The Problem with buying Used LEGO... 😓
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2024
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Hydrogen Peroxide LEGO Technique: • How to Restore Discolo...
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The biggest problem I have encountered when buying used LEGO is when it comes from a smoker’s house. Even after washing it thoroughly, the smell lingers for quite a while.
There is a spray you can buy can't remember the name but it does a wonderful job getting the smell out
@@masterchief1507 if you ever remember the product name, I would be interested to know.
My yellow submarine set absolutely reeked while I was building it. It doesn’t anymore, but it definitely made the building experience less fun. They didn’t disclose it, but they did price it below market value.
@@emmarosestrong yeah, it really can ruin the building experience and it makes me feel like I don’t want to mix those pieces in with the rest of my other pieces.
@@TheLegoStud Ozium spray might help, it’s an air sanitizer that really helps get rid of the smoke smell
I have used the hydrogen peroxide method you mentioned several times and it has always worked very well. The yellowed white and gray parts have been restored.
If you want to try it too, here are a few tips:
- Dust the Legos or better clean them with soapy water before doing the process
- Use hydrogen peroxide 12% food grade 5 ltr. (approx. 22€ at Amazon with shipping)
- Wait for a very sunny, cloudless summer day
- Use gloves!!
- Put the yellowed Lego pieces in a clear (!) plastic box (no lid) and pour the peroxide on it.
- Leave the legos in the sun with the peroxide for a full day (too long didn't cause any damage)
- Stir every hour or so
- Use a sieve to finally separate the Legos from the peroxide
- Pour the peroxide back into the container. It can easily be used multiple times
- Clean the Lego pieces with water really good and then let them dry on a towel (not in the sun!)
- Do not expose the parts to the sun in the future to avoid yellowing again
It is interesting that the yellowing happens due to sun exposure and then to revert it you use peroxide and... need to use sun exposure! Ah the irony of science. Thanks for the tips
You can also use UV bulbs if you're up to that.
@@KnightlyNeon Doesn't that use a lot of energy though?
@@axel6269 depends what size bulb you get. The bigger the bulb, the more wattage it will consume.
I actually get a question about it. I've used hydrogen peroxide on my old white bricks and it worked quite well. I had them in a box (without acces to any form of light) and after like 2 years i came back to them and they were even more yellow that before. What I did wrong?
i’d LOVE a video on how to dust, maintain, and preserve lego that’d be an awesome guide for beginner collectors!
great tips for buying used lego and anything used in general; know exactly what you’re buying and what condition it’s in, and know what you might need to replace/repair on it.
I’d suggest using a computer duster. The compressed air cans you can buy for like 2$ just blast the legos and you should be good man
The yellowing on building sets is the patina feature that comes with time, like with all real life buildings. ;)
Only if you store them in sunlight. UV is what causes this.
1,500 is a steal yellowed or not. Nice buy!!!
My basic rules for buying used Lego. #1 - if the seller says it is complete, assume it is actually missing 1-5% of the correct pieces. #2 - if the seller says it is nearly complete, assume it is missing 5-20% of the correct pieces. #3 - look at Bricklink, find the expensive pieces, then make sure the pictures of the used set has them.
Exactly, there is almost never a (larger) set, that is really 100% complete, even if it comes from a professional seller.
Good tips! I often use your suggestion of finding the most expensive pieces and focusing on the inclusion/ condition of those. Helpful when looking at partial sets too that can be a real good bargain if the $$ pieces are all there and you just need to source some cheap parts.
I’ll add too that stickers can often be the most expensive part, and there are some excellent third party sticker companies that can help if that doesn’t conflict with your purist values 😊
Traveling around Europe, one quickly realizes that the wonderful, real-life buildings these sets emulate, have aged over many decades or centuries. The aging process adds character and patina to the façades, sides and backs of buildings. So yellowing is not necessarily a problem, just like holes and tears in expensive jeans designed to look worn-in.
Totally agree Everything looking brand new is an American thing
7:00 on - The Price for these Modulars are generally related to the cost to part it out. GG is so expensive because of the rarity of the Green and the same for the Cafe, Fire Brig with the dark red and blue. As well as The town hall for its color choices. Additionally the dark red was a pour casting and tend to be brittle.
I have to say; I use lots of used legos. Reason is simple: PRICE!. When in comes to yelowed bricks I think it looks ok, makes the city look what it sopose to be: A dirty, alive and kicking city :)
Yikes, when you turned the Fire Brigade around that hurt!
Question for you- do you worry that your LEGO sets will fade since you have an exposed window on your set? I know in my LEGO room, I've completely sealed up the windows and blocked them with bookshelves so I get absolutely no natural light.
Im trying with Hydrogen Peroxide and it works but someone says that they turn more yellow in less time, so in part is a good solution, but on the other hand I hope that my pieces will not turn yellow in few motnhs
I did the peroxide way with my 1990 set and confirm in a year my yellowed parts are still very white.
@@MrMatejulc really? Oh thanks, it's a dream to hear this, what concentration of peroxide do u use?
@@roarylabs I did it with 3%. Left it on a window. I did grey and white.
@@MrMatejulc ok perfect, the same as me, thanks!
@@roarylabs I must warn you though, after 2 years it will return to its original yellowed form
For few times that I bought used LEGO, I have always had a good time.
same
Peroxide usually works but yellow eventually returns. Sunlight is the issue. Even indirect daylight from a window will do it over time.
Yeah, I got the midi scale falcon for a fiver near the end of last year, and it was heavily discoloured with a few missing pieces, but I managed to replace alot of the yellowed pieces with newer parts, and improvised some landing gear as those parts are missing, and it looks pretty good
Another con with buying used Lego is missing pieces/figures and broke pieces in general which kinda scares me, partly because people aren’t always truthful/trust worthy!
I’ve been trying to collect the Modulars over the past 2 years, and man is it rly hard once all you need is the first ones. I just bought a brand new palace cinema, which I’m happy about paying extra for
I literally just bought a UCS TIE Fighter and while it looks amazing, it came preassembled.
While not as bad as yellowing or smoker's smell, it's a tiny nitpick I've had over the years. I mean yeah, I could just disassemble it and I will in the future, but it's another point that I think should be noted, even if its not as important, or might not even matter depending on the person.
Drop it 😈
Bought 84lbs of Lego from a few people last month. Got 15lbs of non-lego, and probably 1-2lbs of dust and pubes. It's freaking glorious!
Yellowing happens due to sun exposure, like leaving them by the window (hint, hint-AT-AT and A Frame Cabin). Peroxide works but it returns to yellow after a few months. Just replace the bricks with new ones and throw those out. This is why I always piece together classic space sets because they have a lot of white and used sets are usually always yellowed.
It doesn't always return to yellow. I've done this multiple times and it lasts for me. But I also keep my sets out of the sun and room temperature areas.
Don’t throw them! There’s plenty of MOC builders who embrace yellowed bricks, particularly the greys for castle builders. And they’re perfectly fine for filler bricks.
It seems to occur even in sealed sets and dark basements so light might not be the only factor
@@user-op8fg3ny3j Heat and florescent lighting seem to be the other factors so if it's in a dark basement that is not air conditioned in the summer or is too hot in the winter due to a furnace, they will yellow.
@@TonyMontanaDS
Official statement on legos yellowing.
Our quality team found out that exposure to direct sunlight, temperature variations and extremes, and exposure to cigarette smoke are some of the reasons why our super LEGO bricks can change color slightly over time
Ayyy thanks for the unintentional cameo!! 😂 I can say that for me the hydrogen peroxide method really worked!! But you definitely need a very sunny day and be careful not to leave them too long 5:40
I'm getting back into lego and want to get into making Bionicle mocs. So far I've bought a few hero factory sets, (Von Nebula looks amazing) and I haven't gotten a lot yet but at the moment the quality of stuff is great apart from slightly bitten pieces here and there. Certainly not worse than what my younger self did to some of the pieces I did already own. I'll spare you the details but I had to throw them out which sucks. Had to throw out a golden G2 Kopaka mask.
Usually i have had a good experience with sellers but there have been bad experiences aswell like missing figures or other parts that were supposed to be included. The most dissapointing purchase that comes to mind was trough bricklink when i bought the original mandalorian starfighter that had the box, instructions, all parts and figs. Everything else was good but pre vizsla had been replaced with a regular blue mandalorian. Seller never got back to me after i messaged them multiple times
My Fire station, Grand Emporium and Pet shop all yellowed from the rear. I left them displayed on a table in a sunny room 12 years ago for a few months, and then put them away. When i rebuilt my Lego city last year, i was very disapointed to find that they had yellowed.
Don't forget also that those early modulars are full of brittle brown pieces. Have to be very gentle when building and unbuilding...
Anytime I buy a used set that is supposed to be 100% or missing 1 or 2 pieces. But then when I build it it’s always missing a handful of pieces and usually specialty pieces
I've only ever purchased a couple of sets used and asked before purchasing if they were from non smoking homes (they were). I've been lucky with not having any yellowing, but not so much with caked on dust which is easy to remove with a bit of effort.
I got really lucky. I had a great haul on eBay the other day. I got over 9 sets of Guardians of the Galaxy and over 20 sets of Batman retired Legos. Only pieces missing was a few weapons from a couple sets but everything else was there. I got all of it for $275 with another set thrown in for free which was a Star Wars set Bobas Fetts Starship. It definitely made my collection grow and the amount of mini figurines I got with it is incredible.
you mean Slave I?
@@kellerhammer4613 yes. I was going off what the listing description said. Thanks!
I've done the hydrogen peroxide thing on some white parts. i just dumped them in a clear container with a lid for a week with the HO and they were like 90% new after
After I bought Fire Brigade when it was released I built Cafe Corner and Green Grocer with spare parts and bricklink, was a fun project!
I bought 2 lego sets used so far and both had missing pieces. Got the missing pieces but still that's 2+ weeks of waiting to finish the set. The first one was the stormtrooper helmet and the pieces were like trying to connect noodles together they were so loose fitting. But no yellowing for either of them and even the stickers were still in good shape. So always get a full 360 pics in a bright setting or ask if it was in a non smoker house
I've bought a few used sets and the minifigs are almost always missing and often pieces are broken, weak or discoloured. Also, LEGO from a smoker is just awful.
I bought used sets recently from three different people. Only one of them was totally honest. The other two said only certain pieces were missing and of course like the dumbass I am I took their word for it. It was that or sit there and count out the pieces, which would have taken forever. I purchased the missing pieces, but I don't think I am ever buying an disassembled used set ever again, or we are going to meet at a coffee shop or something and I am going to sit there and count the pieces 😆. Luckily, I haven't had a problem with missing minifigures.
@@EchoBaseplates So true. The missing/broken pieces have never been showstoppers for my sets, but it's disappointing to pay a huge amount of money for something incomplete or damaged.
I buy used bulk, yes yellowing is one thing, cracking is a big thing, it has happened in almost every color for me. Sometimes with lego on lego stacking connections, sometimes the piece is just loose and when I go to use it it splits. I have a temperature controlled environment aswell.
I sold my Green Grocer. I got a ton of new sets and don't miss it at all!
Wondering if this might turn arround into a trend instead of devalueing a set....if you got a totally beat up ´64 Fender Strat - would you take it to a paint shop ?? Companies selling worn out jeans with holes in it...list goes on...patina has a value - at least to some folks!
And by the way - for rock work a mix of yellowed pieces, old gray and the newer grays works darn well 😀
Bricks and Minifigs in Ontario California has a Palace Cinema on their website!
yellowed pieces are usually cheap and easily replaced. Its the rare pieces that cost money and those pieces usually dont yellow
I fully thought they had replaced some light bluish gray bricks with light nougat when the set was turned around
Hi David. I couldn’t find this as a topic that you may have already covered: brittle bricks. I picked up a used Unexpected Gathering. It arrived in great shape, very clean but I wanted to deconstruct it and enjoy the build for myself. Well, you can see where this is going. After the shock of the first couple brown bricks breaking up under the brick separator I just stopped. What I’m wondering is, will this also be a problem buying older sets NISB? Thanks
some colors are known to be prone to break, for old browns and dark red it’s very typical, I imagine new pieces will be slightly better but you just have to be wary with those colors
Yeah unfortunately NISB sets have the same issue. The bricks have begun to degrade inside the box sadly
My mini has gone yellow across the full roof, so I’m replacing the pieces. I’m actually ordering dark grey instead of white not only to make it my own but so that it hopefully doesn’t yellow again.
isnt the assembly square still available on lego store?
Pull the Modular Buildings apart, wash and dry the lego, remove the damaged parts and replace and rebuild........
When I am buying used LEGO bricks, I mostly order it from one of my favorite shops which I know, delivery it still in a good shape.
You focused on yellowed pieces. What was my concern after buying 3 used modulars is time. They were in a pretty good shape but there was some dust and in general they did not "feel fresh" (a bit sticky). I bought them built, so I had to take them apart, wash them, dry and finally sort to rebuild one day (I wanted to rebuild them anyway, so that's not a problem here). However, the time needed to clean, dry and sort - few hours per set. Was it worth $200 that I possibly saved? Not sure, not sure...
The de-yellowing thing works okay. it wont give you a perfect brick back. but it does help. The biggest ting is to get a system so the bricks are submerged all the time, other wise you will get an uneven result!
Well if you're buying used sets on Bricklink, most sellers say if they have yellowing or not. It's kinda unfair to say that buying used sets is a bad idea when YOU AGREED to get it when it shows yellowing.
4:37 I’m calling you out, LEGO is the proper pluralization of our beloved hobby. Love your content.
From my experience with the hydrogen peroxide, the white parts look great. Even badly yellow ones can look almost new, but may take a couple days in summertime sun light to restore. Also, the hydrogen peroxide degrades as it's being used. That's why it comes in opaque bottles. It can be reused, but it get continually less effective.
On non-white parts, I've notice the process does get rid of the yellowing, but the color is not the same after the process.
I mix yellowed bricks with fresher ones in builds ads a nice striation and color gradient taht I think adds realisim
Eyes the window in David's studio... 🪟👀
At that point, why not just buy the pieces new? Why do you need to buy the whole set all together? I don't understand the hype you LEGO content creators promote buying full sets (new or used) when LEGO puts instructions for free online and you could easily find the pieces list online
I've noticed that yellowing only seems to happen randomly I have lots of sets been on display and it's weird only some pieces have changed
I am really looking forward to watching your video on dusting Legos, it's a huge problem for me and I would love to see your opinion!
If you have the box you can order replacement pieces from Lego if only a couple pieces are yellowed or damaged. I don’t believe they charge if it’s a small amount of pieces as I’ve gotten a couple sets used and gotten replacements from Lego’s official site
Hey bro buy the Sesame Street set before it retires. I found some instructions to turn it into a modular on rebrickable and it’s my favorite Modular in my layout. I also bought a second Central perk and turned that one into a double decker Modular. Check out rebrickable if you’re getting into lego city building!! Also I’d love a showcase video eventually! Keep up the good work!
Does anyone know where I can specifically buy “yellowed” lego bricks.
I like using yellowed white pieces because they can look so close to tan. You can create cool coloring by mixing tan and yellowed white to create a natural look.
I retrobrighted my 2008 ATTE. The yellowing went away but a month later it came back even worse than before. It isn’t worth doing, just buy the pice off bricklink.
The assembly square is still available new
Just got the Simpsons house advertised as complete, but oh my lord it was missing the skateboard ramp and about 50 plus other pieces missing
3:33 *Assembly Square left the chat*
Man, I treasure my Green Grocer since getting it in early 2009. Trust me, yellowing can't be avoided, even with the utmost care.
That happened to me. i bought a used voltron and found that some of the base grey pieces looked like they where left by a heater and had melted the seller was great and gave me a refund for the price of the replacement parts all and all i got lucky and the set is one of my favorites
Can you share the brand/model of that Dyson dusting brush attachment? I'm not finding anything like that on Dyson's website, but I did find a "traceless dust brush" made by Garbage Fighter that claims Dyson compatibility.
Also, what do you to do avoid the vacuum swallowing loose pieces or pieces that get knocked off while dusting with it?
Probably at least 1/3 of my sets I bought used. Been great experience. A couple were bad but I knew going into it. And only one time did I end up with glued pieces 🤦♂️
"Asterkiss"
I have the cafe corner and green grocer, both in pristine condition. What is the best platform if I wanted to sell these as a first-time seller?
Hello There… I was recently at bricks and minifigs getting a medium cup and a lot of the pieces were dirty and scuffed up. I also got some white pieces and some of them were yellowed.
Hi
Well they do buy used bulk from other people so that happens
i thought they said they cleaned them 😂
I didn't think modern colors like 'light bluish grey' were affected by yellowing? Lego stopped putting bromine (fire retardant) in the Lego pre-2000, no? I've never seen discolored light bluish grey bricks. Are you sure that Fire Brigade set wasn't pieced together using old 'light grey' parts?
whats the going rate for all of the modulars new in box as a collection?
Congrats, the green grocer is still ond of my favorites.
7:05 dam I had no idea those parts were that rare. I have 5 just chilling never being used
From all the used LEGO I ever bought, the worst problem is always buying from a smoker's house. I have to leave the pieces soaking on vinegar for multiple days, wash and rinse with dish wash a couple of times and only one week later they are fixed.
The UV technique is well respected in the restoration industry. A few variations of the same method will achieve the same results.. Have used it on hundreds and hundreds of piano keys
is the giveaway only in the USA or around the world
You should really put some blinds up over your window, because all that sunlight is going to turn your sets by the window yellow over time just like the sets you bought.
The yellowing is due to the exposure to sunshine/indirect sunlight. The UV rays are damaging to the pigment and plastic in the bricks. Not just due to legos being used. Some people have used legos for ten years’ and they look brand new. If you keep them in rooms where sunlight isn’t that prevalent.
Good thing you have Whatnot.
I watch restoration videos and there is a technique for removing the yellowing with hydrogen peroxide and a uv light chamber
I recently had a similar experience by a large used set on eBay. From the pictures (no close ups) it looked ok, but as soon as I opened the box the smell hit me. It was obviously from a smokers home and the smell was really strong. The set was only partially dismantled and on closer inspection it was really dirty. A lot of the surfaces were greasy, almost like patches of mud etc - I am actually understating it - the set was filthy and smelly.
I chased the seller for a week to complain when I finally had a response, they pretty much denied it (although I included several pictures - which were irrefutable) they said they would offer a small refund, but only like 5-10% (of a £450.00 purchase price!?!) but pretty much insinuated - despite the pictures - that I was making it up.
It was in such bad condition and the seller so unreasonable that for the first time ever, I left negative feedback - to which they promptly added a response saying I was lying and then reported me to eBay!?!
Although I never heard anything further, it left me with a very bad impression of buying used Lego and have stuck with new, sealed sets ever since.
Bubbling or bad sticker placement as well. Nothing worse than getting a used set then finding out bad stickers on it and then finding replacement sticker sheet starts at $47.
I'm a big fan of pointless red arrows (and circles) in UA-cam video thumbnails. Keep up the good work.
You don't need sunlight, you can use UV lamp and shorten time significantly.
I personally keep all my Lego away from windows and sunlight, never get why people just leave them out to soak up the UV light of course it will yellow
My ucs snowspeeder is slightly yellowed and it makes it look weathered
The hydrogen peroxide does a really good job on the grey but white will always have a little coffee stain effect
pls make a lego dusting video, i have kylo ren's shuttle and it's such pain to see it dusty. i just dunno a way to get the dust out of the studs
Dude said astrekis
I’m going to call shenanigans on a few things here.
1) I’m curious how you can truly be an “expert” but yet no nothing about this hydrogen peroxide procedure to reverse yellowing. It’s really very simple, and I do it year round under UV light. Try it out.
2) that light-bluish gray bracket piece referenced from the Ghost. You either have no clue on that, referenced the wrong piece, or got scammed. That is a 1 cent piece on BrickLink with a 6 month average of 31 cents. It is not a $10 piece.
LEGO even at retail is getting very pricey. Friendly reminder to use BrickLink to piece them together at a potentially cheaper price.
pheeew the green grocer! what a beauty; only one I dont have :(
I spent 3000 on modulars in the last week😭idk if I’ll ever get the grocer, cafe, or town hall though
I only buy used sets if the new ones are way way above my price point and if the set is in very good or excellent condition and complete
😬 That's tough
I have a used green grocer and fire brigade from a smoke free home…any suggestions on where to sell them?
I've bought one used set for a great price, the guy said he spent a pretty penny on completing the set. One piece looks pretty awful and I'm looking into replacing it, but besides that it's in great condition! I'm very picky with my legos in general, but I am looking for some more discontinued sets and would buy second hand again.
Bought a retired Modular on Ebay "A few pieces missing" - ended up being about 45, lucky I have an assortment of parts, but contacted the seller, and he refunded me $50.00, so yeah you have to be careful.
"There is a very big astrokiss..." 1:28
Oh wow I had no idea my green grocer is worth so much 😲
I've bought used minifigures and pieces more than sets
They must have had that side facing a window.
hmm... same age bricks yellowing differently
that NEW plastic THEY are talking about...?
Is whatnot available in Aus?