Lego units have a shortage issue that’s fueling an expensive resale market, making some units price as a lot as $16,000.
The New York Occasions stories that this has led to Lego kits (Lego—and the NYT—observe that the plural of Lego is Lego, not Legos) being thought-about a collector’s merchandise, like Pokémon playing cards. It has additionally led to a thriving prison community of thieves searching for their subsequent plastic brick rating.
Just a few weeks in the past, a 29-year-old man was arrested for 2 separate Lego heists in California, one the place he’s accused of stealing 200 Lego packing containers, and one other alleged theft of over $10,000 price of Lego merchandise. Final 12 months, thieves in Oregon have been caught stealing 4,000 Lego units price greater than $200,000, and robbers in California stole greater than $100,000 price of Lego units and equipment from a retailer there. The proprietor of that store stated the stolen objects have been on eBay inside hours.
“It is actually ramped up within the final 5, six years,” Meghan DeGoey, the proprietor of a toy retailer with eight places in Northern California, informed the New York Occasions.
DeGoey stated that her shops lately had $7,000 price of Lego units stolen.
Shane O’Farrell, the YouTube creator behind “Bricks Bucks,” a Lego-investing and reselling channel, informed the New York Occasions that the explanation why Lego units improve in worth is due to the way in which the system is about up: A equipment spends about two years on retailer cabinets max, after which is not manufactured once more.
In keeping with BrickEconomy, a web site devoted to the “economics of Lego,” probably the most helpful Lego set proper now could be a “new and sealed San Diego Comedian-Con 2013 Spider-Man.” It is estimated to be price $16,846 at present, with a mean annual progress of about 10.8%, based on the outlet.
There are a number of different costly units listed, together with a T-rex equipment price almost $9,000.
In 2024, Artnet reported {that a} uncommon Lego minifigure from the 2000s discovered at a Goodwill in Pennsylvania bought for nearly $20,000 at public sale.
So, it is perhaps time to verify your outdated toy bins and closets.
O’Farrell informed the New York Occasions that he made $250,000 final 12 months and has made much more than that previously when he put extra time into reselling.
By no means, ever “legos.” We’d say LEGO bricks because the phrase “LEGO” ought to all the time be used to explain one other phrase.
— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) March 20, 2017
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