September 27 LEGO radar: eleven retired sets this week, and only two priced within 20% of market
Eleven out-of-production LEGO sets went up for sale between September 20 and 27, and the only two that came in near their six-month market average are used copies whose pages print no posting date.
The monitoring window ran from September 20 to September 27, 2026, 10:00 GMT-5. Eleven out-of-production LEGO sets went up for sale inside it, all of them on Mercari, and nine of the eleven print a posting date on the listing page.
Nine of the eleven cost at least 68.7% more than a six-month completed-sale average for the same condition, once shipping and the buyer-protection fee are added. The two that came in near market are used copies, and neither of those pages shows a posting date. So the useful output this week is a set of ceilings, plus two listings worth a real message to the seller.
Landed means asking price plus shipping plus Mercari's buyer-protection fee. Reference is the BrickLink six-month completed-sale average for the set in the condition it is listed in, reported by brick'em: a sealed box is held to the sealed average, a used build to the used one. Premium measures the landed total against that same figure. Retirement dates come from BrickRanker's set pages. BrickLink's own seller supply counts were unreachable this week, so scarcity here rests on retirement date, set format, and how much of each set's value sits in its minifigures.
Eleven listings, and what they cost landed
| # | Set · theme · retired | Posted · condition | Ask | Landed | Reference | Premium | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10243 Parisian Restaurant · Modular Buildings · retired Dec 31, 2019 1 | No date shown; photos stamped Sep 25 · used, Good, no box or manuals 2 | $185.00 | $204.08 | $226.63 used / $321.78 sealed 1 | −10.0% | Ask about the missing parts first; $190 ceiling |
| 2 | 31050 Corner Deli · Creator · retired Dec 31, 2017 3 | No date shown; photos stamped Sep 24 · used, Good, complete with both figures 4 | $34.00 | $42.97 | $36.10 used / $52.69 sealed 3 | +19.0% | Negotiate to $36 landed |
| 3 | 31151 T. rex · Creator · retired Jul 31, 2026 5 | Sep 21 · New, sealed, box damaged 6 | $65.00 | $75.59 | $44.81 sealed / $34.71 used 5 | +68.7% | Confirm which set ships; $45 ceiling |
| 4 | 76422 Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes · Harry Potter · retired Dec 31, 2024 7 | Sep 27 · New, factory sealed 8 | $355.25 | $376.29 | $200.64 sealed / $191.79 used 7 | +87.5% | Leave; $201 ceiling |
| 5 | 5004929 Batman Battle Pod polybag · Super Heroes · retired 9 | Sep 27 · New, sealed 10 | $20.00 | $25.80 | $13.58 sealed / $7.82 used 9 | +90.0% | Leave; $14 ceiling |
| 6 | 76412 Hufflepuff House Banner · Harry Potter · retired Dec 31, 2023 11 | Sep 27 · New, factory sealed 12 | $55.35 | $65.59 | $33.10 sealed / $22.50 used 11 | +98.2% | Leave; $33 ceiling |
| 7 | 76402 Dumbledore's Office · Harry Potter · retired Dec 31, 2024 13 | Sep 26 · New, factory sealed 14 | $149.99 | $155.38 | $66.15 sealed / $45.84 used 13 | +134.9% | Leave; $66 ceiling |
| 8 | 5004408 Rebel A-wing Pilot polybag · Star Wars · retired 15 | Sep 27 · New, sealed 16 | $14.00 | $19.59 | $8.29 sealed / $5.49 used 15 | +136.3% | Leave; $8 ceiling |
| 9 | 76426 Hogwarts Castle Boathouse · Harry Potter · retired Dec 31, 2025 17 | Sep 27 · New, factory sealed 18 | $125.35 | $138.11 | $55.82 sealed / $39.80 used 17 | +147.4% | Leave; $56 ceiling |
| 10 | 5004406 First Order General polybag · Star Wars · retired 19 | Sep 27 · New, sealed 20 | $12.00 | $17.51 | $6.75 sealed / $5.71 used 19 | +159.4% | Pass; $7 ceiling |
| 11 | 31031 Rainforest Animals · Creator · retired Dec 31, 2016 21 | Sep 27 · Used, Good, no box 22 | $35.00 | $44.51 | $16.35 used / $36.73 sealed 21 | +172.2% | Pass; $16 ceiling |
Read the Landed column before the Ask column. Shipping and the buyer-protection fee added between 3.6% and 45.9% to the asking price across the eleven listings. Rows 1 and 2 are the only two whose pages print no posting date; both listings' own photos carry a September 24 or September 25 stamp, which is why they are counted here, but the exact posting date is not shown and a buyer should ask for it.
The only two listings that came in near market
The best-priced set on the screen is also the one with the most caveats attached. The seller of 10243 asks $185.00, charges $11.99 to ship and adds $7.09 in buyer protection, for $204.08 in hand. Used copies have averaged $226.63 over six months and sealed ones $321.78, so the landed price sits 10.0% below the used average — the only discount in this week's eleven. 12
The price is one sentence of the listing, and the rest of the description is the reason for it. The seller writes "minor wear and tear, some yellowing to parts. Might be missing some pieces.. I know I have a blue scooter instead of red one. Sold as is." 2 On this set the risk is in the parts rather than the figures: BrickLink values the seven minifigures at $28.10 against a $226.63 used average, so about 12% of the set's worth is in the figures and the other 88% is in 2,470 pieces. 1 A missing decorative element here costs more than a missing character, and it will be invisible in a photograph. Ask for a count of the bags and a photograph of the scooter and the roof trim specifically; $190 landed is the number worth holding to.
The second near-market listing needs no such forensics. 31050 Corner Deli asks $34.00 with $7.48 shipping and $1.49 in buyer protection, for $42.97 landed, against a used average of $36.10 and a sealed average of $52.69. 34
The seller reports the 467-piece set complete with all original parts and both minifigures, in "excellent, pre-owned condition", with no box and no printed manuals. 4 BrickRanker puts the set's retail price at $39.99 and its retirement at December 2017, so an eight-year-old complete copy at $42.97 is a fair ask rather than a bargain. 23 The figures are worth $3.42 of the $36.10 used average, 9%, so this is a bricks-and-instructions purchase either way. 3 Ask for a photograph of the two figures and of the roof section before offering $36 landed.
31151 T. rex: the closest sealed box, and the wrong name on it
The best-priced sealed listing of the week is described as a different set. It went up on September 21 from Pennsylvania, tagged "Lego 31151 Wild Safari Animals 3 in 1 RETIRED" for $65.00 plus $2.62 in buyer protection, with $7.97 to ship, for $75.59. 6
Set 31151 is the Creator 3-in-1 T. rex, a 626-piece dinosaur retired on July 31, 2026; Wild Safari Animals is set 31150, a different model. 24 Sealed copies of the T. rex have averaged $44.81 over six months against $34.71 used, so even the most modest premium on this week's screen is 68.7% over market. 5 The listing is also candid about condition in a way most are not: "sealed but the box is damaged". 6
A title that names the wrong set is the one thing to resolve before paying anything. Confirm in writing which set number the box carries, then ask which panel is damaged and how deeply, because the dinosaur's two long legs and tail make it a box that creases along its longest edge. At $45 landed the set would be worth its sealed average; at $75.59 it is not.
76422 Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes: the week's priciest listing
The priciest set to appear this week also carries the highest count of minifigure value. A sealed 76422 posted September 27 from California asks $355.25, with $13.07 in buyer protection and $7.97 shipping, for $376.29 in hand. 8 Sealed copies average $200.64 and used ones $191.79, which puts the landed price 87.5% over market on a set that retailed for $89.99 and retired on December 31, 2024. 725
The 834-piece shop front is where this set's value sits, not its figures. BrickLink values the seven minifigures at $46.19 against the $191.79 used average, about 24%, so three quarters of the money is in the bricks, the printed shop sign and the window decals. 7 On a sealed copy that means one question: ask for a photograph of both tape folds and confirm the seal is unbroken. $201 landed would match the sealed average, and the seller is not close to it.
Three polybags where the money is in the figure
Three sealed polybags from one Florida seller account, all posted September 27, share an arithmetic problem. 5004929 Batman Battle Pod asks $20.00 plus $0.89 and $4.91 to ship, for $25.80 landed against a $13.58 sealed average and $7.82 used. 910 5004408 Rebel A-wing Pilot asks $14.00 with $0.68 and $4.91, for $19.59 against $8.29 sealed and $5.49 used. 1516 5004406 First Order General asks $12.00 with $0.60 and $4.91, for $17.51 against $6.75 sealed and $5.71 used. 1920
On all three, the minifigure is most of what is being sold. BrickLink values the Tiger Tuxedo Batman at $11.59, which is 148% of the set's $7.82 used price; the Rebel A-wing Pilot at $7.11, 130% of $5.49; the First Order General at $5.43, 95% of $5.71. 91519 That is what makes a resealed polybag expensive to miss: a re-crimped bag with a clone figure inside costs the buyer nearly the whole price of the item. Ask for a photograph of the crimped edge on each bag, and for the polybag's own printed set label to be readable in the same frame. None of the three is worth buying at this week's number; the ceilings are $14, $8 and $7 landed.
Three sealed Harry Potter boxes from one seller's batch
Three of the nine dated listings went up on the same California seller account within days of each other, all sealed, all described with the same two sentences, and all ending with "Sales are Final. No return." 81218
76412 Hufflepuff House Banner landed at $65.59 against a $33.10 sealed average and $22.50 used, a 98.2% premium on a 313-piece set that retailed for $34.99 and retired on December 31, 2023. 111226 Its three figures are $12.09 of the $22.50 used average, 54%, so a sealed box is the only way to be sure of Cedric Diggory, Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott. 11
76402 Dumbledore's Office landed at $155.38 on free shipping, against a $66.15 sealed average and $45.84 used, a 134.9% premium on a 654-piece set that retailed for $79.99 and retired on December 31, 2024. 131427 Here the figures are $26.75 of the $45.84 used average, 58%, the highest figure share of the week's sealed boxes, and Argus Filch alone is $5.08 of it. 13
76426 Hogwarts Castle Boathouse landed at $138.11 against a $55.82 sealed average and $39.80 used, a 147.4% premium on a 350-piece set that retailed for $37.99 and retired on December 31, 2025 — the most recent retirement on this week's screen. 171828 Its five figures are $14.79, 37% of the used average, so the box, the seal and the printed parts carry most of this purchase. 17
A seller telling buyers that sales are final does not remove the platform's buyer protection, which covers an item that arrives unlike its description 29. The tape is worth checking before paying: ask for both flaps in one photograph and for the moulded LEGO wordmark on a stud to be visible in another. The ceilings are $33, $66 and $56 landed.
31031 Rainforest Animals: the steepest multiple of the week
An eleven-year-old Creator set posted from Montana on September 27 asks $35.00 for a used copy with $7.97 shipping and $1.54 in buyer protection, for $44.51 landed. Used copies average $16.35 and sealed ones $36.73, so the landed price is 172.2% over the used average — the worst multiple on this week's screen. 2122
The description carries two claims worth separating. It reports the set complete and "in good condition", with no original box, and the photograph confirms the instructions are part of the sale even though the text does not mention them. It also describes the set as "featuring 311 pieces and 3 unique builds", and 311 is the set number: 31031 runs 215 pieces and retired on December 31, 2016. 2230 A listing assembled from copied catalogue text is worth checking line by line; this one has no figures to verify, so the whole trade is whether all 215 pieces arrive. $16 landed is where a used copy of this set changes hands.
A listing that calls itself retired while the set is still on the shelf
One more listing from the window is worth naming because it is the mistake this radar exists to catch. A sealed 31173 Tropical Toucan posted September 21 asks $16.99 with $0.89 in buyer protection and $7.97 to ship, for $25.85 landed. The set retails at $17.99 and BrickRanker's page gives it a retirement date of July 31, 2027; Brick'em's page says it should still be widely available at retail. 313233
The listing describes it as "a limited edition complete set", which the set is not. 31 One question settles this class of listing: open the set's own reference page and read the status line. If it says the set is still at retail or gives a retirement date in the future, the word retired on the listing is decoration.
Five-minute verification protocol
- Price the figures before the set. Figure concentration decided four of this week's eleven: 58% of the used average on 76402, 148% on 5004929, 130% on 5004408, 95% on 5004406. Ask for the whole roster in one photograph and count it against the set.
- On sealed boxes, photograph both tape folds. 76422, 76412, 76402, 76426 and 31151 all claim factory seals. The tape's fold pattern and any residue are what separate a resealed box from a factory one, and the 31151 box is already disclosed as damaged.
- On polybags, photograph the crimped edge. 5004929, 5004408 and 5004406 are sealed bags whose value is nearly all in one figure. A re-crimped bag with a substitute figure inside costs the buyer almost the entire price.
- On 76422, ask for the shop sign. The Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes frontage carries its signage and window art in decals. Ask whether the sheet is applied, unapplied or reprinted, because a hand-cut replacement is the usual fault on a used copy.
- Check the piece count against the set, not the listing. 31031's description says 311 pieces and the set runs 215. When a listing's numbers do not match the set's own page, treat every other claim in it as unverified.
- Recompute the landed total before offering. Shipping and the buyer-protection fee added between 3.6% and 45.9% to the asking price on this week's eleven. The fee tracks the item price across this week's listings, from $0.60 on a $12 polybag to $13.07 on the $355 set.
Bottom line
Two of the eleven are worth acting on. 31050 Corner Deli at $42.97 landed is complete with both figures and close to its $36.10 used average; $36 landed is the offer to make. 10243 Parisian Restaurant at $204.08 is the only listing below a six-month average this week, and it is sold as is with admitted substitutions, so it is worth a message about the parts rather than an offer, with $190 landed as the ceiling if the seller answers.
The other nine are saved searches rather than purchases: $45 for the T. rex, $201 for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, $14 for the Batman Battle Pod, $33 for the Hufflepuff banner, $66 for Dumbledore's Office, $8 for the Rebel A-wing Pilot, $56 for the Boathouse, $7 for the First Order General, and $16 for Rainforest Animals. 31173 Tropical Toucan should come off the saved search entirely until July 2027.
Every listing above came from Mercari, which was the only one of the five tracked marketplaces to expose a posting date this week. eBay's item pages returned error pages, Vinted and Depop served pages with no readable listing data, and BrickLink's catalog pages still reach a human-verification screen. That is also why BrickLink's seller supply counts are missing from the scarcity signals in this edition.
References
- 1brick'em: Parisian Restaurant 10243-1\
brickem.io
- 2
- 3brick'em: Corner Deli 31050-1\
brickem.io
- 4
- 5brick'em: T. rex 31151-1\
brickem.io
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21brick'em: Rainforest Animals 31031-1\
brickem.io
- 22
- 23BrickRanker: LEGO Corner Deli 31050-1\
brickranker.com
- 24BrickRanker: LEGO T. rex 31151-1\
brickranker.com
- 25
- 26BrickRanker: LEGO Hufflepuff House Banner 76412-1\
brickranker.com
- 27BrickRanker: LEGO Hogwarts: Dumbledore's Office 76402-1\
brickranker.com
- 28BrickRanker: LEGO Hogwarts Castle Boathouse 76426-1\
brickranker.com
- 29Mercari Help Center: Buyer Protection\
mercari.com
- 30BrickRanker: LEGO Rainforest Animals 31031-1\
brickranker.com
- 31
- 32BrickRanker: LEGO Tropical Toucan 31173-1\
brickranker.com
- 33brick'em: Tropical Toucan 31173-1\
brickem.io
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