The best LEGO Icons sets to part out are the ones with big exclusive pieces, printed elements, or bonus minifigures you cannot easily buy anywhere else, not simply whichever box has the highest retail price. In my experience, a mid-priced Icons set with a couple of unique minifigures and a handful of rare printed parts can regularly out-earn a pricier set that is mostly common bricks in a new color.
Icons is a theme I genuinely like as a reseller. These sets tend to do well on the secondhand market whether they are new in box or already built, because so much of the appeal is the decor angle. People buy Icons sets to display them, not just to build them once and toss them in a bin. That same display value is exactly why Icons can be a little illiquid compared to something like Star Wars or Ninjago. A finished Optimus Prime style build or a botanical piece sitting on a shelf takes longer to find the right buyer than a Millennium Falcon minifigure does. Parting a set out is often how you turn that slower-moving inventory into faster cash.
- Icons sets hold value well used or new, mostly because of their decor and display appeal
- The theme can be a little illiquid as a whole set, which is when parting out starts to make sense
- Exclusive minifigures, printed parts, and large unique elements usually drive the most part-out value
- Platform fees change your real profit more than most new sellers expect
- Some sets are worth more sold whole than broken into pieces, so always run the numbers before you start pulling it apart
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What Does It Mean to Part Out a LEGO Icons Set?
Parting out a LEGO Icons set means breaking it into its individual pieces, sub-builds, and minifigures, then selling each of those separately instead of selling the completed set as one unit. Sellers do this when the sum of the individual pieces is worth more than the whole set would fetch on its own, which happens more often with Icons than a lot of people assume.
I started parting out sets years ago after noticing how often a damaged-box or incomplete Icons set sat unsold at a fair whole-set price, while the exclusive minifigure and rare parts inside it were clearly worth chasing down on their own. That is the part-out mindset in a nutshell: you are not destroying value, you are unlocking it.
Is LEGO Icons a Good Theme to Part Out?
Yes, Icons is one of the stronger themes for parting out, mainly because it leans so heavily on display value, exclusive elements, and adult collector demand rather than mass-market kid appeal. In my view it is an underrated category for resellers who are willing to do a bit more work than simply flipping a sealed box.
Icons sets tend to hold their value well whether they are new in box or already built and displayed, which is unusual for LEGO. Most themes lose a big chunk of value the moment the box is opened. Icons is different because so much of the appeal is the finished model itself, not just the sealed packaging. That said, I would call whole Icons sets a little illiquid. A pricier botanical or vehicle build might sit for weeks waiting for the right buyer who wants that exact piece for their shelf. Parting it out into minifigures, rare printed parts, and bulk elements usually moves faster because you are selling to many smaller buyers instead of one big one.
How Do You Know If an Icons Set Is Worth Parting Out?
An Icons set is worth parting out when its individual pieces, especially exclusive minifigures and rare printed elements, add up to more than the completed set sells for used, after you subtract selling fees and your time. I always run this comparison before I touch a single bag inside the box.
A few things I personally look for before I decide to part something out instead of reselling it whole:
- Does the set include one or more minifigures that are exclusive to that set or hard to find elsewhere
- Are there large, unique elements that do not show up in many other sets, like oversized decorative pieces or specialty molds
- Does the set use printed parts instead of stickers, since printed elements usually hold value better
- Is the set currently retired or getting close to retirement, which tends to push part-out demand up
- Would the completed build actually sell fast whole, or has it been sitting because it is a niche display piece
If you check most of those boxes, parting out is usually the better move. I have learned the hard way that guessing instead of checking the numbers is how you leave money on the table, or worse, part out something that would have sold faster and for more money left whole.
Which Icons Set Categories Tend to Part Out Best?
Botanical collection sets, vehicle replica sets, and landmark or architecture-style builds tend to part out best within the Icons lineup, mainly because they use more specialty and printed elements per box than a typical set. Sets built around a licensed character or vehicle inside the Icons banner can add exclusive minifigure value on top of that.
Botanical sets are a good example. A lot of the appeal is the specialty leaf, petal, and stem pieces, and those hold steady demand from builders working on unrelated botanical or nature-themed creations who just need one specific piece and are not price sensitive about it. Vehicle and landmark style Icons sets often carry big, unique structural pieces plus printed tiles or plates that show up nowhere else. When a set in this category also includes one or two exclusive minifigures, I treat that as a strong signal the box is worth breaking down rather than reselling whole.
I would still check every set against current sold listings before committing. Set values move around, and a category that parted out well last year is not guaranteed to still be the best pick today.
Icons Part-Out Checklist
Use this checklist before you decide whether to part out an Icons set or sell it complete. It only takes a few minutes and it has saved me from a handful of bad decisions over the years.
| Check | What to Look For |
|---|---|
| Exclusive minifigures | One or more figures not available in any other current set |
| Printed elements | Printed pieces instead of stickers, which usually hold value better over time |
| Large or specialty pieces | Oversized or unusually shaped elements used in botanical, vehicle, or landmark builds |
| Retirement status | Set is retired or nearing retirement, which often raises part-out demand |
| Completed set demand | How fast similar completed, used sets are actually selling right now |
| Fee math | Total expected part-out revenue minus platform fees, shipping, and your time |
Where Should You Sell Parted-Out Icons Pieces?
BrickLink is usually the best place to sell individual parts and printed elements from an Icons set, while eBay and Whatnot tend to work better for exclusive minifigures and larger bundles of pieces. Facebook Marketplace can work for bulkier local lots when shipping small pieces does not make financial sense.
I think of BrickLink as the Wall Street of LEGO parts. It is where builders and collectors go specifically to find the exact piece or color they need, and that specificity is exactly what you want when you are selling individual Icons parts and printed elements. BrickLink's selling fees are also low enough that it still makes sense to list something worth just a few dollars, which is not always true on other platforms.
eBay is where I have sold exclusive minifigures and small parts bundles for the most consistent demand. I've personally sold more than $100,000 of LEGO through eBay over the years, and in my experience, in a strong niche like LEGO, pricing thirty to fifty percent below current market tends to move an item within a day or two. Whatnot is a great option too, especially for exclusive minifigures and rare parts, since a live audience that already collects Icons sets will often pay above typical market value once they see the piece in your hand. I built my own Whatnot following past 3,000 followers and $30,000 in sales in about five months, and I noticed my audience responds a lot better to seeing a rare piece live than scrolling past a static photo.
How Do Platform Fees Affect Your Part-Out Profit?
Platform fees can quietly eat ten to twenty five percent of your part-out revenue depending on where you sell, so you need to build them into your math before you decide a set is worth breaking down. I have seen sellers part out a set, sell everything, and still feel confused about why their profit looked thinner than expected.
From what I have found, eBay is usually the platform where fees add up fastest once you factor in promoted listings, which some sellers use to get eyeballs on lower dollar parts. Depending on how much you lean on promoted listings, your total take rate can get close to twenty five percent of the sale. BrickLink's fees tend to run lower, which is part of why it works well for cheaper individual pieces. Whatnot has had no-seller-fee days at various points, so it is worth checking current promotions before you decide where to list a big part-out haul.
Heads up: This is not financial or legal advice. We're sharing what we've learned from the LEGO reselling community.
I recommend adding up your expected fees for each platform before you commit to parting out a set, not after. A few minutes of math up front can be the difference between a part-out that was actually worth it and one that just felt busy.
Should You Part Out the Set or Resell It Whole?
You should resell an Icons set whole when its display and decor value to a single collector is clearly higher than the sum of its individual pieces, and part it out when the exclusive minifigures, printed parts, and specialty elements add up to more than a completed sale would bring. This is a case by case decision, not a blanket rule for the whole theme.
A seller I know keeps a simple rule: if a used, complete Icons set is selling briskly at a fair price on its own, leave it alone and sell it whole. If it has been sitting, or if the individual components clearly outweigh the completed price once fees are factored in, that is when parting out starts to make sense. I use brick'em's LEGO collection value calculator to get a fast read on what a complete set is worth before I decide, and I lean on brick'em's haul calculator when I am staring at a bigger bulk lot with several Icons sets mixed in and need to prioritize which ones to break down first.
Exclusive minifigures deserve their own gut check too. Before I part out any set, I run the included figures through brick'em's LEGO minifigure database so I know exactly what each one is worth on its own before I decide whether keeping the set together or breaking it apart is the smarter call. If you are just getting started tracking your own inventory this way, it takes a couple minutes to create a free brick'em account and start logging what you have.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are LEGO Icons sets a good investment?
Icons sets can be a solid pick for collectors and resellers because they hold value well used or new thanks to their display appeal, though the theme can move slowly compared to more liquid categories. Treat any specific price or return claim as community experience rather than guaranteed investment advice, and always check current sold listings first.
What is the most valuable part of a LEGO Icons set?
Exclusive minifigures are usually the most valuable single piece in an Icons set, followed by large specialty elements and printed parts that do not appear in many other sets. Common bricks and plates rarely carry much part-out value on their own, even in large quantities.
Is it better to sell LEGO Icons sets on eBay or BrickLink?
BrickLink usually works better for individual parts and printed pieces, while eBay tends to perform better for exclusive minifigures and bundled lots that benefit from broader buyer traffic. Many sellers, myself included, use both platforms depending on what they are trying to move.
How do I find missing parts for an incomplete Icons set?
BrickLink is the best resource for tracking down missing parts, since you can search by exact piece and color to find stores that carry what you need. Incomplete sets are fixable inventory rather than junk, and completing one before resale can meaningfully raise what it sells for.
Should beginners try parting out LEGO sets?
Beginners can absolutely start parting out sets, but I recommend starting with a smaller, well-known set so you learn how to judge minifigure and part values before working through more expensive Icons inventory. Expect a learning curve on your first few sets, and do not be discouraged if your early margins are thinner than you hoped.
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