Shane O'Farrell made a fortune selling plastic toys
Shane O'Farrell, a seasoned 35-year-old engineer, is among a growing number of investors worldwide who are striking it rich by selling Lego. With faster returns than stocks, bonds, and gold, the American says he became wealthy in just two years by trading these plastic toys.
The American initially invested in stocks and other assets but became frustrated with the slow growth of his wealth. Dissatisfied, he decided to try buying and selling Lego, and in just two years, he made $500,000.
"I started trying to invest in stocks and realized that the 8% per year I was earning in the stock market wasn't really going to work, wasn't really going to get me where I wanted to go," O'Farrell told the New York Post. "It would take decades."
Thrilled with his quick returns, Shane O'Farrell even shares tips for potential investors on his YouTube channel. On his channel, Brick Bucks, he reads annual financial and trend reports released by Lego.
Scarcity is Key
The American investor claims that the secret to profiting from Lego is the scarcity of the sets. On his channel, he informs viewers when sets are being retired to help investors determine their future value. O'Farrell learned this very early on.
"When I was a kid, I was a big fan of Lego, so one day I was searching eBay for sets from my childhood and realized they were selling for three, four times the original value," he recalls. The same set he loved and cost $85 in 1996 now sells for $2,405.
Once Lego stops selling a certain model, that's when it appreciates. Recently, this happened with the Lego Star Wars TIE Fighter Pilot Helmet model.
"It cost $60 before being retired in 2021. Then, about a year and a half after being retired, it was selling for $350," O'Farrell said. "You're talking about a 400% return on investment in a year and a half."
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