Boxes - do you keep them?

[naf]

So, since coming out of my dark ages I've acquired a sizable collection of new Lego sets. So far I've kept every box. I was also keeping the boxes of the sets I buy for the kids, but my wife ended up throwing them all out in the recycling since the kid's Lego are in a storage bin. I have mine stashed in a closet, broken down, safe and sound.

Do any of you keep the boxes for your sets? The old sets used to have alternate models on the back and inside flap so there was more incentive to keep those, the new boxes don't have anything like that.

[Bricktimus]

I tend to keep my Star Wars boxes but I'm not really sure why... Everything else I throw out pretty quickly but I should get rid of the rest.

[Paul B Technic]

I toss boxes, no point to me keeping them...

[Xyver]

I keep all my boxes. I undo each end and fold them flat.

I keep them in the off chance that I may one day want to sell my sets and this way I can sell them complete.

The small-medium sized ones are stored in a S@H large shipping box, but the ones two big for that (ie modulars and UCS sets) are sitting on top of my storage cupboard.

[Mikuri]

I used to keep big sets boxes. But I cleaned the house from every boxes last week xD

I don't have any reason to keep them anyway.

[Artanis I]

I keep boxes intact. They take up a lot of room... But if I have to move house (it's happened) I put the sets back into their box. I put as many boxes as I can inside another. Unfortunately TLG makes a lot of smaller boxes the same height/width/depth as larger ones, so you can't get it optimal.

[HomerJSimpson]

I keep them- I love the smell of a good ol' lego box! :)

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

No. I'm avoiding clutter. The exception I sometimes make is for the Advent Calenders, where the inside flap depicts a scene on which the daily models go. Even then, I eventually toss that to decrease clutter and just build a scene for the pieces instead.

[Andy D]

No. The box art is great, but I really don't need the clutter.

Andy D

[LEGO Historian]

Hehehe... I'm reminded of this set from 1965... the 321 Clown Set... (although this is an extreme exception)...

Just the parts alone... even in mint condition... are worth about $5.

But if you have the parts and the box (with the instructions as well).... it's worth about $1000

Why so much? This set was sold in very low quantities only in Denmark in 1965.

Then the leftover sets were shipped off to Japan in 1967 and sold there... again in very small quantities.

Edited February 20, 2014 by LEGO Historian

[Pizzareno]

I always kept boxes but my wife wants me to throw them all out. It makes me feel better seeing that lots of people do get rid of them so I think I will get rid of mine. It isn't like I display the boxes anywhere. Though I may keep the older boxes that do have alternate models. I wish they would bring that back then I'd have an excuse to keep the boxes again

[Ridge Montante]

All the boxes from when i was a kid got thrown out. Now that I'm much older I keep all my boxes.

[ShaydDeGrai]

I never used to keep the boxes, but in the past decade or so I started hanging on to them. If I have multiple copies of the same kit, I only keep one box - You have to draw the line somewhere...

[Deathleech]

If I have multiple copies of the same kit, I only keep one box - You have to draw the line somewhere...

Ya, I keep all the boxes, even multiples for the same set. I probably will need to get rid of them sooner or later as my Lego collection grows (just came out of my dark ages a year and a half ago or so). I like the boxes because they generally have nice art and IF I ever re-sell the sets should increase the value. If I have the room right now why not keep them?

[AncientDayz]

I want to just toss them, but on the advice of the wife, I carefully flatten them and store them in one of those space saver vacuum seal bags for protection. I don't really care for them, but I think the wife hopes that I will one day sell my massively growing collection. She knows that I could probably get more money with the box. I'm not selling my sets! But, I'll satisfy her by just storing them under the bed. She can dream. Haha.

[BimmerBoy]

We generally only keep boxes to sets we are really fond of and build and display (then take apart to make room for a different display). UCS R2-D2, Modulars, 41999 Technic Crawler, our four Harry Potter sets. I love Star Wars, and wanted to keep most boxes, but there were just too many. My older son insists on keeping the 7965 Millennium Falcon box, though. Boxes for City sets are easy to get rid of; we like the theme, but there is no emotional attachment unlike Harry Potter or Star Wars. Boxes for small and most medium sets are easy to toss these days; we kept them for awhile but it became a lot of work just to organize and store those. We do debate on whether to keep some of the boxes for big sets.

I have not done a lot of research, but it seems like that only rare and/or really old used sets see significant increases in value on the secondary market when the box is included. I know Train stuff does well on the secondary market, but it appears the addition of the box has little impact on the value. The Train fans want the train set. On the other hand, sets like the 10179 Millennium Falcon can see a nice increase in value if the box is included.

Edited February 20, 2014 by BimmerBoy

[LEGO Historian]

I want to just toss them, but on the advice of the wife, I carefully flatten them and store them in one of those space saver vacuum seal bags for protection. I don't really care for them, but I think the wife hopes that I will one day sell my massively growing collection. She knows that I could probably get more money with the box. I'm not selling my sets! But, I'll satisfy her by just storing them under the bed. She can dream. Haha.

Thanks for sharing that very funny anecdote AncientDayz... your very thoughtful wife!! ... the eternal optimist!

[jimmynick]

I keep my boxes. If I want to put a set in the cupboard, I just disassemble it a bit and slide it in the box, and it stacks perfectly on top of all the other things in there.

[sin]

I used to save every box until I moved this past November. When I was packing and I saw how much room they were taking up in my attic the decision became very easy for me...

[legolijntje]

I always keep my boxes until it reaches a certain amount where I start thinking "Why? " and I trow them all away and the circle starts again.

There are a few special boxes I keep though, such as the Limited Edition 41999.

[CP5670]

I keep the boxes since most of my collection is from 2000 or earlier, when the boxes were a lot nicer. So far, I have been keeping the modern boxes too just for the sake of continuity, but I will probably throw those away at some point when I start running out of space. Only a few like the Architecture boxes are worth keeping.

[escortmad79]

Only boxes I have kept are for the Modulars, Delorean, VW Camper Van, Emerald Night, Horizon Express & Town Square, all others get binned

Edited February 26, 2014 by escortmad79

[Blondie-Wan]

I throw away most boxes since I have too little space already, but I do try to hang on to certain items:

- particularly attractive packaging, and/or boxes designed with reusability in mind, such as ones that can be opened with little or no damage and then reclosed (the Architecture-style boxes, for example, though I don't yet have any actual Architecture sets; the CUUSOO Back to the Future set's box is one such box, though); this also includes things like plastic bulk buckets and tubs, screw-top plastic canisters, etc.

- packaging that goes with other packaging I'm keeping (so for example, since I'm keeping the CUUSOO Back to the Future Time Machine box, I'll probably keep the CUUSOO Hayabusa box to go with it, and any other CUUSOO sets I get; most of them seem to be among the nicer boxes anyway, so I'd just be throwing away one or two if I threw away any, and if that's the case I think I'd like to just have all of them together)

- packaging that can be considered a building element (this one is pretty obvious; I'm sure most of us don't throw away hard plastic containers with usable studs on top, say, but there are also borderline cases like the vacuum-formed blister packages for the earlier Star Wars minis, which included a molded relief of a 2x4 brick on the front; it was probably meant more for decoration than anything, but as it's sized to LEGO bricks it does actually attach to them)

- packaging that doesn't take up that much space, so why not (for example, I like to keep polybags, Minifigure packets, etc. - not necessarily every single one I open, but at least one of each set or Minifigure series)

- packaging from Star Wars sets pertaining to the original movie (Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope), and any / all Indiana Jones sets

- Advent Calendar boxes

Edited February 20, 2014 by Blondie-Wan

[AFOLguy1970]

We were keeping boxes in the attic, but it is full. I have started to place them in the recycling bin. Really, they have no use. If I break down a set, the parts are stored in bags rather than the original boxes. We do not have a lot of room.

[kinggregus]

Initially, when I restarted buying Legos I was keeping all my boxes and was keeping my sets in these. However, after moving places, I figures there was really no use in keeping these boxes and they were taking a lot of place. In fact, I already find it difficult to find place to store my bricks, I am glad I do not have to worry about the boxes.

I also fail to understand the value of boxes, If I am purchasing a set second hand, I am buying it either for its display value or its bricks, certainly not for the box. Moreover, a lego box is in most instance already damaged when you open it (It is not like a shoe box).