Affordable place to buy old technic stuff?

[KoroKoroSquared]

Hi guys.

So after almost 30 years, i'm starting to plan on getting some of the technic sets i've been dreaming of since i was a kid looking through the 1995 catalogues. Though after seeing the prices listed on ebay, I don't exactly have a spare few thousand dollars kicking about. Ironically mum couldn't afford it back then, and as an adult i still can't afford it lol.

So i was hoping you guys could steer me in the right direction? (Fyi i've also looked on brick links and they're kind of too expensive as well ...)

Cheers.

[Lego Tom]

Good luck. Sellers know there are a handful of people willing to pay big bucks for a set they had when they were small or to fill a collection so instead of marketing to sell, they market to make the most profit they can and hope the find that 1 out of 10,000 buyer. You can try contacting them to see if they will negotiate but be prepared for the big "NO". Other ways of scoring require a lot of leg work on your part. I don't know if Japan has them, but in the US, flea markets, garage and estate sales sometimes yields bargains for collectable items.

[JesseNight]

Welcome and good luck on your search!

I know your situation too well. The good and wanted sets have only increased in value, and it's quite an investment to still get the old and loved sets you want... especially if you want them complete and without damage or faded colors.
This investment can be either money... or time. It's just like Tom says, doing a search for specific model numbers or names on Bricklink or eBay, you'll get offers from people who know what it's worth and what they can ask for it. The alternative is a time investment, but it can be long and you can't know in advance if you'll ever find what you're looking for. The good deals are often from parents who clean up what their kid left behind when they left the house, or from a spouse when someone sadly passed away. It's those ads that just offer a "box of Legos" for a small price, or flea markets, or thrift stores that you can occasionally be very lucky with... or not.

[Black Falcon]

Likely, aside from flee markets, that also need a lot luck, the best would be to try to find the sets you want buying mixed lots, though of course they often don´t come complete and it also would take some work to find lots containing the sets you want.

[CP5670]

Stick to used sets, most of the non-flagship classic Technic sets are actually reasonable on Bricklink. I think most people like me already got the sets we wanted in the early 2000s when ebay became mainstream, so the prices are not rising that much anymore. Technic sets also contain less in the way of unique parts or minifigs compared to system sets, which props up the prices of the latter. MISB sets are a different matter and have ballooned in value. At one time the difference between used and MISB was not nearly so big.