Super expensive Bricklink shops

[ChrisXY]

Hi,

as a regular buyer at Bricklink I am wondering why there are so many shops want super high prices.

e. g. https://store.bricklink.com/DDSEnt

This is such a scam. Demanding $0.48 for a 4070 ??? Come on...

[MAB]

I don't see a problem. Just buy from a cheaper store.

[JesseNight]

Exactly. Sellers are free to ask what they want, buyers are free to take it or leave it.

I see this happen more often with large stores that have a lot of harder to find parts. People prefer to order from the least possible amount of different stores and are easier willing to accept a few common parts being more expensive... or just overlook it in a large order.

 

[Mylenium]

I can only echo the other's sentiments. Capitalism works! You know, that old thing of demand and supply regulating prices. I've seen similar German shops, but at the end of the day it's entirely up to the buyer whether you use them or not. There are of course a few things to consider. The shop you linked has many older items, though in very limited numbers. Maintaining such an inventory already ramps up the cost. Also they have no minimums on lots and overall price, so they have high operating costs when sending out perhaps a handful of pieces below a certain threshold. Packaging costs money and parcel delivery in the US seems to be a complete nightmare, anyway. They simply may have figured that into their pricing. Anyway, they'll adjust their pricing as they go no doubt based on their sales.

Mylenium

[smazmats]

I've noticed this trend as well while ordering stuff on occasion. Typically they will have a wide selection of parts at much higher then normal prices. 

My theory: they are gaming the bricklink store finder algorithm. By having a wide variety of available parts, they are more likely to be matched to MOC part lists since it tries to find the least amount of stores as possible. I would say most people are not savvy to the typical average price for parts on the market so they don't realize that they are overpaying or even check the individual stores that bricklink gives them. 

The easiest solution is to just add the store as a disliked bookmark and it should be now exuded from future purchases when you run the store fining tool

[ChrisXY]

I know you can dislike stores and so on. In Germany we have a law that prohibits "usury" colloquial "daylight robbery"

Check this one: https://store.bricklink.com/GUYLOU#/shop

https://store.bricklink.com/GUYLOU#/shop?o={"sort":0,"pgSize":50,"itemID":81794,"showHomeItems":0}

https://store.bricklink.com/GUYLOU#/shop?o={"sort":0,"pgSize":50,"itemID":1445,"showHomeItems":0}

You can pick any item. The problem I do have is, that bricklink should be held responsible and do something against this. Those stores rip off inexperienced customers, who dont know better.

There are lots of stores that demand massive high prices for usual stuff. They are destroying the community.

Edited April 12 by ChrisXY

[MAB]

What are they doing wrong, and how exactly are they destroying "the community", whatever that is. If a seller is charging high prices for common stuff, then buy from a cheaper seller. 

[Murdoch17]

22 hours ago, ChrisXY said:

I know you can dislike stores and so on. In Germany we have a law that prohibits "usury" colloquial "daylight robbery"

Check this one: https://store.bricklink.com/GUYLOU#/shop

https://store.bricklink.com/GUYLOU#/shop?o={"sort":0,"pgSize":50,"itemID":81794,"showHomeItems":0}

https://store.bricklink.com/GUYLOU#/shop?o={"sort":0,"pgSize":50,"itemID":1445,"showHomeItems":0}

You can pick any item. The problem I do have is, that bricklink should be held responsible and do something against this. Those stores rip off inexperienced customers, who dont know better.

There are lots of stores that demand massive high prices for usual stuff. They are destroying the community.

There are other options available to buy things from on BL, and if there aren't, the stores can charge what they like. If people don't do research that's on them. "Buyer beware", and all that. Besides, Bricklink can't get in trouble - they aren't the ones selling, the individual stores are. And even if they could sue Bricklink for this, they'd have to also sue Ebay, Amazon Marketplace, and so on.... Germany can try to go up against LEGO legally, but Amazon and Ebay, LEGO, and every other major resale website? There's not a snowball's chance in hell they'd win that case.

As for the community bit: Bricklink was founded in 1999. This has always been the way of things - and the community has been doing just fine.

Edited April 13 by Murdoch17

[Toastie]

57 minutes ago, Murdoch17 said:

Germany can try to go up against LEGO legally

Just leave Germany out and treat this member of EB as a member of EB. Outing oneself as residing in a country does not relate to anything that country may or may not do. There is currently enough chaos in this world.

23 hours ago, ChrisXY said:

They are destroying the community.

That only holds true - in a global world of capitalism, where the free market is dominating (should "tariffs" not get in its way) - when the community is completely cut out of "information". The thing called Google or any other search thing will tell you, what competitive prices are. Heck, even BL, this very site, depending on your settings (my is "cheapest first") takes 100% care of that. Should members of the "community" pay terrible prices, then - hey - welcome to reality.

Best
Thorsten     

Edited April 13 by Toastie

[Murdoch17]

9 minutes ago, Toastie said:

Just leave Germany out and treat this member of EB as a member of EB. Outing oneself as residing in a country does not relate to anything that country may or may not do. There is currently enough chaos in this world.

I was referring to ChrisXY's comment about German "daylight robbery law"(s). No offense meant to Germany itself or people from Germany.

[ChrisXY]

Unfortunately you dont get the point...that´s sad

[MAB]

11 hours ago, ChrisXY said:

Unfortunately you dont get the point...that´s sad

So what is the point, and what is stopping you from marking the stores that you don’t  like as 'least favourite' and hiding their items when browsing or using wants lists?