have you purchased? I'm also from Aus, am 23 and live at home too which helps! Where do you find the best deals for Lego? I'm considering purchasing the Monster Fighters complete set from the US from eBay as I think it will be much cheaper than when it comes out here even with shipping costs!

^ I'm with you Dr D. I'll never pay full price for any Lego. (Maybe excluding the CMF's). I think with the prices of Lego over here in Aus, it's not surprising your spending that amount on Lego. Let's face it, it's not hard.

I'm only a teenager (19yo), and live at home, so all of my wage is effectively disposable after paying the expenses for my car. These past few weeks have been expensive, with all the Toy Sales at the moment, I've picked up a few big-ish sets at reasonable prices.

drdavewatford

^ I'm with you Dr D. I'll never pay full price for any Lego.

S@H promos are the major weak link in my bargain ethos, though. As an example, the recent Hulk, Shirtless Darth Maul and mini Sopwith Camel promos have seen me place full price orders when I'd usually wait for discounts. In those situations, however, I'll almost always look to pick up Exclusives and stuff that's hard to find outside the Brand Stores rather than everyday sets which Amazon and others will eventually discount.

brickupdate

I'm in agreement with others here:

1. Having an understanding spouse is key to everything. To "afford" that is more important than the money.

2. For money, yes, having an okay income is best. I used to collect a much more pricey hobby: high end stereo equipment. Ludicrously expensive for what it is. When I switched from that to LEGO in a bigger way, it felt easy to justify a $100 set.

3. I rarely buy anything that isn't on sale, and only buy a lot when I find a REALLY good sale. Like 30-50% off. Or more sometimes.

4. I do justify a lot of this as "since I bought much of this at such a great price, I can easily sell it and make my money back, or even make a profit!" Now, that is more fantasy than reality, mostly because the time it takes to sell. It is easier to click "BUY NOW!" than it is to sell something on a LEGO forum or even eBay.

Good topic, and one I have wondered about with others. Thanks!

- BrickUpdate

bortan88

I have to be careful with my spending, with a mortage and kids to feed. I'm also in Australia and it disheartens me to see the price of Lego in the US especially since our dollar is on parity with theirs. With the mid year toy sales on here there's some bargains to be had, Jabbas Palace at AUD$159 instead of $200 but I still cant afford that but i did get set 7985 City of Atlantis for AUD$50 from Big W online. So to answer the question for me it's saving up, sticking to a budget and searching out the best deals and EOL stuff

The_Brick_Builder

Not surfing eBay.

BlueTaylor

With the mid year toy sales on here there's some bargains to be had, Jabbas Palace at AUD$159 instead of $200 but I still cant afford that but i did get set 7985 City of Atlantis for AUD$50 from Big W online.

Jabba's Palace is definitely one I had my eye on, have you built it? Are you happy with it? I ended up going with a few smaller SW sets instead. Gungan Sub (just built it and absolutely love it!), Hoth Wampa Cave, Sith Nightspeeder and Ewok Attack all at 20 per cent off at Myer (which I found to be much cheaper than the Big W in-store sets which weren't that much cheaper than their original price. Anakin's Jedi Interceptor was one I really wanted too but even on sale at Big W it was still something like 78 dollars!!! And yes, I totally agree, it's really hard to see how little Americans pay for Lego, I'm not sure how much they earn compared to us though so perhaps it's all fair in the end.

BlueTaylor

I have to be careful with my spending, with a mortage and kids to feed. I'm also in Australia and it disheartens me to see the price of Lego in the US especially since our dollar is on parity with theirs. With the mid year toy sales on here there's some bargains to be had, Jabbas Palace at AUD$159 instead of $200 but I still cant afford that but i did get set 7985 City of Atlantis for AUD$50 from Big W online. So to answer the question for me it's saving up, sticking to a budget and searching out the best deals and EOL stuff

Oh I apologise, I see you didn't get Jabba's! >.< Does look like a great set though ^_^ Not as good as the previous sets featuring Jabba though I don't think!

bortan88

I do want Jabbas palace and the Gungan sub but i fear if i get into SW lego it may lead to financial ruin and a broken relationship and i want to save some money for the Monster Fighters sets coming out soon. I'm not sure why but i get great pleasure from glow in the dark pieces.

brickupdate

The cost difference by country is an excellent point @bortan88. From what I understand - you pay LOADS more money for LEGO (and toys in general) than we do here in the States. I track a lot of this kind of stuff on my blog, but I am often juggling great deals to pursue at any given time. I do NOT say this to gloat, I have a real empathy for those who have to pay a lot for LEGO.

And I agree with @The_Brick_Builder that staying away from eBay is a primary way to save funds. I have periods where I am 100% all about eBay, and periods where I ban myself from surfing it!

- BrickUpdate

Bumblepants

I buy Lego on deals and clearance and then sell enough on eBay or Bricklink to make $$ for my next Lego. As long as my Lego hobby is self-sustaining my wife doesn't mind and I don't waste any money.

BlueTaylor

I do want Jabbas palace and the Gungan sub but i fear if i get into SW lego it may lead to financial ruin and a broken relationship and i want to save some money for the Monster Fighters sets coming out soon. I'm not sure why but i get great pleasure from glow in the dark pieces.

Yes I agree with you about getting into Star Wars, it's such a huge thing to start collecting as there are so many sets and once you get one you want another and another and then you have no money! I also have to refrain from buying much until Monster Fighters comes out here in Aus (or until I buy it online). I also love the glow in the dark pieces, I only just realised today that some of my Severus Snape's from very old Harry Potter sets are glow in the dark too. How did I not notice that!? Although I will still buy it I think the Haunted House could have been better. I would have liked more detail.

BlueTaylor

Anyone have any alternatives to eBay if you live in Australia? I know sites like ChowrenToys are good but damn I wish Amazon would ship here. Some of the sets sold there are like 40 per cent cheaper than what we can buy anywhere else!

Duchessa

Since I'm a completist (and not a millionaire), I try to think very carefully about what sets I put on my wish list.

Lego is expensive in Sweden, so I buy most of my sets from Ebay. I rarely buy full prices sets. When I happen to stumble on a Lego sale here, I buy lots of sets and sell them. To me, the key has been to only buy sets that I really want and ignore the rest.

BlueTaylor

To me, the key has been to only buy sets that I really want and ignore the rest.

So true. I find myself buying sets sometimes just to complete a series. I bet we all wish we had endless funds to be able to buy everything we want but I guess half the fun is saving up to get them anyway!

Lego_Lord_Mayorca

Well, first of all, my job has a built-in feature to prevent me from splurging my salary on Lego gratuitously. I travel for work, and my work is often in rural, remote locations. When I go to the nearest town, it's mainly for the essentials, like food and supplies, and not Lego. I cannot keep sets in the trailers I stay in (no space), so weeks will go by without seeing so much as a 2X4 stud brick.

Second of all, I went to college out of state, and while I continued to buy Lego (almost always shipped to my home address), I rarely found time to sit at home and build, even in the summers. So now, over a year after graduating, I have a nice back-catalog of sets I've never built that I really want to enjoy (including #6542 and #6991 for crying out loud!). That also puts a damper on my current spending.

Finally, I'm a bachelor whose only responsibilities are to provide and look out for the well-being of my other family members whenever they need it, so most of my money gets saved. That, I've learned, is a good thing, and I must say that in spite of all the awesome Lego I have been able to afford thanks to my salary, I am most proud of the purchase of my new car recently, something that I would've never thought possible under different employment scenarios.

LegoFanTexas

I'm also in Australia and it disheartens me to see the price of Lego in the US especially since our dollar is on parity with theirs.

My wife is from Australia, so I understand what you mean, the cost of everything is much higher than it is here in the States.

We have talked about moving there, but boy, would that be expensive. The cost of cars, houses, everything there is double what it is in the states.

Of course, the parity in the dollar isn't really the issue, taxes and the cost of doing business there is really the main reason it costs so much.

Brick_Obsession

I think it all starts with a decent job, of course responsibility too. As we all know this Lego thing can be like crack some days. You just have to have it, and will do almost anything to have it. Picking and choosing what to collect is important. I find the older we get, the more selective we get. No more wanting everything that comes out, but choosing a line or two and collecting that.

I am lucky enough to have an amazing girlfriend who fully supports my Lego habit. I sometimes thinks she likes it because I am at home, nerding out and not in pubs or bars with the guys. Oh she is a smart one. She takes care of the two UCS sets for me a year. I get one for my birthday and one for Christmas, so that really helps. We are at the point now where we pretty much have everything I have been collecting (episodes 4 - 6 and UCS). I am after mini-figs these days which can be cheaper than sets, depending who you are after of course. I am looking for a new line to follow as I know there will ony be 2 to 4 sets a year now I will be after. Trading off a lot of my spares is helping that.

As for deals, I do look for the Toys R Us deals as they help. I refuse to use Amazon as I feel they and everyone associated with them are a bunch of crooks. The shipping costs with them is outrageous. As for Ebay, well I tend to find a lot of scam artist on there who choose to use deceptive wording to sell their products. A couple friends of mine have been bent over on that site. I stick to Bricklink myself, looking for the best deal. Not always going after "new sealed" but rather used, especially if I am planning on displaying the item. Saves a lot of money this way.

Just my thoughts

y2josh

My LEGO hobby is funded entirely on whatever I make selling duplicate sets at Christmas. Whatever I make on LEGO at the end of the year is exactly what I allow myself to spend on LEGO in the following year. This usually works out well enough for me to pick up the sets I want and then buy a few extras to keep the cycle going.

Anyone have any alternatives to eBay if you live in Australia? I know sites like ChowrenToys are good but damn I wish Amazon would ship here. Some of the sets sold there are like 40 per cent cheaper than what we can buy anywhere else!

Make a friend on the forums. There are plenty of people on the boards here who are willing to ship abroad, and a lot will do it for cost and effort.

tvih

How do I afford 'em? Well, right now by not using money for anything else (except rent). And even then, poorly. I've mostly bought stuff at under normal price, with some exceptions. Orders with payments at a later date and even a bit of carefully-considered borrowing from family has been my strategy in trying to get the sets I want that are either EOL or in the danger of the same. Decent success so far.

If I had a job, it'd be very easy to afford the sets I want since I have no others to support and so forth and I don't want that many sets compared to many here, but alas, the employment situation isn't great here... then again, is it anywhere these days?

Goldchains

When I first started collecting again, I went insane and spent way too much to get the sets I wanted. Now I am much more frugal and have only been buying one set a month, if I can afford it. I also have kept my purchasing to certain lines to keep it under control. I would like some of the UCS Star Wars sets, but they are just too expensive to validate purchase right now. Sometimes you just have to pass on it, and hope you can afford it later.

Huw

Anyone have any alternatives to eBay if you live in Australia? I know sites like ChowrenToys are good but damn I wish Amazon would ship here. Some of the sets sold there are like 40 per cent cheaper than what we can buy anywhere else!

I've heard that the European Amazons ship to Australia for a reasonable fee so you should find some bargains, particularly from amazon.es and amazon.it.

AFFOL_Shellz_Bellz

@beatlefan1966 Bought the friends sets for your grandaughter, did you? Did you build them for her? LOL, I bought them for me at age 67!

BlueTaylor

I work hard to earn my keep of Lego and Im curious to know how you AFOLs out there would use to get extra money to buy legos when you were a teen

Oh .. And I'm willing to work for legos .. Just saying :D

I am not a teen anymore, I'm 23 but I do a paper round. It takes me about two hours a week on a Sunday and pays minimum 30 bucks and maximum 50. I must admit I use my normal salary to buy Legos each week but this extra money from my paper round builds up and will help my out when I want to buy a series, for example, Monster Fighters when it comes out here in Aus (or if I decide to buy it online). Obviously as a teen you can make sure people get you vouchers or cash for Lego for your birthday or Christmas etc.

beatlefan1966

@beatlefan1966 Bought the friends sets for your grandaughter, did you? Did you build them for her? LOL, I bought them for me at age 67!

Well...my granddaughter likes to build them, but I must confess...I will spend any amount of money on things for her, so it was REALLY EASY to justify the expense of all that Lego saying that I was buying them for her. I won't let her take them home...they have to stay at Grammy's house. :-)

You are building at age 67! That is awesome! I will turn 46 on Friday, and sometimes I wonder if I'm the oldest AFOL out there. You are an inspiration!

brickriver

Hi there, wow I didnt know this was on brickset, but anyways brickriver here. I dont make alot of money but I do on occasion come across some really good deals. I call it being lego lucky. craigslist is a good place to find bulk brick. but good luck its kind of like you have to look every day. I usually will comb the craigslists in my area a couple of times aday. people post lots of bulk brick this way. also going tagsaling, garage saling swap meets and the like is a good way to build up bulk used brick. I love doing this as you never know what you can get. and its fun and you get exsersise. also another way is waiting till stuff starts going on clearence you know if the price is starting to drop at target or wallyworld its usually when the new summer stuff starts getting released they want to make room for the new stock coming in. I also like to trade when I can brickfair is also a wonderful way of getting bricks. theres a really cool store there every year hes has all this bulk brick you can find a ton of stuff this way. I snagged all thes cloth sails and stuff there last year including some truck covers from the indiana jones sets. I made a small profit off that 6.00 dollar bag of odd crap. but its good. also if you have buddies who collect lego you could always do a trade day sorta speak you bring crap you dont want and trade for something of similar value.
thanks hope this helps. happy hunting!

seonadancing

Our country has its perfect system of stopping you to get into the hobby at an early age, that is by pricing the sets at 3 times the cost in the US. So growing up poor, my brother received a classic space All-terrain vehicle for christmas, and that got passed on to me when i was maybe 7. I wasn't able to get another set except for a few loose bricks until i got to college, but when i finally got a job, i spent my first christmas bonus on maybe 10 sets. I got lucky because the Lego distributor ended their license and they just opened all the remaining sets in the country and put it in 1lb bags for about $12. I bought about 55 bags, then a few more when they came up with smaller bags. A new distributor got the license and was for a period, offered products at 50% off once a year, so i waited for those and buy what's available. After 11 yrs of working I can say that I am earning enough to support a family of 4, but still not able to buy many Lego sets. Late last year, I received some free money and I used that money to purchase sets and loose bricks to sell here in our country. 6 months into this hobby business, i've been able to double the amount of my inventory.

If you cannot purchase Lego sets at this point in time, there are a number of resellers who will keep these sets for you. Just study hard and get a job then go buy the sets that you missed. It helps if you can sell some of the bricks that you have that you need, that way you can use profit to buy more products to sell and keep things rolling from there. There are lots of people in countries like mine who would willingly buy sets at US retail price.

Eric

Yes, I've spent a bit at the Toy Sales lately too, Eric. It's been great fun though, like Christmas come early! Which sets have you purchased?

Haha, yeah, I love it. I picked up 10220 VW Camper from Myer for $129, and 7346 Creator Beachhouse from K-Mart for $35 (bargain), going to put R2-D2 on layby from Target ($199), and keen to do the same with the 9397 Logging Truck ($138?). Rounding all this off with the modest 4433 Dirt Bike Transporter for $20. :D

Where do you find the best deals for Lego?

I've found K-Mart have the best prices generally, with Myer having the best and most regular sales.

S@H promos are the major weak link in my bargain ethos, though. As an example, the recent Hulk, Shirtless Darth Maul and mini Sopwith Camel promos have seen me place full price orders when I'd usually wait for discounts. In those situations, however, I'll almost always look to pick up Exclusives and stuff that's hard to find outside the Brand Stores rather than everyday sets which Amazon and others will eventually discount.

Haha, so your a sucker for the promo's huh? I don't know, I've been attracted by the polybags. (probably because they're not stocked over here), so it's never been an issue. :P

Not surfing eBay.

I don't know, everyone's so quick to bash eBay, but many of my best purchases were made there. I find Bricklink way overpriced, and coupled with the 42 Euro shipping quotes I regularly receive for medium sized sets, I've given up. I picked up a A1 copy of 10024 Red Baron (minus the stickers) for AU$50 a few years back, and more recently 5563 Racing Truck also in A1 condition for $120 shipped, (Bricklink's current cheapest $185). So, I'm regularly trawling the new listings.

My wife is from Australia, so I understand what you mean, the cost of everything is much higher than it is here in the States.

We have talked about moving there, but boy, would that be expensive. The cost of cars, houses, everything there is double what it is in the states.

Odd tangent, but they just said on the news that in Brisbane, (my hometown), we pay the highest short term parking in the country. We pay ~$27 for only a couple of hours. Not sure what it's like elsewhere though, so I can't really help with the overall context.

Sorry about the long post. :oP

emilewski

I make a decent salary, but partly to appease my wife, and partly to keep myself under control, I try and self-fund the hobby as much as possible. When I first came out of my dark ages I had to have everything, but after a year and a half I am now able to be very selective about what I buy. I only buy on sale, I buy extra sets for resale, I hit tag/garage/yard/boot sales in the summer (got lucky twice last year) and I have had to decide very specifically what I want to collect. I would love to have EVERYTHING, but since that is impossible I have decided to focus on LOTR, Christmas sets, large architecture, the large SW ships only, Modulars and some City. Whew...well, I try to limit my themes anyway. Good luck!

masterX244

Our country has its perfect system of stopping you to get into the hobby at an early age, that is by pricing the sets at 3 times the cost in the US. So growing up poor, my brother received a classic space All-terrain vehicle for christmas, and that got passed on to me when i was maybe 7. I wasn't able to get another set except for a few loose bricks until i got to college, but when i finally got a job, i spent my first christmas bonus on maybe 10 sets. I got lucky because the Lego distributor ended their license and they just opened all the remaining sets in the country and put it in 1lb bags for about $12. I bought about 55 bags, then a few more when they came up with smaller bags. A new distributor got the license and was for a period, offered products at 50% off once a year, so i waited for those and buy what's available. After 11 yrs of working I can say that I am earning enough to support a family of 4, but still not able to buy many Lego sets. Late last year, I received some free money and I used that money to purchase sets and loose bricks to sell here in our country. 6 months into this hobby business, i've been able to double the amount of my inventory.

If you cannot purchase Lego sets at this point in time, there are a number of resellers who will keep these sets for you. Just study hard and get a job then go buy the sets that you missed. It helps if you can sell some of the bricks that you have that you need, that way you can use profit to buy more products to sell and keep things rolling from there. There are lots of people in countries like mine who would willingly buy sets at US retail price.

Which country?

bortan88

I've also found some good buys on ebay, usually "buy it now" from people who don't really know what prices things go for, but you need to be constantly trawling and get lucky. I've been sniped too many times to mention on bulk lot auctions when the price skyrockets in the last few seconds. I've gone a bit crazy since discovering Bricklink but the prices for postage can be a bit disheartning.

sonsofsceva

To those who talk of working the LEGO shop at Disney - a WARNING - once you have worked a season at any amusement park, in any capacity, you will lose all interest in amusement parks for the rest of your life. It happened to me, my brother, and a number of other people I know. Depending on how much you like those parks, you may want to reconsider.

Mostly we do what others here do: Buy only on sale, be as selective as possible, and sell a few when you get a chance. Here is a tip if you have children: Star Wars is popular for birthday parties for boys, and they don't care if it's a "new" set or not, and probably wouldn't know. So if you get some battle packs on clearance, you are set for a few years (just keep track of which boy got what). My boys are still giving out Hoth packs that I got for $4 a box on clearance.