Wagnerml2: Looking for input on Craig's List Find

wagnerml2

So there was a craigslist ad touting $20k worth of Lego sets for $2800. As many of you know, I deal mostly in used sets so this one was right up my alley. I went to see it today. The collection was very large. Problem was is had been in open cardboard boxes in a garage and was covered with mouse urine and droppings. The sets that weren't were extremely dirty. HOWEVER.....Here is a list of some of what was there:

Cafe Corner (this was relatively clean)
Green Grocer
Fire Brigade
Red Barron
Train Shed
2 Santa Fe Superchief engines (these were relatively clean)
3 Santa Fe Superchief cars
XXL Crane
Tower Crane
Entire Coast Guard collection
Sopwith Camel
#7898 Cargo Train Deluxe
about 200 pieces of 9v track
#4955 Big Rig
#6754 Creator Family home
#6752 Fire Rescue
#4954 Model Town house

THere were also about 80-100 other town sets dating back to 1988. Various police stations, firestation, cargo centers, etc. Also tons of vehicles.

I couldn't confirm that everything was complete, but most looke to be 99 percent there.

So, I really wanted the CC, GG and Santa Fe stuff, but the guy wouldn't parcel it out. I told him to get his friend's bottom dollar and let me know. In the meantime, someone came and gave $1800.

Now, I new when I walked out of that garage that someone could have come and bought the collection, but I was just way turned off by the filth in the collection. Now, I am kicking myself for not stepping up and buying it. Even though I've bought 3 collections in the last 4 months, this one was overwhelming as far as what it had in it. I just couldn't do it.

So, bricksetters, let me know, did I blow it or make the right call????? I'm really not sure.

Crowkillers

I have to be honest, it was hard for me to take this serious after reading about the mouse droppings and urine... XD

I probably would have still bought the stuff though....

mdelleman

I would have been the guy paying $1800 for it all then paying someone else another $200 to clean it up for me!

doriansdad

Nah I think you made the right call. How many hours would you have spent cleaning and making sure the sets were complete? Personally I would have paid $500 tops.

Yellowcastle

Moved to Buying/Selling

Yellowcastle

Act now and receive MISB Hanta virus.

Bandit

From someone who has had to clean up a huge mouse problem in my own garage, exactly as you describe (luckily no lego though!), no, you did not blow it. Consider yourself lucky. I have never experienced anything worse in my life than cleaning out that garage, and trying to clean/salvage anything I could. I threw most of the affected stuff out because it was just impossible to sanitize and get clean.

Mouse urine is the most foul, disgusting, nasty, biohazard in history. I can still smell it just thinking about it. Ugh, I'm going to have nightmares tonight. You would have spent countless hours bleaching and cleaning and soaking and scrubbing, and it would probably still smell like mouse urine in the end.

If that had been me, I swear to god the moment I would have seen that I would have run away screaming.

I hope I made you feel a bit better. :)

wagnerml2

Sorry @yellowcastle. I did wash my hands thoroughly.

wagnerml2

Thanks @bandit. I feel much better!

Renny

That sounds disgusting. You definitely made the right move passing. Used Lego is one thing, what you just described is a bio hazard I wouldn't want anywhere near my home, let alone voluntarily spend days cleaning.

Supersympa

you made the right call Mike.
You will find more offers. and as you said you bought 3 collections in the last 4 months, I am sure they still keep you busy completing them ;)

SirKevbags

I think you did the right thing. You had me at mouse urine.

lulwut

Lego is pretty resilient. I would have just slipped on some gloves, toss it in the backyard or driveway, and hose them down (like I do with everything I buy used). And I would have sold the majority of them anyway. Seems like it was a steal given that list.

Thanos75

I would have bought it. In my younger days I used to work at a grain elevator. That will get you immune to anything rat related. If you knew how much rat "stuff" ends up in the grain that we eat you would puke. I would have went to Home Depot.....got me some help for $50 and filled some totes with bleach water and made a day out of it. Atleast you can wash LEGO sets. I have gone to barnes and garages looking at comic collections to find mouse/rat nests made out of Spider-Man #1.

EKSam

Note to self ...Do Not Buy Anything Used from @lulwut and @Thanos75. :-))

Just kidding, you guys.

@wagnerml2
You made the right call, especially if you have kids. You don't want that stuff around the little ones.
What gives me pause is, what was that guy thinking putting such rare ( read pricey) stuff in open boxes in the garage. Couldn't he have sprung for atleast rubbermaid containers and thus avoid the travesty?:-))

Bandit

In my case, I had no idea we had mice in our garage, and I certainly wouldn't have thought they could/would scale the sides of boxes or figure out other ingenious ways to get in.

Once I actually noticed the problem and started cleaning, it was a million times worse than I ever could have imagined.

Lessons learned: no food of any kind in garage, ever (people food, pet food, bird seed, etc). Mouse poison contraptions. Sealed plastic tubs for everything.

Shpadoinkle

If it were me I would have made the same call as you. Having cleaned my fair share of large lots (smoke, dirt, sharpie) it really takes a lot of the fun out of the hobby and just starts feeling like work. Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid of work (I do it 60 hours a week), but this is my play time.

Lego has so many small areas that can trap and hold filth and feces that I don't know if I could ever feel that the stuff was clean. When building/playing with it I would be inclined to keep those sets separate from the others. And in terms of selling it, people are so entitled, whiny, and litigious these days that I don't know if I would even want to deal with that hassle.

For what it's worth I think you made the right call. Just keep scanning for the next deal and you'll forget all about this one!

Bandit

Exactly. I wouldn't want to keep one piece of it, and I would feel skeezy selling it to anyone...

vader34mt

Yellowcastle said:

Act now and receive MISB Hanta virus.

as a doctor I literally LOL'd when I saw this

ACWWGal2011

wagnerml2 said:

So there was a craigslist ad touting $20k worth of Lego sets for $2800. As many of you know, I deal mostly in used sets so this one was right up my alley. I went to see it today. The collection was very large. Problem was is had been in open cardboard boxes in a garage and was covered with mouse urine and droppings. The sets that weren't were extremely dirty. HOWEVER.....Here is a list of some of what was there:

Cafe Corner (this was relatively clean)
Green Grocer
Fire Brigade
Red Barron
Train Shed
2 Santa Fe Superchief engines (these were relatively clean)
3 Santa Fe Superchief cars
XXL Crane
Tower Crane
Entire Coast Guard collection
Sopwith Camel
#7898 Cargo Train Deluxe
about 200 pieces of 9v track
#4955 Big Rig
#6754 Creator Family home
#6752 Fire Rescue
#4954 Model Town house

THere were also about 80-100 other town sets dating back to 1988. Various police stations, firestation, cargo centers, etc. Also tons of vehicles.

I couldn't confirm that everything was complete, but most looke to be 99 percent there.

So, I really wanted the CC, GG and Santa Fe stuff, but the guy wouldn't parcel it out. I told him to get his friend's bottom dollar and let me know. In the meantime, someone came and gave $1800.

Now, I new when I walked out of that garage that someone could have come and bought the collection, but I was just way turned off by the filth in the collection. Now, I am kicking myself for not stepping up and buying it. Even though I've bought 3 collections in the last 4 months, this one was overwhelming as far as what it had in it. I just couldn't do it.

So, bricksetters, let me know, did I blow it or make the right call????? I'm really not sure.

I really think you made the right choice. Mouse droppings and urine might contain some nasty virus's and with the overall filth, there's no telling exactly what shape the sets are in. With enough time and patience, you could track down the stuff u really want in due time.

Basta

I probably would have brought it, it's only rat pee :P the biggest problem would have been putting it in my car, I would want to take the old car for sure.

For the collection that was on offer, I would have even sprung for a second hand dishwasher\washing machine (Not keen on putting it in the ones I use) and set it up outside, it may take a few cycles but I'm sure they’d clean up fine.

lulwut

No seriously, all you have to do is drown them in a bucket of mild bleach solution and wash them. Even go all out for a fresh smell with another wash in detergent.

I bought a huge lot last summer for $300. I did the cleaning as I mentioned above in our backyard porch. I laid all washed pieces on a plastic sheeting outside in the shade and the blazing summer heat did the rest. Pieced, sold everything, and made about ~$1.5K. Biggest pain was finding pieces to the sets, otherwise another easy way to fund your Lego addiction.

I would have gladly taken up on the $2800 offer, the $1800 was a steal. It's one of those great missed opportunities that leaves the gut wrenching feeling of actually losing cash. I'm still Q_Q over the fact that I missed a lot of 4 EOLed modulars on Craigslist for $500.

dsdg88

^^ Strap the boxes on top of the car.
What could go wrong?

wagnerml2

@lulwut - Normally I would not have let this go by. When I was there, the standing offer from the person who bought the lot was $1400. I told the seller (who was selling for a friend) to get bottom dollar figure and that I would go higher than $1400. I also wanted to know if they would parcel it out. I would have been much more aggressive had I not been so far behind on stuff that I had bought recently. I have a collection that I bought last week that is extremely smoky that needs attetion first. Having a collection in that condition with that kind of quality sitting in my basement getting dirtier by the second would have been very stressful to me.

I am sad I missed it, but I think I am ok with it as the overwhelming opinion here is the same as mine....anti-rodent excrement.

margot

Makes me not want to buy used Lego anymore, blech!

seonadancing

I guess if it's the 4th collection that you're buying then it was wise to let it go. I would have bought it though and just cleaned it, if I had the $1800 to spare. I would have cleaned this collection first considering that the other collection is just smokey.

jadedanc

@vader34mt I did too when I saw that comment lol