Bricklink store development

[jamesuniverse]

Please note: If any staff/Moderators/etc would like to move this to the Bricklink Questions thread or somewhere else, please do so. I think this is more of a discussion rather than a short, simple question.

I have had a family Bricklink store (Certain people help with different parts of the store) for a while now and well I sold sets here and there that I have gotten at fantastic deals or just have had. Now I am running out of sets. I only have about 3-4 "Decent" sets left. I do have some parts, but here is my question. Would anyone be willing to educate me on how to expand my store to get customers and it could support my hobby plus some spare change.

If you say "Part out sets" Well if I part out a set here and there that doesn't do much. I know I will have to invest a good amount of money to get the store going, but I would like to know how I should go about parting out? 10 sets of XXX or 1 set of YYY. Etc. Main thing is, how to get it started. I know I can't buy $2,000 worth of items to part out in a single day. I need to gradually build up the stock. How? Well thats my question.

Also any suggestions for a starting BL store? Also I have thought about doing the figures I have, but I only have so much. And city figures aren't that great to list.

Anyone asking "What's your store?" will probably not get a answer because I doubt it is allowed here.

Thanks! Sorry for the wall of text!

~JU

[charlieboy]

I find the best way to sell is to make sure whatever you list is cheaper than everybody else! A large inventory is obviously appealing to buyers too but price is what attracts me to a store first.

My store isn't very big however when the polybag sets arrive via the newspaper special offers my store goes mad as my repeat customers know i'll have lots listed and they will be cheaper than almost every other store so having great prices and giving excellent customer service is what keeps people coming back to me.

As for building up inventory, I very rarely go and buy new sets to list on my store aside from the previously mentioned polybags. I find it pays to go to car boot sales/garage sales/charity shops etc...and find sets that way. I have made quite a bit of money doing this as most people do not know the value of the parts they are selling, minifigures especially can be had for bargain prices this way.The other option is to see what sets are on sale in stores and grab stock that way.

As for supporting your hobby, I guess it depends how much you spend on Lego yourself but i'd have to sell a huge amount to cover what I spend! I think you'll find most Bricklink sellers do it as part of their hobby, I certainly do and don't really sell on there to make a profit, I do it because I enjoy it and if I make any money along the way well then thats more pennies to invest back into whatever theme i'm interested in at the time!

But again i'll say the best way to attract customers is to be the cheapest!

[jamesuniverse]

I find the best way to sell is to make sure whatever you list is cheaper than everybody else! A large inventory is obviously appealing to buyers too but price is what attracts me to a store first.

My store isn't very big however when the polybag sets arrive via the newspaper special offers my store goes mad as my repeat customers know i'll have lots listed and they will be cheaper than almost every other store so having great prices and giving excellent customer service is what keeps people coming back to me.

As for building up inventory, I very rarely go and buy new sets to list on my store aside from the previously mentioned polybags. I find it pays to go to car boot sales/garage sales/charity shops etc...and find sets that way. I have made quite a bit of money doing this as most people do not know the value of the parts they are selling, minifigures especially can be had for bargain prices this way.The other option is to see what sets are on sale in stores and grab stock that way.

As for supporting your hobby, I guess it depends how much you spend on Lego yourself but i'd have to sell a huge amount to cover what I spend! I think you'll find most Bricklink sellers do it as part of their hobby, I certainly do and don't really sell on there to make a profit, I do it because I enjoy it and if I make any money along the way well then thats more pennies to invest back into whatever theme i'm interested in at the time!

But again i'll say the best way to attract customers is to be the cheapest!

OK! Well the way to support my hobby is to support garage sale finds. I have found over 150lbs of LEGO over the years for $1 a lb or less. Most of which is not easy to sell. Thanks for the info!

[I Scream Clone]

I think the larger retailers have accounts with LEGO which enables them to purchase larger quantities of sets then offer them to overseas sellers like Australians without the VAT that European countries have to pay. That's how it works with a lot of us on the other side of the world.