Source : Perth Now news
A teenager who started selling unwanted toys online has built a Lego empire worth hundreds of thousands of pounds after spotting a gap in the collector market.
Jamie Bell began selling his old toys on eBay at just 13, but quickly realised Lego pieces were far more valuable than he expected.
Now 18, his business JTB Collectables buys large quantities of Lego bricks and minifigures before selling them to collectors and resellers around the world.
Jamie’s growing operation generated £300,000 in revenue last year, although he was left with around £50,000 profit after costs.
The teenager, from Wandsworth, South London, is quoted by The Sun as saying: “I had to get an accountant at 16, but I probably needed one at 15.
“It’s exciting watching the auctions because sometimes someone will pop in right at the end and increase the price by a few thousand pounds.”
One of his biggest sales came in May when he listed a 95kg collection of Lego Star Wars minifigures, which he described as the “largest minifigure lot ever listed on eBay worldwide”.
The huge bundle, photographed spread across his parents’ bedroom floor, attracted 65 bids after starting at just £1 and eventually sold for £22,428.
Jamie said: “The profit margins are never certain and the cost was quite high so it’s not the listing I’ve made the most profit on. But I think the benchmark of the size was more important than the profit.”
He first discovered the opportunity after making a few hundred pounds selling his own toys. At 14, he bought a bundle of Lego and sold the pieces individually for twice what he paid.
Jamie said: “By age 15, my huge bundles were selling well because nobody else was doing it. I realised people would buy them to sell each one individually and I could be their supplier.
“My dad helps with the packing and admin and my parents are supportive – but it’s up to me because they’ll only do so much. It’s my side-hustle or business.
“My mum was shocked because she thought it was a little resale thing and didn’t know it had grown into a proper business.”
The teenager now sells around 100kg of Lego every month, with buyers made up of collectors and people hoping to make money by splitting up the bundles.
He said: “I’d say 40 per cent of buyers are huge collectors with a lot of disposable income and 60 per cent would be resellers who could take months selling them individually.
“I keep the figures on the floor in big cardboard boxes.”
Despite his success, Jamie does not plan to make Lego his full-time career. He will study history at university next year while continuing his business on the side.
He said: “I could make it my full-time job but for career stability I’d like to have a profession as well.
“These big sales have become normal now and I save most of the money for my first home and put it in an ISA.”
