Discolouration

Neiljones

Hi all do I need to add that a part is faded/discoloured if adding to used acceptable. As brickowl condition guide says used acceptable may be faded. Thanks neil

Jay37

I would. Ultimately condition is in the eye of the beholder and Brick Owl's guide helps to at least give a base level. However I imagine most customers are unlikely to search for this information and will base a decision to purchase on a store's grading, so probably best to err on the side of caution.

Neiljones

Thanks jay37

nita_rae

This is an important concern, but most specifically when the part is in a rare design-ID and color. If the part is a common blue 1x2 brick, then it should be less of a concern. As we are all aware, some batches of blue ABS (15-20 years back) had a tendency to fade over time.

Gaston.La.Brick

Good question. As @nita_rae mentioned, we are all aware some older bricks had a higher risk of discoloring. Yet, is it true that "we are all aware"? And even so, the term "acceptable" might not reflect what some buyers expect when they receive a quite discolored item.

What I try to do is - but it's not always that easy to make the distinction when sorting:
- either indicate if there is some sort of discoloring, like 'heavily discolored' or 'yellow'ish'
- mention "mixed quality" for the same items that I put in the same container and use to complete orders randomly from

But definitely not an easy topic. Especially for the slightly discolored items: what is "acceptable"?

nita_rae

@Gaston.La.Brick Something that I have run into, has to do with parts from the TLG bonus boxes/tubs (c 2003-2004) where LEGO was using the bonus to unload all the excess parts from Enfield CT facility. At that time, the parts could have visually looked OK, but who knows how long they had been there. It is possible that some of those parts are now over 20 years old. I know there are a few that I still have in inventory.

Neiljones

Thank you all for your feedback. I am most grateful.

Calibrick

For me, I always note if something is discolored when I list is acceptable, just so the person knows what is acceptable and not good or great about it. :-)

Pikka

Most of our buyers do care about the condition of used items, so we tend to put a very detailed info in description. For instance:
""Pat. pend." era. Great for Lego purists who are restoring vintage sets from the 1960s. Normal playwear for its age – shallow scratches and some nicks along edges – but no yellowing nor structural damage. Washed and disinfected."