Who buys instruction manuals?

[Arigomi]

I keep seeing instruction manuals for sale on ebay. Does anyone actually buy them?

[badboytje88]

I have no idea, why should you if you can download them?

[TheKingOfBuilding]

I think people only list the instuction manuals for sale out of sets they parted out to sell the minifigures, just to see if they can make some extra cash. Not that i've ever seen any bids on instructions.

Edited February 16, 2012 by TheKingOfBuilding

[roamingstop]

For older sets, circa 1970-1990 it does make sense; e.g. I won a ebay lot which when parted out was most of two seperate sets, and then finished off with bricklink. Purchased a cheap set of old manuals, then sold the complete sets.

However for modern manuals, it is not really appropriate unless you are using rebrickable.com - but even then electronic is free. However some people still like building without electronic devices, and colour printing is not always reliable...

[fyrmedhatt]

There are plenty of people buying bulk lots and putting sets together, buying the instruction manuals to complete the sets. Also, for extremely popular sets with outrageous prices like the Cafe Corner, Market Street and UCS MF lots of people have bought all the parts and would love to finish it off with an instruction manual for completeness. These manuals go for several hundred dollars, more than the whole set cost originally in some cases.

For those of us who are set collectors, the feeling of having a complete set is important, and that often includes the instruction manuals and even boxes. Personally I prefer building from instruction manuals, even if I have digital tools available, the feeling is just not the same. Not that I'd ever pay hundreds of dollars for an instruction manual.

[MetroiD]

To answer your question - people who have rediscovered their love for LEGO but have found out that they don't own the original instruction manuals to their sets anymore, a.k.a. collectors such as fyrmedhatt here.

But there's one thing I find funnier... Who buys empty boxes of sets!?

My guess as to the answer of both questions would probably have to be in the vein of what roamingstudio has suggested - so those would probably be people who want to sell a specific set and are presuming that it's worth less without its original box and/or instructions. I really can't understand why the whole thing would be worth the hassle at all, but I'm sure that collectors appreciate it. There's probably lots of nostalgic people out there who want to keep old LEGO stuff as memorabilia, and that includes boxes... but a collection of boxes? Now that sounds weird!

[Sir_Basil_Ashton]

I personally prefer to have an instruction manual made of paper when I build. I know that sounds weird to some of you that grew up in the "digital age". When my son and I got into LEGO a few years ago, we bought different lots (mutiple sets) and some of them were missing instructions. I tried building a few of the sets using the instructions online and just didn't like the experience. I realized I prefer to look closely at a sheet of paper than zoom in on a computer.

As far as buying instruction manuals. I have bought a couple for the right price. I have not nor will I ever pay large amounts of money for an instruction manual.

[legomaniac83]

I keep seeing instruction manuals for sale on ebay. Does anyone actually buy them?

Simple answer - Yes. Some sets I win off eBay or find in local classifieds are missing the original manual. I'm a completist you could say, and I also would rather build with a manual than off of a screen.

Usually I can find ones I am missing on eBay or Bricklink, and I never pay over a dollar for them. Sometimes the price is higher if the set is rare, however.

[Brickadeer]

A different point is that the quality of the pdf-files of old manuals is low. Lego has only begun recently to improve the quality of the pdf-files (e.g. set 6212, 56 pages: 7.8 mb v. set 9493, 72 pages: 160.56 mb).

Edited February 16, 2012 by Brickadeer

[yixin]

actually, I have a friend who buys manuals not because he does no want too build off the screen, but he just likes to collect them, for some reason. When I asked him why, he said he just like to look at the manual and imagine building the set instead of really building it. strange dude.

[AndyC]

I've bought a few from Bricklink in the past too, mostly for when I fancied trying to build a set but the PDF's on Lego's customer service site are too poor to work from. The UCS Batmobile ones spring to mind as the PDF version of those is basically useless, with everything just looking like a big black blob.

[Modulex Guy]

I've boughten a few instructions before to complete vintage sets. I have bought sets at garage sales or on ebay that are complete and have the box but are missing the instructions, I'll buy the instructions and/or sticker sheets to just place in the box to make the set 100% complete.

[Mr Benn]

Whilst the pdf quality definitely isn't as good, I printed out the manuals for Market Street and Cafe Corner - it's certainly nicer building from paper than a backlit PC screen especially if you're looking at it for EVER!

Of course it does involve staying late at work and then hogging the colour printer, but apart from that it's fine ;-)

I've seen how much the genuine instructions go for - for super-completists that's fine, but I think it's a ridiculous amount to pay when ultimately you don't display the instructions!

[Otum]

I also buy two of the same set for having one instruction set MISB

[LEGO Guy Bri]

I've purchased numerous manuals, mainly from Bricklink. All are for second hand sets purchased on eBay that didn't have their originals. They sell cheaper if without instructions. Most were for classic or vintage but, a few have been for newer sets. I like to have complete sets and don't care for PDFs or printed copies

[MetroiD]

I've seen how much the genuine instructions go for - for super-completists that's fine, but I think it's a ridiculous amount to pay when ultimately you don't display the instructions!

Guess I'll be listing my instructions on Bricklink as well then... Heck, my copy of the Cafe Corner or Market Street won't ever have to come apart (again), so I don't actually need those papers anyway.

[hispabrick magazine]

Why to buy instructions when we can have free sets?

[Vindicare]

There are plenty of people buying bulk lots and putting sets together, buying the instruction manuals to complete the sets. Also, for extremely popular sets with outrageous prices like the Cafe Corner, Market Street and UCS MF lots of people have bought all the parts and would love to finish it off with an instruction manual for completeness. These manuals go for several hundred dollars, more than the whole set cost originally in some cases.

For those of us who are set collectors, the feeling of having a complete set is important, and that often includes the instruction manuals and even boxes. Personally I prefer building from instruction manuals, even if I have digital tools available, the feeling is just not the same. Not that I'd ever pay hundreds of dollars for an instruction manual.

I bought one of the Fotestmen sets on eBay without instructions. I would love to have them. I am a set collector, while I don't keep boxes, I want everything else. I think the majority of interactions for sale are from people parting out the sets and have no use for them, so if they sell them, they made a few extra bucks, if not, hold onto it and try again later.

[mrklaw]

I can see the need if your alternative is a computer - just too fixed and clunky to work around, and takes up valuable building space. But an iPad is a good alternative to a printed manual IMO. I've collected the parts for cafe corner but am waiting to build until I buy an iPad 3 (had an iPad 1 but sold it recently)

Edit: of course if you're a collector and want the whole set too - I was only commenting on the functional aspect of building from digital

Edited February 17, 2012 by mrklaw

[AndyC]

Why to buy instructions when we can have free sets?

I defy anyone to build the UCS Batmobile using only the PDF instructions on Lego's site. And it's not the only set like that, some of the PDF's available are exceptionally low quality. Most of the newer ones are a lot better, but that's by no means a guarantee. If you're planning to sell on a set, you may also find that you can get more for a complete set with instructions which might make the investment in some worthwhile if you've lost/damaged the existing ones.

[B-Lister]

I plan on seeking out instructions for all the Pirates models I had as a kid, and I also lost my instructions for one of my HP sets.

There are many reasons someone would buy instruction manuals.