Should I be upset about this?

[mkeller234]

I purchased this lot on eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Pounds-of-Lego-Pieces-/301215797859?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=0GJaLiNdfZYa48tUJfLPzCf31YE%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

I thought it was 5lbs of Lego, so I figured up a max bid that I could live with. After paying, the seller wrote and said, oops, I forgot to weigh the container... It's more like 3 lbs. he refunded $10.80 and I accepted that.

Now the bricks show up today and I sorted them all. I pulled out 37.9 oz of real lego, and a surprising 12.12 oz of mega bloks. I expected some.... But that seems pretty hefty to me. So now I'm left with just over two pounds of lego. After the adjustment, I paid $17.40 for the bricks, and $9.60 to ship. Thats 27 dollars all together. I have to admit that bums me out.

The seller seemed to be honest inhis early email, and polite. Im not questioning his character. Am I overreacting?

Edited June 27, 2014 by mkeller234

[Faefrost]

This is one of the issues with buying bulk Lego on E-Bay. The seller often does not know what they have, and you get a ton of garbage clone bricks.

[jodawill]

In general, I would never recommend anyone buy bulk parts online. You could always find some locally for a lot cheaper. Check Craigslist and Facebook garage sales pages.

Also, in the photo, it's very easy to see that it's not 5lbs of Lego parts. You can see in the photo that a good portion of it is K'NEX and it's a very small lot.

If you're looking for specific parts, minifigures, or sets, Bricklink is usually the best option. But, like I said, buying locally is always the best for bulk, random parts. There have been many times I've gotten good deals on huge tubs. I once found a tub for $25 and it was probably 40lbs. I always take out the minifigures and whatever parts I'm interested in, then resell the rest for about $6/lbs on Craigslist. Then I sell the minifigures I don't want on eBay.

[mkeller234]

Well, I suppose that is just a lesson learned the hard way. Thanks for the insight guys.

[-Horizon-]

Some people also say 100% LEGO in the description. So then you can buy it without worrying about MegaB*ock

[rodiziorobs]

When in doubt, send a message before bidding. I know that it's kind of late for that now, but once or twice it has saved me before getting into a bad spot.

Also, if you haven't left feedback yet, it wouldn't hurt to message them now and explain the situation, maybe they'll refund you a little more. It seems like most sellers are reasonable if you feel like the item was misrepresented.

[Roger_Smith]

You have to be very careful when buying bulk, but if you take precautions and follow some rules, you can get really good deals.

These are some of the things I check for when looking at auctions:

- is there only one picture showing the lot in a box/big pile of bricks (shown on a blurry photo) or similar? -> avoid, no way of telling what's in there. Always go for lots that are documented well in several pictures!

- does the lot seem to be comprised mainly of basic bricks in the classic colors? -> avoid, those are useless to me and I have enough of them already

- are there any identifiable sets to be seen on the pictures that interest me? (either visible fully built, or half built remains, or sometimes even the presence of several giveaway pieces that indicate a high potential that a certain set is in the lot)

- how many useful/rare parts can be identified on the pictures?

As I'm personally mainly after 80ies/early 90ies space stuff, lots that have a lot of white, blue and grey or have descriptions like "from the attic, 80ies Lego" are of special interest to me.

So far, all the lots I won were what I expected or more, some of them easily would be worth several times the amount I paid for them if I was to put the sets contained therein back on Ebay.

[62Bricks]

I buy bulk bricks on eBay frequently and only once have I been "fooled" by a lot that was significantly non-LEGO brand. And the seller wasn't trying to fool me, he was just one of the many people who think every plastic building block is "a lego." I sent him a polite message explaining I was only interested in LEGO-brand pieces and that about a third of the bricks were not LEGO. He offered to give me a partial refund.

If you end up with a difficult seller, remember that eBay protects you if what you receive is not what was described. If the auction said you were buying LEGO parts and you receive a significant amount of non-LEGO parts, you can file a claim with eBay.

[iamwhoiam]

I finally sold all of my childhood Mega Bl*cks today through a garage sale. The mother who had had bought it for her kid kept calling them "Legos."

People aren't always sure what they are talking about when it comes to plastic bricks. It could have been an honest mistake...

Edited June 28, 2014 by iamwhoiam

[Peppermint_M]

If you aren't going to return the non-LEGO parts or other such things, donate to charity or thrift or a local family center. You may not want it but kids will have plenty of fun. :-)

[mkeller234]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I don't think the seller meant any harm at all. I've decided not to worry about it and just move on. Don't worry Peppermint_M, I won't throw the extras away. My brother had a bunch of Megabloks growing up, so i'll just add the new ones right in. I may donate them all if my brother is not interested.

[DuckBricks]

Some people also say 100% LEGO in the description. So then you can buy it without worrying about MegaB*ock

Well, you never know. Before I had discovered Bricklink (many, many years ago) I had ordered bulk "LEGO" where the seller said it was 100% LEGO. It turned out to be over 50% Me**Blo**s and other junk like Shifty and Enlighten.

So I would never trust those "100% LEGO" labels because they could be either making a mistake or lying...

[VintageLegoEra]

MOst of the seller either they sell for their friends or they are not that experienced with Original Lego Bricks. I would always avoid buying lots to avoid any misunderstanding and issues!

[alois]

I think this is less of a problem in northern Europe, where Lego has flooded the market since the fifties. Even if sellers don't know, more than 9 out of ten bricks are Lego.

[fred67]

Ehh... I would still complain to the seller before leaving feedback. You shouldn't have to say 100% LEGO if you say "5lbs of LEGO pieces," it should be 5lbs of LEGO pieces.

You have every right to complain. Even if you end up giving a positive feedback anyway, if for no other reason, to make the seller aware there's a difference and that people DO care.

[62Bricks]

Ehh... I would still complain to the seller before leaving feedback. You shouldn't have to say 100% LEGO if you say "5lbs of LEGO pieces," it should be 5lbs of LEGO pieces.

You have every right to complain. Even if you end up giving a positive feedback anyway, if for no other reason, to make the seller aware there's a difference and that people DO care.

It's kind of a fine line to walk - eBay encourages you to try to work out a solution with the seller before leaving negative feedback, but sometimes the seller reacts badly when you ask them to fix something. One bad experience I had buying LEGO pieces in bulk on eBay was when several pieces that were clearly in the photos were not included in what I got (there were two lunar baseplates in the photos, for example, but they were not shipped). Turns out the guy had a couple large LEGO lots up at the same time and just sort of mixed all the pieces in each shipping box because he figured "legos are legos." He acted like I was being too picky when I asked about it and when I told him I would not be able to leave positive feedback if he didn't fix the problem he accused me of "feedback extortion."

So I politely explained that the people willing to pay the kind of money I had just paid him for bricks really do care about getting exactly what is pictured. He never answered me and so he has a negative feedback.

[ShaydDeGrai]

This is really the fundamental failure of eBay as far as I'm concerned. I hear people talk about how great it is for bargain shopping because sellers don't realize what something's really worth, but honestly, I think more often the consequence of that ignorance is exactly the reverse. Sellers misrepresent (more so from ignorance than malice, but still…) what they're selling and buyers overbid (or overpay) based on what they're anticipating getting because they assume the representation is accurate. When it comes to Lego, I've heard lots of stories of people ending up with a load of M***B***** when the description claimed "legos" but I rarely hear of, say, a complete Green Grocer modular going for $50 because the seller happened to find one in his garage and didn't realize what it was worth.

Honest mistakes happen and I think most people, handling the situation maturely, would, at a minimum, allow a refund and return of the entire lot with both buyer and seller splitting the cost of postage. At the other extreme, an unwillingness to bargain in good faith over a misrepresented lot deserves negative feedback such that others are warned that the seller may not be describing the lot accurately, and more importantly, does not care that the listing is wrong.

Personally, I'll stick with BrickLink venders; they know what they're selling; they know what a "fair" price is; and, while problems will certainly arise, I've never had encountered a problem with an order that the vender didn't bend over backwards to resolve to my satisfaction.

[62Bricks]

This is really the fundamental failure of eBay as far as I'm concerned. I hear people talk about how great it is for bargain shopping because sellers don't realize what something's really worth, but honestly, I think more often the consequence of that ignorance is exactly the reverse. Sellers misrepresent (more so from ignorance than malice, but still…) what they're selling and buyers overbid (or overpay) based on what they're anticipating getting because they assume the representation is accurate. When it comes to Lego, I've heard lots of stories of people ending up with a load of M***B***** when the description claimed "legos" but I rarely hear of, say, a complete Green Grocer modular going for $50 because the seller happened to find one in his garage and didn't realize what it was worth.

Honest mistakes happen and I think most people, handling the situation maturely, would, at a minimum, allow a refund and return of the entire lot with both buyer and seller splitting the cost of postage. At the other extreme, an unwillingness to bargain in good faith over a misrepresented lot deserves negative feedback such that others are warned that the seller may not be describing the lot accurately, and more importantly, does not care that the listing is wrong.

Personally, I'll stick with BrickLink venders; they know what they're selling; they know what a "fair" price is; and, while problems will certainly arise, I've never had encountered a problem with an order that the vender didn't bend over backwards to resolve to my satisfaction.

While the sellers on Bricklink are certainly more knowledgable about LEGO parts as a group, the major drawback is that you do not see a picture of what you are actually buying. I rarely even read descriptions on eBay auctions. I just look at the pictures. It's not hard to spot the clues that the lot might contain non-LEGO parts. And if it does, that's not always a bad thing for the buyer. Those lots are often skipped over buy serious LEGO buyers and go at a price lower than what you'd normally pay for the LEGO pieces alone.

[rodiziorobs]

I rarely hear of, say, a complete Green Grocer modular going for $50 because the seller happened to find one in his garage and didn't realize what it was worth.

I think that's because even if the seller didn't know what they had, a few savvy bidders would, and the resulting price would be the going rate.

But I agree with you on sellers bending over backwards when it comes to custoner satisfaction (I've only ever had one seller who was unreasonable). They all bow to the almighty feedback score, and those that don't suffer for it.