Always Keep Your Lego Instructions! (Here’s Why & How)
If you’re like me, you have dozens of Lego set instructions jammed into a drawer which haven’t seen the light of day since your childhood. You may think that I’m a hoarder, but by the end of this article, I am going to convince you that these little booklets are worth keeping.
Just so you know that I’m approaching this topic with solid evidence, I spent hours going through eBay transactions over 7 sets I own and found some interesting data:
It’s important to keep Lego instruction manuals to keep an idea of what sets you own and to add value if you choose to sell them one day. Lego sets sold with their original manuals will sell for an average of 3.20% more than sets sold without a manual. Some sets see an increase of 6.34%.
That alone may not seem like much, but I found that when it comes to collectible sets it means a difference of $20 or more! Not to mention that instructions themselves can sell for a decent amount. Let’s go over this study and follow up with ways to preserve your Lego instruction manuals.
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. I will receive a small commission if you purchase an item after clicking a link labeled “Affiliate Link.”
Sets sold with the instructions vs without them
I did a study where I picked 7 of my own personal Lego sets and found as many transactions as I could for each one on eBay in the last three months. I marked down the price it sold for and whether it included the instructions, the box, and whether or not it was opened. From that, I found some interesting information. You can see the spreadsheet for yourself by clicking here. You can view all of my studies on my case study page.
| Lego Set Name | No Box or Instructions (Avg) | Instructions (Avg) | Box & Instructions (Avg) | Unopened (Avg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lego City Dump Truck 7631 | $35.15 | $37.47 | $44.17 | $88.18 |
| Lego Star Wars Battle of Endor 8038 | $147.79 | $166.32 | $208.53 | $292.37 |
| Lego Star Wars Naboo Starfighter 7877 | $54.78 | $62.83 | $87.74 | $141.66 |
| Lego Marvel Avengers Thanos 76141 | $11.30 | $11.87 | N/a | $17.96 |
| Lego City Airport 3182 | $99.43 | $104.75 | $127.35 | $287.91 |
| Lego Star Wars Slave 1 8097 | $104.21 | $102.44 | $127.64 | $213.26 |
| Lego SpongeBob SquarePants Krusty Krab 3825 | $58.92 | $64.98 | $70.40 | $171.39 |
As you can see, including the manual in your eBay listing will nearly always add value. Lego Star Wars Slave 1 was an anomaly, which I find interesting. The one difference this set has with others on this list is that its characters are rare, which makes a set with no manual or box just as valuable.
With some sets, such as the SpongeBob and Naboo Starfighter sets, having the instructions can mean a difference of $10 or more. It’s nothing to get too excited about, but definitely, something to consider if you want the greatest value of your set possible.
Instruction Manuals can be worth a lot of money
If you’re sitting on a lot of manuals, it might be worth looking through them. Large, collectible lego sets have manuals that will sell for over $100.00! However, this is far and few between.
If you’ve read any of my articles, you know that I love spreadsheets. I made a very simple one by going over all the transactions of single Lego instruction booklets over $50 on eBay in the past three months. From it, I found the three highest-selling booklets:
| Lego Set Instructions | Average Selling Price | # Of Transactions |
|---|---|---|
| LEGO 6286 Skull’s Eye Schooner | $71.79 | 5 |
| LEGO Architecture Robie House 21010 | $64.49 | 2 |
| 10123 LEGO Star Wars Cloud City | $66.15 | 2 |
Spending over $50 on Lego Instruction manuals may sound absurd, mostly because it is. The reason why these sets sell for so much is that the complete sets, unopened, are discontinued and worth over a thousand dollars. That’s not a typo.
It turns out that there is a whole industry of lego collectors buying and selling instruction manuals. On sites like eBay or Bricklink, you will see “NEVER OPENED BOOKLETS” in protective casings sold almost every day.
Just from browsing through the recently sold section, I noticed that Lego Instructions from the Star Wars, Architecture, Harry Potter, and Technic Themes consistently sell for more than $15.00 USD. These examples are usually larger, collectible sets where the instruction manuals are in mint condition.
I personally don’t have great-condition instructions lying around for valuable Lego sets. I’m sure most of you reading are in the same boat. However, I also found many sold listings where people put together their piles of instruction manuals and sell them in a “mixed lot” for well over $20.00. That pile of old instruction manuals could be worth more than throwing them away. Here are a few examples:
If you are set on getting rid of your instructions, I recommend that you sort them by theme, lay them out, and list them on eBay. Chances are you could earn a few bucks.
If you choose to sell a lot of instructions on eBay, a trick to getting the most out of them is to do your research. Find the value of each manual you own, and jot it down. Larger sets will almost always be worth more than smaller sets, so that’s a good place to start. When you go to sell your manuals, strategically throw your larger set’s instruction manual with the smaller set’s, less valuable instruction manuals. I’d take the picture for your listing as I did below:
See how I put the most valuable instruction manual in the center? It grabs the eye of the buyer, and the other instruction manuals aren’t a thought. Most of the manuals, especially the smaller clone battle packs would sell for less than a dollar. It wouldn’t be worth shipping! However, when paired with a more valuable instruction manual like the Battle of Endor set, it only adds value to the listing. I would expect to get $30.00 for this lot, not including shipping!
How to store lego instructions effectively
Lego sets sold with their instructions only add value if they’re in good condition. I have a few booklets with missing pages, big tears, and more damage that won’t add any value to a sold set. To make sure you don’t make the same mistakes I have, here’s how you store them correctly.
Place them neatly in a box
This method seems obvious because it is. Find a cardboard box to store your manuals in, and place them neatly inside. Do not fold any pages or corners, as this will be hard to smooth out over time. I also encourage you to use a cardboard box and not a clear box, as sunlight will damage the instructions over time.
Store them in a binder
I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t organize my instruction manuals after showing you all how valuable they can be. So, I found a 2″ binder and clear display tabs to organize my instructions. I organized them by theme and I’m very happy with how it turned out. This way, I know what sets I own so that I can eventually rebuild each one. The booklets will stay in prime condition if I ever choose to sell them one day.
I had these materials lying around. You can find the sheet protectors on Amazon (click here to see the price), as well as a 3-inch binder (click here to see the price). These are both affiliate links, which means Brickwhisperer will receive a small commission following a purchase. Thank you for supporting my site.
Older instruction manuals are larger than my dividers. One example would be Lego Star Wars Jango Fett 8011. I am lucky enough to have kept this set’s box. I just put the instructions with it.
It took around 30 minutes to fill a binder with my instructions. I have around 30 instruction manuals, which filled the binder. Keep that in mind if you choose to go this route. If you have too many instructions, it may be worth throwing away the smaller sets or investing in more than one binder. Keep track of the instructions you throw away so you remember you own the set.
I’m happy with how the binder turned out. I used tabs to sort the instruction manuals by theme. My instructions will now stay in crisp condition for when I choose to sell the set. Instead of taking the instructions out to rebuild the set, I will just go to Lego.com’s website and type in the set number. From there, I can download the instructions as a PDF. This way, my instructions will stay in great condition.
