LEGO Hoarding?

[happymark]

From WIKIpedia:

Compulsive hoarding (or pathological collecting, or, informally, packratting) is a pattern of behavior that is characterized by the excessive acquisition of and inability or unwillingness to discard large quantities of objects that cover the living areas of the home and cause significant distress or impairment.

does it sounds familiar??

Do you have a lot of LEGO sets, which occupy a lot of living space?

Did you buy many LEGO sets, but never open. and keep it unopened for years? (thinking about resale, regift, part-out LATER, but never happened?)

Did you buy many LEGO used pieces but still sitting in the bins and never have time to sort them out?

Do you have have many unfinished MOCs from..like years?

Do you keep all the instruct books, all the boxes..even the LEGO club magazines. the sticker sheets and LEGO catalogs? even the plastic number bags??

Do you think "I have too many LEGO pieces" but still buy some more when you think it is cheap enough?

Do you not only buy some LEGO sets. but also some watches, key chain, playing cards, magnet or even eraser/notebook?

what do you think ? anything wrong?

[jimmynick]

Interesting topic.

Discussed in another thread, I have 12k-13k parts - I am too lazy to sort them (so they're all in 2 IKEA tubs) but if I bought appropriate containers, I could probably sort everything in 1 or 2 afternoons.

I do keep instruction books and boxes - I have LEGO club magazines and catalogues from years ago - but it's nice to flip through the catalogues.

I wonder what other people have to say?

[alois]

Do you have a lot of LEGO sets, which occupy a lot of living space? Not a lot, just about ten

Did you buy many LEGO sets, but never open. and keep it unopened for years? (thinking about resale, regift, part-out LATER, but never happened?) No, I always open them and use the bricks

Did you buy many LEGO used pieces but still sitting in the bins and never have time to sort them out? No, I always sort them out and use the bricks

Do you have have many unfinished MOCs from..like years? No, they're all finished, except the one I'm currently working on

Do you keep all the instruct books, all the boxes..even the LEGO club magazines. the sticker sheets and LEGO catalogs? even the plastic number bags?? Books I keep, exclusive set boxes I keep, the rest goes out.

Do you think "I have too many LEGO pieces" but still buy some more when you think it is cheap enough? I don't think the first, I do do the second

Do you not only buy some LEGO sets. but also some watches, key chain, playing cards, magnet or even eraser/notebook? I do have a Lego lunch box, which I use for lunch

Not all too bad, I think. I'm not ready yet for the psychiatrist.

Edited September 9, 2013 by alois

[TomLego]

I've learned a lot through current/previous hobbies. I collect old radios. I know some people who have 500 tube (valve) radios. They are stacked on top of each other, most are of little or no value. They don't know the difference between an accumulation and a coherent collection. Their display room looks like it belongs to someone with hoarding/OCD issues.

I collect specific Lego sets. Modulars, large landmarks like the TB and SOH and the architecture series. I am temped to buy some of the technic series, but a line has to be drawn somewhere. I did buy the large sopwith camel airplane. As soon as I finished it I realized that it really didn't fit in. So, off it went to a friend and it now 'flies' from the ceiling of a seven year olds bedroom. His dad said the little kids eyes lit up when he showed him the airplane.

There is also a rule against 'Lego sprawl' in my house. There are a couple of Frank Lloyd Wright Lego buildings in the office, but the rest of the collection is confined to tables and shelving in one room in the basement. One exception, the a Tower Bridge does look good in the exercise room on a table under the wall mounted TV.

I keep all of the boxes and instruction books.

I only buy Lego that I am going to build, keep and/or give away to a friend. No 'investment grade' Lego sets that remain unopened in my house.

I don't have a lot of extra parts, they all fit easily into one drawer in a file cabinet.

No key chains, watches, magazines or other Lego paraphernalia.

[gratefulnat]

Do you have a lot of LEGO sets, which occupy a lot of living space?

You bet!

Did you buy many LEGO sets, but never open. and keep it unopened for years? (thinking about resale, regift, part-out LATER, but never happened?)

I've tried, but I can't leave a set unopened

Did you buy many LEGO used pieces but still sitting in the bins and never have time to sort them out?

In 2011 cleaned and sorted over 20K of second-hand-LEGO bricks that had accumalated over years.

Do you have have many unfinished MOCs from..like years?

Haven't MOC'ed in years , but still a few lying in dusty corners for over 6 years...

Do you keep all the instruct books, all the boxes..even the LEGO club magazines. the sticker sheets and LEGO catalogs? even the plastic number bags?? Threw out ten years worth of catalogues, 4 years of Club magazine, and used sticker sheets (not the stickers per say) last year. Felt like , but was good to do. I did keep the numbered plastic bags for about a year, freaked out one day and got rid of them.

Do you think "I have too many LEGO pieces" but still buy some more when you think it is cheap enough?

I even buy more when I don't think it's cheap enough

Do you not only buy some LEGO sets. but also some watches, key chain, playing cards, magnet or even eraser/notebook?

Up until the end of 2010 had every Star Wars watch/keychain/magnet and then just sold them all - that was great . I do use LEGO playing cards and my agenda is a LEGO Moleskine book.

what do you think ? anything wrong?

Nope

[LEGO Guy Bri]

Do you have a lot of LEGO sets, which occupy a lot of living space? Nope, sets are in a small room/large closet

Did you buy many LEGO sets, but never open. and keep it unopened for years? Unfortunately yes, but not for resale. Lack of display space at the moment.

Did you buy many LEGO used pieces but still sitting in the bins and never have time to sort them out? No, all pieces are sorted.

Do you have have many unfinished MOCs from..like years? Just two. Got stuck on trying to figure out how to finish one. Haven't really started the other.

Do you keep all the instruct books, all the boxes..even the LEGO club magazines. the sticker sheets and LEGO catalogs? even the plastic number bags?? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.

Do you think "I have too many LEGO pieces" but still buy some more when you think it is cheap enough? I buy more sets now than pieces, but don't necessarily wait for a deal.

Do you not only buy some LEGO sets. but also some watches, key chain, playing cards, magnet or even eraser/notebook? Nope, I only keep the free stuff I get sent.

what do you think ? anything wrong? Many things wrong with this. I spend too much, have too much, and only buying more.

So, I may have failed

• 
  

[ShaydDeGrai]

Do you have a lot of LEGO sets, which occupy a lot of living space? Not a "lot" of living space, I bought a bigger house so the percentage occupied by LEGO went down considerably...

Did you buy many LEGO sets, but never open. and keep it unopened for years? (thinking about resale, regift, part-out LATER, but never happened?) I do have a backlog and a "rainy day stash" but I do get to them eventually.

Did you buy many LEGO used pieces but still sitting in the bins and never have time to sort them out? Not at all, my current unsorted parts would easily fit inside a single 55 gallon oil drum, that's not "many" at all...

Do you have have many unfinished MOCs from..like years? Yeah, why should MOCs be any different than half the DIY projects I've yet to finish around the house?

Do you keep all the instruct books, all the boxes..even the LEGO club magazines. the sticker sheets and LEGO catalogs? even the plastic number bags?? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and no - I draw the line at plastic bags (and if I have multiples of the same set, I only keep one box)

Do you think "I have too many LEGO pieces" but still buy some more when you think it is cheap enough? No, I think "darn, I've got the wrong pieces for this project, will have to fix that"

Do you not only buy some LEGO sets. but also some watches, key chain, playing cards, magnet or even eraser/notebook? Don't be silly, I let other people give me that stuff when they want to buy me a gift, know I like LEGO but don't have a clue about what I already own.

what do you think ? As vices go, it's better that smoking or gambling - at least it has resale value for my next of kin if my collection one day tips over and crushes me to death

[PocasNuckie]

Do you have a lot of LEGO sets, which occupy a lot of living space? Yes. MISB Boxes count for over 80. Most quite big.

Did you buy many LEGO sets, but never open. and keep it unopened for years? (thinking about resale, regift, part-out LATER, but never happened?) Yes. Still got unopened stuff from as far as 2008. All bought to be built. Lacking space and time. Some end resold because of lost interest.

Did you buy many LEGO used pieces but still sitting in the bins and never have time to sort them out? Not really. When I buy pieces, I use.

Do you have have many unfinished MOCs from..like years? No.

Do you keep all the instruct books, all the boxes..even the LEGO club magazines. the sticker sheets and LEGO catalogs? even the plastic number bags?? Just instructions, catalogs, magazines and posters.

Do you think "I have too many LEGO pieces" but still buy some more when you think it is cheap enough? Depends. I like to take advantage of a good promo, but only ocasionally. Really depends on budget avaiable more than on the opportunity.

Do you not only buy some LEGO sets. but also some watches, key chain, playing cards, magnet or even eraser/notebook? Key-chains because I also collect that out of LEGO. Bought a NinjaGo wallet and foam Sword, but appart from that it's all pieces.

Edited September 9, 2013 by PocasNuckie

[TheLegoDr]

Very interesting thread idea. I think a lot of people can relate to these questions.

Do you have a lot of LEGO sets, which occupy a lot of living space? I have many sets. I think Brickset had it at over 600. As far as actual space, some built sets take up a handful of display shelves in the office and in the basement, but most of the pieces are elsewhere. Nothing is in sight of the main living area though.

Did you buy many LEGO sets, but never open. and keep it unopened for years? (thinking about resale, regift, part-out LATER, but never happened?) I have a handful of sets unopened still, but mostly due to lack of time or not sure where to display them, so they stay in the box. Most sets get opened to take out the minifigures to keep or sell. But nothing major for resale. As patient as I am, I'm not that patient when it comes to investing. I want it immediately.

Did you buy many LEGO used pieces but still sitting in the bins and never have time to sort them out? Always. As the LEGO movie poster indicates, Forever Sorting. I have a good majority of my pieces sorted by color/use, but there are still a few small boxes that aren't sorted yet.

Do you have have many unfinished MOCs from..like years? More than I'd like to share. I get started on a lot of projects, then my interest fizzles out. I eventually finish them all, but I try to only build MOCs with my existing pieces. I don't like ordering pieces for MOCs, so it limits my ability to finish some projects.

Do you keep all the instruct books, all the boxes..even the LEGO club magazines. the sticker sheets and LEGO catalogs? even the plastic number bags?? I have all of my old 80/90s set instructions and club magazines, but since getting back into LEGO as an adult in 2010, I have kept all of those boxes along with the instructions. I have no use for the plastic bags, so I throw those out. But I like the artwork on the boxes. I guess if I ever resell anything, those will come in handy, but I should just keep the instructions since they normally have the same artwork on them.

Do you think "I have too many LEGO pieces" but still buy some more when you think it is cheap enough? I always think I have too many (in general), but I never have enough specialty pieces I need for projects. But I have tons that I will never use, so in reality I do have "too many" pieces.

Do you not only buy some LEGO sets. but also some watches, key chain, playing cards, magnet or even eraser/notebook? I only buy sets/figures. I guess we do have a set of magnets for the fridge, but only because we had never seen them anywhere before. My wife did buy the LEGO people window decal for the car instead of the stick figure decals. I guess that cements that we are an AFOL family.

what do you think ? anything wrong? After thinking of these questions, I can say I am not a hoarder, but a collector/hobby enthusiast. I don't buy everything LEGO and keep them stacked for years and never touch them. I build/play with my daughter, so I think I actually get use out of it all.

[Hrw-Amen]

I do have a lot of LEGO parts but they are all sorted as they arrive, mostly from Bricklink but also if I buy a set for parts, but that is not often. Most of the sets I have bought are made up and stored in containers from 'Really useful box' company as then they stack neatly and I can see what is in each without undoing it. I have a few larger sets I bought to complete ranges that have not been made up as I di not have space to store them all if they were made up. I have no plans to sell then and one day If i get a bigger house I want to make them and display them.

Once a set is built I keep the instructions, but do not keep the boxes (I have no room.) and I certainly do not keep empty plastic bags. I do keep the club magazines and any other stuff they send as well as the brick Journal.

[Leo604]

1. Mostly some boxes somestairs and most of the desk in my room.

2. No.

3. Yes.

4. A few.

5. Only been doing that recently.

6. Yes.

7. Occasionally the cool key chains when I'm at the Lego Store.

8. Nothing wrong; the only bad thing I think could happen is going over my budget for Lego, which is rather low right now.

[Itaria No Shintaku]

does it sounds familiar??

Yes it does.

Do you have a lot of LEGO sets, which occupy a lot of living space?

Yes I have

Did you buy many LEGO sets, but never open. and keep it unopened for years? (thinking about resale, regift, part-out LATER, but never happened?)

Oh my... Yes I do...

Did you buy many LEGO used pieces but still sitting in the bins and never have time to sort them out?

I am sorting them these days because I really felt guilty... but it's taking too much time...

Do you have have many unfinished MOCs from..like years?

Actually I'm dismembering them after time I don't touch them. I have the honesty to admit to myself that I won't complete them.

Do you keep all the instruct books, all the boxes..even the LEGO club magazines. the sticker sheets and LEGO catalogs? even the plastic number bags??

I keep everything but the plastic bags.

Do you think "I have too many LEGO pieces" but still buy some more when you think it is cheap enough?

Absolutely.

Do you not only buy some LEGO sets. but also some watches, key chain, playing cards, magnet or even eraser/notebook?

Luckily enough I didn't reach this step... but... hell... I'm scared...

[Andy D]

Do you have a lot of LEGO sets, which occupy a lot of living space? Not a "lot" of living space, I bought a bigger house so the percentage occupied by LEGO went down considerably...

Kind of like that LEGO TARDIS. You were wishing for ;););)

Did you buy many LEGO used pieces but still sitting in the bins and never have time to sort them out? Not at all, my current unsorted parts would easily fit inside a single 55 gallon oil drum, that's not "many" at all...

Huh? I would not like to see your idea of many... ;););)

Do you have a lot of LEGO sets, which occupy a lot of living space?

I have a number of sets (less than 50 I think) all confined to a closet and one section of my cabinets in my LEGO studio.

Did you buy many LEGO sets, but never open. and keep it unopened for years? (thinking about resale, regift, part-out LATER, but never happened?)

Only because of a combination of factors...

1. Not enough display space for all my sets.

2. Not enough time to part out and get sorted (but I haven't needed the parts yet, when I do I will part out the set)

3. I am still trying to get my storage system finalized and get my loose parts sorted (almost done), stored and inventoried.

Did you buy many LEGO used pieces but still sitting in the bins and never have time to sort them out?

Many, many fewer than ShaydDeGrai, just saying that makes me feel better.

Do you have have many unfinished MOCs from..like years?

Only have 2 unfinished MOCs, but they just need landscaping, the actual building is complete.

Do you keep all the instruct books, all the boxes..even the LEGO club magazines. the sticker sheets and LEGO catalogs? even the plastic number bags??

Just the instruction books, even though I appreciate the box art I just do not have room to store or display them as the works of art they are.

Do you think "I have too many LEGO pieces" but still buy some more when you think it is cheap enough?

No, not too many, but I still buy more because it seems I am always missing something I need.

Do you not only buy some LEGO sets. but also some watches, key chain, playing cards, magnet or even eraser/notebook?

No, no, no, and no.

From WIKIpedia:

Compulsive hoarding (or pathological collecting, or, informally, packratting) is a pattern of behavior that is characterized by the excessive acquisition of and inability or unwillingness to discard large quantities of objects that cover the living areas of the home and cause significant distress or impairment.

Based on this definition, and since my LEGO is confined to one room, and even though I do have a semi-significant quantity of LEGO I do not believe I am a hoarder, just a semi-extreme hobbiest.

Andy D

Edited September 11, 2013 by Andy D

[FuzzyBallz]

I used to buy a bunch of Technic sets and put them in the closet for no reason other than I just want to have it but don't have the time to build it. Now a days, I build them after I buy them, then put it on display on the wall shelves, and play with them from time to time. I do keep all the instruction manual. I keep some of the boxes but not all. Don't really have intention of selling my LEGO sets, or pull them apart of MOC. I like them the way they are.

[Vindicare]

This is the only hoarding that should be encouraged. I have about 20 unopened sets, that's due only because I don't have the space to store them properly. I use to keep my boxes. Once I hit the 300 set mark, I got rid of those. Instructions? Of course I keep those. Same with catalogs/Club mags.

Edited September 11, 2013 by Legocrazy81

[DOTM Shockwave]

Do you have a lot of LEGO sets, which occupy a lot of living space?

Only on shelves in my room.

Did you buy many LEGO sets, but never open. and keep it unopened for years? (thinking about resale, regift, part-out LATER, but never happened?)

Nope, any set I buy gets opened the moment it enters my home.

Did you buy many LEGO used pieces but still sitting in the bins and never have time to sort them out?

The only parts I own that aren't sorted are ones I don't fit in the bins (which reminds me, I need to buy more).

Do you have have many unfinished MOCs from..like years?

No, any MOC I never finish gets dismantle within two - three weeks.

Do you keep all the instruct books, all the boxes..even the LEGO club magazines. the sticker sheets and LEGO catalogs? even the plastic number bags??

Yes, no, no, only unused ones, no, and no.

Do you think "I have too many LEGO pieces" but still buy some more when you think it is cheap enough?

Yes and no.

Do you not only buy some LEGO sets. but also some watches, key chain, playing cards, magnet or even eraser/notebook?

Nope.

what do you think ? anything wrong?

I don't see anything wrong.

[Mr Bill]

does it sounds familiar?? Hmmm. Vaguely!

Do you have a lot of LEGO sets, which occupy a lot of living space? Hells to the Yeah!

Did you buy many LEGO sets, but never open. and keep it unopened for years? Only a few...

Did you buy many LEGO used pieces but still sitting in the bins and never have time to sort them out? No -- I try to sort them into their proper bins within a week...

having recently rebuiilt my Lego Work area, I had three large (2'x3') tubs to go thru and that took me about two months!!! (technic pins, teeth, 1x1 plates & tiles and MF tools made the bottoms of those bins take for-#!&!ing-ever!!!)

Do you have have many unfinished MOCs from..like years? No. I work my MOCs until finished, one (sometimes two if I have a special project) at a time...

Do you keep all the instruct books, all the boxes..even the LEGO club magazines. the sticker sheets and LEGO catalogs? even the plastic number bags?? Only Instructions, unused stickers, catalogs and magazines. No room for boxes, used sticker sheets and empty boxes!

Do you think "I have too many LEGO pieces" but still buy some more when you think it is cheap enough? I do think that from time to time, but I'm just kidding myself -- there's no such thing as too much Lego. And nothing deters me from buying more except sets that are greatly over the "10c per piece" average...

Do you not only buy some LEGO sets. but also some watches, key chain, playing cards, magnet or even eraser/notebook? Rarely.

what do you think ? anything wrong? Nothing wrong here. I admit I have CDO (It's just the same as OCD except the letters are in alphabetical order... As they should be)!

--Mr. Bill

Edited September 12, 2013 by Mr Bill