r/legoinvesting

About six months ago I posted here about my shift from small-scale LEGO investing/reselling sealed sets to renting out sets. The post got a lot of skeptical but fair reactions. I promised an update after six months, so here it is — honest numbers included.

Quick recap

I launched Bergh Bricks in The Hague, Netherlands in late 2025: a rental service for large and exclusive LEGO sets, aimed at adult fans who want to build without buying. No subscription, just pick a set, build it, return it. I started with 37 sets. I now have 48 sets available, with a clear shift toward larger sets. Total rental weeks across all sets: 133.

What the skeptics said — and whether they were right

"Nobody will pay to rent LEGO." Wrong, but not by a landslide. We've completed over 50 rental transactions in six months, across 43 different customers. Small numbers, but consistent and growing month over month. I launch in the beginning of December, but only started google advertising halfway through January (missing the run-up to the Christmas holiday period).

"Returned sets will be a nightmare." Less of an issue than expected. People follow the set-based return instructions carefully. The checking system I described (precision scales, (minifigure) checklists) works really well. Maximum of 4 missing pieces across any single rental, and every renter has received their full deposit back. Zero missing minifigures across 133 rental weeks — which was probably the biggest concern.

"You'll never break even." Mixed picture, and worth being honest about. The large sets are performing well: my first Rivendell cost €400 and has already generated €270 in rental income, continuously rented since it arrived. The Millennium Falcon is in the same boat. On the other end, some sets are barely moving — the Eldorado Fortress cost €170 and hasn't been rented once yet. Sets with an original RRP under €100 are also underperforming expectations.

The bigger surprise was advertising costs. Google Ads targeting "lego huren" (Dutch for LEGO rental) turned out to be necessary to drive consistent traffic of 25-40 online visitors a day. I'm spending about €10 per day on ads, which I hadn't fully accounted for in my original calculations. Monthly rental revenue is around €350, costs are roughly the same — so currently close to break-even.

The fix is twofold. Firstly: scaling the business with 5-10 more €200+ high-demand sets I expect rental income to clearly outpace the fixed ad spend. The Millennium Falcon and a second Rivendell both came online in March and are already continuously rented, which is a good sign. I let customers and followers vote on which sets to add, making sure I buy sets that are in demand. Secondly is retention and creating returning customers. In March I got my first two returning customers after a reaching-out email which I sent out as a test. This has become a permanent step in my workflow to increase the "lifetime value" of a a customer.

Worth noting: I run this alongside a full-time job, so I don't need this to replace an income. The goal has always been for sets to pay for themselves before they eventually go to the second-hand market or into my personal collection.

I've fully stopped reselling sealed sets. The only exception is the occasional GWP. The focus is 100% rental. The plan to rotate out underperforming sets still stands, but I'm giving it at least two years gather sufficient data before making those calls.

The LEGO investor angle — why this is relevant here

Retiring sets are a core part of the business model. Post-retirement demand for the building experience doesn't disappear — but buying them becomes expensive fast. Renters get the full build for roughly 10% of the current market price. Four sets in the collection are retiring in July 2026, including the Gringotts Wizarding Bank and Ferrari Daytona SP3 — both added specifically for this reason.

What's next

LEGO 11377 Minas Tirith releases June 1st. I'll be at the launch event at the LEGO Store in Mall of the Netherlands and start sorting 8,000+ pieces that same evening. Two sets from BrickLink Designer Program Series 7 are also coming.

Happy to answer questions — including the skeptical ones. Six months ago you kept me sharp, and that was useful.

Bergh Bricks is based in The Hague, Netherlands. Sets can be shipped nationwide or picked up locally.

Given shipping costs, platform fees, taxes, etc., how is there any margin? This isn’t even accounting for the time it takes to scour for deals, buy multiple copies at those prices (most sites cap bulk purchasing), timing sales, choosing which sets will pop post-retirement…

It seems the only way to make decent money is with a huge upfront investment, and that obviously comes with risk and its own set of problems.

Hey everyone, I need some advice from EU LEGO resellers/investors.
I’m trying to find the best platforms in Europe for selling retired LEGO sets (3+ years after retirement).
So far:
Bricklink feels very slow
Amazon seems like too much work with fees/FBA/returns
eBay has been terrible for me, around 4/5 buyers were scammers or problematic
I’d honestly really appreciate any advice or direction from people with experience in the EU market.
Are there any better alternatives where retired sets move faster and prices are still good?
Maybe Facebook groups, marketplaces, auction sites or reseller communities?
Thanks a lot in advance 🙏

I’ve heard a few mixed reviews about whether people think this set will rise or not in the future, tons of ppl think itll sky rocket cause of the Vader and Jar Jar, but it’s not a ucs set and doesn’t have an anniversary exclusive. But still all the characters are currently exclusive and it’s a new falcon version.

Just wanted to hear ppl’s thoughts, to base if I should grab it or not. I’m also in Canada so it’s more for me kind of compared to US

I work for a nonprofit and got my hands on an old bin of Lego.

I was checking if anything was worth money and while checking the mini figs, I noticed that minifigures parts were not worth much, but when I saw they belonged to Princess Leia, bricklink says its worth 300$ ?

How can four parts be worth 10$ but put them together they're worth 300$?

Thanks.

Very new to buying/building/investing in LEGO and with the big release of upcoming retiring sets I was just curious to know which sets/themes are the ones to invest in (Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, City, Icons, e.g.)

As in which ones will hold the money and hopefully go up in value, thanks.

I want Mina’s Tirith eventually, but will it be cheaper to buy Grond separately and get Minas Tirith on sale in a year or two?

Where do you see the biggest upside in soon to retire sets? (July 31).

Have a couple of Gringotts that I think will see good returns but in the longer term. Looking for a couple of options with good returns in the shorter team.

Thinking a couple of Jaws sets (I built one for my personal collection and love it). Not convinced by the retiring Transformer or D&D sets (not enough Lego interest in the IP in my view). Thoughts?