benhead Posted March 29, 2011 Posted March 29, 2011 Ever build some awesome moc but end up running out of a particular few special pieces in the process,then try to go back and count how many pieces you used,and then going on bricklink and try to find a couple stores that sell those parts in the same color?Well I have!And it is a huge headache!This store has the parts I need but their minimum order is $30 and my total is $12.Or this other store has the right color but now they want 50 cents per piece when they used to charge 14 cents all because lego has`nt produced anymore of it in black for the last 2 years!AHHH! I have found out that it takes at least 5 different stores all with different s\h rates and minimum order limits just to remake 1 100 piece moc in the same colors!And its only $8 in parts.But the total in s\h,insurance,minimum order ends up costing me $60!So you have to have deep pockets and an addiction to legos to justify cost versus creativity! Quote
Peppermint_M Posted March 29, 2011 Posted March 29, 2011 "So you have to have" an addiction to legos [sic] to justify cost versus creativity! Yes. You do. That is the problem we all share Try liking rare or uncommon colours in large amounts, you'll begin to regret taking a shine to Tan, Dark Tan and dark chocolate brown for your MOCs! (I love the tan, I love it so much... Why must I need so many?) The only other solution is to alter your colour scheme. Quote
ManitobaMoe Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 That is why buying misc lego pieces on ebay use to work. Now they harvest all the good pieces and then sell off the leftovers. :( Quote
fred67 Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 It works out OK if you have a lot of patience... I usually will go get pieces I really need and I'll bulk up the order with anything on my wishlist. So, let's say I'm recreating an out of print set... I put all the pieces on a wishlist (removing what I have)... then it might take a while, but over time while I'm making other orders I slowly get all the pieces I want. Of course I'm not always patient, either. But yeah... BL is great, they fill a need in the LEGO community, but it's a shame you can't buy more from TLG at decent prices... these BL sellers mostly get sets like everyone else and they only get 1 of those, 2 of those... Quote
PhantomX Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 I feel your pain. So frustrating, to find good prices it takes forever, and when you think you found the right place you find out that S&H is $15-25!!!! Quote
LEGO Guy Bri Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 (edited) these BL sellers mostly get sets like everyone else and they only get 1 of those, 2 of those... Is that how BL sellers become BL sellers? Buying numerous sets and part them out piece by piece? As well as coming across estate sales, yard sale etc? I've always wandered Edited March 30, 2011 by Leg Godt Gud Quote
mikey Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 I feel your pain. So frustrating, to find good prices it takes forever, and when you think you found the right place you find out that S&H is $15-25!!!! That seems very expensive (exaggeration?) for postage from one shop unless you are buying a very heavy package? ... But yeah... BL is great, they fill a need in the LEGO community, but it's a shame you can't buy more from TLG at decent prices... these BL sellers mostly get sets like everyone else and they only get 1 of those, 2 of those... Lego selling all available elements in all colours is probably the holy grail of the AFOL. But having watched that documentary about Lego factories the infrastructure and investment to make that happen would be insane. More realistically would be that they started to sell bulk brick packs again, but I can also see that by selling them they potentially undermine more lucrative sales. Quote
fred67 Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Lego selling all available elements in all colours is probably the holy grail of the AFOL. But having watched that documentary about Lego factories the infrastructure and investment to make that happen would be insane. More realistically would be that they started to sell bulk brick packs again, but I can also see that by selling them they potentially undermine more lucrative sales. I guess what I meant was that PAB is OK, but they could do more to rotate inventory, and it would be nice to be able to buy "k boxes" (I think that's what they're called) of the parts they have for sale online. I've bought them in boxes at the LEGO Store, but the PAB walls in the stores are way more limited. Finally, while they may make more money selling sets, I've never seen a company go out of business selling customers what they want... but I'm a capitalist, and LEGO is a profit driven business, so it's their prerogative. Quote
mikey Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Making those boxes available for sale would be achievable, as they are obviously packaging these for supply to the retail walls, and the S@H PAB distribution centre will be supplied (although this maybe in larger shipments than the k box?). Presumably dispatching bulk boxes would require little labour, which would reduce the element price for S@H PAB. But being cynical, I don't really think that the AFOL market (which k boxes would be for - i doubt many kids would be that excited by 2000 tan cheese slope) operates within a capitalist model. They have a monopoly over the adults. So knowing that we will buy the product anyway (directly or through a third party BrickLink shop which is parting out sets), they might not want to give all the good bricks away to easily. Quote
chris_austin Posted March 31, 2011 Posted March 31, 2011 Is that how BL sellers become BL sellers? Buying numerous sets and part them out piece by piece? As well as coming across estate sales, yard sale etc? I've always wandered There are a few ways you can become a seller. If you're an AFOL and have just one brick that you don't want anymore then you can become a seller and put it for sale in your shop. You can buy lots of cheap bulk used LEGO and sell it piece by piece. You can buy brand new sets and part them out. A some sets can be bought at RRP but be worth moe when parted out to individual bricks and minifigs. Buy new sets when they're on sale is a nice bonus. This is how some seller have hundreds or one part. I like to buy new sets for the bits I want and then sell the rest to make back the cost or even a little profit. For example, the postman just delivered 5 x Battle of Naboo's. Each one cost £17.99 and has an average part-out value of £31. I'll be taking out the 2 Gungans from each set for myself and selling the rest for an average of £22 each. Yes, it will take some time to shift all of the parts but you get my point Quote
LEGO Guy Bri Posted April 4, 2011 Posted April 4, 2011 There are a few ways you can become a seller. If you're an AFOL and have just one brick that you don't want anymore then you can become a seller and put it for sale in your shop. You can buy lots of cheap bulk used LEGO and sell it piece by piece. You can buy brand new sets and part them out. A some sets can be bought at RRP but be worth moe when parted out to individual bricks and minifigs. Buy new sets when they're on sale is a nice bonus. This is how some seller have hundreds or one part. I like to buy new sets for the bits I want and then sell the rest to make back the cost or even a little profit. For example, the postman just delivered 5 x Battle of Naboo's. Each one cost £17.99 and has an average part-out value of £31. I'll be taking out the 2 Gungans from each set for myself and selling the rest for an average of £22 each. Yes, it will take some time to shift all of the parts but you get my point Thank you for the insight 'c_a', very helpful Quote
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