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 Times reports that this has led to Lego kits (Lego—and the NYT—notice 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 legal community of thieves searching for their subsequent plastic brick rating.
A number of 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 containers, and one other alleged theft of over $10,000 price of Lego merchandise. Final yr, thieves in Oregon have been caught stealing 4,000 Lego units price greater than $200,000, and robbers in California stole more than $100,000 price of Lego units and equipment from a retailer there. The proprietor of that store stated the stolen gadgets 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 just 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 enhance in worth is due to the way in which the system is ready up: A equipment spends about two years on retailer cabinets max, after which is not manufactured once more.
In line with BrickEconomy, a web site devoted to the “economics of Lego,” probably the most useful 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 right this moment, with a median annual progress of about 10.8%, in line with the outlet.
There are a number of different costly units listed, together with a T-rex kit worth nearly $9,000.
In 2024, Artnet reported {that a} uncommon Lego minifigure from the 2000s discovered at a Goodwill in Pennsylvania offered for nearly $20,000 at public sale.
So, it is perhaps time to test your outdated toy bins and closets.
O’Farrell informed the New York Occasions that he made $250,000 final yr and has made much more than that previously when he put extra time into reselling.
By no means, ever “legos.” We might 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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