The best way to part with my collection?

[Count]

-Hopefully this is the right spot for this post.-

Hello all. I have never been a terribly active poster on the CC forums but I have been lurking for years. I do have a positive number on "The List" thread. It's been several years since I bothered building with or touching my Lego collection. I have recently graduated from college and I have come to the realization that my Lego collection takes up entirely too much space (I need a whole room for it all). I could also use the money. I like to thing that I will some day use them again but I honestly don't think I will. So now I'm stuck with a whole bunch of Lego's and I'm not sure what to do with them.

My collection is mostly castle Lego's (almost all old gray), but also includes Pirate, space, Star Wars, train, city sets, etc. So my predicament is how I go about selling it all. A lot of my non-castle stuff is dusty and will require some major cleaning, but most of the castle stuff is in good condition. I have some non opened sets such as chess sets, viking sets, and some other random sets.

So my question for my fellow CC members is this. Should I try to sell it all in one big lot, or should i try to individually sell the valuable things? I honestly don't have the time to sell everything individually even though that would be the best value.

Here is a link to my new Flickr with pictures of just some of my Lego's. Some pictures are from my old Lego room and some are from my new Lego room.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67950818@N04/
I realize I would need to take better pictures and better catalog my collection but I'm just getting a feel for the best way to approach this.

All advice is welcome.
-Count (Lucas)

[Mudpuppy]

I suppose the honest question you'd have to answer for yourself is: "How much do I expect to make from this?"

Selling lump sum is both attractive and problematic for the same reason: It's just one sale. Not too many people will have the cash (or permission to use that much cash) just to buy some lego. Shipping would be an additional concern.

Smaller sales take longer, but are easier to navigate in some regards... smaller sales amounts, smaller shipping amounts (and costs).

But the real question is... why sell? Unless you absolutely have to, this is a treasure (a piece of your history) you'll never be able to recover. I assume since you just finished college that you're also probably young and no kids yet. But you someday plan to have kids, no? Seeing your children play with your well-loved toys is a completely new way to fall in love with them all over again. It's something you can't really describe, but it's definitely worth the trouble of storing till that day comes.

If you decide to sell, best of luck to you. I'm one of those who wouldn't have the permission to buy even smaller amounts at this point. But from the pictures, you have quite a nice collection. I really think you should consider keeping it intact.

[lord_of_orks]

I agree with mudpuppy, I have heard of a lot of people who have sold off there collections and regretted it latter on. I would recommend putting it all in boxes and putting it in your basement/attic and jut forget about it, but if you do decide to sell I think the best way would be to whole sets individually and the random bricks in small lots.

[CastleLord]

I'll jump on and agree with mudpuppy and lord of orcs.
Try to store it. You might find it fun again one day.
and if you ever have kids they would be really lucky to have such an amount of Lego to play with.
But this isn't anyone else's decision.
It's ll yours to choose, but think about the fact that if you sell it. There's no turning back afterwards.

CastleLord.

[footsteps]

Keep it. (there's a theme developing here with our replies)

Box it, store it, don't think about it for a long while.

Based on some of the castle pics, you've put some good work into building. The muse may take hold again later (as in, years). Take your time. Get on with your life now, enjoy it. And maybe some day, you'll get the urge to build. And if the urge doesn't come, you can still sell it with no regrets.

[Bluesecrets]

I am going to disagree with those above. Sometimes some of us need to clear out some stuff. I have a LOT of pieces I won't use anymore...I'm having to learn to buy only what I REALLY want and avoid temptations of the good deal. SO...if you are wanting to sell..here is my advice.

Figs: If you want to take the time to put them all back into original form..then bricklink them. Otherwise, lump them into lots and put them on eBay.

Parts: This depends on the parts you are selling. The best thing to do with a big lot of randomness is to dump it into one lot and put it on eBay and watch people bid like crazy for the whole thing.

In general, eBay is a fast sale, but more fees to pay. Bricklink, less fees but your things may sit around for a looooooooong time.

[Hoboman]

I would suggest you might want to select particular key items to keep, say a favorite castle, and some of the minifigures. Then I would sell off the rest. If money and space are more important right now it would be silly to refuse to sell.

I would suggest also that ebay is a good way to go if you are willing to take good photos and write clear titles and discriptions.

Either way, I wish you luck in you refforts.

[theboywarrior]

Also, trading here isn't a bad idea either. Although, like BL, they may just sit there for a bit.

[AK_Brickster]

OR, you could donate it all to someone who really could use it (PM me for my mailing address ) and write it off as a charitable donation. It's Good Karma!

(Hey, a guy can dream, right?)

[Tower of Iron Will]

I'd have to agree with some of the first responses. Keep it. Once you sell it would be hard to get the older stuff back. I can't say that I am using my bricks all that much but then I know that I always hope that my situation will improve enough so I can build again. It is such a comfort knowing that at least I have them there waiting such that when I'm ready, they'll be ready. It's so cool to look at a figure and dream, just to have that carrot to keep focused on getting through this uncertain time. But that's me. I don't think I'll ever lose my love of LEGO because it ties so well with other interests like medieval history, fantasy roleplaying games, LOTR, Star Wars, space exploration, etc.

If you don't have any companion interests to keep the flame going, then clean it up and sell it on Bricklink. With the economy such a black hole these days, it would be wise to get every penny for your stash.
-Tower

[Ashkestral]

When you sell, I recommend you break it up by theme, castle vs space vs pirates, etc. I tend to think that smaller lots benefit the seller, bigger lots benefit the buyer. However, if you need to move something fast and don't mind risking a loss you can do bigger lots.

For the keep vs sell discussion - I'd keep whatever is reasonable for you to store. Keep your favorite mini-figures and accessories, as those seem to be one of the more expensive things to replace. If you know there are certain "go-to" pieces you always use, consider keeping those. If it's covered in dust, that's a good indicator that you aren't using it.

Storage costs money too, even if you keep things in your home.

Example 1: Compare the rent difference on a two bedroom to a one bedroom apartment - that's a LOT of money to be spending to store stuff. One of my friends is spending $330 a month for a two vs a one bedroom, for a total of $3960 a year. What is the cost of a spare bedroom for five years storage vs. re-buying the items later? Is it worth paying $20,000 for five years of storage?

Example 2: My parents built a big 2 story shed in the backyard to keep things in. The items being stored in the shed are worth less than the cost of the shed. They are storing items they aren't using. If they had sold the items instead, they would get the value of the items + save the cost of storing them. Some of the items they stored out there have been destroyed by mold, animal infestations, or the heat.

Sometimes it's cost effective to let things go, especially if you don't think they'll be used again soon. Sometimes balancing a collection, finances, and living space means letting some things go. I know so many people who feel that they are saving money by keeping things without considering how much it is costing them.

[AK_Brickster]

Storage costs money too, even if you keep things in your home...
...Is it worth paying $20,000 for five years of storage?

Wow, that is crazy. I never thought of it like that before. Good post!

[Mudpuppy]

Storage costs money too, even if you keep things in your home...
...Is it worth paying $20,000 for five years of storage?

Wow, that is crazy. I never thought of it like that before. Good post!

That's only a valid analogy if you'd be using the space for something more productive otherwise. My garage is filled with Lego. If I sold the Lego, I wouldn't realize any single penny of savings in my housing cost each month nor would I have better utilization of that space, so the point is moot. I suspect this would be the situation for most people.

Simply put, if it's worth it to you to keep the Lego on whatever grounds or basis, keep it. If not, sell it. Sell it in bulk for one price or break it up for a possibly larger gain, but much more complicated process.

[AK_Brickster]

If you DO decide to sell it, I'll bet the kind folks here at CC wouldn't mind having first crack at making you an offer for parts/all of it. I'm not suggesting you discount what you think you can sell it for, but maybe give us a chance before making it available to the general masses.
Just an idea. Totally up to you!

[JoshWedin]

First of all, I'm sorry that you are considering getting rid of your collection. That is a hard moment for most collectors.

The previous replies have all been very good. It really depends on your current situation and finances. Renting and would have to pay additional storage fees to keep it? Get rid of it. Have a free place to store it indefinitely? Hold on to it.

Need to the money fast? A few large lots on Ebay. Want the money but have time? Part out the valuable stuff. Here, Bricklink or Ebay.

However, there is another option and it ties into the sentimental value you place on your collection. If I ever decided to liquidate my collection, I would be more concerned that it went to someone who valued it rather than if I got the best price. I once parted out a childhood collection for someone who just wanted it to go to people who would love it. They didn't care about the money. Of course, finding ways to do that can be even more work than simply selling to the highest bidder.

Anyway, I hope we have been helpful.

Josh