Quality of buying used sets?

[TheLunabrick]

Hey guys, when buying sets off of like ebay what do you look for with the set? As of now The box isnt that important, but I try and get every set with an instruction booklet. I WONT buy a set if it has any missing parts tho. But really Im just curious to see what you guys look for when getting used sets and such.

[Jedi-Bendu]

I’ve only bought 3 used sets (Star Wars) over the years (I prefer new ones)....and on all occasions I picked them up myself so I could check if everything was there. (especially the minifigs).

[-zenn]

If I buy sets they have to be complete and I don't want them to be damaged (print/bite marks) or discolored. No box/stickers/booklet I can deal with, although I mostly just buy parts.

[TheLunabrick]

Yeah I make sure they arent damaged. Tho if I get a set it either has to come with the box or instructions usually unless its like a really REALLY hard to get set. But all the parts being there + in good condition is the number 1 most important thing to me overall.

[Peppermint_M]

It depends why I am looking for it. Sometimes it is a set I missed, so I try to get a complete lot. Other times I want parts that came in the set, so I check the photo for those and if they're all there and the price is right, I'll pick it up.

As I chuck out the boxes and you can get instructions online, that never matters to me.

[rodiziorobs]

I don't care about set completeness (since everything I buy will get parted out eventually!) so I look for a good deal--for me it's a a balance of the set's MSRP (or current going price for discontinued sets; you can look for completed or sold listings to find this on eBay) versus how complete it is.

For example, back when I was first getting out of my dark age, I discovered the MMV. I had missed its release, and it was only available second-hand, with a steep markup over its original $100 price. However, I found an incomplete one (missing about 30 pieces total) for less, about $80. Was it worth it for me? I spent about half of what I would have for what was essentially the same set, so yes, it was worth buying incomplete. (It also came with a scattering of bonus pieces from completely different sets!) I have bought other used Lego and the only issue I have ever had was with a batch that smelled of cigarettes, but that washed completely out.

Like anything on eBay, you have to be patient and choosy about what you get, but buying incomplete sets can bring a whole lot of brick value compared to pristine packaging or booklets. If those things are important to you, then make sure you consider that when buying, but if not, then you can save yourself some $$ (for more Lego!)

Edited August 1, 2016 by rodiziorobs

[ElectroDiva]

I’ve only bought 3 used sets (Star Wars) over the years (I prefer new ones)....and on all occasions I picked them up myself so I could check if everything was there. (especially the minifigs).

I've only ever bought one used set and that was a Star Wars set - 10178: Motorized Walking At-At. It didn't come with minifigs but I've since picked those up on BrickLink.

It was a pretty good deal and was actually in really good condition, but I haven't been tempted to do it again (despite the potential savings). I much prefer buying new sets

Incomplete new sets (usually without minifigs) on the other hand are a whole other deal. They are a great way of picking up parts to MOC/MOD with

[Breakdown]

You can usually tell who assembled the set once and who had their kids, dog and sunlight have fun ruining the pieces by the description. People who write things like: "Unfortunately this will be disassembled for shipping" Seem to think its a chore to make the lego creation, and aren't likely collectors. Look closely at close-ups of whites and they often tell a story. Will be completely disassembled for shipping is usually a hint that you're dealing with an adult lego fan, or collector.

I've purchased about 100 lots from Ebay. Honestly, the biggest fun is in the gamble sometimes. Recently I grabbed a monorail 6399, meticulously went through the pics and saw that every key part was there. Finally assembled at home and I'm missing about 10 common parts and a minifig, there's three extra minifigs and about half of 6396 (no baseplates) set inside the same box.

I recently grabbed a huge, mammoth 12V train lot and the lego was filthy dusty. I've been cleaning and drying for days. Negatives. 7740 train has one of the doors glued in!! Positives: For whatever reason there's 7760 trains and instructions when only one was advertised in the lot.

I can't really say that I've been overly surprised in a bad way, only positive surprises. The biggest nasty surprise that I've gotten was a recent bricklink order when I ordered some rare coloured plane windows and the bricklink dude sold them as double hole windows and they were single-hole and they refused to consider a partial refund. Was a store with 99.99% positive feedback - go figure!!