How do ebay/brinklink sellers get their parts that cheap?

[ks6349]

For most Lego sets there are not too many mini-figures, and usually not a single set will contain too many identical bricks but there are tons of people selling them. Where did they source? 

For example. Just $10 I'll get 50 heads which means $0.2 per head. Does Lego provide parts to some individual resellers directly?? In my area most individual sellers only sell a complete set....

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LEGO-LOT-OF-50-NEW-MINIFIGURE-HEADS-WITH-SUNGLASSES-BEACH-BIKE-TOWN-CITY-PARTS/293070705835?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D40733%26meid%3Df4241ab21ef2424b94a5bcb4744e3603%26pid%3D100678%26rk%3D15%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D352771820984%26itm%3D293070705835%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057&_trksid=p2380057.c100678.m3607&_trkparms=pageci%3Aa3ca5af1-1448-11ea-9b32-74dbd1809453|parentrq%3Ac1e8a8ca16e0a4d2769c9848ffd3a477|iid%3A1

[TeriXeri]

LEGO.com Bricks & Pieces sells this head for €0.28 directly, so 50 of those would cost me €14 + €1,80 shipping = €15,80.

Compared to this seller in the US, the shipping alone is €12,65 , so would cost me at least €21,72, potentially at least +21% more VAT if exchange rates cause it to go over €22.

Ebay might have amazing looking deals, but in recent years, shipping and VAT basicly causes it to be way more expensive then the listed price suggests.

But I base this off my country, and not a worldwide example.

Otherwise, the seller might have gotten his heads from buying a lot of sets and parting them out, this head has been in 34 sets.

Edited December 1, 2019 by TeriXeri

[Peppermint_M]

Pick A Brick, Build a Minifigure, the German Park has Fabrick which can be a source of parts for many resellers. Then, there are people who have the time to search Yard Sales, Garage Sales, Flea Markets and all kinds of other places with people selling alongside Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree and Craigslist to buy used LEGO collections. Then they gather and sort what they have to sell on. High demand figures like Superheroes or Star Wars can often cover the cost of buying a gallon of used LEGO from someone. Other sets and parts are just bonus earnings.

A part like that does not command high demand, so they can sell a bulk lot.

It came in 53 sets over 9 years. That includes Advent Calendars, smaller City sets that cost less than $10/£10 and plenty of the under £20/$20 sets also. It could easily work out that an average childhood collection from someone who was interested in LEGO between 2003 and 2012 to have at least 5. It would only take someone who has a business "flipping" used LEGO (AKA, buying second hand mixed lots and selling on sorted sets/parts) a few batches to get 50.

I have 11 from just collecting LEGO during those years, my brother who is 18 and was getting LEGO then has at least 4. 

[ks6349]

1 hour ago, ks6349 said:

tons

 

17 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

LEGO.com Bricks & Pieces sells this head for €0.28 directly, so 50 of those would cost me €14 + €1,80 shipping = €15,80.

Compared to this seller in the US, the shipping alone is €12,65 , so would cost me at least €21,72, potentially at least +21% more VAT if exchange rates cause it to go over €22.

Ebay might have amazing looking deals, but in recent years, shipping and VAT basicly causes it to be way more expensive then the listed price suggests.

But I base this off my country, and not a worldwide example.

Otherwise, the seller might have gotten his heads from buying a lot of sets and parting them out, this head has been in 34 sets.

Oh !! Can I buy parts (mostly minifigures) from official Lego.com directly ?? I DIDN'T know that Lego.com has bricks and parts!!!!!!!!

[TeriXeri]

Just to clear up confusion :

It seems there are 2 very similar versions of this head, I thought it was this head at first, but it's the older one in the Ebay listing.

Newer one used 2012-2019. (this one is at Bricks&Pieces for €0.28)

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3626cpb1933&idColor=3#T=S&C=3&O={"color":3,"st":"4","iconly":0}

And the older one used from 2003-2012.

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3626bpb0193&idColor=3#T=S&C=3&O={"color":3,"iconly":0}

 

Edited December 1, 2019 by TeriXeri

[The Reader]

3 hours ago, ks6349 said:

 

Oh !! Can I buy parts (mostly minifigures) from official Lego.com directly ?? I DIDN'T know that Lego.com has bricks and parts!!!!!!!!

Yes, you can. Try this link: https://www.lego.com/en-gb/page/static/pick-a-brick or this link: https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/replacementparts/sale

Edited December 1, 2019 by The Reader

[ks6349]

On 12/2/2019 at 3:34 AM, The Reader said:

Yes, you can. Try this link: https://www.lego.com/en-gb/page/static/pick-a-brick or this link: https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/replacementparts/sale

Thanks but Do you know if the parts sold by Lego.com are new or returned or refurbished item???? Thanks

There is no mini upper part for police. Disappointing

[LucyCol]

4 hours ago, ks6349 said:

Thanks but Do you know if the parts sold by Lego.com are new or returned or refurbished item???? Thanks

There is no mini upper part for police. Disappointing

All parts sold via Bricks and Pieces are new.

[The Reader]

10 hours ago, ks6349 said:

There is no mini upper part for police. Disappointing

Well, actually, there are some (many) upper parts for police: If you choose this link  https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/replacementparts/sale  and enter design number 76382 you will find about 1,100 different mini upper parts of which some are police parts. E.g. Nos. 4573, 4602, 4559, 3694, 3627 and 3699. You just have to look.

[anothergol]

On 12/1/2019 at 5:02 PM, TeriXeri said:

And the older one used from 2003-2012.

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3626bpb0193&idColor=3#T=S&C=3&O={"color":3,"iconly":0}

 

 

2012? That must explain why I got my second Mr Rebrick minifig (around 2017) with a classic head, they were probably emptying an old stock & ran out of them.