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Anyone else torn between opening an old set and keeping it MISB?

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Comments

  • LegoFanTexasLegoFanTexas Member Posts: 8,404
    I did think of that, the only issue becomes "eww, 5,197 parts played with by someone else".

    I will say, I ended up buying a "used" 10030 to keep for myself, paid $300 less than a new one. The seller, however, cleared had OCD, the box, manual, etc. was as mint as new gets, the parts were very clearly sorted by type into about 30 zip lock bags, he still had the 4 white boxes that go inside the set, looked like it was opened yesterday.

    So for that, I sprung for used. The only other set I've bought used was 8001 - Battle Droid. Couldn't pay the new prices and got one that included the manual, box, everything, for $25. It was pretty clean when it showed up, and every part was there. But then I was able to build it in a day to make sure it was all there.
  • cavegodcavegod Member Posts: 811
    Opened mine within 5 mins of recieving it and if it wasn't for the usefulness of the box to store the parts i would have binned it lol
  • atkinsaratkinsar Member Posts: 4,258
    I would say nobody is actually paying the crazy prices for this set, but I won't because clearly they are, at least according to Bricklink sales over the past 6 months.

    The only thing keeping me from opening mine is display space, but I do like the idea of selling my MISB set and buying a second hand one when I do come to build it.
  • LegoFanTexasLegoFanTexas Member Posts: 8,404
    @atkinsar - I assure you that people ARE paying these crazy prices, I've sold 2 MISB 10179 so far this year, both around the $1,800 price point.

    I buy when I find a deal, bought one on Craigslist for hundreds less, I guess he didn't want to mess with eBay, and he had cash in hand the same day (as Rick on Pawn Stars would say, "100 dollar bills, cash money, right now".)

    Go figure. :)
  • LegoFanTexasLegoFanTexas Member Posts: 8,404
    I just can’t be a MISB collector, and here’s why. Let’s say I get a great set and leave it in the box so that eventually I can resell it as mint. Ok, so I get a financial return on it, maybe even a great return my money. But after the transaction I really only enjoyed looking at the box of the thing I owned without really ever enjoying it for what it was. Eventually the money I earned in the selling will be gone as well and all that I will have is the memory of an unopened box. Since I don’t want to go to my grave with memories of unopened boxes I must indulge my love of Lego’s and allow them to fulfill their purpose and be built by mine or my kid’s hands. Anything short of that and really all I did was act as a Lego warehouse.
    THIS!!! ^^^^^
    FollowsClosely
  • The_Brick_BuilderThe_Brick_Builder Member Posts: 658
    I can see this thread being called "Anyone else torn between opening their 10188 Death Star, and keeping it MISB??" in a few years! :)
    FollowsClosely
  • YellowcastleYellowcastle Administrator, Moderator Posts: 5,234
    ^ Sign me up for that one too!
  • madforLEGOmadforLEGO Member Posts: 10,788
    edited December 2011
    sell the sealed and purchase a opened one...
    Ive done this.. I built a Market street using new parts from both LEGO and BL via an inventory list so I could sell my Market streets I had in Sealed in Box... same with some other sets (Lego train sheds, 4512 Cargo train, holiday trains, Santa Fe cars, etc)
    It is a good way to maximize the value of the sets and have one already opened if you wanted it.. although I admit it will hurt a bit when I open a Cafe Corner or Grand Carousel

  • tbennet2tbennet2 Member Posts: 17
    How long should I hold onto my 10179? I pre ordered mine the day it was avail 02/10/2007 and it was shipped during the 1st batch of orders 9/21/2007. I believe this early production had an error in the instructions and an insert or correction was mailed out?(anyone aware if this true?) I wonder if the COA is a low # maybe less than 100, or even 50? so tempted to open and find out but thats not gonna happen! anyon else pre order theirs back in 2007?
  • jocappyjocappy Member Posts: 207
    sell the sealed and purchase a opened one...
    Ive done this.. I built a Market street using new parts from both LEGO and BL via an inventory list so I could sell my Market streets I had in Sealed in Box... same with some other sets (Lego train sheds, 4512 Cargo train, holiday trains, Santa Fe cars, etc)
    It is a good way to maximize the value of the sets and have one already opened if you wanted it.. although I admit it will hurt a bit when I open a Cafe Corner or Grand Carousel


    agree 100%
  • omgitsrenzoomgitsrenzo Member Posts: 46
    edited January 2012
    Hey guys for collecting purposes and future selling , is it better to buy multiples of some sets in order for 1 to be built and played with and another to keep in box and sell? And which sets are usually better to be kept in the box?
  • scratchdeskscratchdesk Member Posts: 155
    Only way I can see doing that is if you got a fantastic value on a particular set. I don't have the finances to buy 2 of each but if I get an especially good deal I'd jump at the chance to get 2+. Or in the case of poly bags I'll grab 2 regardless. when buying used I'd almost prefer a mint and sorted opened set.
  • choob99choob99 Member Posts: 147
    If I can get a stellar sale on something, then I'll get 2+ of a set, but without a sale I won't do it
  • omgitsrenzoomgitsrenzo Member Posts: 46
    edited February 2012
    I was just in the Lego Store in Orlando Florida to spend my $30 paycheck for being the paperboy ( it's hard balancing a demanding hobby and being a 16 year old boy) and I ended up purchasing
    9490 Droid Escape
    8092 Lukes Landspeeder
    planet set

    so far iv opened the Planet set but I'm debating why're to open the other two


    In general .. How would one know whther to keep it MISB? .. I was thinking of buying doubles of a set but I'm broke :/
  • pcironepcirone Member Posts: 346
    Open the sets, keep the boxes and instructions, and be 16.
    FurrysaurusdougtsDaraghred5
  • princedravenprincedraven Member Posts: 3,764
    Lego is a toy to be played with.
    Build them, have fun.
    As pcirone states keep the boxes and instructions and they will retain/gain value, but I don't see the point buying them if you are not going to enjoy them.
  • dougtsdougts Member Posts: 4,110
    man, just enjoy them.
  • FatMattFatMatt Member Posts: 502
    If you bought them because you like the sets, and you enjoy building and playing with the sets, then open them and build away. While you might make a minimum profit by keeping them in their box for at least a few years, that does not feed your addiction to build with brick. If you don't plan on selling them, then what good does keeping them in the box do. Not to be a downer, but as a general rule, with few acceptions, you are not going to turn much of a profit on a $12 or $25 dollar set even in a few years. 8092 is the next of those sets to be EOL, but there are going to be hundreds, probably thousands of those sets that have been hoarded over the holiday season. As for the others, it will probably be at least 2 years, much likely longer before they increase in value, and they will increase by what, 5-10 dollars? Not higher than that for a while. I am not trying to discourage you from keeping them sealed if that is what you think you should do. I am just trying to pass on what I think I would do in that situation. Every Lego set I bought at 16 was opened the instant I got home if not in the car because that is what I bought the set for. Now I'm rambling:), but in answer to your question, if you have a lot of money and are able to buy sets to hold as MISB then buy away, but if you have a very small income, then by all means open and build the few sets you are able to buy. On the other hand, it is good to see you are already thinking about investments at 16. I wish you the best of luck
  • OldfanOldfan Member Posts: 706
    ^Agreed and seconded. The only reason I have several MISB sets is that I literally don't have room to build and display them right now...

    In this hobby, some people can be builders, some can be collectors, and some can be investors and resellers. Some can be more than one. My advice: determine which part(s) of the hobby appeal to you, and do that! Be aware that (like me) you may have to wait for your income to catch up with your goals at some point...
  • gmpirategmpirate Member Posts: 1,654
    edited February 2012
    The time to ask that question is before you even buy them. And actually, before you ask the question, take some time and read through the forum.

    What would I do in your shoes with not much money? Buy sets that you could maybe part out like the DC Universe stuff. Follow Craigslist and go to garage sales. Find some good deals, clean them up and sell them. Maybe you can time it right when something is about to be EOL'd -- like the Emerald Express which you could also read up on here at the forums. Once you do some of this grunt work for awhile you will start to have enough money to buy the bigger sets = better profits. Soon this can fund your hobby as well ;)

    The worst thing you can do is spend all your money and then figure out what to do.

    Wow, I often think how awesome it would be to be 16 again and have the internet available to me the way it is now. All the time in the world and no responsibilities. Ebay would have been a blast.
  • YellowcastleYellowcastle Administrator, Moderator Posts: 5,234
    Here's a relatedly interesting discussion...

    http://www.bricksetforum.com/discussion/94/anyone-else-torn-between-opening-their-10179-ucs-falcon-and-keeping-it-misb/p1
  • tyageltyagel Member Posts: 2
    edited February 2012
    I'm starting to add a few lego sets to my collection and I've been pondering whether its better to have a sealed or unsealed box.

    I understand that you want the original box and you want the box to be in great condition as a collector, but my concern is how easy it might be for a in-scrupulous seller to open a box replace the contents and then re-seal... Plus even if someone didn't replace the contents, how easy would it be for someone to seal an opened box and sell it at a higher price?

    Thoughts on this topic? Do most people value sealed box higher than unsealed box?

    Thanks

    Moved Question to Existing Thread: YC 2-12-12
  • prof1515prof1515 Member Posts: 1,550
    If you don't plan on opening it, sealed obviously is the only choice. Simply put, in the long run an unopened box adds value to a product as compared to an opened box.

    Additionally, a person can just as easily remove pieces from an unsealed box as they can a sealed box so when it comes to dishonest and unscrupulous people you're not getting an advantage by buying unsealed. Sealed or unsealed box, examine the contents when you do open it. If you see open bags you know that you've got a problem.

    Personally, the issue of people opening boxes and removing parts is one reason I very, very rarely buy Lego off the shelf or on spec from eBay, Amazon, etc. If you're wary or have been burned before, ordering direct is the surest way to be certain you won't have any of the above problems (and if parts are still missing, Lego's Customer Service is excellent).
  • tyageltyagel Member Posts: 2
    I definitely get your point...but since I want to collect...that creates the conundrum...if i open it then its "unsealed" and worth less and if I don't I'm potentially losing out...
  • prof1515prof1515 Member Posts: 1,550
    Do what I do on particular sets and buy two or more. Keep one sealed and open the other.
  • fyrmedhattfyrmedhatt Member Posts: 128
    This is one of those great things about the Lego community, most fans do open and build their sets, unlike most collecting hobbies. While boxes with sets are cool (I have a bunch that I haven't opened yet), the sets themselves are just so much cooler, both during the build and when displayed.

    That being said, if you are merely doing it for the value of the sets, then keep them sealed. However, used, collector-owned sets with great instructions and boxes are sought-after and do command a premium over your usual used sets, although significantly less then sealed sets obviously.
  • logicstormlogicstorm Member Posts: 97
    I recent managed to get my hands on a couple of #4049, both still sealed. One has gone straight into my polybag collection but I can't decide if I should open the other one to get the Nesquik bunny for my minifig collection. So the question is should I open an apparently rare and quite valuable polybag for a single minifig or hold out in the hope of getting a loose Nesquik bunny in the future?
  • BrickDancerBrickDancer Member Posts: 3,639
    Depends on how much you want the torso. Here's a cheap option if you can live without it.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lego-Minifig-Easter-Bunny-Rabbit-Nesquik-New-/160987479031?pt=Building_Toys_US&hash=item257b99fbf7
  • logicstormlogicstorm Member Posts: 97
    I think it would have to be all original parts for my minifig collection.
  • ShibShib Member Posts: 5,469
    The only things I keep sealed are my spare ploys which are kept for trades. If you plan on selling it obviously it will be worth more sealed, so it come down to how much pleasure will you get from having it open and displayed vs are you going to sell it and how much are you hoping to make on it.

    Personally if I had two I'd definitely open one, but then I don't really collect for the purpose of profit, my collection is worth more to me than the monitory value.
  • prof1515prof1515 Member Posts: 1,550
    edited March 2014
    I've found that my desire to build a set always exceeded my joy of actually doing so. When I was finished I found that I was no happier than I was before I'd built it. Then for lack of room to display it, I had to figure out where to store the opened set instead of where to display the unopened set.

    There's a line by Spock in an episode of Star Trek which I've found to be quite true and can apply to my collecting of Lego:
    "After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true."
    --Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Star Trek, "Amok Time".
    soiramTheBigLegoskiYellowcastlesidersddpharmjod
  • cody6268cody6268 Member Posts: 298
    I once found a 2009 Racers set in 2012. I too was torn between leaving it sealed and building it. I built it, and I enjoyed the parts more than keeping it sealed.
  • soiramsoiram Member Posts: 5
    prof1515 said:

    I've found that my desire to build a set always exceeded my joy of actually doing so. When I was finished I found that I was no happier than I was before I'd built it. Then for lack of room to display it, I had to figure out where to store the opened set instead of where to display the unopened set.

    This is often the case for me too. An extreme case of "delayed gratification", where delay -> oo perhaps?




    Yellowcastle
  • AmbroiseAmbroise Member Posts: 14
    prof1515 said:

    I've found that my desire to build a set always exceeded my joy of actually doing so. When I was finished I found that I was no happier than I was before I'd built it.

    Well, isn't that quite human ? I mean, you can find other human activities which produce the same feelings... (I let you choose your favorite one besides Lego, it probably fits well too).
    Drmnez
  • TheBigLegoskiTheBigLegoski Member Posts: 1,437
    "After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true."
    --Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Star Trek, "Amok Time".

    soiram
    Very true, I believe. Though this applies to many things people collect. Whether it is Art (which often is also an investment, to be auctioned again later on), classic cars, antique furniture etcetera. In which case ownership turns into stewardship. Once the object is acquired the person will care for it, but still shifts his or her primary focus to the next thing he or she desires. I remember this case in the news with a Japanese guy who wanted to be buried with a Van Gogh painting he had bought, this caused a tremendous outrage. 'How dare he rob us of our cultural heritage by taking it with him into his grave' was generally the sentiment. Even though he owned this painting, he was not entirely free to do with it as he pleased in the eyes of many others. A clash of financial individual/private ownership vs. cultural collective/public ownership. If I am correct the painting was sold again after his death by his heirs, in any case it did not end up in his coffin.

    Though if people are ever to go to an exhibition in a museum, in say a hundred years time, and they have Lego on display, like you are able to see toys from e.g. the eighteenth century, or from longer ago, with which children played (from the aristocracy or wealthy patrician merchant class; other kids had to start slaving from an early age onwards in Europe) such as toy soldiers, miniature cannons, dolls-houses which often look like exact copies of the interiors from palaces of those times; often build as much or more for the amusement of adults as their kids. But say in a century from now people will walk through the Louvre in Paris, the RijksMuseum in Amsterdam or in one of the many other impressive museums around the world, and look at a glass display with Lego in it, I doubt they will have some MISB on display but an actual build: such as the Modulars; Haunted House; Sea Cow; MMV; Imperial Flagship; or that UCS Millennium Falcon. Therefore, I'd say just build your sets! If it is not some sort of financial investment (inventory of resale) for you, it is a play time investment. So enjoy that sense of touch as well as sight, when you actually hold those new pristine bricks fresh out of the box in your hands, and even pay attention to the scent of that whiff of factory air emanating from box and bags when just opened, as some people seem to relish at too.

    Shit!
    That reminds me, I still have not build my Haunted House, and my Tower of Orthanc. I guess that is proof that I too can be more preoccupied with what I want than what I have.

    ps.
    I believe though my fully build Imperial Flagship, is still worth more second hand then I paid for it new when I ordered it from Lego sho[email protected] Also the emotional value of it far exceeds the financial value, in so far as the former can ever be accurately expressed in the latter.
  • mathewmathew Member Posts: 2,099
    edited March 2014
    prof1515 said:

    I've found that my desire to build a set always exceeded my joy of actually doing so. When I was finished I found that I was no happier than I was before I'd built it. Then for lack of room to display it, I had to figure out where to store the opened set instead of where to display the unopened set.

    There's a line by Spock in an episode of Star Trek which I've found to be quite true and can apply to my collecting of Lego:

    "After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true."
    --Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Star Trek, "Amok Time".

    Spock's observation (as correct as it is) doesn't really hold true for your example. Technically you "have" the set regardless of building or keeping it sealed. You've extinguished the desire or want to own the set. I think I know what you're getting at however. You don't want to break the seals because in a Freudian sense it's as if the set is losing it's virginity.
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    TheBigLegoski said:

    Therefore, I'd say just build your sets! If it is not some sort of financial investment (inventory of resale) for you, it is a play time investment. So enjoy that sense of touch as well as sight, when you actually hold those new pristine bricks fresh out of the box in your hands, and even pay attention to the scent of that whiff of factory air emanating from box and bags when just opened, as some people seem to relish at too.

    I think the point is that some people do not enjoy touching lego bricks or building with them as much as they enjoy them in factory condition in a sealed box.
  • TheBigLegoskiTheBigLegoski Member Posts: 1,437
    ^
    Evidently, and if that is what they desire to do, more power to them. However if these people who are inclined to favour preserving their Lego sets in MISB condition weren't torn (as the title suggests and some posts here demonstrate), this thread would not exist.

    I have read another thread about encasing (not sure what term was used) MISB sets in a tight fit (acrylic) plexiglas sealed box/cover to preserve it, yet be able to enjoy the box-art. If I was such a type of MISB collector, who would primary be concerned with not spoiling but maintaining the 'Freudian virginity' of a set, I suppose that would be an option to consider, if you can and don't mind spending money on such a process/treatment.

    It just to me personally is so contrary to everything Lego represents and embodies, but that is just me.
  • TheLoneTensorTheLoneTensor Member Posts: 3,937
    edited March 2014
    Makes sense to me. The moment bricks come out of their box, they won't ever again not have smudges, or dust, or hair, or finger oils on them.
  • TheBigLegoskiTheBigLegoski Member Posts: 1,437
    edited March 2014
    I once found a human hair (that was not mine mind you!) in a bag I just opened of a new set I was building. Also, I can't imagine workers in the factory will never touch the bricks?! I don't know if I could resist the urge, if I worked in a Lego plant to at least once dig my hands in a big open container with thousands of minifigure heads, or 2x1 bricks and wade them around, scoop them up and let them fall, feeling, and listening to that brick sound. Somewhere along the process people are involved guarding the weighing and filling of bags too, so I don't think all new bricks are 100% fingerprint free anyway. Too bad for every person with OCD and mysophobia.
    pharmjod
  • DrmnezDrmnez Member Posts: 855
    I open and build eventually. Yes space is a problem for built sets, but IMO build is waaaayyyyy better than staring at a box. Actually for some the box isn't even on display its in storage. To me, if you like the box so much just print out pics of the box and enjoy. They r cheaper, take up less space, and provide the look of the box (I'm not trying to talk crap, just my POV on the issue)
    the only boxes in my place are from sets I have not had a chance to build yet. Everything else gets put in the trash.
  • Bluefairy_56Bluefairy_56 Member Posts: 320
    I will find a Lego set I desperately want, I will search for it worldwide. Once I have found it I will buy it, money permitting. I don't care if it is brand new in a box, secondhand with someone else's fingerprints on it, or even has pieces missing. All I want is the set.

    Once I have I have built it, I leave it for a few days built, to admire it and look at it. I then strip it down and place it in a container all labeled and safe.

    For me the pleasure is in the ownership, the building and rebuilding it, the viewing of it...not looking at a box on a shelf or in a cupboard that gets forgotten most of the time. I am not reselling any of my sets. They are mine to keep and enjoy and not for an investment.
  • YellowcastleYellowcastle Administrator, Moderator Posts: 5,234
    I won't pretend to speak for those of us who keep some portion of our collection sealed. I will bet, though, that there are a lot more of us than people may think. That being said, it is just as presumptuous to assume that we all do so to protect the "virginity" of our sets or to maximize the aftermarket value. It's probably a little of a lot of different things. I think @prof1515‌ was dead right in his Spock anecdote.

    For me, it is a love affair with the concept of the set, which definitely includes the box presentation. The chase is of the infatuation, not the relationship so it doesn't necessarily fade with simple ownership. But as I got older, I did not play with the sets, the builds got faster, I created less and my fulfillment fell with each newly built set. For me, it was a sad day when I realized I was leaving my childhood behind. Though I never truly got it back, I found a happy medium in my sealed box collecting.

    I still build sets but only the modulars have seemed to maintain their amazingness after built. Most other sets, when done, leave me a bit less fulfilled. Even the wonderful Imperial Flagship, though spectacular, didn't live up to my infatuation. But I now have display shelves and will enjoy it differently. Hopefully I didn't ruin the chance I'd ever build my Black Pearl, Queen Anne's Revenge or Black Seas Barracuda. The upside is that Peril in Peru will likely forever remain one of my most favorite sets. :o)

    And whenever I daydream about wandering the toy stores of my youth, I simply wander my LEGO room.
    kempo81TheBigLegoski
  • soiramsoiram Member Posts: 5
    edited March 2014
    The thing about "sealed danish air" is a strong argument to make me want to go and open a set, I admit. My main excuse (towards myself that is) is that I am waiting for my 3yr old son to grow up a bit in order to share the enjoyment... I am by no means a dedicated Misb collector, I just delay the openning of a set too long. It's like my CD soundtrack collection. I have some rare ltd edition ones that I haven't unsealed yet.
    Will post update after my psych session ;-)
  • ShibShib Member Posts: 5,469
    I find it funny that people say that they find less enjoyment in building the quicker they build things. For me some of the smallest, and therefore quickest builds are the most satisfying. I enjoy building far more than looking at the sets. I only have one shelf to display sets on so in a way this works well for me to build, display some of my favs, dismantle and rebuild later.
    I can understand the satisfaction that people get from looking at the box art, but for me that is the passing bit, I can only look at box art a certain number of times before it becomes just another box.
  • piratemania7piratemania7 Member Posts: 2,146
    For me the only sets I display currently which are the modulars are there because of the awe I feel every time I walk into that room and see them. All my other sets are packed down and stored away nicely. I have about 15 or so unopened and still pristine boxes stored in a closet. For resale? No. Simply because I don't have the time to open and build them right now. At the end of the day the next time I have a day to do nothing but build one of those boxes is being opened. Do I have any for resale? Eh, maybe not so much as just an investment but those are kept separate in a totally different area so that I all but "forget" about them.

    For me most of the time, and I think this echoes sentiment above, it's about the chase. As soon as I get a set I was wanting it's on to the next one and all of a sudden the obsession with that one set seems to fade away.
  • PaperbackwriterPaperbackwriter Member Posts: 105
    From Green Grocer on, I have a built version and an unopened one. Someday, I think I'm going to open them all, pile the bricks in the middle of the floor and see what I can create. Investing is a totally separate area of my life, unopened Lego boxes are simply potential fun.
  • FollowsCloselyFollowsClosely Member Posts: 1,330
    I rarely open a sealed set that is retired. There are simply too many good sets out now. Sell the sealed and buy newer better sets. But keep in mind I have never wanted to build a set and not had that chance.
  • Cosworth3dCosworth3d Member Posts: 42
    in my case i often buy the sets i realy would like to build already assembled.
    But it drives me mad some times.
    For instance i bought 3 de loreans before opening one to build ....
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