What was your best local Bionicle find?

[MrRaves]

I was browsing the local Buy & Sell website the other day and managed to pick up a few sets, including the Tower of Toa, for $15. However, upon buying the sets, I noticed something special about the Kanohi in the Tower of Toa (thumbs up added for confirmation/giddiness):

 

 

Here's a clearer shot, with the Flat Gold Kraahkan for comparison:

 

 

This is definitely the luckiest Bionicle find I've ever had. So I was wondering, what's the best steal of a deal you've found at a local buy&sell/garage sale/etc?

[Disciple]

You're so lucky.

 

My best find was a Gelu a couple years ago in Goodwill. He wasn't in one piece though, so I had fun hunting down his scattered parts all over the toy aisle. Paid a dollar for him.

Edited July 9, 2016 by Disciple

[Bionibbles]

I found a sealed ultimate dume set at a flea market, for a dollar. That was a good day.

[Tuuli]

Lucky mask you got there fella! The best bionicle find I have to say was finding a couple of misprint ruru and matatu on bricklink, but that doesn't count I don't think.

[Taria Pakari]

Probably a sealed Protector of Fire for £1.49. That or the 2005 ultimate battle set.

[Spiffy247]

There used to be a small toy store a decently close walk away. One day they asked me to haul some stuff to the dumpster in exchane for a Bionicle Stars Tahu.

[Erasmus Graves]

Nocturn at half price back in 2013 in a 100% firsthand store (weird, huh?).

[Kopekemaster]

Four big boxes of Bionicle at a local thrift store for $20. I'd estimate there were about 25-30 sets in that lot.

[Master Inika]

Probably most of Kohrak (including canister, minus front decoration sticker) with a bunch of early promotional comics.

[Ta-metru_defender]

Half-priced Nui Jaga in a K-Mart in 2006.

[Yeow]

This was back a while ago, maybe in 2003, but I got Muaka and Kane-Ra for $40 and the Manas for $30 from TRU clearance. No idea why Manas was cheaper, they must not have been selling well.

[MrSciFiGuy]

I used to find canister sets of like the previous wave or two during the mid 2000s. If the Metru were out, I'd only find Rahkshi, etc. Always the previous year. So it was helpful in getting any sets that I missed back then

[Master Inika]

I used to find canister sets of like the previous wave or two during the mid 2000s. If the Metru were out, I'd only find Rahkshi, etc. Always the previous year. So it was helpful in getting any sets that I missed back then

Where were you finding them?

[Crunchyn]

Best find was a Fero and Skirmix set in the trash.

[CyclonatorZ]

Ikir at 50 percent off. This was also the only shipment of any creature set my entire town has gotten. 

[Toa Smoke Monster]

My best find would probably be a Pohatu Nuva set among some Avak sets back in 2006. I didn't buy it, but I still thought it was a neat find.

[LimeFlavouredLibertarian24]

I went to brickfete yesterday and bought takua and pewku. Expect a review of it to be on my blog within a few days

[Elephant Knight]

Ummmm, does half my Bionicle collection count? cause I have gotten half of it from thrift stores and such.

 

More seriously, I did find a box a while back. It's not listed on Bricklink, so it must be rare, right? as for actual sets.... Ummm..... Lemme think about this.... probably that 80-90% complete Exo-Toa, box and instructions included. Also found 3 Toa Metru with canisters that same day.

 

Toa Han

[Tarn]

My best find would probably be a Pohatu Nuva set among some Avak sets back in 2006. I didn't buy it, but I still thought it was a neat find.

 

I found a Pohatu Nuva in the clearance section at a Wal-Mart around that same time. Huh, weird.

​MAYBE IT WAS THE SAME ONE

​I actually bought mine though. Even then I thought it was weird. Also got an Axonn at a Tuesday Morning in...2008? 2009? (they had like six) Also got a Knights Kingdom set from there once around the same time. Needless to say, it raised my expectations for what could be found at Tuesday Morning briefly before I realized those were just one-off finds.

 

​Actually I just remembered while writing this that a Rite-Aid near me had Jaller Inika and, I think, Hakann (it may have been somewhere else that had him) circa 2008 as well. I ended up receiving both as gifts as they apparently never sold.

 

​...I've had way more lucky finds then I thought.

[Iruini Nuva]

I've had pretty terrible luck lately (town isn't big enough, I think).

 

Big find recently was a bunch of 05-06 sets sealed at my grandmother's. Guardian Toa 2-pack (w/ shrink intact), Matoro Inika, several Piraka. Believe there was an open Iruini and Reidak too.

 

I also picked up a Muaka and Kane-Ra for maybe...half off at a Kohl's in late 02 or 03. Suppose it wasn't overly rare back then, but it was a good price (~$40 for a $70 set).

Edited July 15, 2016 by Iruini Nuva

[evil_jaga_genius]

Either the gallon bags full of 2001-2003 sets I found a couple years ago at a garage sale or finding the Rahi Beasts book at a thrift store.

[Bionicleforever 12]

Sealed kopaka Nuva set in 2011... Kopaka was my favourite Toa so I was pretty happy

[Torran]

Found Vakama Metru among the Inika in '07 (fitting, given his encounter with Krakua in Time Trap). He was hidden in other LEGO sets so I wonder if some other kid was stashing him and waiting for his parents to catch up...

[Pohaturon]

Some guy traded me his entire Bionicle collection including gems like Exo-Toa, 2005 Titans and basically every canister set, some with duplicates, along with larger sets like Icarax and sets that were rare in Hungary like Mutran & Vican, plus a ton of loose parts, in exchange for Mindstorms NXT 2.0 and the 2007 Trade Federation MTT.

 

Seriously, his collection numbered around 80 or so sets plus several loose pieces, and I got all that for just those two sets (he's a collector, doesn't like Bionicle and needs the space).

 

I'm feeling hyper lucky right now. I have yet to dig through the extra parts to see if there is anything rare or valuable in there. Icarax's Krahkaan isn't the five whole misprint, unfortunately, but hey, that would have been too much good luck I guess 

 

[Reya]

I found Cahdok and Gahdok in Dec 2003. It ended up being my Christmas present!

[Xboxtravis]

Managed to get the three Protectors I was missing by lucky finding one on vacation, and two in different local Walgreens. Not as epic as some of the stories here, but lucky all the same.