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Author Topic: Interesting newspaper report on Lego  (Read 5542 times)

Offline playmofire

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Interesting newspaper report on Lego
« on: February 11, 2010, 17:05:43 »
I saw this in the newspaper today.
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Offline gloobey

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Re: Interesting newspaper report on Lego
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2010, 17:08:48 »
It's really a shame. There is another article regarding LEGO theft on this blog that I frequent:
http://www.brothers-brick.com/

I guess when things become valuable it attracts attention, and thieves.
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Offline Richard

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Re: Interesting newspaper report on Lego
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2010, 19:41:52 »


Wonder how someone gets rid of a load of stolen Lego? Or, Playmobil?

Do you suppose that there are people who specialize in "fencing" stolen toys?

How would any of us ever know if that very special Playmobil item on eBay that we just "won" in a bidding war was stolen or not?

Never thought about it before ...  :o

Thanks, Gordon ... For giving a few of us something else to think about ...  ;D

All the best,
Richard

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Offline Rasputin

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Re: Interesting newspaper report on Lego
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2010, 21:04:51 »
Hello

Interesting stories. I guess in a sort of weird way it is better to collect Playmobil as less people know about it so there is less of a chance of somebody eying it.

If you look on the back of Playmobil there are white #'s printed on the packages. From what I understand some of those are production codes. If a large truck was stolen they could be traced with that info, as long as the items were still in the original packaging that is. If somebody was to open every set and sell them with out the box, who knows, slim chance on tracking it.

The article of Gloobey's is in my old neighborhood. I do not look for Lego's as often but now that I know I can take note if I do see some items for sale.

Thanks for the stories
Rasputin "The Mad Monk"
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Offline Bill Blackhurst

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Re: Interesting newspaper report on Lego
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2010, 22:52:53 »
What about the miscellaneous figures & partial sets we were talking about not long ago from someone who got them from a storage building? Could they have been from a heist   :hmm: P)?
« Last Edit: February 16, 2010, 14:36:41 by Bill Blackhurst »
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Offline Rasputin

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Re: Interesting newspaper report on Lego
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2010, 23:31:51 »
Quote from: Bill Blackhurst on February 11, 2010, 22:52:53
What about the miscellaneous figures & partial sets we were talking about not long ago from someone who got them from a storage building? Could they have been from a heist   :hmm:P)?

Hi Bill

Well when I received my boxes the Playmobil did not feel hot, actually it was not even lukewarm  :P

You know if you think about it, if someone did snag a truck, put the thousands of boxes in storage, waited many years then auctioned them off slowly they would have quite a haul. If one measly box could sell for $100 a whole truck could easily fit 1000 sets in it. Even common thug bank robbers are not lucky enough to get over 10k most of the time.

 Thats all that we need is some silly Mafia gang heisting Lego and Playmobil trucks  :lol:

Rasputin "The Mad Monk"
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Offline Richard

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Re: Interesting newspaper report on Lego
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2010, 23:48:33 »


Quote from: Rasputin on February 11, 2010, 23:31:51

You know if you think about it, if someone did snag a truck, put the thousands of boxes in storage, waited many years then auctioned them off slowly they would have quite a haul.

Rasputin "The Mad Monk"


Hmmm ...  :hmm:  Do I smell a "plan" coming together? ...  ;D



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Offline Rasputin

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Re: Interesting newspaper report on Lego
« Reply #7 on: February 12, 2010, 03:45:19 »
Quote from: Richard on February 11, 2010, 23:48:33


Hmmm ...  :hmm:  Do I smell a "plan" coming together? ...  ;D





Hi Richard

Yes I am full of bright ideas, just ask my beloved wife  :lol: One of my recent ones was a deal with the Ghana Government and the Somalian pirates  8}





Rasputin "The Mad Monk"
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Offline Gepetto

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Re: Interesting newspaper report on Lego
« Reply #8 on: February 12, 2010, 04:13:20 »
They arrested a fellow here last summer I believe who was 'stealing' Lego to sell on eBay, he was actually from Montana (?) and he drove the western states with a large trailer and a setup that allowed him to print barcode labels. He would go to Target stores and put his labels on the large expensive Lego sets and buy them very cheaply then sell them online, they found over $200,000 worth of Lego in his house when they searched it.


Gepetto
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Offline Martin Milner

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Re: Interesting newspaper report on Lego
« Reply #9 on: February 12, 2010, 05:04:21 »
Quote from: Gepetto on February 12, 2010, 04:13:20
They arrested a fellow here last summer I believe who was 'stealing' Lego to sell on eBay, he was actually from Montana (?) and he drove the western states with a large trailer and a setup that allowed him to print barcode labels. He would go to Target stores and put his labels on the large expensive Lego sets and buy them very cheaply then sell them online, they found over $200,000 worth of Lego in his house when they searched it.


Gepetto

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06298/732855-28.stm

I'm suprised that worked. Barcodes are usually printed directly on the box by the manufacturer, so a stuck-on barcode label would stick out as a fake to any watchful cashier. Besides which, if the replacement barcode doesn't match something in the retail outlet's inventory, it won't ring up on the till.

The only way I can see that working is if he was a Target employee and stole one of their electronic pricing guns, a printer and a roll of labels. Then he might be able to use their own system to print replacement barcodes with a lower price.

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