LEGO Collection: Should we keep the boxes?

Let's go to a thorny question that divides LEGO collectors: Do you absolutely have to keep the boxes of your LEGOs? Should you fill your cupboards with these boxes or put them for recycling? Should they be folded, cut or protected while waiting for the sets concerned to increase in value over the years?

The answer to these questions depends on your intentions. Or not.

Many AFOLs buy their sets, assemble them once, possibly display them in their bedroom or living room, then dismantle them, often under family pressure, so that the parts go to their bulk destined for MOCs.
Others store their sets without even touching them, telling themselves that because they don't have the space to display them, there's no point in putting them together. And they will probably never put them together.
Throwing away the packaging is seen by some as an almost militant act: By breaking the speculative aspect of the set, they try to convince themselves to be real AFOLs who use LEGO for their primary function: Play.
Each situation is unique, and there is no objective argument in favor of preserving or not the boxes.

There are still some indicators that should change the minds of those who throw away the boxes of their sets without regret. 

What does a set consist of: A box, an instruction booklet, minifigs and loose parts.
In order of value we can therefore consider that the minifigs are the most important component of the set. The pieces would come in second.
But this reasoning overlooks an important fact: The pieces are only plastic bricks which, when combined, make up the set itself. The identity of the set is ultimately determined by its box which presents the content in its final form. And collectors are demanding: A plastic bag with loose parts, a few minifigs and a paper printout of an instruction booklet from its pdf format will never have the same value as an original box, even open and damaged , an original booklet and all the plastic, brick and minifig elements.

This is especially true for licensed sets or very old sets. Star Wars fans get carried away as soon as the franchise logo appears. They are willing to spend insane amounts of money to collect anything that can bear the Star Wars endorsement. And LEGOs are no exception. A set from the Star Wars range sold with its original packaging will see its price double, or even triple in some cases, compared to the same set sold in bulk, without box or original instructions. These same boxes and other instruction booklets also retail on bricklink, where the price per kilo of cardboard is exceptionally high ...

Finally, the part of the set which remains the easiest to assemble and which costs the least per kilo are the parts themselves .... The minifigs are also affordable, with notable exceptions like the Boba Fett from 10123 Cloud City for example. , and the rarest object over the years effectively becomes the box. And it becomes scarce over the years: Cardboard is a material that is difficult to resist to numerous manipulations, humidity, moving ...

This same box which takes up too much space today will undoubtedly allow you to get the most out of your collection if one day you decide to sell it to the highest bidder, for whatever reason. Paying the rental of a storage box to accumulate your empty packaging could even pay off over the years.

In the worst case, you will sell them to all those specialists in flea markets and other garage sales who scour the villages, accumulate complete sets in bulk bought for a few euros from sellers who have no idea of ​​the potential value of these LEGO, purchase boxes and instruction booklets separately at bricklink and resell it as a complete set on eBay for a more than substantial profit.

 The next time you want to get rid of a set box, don't throw it away, sell it. You will be surprised at the number of interested buyers .....