Ebay fails me... And how to trust Bricklink?

[Artifex]

Hail, friends.

Today I got My Forestmen's River Fortress and my 2 Forestmen's Hideout.

I built the three sets but, once again, ebay has failed me: all three were incomplete. As a matter of fact, apart from minifigs, individual bricks, armors and weapons, every "100% complete set" I ever bought on ebay was, well, INcomplete.

In one occasion I could work things out with the seller and get the missing parts. In all the others, I just got a "I'll check, wait for me" (which I did, and I'm still doing) or "You lie! Don't ever talk to me again".

I've been thinking about moving to Bricklink and only buy from there, but after the almost 20 ebay failures, I can't say I can trust online buying anymore.

So, in as much as I'm disappointed about ebay, I don't want to stop buying Lego - especially old sets - online.

Can anyone please (re)assure me that it's possible to trust on Bricklink sellers? Has any of you ever done it? Did you get what you payed for?

All the best,

a disappointed Artifex

EDIT: minor spelling

Edited July 26, 2010 by Artifex

[zyrex]

I've bought several sets and assorted bricks on Bricklink, all sets have been complete and I've gotten all the bricks I've ordered. The one time I was missing some pieces, the seller quickly sent them to me :) 100% positive buying rate on BL until now :)

[OneSnowTrooper]

I use ebay for about 8 years now and never had any real problems. if you had 20 bad buys I get the impression you didn't buy from sellers with 100% positive feedback and buyers protection. If you buy from those sellers they will refund if not complete or at least compensate. But 20 is really bad luck in my opinion and not the standard for any online buying and trading. Also if you pay with paypal you are protected for frauds.

anyway with bricklink i also have nothing but good experiences.

Edited July 26, 2010 by OneSnowTrooper

[Artifex]

Things is, it is not that there is a minifig missing, or a shield, maybe. But that couple of bricks that would go "unnoticed because the buyer is so happy with his new buy". And it's the feeling I get from these small things, like if I were some sort of idiot. It's not the thing per se, but the way i don't get this parts that "could go unnoticed" - but they don't.

[OneSnowTrooper]

Things is, it is not that there is a minifig missing, or a shield, maybe. But that couple of bricks that would go "unnoticed because the buyer is so happy with his new buy". And it's the feeling I get from these small things, like if I were some sort of idiot. It's not the thing per se, but the way i don't get this parts that "could go unnoticed" - but they don't.

well just tell the seller your not satisfied with the purchase and inform him that you want a refund. If they don't reply just inform ebay or paypal and leave them negative feedback.

[fff]

I am sad to hear this about what happened to you. Truth is that with sets opened, it may happen. It has happened to me sometimes, but they use to be quite trustable. I would say, dont blame ebay, but the seller. Before each buy, try to ask the seller all the things, and you'll see with his answer, how nice/trustable he can be. Bricklink is the same. Reputation in ebay/bl for sellers is the most important...

Though i recognize that 20 fails... desperate anybody...

[Carbohydrates]

Bricklink has been very reliable for me. Of the couple dozen or so orders I've placed (for parts and sets, new and used), I've only had 2 'issues' - one time, I received a minifig torso with a crack in it that wasn't listed in the description. The seller resolved this by crediting me back 3 bucks or so, plenty enough to cover the cost of the part. Another time, I received a large ($100) set in 'used' condition and one single piece was the wrong color - a goblet was gray instead of trans-clear. I didn't care enough to do anything about this particular incongruity, though.

I think Bricklink is just safer than eBay overall because it's run by people who are every bit as much into this hobby as we all are. It's a bit more of a closer-knit community sort of thing, so you're dealing with people on the same wavelength as you. Also, Bricklink is VERY harsh to sellers who mess with you by ignoring you or not fulfilling orders. Three mistakes like that and they're banned from ever selling again. This sort of heavy-handedness seems to keep people nicely in line.

[Piratedave84]

I have bought several sets and parts and whatnot on bricklink and always had excellent transactions.

I had one problem once with some torso's I ahd ordered but through talking with the seller we came to an agreement super fast. I still gave perfect feedback to the seller as she was open to any suggestions as to how to work out our different.

Bottom line is Bricklink is awesome, they are serious sellers, most of them AFOL's themselves.

Pirate

[vynsane]

I've bought only three sets from ebay - 6890 Cosmic Cruiser, 6941 Blacktron Battrax, and 5935 Island Hopper. Of the three, only the Island Hopper was complete (in face, it included the box as well as instructions, extra parts and other inserts.) The Battrax was missing a few slopes and hinge pieces, but it DID include two Blacktron minifigures instead of one! They both, however, were missing airtanks. The Cosmic Cruiser was complete for parts, but the two antennae at the rear were light blue-gray instead of old gray. It also smelled, as if the seller was smoking a cigar while packing and intentionally blew smoke INTO the box, so I would get a nice stale cloud upon the opening.

I've made 11 orders on Bricklink since then, and haven't had an issue other than one case of slow shipping. From now on, I am going to avoid ebay in lieu of Bricklink. As others have said, not only are they mainly fellow FOL's, but they're more apt to make you happy.

[CP5670]

I have had two or three incidents like this over the years. I got a supposedly MISB 6933 at one point and found out six months later that it was missing 80-odd pieces (the seller ignored my emails), and a 6986 that was missing one of the jail cells (the seller sent me some other random parts to make up for it). This is out of 200+ purchases on ebay and BL though, so overall my experience has been very good.

I think BL sellers are overall more reliable than ebay ones, as they tend to be AFOLs themselves. I've certainly had cases where a few parts in an order were missing or were marked as new but were obviously used, but the sellers have always replaced or refunded them. If it's just one or two minor parts on a large parts order, I don't bother complaining about it.

You have to be more careful when it comes to sets though, especially with ebay. If you're buying a used set on ebay, make sure the auction has a good quality picture of the model built up. You can't necessarily trust any "100% complete" or "excellent condition" descriptions.

It also smelled, as if the seller was smoking a cigar while packing and intentionally blew smoke INTO the box, so I would get a nice stale cloud upon the opening.

I've gotten a 6954 set like this, but it was otherwise in ideal condition and the smell went away after a few weeks, so I didn't complain about it.

[vynsane]

I've gotten a 6954 set like this, but it was otherwise in ideal condition and the smell went away after a few weeks, so I didn't complain about it.

Heh, yeah, I didn't complain either, as the smell did dissipate. It's just the principal of the thing - if you're packing something up, don't smoke WHILE doing so. Wait the 3 minutes (max) it will take to package the thing, THEN light up ;)

[davee123]

I used to buy things on eBay now and again. Somewhere in the ballpark of 5-20 sets, I'm not sure exactly. And NONE of them were EVER 100% complete.

A couple were pretty close-- missing things like the 1x2 brick/plate that comes on the back of horses in old castle sets. Or missing plumes of varying sizes (like, including the small red plume, but not the medium and large red plumes). Things like that. But those were the BEST ones in my eBay experience.

By and large, sets that I've purchased on eBay were missing 1-5% of the elements. Enough so they LOOK pretty complete, but really aren't.

The reason? I think it's generally because people who sell on eBay don't know the LEGO market. They're people who are selling their old sets, or selling their kids' collections, or what-have-you. They pick the set up off the shelf, match it up with the instructions, and assume it's good. And heaven forbid that you want them to send you the missing 1x4 plate that's missing, because there's no chance in hell that they'll have an extra one lying around!

BrickLink, by comparison, is FAR better. The sellers KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. They're experienced enough in LEGO to know to use BrickLink, which generally means they know the LEGO market. And if they leave out some elements, there's a decent chance that they can either give you one of their spares that they have lying around, OR make arrangements for you to get one via another seller.

From experience, I would say that roughly 75% of the sets I've purchased on BrickLink have actually been complete. It happens now and again that something's incomplete, but it's usually not by much. And most importantly, EVERY time I've brought up the issue, they've ALWAYS been willing to do something to compensate. Admittedly, sometimes (I think it happened to me only once), the compensation was to just get a full refund and send the set back.

Anyway, eBay is a crap-shoot-- and the odds aren't exactly stacked in your favor. BrickLink sellers are a lot more consistently reliable.

DaveE

[Zzz]

Any chance not to use the inernet for old sets, Artifex? I have no idea where you live, what country, big city and probably it will be difficult for me to give some advise, but perhaps there is a chance..?

Internet is great to make a few bargains from time to time but especially ebay is full of idiots who describe collectors items a bit or much more "mint" than they actually are. Something that made me pay a lot more and buy only NEW items, but even then some people are lying about that. I can understand you, I want to say. Try to see if you can make some face to face deals or give BL a chance. I have no experience with used items (accidently got a used one once while ordered a new one, but seller was very sorry and it seemed really a mistake) but new ones were always flawless, perfect. YOu get the feel that the guy ont he other side really cares. So, give it a try or stick to my first advise: Try to make a deal like in the past, before the internet. What did we do then? Reading local fleemarket adverts? Or even making an own one?

Good luck anyway : )

[SlyOwl]

As said, Bricklink is run by people who are as passionate about Lego as you are, on the whole. I would trust it with my life (well, not really - but you get the point).

Living in England, if you're looking to get into Bricklink, I'd recommend SimplyBricks and YellowFarmBricks - I've had flawless transactions with both sellers, and they seem like a good starting point. Moreover, they're two of the biggest stores in the UK, so a great brick selection

[ThatGuyWithTheBricks]

I don't blame people for a few misplaced parts, it's actually quite easy and probably happens as much as BL. Part of the problem might be that they took it off the shelf and took it apart when they might have skipped a few pieces in the last build.

Sometimes from BL, though, I've gotten pieces in horrible condition!

[Capt. Redblade]

I haven't been using Bricklink for too long, but as far as honest sellers and complete sets go, I am 10 for 10 so far. Pay attention to the seller's user feedback and if possible, email beforehand and ask if they can send further pictures of the prospective set to make sure it's a) what you're looking for and b) all there. As far as I know, most sellers don't have a problem with that.

[Artanis I]

I usually buy USED sets

Okay... well I've bought about a hundred used sets off eBay, and will continue to do so. I've bought probably 20 or so from Bricklink. Almost all Bricklink sellers are honest, but there are quite a number of eBay sellers that are not.

I find you can tell a dodgy eBay seller. Look at the item description, look at the seller's feedback, look at the photos. I must admit, I try to avoid US sellers as some can be shifty, and the postage from there is really expensive and slow. For the sets I've received that were incomplete most of them advertised the fact, and listed the missing pieces so I knew what I was in for. There have been a few that were advertised as complete but were not, each time the seller swiftly found the missing parts and sent them on, no issue. On a few occasions I received incomplete sets only to realise they hadn't said they were complete & were hoping noone would notice. My bad. Watch out for that.

On Bricklink, I find it difficult to buy a set at a bargain price. You can get cheaper elsewhere unless you just want to tick it off the list of "collect them all" in which case you don't mind a lesser condition set. I tend to use Bricklink for parts, not sets. I have on numerous occasions received incorrect orders. Missing pieces, wrong pieces... each time just as with eBay (except the dodgy sellers you should avoid) most sellers are honest and value their feedback, so they quickly send the correct pieces and tell you to keep the mistakes or they'll send an extra or give a refund.

I prefer Bricklink because: the set prices are given. No speculation, no waiting a few days to find out what you'll eventually pay.

I prefer eBay because: the postage prices are given. No rude shocks "that'll be $34 US (for 2 small sets)". If it says "international bidders contact for postage cost" then ask them and you'll get a quote. You can do this too for BL but it's more difficult to get a quote if you've got 100 individual pieces you want to include in an order.

I prefer Bricklink because: you know you've got it, no waiting until the end of the auction, & no need to shark!

I prefer eBay because: there are almost always photos of the set. Bricklink it's usually "contact me for pics" at best. I can never be bothered with that, most of the time if it's in good used condition they're asking too much for it anyway.

I won't delve into the "community" side of things, that's an aside. But for value for money and quality of service, you can still choose either, just be discerning. I use both, I'm happy to continue using both.

PS at the moment I'm expecting 4 BL orders in the mail, 1 is a set, 3 are just parts. I'll probably have some eBay items on the way within a couple of days too. BIN & auction.

[lisqr]

I think the problem with ebay is that sellers aren't afol. They're just ignorant. They are quite often just people who want to unload their childhood sets or their kid's sets. I've encountered incomplete used sets sold as 100% complete 3 out of 4 times. Once was quite ridiculous. The seller sold me the right number of pieces but with 10/100 pieces wrong. Then his other item has my missing pieces but misses the extras I have.

So I avoid buying used at all now.

[Lego_Hero]

Somewhere in my Dark Ages, I sold several sets on Ebay. Boy, do I regret not having those parts now! Anyway, before I put them up for auction, I would always put the set together one last time just to make sure it was complete. On the occasions that the set was not complete, I would substitute an identical, but off-color, part if I had one. I would always make sure that it was clear to bidders that the set had a part that was not original to the set. If I didn't have a similar part, I would not sell it on Ebay. Also, as I am a minifig nut, I would also make it clear to bidders that the minifigs were not included.

While I've never bought anything off of Ebay, I have bought from various vendors on Bricklink. My experience has been very positive! There was one time that I ordered blank yellow heads and got used, worn-off heads instead. After alerting the store, the seller sent me better heads and a handful of random minifig accessories (he sure knew how to shut me up).

I can't see someone buying TWENTY times off of Ebay with the majority of them being negative and still trying Ebay. "Why is there a pile of brick here where the wall used to be? Has someone been beating their head against it?"

[CP5670]

I rarely buy used sets these days, unless they are specifically advertised as being display models, good pictures are shown and the seller has some kind of return policy. I make occasional exceptions if a set is particularly rare or expensive in MISB condition, but I will still want to see the pictures. Completeness is not so much of an issue IMO, as you can objectively say whether a set is complete or not. The part quality is the real problem, and it's very difficult to find out much about this if the pictures aren't big and sharp. One person's "excellent condition" can be another person's "poor condition," as I've found out in the past on both ebay and BL.

I prefer eBay because: there are almost always photos of the set. Bricklink it's usually "contact me for pics" at best. I can never be bothered with that, most of the time if it's in good used condition they're asking too much for it anyway.

Yes, this is one advantage of ebay over BL. I would certainly never buy a used set if there are no pictures shown.

[XimenaPaulina]

I too share the same apprehension as you when I was starting to buy legos online. Luckily, I've never experienced any unfortunate transactions both from ebay and BL. Between the two, I actually prefer BL more, because all my transactions in BL have all been 100% satisfactory. There were a couple of instances that I had missing pieces off my BL order, but the sellers either sent the missing piece(s) free-of-charge or gave me a discount on their store. Like what the other members said, you should carefully examine the seller's feedback rating before making a purchase. Remember that their feedback ratings tells a lot on what type of person/store they are.

[Broken Bricks]

I have bought about 7 or 8 sets on ebay and so far only 1 had missing parts.

When the set is fairly recent I believe you are more likely to get something that is 100% complete and in good condition even if it's in "used." A lot of times these are sets that someone got as a gift or purchased, opened and then changed their minds. Because they haven't been played with a whole lot, the integrity of the set is maintained and you get a decent price on it since once they're open the value goes down.

Buying sets from the 90s and 80s is a lot trickier though, and these cases I recommend inspecting a picture of the actual set thoroughly and/or checking the feedback.

I agree with all that has been said about BL. Your experience will be a lot more consistent there.

Ebay on the other had is hit or miss...some sets get auctioned for double what they are priced on BL and some sets you can get for really cheap. The latter case is a lot more seldom, but if you're persistent you will find it.

[XimenaPaulina]

I think the problem with ebay is that sellers aren't afol. They're just ignorant. They are quite often just people who want to unload their childhood sets or their kid's sets.

I kinda agree with this one. Always remember, that ebay is a site for selling general items, while Bricklink is specifically intended for selling Legos. So most likely BL sellers are more experienced in handling legos compared to ebay sellers. It ain't a guarantee, but most likely you'll have better satisfaction in BL.

Edited July 27, 2010 by KielDaMan

[Hoboman]

I have bought quite a few sets of late on ebay and only one was missing parts. The seller claimed that was not possable and refused to discuss. I have bought 12 times from Bricklinks and had one negative experiance there as well. Seller ignored meails and messages.

But if you asked me which I trusted more? Bricklinks. I agree with those who said the sellers on Brick Links are fans as well as sellers. They get it. They understand. Where the sellers on ebay range from fellow fan to partent dumping old toys from spare room.

When I buy on ebay I buy expecting to use the "set" for parts and not as a sollector item. If it si great, well I got lucky in my mind.

My last ebay buy was a ExoForce Mecha. She came in a zip lock bag and did have 100% of the parts. Came with an extra Robot as well.

So you just never know on ebay.

[Oky]

Yeah, eBay isn't the most reliable source for second-hand Lego. Bricklink is usually more trust worthy. Check out our list of trusted bricklink sellers in the BSTF forum. There, you can also buy/sell/trade with members right here on EB! Check out the EB Straightshooters list to see who is trustworthy.

Hope that helped.

I think the problem with ebay is that sellers aren't afol. They're just ignorant. They are quite often just people who want to unload their childhood sets or their kid's sets.

Yeah, but then again, those are the people who don't know what the sets are worth, so you could end up making a great deal if you get lucky and the set is complete. But that's being optimistic of course.