How Swiss Brix works

Plain-English explanation of how we score LEGO sets, what data we use, and why this exists at all.

Why this site exists

LEGO has quietly become one of the better-performing alternative assets of the last decade. Retired sets often outpace gold and the broader stock market. But existing tools are either US-focused, paywalled, or buried in spreadsheets only the most obsessive collectors use.

Swiss Brix is the version we wanted for ourselves: daily-updated, Swiss-Franc-priced, free to read, and methodologically transparent. A single dashboard that says "based on today's data, here's what's worth your attention."

The Buy Score, in detail

Every set we track gets a Buy Score from 0 to 100. The score combines six factors, weighted by how reliably each predicted past returns:

MSRP discount — current Swiss retail price vs. the set's original MSRP. A set you can buy at 30% off MSRP scores higher than one at full price.
Time to retirement — sets close to their EOL (end-of-life) date typically appreciate fastest in the 12 months after retirement. Brickset's retirement signals feed this.
Market spread — the gap between MSRP and current secondary-market value. A set already trading above MSRP is usually a strong signal it'll keep climbing.
2-year forecast — Brickeconomy's predicted value 24 months from today. We weight this heavily because Brickeconomy's predictions have a solid track record on this asset class.
12-month momentum — how much the secondary-market price has moved over the last year. Sets with positive momentum tend to keep moving.
Theme premium — historically, certain themes (UCS Star Wars, Modular Buildings, LEGO Architecture) outperform others. We give a small bonus to sets in these high-conviction categories.

From score to letter grade

The 0-100 number is calibrated to actual LEGO data — most decent picks land between 30 and 65, so unlike academic grading we don't need 90+ for an A. Mapping:

A+ / A	70+ / 60-69 — exceptional, rare, top of the heap
A-	55-59 — strong pick
B+ / B	50-54 / 45-49 — solid, watch for entry points
B-	40-44 — decent
C+ / C / C-	25-39 — hold or skip; better picks elsewhere
D / D-	10-24 — avoid for investment purposes
F	< 10 — skip entirely

How we handle retired sets

Once a set is retired, MSRP becomes irrelevant — you can't buy it at retail anymore. So for retired sets we use the current secondary-market value as the realistic buy-in price, and forecasts are calculated from there. This way the upside % we publish reflects what a buyer today would actually see, not a theoretical gain you can't capture.

Where the data comes from

Brickset

The authoritative LEGO catalog: piece counts, themes, release/retirement dates, official imagery, minifigure lists.

BrickEconomy

Secondary-market pricing: current values, 12-month growth, 2-year forecasts. The "asset price" data we score against.

LEGO.com

Live retail availability and current Swiss retail prices for sets still being sold by LEGO.

We refresh data every morning at 06:00 Zurich time. Forecasts and prices in the dashboard are never more than 24 hours old.

Independence and how we're funded

Swiss Brix has no relationship with LEGO. We're not a LEGO Ambassador, not a LEGO Affiliate (LEGO doesn't run a public affiliate program in Switzerland). We have no idea what LEGO thinks of this site.

The site is funded by:

Affiliate links — when you click "Buy at LEGO.com" or "Buy at BrickLink" and complete a purchase, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Awin handles the LEGO Switzerland program; Amazon Partnernet handles Amazon DE/CH.
Newsletter — currently free with no advertising. We may add a paid premium tier in the future for advanced data; the free tier stays free.

Affiliate revenue never influences which sets we cover or how they're scored. The same algorithm runs on every set in the catalog; affiliate-friendly sets don't get a thumb on the scale.

Who runs this

Swiss Brix is operated from Switzerland by a Swiss-based LEGO collector and engineer. We started building this for ourselves in 2025, then opened it up after friends kept asking "should I buy [X] now or wait?"

If you have data quality questions, found a bug, or want to suggest an improvement, email digest@swissbrix.com.

Limitations

A few things to keep in mind:

This is not financial advice. Forecasts are predictions, not guarantees. Sets can lose value too — particularly if a re-release happens, demand softens, or you fail to keep the box pristine.
Storage is a real cost. A 1,000-piece set takes up a shoebox-sized space sealed; if you buy 100 sets you need a small room.
Counterfeits exist on the secondary market, especially for high-value sets. Buy from trusted sellers.
Liquidity isn't instant. Selling a $400 set takes weeks at the right price, days if you're willing to discount 15-20%.

Swiss Brix is published for educational and informational purposes. Nothing on this site constitutes financial, legal, or tax advice. Make your own decisions; consider a licensed advisor for meaningful capital deployments.