How to sell my collection from the 70'S

ScottLego

Hi Guys,

I would like some help selling my Lego. My collection has been sitting in the cupboard for a long time now. Time for someone else to enjoy.

26 complete sets in boxes with instructions. Mint condition.

Circa 1976. Some of the bigger sets are 911, D182, C148 & C107.

I have gone through the lot put them together and checked all the bits are there. and I have photographed everything assembled and next to the box with instructions.

Any assistance would be appreciated

Douglas
0414 997 002
Western Australia

Dread_Pirate

Welcome

You have a few options here. First is E-bay, this could be the most risky or the most profitable depending on who wants what and how much money they have.

Start a Bricklink accound and list them there for what you want. You may sit on them for a while but you will get what you are asking. Bricklink is also a great place to see what the market will bear for your sets.

Last thing I can think of is check for any LUGs in your area and see if they are interested in what you have.

Good luck

rocao

^ All solid advice, but before all that (and admittedly rooted in bias), I would suggest posting in the Marketplace category here since there are a large number of serious collectors here, including representation from your part of the world which would make transfer easier.

devilhead

I don't believe that many people would consider a set that has been put together as being in 'mint condition'.

CCC

I agree with ^.

You will need to be more honest with the descriptions and take a lot of photos. I somehow doubt they are mint. In fact, from what you have said, they are not. Sets mint from the factory have never been played with.

Be honest, sell them as used but good / excellent condition and include decent photos of the boxes and instructions too. Then you will not get angry customers.

rocao

My interpretation is more closely aligned with this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mint_condition

"The term mint condition is often used to describe a collectible item such as an action figure, doll, or toy that is as good as new without any scratches or other damage."

Thus, my view is that it's possible for it to have been open, built, and even played with and still be mint, provided there is no visible damage.

Accompanying photos, of course, would go far to clear up any uncertainty.

dougts

^, ^^, and ^^^ are way I personally never use the term "mint" and recommend it be avoided at almost all costs. it's a loaded term that means different things to different people, which can often lead to misunderstandings. And in the end - it's a highly subjective terminology. Just describe the condition with sentences and specifics, and include a lot of pictures. You will be far better off in the long run.

jockosjungle

My interpretation of mint condition is that its as good as new, hence not opened and still sealed.

If I had a mint condition Star Wars action figure, it would still be in its box, sealed and never opened. It wouldn't just have the opened box with it and been played with.

RomanticWarrior

Hi ScottLEGO,
I would recommend bricklink for selling. You have to have some patience, but eventually there will be someone who wants to buy what you have.

I recently put together all of my LEGO from the late 80s/early 90s and listed them on bricklink. It took about three years to sell all of them (10-15) sets, but I sold them all and made the money tht I wanted to.

Oldfan

^^ This is the general interpretation of "mint" that Bricklink uses; if it's not absolutely brand-new (=parts have never been assembled), then the community generally does not consider the parts "mint". The condition might indeed be flawless, but the parts are still considered "used". Like everyone here is saying, take lots of pictures; that will help your sets sell faster than will any discussions over the definition of "mint"!

^Expanding on this: There are two schools of thought for selling Lego collections: group them all into a single super-lot, or sell the sets individually. The trade-off is quickly liquidating your inventory vs. getting maximum price. Which direction you choose depends entirely on your preferences.

cardgenius

In my experience, If its new and never been opened its usually marked by "NIB" which means "New in Box" or something similar. And when it is "NIB" youll also see Mint or Near Mint that is describing the condition of the box itself.

If the item is used/open, the seller should state that it is used/open and then use mint or near mint to describe the condition of the actual item your buying.

As for selling on eBay, Ive found listing an item on Fri/Sat/Sun between 4-7pm usually gets the most attention and will garner the most money. Take pictures of the sets built with everything that comes with it. Give a good and accurate description and you should do fine.

Do check the 'Completed Auctions' so you can get an idea for what your item will sell for before you do.

natro220

I agree with Rocao, I would post them on the Marketplace here first. I would NOT sell them on Ebay, as you will likely not get much for them. Unless you have an established Ebay store, you will not get top dollar for your vintage Lego sets in that venue, speaking from experience. These sets should fetch you much higher return on Bricklink (or here on Brickset's forum).

MasterLego

^ Same here. Bricklink and this forum are your best chances of getting top dollar. I have used Ebay to bid off some minifigures I had. I feel I only got half of what they were worth. And they were SW minifigs.