Another theft ring busted.

[Borador]

They had to damage the boxes to get the anti theft thingy off, then they walk out with the set. Later on someone buys the same set to get a receipt and takes away the new set. Then they return with the damaged set and the receipt and get a refund. So keeping the new set for free.

And NOBODY noticed this? Nobody? I mean, I realize this was probably very well planned out... But seriously? Wouldn't they notice how many damaged sets they had?

[Modelmaker]

Probably because of minimum wage. They don't get paid enough to notice. I worked in a big chain store for a few months, and not even the managers could care less when packages where damaged. We once opened 4 radio controlled controlled cars and raced them around the store after hours and all the manager said was "make sure they go in returns."

Returns was the place out back in the store room where the damaged stuff gets returned for a refund to the company that supplied them to the shop in the first place.

Edit: and also the company accepting the returned goods nearly always only required the barcode off the damaged package to pay the refund. The goods in the package where either thrown in the dumpster or the staff was allowed to take them home at at huge discount.

Edited August 20, 2014 by Modelmaker

[Artanis I]

And NOBODY noticed this? Nobody? I mean, I realize this was probably very well planned out... But seriously? Wouldn't they notice how many damaged sets they had?

It wasn't just a single incident at a single store.

[m0dulo]

And NOBODY noticed this? Nobody? I mean, I realize this was probably very well planned out... But seriously? Wouldn't they notice how many damaged sets they had?

Somebody noticed.

[Vindicare]

What I don't get...is the "stuffing them in gift bags...walking out with them". Um...what? I've been to TRU many times, but never heard of walking out with a gift bag, much less full of stuff without being checked...

[Lego Otaku]

Yep, if you want to headline one of the most expensive lego sets on the reseller market and assume the that ring has being going on for years. As a former prosecuting attorney, it sounds more like an inflated police value estimate. Like when the cops bust someone for drugs and their stated street value is several times more than what the actual haul of drugs would bring on the street. Inflation makes the bust look better and sometimes impacts charging/plea bargaining, etc.

What's getting frustrating in a jury situation is the headlining of the possible, but improbable, fact. Sure, maybe they only stole and sold 10179s, Taj Mahals and Statue of Libertys.

Not impossible.............but seriously?

Only the OJ or Zimmerman juries would buy that.

Edit....

Look at the CBS 5 local coverage. Not a lot of $300 sets. Not to mention averaging $300, but I guess I did mention it. Unless they got the the lego back to the future set to actually go back in time, there's no way they averaged $300 a set. Maybe they had $250k in inventory, I can't tell.

Or, unless they got to $300 by figuring he got a refund on a set from the store and then sold the set. But that's beyond my comprehension of how that would work.

I know what you mean by inflating the stuff. I could say I found a 2x4 brick and claimed I found a rare brown and blue marbled brick with $10,000 when it's only a $0.03 blue brick covered in dirt.

[skateboard34]

Man, imagine all that LEGO just sitting in the evidence room.

[m0dulo]

Man, imagine all that LEGO just sitting in the evidence room.

This sounds like a job for Tom Cruise.