Hints and Tips needed: Where to get specific parts?

[Duck]

Ahoy there!

Now, first of all, i 100% appologise in advance if this is in the wrong section, or if this in some form of way breaks eurobricks rules!

From looking around brickshelf and here at some of the wonderfully detailed fleets of pirate ships which people have built, and in particular at the rows of cannons, lots of the flag pieces which cover the cannons, several masts and lots of rigging pieces, it occured to me as to how people obtain all these rather specific parts in large numbers?

Is it simply a matter of sitting around and waiting for them to appear on ebay, or is there another way in which people manage this?

Again, sorry if this seems a rather silly/inappropriate question, but its bugging me :p

Thanks in advance! :)

[Nyundi]

Hi Duck! Check out Bricklink. You can find tons of sellers selling individual pieces, sometimes in great quantities. The website isn't the most straightforward, but once you get the hang of it, you can make a wanted list, basically saying "I need 10 cannons and 100 black 1x1 tiles", then ask it to find a store that has those available, and sort by price ;)

All of the sellers are independent, like eBay. There is a feedback system, and it is international!

Enjoy

[Captain Green Hair]

Bricklink is indeed a good source, but often cheap lots can be found on Ebay and other auction sites.

This topic should be in the general discussion forum, so i'll move it there

[Duck]

Thanks for the help! That site certainly looks useful! :)

And sorry for posting in the wrong section! I'll know for next time! ;)

[Zorro]

Thanks for the help! That site certainly looks useful! :)

And sorry for posting in the wrong section! I'll know for next time! ;)

Bricklink is a good, but sometimes expensive source. eBay and local online "markets" are a lot cheaper. For cannons and pirate Lego I would advise to especcialy check out the European eBays (like Germany, Belgium, The Nether-Cheeseland,...)

If shopping on Bricklink: make sure to use the "search" function correctly, and if you have found the right item, click on it till you see the picture, then on the Price Guide Info to find a price overview.

The prizes between different shops can be HUGE!

[Dr. X]

Bricklink is the way to go for any building project. You can find almost any piece from any country at some of the lowest prices on the internet, and it's usually got the lowest price for sets too.

A good store with low prices and a wide inventory is Toy Brick Brigade, although there are hundreds of other good ones.

Some tips:

1) After searching, press "show more filter options", then you can select your minimum quantity, the country you live in, and in what order it displays your parts.

2) If you want a certain part but you're not sure what it's called, see if you can think of a set that comes in. Then go to Peeron.com and search for that set. Once you find it, look at the inventory for that set (pictures), and once you find the part click on it to go to it's inventory page. It will show the part name and part number, and you can put in the name or number on Bricklink to find that part (usually, sometimes the name is different).

3) Try to get all the stuff you need for a project at one store, to save on shipping costs and simplify things.

4) Don't be intimidated by Bricklink's apparent complicated-ness, after a while of using it it's really easy.

I personally don't like eBay that much for parts, but then again I've never really needed pirate stuff.

[Mirandir]

Right now I'm spending 100% of my "LEGO-money" on Bricklink. It really is the best place when you are looking for specific pieces. However there are some things you need to remember:

1.) Always read a store's Term of Service page. If not you can be up for an unplesant suprise. E.g: Amongst European sellers it's popular to use a fixed exchange rate, Some charge you a small fee if you don't shop for a certain amount, some use a minimum shipping cost, If you're a European buyer some European shops will add VAT to the invoice, there are even sellers that add the fee from bricklink on top of your invoice.

So a piece that seams cheap can actually turn out to be one of the most expensive ones on Bricklink.

2.) Always check up the sellers feedback. This is common sense I guess but itis always good to remember that. The only real way to get banned from selling on bricklink by missbehaving aginst buyers is by getting three NSS(Non-shipping Seller) and/or NRS(Non-Responsive Seller) events filed against you. And of course don't let a few negatives/neutrals on a high feedback seller scare you off ( Or make you feel that the seller is safe for that matter!). Read the feedback comments as well as check up the user leaving that negative/neutral.

3.) Check the "problem order" forum regularly. Usually any issues with a problematic seller will show up there quicker than in that sellers feedback.

4.) If there's some problem with your order(Missing pieces, wrong colors, poor quality or the package just isn't showing up) do contact the seller about this. Most of them are willing to work with you to resolve the issue. In the end turning a negative experience into a positive one.

And finally I hope you'll find shopping on bricklink as fun and satisfying as I do. :)

[legotrainfan]

You can also go to Pick a Brick on shop.lego.com. There you can find parts that are in sets that are still in production. Normally, the bricks available on Pick a Brick are more expensive than on bricklink. But there are some bricks that are cheaper on Pick a Brick than on bricklink, especially train stuff like train wheels. So don't forget to compare prices. You can also email the LEGO Company and ask if they have a specific piece if you don't find it on Pick a Brick. Then you have to describe the piece in great detail. I usually look for the piece on peeron.com and email them a peeron-link of the piece I'm looking for.