First of all I would like to introduce myself to everyone here in the forum as I am new here! My name is Zach and I'm from the US!

I used to be obsessed with Lego star wars sets as a kid and still have all of them on display in my room. I have been slacking on the collection of these sets the past few years as my dad used to fund my lego addiction. But alas, the day came that he no longer would. So now that I am capable of funding this myself, I am looking to get back into it (once I find more space to put them! )

Anyway my question is do all retired sets go up in value? I ask because I was wondering if it would be worth it to pick up an extra of each set that I buy and keep it sealed in hopes that I would one day see a return on my investment. I obviously wouldn't waste my time on little $10 sets but what about ones in a little higher price range such as $60-$120 range?

So do all sets go up in value, or just certain ones that are the most popular (like UCS sets) ?

Any input is appreciated and I would like to say thanks in advance for any responses!

In general, it seems that sets are more likely to increase in value if they (a) are the first set representing a given subject (especially true for ships) or are the first to contain a minifigure of a given character; (b) are unusually expensive to begin with; and/or © are held for an extremely long time. Some sets or groups of sets become unpredictably more valuable as time goes on, or gain in value very little. For instance, Ice Planet (an early space theme, a kind of Power Miners of that day) sets are highly valuable, while Spyrius, another space theme that ran at the same time, costs about the same to buy now as it cost back then. In general, all sets increase in value, but the rate of increase varies and may sometimes not be worth it.

But, I say go ahead!

Thanks for the response! Very informative and I'll keep it in mind when looking for new sets. Somehow I never managed to buy the original death star! So that's going to be my next lego star wars purchase (very excited!) hopefully I can still find it somewhere as I've realized they are disappearing rather quickly. I wish I had an extra chunk of change to save that one because i feel like that one might be worth quite a bit in about a year or so

VK-318's explanation was superb. There is a lot that effects the value of the set, such as how iconic the set itself and the minifigures included, not to mention the quality of the set has a major role too. For instance, Jabba's Palace has all three of those things, with a high price which as VK mentioned increases the value of the set after its retirement. Which means that Jabba's Palace is very likely to be expensive in a few years from now while it remains retired.

An example of a set not doing well in retirement is the Starhopper that was released last Summer. The set itself only had several dim appearances in the Clone Wars and it's figures were rather mediocre. The quality of the set is inadequate too, with a blocky design and only one play feature that is decent. So don't expect this one to be extremely successful when Lego stops producing it.

So to answer your question, the set's success in retirement depends on the set itself, with the previously stated reasons. So a quick examination of the box should let you know whether or not you should buy a second one for investment. Also I know I made this sound misleading about pricing, but a high price doesn't necessarily mean that it will do well, just increases the chances on an expensive set that's appealing. Feel free to ask more questions and welcome to Eurobricks.

There's been a whole discussion about this on the forum covering the full range of arguments for and against investing in LEGO. Look it up. My takeaway personally is that it is not worth investing money in LEGO. But read it for yourself and draw your own conclusion I say.

VK-318's explanation was superb. There is a lot that effects the value of the set, such as how iconic the set itself and the minifigures included, not to mention the quality of the set has a major role too. For instance, Jabba's Palace has all three of those things, with a high price which as VK mentioned increases the value of the set after its retirement. Which means that Jabba's Palace is very likely to be expensive in a few years from now while it remains retired.

which jabbas palace are you referring to? the original one (4480) or the newer one (9516)

and also do you guys think that any of the clone wars sets will be worth money eventually?

which jabbas palace are you referring to? the original one (4480) or the newer one (9516)

and also do you guys think that any of the clone wars sets will be worth money eventually?

It is difficult to say. The 7676 version had gone up in price after it had retired. Not by a lot, but I think the price was ever so slowly increasing. However, they released the new version and its price has plummeted unless of course it is misb, which still sees a bit of a decrease in value, simply because of a newer version being released.

However, something like the Umbaran MHC or the Headhunter, aren't iconic vehicles and only had 1 release, so they may not go up in price because they aren't that sought after... however, they could also go up in price for that exact very reason also!

Who really knows

Who really knows

Absolutely right. The biggest factor, honestly, in the price of a retired set is the whims of the Lego community. Investing in Lego is sort of a gamble, but there is one nice side benefit - if the sets don't sell, you can always just keep them!

which jabbas palace are you referring to? the original one (4480) or the newer one (9516)

I was referring to the newer one, sorry I wasn't specific about that. But the old has been surprisingly successful as well.

I've seen a few sets like the UCS Millennium Falcon and the Cloud City playset reach ridiculous prices on the aftermarket, but a lot of sets don't really gain that much value. If you buy a handful of extra copies of large sets, hit the jackpot and eventually resell all of them for twice what you payed, we're still only talking about $500 profit after you've hung on to the sets for years. Trying to make more by buying lots of copies of sets just to resell later seems risky, and it's also something that I don't think very many of us AFOLs respect.

My view has always been that LEGO is a toy; it is meant to be played with. If you want to invest money in something, there are other things you could do with the money, such as stocks or real estate. Buy the LEGO you want for yourself, open it, build it, enjoy it. Besides, if you're like me, you'll love your collection so much that you won't ever want to sell any of it.

I echo Brickdoctor's words. Get kits you like. If they're worth something then whoopee... if not... then you have kits you like.

My thing when I was a kid was Star Wars figures. Much more than Lego. I played with them every single day of my childhood.

If I'd have kept them carded I'd have made an absolute fortune but I'd still rather have had those years of playing. It bothers me to see carded SW figures from back in the day. Those things were meant to be played with.

If you do want to get Lego sets that you think may be worth something in the future then I'd personally take a look at modular sets. Once they're retired they can steadily rise... there's not too many of them and they're regular... they'll also be on the shelves for years and you'll have a pretty good warning when they're about to go.

Green Grocer and Corner Cafe are good examples. They appeal to AFOLs so you have the right kind of aftermarket spending power.

The only modular style build I have is the Haunted House and I think it's a fantastic set... if it's worth something in the future then so be it... My 5 year old already has her eye on it though so it'll probably go to her but until then I'm very glad I bought it.

I echo Brickdoctor's words. Get kits you like. If they're worth something then whoopee... if not... then you have kits you like.

My thing when I was a kid was Star Wars figures. Much more than Lego. I played with them every single day of my childhood.

If I'd have kept them carded I'd have made an absolute fortune but I'd still rather have had those years of playing. It bothers me to see carded SW figures from back in the day. Those things were meant to be played with.

If you do want to get Lego sets that you think may be worth something in the future then I'd personally take a look at modular sets. Once they're retired they can steadily rise... there's not too many of them and they're regular... they'll also be on the shelves for years and you'll have a pretty good warning when they're about to go.

Green Grocer and Corner Cafe are good examples. They appeal to AFOLs so you have the right kind of aftermarket spending power.

The only modular style build I have is the Haunted House and I think it's a fantastic set... if it's worth something in the future then so be it... My 5 year old already has her eye on it though so it'll probably go to her but until then I'm very glad I bought it.

More recent modulars will not increase in value that rapidly. The first two caught collectors out, but many more people are savvy to them nowadays. As the last few posters have said, enjoy your LEGO as a hobby knowing - and that is already rather unique - that even after you have 'played' with it the set has hardly lost any value. Even if nothing is gained that is already quite a win!

Also, I should mention that a lot of collectors and fans have taken to buying up the parts for a retired set individually and piecing it together, since most of them will display it built, and so that takes away a fair number of buyers who would've been interested in buying a big set after it's ben retired.

I've seen a few sets like the UCS Millennium Falcon and the Cloud City playset reach ridiculous prices on the aftermarket, but a lot of sets don't really gain that much value. If you buy a handful of extra copies of large sets, hit the jackpot and eventually resell all of them for twice what you payed, we're still only talking about $500 profit after you've hung on to the sets for years. Trying to make more by buying lots of copies of sets just to resell later seems risky, and it's also something that I don't think very many of us AFOLs respect.

My view has always been that LEGO is a toy; it is meant to be played with. If you want to invest money in something, there are other things you could do with the money, such as stocks or real estate. Buy the LEGO you want for yourself, open it, build it, enjoy it. Besides, if you're like me, you'll love your collection so much that you won't ever want to sell any of it.

After reading your post I definitely agree with you! Looking at it from this perspective really helped me out because I was really torn on what to do with some of these sets, but after reading this I agree that I should just buy them and not worry about trying to resell them later on. Besides, I'd rather spend my money on more sets that I can build now so that was very helpful!

Aside from star wars sets I'm looking to buy an exo suit set and dark knight tumbler (but that's for another forum!)

which jabbas palace are you referring to? the original one (4480) or the newer one (9516)

and also do you guys think that any of the clone wars sets will be worth money eventually?

The new one will probably go up in value, largely because of some bizarre controversy involving a Turkish Muslim Group in Austria (please dear lord don't ask me to explain, just Google it) lego has sworn that when the set is retired they will never again revisit the subject. of course that might not mean much as there are a lot of those sets out there, and a lot of them have been kept sealed. So there might be a bit of a glut aftermarket for quite awhile.

In general I'd say it's probably not worth it, unless you manage to pick up some sets extremely cheaply. I've got a couple of spare sets which I got fairly cheap. One of those sets has had a remake since and is a better design. So my spare sets will probably go to my nieces or nephew in a few years time.

My only consideration for after market Lego is that I will possibly have a chance to break even one day. But in order to do this I have to get really great deals on retired used sets to offest the loss on new ones. If I can keep my total investment at or around the total re-sale I am happy. But I only collect UCS and the planet series so I am highly limited on set diversity with SW sets. I would never buy sets just to put up. It makes no sense to me because there is such a limited financial gain in it.