So I did some looking for a topic like this and I didn’t find anything. Also I am not sure where this exactly goes, so feel free to move it mods if you need to.
Occasionally I go looking on Amazon for retro/older bionicle sets. Most of the time I find good deals… but then I find offers that make me think that seller is smoking something funky. And that’s what I want to talk about: outrageous prices for older sets. I’ll give you an example:
The day of me typing this, I went looking for Solek (yes, I said that). I always wanted him and I like his character in the story (so far at least). Now we all know he is a 2008 Av-matoran that sold for 8 dollars (I think that price is right). Now how much do you think he is worth brand new? $20? $25? even $30? NOPE, $42 to $60 for a brand new Solek.
(By the way, I did find a Solek set for 12 dollars excluding shipping)
And Solek is not the only outrageously priced set I have seen, any classic set, brand new goes for way beyond what it is actually probably worth. The logic behind these people making these offers baffles me. First off: Bionicle is still relevant and even then: the hiatus wasn’t that long. Second off: and this can correlate with reason number 1: a fair amount of sets from G1 are not that good set wise (you know which sets and waves I am talking about). Thirdly: 2007 and beyond showed a massive decline in part quality. A lot of the parts break and become unusable.
But that is just my opinion. What do you think of this subject? What are some offers on websites like Amazon or Ebay that you think were outrageous or fair? Discuss away.
At times I have to ask: What are these people smoking? I will concede that those sets are big and definitely worth a lot, but that is taking it way too far imo.
It’s really a lot easier to get sets through part lots and the used quality. Most of the prices for mint Bionicles (or any old Lego set) are bound to be much more expensive.
True that. That’s where I usually go for my older sets.
And I just realized that this adds on to the point I made about the prices being outrageous. Using Solek again: What this is telling me is that a Used Solek is worth 12 to 16 dollars; but a brand new one is 42 to 60 dollars? Despite the horrendous quality of the set? I may not be an expert on selling items, but something seems a little off here… in my opinion at least.
I want to say I am surprised so badly, but I’m not. We have all seen this before.
Solek is not worth 16 dollars used, and isn’t worth 42-60 dollars new. Who ever is buying this stuff need to get a life or learn to tell what a good set is. Seriously all you are doing when you buy something like that, for that amount of money, is just making things worse man.
Come on, I mean I can just easily buy the part I need for him on brick link and get him for like less then a few bucks. For a fact, I did at one point, but I gave him the Eljay treatment.
Toa Mata being more than 10 Euros is just overpriced.
I will rather by a Titan CCBS set than any Toa Mata on any other side besides BrickLink, and even then the shipping is more expensive than the actual product.
Avoid Amazon and Ebay when you are buying just the sets. If a large bulk parts pack seller is around with a very low price, go for it, but make sure you dont get jipped and that the shipping is not a pain.
Well to be fair there are good deals on Amazon, but I see what you’re saying. I know I am certainly going over to bricklink for this one set I want to get.
You want to know what the funny thing is? I found a Tahu set used and in like-new condition on Amazon for only 20 dollars with the canister. I’m not trying to defend Amazon by the way, I’m just saying.
20 Dollars + Shipping, which is not a good deal for me. Yeah sure, maybe if you live in the US, but for me shipping costs more than the set in this case.
BrickLink shipping can at least be more modest in certain cases.
