Plastic to gold: How to make money with LEGO bricks.
The first LEGO bricks were produced in 1958, and more than 6 decades years later they are still some of the most beloved toys in the world. What started as a children’s pastime has turned into an entire industry with adult fans, global conventions, and a robust resale market. Today, LEGO is not just a hobby - it can be a way to generate side income or even form the basis of a small business and read how below.
The LEGO Group itself has been experiencing impressive growth, with annual sales consistently rising in the double digits. Adult collectors, known as AFOLs (Adult Fans of LEGO), are driving much of that demand. As official prices climb and sets retire quickly, the secondary market has exploded. This raises the natural question: can everyday people share in LEGO’s success and turn plastic bricks into profit? The answer is yes.
However a key to everything below is also understanding value drivers. As several factors influence which LEGO sets or pieces appreciate:
- Rarity: Limited editions or discontinued sets tend to increase in worth.
- Licensed Themes: Franchises like Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel consistently retain high demand.
- Collector Appeal: Popular themes and well-preserved condition add value.
Selling sets of Legos and Minifigures online
Selling LEGO on online marketplaces like eBay, Mercari, or Facebook Marketplace remains one of the simplest and most effective ways to make money. Complete sets in good condition with their original boxes and instructions often sell for more than their original retail price. Even incomplete sets or loose pieces can hold surprising value if they contain rare elements or discontinued themes. Or find other online marketplaces for selling items.
Minifigures in particular have become collectibles of their own. Limited-edition Star Wars figures or characters from licensed sets can command hundreds of dollars. Tools like Brickset.com (site here https://brickset.com/) can help identify sets and minifigs, while checking eBay’s completed sales pages gives you an accurate sense of current market value.
Selling bricks individually
Beyond whole sets, many hobbyists now make money by selling bricks one at a time. Platforms such as BrickLink (site here https://www.bricklink.com/) and BrickOwl (site here https://www.brickowl.com/us/) allow buyers and sellers to trade specific pieces, and some professional sellers maintain inventories of hundreds of thousands of parts. These are the two leading marketplaces (but there are others). Each has their own benefits.
The process of buying new sets, opening them, and reselling individual elements is called “parting out.” While time-consuming, it can be very profitable if you focus on rare colors, specialized pieces, or minifigure accessories.
Because LEGO purchased BrickLink in recent years, the platform has become even more established and widely used. Bricklink allows LEGO builders to purchase specific parts, often in bulk quantities or resell them. Sellers who dedicate space to storage and carefully organize inventory often build long-term repeat customer bases. Although small stores can be profitable, the more inventory you have listed, the more buyers you will attract. Maintaining a large store is time-consuming and will require a dedicated storage area.
Investing in sealed LEGO sets
LEGO has gained a reputation as an alternative investment class. Multiple studies and real-world results show that sealed sets appreciate at a rate that can even outpace traditional assets like gold or stocks. For example, sets like Café Corner, originally sold for $139.99 in 2007, now fetch over $2,000 if kept unopened. This is an extreme example, but there are lots of opportunities to double your money with LEGO set investing.
Most LEGO sets go up in value if you keep them for long enough in pristine condition, and many people have started to consider LEGO a serious alternative investment akin to investing in whiskey, wine, or art. The key is buying sets before they retire from LEGO’s official catalog.
Once a set retires, supply shrinks, but demand among collectors remains. Websites such as BrickEconomy.com (URL here https://www.brickeconomy.com/) and BrickPicker.com provide tools to track appreciation rates and monitor which sets are nearing retirement. While most sets increase in value if stored properly, popular franchises such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, and modular Creator buildings tend to perform best.
Investing in LEGO is not risk-free. Large collections take up storage space, moisture or dust can damage boxes, and sometimes LEGO re-releases an older set, reducing the resale value of the original. So while it is possible that you can also make short-term LEGO profits, there are not guarantees.
If you target the right sets and purchase them at the right time, it is also possible to achieve larger profits from your LEGO investments over a shorter time period. Selling also requires patience, as higher-priced items may take weeks or months to find buyers. Nonetheless, LEGO remains one of the safer collectible investments because even “bad” investments can be recouped by selling the pieces individually.
One downside to investing in Legos is storage. Even the smaller LEGO sets take up a lot of space, especially if you've invested in multiple copies. Also in order to sell your investment sets for the highest price, this tape must remain attached to the boxes. Unless you have a dedicated area to store your investment in, you will soon find that boxes of LEGO begin to encroach on your living space.
As with all alternative investments, LEGO investing will be more suited to some people than others. If you have enough space, are willing to carefully research the best sets to buy, and are in a position to keep your money locked up in LEGO sets for a number of years, this form of alternative investing might just be perfect for you.
Selling custom instructions or designing LEGO MOCs
Another avenue for income is designing your own LEGO models, commonly known as MOCs (My Own Creations). Creative builders can upload and sell their instructions on platforms like Rebrickable.com (website: https://rebrickable.com/). While not usually a source of large profits, it is a way to monetize creativity and engage with the community.
As if you enjoy building, why not generate a little side income from an activity or even a hobby you would be doing anyway. Some builders supplement their sales by creating build guides on YouTube or by offering workshops, turning design into an educational side hustle.
Making money through LEGO focused social media and content
The rise of platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram has opened yet another income stream. Builders who showcase reviews, tutorials, or creative builds often build large audiences and earn through ad revenue, sponsorships, or fan support platforms like Patreon. Successful creators such as JANGBricks and Solid Brix Studios have shown that LEGO-focused content can be a full-time endeavor when paired with merchandise, affiliate links, or custom minifigure sales. This is just one social media option - if interested find other ways to make money on Youtube from other hobbies.
This path requires consistency, good production quality, and time to build an audience, but it has become a mainstream way for LEGO enthusiasts to earn extra income. Or set up sponsored posts on Instagram or Facebook, or use TikTok to talk about and out together creative LEGO content to gain followers to monetize. The official LEGO.com Affiliate Program also allows creators to earn a percentage of sales generated through referral links.
Conclusion - yes it is possible to make some extra money with LEGOs
LEGO’s enduring popularity makes it one of the rare hobbies that also offers genuine financial opportunity. From reselling sets and bricks to long-term investing, from selling custom instructions to producing online content, there are multiple avenues for turning a passion for LEGO into income. The key to success is research, patience, and creativity. With the right approach, a hobby that started as building with plastic bricks can become a source of supplemental income, alternative investment and more.
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