Have you ever spotted a LEGO® set you really want, only to be put off by the price? The good news is that enjoying LEGO® sets doesn’t have to break the bank. Buying a second-hand LEGO® set can be just as exciting as getting a brand-new one, especially when you find a set in great condition.
The second-hand LEGO® market gives builders and collectors another way to enjoy the hobby without always paying the full price of a brand-new set. At WeBuyBricks, we believe pre-loved LEGO® sets and bricks can make building more affordable while also giving existing pieces another chance to be reused.
Used LEGO® sets can offer great value, particularly when you buy from a specialist seller that checks the condition and authenticity of the pieces before they are listed. And there’s a simple reason why second-hand LEGO® sets can still be in such good condition: the bricks are designed to last.
The used LEGO® market is creating a new way for people to enjoy building, collecting and playing with LEGO® sets without always having to buy new.
At WeBuyBricks, the aim is to help grow awareness of the used LEGO® market and show people that pre-loved LEGO® sets can be an affordable alternative to buying new.
As the team explains:
It's a whole new market, the used LEGO® market. We're trying to build awareness and growing the used LEGO® market. It makes LEGO® more affordable for everybody.
Yes. According to WeBuyBricks, used LEGO® sets are typically around 50% cheaper than buying new LEGO® sets. This can make second-hand LEGO® sets a particularly appealing option for people who want to enjoy building without spending as much.
Typically, our LEGO® sets are around about 50% cheaper than buying new LEGO®.
The lower price doesn't necessarily mean you have to compromise on the experience. LEGO® bricks are designed to be durable and hardwearing, meaning they can continue to be used long after they were first bought.
Of course, there can be exceptions, particularly when it comes to collectable LEGO® sets. Some older, rare or highly sought-after LEGO® sets can become valuable over time, meaning their second-hand price may not always be lower than the original retail price.
For everyday LEGO® sets, however, buying used can be a great way to enjoy building for less.
One of the concerns people can have about buying a used product is whether it will still be in good condition. However, LEGO® pieces are particularly well suited to being bought and sold second-hand because of how durable they are.
The team explains that some LEGO® pieces they see can be around 20 years old, yet can look very similar to a brand-new piece.
Where see pieces that can be 20 years old, you put them against a new piece and it's very hard to tell the difference.
This durability is one of the reasons LEGO® sets and pieces can have such a long life. Rather than being used once and forgotten, LEGO® bricks can be built, taken apart and enjoyed again and again.
WeBuyBricks uses technology to help identify LEGO® pieces that don't meet the required condition. The sorting machine has blemish detection technology built into it. If the system identifies a piece with issues such as bite marks, a deep scratch or a crack, it can automatically reject that piece.
This helps WeBuyBricks maintain the quality of the LEGO® pieces that are offered to customers.
A machine actually has blemish technology built into it. So, if it sees a piece that maybe has that bite marks in or a deep scratch or or that's cracked, it will reject that piece automatically.
The aim is to make sure customers can feel comfortable buying used LEGO® pieces, knowing that pieces with damage are identified and rejected during the sorting process.
There isn't just one type of person interested in used LEGO® sets. The second-hand market can appeal to different types of builders and collectors for different reasons. Some customers are collectors who have dedicated spaces in their homes for their LEGO® collections, including sets displayed in glass cases. Others are particularly interested in sustainability and deliberately choose used LEGO® sets rather than buying new. There are also people who simply want to enjoy building LEGO® sets while sticking to a tighter budget.
For collectors, buying used LEGO® sets can provide another way to find and enjoy sets for their collections. While some people buy second-hand LEGO® sets because they are more affordable, collectors may have different reasons for choosing used sets.
Some collectors are interested in finding rare, discontinued or highly sought-after LEGO® sets that are no longer available to buy new. Older LEGO® sets can become particularly appealing to collectors, especially when they are difficult to find or have become part of a specialist collection.
Some collectors have dedicated rooms where they display the LEGO® sets they have built, including sets kept in glass cases. For these collectors, finding a particular set can be about much more than simply getting a good price. Sometimes it can be about completing a collection or owning a set they have been looking for.
The value of collectible LEGO® sets can also be very different from that of typical second-hand sets. Rare or sought-after sets can sometimes increase in value over time, meaning collectors may be willing to pay more for a particular set because of its age, rarity or demand.
For some people, choosing used LEGO® sets is about more than saving money. They deliberately buy pre-loved LEGO® pieces because they want existing products to be used for longer.
Instead of allowing LEGO® bricks to sit unused, the second-hand market gives them an opportunity to be enjoyed by another builder.
We're taking pre-loved LEGO® [sets], pre-used LEGO® [bricks], and allowing it to be used time and time and time again.
This means the same LEGO® pieces can have multiple owners and continue to be part of new builds over many years.
LEGO® bricks are designed to be durable, so they don't necessarily need to have just one owner or one life.
A used LEGO® piece can become part of a completely different build, be passed on to another person and continue to be enjoyed.
The team believes that this is an important part of the used LEGO® market: giving existing LEGO® pieces the opportunity to be used repeatedly rather than simply being put away and forgotten.
It's a highly well engineered, robust product, and it should be used time and time again, not just sat up into the loft. It needs be reused.
The used LEGO® market therefore offers more than a cheaper way to buy LEGO® sets. It gives existing bricks and sets another opportunity to be enjoyed by someone new.
LEGO® pieces are designed to be durable and hardwearing, meaning they can remain in good condition even after years of use. The team has seen LEGO® pieces that are around 20 years old which can be difficult to tell apart from new pieces.
WeBuyBricks uses a sorting machine with blemish detection technology. If the system identifies a LEGO® piece with issues such as bite marks, a deep scratch or a crack, it can automatically reject the piece.
Used LEGO® sets can appeal to collectors, people who deliberately choose pre-loved products for sustainability reasons and people who are looking for a more affordable way to enjoy building LEGO® sets.
Yes. LEGO® pieces are durable and can be built, taken apart and used again and again. The used LEGO® market gives pre-loved pieces an opportunity to be used again by new owners rather than sitting unused.
Used LEGO® sets can be a more affordable alternative to buying new LEGO® sets. WeBuyBricks says its used LEGO® sets are typically around 50% cheaper than buying new, helping make LEGO® building more accessible to people with different budgets.
The used LEGO® market gives existing LEGO® sets and pieces another opportunity to be used. It can make LEGO® building more affordable while encouraging people to reuse durable LEGO® pieces rather than leaving them unused.
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