what to buy???

[john cleese]

Now my mom and dad have always had the philosophy that it's best to ask someone what they want for christmas so they arent dissapointed with their gift come christmas time. Naturally this year i asked for more lego, (what else is there? X-D ) Specifically, since the opportunity to buy the new exo-force or aqua-raiders never came up, because none of the darn stores in my area have them in yet; i asked for some cash, which i assured my parents would be spent completely on a bricklink order (just to make it more personal than just giving me cash for christmas.) Buying from Troys Surplus Lego and Brick Chick Free Ship, I followed a very methodical system of buying everything i wanted from each store and then taking items off the list until most of the money went to the free shipment store, while keeping the rare items i found in Troy's store. This Process was too time consuming and i eventually ran out of time to complete the order and had to shut the computer off, which emptied my shopping cart. I tried this two more times until both stores closed and now that christmas is over and done with, these stores have reoppened. Now my question is how should i go about buying my lego? Should i buy from Pick a Brick on Lego's website. What sellers would you reccomend, considering that i'm looking for stores with a large selection of pieces and high quantities of normal bricks, slopes and other "basic" elements. Money "is" an object and i'm working within a budget of $250 dollars, this is pretty much all my christmas money going towards this "worthy cause." ;-)

please answer soon as i will have to wait until next weekend if i dont get any replies, you see during the week i dont have a computer with internet on it.

[Kikuichimonji]

You could just get Aquaraiders en ExoForce sets off Bricklink, of course. I would suggest against Pick-a-brick since Bricklink usually is cheaper and the selection is much, much larger.

As for sellers, that's your own choice. I tend to pick sellers located in my own country, so I doubt those would be of any use to you since shipping would be high. Picking a seller depends on the pieces you want, the shipping costs and their feedback rating (at least that's how I pick them).

I'm pretty sure there are shops out there selling huge quantities of bulk orders, so I suggest you just search for a piece you want and sort on quantity. Usually the shops with most bricks also have tons of others.

[gylman]

For non-sets, Bricklink is vastly superior to lego S@H in both price and selection.

Both stores you mentioned are reliable - I've had multiple purchases from both, with never a problem. Don't expect delivery within 2 days of ordering, and don't pester them.

Are you in Canada? I vaguely recall that you are. If yes, then if you buy big-time from Mike Nemeth (Troy's) remember there will be customs issues. Lego Techcetera is another good Canadian stores. For sets, you can't top Lasting Toys Inc. for selection. Heck, if you are near Toronto, visit the store personally - it's excellent.

Another piece of advice.. if you are buying bricks and selected items from Bricklink to make a MOC, don't spend all the money at once. YOu can never predict all the bricks and elements you need, and you will always make secondary purchases. Spent only 2/3 of the money, and save the rest for the finishing touches you will need.

If you are committed to buying from a store, but run out of time, put in only part of the order. They will always let you add to the order in the next few days... just tell them you will do that. This way you don't make a huge shopping cart, then lose the whole thing. But, don't make an order, and then change your mind....

Good luck.