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| | | Author: | StickyBrickit  | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 13:20 | | Subject: | What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 219 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| Just a thought experiment for those of you who run a store. If you could go back
in time to when you started selling Lego, what's the one thing you'd
do differently?
For me it would be not buying mixed-up bulk sets to rebuild and sell as used
complete sets. I didn't realise just HOW MUCH TIME it takes to check each
part, find / order replacements, list, store, package and post each one. Return
on investment for most sets is so poor if they come in mixed-up bulk lots that
even if the Lego was given to me for FREE I still don't think it would be
worth the time in most cases (unless the sets are rare / expensive!). Deffo not
worth it for City sets and similar though...
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| | | | | Author: | peregrinator | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 13:21 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 51 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, StickyBrickit writes:
| | Just a thought experiment for those of you who run a store. If you could go back
in time to when you started selling Lego, what's the one thing you'd
do differently?
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I'd probably focus more on minifigures and minifig parts.
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| | | | | Author: | Ziegelmeister | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 13:34 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 68 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, StickyBrickit writes:
| | Just a thought experiment for those of you who run a store. If you could go back
in time to when you started selling Lego, what's the one thing you'd
do differently?
For me it would be not buying mixed-up bulk sets to rebuild and sell as used
complete sets. I didn't realise just HOW MUCH TIME it takes to check each
part, find / order replacements, list, store, package and post each one. Return
on investment for most sets is so poor if they come in mixed-up bulk lots that
even if the Lego was given to me for FREE I still don't think it would be
worth the time in most cases (unless the sets are rare / expensive!). Deffo not
worth it for City sets and similar though...
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Probably the single dumbest thing I did comes with a caveat.
Once things started taking off with my own personal leftover new pieces, I spent
a couple grand buying new inventory to part out and adding as I went. I saw
things scaling up with larger orders so I went ahead listed EVERYTHING despite
having 24 sets that still needed parted out.
It actually works okay for sets that are
unfortunately did this with a few City Gardens and Hogwarts Castles which are
~6000 pieces... And of course everyone wanted the few rare pieces that come
in those sets. I sold a lot of parts but the time it took to skim through the
instruction books to find part to find the bag was a pain in the butt. Then
there was the issue with having multiple open bags in the box dropping pieces
which slowed down the parting out process.
Not doing that again.
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| | | | | | | Author: | SylvainLS | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 13:47 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 65 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, Yellow.Brick writes:
| | In Announce, StickyBrickit writes:
| | Just a thought experiment for those of you who run a store. If you could go back
in time to when you started selling Lego, what's the one thing you'd
do differently?
For me it would be not buying mixed-up bulk sets to rebuild and sell as used
complete sets. I didn't realise just HOW MUCH TIME it takes to check each
part, find / order replacements, list, store, package and post each one. Return
on investment for most sets is so poor if they come in mixed-up bulk lots that
even if the Lego was given to me for FREE I still don't think it would be
worth the time in most cases (unless the sets are rare / expensive!). Deffo not
worth it for City sets and similar though...
|
Probably the single dumbest thing I did comes with a caveat.
Once things started taking off with my own personal leftover new pieces, I spent
a couple grand buying new inventory to part out and adding as I went. I saw
things scaling up with larger orders so I went ahead listed EVERYTHING despite
having 24 sets that still needed parted out.
It actually works okay for sets that are
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less than
| | 300 pieces or have 1-4 bags, but I
unfortunately did this with a few City Gardens and Hogwarts Castles which are
~6000 pieces... And of course everyone wanted the few rare pieces that come
in those sets. I sold a lot of parts but the time it took to skim through the
instruction books to find part to find the bag was a pain in the butt. Then
there was the issue with having multiple open bags in the box dropping pieces
which slowed down the parting out process.
Not doing that again.
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| | | | | | | | | Author: | peregrinator | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 15:39 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 46 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, SylvainLS writes:
fewer than 
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| | | | | | | | | | | Author: | 1001bricks | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 15:48 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 45 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, peregrinator writes:
| | In Announce, SylvainLS writes:
fewer than
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It's my lessest concern.
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| | | | | | | | | | | Author: | SylvainLS | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 15:50 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 43 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, peregrinator writes:
| | In Announce, SylvainLS writes:
fewer than
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The symbol (which caused the sentence to be truncated) is called “less-than.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Less-than_sign
(And the rule is controversial.)
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | Author: | Ziegelmeister | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 16:37 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 44 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, SylvainLS writes:
| | In Announce, peregrinator writes:
| | In Announce, SylvainLS writes:
fewer than
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The symbol (which caused the sentence to be truncated) is called “less-than.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Less-than_sign
(And the rule is controversial.)
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Oh whoopsie. Thanks for fixing that.
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| | | | | Author: | Brickitty | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 14:30 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 60 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, StickyBrickit writes:
| | Just a thought experiment for those of you who run a store. If you could go back
in time to when you started selling Lego, what's the one thing you'd
do differently?
For me it would be not buying mixed-up bulk sets to rebuild and sell as used
complete sets. I didn't realise just HOW MUCH TIME it takes to check each
part, find / order replacements, list, store, package and post each one. Return
on investment for most sets is so poor if they come in mixed-up bulk lots that
even if the Lego was given to me for FREE I still don't think it would be
worth the time in most cases (unless the sets are rare / expensive!). Deffo not
worth it for City sets and similar though...
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That's funny, because that process of buying bulk, buying missing parts,
and selling complete sets was the only way I was able to build up my backstock
of parts, build up my personal collection, and keep my partner happy by staying
in the black financially. Without doing that for 6 years and thousands of sets,
I never could've launched my huge store last year. I always made at least
a 300% profit on every bulk lot I bought, even after purchasing missing parts.
So while that didn't work for you, it's the only reason this Lego thing
worked for me. Granted, I was privileged to have a partner with a "normal" job
that supported us the whole time and believed my long-term plan would eventually
pay off... as it has.
Anyway, what would I do differently?
1. NOT SELL EMPTY BOXES. They don't work well with Instant Checkout, they're
not worth enough to justify the time spent finding shipping boxes and packaging
them up, box buyers are some of the most fickle and frustrating buyers (most
of my cancelled orders are empty-box orders), and they're difficult to store.
But I feel like I'm committed to getting rid of my stock at this point. Sunk-cost
fallacy, I know.
2. Price higher. For years I sold sets at fairly low prices to make quick sales
on auction sites, Bricklink, Craigslist, etc. I should've priced higher and
had more patience.
3. Used freezer bags with sliders instead of regular ziplocs. I've probably
wasted hours of my life and millions of skin cells from my fingertips by opening
and closing regular ziplocs.
4. Probably should've bought that Cloud City Boba Fett for $150 about 6 years
ago.
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| | | | | | | Author: | SezaR | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 15:10 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 53 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| | | 3. Used freezer bags with sliders instead of regular ziplocs. I've probably
wasted hours of my life and millions of skin cells from my fingertips by opening
and closing regular ziplocs.
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What are they? do you have a link from where you buy them? Thanks
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| | | | | | | | | Author: | SylvainLS | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 15:19 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 45 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, SezaR writes:
| | | | 3. Used freezer bags with sliders instead of regular ziplocs. I've probably
wasted hours of my life and millions of skin cells from my fingertips by opening
and closing regular ziplocs.
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What are they? do you have a link from where you buy them? Thanks
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Ziploc (which, apparently, is a brand) does them: just search for “ziploc slider.”
And if you want another brand, search for “ziplock slider.”
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| | | | | | | | | Author: | jennnifer | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 15:21 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 49 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, SezaR writes:
| | | | 3. Used freezer bags with sliders instead of regular ziplocs. I've probably
wasted hours of my life and millions of skin cells from my fingertips by opening
and closing regular ziplocs.
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What are they? do you have a link from where you buy them? Thanks
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I think he means the ordinary sandwich and freezer bags you buy at the grocery
store.
Jen
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| | | | | | | | | Author: | Brickitty | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 15:47 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 49 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, SezaR writes:
| | | | 3. Used freezer bags with sliders instead of regular ziplocs. I've probably
wasted hours of my life and millions of skin cells from my fingertips by opening
and closing regular ziplocs.
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What are they? do you have a link from where you buy them? Thanks
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Storage bags like this: https://smile.amazon.com/Hefty-Slider-Plastic-Storage-Quart/dp/B01JLPJKVO/ref=sxts_rp_s1_0
They're usually available at box stores and grocery stores, but they're
usually more expensive than regular storage bags. (Sorry, I always forget that
"Ziploc" is a brand name -- I think of it as the product, kind of like Kleenex
/ "tissue paper" or Crock-Pot / "slow-cooker".)
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| | | | | Author: | jennnifer | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 14:48 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 61 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, StickyBrickit writes:
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For me it would be not buying mixed-up bulk sets to rebuild and sell as used
complete sets.
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Funny...I like buying mixed-up bulk sets and selling them by the part no matter
what fancy set was in there. I do feel a bit guilty sometimes breaking up the
remnants of an older set. I even break up the minifigs.
I have enjoyed every aspect of running my shop except how ridiculous the cost
of postage has become. When I started a domestic order shipped for $1.75, $3
for international. Today, I invoiced a buyer in Germany for $15.36 in postage.
Sigh. So, I guess what I would do differently is start sooner than I did. 
Jen
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| | | | | | | Author: | Brickitty | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 15:57 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 51 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, jennnifer writes:
| | In Announce, StickyBrickit writes:
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For me it would be not buying mixed-up bulk sets to rebuild and sell as used
complete sets.
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Funny...I like buying mixed-up bulk sets and selling them by the part no matter
what fancy set was in there. I do feel a bit guilty sometimes breaking up the
remnants of an older set. I even break up the minifigs.
I have enjoyed every aspect of running my shop except how ridiculous the cost
of postage has become. When I started a domestic order shipped for $1.75, $3
for international. Today, I invoiced a buyer in Germany for $15.36 in postage.
Sigh. So, I guess what I would do differently is start sooner than I did.
Jen
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I mean, don't you know that the United States Postal Service should be profitable?
Unlike... let's see... virtually every other federal institution?
*heavy sarcasm* in case that wasn't obvious.
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| | | | | Author: | Brick_Qc | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 17:43 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 39 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, StickyBrickit writes:
| | Just a thought experiment for those of you who run a store. If you could go back
in time to when you started selling Lego, what's the one thing you'd
do differently?
For me it would be not buying mixed-up bulk sets to rebuild and sell as used
complete sets. I didn't realise just HOW MUCH TIME it takes to check each
part, find / order replacements, list, store, package and post each one. Return
on investment for most sets is so poor if they come in mixed-up bulk lots that
even if the Lego was given to me for FREE I still don't think it would be
worth the time in most cases (unless the sets are rare / expensive!). Deffo not
worth it for City sets and similar though...
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Funny personnal story on BL.
12-14 years ago, I got lucky, I got a surprise in a collection I bought. A boxed
106-1 Unicef set in great condition. I was ecstatic, I knew it was worth a lot
of money, but there just wasn't any info on the price guide then, nothing.
I told myself, I'll ask a ridiculous price and lower it as the months go
by...no hurry.
So I priced it at 1200 USD...and yes, 7 minutes later, you guest it...it was
sold...
My bad...
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| | | | | Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 18:17 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 58 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, StickyBrickit writes:
| | Just a thought experiment for those of you who run a store. If you could go back
in time to when you started selling Lego, what's the one thing you'd
do differently?
For me it would be not buying mixed-up bulk sets to rebuild and sell as used
complete sets. I didn't realise just HOW MUCH TIME it takes to check each
part, find / order replacements, list, store, package and post each one. Return
on investment for most sets is so poor if they come in mixed-up bulk lots that
even if the Lego was given to me for FREE I still don't think it would be
worth the time in most cases (unless the sets are rare / expensive!). Deffo not
worth it for City sets and similar though...
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I'd have invested $50k in bulk brick purchases (instead of only $3k) from
the guy I met who had the scrap contract with the Mexican Lego manufacturing
facility. That stuff was pounds and pounds of great bulk parts, with thousands
of the same parts, but almost all of it worth big money. Remember the rare LBG
6.6L bars and 1x1 DBG cones without ridge from the 10179 sets? I had thousands
of them!
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| | | | | Author: | Adjour | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 21:12 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 43 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| Selling sets is how I got rolling. I love buying bulk and putting sets back together.
Opportunity cost IS a thing. So even though you make more on selling the parted
out set, it takes YEARS to do so. A set sells in hours to days (if not here,
then other platforms). Having the money now vs later has value, even if its less.
I was putting sets back together anyway. I do this as a hobby too, so if I'm
keeping 80% of my buy for myself, its really not that much effort to slap the
other 20% together for sale to cover my costs.
THAT SAID I almost never order parts. If I don't have the parts on hand
I usually just part it out or sell it incomplete. Depends. I def do not make
long wanted lists and buy parts to complete sets. If I'm ordering for myself
and I can complete a for sale set from the same vendor, I might do it.
The only thing I'd really do different is as another poster mentioned, use
sliders on my ziplocks. Holy heck its such a difference.
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| | | | | | | Author: | zorbanj | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2022 22:43 | | Subject: | Re: What Would You Do Different? | | Viewed: | 45 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, Adjour writes:
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Opportunity cost IS a thing. So even though you make more on selling the parted
out set, it takes YEARS to do so. A set sells in hours to days (if not here,
then other platforms). Having the money now vs later has value, even if its less.
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There is also the opportunity cost of putting all the pieces away, picking them
for orders and shipping out the orders themselves. Once the set is together it
takes 5 minutes to pack and run the label.
| | THAT SAID I almost never order parts. If I don't have the parts on hand
I usually just part it out or sell it incomplete. Depends.
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I see what the set is selling for on BL and elsewhere. Sometimes it's worth
ordering the parts to complete it. A set does not need to be complete to sell.
It takes longer, but every set I have listed as incomplete eventually sells.
| | I def do not make
long wanted lists and buy parts to complete sets. If I'm ordering for myself
and I can complete a for sale set from the same vendor,
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I make wanted lists of the missing pieces. I run the wanted lists against my
inventory after listing a bunch of pieces to see if there are any matches.
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United Kingdom, England
USA, New Jersey
France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Canada, British Columbia
