Value of Mr. Gold- Opened or Unopened

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royalbrickcustoms
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Value of Mr. Gold- Opened or Unopened

Post by royalbrickcustoms »

Hey all,

As you all probably know that I found Mr. Gold back in July, but have just gotten around to listing it on eBay this past week.

Anyway, my Mr. Gold minifigure is still SEALED in the outer gold packaging. If I open it, would it lower its (sell) value?

Thoughts and comments are welcome.

Thanks,

~RBC
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Re: Value of Mr. Gold- Opened or Unopened

Post by Sir Erathor »

I, for one, wouldn't buy it if it wasn't opened, because there's a very slim possibility that it's not him. I believe you, of course, but someone you don't know at all may not. You should open it, IMO.
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Re: Value of Mr. Gold- Opened or Unopened

Post by royalbrickcustoms »

Sir Erathor wrote:I, for one, wouldn't buy it if it wasn't opened, because there's a very slim possibility that it's not him. I believe you, of course, but someone you don't know at all may not. You should open it, IMO.
Ok thanks buddy. :)

I'll wait for a few more replies first, before I decide what to do! :)

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Re: Value of Mr. Gold- Opened or Unopened

Post by Lil_Curt »

If you had a sure fire way of knowing it is mr gold, ie xray. Then It would hava more value sealed. However there are more colectors who want to see it open with the number card before putting out 600 + for it. I unfortunitly think we hit the bubble on Mr. Gold for now.

If it were me lable it and keep it sealed. Then throw it in a drawer for 10 years. It will be worth even more to a collector at that point.

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Re: Value of Mr. Gold- Opened or Unopened

Post by Sir Erathor »

Good idea Lil_Curt, thn you could get something really awesome with the cash! In ten years it'll be worth a ton! :D
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Re: Value of Mr. Gold- Opened or Unopened

Post by royalbrickcustoms »

True, but by then I will already be graduated from college. I kind of need the money for a laptop, now! :)

We've though about x-ray. I'll see what I can do. :)

Thanks for the advice guys.

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Re: Value of Mr. Gold- Opened or Unopened

Post by SSchmidt »

Mr. Golds peak has long since passed (at least in my opinion).
I think the time to sell him was 6+ months ago.
X-ray is going to cost you some money, and not at all worth it when you can just open him.

I believe the value of the minifig increases when it's opened. Buyers have no way to verify if its Mr. Gold or not, they just have your best judgment.

Now, let me offer my humble eBay selling advice of 10+ years experience.

1.) If you set a reserve, you're not going to sell him. Likely, your reserve will be what you feel he is worth and not what current market value is. I for one, don't bid on an auction with a reserve, simply because I see it as a waste of time. If you want a "reserve" price, list it as buy it now. Because likely, you're not going to get from Mr. Gold what you think he is worth.

2.) Let the auction end on a Sunday in the afternoon. Sunday is the last day of the weekend, and more people are able to browse and bid freely when not on work. More people = more people bidding = more money in your pocket. Even Ebay suggests letting auctions end on the weekend. I sold an undisclosed item on Ebay once. It sold for 56.xx and ended on a Thursday afternoon. I sold the same item on Sunday and it literally sold for 92.xx. Big difference.

3.) Remember you will owe fees for both Paypal and Ebay.

4.) Now,about selling him unopened. You are taking a huge risk in doing that on eBay. I wouldn't do it in a million years.

Lets say the buyer is particularly evil. They shell out 600 bucks for your minifigure. They get it, open it, and lie saying it was a warrior woman or roman soldier. That means you lied about your auction, your auction was not as described, and they are entitled to a refund and send you the minifigure back. So they send you back a different minifigure. Then, there is nothing you can do because you have absolutely no documented proof the figure was in fact Mr. Gold. Your judgment is not documented proof. You are then out the 600 dollars and Mr. Gold minifigure. Ebay will rule in favor of the buyer, even if you dispute it.

So unless you want to take the risk trading your Mr. Gold for a Sad Clown, you're making a HUGE mistake, IMO, if you try to sell him unopened.
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Re: Value of Mr. Gold- Opened or Unopened

Post by Sir Valiant »

^ Wow, I must say there is a ton of helpful advice in that post Schmidt. Thanks for creating this thread RBC, I have found some very useful information that I could use if/when I sell or buy anything on Ebay.
By the way, RBC, after reading Schmidt's post, look like you'll for sure be selling him opened. :)

Thanks Guys,
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Re: Value of Mr. Gold- Opened or Unopened

Post by rogue27 »

I would open the outer bag, but leave the inner bag sealed.
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Re: Value of Mr. Gold- Opened or Unopened

Post by nanuck95 »

Based on my experiences selling things on ebay, I totally agree with SSchmidt. There are a lot of legit people on ebay, but there are a lot of crooks too. Selling a high-profile item like a Mr Gold increases your probability of attracting a scammer. I would definitely open it up and take some good pictures. Maybe you'll get a few more bucks for it un-opened but it's very risky.
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Re: Value of Mr. Gold- Opened or Unopened

Post by AK_Brickster »

I would open it from outer foil (leave internal packaging sealed), take some high-quality photos, and list on BL. The cheapest one currently available is $850. Cheapest in USA is $999.00

I'll bet if you listed it for $750.00-$799.00 you'd likely get a few inquiries, at the very least.
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Re: Value of Mr. Gold- Opened or Unopened

Post by royalbrickcustoms »

Thanks for all of the VERY helpful advice guys.

I think I'll open it tonight, take some more pictures, and list it (for 7 days) on eBay again tomorrow afternoon.

I will add it to my Bricklink Store as well! :)

Thanks again.

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Re: Value of Mr. Gold- Opened or Unopened

Post by AK_Brickster »

I would not list on my BL store AND eBay at the same time. If someone orders it from your Bricklink store after someone has placed a bid on eBay, then you'll be forced to cancel one of the transactions which will not be good.
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Re: Value of Mr. Gold- Opened or Unopened

Post by Lil_Curt »

I second whay AK says. One or the other not both. Post some pics here as well.

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Re: Value of Mr. Gold- Opened or Unopened

Post by SSchmidt »

Hey RBC,

There has been lots of helpful advice here. I'm also glad some of mine was helpful! Take it for what it is worth, though.

Let me add some other thoughts.
You are entering a very profitable time right now for selling your minifigure.

I would think we all agree that the majority of Mr. Gold buyers are/were AFOLs. I can think of few children (if any!) who can afford one.
We are not trying to manipulate people, but you are entering a good season right now to get the most money for your minifigure.

A.) A good portion of high end companies run a budget that is August - August or January - January. Being the case, right about now, some people could be getting a bigger paycheck, meaning they would be willing to spend more. Our own friend Jordan here just got a raise. A lot of people finished school and exams and undoubtedly transferred to a better financial situation this January due to their new credentials. They will have more money to spend. That is good for you.

B.) Those same people are going to be filing taxes very soon. As a matter of fact, employees are supposed to contact the IRS directly if they have not received W-2, 1099, etc., by FEBRUARY 14th. As you know, with tax filings come tax refunds (CAN'T WAIT! :eyebrows: ) A lot of people do a lot of extra spending in February-March. I know from experience, when I get my tax return, I usually splurge a little bit on something I want (I plan on getting a new AR-15 this year :wink: My wife also wants a new iPad mini (apparently our full sized iPads are not good enough)).

I say that to say, the timing to sell Mr. Gold will be right around the corner. When people are willing to spend more, you stand to make more.

The lowest price of Mr. Gold, as AK pointed out, is 850.00 on bricklink. If you list yours at that price on Bricklink, in no way do I think you will get that, because

A.) you have no selling feedback and
B.) that price is not the market price.

Not since August of 2013 did Mr. Gold sell for that much. He hasn't even been within 100 dollars of that in 6 out of the last 7 months'. He has however, consistently hit the 600 dollar mark. With the tax season around the corner, if you play your cards right, you might even get 700.

Once again, this is all just my personal opinion. I plan to sell a lot of my excess LEGO inventory in late February - early March. I think I can get the best amount in that time frame. Your tax return doesn't usually take over 21 days, so a lot of people are going to be willing to "splurge" a little more, just like me.

Then again, I am just a LEGO enthusiast, so take all of this with a grain of salt :wink:


EDIT*** I wouldn't do BL and ebay both either. That sets you up for bad feedback on one or the other. I would also open the outer package, but keep him comfortable in his inner package. Also, if you do open him, WE WANT PICTURES, :tasty:
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