Secondhand LEGO market inundated as COVID-19 purchases sold on

And as the brand surpassed Mattel to become the largest toy company in the world in 2015, enthusiasts across Australia started cashing in.

Since opening their 640 square metre showroom in 2021, Brisbane couple Judy and Greg Friedman have bought and sold hundreds of kilograms of LEGO every week under their brand BrickResales.

"We are all about the circular economy and the recycling of LEGO parts, so we don't actually buy anything as sets," Mrs Friedman said.

"We generally value it by weight, but the price can vary depending on what's in there."

The LEGO Group's in-house themes such as City and Classic go for around $15 a kilogram, while licenced brands like Batman and Harry Potter could easily fetch up to $25.

But some rare pieces could be worth far more.

One of the most famous examples is the original LEGO goat, which only appeared in one set and has had its mould destroyed.

The finite number of this piece means that when it appears on secondhand markets, it could demand a price exceeding $150.

Mrs Friedman said the bricks considered most valuable was often difficult to predict.

"It can be anything from just a printed dish through to a Technic piece or an antenna from some of the classic space sets," she said.

"And they might be rare but not necessarily valuable or valuable but not necessarily rare, so it doesn't always go hand in hand."

In Sydney, Damien Azzopardi of Bricktastics has bought around 40,000kg of LEGO in his five years in business.

Mr Azzopardi said there'd been a shift in the market since he started in late 2017.

"It had been fairly steady but when COVID hit there was a massive imbalance, everybody wanted LEGO because they were all stuck at home," he said.

"Now the market's rebalanced and the opposite has happened, so we're flooded with people who are looking to sell."

Bricktastics uses a weight-based method to value LEGO modifying the final price based on the overall condition of the collection and its level of organisation.

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But Mr Azzopardi said in most cases, those looking to get rid of their old LEGO, shouldn't go to the trouble of organising it to increase its value.

"People go through the process of sorting their collection thinking they're going to get more money from it, often that means colour sorting or organising everything into their sets.

"But they very quickly run out of steam or recognise the value that they've added was not worth it at all," he said.

The massive size of The LEGO Group brought with it a large audience, maintaining a robust resale market.

"I think because there's just so much bulk out there that people are buying and selling, the rate generally stays fairly stable. It's the individual pieces and sets which wildly fluctuate and generally to the upside," he said.

"Unless LEGO produces something that devalues a particular item, generally the prices will just go up as they become rarer and harder to get."

But to some, the secondhand market presented an opportunity to express themselves through LEGO.

BrickNetty buys used LEGO to create art with a focus on pieces that celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community.

Created by Melbourne couple Netty Scotland and Jess Mills, the business sells pride flags and other items made with secondhand bricks.

They've received so many pieces that BrickNetty has paused purchases while they sort through their current stock.

Mx Scotland said they made flags using a technique known as 'greebling' where many small bricks are added to create texture and visual interest.

"We love to hear people identifying with the pieces we create, knowing that they are seen and celebrated," they said.

"LEGO is such a fun and happy medium to create art with and we feel very lucky to be able to do this work."

Mx Scotland said LEGO retained its value so well because there was always new fans coming into the hobby.

"Adults don't make the time generally to 'play', and it is so important," they said.

"Now with the large range of sets aimed at adults there is 'permission' to play. It's not just a children's toy, the large adult community is proof of that. So much can be done with a handful of bricks and just clicking them together."