Why minifigures?

[knicky]

Ok so I still havent figured out why minifigures are so valuable? For example why do sets get scammed on ebay by taking out the minifigures and repackaging it? Also why does a set have more value based on the number of minifigures?

I get that they are a good addition to a set but I already have way too many identical ( insert major star wars character here ) than I know what to do with.
I personally buy sets based really on the set and could usually care less what minifigures it comes with.

Could anybody explain the minifigure craze to me?

[ezra]

collectiblity

[Zeya]

Yeah, people collect minifigures. It's the same as baseball cards. Really common minifigures are worth only a little (maybe $1 or so) on the aftermarket, and rarer licensed ones that only came in one set can go for $20 up to $70 or more for ones from regular sets. And minifigs from promos and convention door gifts can go for hundreds.

You're lucky if you don't care at all about minifigs. You can make a lot of dough by buying sets for parts, setting the figs aside for a year or two to gain more value, and then sell them to fund buying more sets. I always say when I'm retired and/or have more money that I will make a hobby out of doing just that.

I'm not sure what you're referring to with the eBay scam. People pretending a set is complete, but the buyer doesn't get the figs when it arrives? Yeah, that's a scam.

Why more cost for a set because of more figs? Because TLG knows that figs sell sets these days and sets the price higher. If you take a close look at how TLG designs sets, you can see that TLG sprinkles exclusive figs in certain sets. Almost always, the biggest set in a theme has one or more figs that won't be found anywhere else. That helps to sell the set to collectors and even kids I think.

[knicky]

I guess in my head, I build a set; it looks great and I get to look at it on the shelf in all its splendor. A minifigure just isnt much to look at imo. Never had anybody walk in my house and even notice a minifigure.. They always comment on how cool the sets are though.

[ShaydDeGrai]

@knicky
I hear you. I rarely buy kits for the mini-figure (the only real exception to that are the new LotR sets where I think the figures are cooler than the sets themselves). Just this afternoon I was putting together the Grand Emporium, enjoying the build, and pretty much ignoring the figures. I've never counted, but if I had to guess I'd say I have at least a thousand of the little buggers in storage (I just toss them in a big bin that must weigh at least 5 kilos by now) I know they're collectable (particularly Star Wars and Harry Potter) but I don't have a lot of use for them and not a lot of room to display them so I just stow them, maybe some of them will appreciate over time.