Using Bricklink

[Mr Hobbles]

Hey guys,

I'm trying to get to grips with Bricklink, I want to purchase some parts for a new MOC, and this will be my first time using it. My question is, is there a trick to it?

For example, everything seems to come from different sellers and they all charge postage. So if I need four windows at $0.13 each, that's $0.52, but then the seller adds like another $5 postage ontop and it's just not worth it. Then ten red bricks at $0.06 from a different seller, but that then seller charges his own $4 postage. I'm spending almost 10x more on postage than on bricks!

Since I'm in the UK, can anyone recommend any good sellers that sell a wide range of things? Or am I just using Bricklink wrong.

Cheers,

Nathan

[Starwars4J]

Well, the best way to do this is to search by the parts you want. It really isn't worth it if you just want a few pieces. You should, ideally, wait until you find multiple parts you want from the same seller. This might require doing some comparison shopping (i.e.: this lot of parts would cost this price from this seller, whereas it would cost this price from this seller). The trick is also in their quantity. Also, if you want FEW bricks, try to find sellers that provide free shipping, though they usually have a (low) minimum amount that you must first spend.

Sorry if I wasn't clear with everything, feel free to ask about anything you're unclear with

[SavaTheAggie]

The trick, as far as I'm concerned, is to find a seller that has the most parts you're looking at his shop. The less places you go, the better. Sure, you might have to pay a little more for the parts you want, but you'll save on shipping for not having to buy from multiple sellers.

So what I like to do when building a MOC using Bricklink is to find a part I *HAVE* to have, like some rare black thin train window, for example. So I do a search for all sellers who are selling the thin black train window, and then I start examining each of their shops. I also start by skipping all the sellers outside of my own country, simply because shipping will be cheaper.

Hopefully I will find a seller who has everything I'm looking for. If not, or if the seller has something else I'm looking for but at too high a price, I do a second search. This time I not only look to see if this second seller has what the first seller doesn't have, but I also look to see if the second seller has lower prices on the stuff I already found. If I'm lucky, I've now found all the parts I need between the two sellers, maybe three, and I place my orders.

It usually takes an hour or two to find everything I'm looking for, but it's worth the effort. On really big MOCs that I need to order most of the parts for, it's good to write things down or print out your shopping cart so you can keep track of everything from each store.

--Tony

[Holodoc]

No you

[Dfenz]

I've used Bricklink a lot and agree with what other people have said regarding trying to get as much parts or sets from a single seller to minimise postage and handling costs and avoid minimum order problems. I've found that US postage costs to Ireland are remarkably reasonable compared to European costs especially considering the distance from the US (where most of the cheapest parts are located). Continental European postage costs are sometimes not too bad, e.g. from Germany. However, when purchasing from continental European stores be very careful to read the 'splash' page. In addition to the minimum order and postage and handling fees, which in fairness I've found not too bad you've also got to watch out for VAT. Some prices are quoted exclusive of VAT and this is added for European customers if the store is VAT registered. Some stores also add a surcharge for paypal payments.

Worst of all is that some continental European stores have fixed exchange rates. Bricklink prices are generally quoted in US dollars but some stores require European buyers to pay the 'dollar' prices as euro amounts. What might seem like the cheapest price will not end up being the cheapest if the exchange rate is fixed at an artificial rate. Watch out for this. I've found UK stores to be far less likely to engage in these type of practices.

You can created a wanted list of parts and use this to identify which stores have the most items. Unfortunately my understanding is that if you add items to a cart in a particular store and move away from that store (for example to check a price in another store) you lose the items in that cart. Its best to have an idea as to the average price for items before adding items to a particular cart. Its usually possible to add items to an order at a later date before shipment if you notify the store that you are still looking for more items and may add to the order. The store will hold the order open until you add to it and everything gets merged in a single delivery. This allows you to purchase the minimum amount and add things later.

One warning. While Bricklink has many excellent sellers in my view there is less buyer protection than say for ebay purchases. One of my first bricklink transactions was to purchase a set from a zero feedback store. The inevitable non-delivery arose and I was only able to obtain a partial refund from paypal. I'd suggest exercising the same caution with low feedback stores as you would on ebay bearing in mind that some stores have managed to get negative feedback removed too easily for my liking. Its worth reviewing the forum discussions to check for any adverse references to the store you propose to purchase from.

On a final note Bricklink is not like LSAH. If an item doesn't arrive its not simply a case of ringing up the store to ship replacements free of charge. For this reason many stores will require insurance and for US purchases this is normally an inexpensive add-on although everything is relative to the price of the parts.

David

[Mr Hobbles]

Ok, cheers guys. Some good tips I'll use in the future. Thanks. :-)