There is a really interesting LEGO book I came across recently called “Brickvesting: How to Make Money Selling LEGO on Amazon and eBay – A Step-By-Step Guide to Make Your Child’s (or Your) LEGO Hobby Self-Supporting” by Alex Stewart. Yeah, I know that’s a long title, but at least there is no doubt what the book is about. 🙂
Alex is a LEGO fan himself, and an active member of the LEGO investing forum we talked about before; BrickPicker.com. (See: LEGO Investment Guide for Resellers & Collectors) His book is a comprehensive guide to buying and selling LEGO sets, LEGO by-the-piece, and LEGO minifigures online through eBay and Amazon. It covers finding discounted LEGO sets, develop a LEGO selling-strategy that fits your time and money, and resources to help you maximize profits. It also discusses the costs involved with selling LEGO online; like seller-fees, shipping expenses and taxes. And topics like setting up a seller’s account on Amazon and eBay, getting your items listed, getting paid, and shipping items in a way that will generate consistent positive feedback to encourage future sales are also covered . The author also compares eBay and Amazon and discusses what kind of LEGO inventory is better for each platform.
The book is intended to educate adult LEGO fans who have little to no online selling experience and enable them to make their “brickdiction” less costly and even profitable. It is basically a resource for AFOLs (Adult-Fans-of LEGO) and LEGO collectors who simply want to make their hobby self-sufficient. It can also be useful for people who have large, unwanted LEGO collections, and want to get top dollar for their LEGO sets. Or just for folks who are looking for tips on finding cheaply priced LEGO. Below are the chapters of this LEGO book:
- Introduction: The Incredible Value of a Little Piece of Plastic
- Step 1: Acquire Inventory – Finding LEGO to Sell
- Step 2: Develop a Strategy – What Kind of Seller are You?
- Step 3: Refine Your Strategy – Selling Choices
- Step 4: Make Money – Sell on eBay, or Amazon, or Both!
- Step 5: Confronting Your Worst Enemies – Fees Shipping & Taxes
- Step 6 Increase Sales – Build Feedback
- Conclusion: Where to Go from Here – Final Tips
The author also shares his own personal story and experiences in getting into LEGO buying and selling – which is quite interesting, and also quite typical of how adults get into the LEGO market. He is also keeping the book very down-to-earth and real:
“This is not a get-rich-quick book. It will not try to generate cheap and artificial hype. It will provide you with the information, tips, and strategies you need to build a solid, fun, and profitable part time business from the comfort of your own home. If you have $10.00 in start up capital you have enough to begin a side business selling LEGO online. This book will teach you how.”
Interested? You can buy this LEGO book for just 2.99 on Amazon, or download it for free if you are an Amazon Prime member. Unfortunately the book is only available in an e-book format. On the positive side this allows the author to easily and regularly update the book based on readers’ feedback and as market conditions or strategies change.
If you have a Kindle you can download the book right away. If you don’t, you can download the Kindle app for your PC, Apple or other device for free directly available from the book’s page. BUY & DOWNLOAD THE BOOK HERE: Brickvesting: How to Make Money Selling LEGO
And if you have this LEGO book and read it already, let me know how you like it. Would love to hear your thoughts and feedback, so don’t be shy to share in the comment section below. 😉
And you might also like to check out the following related posts:
Sounds cool! seems like maybe he should have had bricklink included?
Bently, Bricklink is certainly a heaven for LEGO fans, however comperatively speaking it is much smaller than eBay or Amazon. By covering the Big Two pretty much everything is covered. All principles would apply in the same way for smaller venues. 😉
Since I have amazon prime the shipping is free so that saves me around $5 a lot 🙂 and I like to wait for the sets to go down..like the fury-class interceptor, that is now like $70 instead of $90! I mean that is awesome! You can get some sets really cheap now! the republic frigate used to be $80!
Yeah, I also regularly shop on Amazon for LEGO sets. I don’t have Prime, but I always order at least $25 worth of stuff anyway, so still get free shipping. Their LEGO sales are some of the best! And don’t forget the no tax part. Even local stores can’t beat that. 😉
If you have Prime it gets your free two-day shipping. Two Day! 😀 Amazing….. :D:D:D:D
Yeah, I know. But I’m fine for now. I don’t mind to wait a few days. It builds up the suspense. 😀
yep 😉
What i like most about a book like this, and this idea gaining popularity, is that more and more people will start buying up more and more LEGO. They will add more and more supply to a fixed demand, and lower prices across the board. That way, I’ll be able to get my LEGO even cheaper in the long run. And when people get bored with this slow process, I’ll be there to scoop up their inventory at rock bottom prices.
Eric, investing in LEGO is actually pretty sound as there is always a limited supply of LEGO sets due to LEGO discontinuing sets after a couple of years. And there are always people looking for them. I don’t practice long-term investment strategies in LEGO because I just don’t have the money and space for it – and certainly it is a more risky proposition, but strategies like buying LEGO sets for parts and selling the minifigs, buying sets on sale and reselling them, etc. are sound practices I have been following for years. Thanks to them I own all my LEGO free and clear and have a LEGO budget every month. 😉
Oh, don’t get me wrong. I invest in LEGO. Heavily. And like you, my investing more than pays for my hobby. But I disagree with some of your points. Because LEGO discontinues sets, it makes sealed sets down the road much more valuable. This is how I mainly invest. I just sold a castle for $425. Prices on MISB sets will always increase for the reason you stated. If every mom and dad around starts buying sets, breaking them up for parts, and dumping them on the market, prices will go down. If there is an increase in purchasing, LEGO will meet the demand. There will be no artificial shortages you see in other hobbies. There is an almost unlimited supply of LEGO parts. And that’s the beauty of LEGO. 20 year old LEGO works just as well today as a newly purchased LEGO. There will be more and more available every year.
Eric, yeah, LEGO is awesome! Actually, older LEGO is even awesomer. There has been some quality issues with recents sets – according to what I have been reading both on Bricklink and Brickset. Anyway, going back to investing, I have never invested in sets. Mainly, as I said, because I don’t have the space and the funds to keep it tied up long term. However since I’m a MOC-er, not a collector, I have no problem selling minifigs and extra parts from the sets I buy. So it evens out nicely. 🙂
There are several discussions on Brickset about investing in LEGO sets that are always really interesting. There has been a lot of talk about a LEGO bubble forming. Mainly because more and more people realize what a great instesment LEGO is. Even people who don’t really care for it otherwise. There has been significanly more LEGO sets stashed away in closets then ten years ago.
Based on what I have read and my own experiences I would say that I don’t think LEGO will ever go in the way of Benie Babies, as LEGO will always have an intrinsic value as a quality play-set. However to expect the kind of returns what people have seen on, say, Market Street, may not be reasonable as so many more people are stashing away sets. So in that sense there is some saturation going on.
But of course, you can always part out the set and sell the parts, or if you are a LEGO fan, just open it and have fun building! 😉
Interesting, I use ebay pretty regularly so I’m well aware of the fees. Ebay and paypal together take roughly 12% of each sale including shipping. One of the problems with e-bay is people that don’t leave feedback, please if you buy or sell just leave some feedback.
The book is only 2.99 so the price of a blind bag.
Chris, people used to be better at leaving feedback on eBay when it was more a community. Now it is just big impersonal marketplace. And especially since sellers are no longer allowed to leave less then positive feedback, the whole feedback system lost it’s meaning. It is pretty much like the Amazon feedback system, which doesn’t have much meaning either. However the feedback system is still alive and well on Bricklink because the site is still community oriented. )
but stider did say he wuld talk to him so maybe he just decided to leave?
My problem withbricklink is that the USA sellers don’t have a large quanity of the figs i want and my parents won’t let me buy overseas so i use ebay a lot
Oh, and Admin is my X-Wing review okay? Cause i sent it in like a month ago and it hasn’t come up yet. So just wondering
cool a x wing review 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 i love to do smiley faces 😉 😉 😉
Thx Jack, but i am not sure why it hasn’t come up yet i sent it in like a month ago :s
Gosh, really sorry about that! I get 0ver 500 emails a day and yoru submissions got lost. I remember when you sent it in and there was so much news about the Toy Fairs that I had to cover that first, but then I forgot about your review. I can post it this Friday. One thing you didn’t mention is if you are a TFOL or a KFOL. Would you please let me know? Also, would you like your author’s name to be ninjanut, yoru real name or something else? Thanks! 🙂
Oh Ok all is swell I am a Proud Christian KFOL and the author name will be ninjanut cause my parents don’t me to tell my name on the internet.
That’s perfect. Thanks! I will post your review on Friday. And in the future, it is totally fine to bug me if I don’t respond. I get so much email a day and so many requests that sometimes things just get really hectic, stuff gets lots, etc. But you guys are always my priority. I do have a better system now to keep track of posts that need to be published so hopefully this much delay won’t happen again. 😉
I’ve been so close to changing to the next color star for a while. I know its not much but ebay seems to make a big deal on it. I use brink lick to buy parts but don’t sell there. The only LEGO I sell on e-bay is extra mini-figs. I sell some of my LEGO prints on E-bay but since they are not official LEGO I can’t sell on Brick link.
Chris, yeah, different vanues are better for different things. For a while I actually bought minifigs on eBay and sold them on Bricklink for double the price. And you can do the same thing vice-versa as well. 😉
I’ve got to tell my dad about this.
i’d never sell my lego
wow that looks cool 😉
Quigley, I won’t either. Not my own collection. But there is no harm selling sets, parts and minifigs you don’t need, so you can buy more of what you really want. 😉
same here
It is an investment,a way to gain money. You could buy Lego sets you don’t want as much and wait for them to go up in value. That way you would gain money to buy more Legos. I would not sell my personal collection either, think of it as a way to get more Legos 😉
BTW I got a sample for the book on my Kindle. I didn’t make it past the introduction but very well written if anybody is thinking about making a purchase.
i really like your blog admin i love legos so this will be relly good every body else seems relly kind to 🙂
So, what do you do if you can’t bring yourself to sell your old LEGO sets because I fine myself looking at old sets and it’s like Christmas all over again.( I now know how Gollum felt when he had the ring.)
You don’t have to sell stuff that you love – that’s the whole point. I would never sell my favorite LEGO sets or minifigures. However I do sell all the extras I don’t need. Like you buy a set because you like the parts in it, but don’t really care for the minifigs that come with it. Sell them. Or buy two sets you like when it is on sale; keep one and sell one. The book suggest a lot more different combinations of ideas. It really depends on what set it is to decide which is the best strategy to use.
In general I would suggest to stick with one theme that sells well and become an expert at it. This way you can easily spot a good deal as you move about. For me it has been Star Wars minifigures. I don’t collect SW sets or minifigures, but I know all about them. I buy the sets for parts and sell the minifigures for crazy prices. I also buy minifigures in one site and sell them on the other. Others become expert at Super Heroes sets, or Modular Buildings, or battle-packs… LEGO Friends also sell really well. There are just so many options.
Start small with little or no risk and gradually build up your niche. I mean if you really want to get into this. If you are a serious LEGO fan it is worth it because you don’t have to spend your regular income to buy LEGO. For example you buy a set, sell the minifigs for the same price or more, so now you own the parts in the set free and clear and got a bit more to buy a new set. You rinse and repeat. You can build up a huge collection this way. And again; that is just one strategy.
So no, the idea is not to sell what you love, but to have a little side-business going to support your hobby and being able to buy even more LEGO that you like. 😉
>>>>>> Admin what was that name of that website to change avatars again? i kind of forgot… No every one its not going to be a Ben image…. Itll be something probably too good for humanity…..
“what the heck is my problem” says myself to myself>>>>>
>>>>>> I just remembered it out of no where “Gravatar” right? ….>>>>>> “Why am I like this?” “Its a secret to everybody…”
So apparantly someone somewhere found Mr. Gold i say fake.
I only made this comment as a test to make sure it worked
Well then
what about now
ill wait
I’m thinking of investing in the Z95 head hunter. Your thoughts?
A solid ship with two unique minifigures. If you can get it on sale I think it should be a decent investment. It also depends on your investment strategy. If you are planning to hold it and resell it in the future as a full set you would need to look for the best possible sale (50% off would be ideal). If you are planning to part it out you can get away with less of a discount.
Hello, how does it look in Amazon with taxes? Do you have to run your own business? I guess that if you are foreigner you have to follow rules from f.e. UK when selling on amazon.co.uk. Sorry for my english.
Wolf, as you said, you need to check your own country’s rules. Here in the USA you don’t have to be registered as a business if you are just hobby selling. However if you are planning to run a serious operation it is more beneficial to set up as a business. In either case you will receive a 1099 form (it is a tax form) at the end of the year from Amazon with how much you earned for the year and you simply record that as income on your tax return.
Well, then the question is: what is considered as “hobby selling” 🙂
Anyway, thank You for Your answer.
Wolf, in the USA there are specific laws regarding hobby selling. If you are making less than $400 a year from the hobby, then you are considered a hobby seller. But again, I think this also depends on what are your goals. If you are planning to sell LEGO for the long-term, it might be a good idea to set it up as a business from the very beginning. If you just want to get rid of some stuff that you no longer want/need, or just try to make a little money to compensate for your hobby expenses, then it might not we worth going through the hassle of setting up a business. Again; from the income perspective it doesn’t really matter because in either case you would get a 1099. However in regards to what you can deduct, it can make a difference. I would suggest that you talk with a tax-professional if you need to know more. 😉
As a mom of now 5 grown children, we have accumulated over 20 years of LEGO bricks and sets. We have no grandchildren at this point but hope to one day have some. I am wondering if it is worth my while to try and sell them, and if so, how to go about doing so, or if we should just hang on to them. Would someone actually buy large amounts of LEGO pieces? I have a container of instruction booklets but none of the sets are together.
Elaine, yes, you can certainly sell the LEGO your children left behind. Just make sure they are okay with it, as some of the greatest traumas adult LEGO fans share is that their parents sold their childhood sets without asking if that was okay.
If you want a quick sale, you can list what you have on Craigslist to find a local buyer. You can also list them on eBay, but keep in mind that you will have to ship the collection, which can be a hassle. If you want the most money for what you have, you will need to try to recreate the old sets and sell them as used and complete. But that takes quite a bit of time and effort.
Another option is to donate the collection to charity, your local library, or an after school program. They would be very grateful to have LEGO accessible to children who otherwise can’t afford it.
If you don’t need the money, and you don’t mind storing the collection until you have grandkids, just hang on to it. LEGO is a timeless toy all generations appreciate. Your grandkids will think you are the coolest grandma ever! 😉
Been reading this post about selling lego.my daughter works for lego..in a shop…and she gets 30% off any time and 50% ever three months.when this happens I buy as much as I can afford.im doing this as a retirement option.ie sell what I have in 10 to 15 years.am I bad in taking advantage.or lucky.
Matthew, that’s nice that your daughter works at the LEGO store and you are able to take advantage of her discount. Keep in mind that LEGO doesn’t like resellers and if they get any suspicion that you might be reselling their sets, they will ban you from shopping directly from them. Also, if they find your daughter’s purchases suspicious and out of the ordinary, this can jeopardize her job. So I would suggest that you use her discounts sparingly and only for sets that you would be building yourself.