As part of my three-article series on my Lego valuation study, I was curious if sets are worth more with their original boxes and instructions. I jotted down the sold value of dozens of transactions on eBay, and the difference between opened and unopened sets blew my mind! Here is what I found:
Just by opening and building a Lego set, it will drop in value by 45.25% on average. On the high end, the value will drop by 59% and 29% on the low end. This depends highly on the Lego set’s theme and how rare the set is. The rarer the set, the less drastic change in value.
I’ll go over the specifics of this study and various factors that affect the value of a Lego set in this article. From there, we can figure out if you should really open that Lego set.
Examples of sets dropping in value after being opened
By filtering eBay’s product listings to “Sold Items” you can truly see what something is selling for and how often. That’s what I did for the 6 Lego sets in the table below. I marked down several dozen transactions and found the average selling price for opened and unopened sets. You can see the case study in more detail on my case studies page. Let’s go over the difference in value.
| Lego Set Name | Unopened Value (Avg) | Opened Value with Instructions & Box (Avg) | Decrease (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lego City Dump Truck 7631 | $88.18 | $44.17 | 49.91% |
| Lego Star Wars Battle of Endor 8038 | $292.37 | $208.53 | 28.68% |
| Lego Star Wars Naboo Starfighter 7877 | $141.66 | $87.74 | 38.06% |
| Lego City Airport 3182 | $287.91 | $127.35 | 55.77% |
| Lego Star Wars Slave 1 8097 | $213.26 | $127.64 | 40.15% |
| Lego SpongeBob SquarePants Krusty Krab 3825 | $171.39 | $70.40 | 58.92% |
What can preserve a Lego set’s value?
I picked sets over several themes at random. Some sets, such as Battle of Endor 8038, are rarer than others on this list. I believe this has something to do with the smaller drop in value with the set being opened.
Lego Star Wars Battle of Endor 8038 is a collectible anniversary set, and has valuable lego minifigures. The Ewoks, the little bear figures if you are not familar with Star Wars, sell for $10 a piece on eBay. I believe that the fact that this set is a sought after collector’s item, and has valuable minifigures, makes it keep its value after being opened.
Another two examples would be the Lego Starwars Naboo Starfighter 7877 and Lego Star Wars Slave 1 8097 sets. They are both collectors items and contain valuable minifigures. Each one dropped by around 40% in value, which is less than the 45.25% average.
Given this, the two factors that allow a Lego set to keep its value after being opened are if it has valuable minifigures and if its a retired collector’s item. Other features, such as being an “anniversary set” or “limited edition” only make it more valuable.
I want to also say that all the Lego sets in this study are 100% complete sets. I ignored sets with missing figures and missing pieces, because they sell for much less. This would easily throw off the numbers. If you want a hope of your Lego set keeping its value, you must make sure you have all of the origional pieces.
Should you open that Lego set?
Whether or not you open your Lego set all comes down to personal values. If building, experiencing, and displaying a Lego set is more important to you than a future cash out, then by all means open that set. As long as you keep all the pieces, dusted, the instructions, and origional box, you can guarentee you will resell it for at least 45.25% of what you bought it for. Just remember that these are toys and should still be enjoyed.
If you’re looking for a set solely as an investment, I would buy two. It’s common practice for brick collectors to buy two of one Lego set at a time. One they can build and display, one that just increases in value. They do their homework and find sets that are collectors items and will eventually retire, because that’s when they really appreciate in value.
The Lego Death Star is an overused example, but a great one. According to Brickeconomy.com, the set is worth $889.15 at the time of this article. Its origional retail value was $499.99. That’s 77.83% growth!
If you were to buy one Death Star to build and enjoy, and another to hold, you would have the best of both worlds. Granted I hesitate at buying $1000 worth of Legos as well, but it’s not like the used set doesn’t keep most of its value. It too also apprecaites, but will just sell for less than an unopened set. Just remember to keep the box, the instructions, and all of its pieces.
