Toys to Treasure: How to Sell Legos Online for Extra Cash
If you’ve got a collection of old Lego bricks, you could be sitting on a relatively easy way to make extra cash. Lego bricks — especially discontinued Lego sets or rare minifigures — are worth a lot to Lego fans, collectors and children of all ages.
These colorful Danish bricks, originally created in 1936, are among the most beloved and popular building toys. Fun fact: If you laid Legos end to end, the number of plastic bricks sold yearly would circle the world five times.
While not all used Legos hold their original market value, selling Legos online can be a side hustle that nets thousands depending on where you set up a virtual shop. So let’s take a deep dive into how to turn your old toys into someone else’s treasure.
How Much Are Old Legos Worth?
This is the million-dollar question, so to speak. How much is your old Lego collection worth? The good news is there is a vast and very active Lego community, so bricks tend to hold their value across multiple generations.
To glimpse what used Lego sets might be worth, check out the Lego website BrickEconomy. You don’t even need rare Legos to get a good return on your investment. Once Lego discontinues sets, those old Legos sometimes double in value.
Take, for instance, one of the more popular Lego sets called Pirates of Barracuda Bay. When the set was discontinued from toy stores in 2021, it cost $199. Today the same set on eBay fetches upward of $300 depending on condition, an increase in value of about 22% per year. The annual gain on an old plastic brick is one many financial advisors would envy.
7 Steps to Selling Old Lego Bricks
Before you start mining those bins of Lego pieces for secondhand gold, here are a few steps that will help you determine which used Lego sets are worth your time.
1. Sort Your Legos
The first step in the process to sell Lego bricks involves figuring out what you have. Go through your collection and sort your Legos into the following categories.
Used Lego Sets
Complete sets will fetch the best price, provided you have all the pieces. Your best bet is to sell sets you have the boxes and the instructions for, but you can still get a fair price on an unboxed Lego set.
Minifigures
Minifigures — aka Lego people — from Lego sets should stay with the set, but some of the most valuable collector’s items are rare or limited-edition mini figures from special events. For example, a Spiderman minifigure from the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con tops the list with a value of about $9,000.
Individual Bricks
Filter out the damaged or off-brand bricks, but save individual pieces. Several online sites offer options for selling Lego bricks by weight. Even if you don’t end up shipping bags of bricks, local thrift stores or neighborhood garage sales will be thrilled to have them.
If sorting individual Lego bricks sounds tedious, there’s an app for that. Brickit uses your smartphone to scan the pile and identify pieces.
2. Research Your Legos
The best way to decide a fair price for your Lego sets is on a site like Bricklink, where potential customers provide an idea of what your Legos are typically worth.
As most collectors know, Legos only cost what someone is willing to pay. Search through the most wanted sets to see what’s going to sell. You can also find the most valuable set lists on Bricklink and Brick Economy.
There are franchises like Star Wars Lego that hold their value, but sets that create true selling frenzies are from the Lego originals from the 1950s and 1960s.
3. Inspect Your Legos
To determine the condition of your Lego sets and bricks, closely inspect them for damage or broken pieces. Note the part number of any imperfections and pay particular attention to scratches, cracks, discoloration and peeling stickers.
If you plan to sell loose bricks for money, sort them by color and shape. Hint: This is a great job to keep kids busy for a few hours.
Brick Owl has a guide on item conditions for Lego listings. Note that “like new” means bricks are in near-perfect condition without chips or cracks.
4. Assemble Your Legos
Assembling used Lego sets has two purposes. First, you’ll want to have them assembled to take photos for the listing. Second, the best way to determine if your set has pieces missing is to put them together.
Some sets, such as the Lego Creator 3in1, have multiple builds, so get busy with those bricks.
5. Photograph Your Legos
The professional advice of secondhand sellers holds true with Legos as well. Listings with photos (or even better, videos) sell faster and for higher prices. So take your time and carefully catalog and photograph any imperfections.
6. List Your Legos
A detailed listing is a must for Lego collectors. There’s no expectation that vintage Lego sets will be sealed in the original box, but potential buyers expect full disclosure about brick conditions and any missing pieces.
Don’t forget to calculate shipping costs if you sell Legos online through a platform like the Bricklink store or Brick Finds & Flips.
7. Ship Your Legos
Get those bricks in the box and out the door quickly. Not everyone shopping used Legos is a collector, but there’s a chance you could drum up repeat business if you’re courteous and careful.
It’s also worth mentioning that you should never ship Legos (or anything you’re selling secondhand) without receiving payment first.
Where to Sell Lego Bricks and Lego Sets Online
There are quite a few online sites that offer ways to sell Legos. The key to getting a good price is to decide which site specializes in what you have to offer.
Bricklink
Best for rare or discontinued sets
Bricklink is where the collectors hang out, so it’s a good spot to start your own store. This is especially true if you have a bunch of rare or high-value, discontinued Lego sets.
eBay
Best for Lego sets
If you already have an eBay account, this resale platform may be your first stop to sell Legos. However, because the content published on the platform runs the gamut, it may take a little while to find the right buyer.
Amazon
Best for sealed, in-box Lego sets
You can set up a store on Amazon to sell Legos, but this is only feasible for sealed, new, in-the-box Lego sets. Fair warning, but getting approved as an Amazon seller can be complicated and time-consuming.
Facebook Marketplace
Best for damaged Lego sets or missing pieces
You probably use Facebook groups or Facebook Marketplace to sell items locally. Facebook folks love a deal and might be willing to overlook some damage or missing pieces to get it. Just detail imperfections and note that you’re firm on price to cut down on inquiries.
Brick Owl
Best for Lego minifigures
Brick Owl is pretty similar to Bricklink in that you can set up a store and reach a dedicated group of Lego collectors. However, Brick Owl’s bread and butter are Lego minifigures that crowd every Brick Owl collector’s wishlist.
Declttr
Best for selling Lego bricks
Not willing to sort and photograph piles of random Legos? Bag those bricks, weigh them and hop on over to Declttr. They’ll buy Legos, plus other random stuff, for up to $1 per pound.
Other Options for Selling Used Legos
If selling Legos online and shipping them out is a little more work than you bargained for, there are local resale options. Toys like Legos are always hot commodities at yard sales. If you have enough rare or discontinued sets, you could justify getting your own stall at flea markets.
When it comes to Legos, the time and hassle it takes to sell used sets can be worth its weight in gold. In some cases, like the Lego Monorail Airport Shuttle from 1990 (valued at $3,989), literally.
Kaz Weida is a senior staff writer at The Penny Hoarder covering saving money and budgeting. As a journalist, she has written about a wide array of topics including finance, health, politics, education and technology for the last decade.
