How do I price a used LEGO set

Price a used LEGO set from recent sales of the same set number in the same condition. Start with sold prices, then move down if your copy is missing the box, the instructions, or any parts. Do not copy the highest price still listed. Unsold asking prices show what sellers hope for, not what buyers have paid. Do not use the original retail price either, unless the set is still on sale and you are checking that you are not asking more than a new one.

The checker on the homepage is built for this. Search the set, say if the box is opened or unopened, and pick Pristine, Good, or Poor. You get a range based on recent resale prices, adjusted for that condition. Treat the middle of the range as a fair used price when the set is complete. Use the lower end when something is missing or worn. You type the final number yourself on Start selling.

Use the same words the listing form uses, so the price and the label agree. New - Sealed is a factory-sealed box. New - Open Box is unbuilt, with the bags opened or the box opened. Used - No missing parts is a built set that can still be built again, including minifigures. Used - Missing some parts means you know, or you suspect, that pieces are gone, and you say which ones.

A sealed price on a used set does not sell, and it causes disputes. A complete used set with instructions can sit close to other used sales. Take more off for a missing minifigure than for a missing common brick, because the minifigure is often a large share of the set. Sun fade, yellowing, bite marks, and broken parts belong in the description and in the price. Buyers do pay for honest average sets. They do not pay pristine money for them.

Look at live listings in the catalogue for the same set, and ignore copies that are vague about missing parts. Those listings are not your competition if yours is clearer. If every similar set is cheaper, match them or explain why yours is better, such as a clean box and an unapplied sticker sheet. If nothing is listed, the homepage range is the better guide than a guess.

• The set number matches the instructions and the photos.
• You have compared used sales, not sealed sales, if your set has been built.
• Box, instructions, sticker sheet, and minifigures are each marked as included or missing.
• The price is one you would accept. You keep that amount. See fees.
• Postage is sensible for the size. A low item price plus a huge parcel still feels expensive. Read delivery tips.

An incomplete set should be priced as incomplete, with the missing pieces named. Buyers will pay for a set that needs three common bricks. They will not pay a complete price and then discover the only minifigure is gone. If the minifigures are worth more apart than the rest of the set, you can sell them separately and price the remaining build lower. That is a choice about time, explained in how to sell minifigures.

Leave yourself a price you do not need to argue about. Offers and messages are slower than a clear price. If the set does not sell, reduce it after you have checked the photos and the condition label, not before. A good price plus a dull photo still fails. Sort the description first, then the number. The wider question of whether the sale is worth doing is covered in is it worth selling second-hand LEGO.