Predictions on Discontinuing Sets and their Secondary Market Value

LegoFanTexas · August 2013

roxio said:
No, but they are turning a blind eye to obvious UK tax evasion. They should contact the seller(s) and insist they register as a business or close their ebay accounts.

Why? Are they now tax experts?

I'm serious, I am trying to figure out why you think it is eBay's job to police the tax activities of their customers. Do other companies do this?

doriansdad · August 2013

CupIsHalfEmpty said:

Apparently he has 50 of them! Or 0.25% of everyone ever made.

From his other inventory looks to be a newbie reseller or out to scam some $$$. Either way should be interesting to watch lol.

TheCableGuy · August 2013

^^ Do you think it's appropriate then for ebay to allow a private seller to have more than 100 Buy it now listings totalling more than 50K?

This clown is not registering as a business to avoid any or all responsibilities as a seller with regards to the distance selling regulations.

That should be not only within EBay's remit to force the seller to be registered as a business but trading standards too.

deejay291 · August 2013

Over 3 years ago I started selling off some personal items on Ebay. I then decided to make a little extra cash by selling items I was purchasing, and as soon as I listed items on Buy It Now in various quantities Ebay told me I needed to register as a business or they would close my account. I registered and although sell very little now I do pay any taxes due on this business so unless things have changed Ebay should pick him up on this soon.

roxio · August 2013

LegoFanTexas said:

roxio said:
No, but they are turning a blind eye to obvious UK tax evasion. They should contact the seller(s) and insist they register as a business or close their ebay accounts.

Why? Are they now tax experts?

I'm serious, I am trying to figure out why you think it is eBay's job to police the tax activities of their customers. Do other companies do this?

I don't know about other companies, I'm talking about eBay. I guess ones such as Bricklink don't either.
At the very least, eBay could make it easy to report business sellers masquerading as private sellers to avoid tax and distance selling regs. As @deejay291 pointed out they do this but it appears very inconsistent - I could easily find half a dozen others on eBay selling vast quantities of whatever via a private account.
But trying to report this to eBay via their report listing function is pointless - the drop down options for trying to report are a complicated mess that send you round in circles.
If it was easy to report and Ebay were obliged to pass information to HMRC then eBay's bottom line would be hit.
Maybe one day HMRC will catch on and enforce it, but eBay/Bricklink/whoever could be proactive and police it better themselves.
However, it is very easy to report a listing for "circumventing eBay fees" .........

Basta · August 2013

@roxio but it's not eBays job to report that information. They are not going to go out of their way to do it, and just because someone doesn't have a buisness acount does not mean they are not paying taxes. We are also talking about tax fraud here, it's not exactly murder or child abuse is it. (I realise that it is still a crime and is considered stealing)

Saying that, in Australia I read some media reports about the ATO (Australian Tax Office) arranging some kind of deal with eBay that all accounts that sold more then $15000 worth of goods (excluding cars or propertie) in the financial year had their details passed on to the ATO. So eBay are willing to help.

cheshirecat · August 2013

Just to point out, whether they register as a business or personal seller on ebay makes absolutely ZERO difference to the DSR. If the items were purchased by the seller with the intent to resell then in the eyes of the law DSR applies and its for the seller to prove otherwise. Even if they tick the 'no returns' option on the listing, makes ZERO difference. (obviously this is UK only).

I've often been tempted to try it when sellers add spurious, stupid claims about their rights and responsibilities or lack of, but could never be arsed and I'm not *that* dickish. Still you could have some fun at the sellers expense if you really wanted to.

I wonder also if ebays lack of making reporting business sellers acting as private sellers is because once they know about it they do have a responsibility in the eyes of the law?

AdeelZubair · August 2013

Before these sets are discontinued, should I buy Option 1 or Option 2?

Option 1:
-R2-D2 #10225

Option 2:
-Volkswagen T1 Camper Van #10220
-Sopwith Camel #10226

TheCableGuy · August 2013

^ context is everything....?

vitreolum · August 2013

R2-D2 has a long way to go before EOL

vitreolum · August 2013

doriansdad said:
Well our first moron has surfaced on bricklink...sitting on 20 sets in queens NY at $479...this should take the wind out of the sails for a few weeks.

He had 50 this morning and now he seems to have disapperead.

tom4086 · August 2013

£47 for the empty box on Bricklink. Wowzers.

Jawascrump · August 2013

How about the first wave of Lord of the Rings?
I'm thinking specifically
#9471 Uruk-Hai Army (£22)
#9476 Orc Forge (£27)

1) Have they been discounted for too long
2) Is the theme in general going to be popular after it goes EOL?

vitreolum · August 2013

Both should do well given time, Uruk Hai is a great army builder, and that's always going to be sought. Orc forge is one of my favourite sets from the theme, it looks great as a display piece, it's got a lot of playability, plenty of great MF's, useful parts for MOCs and mostly everyone will want one next to Orthanc. For me these are both winners.

Jawascrump · August 2013

Thanks Vitreolum, you've pretty much summed up my own reasoning for considering it to be a good investment!
PS, I like the American Beauty themed avatar!

Jawascrump · August 2013

Do polybags have a big knock on affect with certain sets?
I'm thinking #9471 Uruk Hai is great for army building, well, Uruk Hai however you can get #30211 for £2-£3 easily on eBay.

I suppose what I am asking is; do the majority of buyers pay a premium for an EOL set to keep it as a MISB collectable, or to open and build as they missed it at retail?

vitreolum · August 2013

It may affect it, but not too much... it's not going to increase in value so much as to become a collectable few will be able to afford and that is bound to be kept sealed. You also get that Rohan soldier that you can't get in a polybag. If only it had two soldiers and Eomer would have come with Helm instead it would have been the perfect battlepack.

doriansdad · August 2013

vitreolum said:

doriansdad said:
Well our first moron has surfaced on bricklink...sitting on 20 sets in queens NY at $479...this should take the wind out of the sails for a few weeks.
He had 50 this morning and now he seems to have disapperead.

This time I hope for this guys sake he was just a scammer. Advertising you have all those sets for local pickup....bad idea.

Hardrada · August 2013

He didn't sell them. The store has been temporarily suspended for investigation by Admin.

Crowkillers · August 2013

He was selling a lot of top shelf sets in addition to the 50 41999 sets..

cloaked7 · August 2013

^ Do you mean 'selling' or 'scamming'?

Crowkillers · August 2013

Hey, I don't know.. Could have been some guy who was stockpiling sets for the last year and decided to open a bricklink store.. He had right in the description that all of the sets could be picked up from him locally in Queens, New York...

I have no idea how he got 50 of the 41999 sets though... Well I mean I do have an idea of how he did it, but it wouldn't have been easy.. Unless he is in with a group...

He also could have gone around all of the Lego stores in New York and bought up what they had... There are 6 stores in New York and one right in Queens...

LegoFanTexas · August 2013

^ It wasn't me, I swear! :)

Crowkillers · August 2013

There are also 4 store in New Jersey which isn't far..

Hmm.. 4 stores in New Jersey and we only have one here in Pennsylvania..?

BoiseState · August 2013

There isn't a store within 8 hours of me, in an area with millions of people.

gmpirate · August 2013

I doubt he would have had time to hit all the stores. At least around me, everything was sold out right after they opened. And some stores released their sets before the 1st.

EKSam · August 2013

What if he was just accosting people right as they stepped out of the Lego store with their non crinckly yellow bag. :-))

doriansdad · August 2013

25 orders thru S@H not easy? We all know now they weren't enforcing the 2 limit per VIP account.

He may have the 50....at least until he gets robbed.

Bandit · August 2013

I'm pretty sure he's a drug dealer and got the word out he's providing a little extra bonus for anyone paying with 41999s...

CupIsHalfEmpty · August 2013

I was bored one day and built #30230 inside the polybag. Is it now used in sealed package? UISB? What's the resale potential of UISB?

AdeelZubair · August 2013

I'm waiting for Tumbler Chase to go on sale, when will it be discontinued?

FenrisAkashi · August 2013

Whats the feeling on the current Batcave set? Will it EOL soonish? Are the figs going to make it desirable?
Looking at it myself its slightly underwhelming.

Renny · August 2013

This is likely a noobish question but what about bundling? I have a few Jabba's Palace sets and was wondering would they be more appealing and sell better (1-2 years down the road) if I also bought a matching Rancor's Pit for each?

LegoFanTexas · August 2013

^ I fully intend to bundle Jabba's Palace with Rancor Pit, that seems like an obvious hit to me. :)

TheLoneTensor · August 2013

Renny said:
This is likely a noobish question but what about bundling? I have a few Jabba's Palace sets and was wondering would they be more appealing and sell better (1-2 years down the road) if I also bought a matching Rancor's Pit for each?

Without a doubt. You can get Rancors < $50 these days and you'll definitely get more than that if you sell it bundled with Jabba.

Renny · August 2013

Thanks for advice :)

doriansdad · August 2013

Thanks for the reminder on these sets. I have been pre-occupied with other sets and forgot Jabba's Palace should be going here pretty soon. No doubt a million of these things will be hoarded but I certainly want at least 2 copies to keep.

fizicyst · August 2013

@Adzbadboy The tumbler chase was on clearance at some Targets already, but in general I think will be around for at least another 6 months-1 year.
@FenrisAkashi The batcave is likely to EOL soon, but has not yet been clearanced out at any Targets that I know of and only about half of the Walmarts.

solskjaer · August 2013

They cleared the batcave in the legoshop in Lille France when they were holding their summersales.

LegoFanTexas · August 2013

The danger to Jabba's Palace at this point is all the resellers saw what happened a few months ago, so many are buying up as many as they can, forgetting that everyone else is doing that as well. :)

I have a stack, but not a huge stack, I suspect it may end up more like MMV, given the scare and jump that everyone saw.

Or not, time will tell.

It also largely depends on Rancor Pit, does it retire at the same time, or continue for another year. If it is current and Jabba's is not, that will be... interesting. Rancor Pit doesn't make sense to me without the former, but what do I know. : )

dougts · August 2013

Yeah. JP without the pit is still a complete set. The pit without JP feels....incomplete

BoiseState · August 2013

Jabba's Palace is on perma sale.. Under $100 just about everywhere. Kind of strange that they have 2 expensive Jabba sets out at the same time.

augen · August 2013

cheshirecat said:
Just to point out, whether they register as a business or personal seller on ebay makes absolutely ZERO difference to the DSR. If the items were purchased by the seller with the intent to resell then in the eyes of the law DSR applies and its for the seller to prove otherwise. Even if they tick the 'no returns' option on the listing, makes ZERO difference. (obviously this is UK only).

I've often been tempted to try it when sellers add spurious, stupid claims about their rights and responsibilities or lack of, but could never be arsed and I'm not *that* dickish. Still you could have some fun at the sellers expense if you really wanted to.

I wonder also if ebays lack of making reporting business sellers acting as private sellers is because once they know about it they do have a responsibility in the eyes of the law?

I couldn't agree more. As a consumer, my only interest is in the seller complying with the relevant UK laws that protect me. Some of the stuff that sellers write is farcical and just demonstrates their ignorance. I had to take someone to small claims last year as I'd bought the jousting set from them, which never arrived and they tried to fob me off. They'd even reported me to the police for harassment. In the UK, eBay do a very good job of protecting the consumer now.

timinchicago · August 2013

As of today B-Wing #10227 has gone from "Sold Out" to no longer even showing up on US LEGO S@H and there are only 14 left at Amazon at the moment for $156.

LegoFanTexas · August 2013

^ What is really, really, really sad about that...

It was clearanced out for 50% off back in May, has been 25% off on Amazon since then, and has taken until now to really go away.

This set will not do well in retirement. :(

LegoFanTexas · August 2013

Or perhaps it will... if no one was buying them to resell! :)

Hmm, so do I order 2 from Amazon while I can, even at the current price?

Hmm... decisions decisions...

timinchicago · August 2013

^^Yes sad is a good way to describe #10227. There was never any real enthusiasm for it and the May 4th sale did little to burnish its reputation. Still being (what currently passes for) a UCS set there should be a market for it down the road.

pvancil27 · August 2013

Be a man, buy all 14.

timinchicago · August 2013

#10227 now down to 10 at Amazon...

jadeirene · August 2013

Somehow, there seems to be much less enthusiasm for the B-Wing countdown than the Imperial Shuttle countdown.

Predictions on Discontinuing Sets and their Secondary Market Value

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