Start with the launch RRP
The recommended retail price at launch is the anchor. It tells you what the set cost when it was on shelves, so you can see whether a set has held its value, fallen back in a sale, or climbed after retirement.
Brickonomy shows the launch RRP on every set page where one is recorded, next to the current market figures, so the comparison is on one screen.
Then look at sold averages, not asking prices
An asking price is what a seller hopes for. A sold average is what buyers actually paid. For collector-market values the sold average is the honest number, and it is the one to use for insurance notes or deciding whether to sell.
Brickonomy reports the marketplace sold average for new and used separately, because the gap between the two is often larger than people expect on licensed themes.
Use live listings as a sanity check
Live buy-it-now listings tell you what you would pay today, including postage. They move faster than averages, so they are useful when a set has just retired and the market is still finding its level.
On a set page, the eBay panel shows the cheapest current new and used listing, and the BrickOwl panel gives a second marketplace opinion. When the three sources disagree wildly, treat the sold average as the baseline and the listings as the mood of the moment.
Adjust for condition and completeness
Condition changes value more than any other factor. Ordered roughly from most to least valuable:
- Sealed, undamaged box
- Sealed box with shelf wear or crushed corners
- Opened, built once, complete with instructions and box
- Complete with instructions, no box
- Complete bricks only
- Incomplete — priced as parts, not as a set
Value a whole collection, not one set at a time
Once your sets are logged, Brickonomy totals the collection for you, so you see one figure for everything you own rather than adding up dozens of tabs. You can also choose the currency you want values shown in.