Tee age
Made
Mo e
Tha
$400,000
i
a
Yea
Selli g
Old
Legos
i
eBay
Auctio s:
‘I
Had
to
Get
a
Accou ta t
at
16’
A
18-yea -old
stude t
f om
South
Lo do
has
tu ed
a
small
tee age
hobby
of
eselli g
seco d-ha d
Lego
i to
a
busi ess
with
a ual
sales
of
mo e
tha
$400,000
(£312,000).
Jamie
Bell
u s
the
busi ess,
called
JTB
Collectables,
th ough
eBay.
Du i g
the
last
tax
yea ,
he
made
almost
$68,000
(£53,000)
i
et
p ofit
afte
payi g
fo
stock,
postage
a d
p ofessio al
accou ta cy
se vices.
His
busi ess
ece tly
eached
a
ew
high
whe
he
sold
200
lbs
(90
kg)
of
Lego
Sta
Wa s
mi ifigu es
i
a
si gle
o li e
auctio .
The
auctio
eceived
65
bids
a d
e ded
with
a
sale
p ice
of
mo e
tha
$30,000
(£23,400).Bell’s
busi ess
a d
fi a cial
figu es
we e
epo ted
by
Ke edy
News
a d
Media
a d
published
by
People
magazi e.
Sta ti g
a
busi ess
f om
his
bed oom
Bell
fi st
saw
a
oppo tu ity
i
the
seco d-ha d
Lego
ma ket
whe
he
was
13.
He
i itially
bought
a d
sold
smalle
Lego
sets.
But
he
soo
oticed
that
the e
was
dema d
fo
la ge
collectio s
of
used
Lego
pieces.
Ma y
smalle
Lego
t ade s
did
ot
have
e ough
mo ey
o
access
to
buy
la ge
qua tities
of
stock.
Bell
ealised
he
could
buy
la ge
collectio s
a d
the
sell
them
i
bulk
to
these
smalle
t ade s.
As
his
busi ess
g ew,
the
umbe
of
sales
became
too
la ge
fo
him
to
ma age
the
accou ts
himself.
“I
had
to
get
a
accou ta t
at
16,
but
I
p obably
eeded
o e
at
15,”
Bell
said.By
the
age
of
15,
he
was
egula ly
selli g
la ge
bu dles
because
the e
we e
few
othe
selle s
offe i g
the
same
se vice.
Othe
t ade s
could
buy
his
la ge
lots
a d
the
sell
i dividual
pieces
o
figu es
to
collecto s.“I
ealised
people
would
buy
them
to
sell
each
o e
i dividually
a d
I
could
be
thei
supplie ,”
he
said.The
busi ess
eve tually
became
la ge
e ough
to
take
ove
sig ifica t
pa ts
of
his
family
home.Bell
sto es
much
of
his
stock
i
la ge
ca dboa d
boxes
at
his
pa e ts’
house.“I
keep
them
o
the
floo
i
big
ca dboa d
boxes
at
my
pa e ts’
house,”
he
said.His
fathe
also
helps
with
packi g
a d
admi ist atio ,
although
Bell
emai s
espo sible
fo
u i g
the
busi ess.
Selli g
100kg
of
Lego
eve y
mo th
Bell
ow
sells
a ou d
220
lbs
(100
kg)
of
Lego
p oducts
each
mo th.
His
stock
is
divided
i to
two
mai
types.
He
sells
la ge
mixed
lots
to
othe
Lego
t ade s,
while
a e
figu es
a d
i dividual
pieces
a e
sold
di ectly
to
collecto s.
The
ma ket
fo
used
a d
a e
Lego
has
g ow
sig ifica tly
i
ece t
yea s.
Adult
collecto s
have
helped
i c ease
dema d
fo
olde
a d
ha de -to-fi d
figu es,
while
o li e
selle s
a e
also
looki g
fo
affo dable
stock
that
they
ca
esell
at
a
highe
p ice.
Bell
says
his
custome s
a e
mai ly
divided
betwee
collecto s
a d
othe
eselle s.
“It’s
exciti g
watchi g
the
auctio s
because
sometimes
someo e
will
pop
i
ight
at
the
e d
a d
i c ease
the
p ice
by
a
few
thousa d
[dolla s],”
he
said.
He
estimates
that
a ou d
40
pe
ce t
of
his
custome s
a e
se ious
collecto s
with
sig ifica t
disposable
i come,
while
about
60
pe
ce t
a e
eselle s.
A
£23,400
Lego
auctio
O e
of
Bell’s
biggest
sales
came
i
May
2026,
whe
he
auctio ed
a ou d
200
lbs
(90
kg)
of
Lego
Sta
Wa s
mi ifigu es.
The
lot
att acted
65
bids
befo e
selli g
fo
mo e
tha
$30,000
(£23,400).
Photog aphs
f om
the
auctio
showed
thousa ds
of
small
Lego
figu es
sp ead
ac oss
his
pa e ts’
bed oom
floo
befo e
they
we e
so ted
a d
packed
fo
the
buye .
The
sale
demo st ated
how
valuable
la ge
collectio s
of
Lego
ca
become
whe
they
co tai
a e
o
desi able
figu es.
Fo
Bell,
howeve ,
the
busi ess
is
ot
o ly
about
i dividual
high-value
sales.
His
egula
bulk
t a sactio s
p ovide
a
steady
flow
of
i come,
while
a e
items
ca
p oduce
much
la ge
etu s.
Keepi g
educatio
as
a
p io ity
Despite
the
size
of
his
busi ess,
Bell
does
ot
pla
to
leave
educatio
a d
make
Lego
eselli g
his
full-time
ca ee
immediately.
He
pla s
to
atte d
u ive sity
a d
study
histo y.
Bell
sees
the
busi ess
as
a
way
to
build
savi gs
a d
c eate
fi a cial
secu ity
athe
tha
as
the
o ly
ca ee
he
wa ts
to
pu sue.
“I
could
make
it
my
full-time
job,
but
fo
ca ee
stability
I’d
like
to
have
a
p ofessio
as
well,”
he
said.
He
also
says
that
la ge
sales
have
become
a
o mal
pa t
of
his
busi ess,
but
he
does
ot
pla
to
spe d
most
of
the
mo ey
he
ea s.
I stead,
he
saves
most
of
his
p ofits
towa ds
buyi g
his
fi st
home.
The
mo ey
is
kept
i
savi gs
while
he
p epa es
to
atte d
u ive sity
a d
build
his
futu e
ca ee .