Why does a missing bag change the price?
Because most of the value lives in being able to build the original set, or in never having opened it. A complete opened box with every bag and the booklet sells like a used set. The same number with bag 4 vanished sells like a problem. Sealed shrink is a third market again.
What should you photograph for each set?
The lid and the set number first. For a sealed copy, the shrink and the corners are the whole story - do not open it to check. For an opened copy, the instructions and the spare bags are the proof. A built model needs a photo of the plate and a note that the box still exists, or does not.
- Note sealed, opened-complete, built, or incomplete in the item notes.
- Keep the instructions with the set, or photograph the booklet if it lives in a drawer.
- Give the wardrobe or attic crate a place so the sealed boxes stay findable.
- Minifigures that left the set belong as their own items if you would sell them separately.
This is the brick-set half of completeness. Board games have their own post on this blog. Same habit, different bits.
FAQ
Should I open a sealed set to catalog it better?
No. Photograph the shrink, the corners and the set number. Opening it turns a sealed copy into an opened one.
What if the bricks live in a mixed tub?
Photograph the tub as it lives and add a note that parts are shared. The catalog should describe reality, not a tidy box you no longer have.
Does the estimate assume the set is complete?
Treat it as a starting point from comparable listings. Your completeness note is what makes the estimate honest for this copy.
