what to take care of when purchasing Lego from unknown someone

[ks6349]

I'd like to purchase some long retired set but ebay is very uncommon here in my country and most of the retailed shops usually only sell new and recent sets. The only way to buy here is to buy through local forums, meet them nearby and trade with cash. I am 

thinking, if it's still possible that they could cheat if the box is sealed with four original plastic tapes without sign of re-taping? From time to time, I've heard about cases like mini-figures being stolen or in some more severe cases, Lepin or other non-Lego bricks

put inside.

Is there any way to determine if the box is never opened?

Edited August 11, 2019 by ks6349

[Collector245]

One time I had a set that had been resealed by somebody. You should always check the seals because if people reseal a set they usually use non LEGO seals. The non LEGO seals look different than the LEGO seals. 

[Littleworlds]

The website Brickset.com has usually the weight of the individual set listed. Maybe that helps you finding out!

[ks6349]

3 hours ago, Collector245 said:

One time I had a set that had been resealed by somebody. You should always check the seals because if people reseal a set they usually use non LEGO seals. The non LEGO seals look different than the LEGO seals. 

what does LEGO seals and non LEGO seals look like?

[Collector245]

The non LEGO seals that I have seen are a bit longer and sometimes do not have the black line that LEGO seals do. I have only encountered this problem once before though, so I could be wrong.

[AmperZand]

If you’re making the purchase in person, let the seller know in advance that you intend to open the set in front of them and check it while handing over the cash. That should deter any dodgy sellers.

[ks6349]

6 hours ago, AmperZand said:

If you’re making the purchase in person, let the seller know in advance that you intend to open the set in front of them and check it while handing over the cash. That should deter any dodgy sellers.

In fact, could there be still any signs or clues I can find if the box is once opened (even very carefully) but then resealed? On youtube someone showed that he 

opened the box with heater stuff like hair dryer and the box is opened nicely. It's so worrying !

Edited August 13, 2019 by ks6349

[ks6349]

This is a very evil video. I wish Lego company would figure out solutions to solve this problem. Do not give any chance to thieves and protect the fans

 

Edited August 13, 2019 by ks6349

[AmperZand]

@ks6349, As you have surmised, there are ways of opening boxes that are undetectable. That’s why you need to tell sellers in advance  that you intend to open the box and that you will be checking the contents in front of them. If they are legitimate sellers, they won’t have a problem with that. But if they’re swindlers, they will find an excuse to withdraw from the sale or simply won’t show up to the rendezvous. 

[ks6349]

Just now, AmperZand said:

@ks6349, As you have surmised, there are ways of opening boxes that are undetectable. That’s why you need to tell sellers in advance  that you intend to open the box and that you will be checking the contents in front of them. If they are legitimate sellers, they won’t have a problem with that. But if they’re swindlers, they will find an excuse to withdraw from the sale or simply won’t show up to the rendezvous. 

I am more worried if someone did this and return to Amazon and Amazon does not know and re- sell it again to another customer. I just placed an order of 8 sets of Lego before I found that video and the Lego was already shipped!