Whatever Patreon would hypothetically lose in some lawsuit from BAM would pale in comparison to the marketing value they just earned themselves.

doubledog said:

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BusterAg said:

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doubledog said:

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AgBQ-00 said:

---

what about baseball cards? rolex watches? vintage cars? If it is something you've collected over the course of your life (in this case an 80+ year old man) you can build a lot of value.

---

Rolex watches, yes (gold) and Vintage cars have value in and of themselves, Legos and Baseball cards the only value is what someone is willing to pay for them, not how much you value them.

---

What is the value of one Bitcoin?

Why is that the appropriate value?

What is the value of one share of Tesla?

Why is that the appropriate value?

---

It is all about the numbers for Bitcoin and Tesla. The more people that value those items the deeper the value. Your house has more value if you have 1000 people bidding on it, rather than just one.

---

The value of your house is what someone is willing to pay you for it.

This BAM CEO should hire the former Budweiser marketing exec - seems like a perfect match.

Her telling the consignor that a large portion of the inventory was moved to another location and that people had to pay for the item without seeing it in person before they would go and retrieve it seems fishy to me. The whole point is to place the items in a busy store with foot traffic where Lego fans can see them and buy them. I'm not buying it. I still think the booted franchisee probably lied to them.

The kid very well may end up being in deep trouble, both civil and criminal.

Vitani said:

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The kid very well may end up being in deep trouble, both civil and criminal.

---

Summary?... for those of us that dont want to watch a ridiculously long video from a rainbow warrior.

The kid definitely was in the wrong on how he did stuff. Im not sure he would be prosecuted when he is trying to right an obvious wrong.

And I dont see how you could watch the first video and not see how painfully obvious it is that the company was in the wrong.

bonfarr said:

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Her telling the consignor that a large portion of the inventory was moved to another location and that people had to pay for the item without seeing it in person before they would go and retrieve it seems fishy to me. The whole point is to place the items in a busy store with foot traffic where Lego fans can see them and buy them. I'm not buying it. I still think the booted franchisee probably lied to them.

---

Im familiar with the area of the store, youre not getting foot traffic in the area that is buying high ticket items... Anyone buying a $5k+ Lego set isnt coming in off the street without already arranging it.

They advertised it on social media and were advertising to get people interested. The original franchisee keeping some safe in an alternate location or back room seems legit to me.

I agree that from the video the company seems to be in the wrong. Ben is being charged criminally mostly with some minor offenses so that is not a huge deal. However, the company filed a civil RICO case against him and it appears that they have a judge on their side. Ben was ordered to take down all of the videos, which he has not done yet last I checked.

The video is worth a watch if you are interested in the case from a strictly legal standpoint. Yes, the guy has a rainbow flag in the background but the video has nothing at all to do with that.

Burdizzo said:

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doubledog said:

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AgBQ-00 said:

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what about baseball cards? rolex watches? vintage cars? If it is something you've collected over the course of your life (in this case an 80+ year old man) you can build a lot of value.

---

Rolex watches, yes (gold) and Vintage cars have value in and of themselves, Legos and Baseball cards the only value is what someone is willing to pay for them, not how much you value them.

---

If all you need is a timekeeper, you can get a Casio at Walmart for about $20. If all you need is a dependable car, you don't need anything vintage. Cars and watches are utilitarian items. Lego and baseball cards are not. Yet the collector market drives certain segments of the auto and watch market to irrational value. I would be cautious of this statement. The value in the Rolex is the status symbol, but there are other reasonable substitutes for keeping time at a much, much, lower cost.

---

Yeah, but anyone can get a Casio.

Clearly not a watch guy.

This is basic supply and demand.

(FTR, we watch people, at least on this site, do not denigrate Casios.)

Totally off topic but you will probably like this video.

Ha. Enjoyed that.

Disagree with him on tanks. Clearly a D watch, at best.

doubledog said:

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AgBQ-00 said:

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But it is literally a multi-millions of dollars market.

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I know and that is what scares me !

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Why? People like to collect and enjoy things in life, and are willing to pay to enjoy those things. If you can't enjoy life then why even live?

I hope he refuses to take down the videos unless there is a damn good reason to.

Average Joe said:

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doubledog said:

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AgBQ-00 said:

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But it is literally a multi-millions of dollars market.

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I know and that is what scares me !

---

Why? People like to collect and enjoy things in life, and are willing to pay to enjoy those things. If you can't enjoy life then why even live?

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Exactly... a lot of this stuff is nostalgic for people. Market may dry up, but its basic market economics... scarcity and demand

YouBet said:

---

Burdizzo said:

---

doubledog said:

---

AgBQ-00 said:

---

what about baseball cards? rolex watches? vintage cars? If it is something you've collected over the course of your life (in this case an 80+ year old man) you can build a lot of value.

---

Rolex watches, yes (gold) and Vintage cars have value in and of themselves, Legos and Baseball cards the only value is what someone is willing to pay for them, not how much you value them.

---

If all you need is a timekeeper, you can get a Casio at Walmart for about $20. If all you need is a dependable car, you don't need anything vintage. Cars and watches are utilitarian items. Lego and baseball cards are not. Yet the collector market drives certain segments of the auto and watch market to irrational value. I would be cautious of this statement. The value in the Rolex is the status symbol, but there are other reasonable substitutes for keeping time at a much, much, lower cost.

---

Yeah, but anyone can get a Casio.

Clearly not a watch guy.

This is basic supply and demand.

(FTR, we watch people, at least on this site, do not denigrate Casios.)

---

My butlers all collect Rolexes and Ferraris.

Burdizzo said:

---

YouBet said:

---

Burdizzo said:

---

doubledog said:

---

AgBQ-00 said:

---

what about baseball cards? rolex watches? vintage cars? If it is something you've collected over the course of your life (in this case an 80+ year old man) you can build a lot of value.

---

Rolex watches, yes (gold) and Vintage cars have value in and of themselves, Legos and Baseball cards the only value is what someone is willing to pay for them, not how much you value them.

---

If all you need is a timekeeper, you can get a Casio at Walmart for about $20. If all you need is a dependable car, you don't need anything vintage. Cars and watches are utilitarian items. Lego and baseball cards are not. Yet the collector market drives certain segments of the auto and watch market to irrational value. I would be cautious of this statement. The value in the Rolex is the status symbol, but there are other reasonable substitutes for keeping time at a much, much, lower cost.

---

Yeah, but anyone can get a Casio.

Clearly not a watch guy.

This is basic supply and demand.

(FTR, we watch people, at least on this site, do not denigrate Casios.)

---

My butlers all collect Rolexes and Ferraris.

---

Guess I'll need to upgrade both then. I refuse to own items that mere butlers can get.

Burdizzo said:

---

doubledog said:

---

AgBQ-00 said:

---

what about baseball cards? rolex watches? vintage cars? If it is something you've collected over the course of your life (in this case an 80+ year old man) you can build a lot of value.

---

Rolex watches, yes (gold) and Vintage cars have value in and of themselves, Legos and Baseball cards the only value is what someone is willing to pay for them, not how much you value them.

---

If all you need is a timekeeper, you can get a Casio at Walmart for about $20. If all you need is a dependable car, you don't need anything vintage. Cars and watches are utilitarian items. Lego and baseball cards are not. Yet the collector market drives certain segments of the auto and watch market to irrational value. I would be cautious of this statement. The value in the Rolex is the status symbol, but there are other reasonable substitutes for keeping time at a much, much, lower cost.

---

GOLD Rolexes have, well, gold. Hate to sound snotty, but your post seems a bit dense: gold has tremendous value. Also, my all Stainless Submariner that I had for almost 3 decades had a depth rating of 300 meters, I believe. Try that with a $20 WM watch.

To be sure, I didn't go that far down and some of those cheaper WM watches will go as far down as I did with my Rolex (when I owned it), but the Sub still can do what most watches can't.

Incidentally, I bought that watch when I was in college. I didn't give a damn then or now about status. I thought it was cool, had wanted one since mid-to-late HS, and got a good deal on it. When I sold it about a decade ago, I calculated that I earned roughly a 7% return on my money -- not even taking into account the years of use I got out of it. Again, try that with your WM watch.

Sorry, but I think you misunderstood the comment you responded to. Either way, you're incorrect on your assertions here. The issue isn't what a replacement item COULD do; it is the actual value vs. perceived value of an item. My Rolex had ACTUAL value. Perhaps I put more value on it than you would -- and we can debate that actual value amount all day long, but that doesn't change things.

YouBet said:

---

Burdizzo said:

---

YouBet said:

---

Burdizzo said:

---

doubledog said:

---

AgBQ-00 said:

---

what about baseball cards? rolex watches? vintage cars? If it is something you've collected over the course of your life (in this case an 80+ year old man) you can build a lot of value.

---

Rolex watches, yes (gold) and Vintage cars have value in and of themselves, Legos and Baseball cards the only value is what someone is willing to pay for them, not how much you value them.

---

If all you need is a timekeeper, you can get a Casio at Walmart for about $20. If all you need is a dependable car, you don't need anything vintage. Cars and watches are utilitarian items. Lego and baseball cards are not. Yet the collector market drives certain segments of the auto and watch market to irrational value. I would be cautious of this statement. The value in the Rolex is the status symbol, but there are other reasonable substitutes for keeping time at a much, much, lower cost.

---

Yeah, but anyone can get a Casio.

Clearly not a watch guy.

This is basic supply and demand.

(FTR, we watch people, at least on this site, do not denigrate Casios.)

---

My butlers all collect Rolexes and Ferraris.

---

Guess I'll need to upgrade both then. I refuse to own items that mere butlers can get.

---

Maybe you should upgrade your butlers

91AggieLawyer said:

---

Burdizzo said:

---

doubledog said:

---

AgBQ-00 said:

---

what about baseball cards? rolex watches? vintage cars? If it is something you've collected over the course of your life (in this case an 80+ year old man) you can build a lot of value.

---

Rolex watches, yes (gold) and Vintage cars have value in and of themselves, Legos and Baseball cards the only value is what someone is willing to pay for them, not how much you value them.

---

If all you need is a timekeeper, you can get a Casio at Walmart for about $20. If all you need is a dependable car, you don't need anything vintage. Cars and watches are utilitarian items. Lego and baseball cards are not. Yet the collector market drives certain segments of the auto and watch market to irrational value. I would be cautious of this statement. The value in the Rolex is the status symbol, but there are other reasonable substitutes for keeping time at a much, much, lower cost.

---

GOLD Rolexes have, well, gold. Hate to sound snotty, but your post seems a bit dense: gold has tremendous value. Also, my all Stainless Submariner that I had for almost 3 decades had a depth rating of 300 meters, I believe. Try that with a $20 WM watch.

To be sure, I didn't go that far down and some of those cheaper WM watches will go as far down as I did with my Rolex (when I owned it), but the Sub still can do what most watches can't.

Incidentally, I bought that watch when I was in college. I didn't give a damn then or now about status. I thought it was cool, had wanted one since mid-to-late HS, and got a good deal on it. When I sold it about a decade ago, I calculated that I earned roughly a 7% return on my money -- not even taking into account the years of use I got out of it. Again, try that with your WM watch.

Sorry, but I think you misunderstood the comment you responded to. Either way, you're incorrect on your assertions here. The issue isn't what a replacement item COULD do; it is the actual value vs. perceived value of an item. My Rolex had ACTUAL value. Perhaps I put more value on it than you would -- and we can debate that actual value amount all day long, but that doesn't change things.

---

Do you work underwater, or is diving a hobby? A mega badass watch to support your hobby is a status symbol.

Buying a watch for the gold content seems kind of silly. Why not just buy gold?

Do you have any other hobbies you want to humble brag about?

bonfarr said:

---

Did the old man and his son not know how to use E-Bay? They agreed to give up 35% of the proceeds for a consignment deal. That seems like a bad plan. They probably could have set up a booth at Comic-Cons for a few thousand bucks and unload the whole lot quickly.

---

I imagine $200k of legos is a truckload.

BAM really doubled down here. Their response in the second video is wild. Talk about corporate suicide. "You're on notice!"

Burdizzo said:

---

YouBet said:

---

Burdizzo said:

---

YouBet said:

---

Burdizzo said:

---

doubledog said:

---

AgBQ-00 said:

---

what about baseball cards? rolex watches? vintage cars? If it is something you've collected over the course of your life (in this case an 80+ year old man) you can build a lot of value.

---

Rolex watches, yes (gold) and Vintage cars have value in and of themselves, Legos and Baseball cards the only value is what someone is willing to pay for them, not how much you value them.

---

If all you need is a timekeeper, you can get a Casio at Walmart for about $20. If all you need is a dependable car, you don't need anything vintage. Cars and watches are utilitarian items. Lego and baseball cards are not. Yet the collector market drives certain segments of the auto and watch market to irrational value. I would be cautious of this statement. The value in the Rolex is the status symbol, but there are other reasonable substitutes for keeping time at a much, much, lower cost.

---

Yeah, but anyone can get a Casio.

Clearly not a watch guy.

This is basic supply and demand.

(FTR, we watch people, at least on this site, do not denigrate Casios.)

---

My butlers all collect Rolexes and Ferraris.

---

Guess I'll need to upgrade both then. I refuse to own items that mere butlers can get.

---

Maybe you should upgrade your butlers

---

If I can't have Hobson from the movie Arthur, then I don't want one.

Burdizzo said:

---

doubledog said:

---

AgBQ-00 said:

---

what about baseball cards? rolex watches? vintage cars? If it is something you've collected over the course of your life (in this case an 80+ year old man) you can build a lot of value.

---

Rolex watches, yes (gold) and Vintage cars have value in and of themselves, Legos and Baseball cards the only value is what someone is willing to pay for them, not how much you value them.

---

If all you need is a timekeeper, you can get a Casio at Walmart for about $20. If all you need is a dependable car, you don't need anything vintage. Cars and watches are utilitarian items. Lego and baseball cards are not. Yet the collector market drives certain segments of the auto and watch market to irrational value. I would be cautious of this statement. The value in the Rolex is the status symbol, but there are other reasonable substitutes for keeping time at a much, much, lower cost.

---

Whatabout second hand?

Burdizzo said:

---

91AggieLawyer said:

---

Burdizzo said:

---

doubledog said:

---

AgBQ-00 said:

---

what about baseball cards? rolex watches? vintage cars? If it is something you've collected over the course of your life (in this case an 80+ year old man) you can build a lot of value.

---

Rolex watches, yes (gold) and Vintage cars have value in and of themselves, Legos and Baseball cards the only value is what someone is willing to pay for them, not how much you value them.

---

If all you need is a timekeeper, you can get a Casio at Walmart for about $20. If all you need is a dependable car, you don't need anything vintage. Cars and watches are utilitarian items. Lego and baseball cards are not. Yet the collector market drives certain segments of the auto and watch market to irrational value. I would be cautious of this statement. The value in the Rolex is the status symbol, but there are other reasonable substitutes for keeping time at a much, much, lower cost.

---

GOLD Rolexes have, well, gold. Hate to sound snotty, but your post seems a bit dense: gold has tremendous value. Also, my all Stainless Submariner that I had for almost 3 decades had a depth rating of 300 meters, I believe. Try that with a $20 WM watch.

To be sure, I didn't go that far down and some of those cheaper WM watches will go as far down as I did with my Rolex (when I owned it), but the Sub still can do what most watches can't.

Incidentally, I bought that watch when I was in college. I didn't give a damn then or now about status. I thought it was cool, had wanted one since mid-to-late HS, and got a good deal on it. When I sold it about a decade ago, I calculated that I earned roughly a 7% return on my money -- not even taking into account the years of use I got out of it. Again, try that with your WM watch.

Sorry, but I think you misunderstood the comment you responded to. Either way, you're incorrect on your assertions here. The issue isn't what a replacement item COULD do; it is the actual value vs. perceived value of an item. My Rolex had ACTUAL value. Perhaps I put more value on it than you would -- and we can debate that actual value amount all day long, but that doesn't change things.

---

Do you work underwater, or is diving a hobby? A mega badass watch to support your hobby is a status symbol.

Buying a watch for the gold content seems kind of silly. Why not just buy gold?

Do you have any other hobbies you want to humble brag about?

---

Especially buying a Rolex while in college.

IIIHorn said:

---

Burdizzo said:

---

doubledog said:

---

AgBQ-00 said:

---

what about baseball cards? rolex watches? vintage cars? If it is something you've collected over the course of your life (in this case an 80+ year old man) you can build a lot of value.

---

Rolex watches, yes (gold) and Vintage cars have value in and of themselves, Legos and Baseball cards the only value is what someone is willing to pay for them, not how much you value them.

---

If all you need is a timekeeper, you can get a Casio at Walmart for about $20. If all you need is a dependable car, you don't need anything vintage. Cars and watches are utilitarian items. Lego and baseball cards are not. Yet the collector market drives certain segments of the auto and watch market to irrational value. I would be cautious of this statement. The value in the Rolex is the status symbol, but there are other reasonable substitutes for keeping time at a much, much, lower cost.

---

Whatabout second hand?

---

A Rolex damn sure better have one.

torrid said:

---

IIIHorn said:

---

Burdizzo said:

---

doubledog said:

---

AgBQ-00 said:

---

what about baseball cards? rolex watches? vintage cars? If it is something you've collected over the course of your life (in this case an 80+ year old man) you can build a lot of value.

---

Rolex watches, yes (gold) and Vintage cars have value in and of themselves, Legos and Baseball cards the only value is what someone is willing to pay for them, not how much you value them.

---

If all you need is a timekeeper, you can get a Casio at Walmart for about $20. If all you need is a dependable car, you don't need anything vintage. Cars and watches are utilitarian items. Lego and baseball cards are not. Yet the collector market drives certain segments of the auto and watch market to irrational value. I would be cautious of this statement. The value in the Rolex is the status symbol, but there are other reasonable substitutes for keeping time at a much, much, lower cost.

---

Whatabout second hand?

---

A Rolex damn sure better have one.

---

Whatabout a second hand sundial?

Vitani said:

---

The most unfortunate side effect of this story is that all of the franchisees are going to suffer even though they did not do anything related to this at all. The CEO is not doing himself any favors and it sounds like he surrounds himself with some dishonorable people so I could not care less about the business overall but it sucks for everyone else.

After listening to some legal experts discuss it, it sounds like the original franchisees may be the ones who are really at fault and may have been cheating the consignor. People hate the corporate heads so much though that even that couple is making a lot off of a GoFundMe.

---

When you franchise, you have to protect the brand from bad behavior. It is one of the costs of franchising.

The CEO of BAM is not doing a good job of protecting the brand. If I was a franchisee, I would be pissed, and looking at the franchise agreement for responsibilities related to the brand at this point.

BusterAg said:

---

Vitani said:

---

The most unfortunate side effect of this story is that all of the franchisees are going to suffer even though they did not do anything related to this at all. The CEO is not doing himself any favors and it sounds like he surrounds himself with some dishonorable people so I could not care less about the business overall but it sucks for everyone else.

After listening to some legal experts discuss it, it sounds like the original franchisees may be the ones who are really at fault and may have been cheating the consignor. People hate the corporate heads so much though that even that couple is making a lot off of a GoFundMe.

---

When you franchise, you have to protect the brand from bad behavior. It is one of the costs of franchising.

The CEO of BAM is not doing a good job of protecting the brand. If I was a franchisee, I would be pissed, and looking at the franchise agreement for responsibilities related to the brand at this point.

---

Great point.

It seems Lego are serious business.

BusterAg said:

---

Vitani said:

---

The most unfortunate side effect of this story is that all of the franchisees are going to suffer even though they did not do anything related to this at all. The CEO is not doing himself any favors and it sounds like he surrounds himself with some dishonorable people so I could not care less about the business overall but it sucks for everyone else.

After listening to some legal experts discuss it, it sounds like the original franchisees may be the ones who are really at fault and may have been cheating the consignor. People hate the corporate heads so much though that even that couple is making a lot off of a GoFundMe.

---

When you franchise, you have to protect the brand from bad behavior. It is one of the costs of franchising.

The CEO of BAM is not doing a good job of protecting the brand. If I was a franchisee, I would be pissed, and looking at the franchise agreement for responsibilities related to the brand at this point.

---

I consulted for a large franchise organization for a few years. The entire termination of the franchise agreement seemed strange to me since there's typically sections about how to deal with inventory, equipment, and the Brand's assets.

I found a complete copy of the 2026 franchise agreement here. Will be interesting to see if the appraisal notice leaks and what inventory is on it.

https://storage.googleapis.com/wefranch-files/media/fd6df56f-4558-4bb6-814c-c80b5ad6c804/fdd_640999_20260415.pdf

Quote:

---

BAM's right to purchase your inventory: Upon termination or expiration (without renewal), BAM has the right to purchase your inventory at your invoice cost minus a 10% restocking fee.
The process:

• BAM must give an "Appraisal Notice" within 10 days after termination or expiration to trigger this option.
• Once that notice is delivered, you cannot sell or remove any inventory from the store location (except in the ordinary course of business) until the process is resolved.
• You must give BAM and its agents full access to the store, books, and records to conduct an inventory count and determine the purchase price.

How payment works if BAM exercises the option:

• BAM has 30 days after the appraisal report to decide whether to exercise the purchase option.
• If they exercise it, the purchase price is paid in cash at closing, which must occur no later than 60 days after BAM exercises the option.
• You must deliver clear title to the inventory, free of liens, with all sales and transfer taxes paid by you.
• BAM has the right to offset any amounts you owe them against the purchase price meaning they can reduce what they pay you by whatever you owe them.

---

bonfarr said:

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Did the old man and his son not know how to use E-Bay? They agreed to give up 35% of the proceeds for a consignment deal. That seems like a bad plan. They probably could have set up a booth at Comic-Cons for a few thousand bucks and unload the whole lot quickly.

---

Selling that much stuff on eBay takes a lot of time and work. eBay takes a good chunk of the sale. And then you have shipping costs.