The best Lego sets aren't just the ones that will make your kids squeal with delight once they see the box. The true mark is how they put it together and how long they enjoy it once the initial building is done. Most sets give a blueprint with simple, step-by-step instructions. While some kids follow these instructions to the letter, others see them as guidelines and free-build their way to something completely unique."The beauty of Lego is that you can do both: you can slavishly follow the set instructions, one step at a time, or you can chuck them aside and create something entirely new," says Dr. Jon Sutton, a Lego enthusiast and the managing editor of "The Psychologist" for the British Psychological Society. "Some people bemoan the fact that the sets [are] more about building the latest movie tie-in than it used to be. I'm not sure I agree: it's good for kids to have the opportunity to do both set and free-building, and in my experience they do. And when I see how my boys play with Lego -- together, constructively, literally building on each other's ideas -- it makes all the money I've spent on Legos feel worthwhile!"
While the branded sets come and go based on popularity of movies and licensed characters, the best ones are the free-building sets that keep kids and adults coming back, according to Karen Nolan, who handles public relations for Lego. "Lego City, Lego Friends, Lego Star Wars, Lego Duplo and Lego Classic have been some of our best sellers this year -- in fact, year over year."Pick up some of those top toys, or try one of these best Lego sets for kids:1) Lego Juniors Fire SuitcaseThe Lego Juniors Fire Suitcase is a great carrying case for fun with vehicles and mini figures on the go.2) Lego Juniors Pirate Treasure Hunt SetKids get a quick start and lots of imaginative play options with the Lego Juniors Pirate Treasure Hunt Set.3) Lego Classic Medium Creative Brick BoxStart your kids' collection with the 484 assorted pieces, a storage box and building ideas found in the Lego Classic Medium Creative Brick Box.4) Lego Education Community Mini FiguresCreated for the school setting, the Lego Education Community Mini Figures set satisfies even the most Lego-obsessed kid out there, letting them build their own people to populate all of their worlds.5) Lego Education Vehicles SetStart at the beginning with all the transportation vehicles your children can imagine in this 934-piece Lego Education Vehicles Set.
At just over $100, the price tag seems hefty but you'll never have to buy a Lego City set again.6) Lego Friends Heartlake Shopping MallA complete experience for hours of building and pretend play, the Lego Friends Heartlake Shopping Mall is perfect for a kid who's into shopping.7) Lego City Camper VanImagination and adventure await with the Lego City Camper Van, which also comes with a canoe.8) Lego Magikus Board GameBuild and play the best Lego Magikus Board Game, which also happens to be magic-themed.9) Lego Superheroes Batman: Man-Bat AttackEvery Batman fan needs a Batcopter and Batman figure. The Lego Superheroes Batman: Man-Bat Attack comes complete with villains and a crisis scenario.10) Lego Creator Treehouse 3-in-1Treehouse, lakeside hut, farmyard barn -- let the kids decide with the Lego Creator Treehouse 3-in-1.11) Lego Creator Power MechThe Lego Creator Power Mech features 3-in-1 transformation from a giant robot to a helicopter and a pickup truck.12) Lego Superheroes Knowhere Escape Building SetKids dig deep into "Guardians of the Galaxy" with the Lego Superheroes Knowhere Escape Building Set.
It includes a trap door, catapult, poseable figures and lots of weaponry.13) Lego Star Wars AT-AT SetFans of Star Wars will love creating their own interactive armored snow vehicle, complete with weapons and snow troopers, in the Lego Star Wars AT-AT set.14) Lego Mindstorms Robotics Invention SystemThe hefty cost prices this amazing programmable Lego Mindstorms Robotics Invention System kit off the mass market but it pops up in schools and organizations for an introduction to robotics.15) Lego Master Builder Academy Set Robot & Micro DesignerThe helps your kid become a master builder with handbooks filled with tips and tricks from the actual designers at Lego."Lego is so easy to put together that even very young children can do it," says Dr. Sutton. "Immediately they are in a world of order and chaos, rules and no rules, where a collection of simple studded bricks can become a dragon, a racing car or a double-decker couch!"Want more toy suggestions? Check out the toy guides at Citrus Lane for suggestions that are sure to be a hit with your little one.
Cara Stevens is a freelance writer living in Connecticut with her husband and two children. She has authored several books for children and writes frequently about parenting, hair care, DIY crafts, food and healthy living.This series of articles explores the practical economics of buying, sorting and selling bulk Lego. I will help assess what it takes to make real money by describing my own experience buying a large used Lego collection on Craigslist for a discounted price, figuring out what sets I had, sorting the bricks back into the original sets, acquiring the missing pieces and reselling for a profit. Along the way, I’ll call out some of the hidden costs and benefits for Lego enthusiasts. LEGO as an investment? Before I go deeper into the details of my project, I should point out that investing in Lego can be a big business for some folks. which helps people invest in Lego, although they focus on investing in unopened/new sets. On that site, you can see the current value of any Lego set (based on Ebay and other sources).
It also allows you to record and track the value of your portfolio of Lego sets as if it were a stock market. I have purchased a couple Lego sets as a small-scale investment to support my hobby, but I don’t want to build up a large enough inventory to make it profitable. A couple ways to make money selling Lego: Most people invest in unopened Lego sets, hoping to sell them in a couple years when they are no longer available for a healthy profit. (Some of the most sought-after sets have doubled in cost in just two years, and that isn’t accounting for the possibility that you may have initially purchased the set at a discount.) Some folks try to find sets at a discount and resell them immediately for a profit. Others buy used Lego bricks and sets and try to sell for a profit. (This is the focus of this article.) What is Lego worth? Before you buy anything, you need a basic knowledge about how much used Lego is worth. The following is a rough guide based on my experience:
New Lego sets have a MSRP of between 8 and 12 cents per brick. That said, most sets can be purchased for between 10 and 40% off if you are patient, take advantage of rewards programs and sales. (Many of the large “Exclusive” sets which adult fans want are much harder to buy at a discount.) Used Lego sets in good condition are worth between 50% and 75% of retail prices while they are still available in stores. 6 – 12 months after they are no longer available, used sets usually catch up with MSRP, and can slowly increase in value if they are in high demand. The rule of thumb for unsorted Lego is between 6$ and 12$ per pound. If the bricks are sorted by color or include lots of desirable pieces, they are worth more. The value of Lego Minifigures varies greatly. Rare minifigures from a popular theme like Star Wars can sell for 5-10$ a piece. More common minifigures sell for about 1$. can yield much higher prices, but it requires a small warehouse to store your bricks and seems like an unbelievable time commitment.
Based on these factors, I decided that buying a used collection containing older sets which I can sort into complete sets would be the best approach for me, especially if I could get it for a really low price. Deciding what to buy If you are looking to buy used Lego, you have a couple options: Ebay, Craigslist and Garage Sales to name a few… I prefer Craigslist as you don’t have to worry about shipping, and you can see what you are getting before making a payment. My goal was to buy a collection containing many sets which I could sort out and sell for a profit. I also hoped that the collection would include some themes which interest me. (In my case: Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Architecture.) Buying a profitable collection: I looked at dozens of used Lego collections on Craigslist listings before I made my first big purchase. I live in Seattle which has a lot of Adult Lego enthusiasts, so it’s harder to find a great deal here. Since I was traveling to the east coast for the holidays, I checked Craigslist in areas we were visiting and found some better collections for sale than anything I’d seen in Seattle.
The collection which I bought on Craigslist wasn’t very detailed and included only two blurry photos. The listing said that it included the “6211 – Imperial Star Destroyer” set which was released in 2006, plus “some other sets”. The original craigslist post is gone, so I can’t show you exactly what was listed, but I can say that the listing under-represented the size of the collection. As the listing was a bit unclear, I sent the seller the following clarifying email: “Are there any minifigures in the box? I am trying to determine if there are some nearly complete sets that are just missing instructions or not.” As they say, it never hurts to ask! In response, I got a lot more info than they put in their original Craigslist post: “There are mini figures in the collection as most of it came from sets. The sets were broken down and the boxes / instructions were thrown out. Here are just a few that are in the container: LEGO Star Wars Clone Turbo Tank (8098)
LEGO Star Wars General Grievous Starfighter (8095) LEGO Power Miners Fire Blaster (8188) LEGO® Power Miners Claw Catcher 8190 LEGO Power Miners Titanium Command Rig (8964) That last one was $200 alone.. Obviously everything is broken down into 1 pile. Ie, they are not separated by set into ziplocks etc.” Getting this much new information was great for me, since I had more information to help make a buying decision than other potential buyers. At this point I was confident that this would be a profitable purchase given the 150$ asking price. At the very least, I could resell the Imperial Star Destroyer to recoup my costs. I made arrangements to buy the collection, and was blown away by the two massive Rubbermaid bins which they game me. (This created two problems outside of the scope of this article: Figuring out how to get 60+ pounds of Lego back to my home in Seattle, and figuring out how to keep my wife from killing me for buying so much Lego on vacation!)
Tips and Tricks to buy the right collection: I’m hardly an expert, but the following are some helpful tips to help make sure you get a good deal.People sell used Lego collections every day. You need to find a great deal if you want to make any money.If the listing isn’t clear, ask for more details. If you want a photo showing which minifigures are included, it doesn’t hurt to ask. You can always ask for a lower price too, although be sure to close on a price before you make arrangements to see or buy the collection.You are going to be spending a lot of time with these bricks, so it would be nice if the collection includes some sets that you are excited to build. Who knows, you might even decide to keep a couple sets as your “reward” for selling the others. Next step: How to sort a lot of Lego… In my second post, I explained the process I used to sort 60 pounds of LEGO into more manageable groups. 02/15/2014 – Make lots of money by buying and reselling used Lego!