How to Store LEGO Boxes: 13 Tips to Preserve Their Value

Do you often damage the Lego boxes in your eagerness to take out the items? Stop doing that. They can fetch you a decent income.
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Do you often damage the Lego packaging box in your eagerness to take out the items? Stop doing that. They can fetch you a decent income on the second-hand market. To help you preserve their value, this article will provide you with 13 effective ways to store LEGO packaging boxes. They will keep boxes away from direct sunlight and moisture, and you won’t have to worry about limited space.

Why keep the LEGO boxes?

LEGO boxes contain crucial information about the set, including the name, number, piece count, and colorful illustrations. Keeping the packaging not only means a love for LEGO but also has the potential to bring you financial returns.

In the LEGO set resale market, there are clear criteria for classification: No packaging, packaging with damage, and packaging without damage. If your LEGO set’s packaging is in good condition, on eBay, it can fetch up to 60% more income compared to selling it without the box.

Even empty packaging boxes are highly popular. On eBay, a well-maintained box can be priced from $5 to $20. If you have Star Wars boxes, make sure to preserve them well, as they are the prime for LEGO box collectors.

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How to open boxes without causing damage?

  • 1. Check the packaging: Before you begin, inspect the exterior of the box to ensure there are no tears, scratches, or damages.
  • 2. Locate the sealed edge: Find the sealed edge at the bottom or top of the box, usually along the sealed line on the box’s edge.
  • 3. Use a knife or scissors: Gently cut along the sealed line with a knife or scissors, making sure not to cut too deep to damage the items inside the box.
  • 4. Be patient: Take it slow, especially near the corners of the box; avoid excessive force to prevent damage.
  • 5. Open inner seals: When opening the box’s interior, if there are additional seals, carefully open them to avoid tearing or stressing the box.

How to store LEGO boxes?

Like storing lego pieces, sunlight, humidity, and storage space choices directly affect the condition of the box. Avoid placing heavy items on top of the box, and be cautious about pets and children coming into contact with it – these are crucial points to note. Based on your needs, select a method from the options below:

1. Nesting

Stack the different-sized LEGO boxes in a nested fashion. Simply slide the smaller box gently into the slightly larger one, and repeat the process. Arrange them from big to small, fitting seamlessly like nesting dolls.

This method not only saves space but also ensures a neat and organized overall storage. Makes it easy to find what you need and looks organized and tidy.

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2. Flattening

Place the packaging box on a flat surface, then use your palm to gently push down from the center towards the edges. If the bottom of the box is bent, try adjust it by hand.

After flattening it, you can save storage space and make it easier to reuse the boxes.

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Sourced from: LEGO Boxes – To Keep or Not To Keep

3. Add Bubble Wrap

  • 1. Cut the bubble wrap with scissors to fit the shape of the box, leaving enough to cover the edges.
  • 2. Align one end of the wrap with one side of the box, ensuring a snug fit.
  • 3. For the corners, carefully fold or trim the wrap.
  • 4. Secure the wrap with tape, ensuring it firmly adheres to the box.

Bubble wraps effectively reduce external impacts, preventing scratches and damages. They are especially useful for protecting rare or high-value collectible packaging boxes.

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Sourced from: How a true Professional LEGO Collector stores his boxes

4. Stacking

  • 1. Categorize boxes based on similar sizes or shapes.
  • 2. Identify a suitable stacking area.
  • 3. Choose the largest and sturdiest packaging box as the bottom layer.
  • 4. Ensure that the four edges of the stacked boxes are aligned.
  • 5. Don’t stack too high to keep it stable and avoid putting too much pressure on the boxes.

Make the most of vertical space for easy access and keep a tidy look.

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5. Mix Various Methods

Combine different storage methods, like nesting, flattening, and using bubble wrap, to suit various needs based on the box characteristics.

This method is highly flexible and can meet a variety of storage needs.

6. Place it in a Big Box

  • 1. Choose a large and sturdy box to ensure all the packaging boxes you want to store can easily fit inside.
  • 2. Place a layer of cushioning material, such as foam board or thick cardboard, at the bottom of the large box to provide additional protection.
  • 3. Make sure all boxes in the large one face the same way for a snug fit.

Easy for moving around, great for long-term storage and Lego moving.

7. Under the Bed

  • 1. Clear away clutter and dust under the bed to ensure the space is clean.
  • 2. place the organized boxes under the bed, ensuring they are stable and won’t tilt.
  • 3. Regularly check the storage space under the bed to ensure the boxes are undamaged.

Make the most of less-used space without being an eyesore.

8. In the Closet

  • 1. Pick boxes that fit the closet and are easy to reach.
  • 2. place the organized boxes in the closet, ensuring they are stable and won’t tilt.
  • 3. Other spaces in the closet, like shelves and hanging rods, can also be used for storing small boxes or other items.

Use closet space while protecting the boxes from direct sunlight.

9. Book Shelf

If you display Lego sets on your bookshelf, storing the LEGO boxes is a good choice too.

  • 1. Neatly arrange the boxes in a vertical way.
  • 2. Ensure the boxes’ openings face outward and adjust the vertical spacing between them.
  • 3. Maximize the height of the shelf by stacking the boxes to the top.

Make use of the vertical space on the shelf for easy access and organization.

10. Transparent Storage Bag

  • 1. Choose transparent storage bags that match the size of the packaging boxes.
  • 2. Seal the bag after placing the box inside.
  • 3. Label the information on the bag, such as number, contents and date.

The transparent design allows easy viewing of the contents and provides dust and moisture protection.

11. Hang On the Wall

Hang LEGO boxes on the wall or the back of a door using hooks, strings, or others. For easy access and finding, hang smaller boxes higher and larger ones lower.

Maximizes vertical space, and doesn’t occupy floor space, making the boxes easy to observe and choose.

12. Dust Covers

Dusting off Lego sets can be a bit tricky, but a simple dust cover is all you need for LEGO boxes.

  • 1. To purchase suitable dust covers, measure the dimensions of the Lego boxes.
  • 2. Put the selected dust covers on the boxes and then seal them.

Keeps away dust and debris effectively, especially useful for storing items not in use for long.

13. Digital Filing System

  • 1. Shoot or scan the exterior of LEGO boxes and digitize them by saving the images on the computer.
  • 2. Add labels to the image files of each box for easy identification and retrieval.
  • 3. Create a spreadsheet to document the file location, description, date, and other details for each box.

An innovative way to save space, and easily retrieve, and preserve collectibles’ value.

Where to sell Lego Boxes

There are several ways to sell your LEGO boxes. One option is to explore LEGO-dedicated marketplaces such as BrickLink.com. Additionally, you can consider the broader one like eBay, Mercari, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace to connect with potential buyers interested in LEGO products.

Alternatively, you have the option of selling your boxes to retailers who specialize in reselling LEGO sets. These retailers may purchase the boxes from you and then match them with the corresponding LEGO sets for resale. An example of such a retailer is ThePlasticBrick.com, an online marketplace that deals in used and out-of-production LEGO sets. They may express interest in acquiring your LEGO boxes for their inventory.

Final Words

When dealing with many bugs or in damp areas, take special precautions when storing Lego boxes: Hang insect-repelling bags or use non-toxic deterrents like silica gel or borax powder around the boxes. In addition, don’t put boxes on the floor directly. Ensure good ventilation in the storage area or use silica gel bags for dryness. If you have any other effective ways to store boxes, just leave a comment below.

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JMB-Samon

My fascination with building blocks isn't just about creating structures, but about the stories each piece can tell. For me, building blocks are a way of expressing my inner world.

50 Responses

  1. This is such a great post! I always noticed where people can sell items, that the storage unit the item came in is very important to have with it. It would be the first thing someone would go for, versus the unboxed item that doesn’t include its original wrapping or instructions.

    Plus, it doesn’t only work for Lego boxes, but everything you practically own, especially collector items like action figures, video games, and so on. I recently started using my garage to store the packaging of products I buy and collector items. Since I want to have them in case I decide to make future profits by selling these items.

    I know it requires just taking a little more space than just dumping the box, but the value is much better with the packaging than without. So in some way, I get to enjoy what I bought or got and later I can profit and purchase something new.

    When it does come to the packaging, many collectors will ask if they include the original boxing and the condition. I had many ask and even with photos, they really are specific with the quality and visible aspects of the box as well as the item. Sometimes, it is even wise to purchase a box that someone is selling to sell the item you have to make a bigger profit from the product cause you got the box. Otherwise, the value is lowered extremely. Thankfully, many auction sites, like eBay offer boxes, instructions, and so on, which can also be a great thing to do if you want to make money on the packaging without just recycling it.

    Also, I want to mention that I love the many ways to prevent damage while opening the box and how to store them. The pictures and tips are very useful and such a great help when it comes to those very difficult boxes that end up tearing if not done gently. I appreciate the guidance and the helpful information, thank you.

    1. Hey, thanks for your comment! Totally agree about keeping the original packaging, especially for cool collector items. Storing stuff in the garage for potential future profits is a smart move. Glad you found the tips useful! If you’ve got more stories or thoughts, feel free to share.

    2. I am so picky, I guess it is the super organized freak in me but I keep almost all the packaging for all my kids toys and when I resell it people pay me more because it has everything with it.

    1. That is great but do you keep them away from outside light? It will fade the boxes. I learned a hard lesson that one side of my boxes exposed to light faded so bad!

      1. Your experience serves as a valuable reminder for others who might not have considered the impact of light on packaging.

  2. Store Lego you don’t commonly use in your basement (if you have one). Use shelving to keep boxes off the floor in case your basement floods.

    1. I have so many sets stacked in our closet and in our basement! I keep running out of places to stash my favorite sets.

  3. I use a ton of these methods for my collection! I keep them all over the house in whatever spaces we have available.

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Serving to create the coolest lego-type brick sets for builders around the world, JMBricklayer is built by a group of building set freaks and focus on innovation of the production technology and strengthening of the supply chain.

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