LEGO Icons Venetian Neighbourhood (11388) was officially revealed on October 15, 2026. Short version: pass on a day-one flip, because at $549.99 you'd need the set to resell near $680 just to break even after tax and fees. It's only interesting as a long hold, and only if you can get the launch gift with purchase.
What LEGO announced
The Brick Fan's post on the reveal had about 218 likes and 9,700 views on X within hours. Here's what's confirmed across the reports we checked:
- Price: $549.99 (£449.99, €499.99, CA$779.99)
- Pieces: 5,682, which Stone Wars and Jay's Brick Blog both report
- Minifigures: 17, including gondoliers and carnival-goers, plus four pigeons
- Size: about 25 inches wide and 18.5 inches tall (63 x 48 cm), per Jay's Brick Blog
- The build: a canal-side scene with a luxury villa, a glassblowing workshop, an astronomical clock tower, a gondola and an arched bridge. A small 3D-printed street piano is a new element.
- Where to buy: LEGO.com and LEGO Stores only at first. Stone Wars says it may reach a few retail partners later but expects it never to reach general retail.
Release date and the free gift
Release is November 1, 2026, with LEGO Insiders getting access first. Stone Wars reports a three-day Insiders window, with the set opening to everyone from November 4. Sources differ on the exact dates, so check LEGO.com before you plan around it.
Buyers at launch also get the Venetian Water Taxi (40898), a 322-piece set with a motorised boat, a small dock, two minifigures and two pigeons. Stone Wars values it at £24.99 / €29.99 and says it runs November 1 to 8, but also notes the end date isn't clear. Jay's Brick Blog says "while stocks last."
Why it could still hold value
It's a LEGO-exclusive. If retailers like Amazon and Walmart can't discount it, the price floor stays higher than on a widely stocked set.
The theme is a crowd-pleaser. Venice-style architecture is a proven crowd-pleaser, and 17 minifigures is a lot of character for a display piece.
The gift helps. A separate Water Taxi set is a small bonus, but small GWP sets can sell on their own once they're gone. We found no confirmed sold prices yet, since neither set is out.
The catch: $500+ sets are slow
The closest comparison is the LEGO Icons Rivendell (10316), a 6,167-piece set at $499.99. The trackers disagree on it, which is a story in itself:
- BrickEconomy shows sealed copies at about $535 on average, roughly 7% over retail.
- BrickPicker puts it at $460, about 8% below retail, based on 40 sales in 90 days.
- Another tracker puts it even lower, around $408, though its data looks stale.
In other words, a huge, well-loved Icons set has spent years sitting around retail price. Capital is tied up, and shipping a 25-inch box costs real money.
Flip, hold or pass? Our take
Day-one flip: pass. Here's the math at full price:
- Buy at $549.99 plus about 7% tax: $588.49
- To break even on eBay (13.6% fee plus $0.40), you need to sell at about $682
- If it sells at $650, you net about $561 and lose roughly $27, before shipping
LEGO can also make more. Exclusive doesn't mean limited.
Long-term hold: maybe, with the gift. Buy one if you want to build it, or if you can resell the Water Taxi separately. Quantity only makes sense if the set sells out and stays out for months. Watch these:
- A sellout. If LEGO.com is out of stock within days, the math changes.
- GWP duration. The Water Taxi going away early adds value to your copy.
- Insiders points or promos. Any extra discount lowers your cost basis.
- Retirement news. The upside comes after the set leaves LEGO's shelves.
For another big November LEGO launch, see our breakdown of LEGO Dragon Ball Shenron & Goku. For how gifts and retirements move prices, read our LEGO GWP and retirement guide and how to invest in LEGO sets, or browse all Lego guides and videos.
Get the Lego calls in our Discord
Our Lego team tracks launches like this every day: gift-with-purchase deals, retiring sets and the point where a set goes from "skip" to "buy." If Venice sells out or the Water Taxi gift becomes the real prize, our members hear about it first.
Sources
- The Brick Fan on X — LEGO Icons Venetian Neighbourhood (11388) officially announced (October 15, 2026)
- The Brick Fan — 11388 announcement
- Jay's Brick Blog — 5,682-piece LEGO 11388 Venetian Neighbourhood
- Stone Wars — LEGO 11388 Venetian Neighborhood revealed
- BrickEconomy — LEGO Icons Rivendell 10316
- BrickPicker — LEGO 10316 price and value