August 23 LEGO radar: no dated listings, six retired-set price ceilings from eBay leads
No monitored marketplace page proved an Aug. 16–23 listing start, so six new eBay leads become saved-search ceilings with landed-price math and set-specific authenticity checks.
The weekly scan covered August 16 at 10:00 through August 23 at 10:00, 2026, UTC-05:00. The audit found zero marketplace pages with a native posted, created, or start time inside that window. This edition is therefore a date-unverified price-ceiling screen, not a list of newly created bargains.
Six eBay pages supplied identifiable retired-set leads. The other monitored surfaces — Mercari, Vinted, Depop, and BrickLink — supplied no listing with an admissible creation timestamp. The ranking below combines the gap between each asking price and the latest fully dated BrickRanker market point available by August 23, retirement age or GWP scarcity, sales depth, and listing risk.
The six-set screen
| Rank | Set and theme | Retirement and collector signal | Marketplace evidence | Market reference and price test | Action ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 76956 T. rex Breakout · Jurassic World | Retired Dec. 2023; 1,212 pieces; 4 exclusive minifigures; 544 recorded sales. 1 | eBay, $157, new; $24.99 shipping; seller 99.5% positive with 5.7K items sold. The page records a sale on Aug. 11, while the native start time is undisclosed. 2 | Jul. 2026 point: $202.82 across 9 sales. Asking price is 22.6% below that point; landed price is 10.3% below. 1 | Alert at $150 before shipping. The $157 page is a close watch, not a verified current buy. |
| 2 | 40488 Coffee Cart · Creator GWP | Retired Dec. 2021; 148 pieces; 4 exclusive minifigures; a short Nov. 8–14, 2021 GWP window; 883 recorded sales. 3 | eBay, $25, new/sealed; $10.01 shipping; seller 100% positive. The page shows an Aug. 21 update, which is a revision timestamp rather than a listing start time. 4 | Jul. 2026 point: $33.49 across 5 sales. Asking price is 25.4% below that point; landed price is 4.5% above. 3 | Alert at $25 delivered or less. Shipping removes most of the apparent discount. |
| 3 | 40595 Tribute to Galileo Galilei · GWP | Retired Dec. 2023; 307 pieces; 1 exclusive minifigure; 1,548 recorded sales. 5 | eBay, $47.49, new/sealed; $14.10 shipping; seller 99.9% positive with 4,562 feedback entries. The page gives no native start time. Its item specifics say “Charles Dickens Tribute” even though the title says Galileo. 6 | Jul. 2026 point: $53.96 across 17 sales. Asking price is 12.0% below that point; landed price is 14.1% above. 5 | Alert at $45 before shipping, only after the seller corrects the set identity and supplies fresh photos. |
| 4 | 30213 Gandalf at Dol Guldur · The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings | Retired June 2013; 31 pieces; 1 minifigure; 484 recorded sales. Its retirement age is the strongest scarcity signal in the lower-priced group. 7 | eBay, $29, new/sealed in bag; $13.62 shipping; seller 100% positive. The page shows an Aug. 18 update and no native start time. 8 | Jul. 2026 point: $31.63 from 1 sale. Asking price is 8.3% below that point; landed price is 34.7% above. 7 | Alert at $26 before shipping. The one-sale July point makes the ceiling provisional. |
| 5 | 75021 Republic Gunship · Star Wars | Retired Dec. 2014; 1,175 pieces; 6 minifigures, 4 exclusive; 207 recorded sales. 9 | eBay, $1,099, new/sealed; $36.98 shipping; seller 100% positive; returns accepted. The page shows an Aug. 18 update and no native start time. 10 | Jul. 2026 point: $1,066.22 across 4 sales. Asking price is 3.1% above that point; landed price is 6.5% above. 9 | Wait for $1,000 before shipping or unusually strong box and seal evidence. |
| 6 | 70672 Cole's Dirt Bike · Ninjago | Retired Dec. 2020; 221 pieces; 3 minifigures; 113 recorded sales. The latest pre-cutoff point is already thin. 11 | eBay, $99.99, used; $11.54 shipping; seller 100% positive. The listing claims 100% complete with box but also discloses one missing weapon-accessory piece. The native start time is undisclosed. 12 | May 2026 point: $96.76 from 2 sales, the latest fully dated point before the cutoff. Asking price is 3.3% above that point; landed price is 15.3% above. 11 | Alert below $80 before shipping after pricing the missing accessory and any other gaps. |
BrickRanker's page-level values dated Aug. 26 sit after this edition's cutoff and are excluded. The table uses the latest fully dated monthly point available by Aug. 23: July for five sets and May for Cole's Dirt Bike. The market reference is a rolling or monthly average of recorded sales, so it gives a ceiling for screening rather than a guaranteed sale price.
The scarcity ranking remains provisional. BrickLink supply counts were unavailable, so the screen uses retirement age, GWP format, exclusive-minifigure count, and recorded-sales depth as visible scarcity signals. A large sales sample improves price confidence; it also means the set has traded often enough to be easier to compare.
What the marketplace pages actually prove
The six pages came from eBay because the other four monitored platforms produced no opened detail page with a usable creation timestamp in this pass. Each eBay page supplied an item identity, asking price, condition, shipping, and seller signal. The pages supplied no native start time inside the Aug. 16–23 window.
The visible dates need careful handling:
- The 76956 page records a sale on Aug. 11. A sale date places the transaction before the current window; it does not establish when the listing began. 2
- The 40488 page shows an Aug. 21 update. The update records a page revision, while the admission test requires the listing's start time. 4
- The 30213 and 75021 pages show Aug. 18 updates. Those dates establish revisions and leave the original creation time unresolved. 810
- The 70672 and 40595 pages expose no native start time. Their asking prices remain useful for saved-search ceilings, with time status recorded as undisclosed. 612
Entry checks
1. 76956 T. rex Breakout
The sealed-new eBay page asks $157 plus $24.99 shipping and shows a seller with 99.5% positive feedback and 5.7K items sold. The page ended in a sale dated Aug. 11, so the price is a recent reference lead rather than a live offer. 2
BrickRanker identifies a February 2022 Jurassic World release retired in December 2023, with 1,212 pieces and four exclusive minifigures: Ian Malcolm, Alan Grant, Tim Murphy, and Lex Murphy. Its July 2026 average reached $202.82 across nine sales. 1
For a future sealed copy, request close-ups of every end flap and both tape seams. Then match all four exclusive minifigures against the box and inventory. A seller who supplies only a stock box image leaves the expensive identity checks undone.
2. 40488 Coffee Cart
The eBay page lists a new/sealed copy at $25 plus $10.01 shipping from a seller with 100% positive feedback. The $25 headline price sits below the July market point, while the $35.01 landed cost sits above it. 4
BrickRanker identifies Coffee Cart as a 148-piece Creator GWP retired in December 2021. The GWP ran from Nov. 8 to Nov. 14, 2021, and the set has four exclusive minifigures. The July 2026 market point is $33.49 across five sales. 3
Ask for a fresh photo of the sealed box, including the barcode and every seam. GWP packaging is easy to misidentify when a seller uses a generic "Creator" title, so the box must show 40488 before the price enters your comparison.
3. 40595 Tribute to Galileo Galilei
The eBay page asks $47.49 plus $14.10 shipping for a new/sealed copy. The seller has 99.9% positive feedback and 4,562 feedback entries. The item specifics call the product "Charles Dickens Tribute," even though the title names Galileo. That mismatch is the listing's first red flag. 6
BrickRanker records a 307-piece GWP released in November 2023 and retired in December 2023. The set includes one exclusive Galileo Galilei minifigure, and its July 2026 average is $53.96 across 17 sales. 5
Ask the seller to correct the item specifics and send a current photo of the front, back, barcode, and seals. Match the Galileo minifigure and the printed telescope elements before treating the copy as a genuine $45 alert.
4. 30213 Gandalf at Dol Guldur
The eBay page shows a new set sealed in a bag at $29 plus $13.62 shipping. The seller has 100% positive feedback. The page's Aug. 18 update is the only visible recent date, so the listing's start time remains undisclosed. 8
BrickRanker records a November 2012 release and June 2013 retirement. The 31-piece The Hobbit set contains one Gandalf minifigure and has a July 2026 average of $31.63 from one sale. 7
The bag is the condition check. Request photographs of the bag seam, the instruction sheet, and the Gandalf minifigure. The minifigure should match the listed short cheek lines; a loose or substituted figure changes the value of this small set quickly.
5. 75021 Republic Gunship
The eBay page asks $1,099 plus $36.98 shipping for a new/sealed set. The seller has 100% positive feedback, returns are accepted, and the page shows an Aug. 18 update. The $1,135.98 landed total is above the July market point. 10
BrickRanker records a June 2013 Star Wars release retired in December 2014. The set has 1,175 pieces, six minifigures, four exclusive figures, and a July 2026 average of $1,066.22 across four sales. 9
At this price, request high-resolution photos of every box edge, both seals, the barcode, and the minifigure tray if visible. Verify the Clone Trooper Captain, Padmé Amidala, and Clone Trooper Pilot before paying a premium for a sealed claim. Returns reduce transaction risk; they do not replace the identity check.
6. 70672 Cole's Dirt Bike
The used eBay listing asks $99.99 plus $11.54 shipping. The seller has 100% positive feedback. The description claims 100% completeness with the box and separately discloses one missing weapon-accessory piece. That conflict makes the condition field incomplete until the seller names the missing part. 12
BrickRanker records a June 2019 Ninjago release retired in December 2020. The 221-piece set contains Kai, Pyro Destroyer, and Cole minifigures. Its latest pre-cutoff market point is $96.76 from two May 2026 sales. 11
Ask for a complete parts inventory, a photo of the missing weapon location, and close-ups of all three minifigures. Value the copy as incomplete until the accessory cost and any additional gaps are known.
The five-minute authenticity check
- Match the identity. Ask for the set number on the box or instruction cover, plus a current photo of the actual item. A theme-only title cannot support a fair market comparison.
- Inspect seals and packaging. Request both end flaps, all tape seams, the barcode, and any bag or box damage. A resealed box belongs in a different condition category from a factory-sealed box.
- Verify high-value figures and printed parts. Check exclusive minifigures, face and torso printing, unusual accessories, transparent elements, and printed tiles against the set's inventory.
- Resolve completeness in writing. For used sets, ask the seller to name every missing part and whether any piece was repaired, glued, replaced, or customized.
- Compare the landed total. Add shipping before comparing with the market reference. This step turns $25 into $35.01 for Coffee Cart and $1,099 into $1,135.98 for Republic Gunship.
- Keep the date claim separate. A sale date or page update helps explain what you saw. A native listing start date is the evidence needed to call an item newly listed this week.
Bottom line
Set the first saved-search alert at $150 before shipping for 76956 T. rex Breakout. Its July market point is high enough that a genuine sealed copy around that level would deserve a fast check.
Set the second alert at $25 delivered for 40488 Coffee Cart. The headline discount disappears once shipping is added, so the total matters more than the $25 sticker.
Treat 40595 Tribute to Galileo Galilei as a conditional watch because of the Charles Dickens item-specifics mismatch. Treat 30213 Gandalf at Dol Guldur as an older-set watch with thin recent data. Let 75021 Republic Gunship wait for a lower total or stronger evidence, and pass on 70672 Cole's Dirt Bike until the missing accessory and full completeness are documented.
The six pages are useful saved-search anchors. The timestamp audit found zero verified Aug. 16–23 listing starts, so this week's evidence supports price ceilings and authenticity checks rather than a confirmed newly listed deal.
References
- 1BrickRanker: T. rex Breakout 76956
brickranker.com
- 2
- 3BrickRanker: Coffee Cart 40488
brickranker.com
- 4eBay: LEGO Coffee Cart 40488
ebay.com
- 5BrickRanker: Tribute to Galileo Galilei 40595
brickranker.com
- 6
- 7BrickRanker: Gandalf at Dol Guldur 30213
brickranker.com
- 8
- 9BrickRanker: Republic Gunship 75021
brickranker.com
- 10
- 11BrickRanker: Cole's Dirt Bike 70672
brickranker.com
- 12
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