Bricklink order size?

[ocifant]

Just getting back into Lego, after some 40+ years away!

I'm currently taking it very slowly, and picking and choosing what I need for some smallish models to start (I don't want to be saddled with boxes and boxes of stuff I can't/won't use anytime soon). However, the postage on small BrickLink orders often comes to more than the parts themselves!

So what are peoples' strategies for dealing with this situation? What's an 'average' order size on BL? What parts do you bulk out an order with, to make it worthwhile?

I already have a decent starter stock, having purchased several of the modular buildings and other Creator sets to get me going.

[TWO2SEVEN]

I recently pieced together a replica of the SDCC Batmobile using Bricklink. I ended up with 8 different orders. Since then I have learned how to look for which stores have the most of whatever I am looking for. The shipping costs are more worth while if you can get a large chunk of parts from one store.

If you haven't yet, spend some time building a wanted list, that way you can see which stores have the majority of the parts that you are looking for.

Also, I looked specifically for stores that had no minimum order. A few stores had one or two parts that I needed, totalling less than $1.00. If the store had a higher minimum order, I would have had to buy extra stuff that I didn't need.

[Withacee]

Hey ocifant, welcome back from the dark ages.

I recognise your problem.

We combine as many Bricklink orders as we can, and only order from our own country (we're lucky to live in the Netherlands, which has a great Lego community on BrickLink). This minimises postage.

Mind you, we mainly do modular houses, and we combine at least two or three houses on multiple wanted lists, so we have quite large orders to begin with.

I would say our average order on Bricklink is around 60 Euros.

[eurotrash]

According to my spreadsheet I've placed 51 Bricklink orders with an average cost of $35 (highest priced single order was $86). When I've got a specific wanted list in mind and the BL Store has only part of it (and it's of low value) I'll frequently trawl around other items that the BL store has to pad my spares pile - usually 1xN's. That way I keep postage costs down (as a %age of total) and build up my inventory.

[ocifant]

Thanks folks. The few orders I've placed so far have been very small - < £5 so I obviously need to buy more to make best use of economies of scale when it comes to postage!

Still coming to terms with the BL system - I've been using LDraw to design, then into BrickStock, and then from tehre to Brickficiency to identify/make up the different BL orders. I've not yet worked out how to go direct from a single BL wants list to multiple seller orders, but I'm sure I'll get there eventually...

[Redhead1982]

As others have said, it's best to create a wanted list and go from there. I either make wanted list(s) based on MOC that I'm building as I usually see which parts I'm missing. On the other hand, every now and then, I add interesting part to a wanted list (mostly new parts). My BL orders are always based on bricks I need at the moment, and then according to the order weight I try to fill it up with other interesting bricks. If you don't need many bricks, a small order is a way to go. However, if you plan buying more bricks over short period, it's better to combine them. Many BL stores have approximate shipping cost on their Splash pages, and that's a good way to orient yourself to find a store with low shipping costs (some have one shipping fee over wide range of order weight). If possible, check local stores on BL, as shipping nationally is (usually) cheaper, although at least in my case, parts price can be higher.

So there are many ways to go around BL, you just need to figure it out for yourself which suits you best. Good luck and enjoy building MOCs!

[TWO2SEVEN]

According to my spreadsheet I've placed 51 Bricklink orders with an average cost of $35 (highest priced single order was $86). When I've got a specific wanted list in mind and the BL Store has only part of it (and it's of low value) I'll frequently trawl around other items that the BL store has to pad my spares pile - usually 1xN's. That way I keep postage costs down (as a %age of total) and build up my inventory.

I have done this as well. I usually look for mini figures or other unique items.

[talos]

I've made 39 orders this year, since getting back into LEGO myself. My average order is between $15-20. Smallest order was $2.50, for a sheet of stickers I needed. Largest was $106 for some sets I wanted. I have found it quite hard to get those last few parts you always seem to need near the end of a build. No one seller ever has all the bits you need. Lately I have been building up lists to make the shipping more cost effective. Its not always doable, depends on how much time I want to spend waiting to build a list of items. I trawl for parts I 'might' need in the future also, for some of the dozens of ideas I have in my head!

[fred67]

I will jump on the suggestion to use a wanted list, but expand it much further... for example, I have stuff I have in mind that I know I will not get too soon; I stuff I need to "balance" out my parts (for example, if I have one or more of one side of a hinge, or I have a "left" wedge plate and not a "right" wedge plate, I will put that on my "balance" wanted list - a large list of non-urgent wants.

So then you build a wanted list for the project you're currently working on - that would be the "urgent" list you're really trying to fill. Then you search by shop on that urgent , and when you find a suitable store, then you can click on the "all the items this store has on my wanted list" link and often get even more.

Of course you may want to try one of the programs out there that helps minimize cost, like brickficiency.

In your non-urgent lists you should include bricks you generally find useful... I build castle, so I have LBG 1x1 and 1x2, as well as others, as those are my preferred bricks for that.

Also a lot of plants for those epic landscapes I will eventually build...

So make use of multiple wanted lists... when you click on "by store," you can select your urgent list to narrow it down, and then possibly bulk up those orders with other things you want, just not urgently.

EDIT: to answer the other questions, I typically order around $20 or so; I have ordered less than $10, and my highest was around $140.

Edited August 26, 2014 by fred67

[ShaydDeGrai]

First, welcome back from your dark age!

I tend to favor a small handful of stores that I know have very large inventories so I'm usually not buying small lots from a dozen different vendors, I'd rather be spending my money on parts, not postage and most of the people I do business with can do flat rate priority shipping ("if it fits, it ships" as the post office puts it ) regardless of weight. So if I'm going to be spending say $20 on postage, I want the darn box to be as full as possible. This means I'll often buy more than (I think) I'll need for the project at hand, stock up on generic parts I know I'll eventually use elsewhere, and/or go with impulse buys if one of my preferred vendors is having a sale on something.

To answer your other question, my balance sheets tell me that so far this year my Bricklink orders have averaged $241 over 7 orders but lately I've been working on a small number of really sizable projects so the number of orders is a bit down from average and the size per order is a bit high. I'd guess that $100 to $150 per order is a more typical lifetime average for my buying habits.

[AmperZand]

I will jump on the suggestion to use a wanted list, but expand it much further... for example, I have stuff I have in mind that I know I will not get too soon; I stuff I need to "balance" out my parts (for example, if I have one or more of one side of a hinge, or I have a "left" wedge plate and not a "right" wedge plate, I will put that on my "balance" wanted list - a large list of non-urgent wants.

I do much the same thing. I'm recreating/restoring an old set at the moment and relying on BL for most of the parts. I've been seeking quite a few rare parts that only a few sellers have. As none of the sellers has all the parts I want (at a reasonable price), I've been forced to place orders with lots of sellers, bulking out each one. I've either bought extras of parts for the set I'm recreating - on the assumption that some used parts won't be in great shape so will need replacing anyway - or getting minifigure parts/accessories. Minifigs are my main passion and you really can't have too many extra pieces for minifigs! So my suggestion is get extra parts that you think may be useful down the line. You'll soon find a use for them.

[weavil]

I look for a store with most of what I want or need right now and get from one store. It's on average about $40-$50 and shipping is $3-$5. I guess just get enough from a single store to get the most out of the shipping. Be careful thought, some stores have a tier for shipping by wieght or money amount. Happy shopping and try to avoid the "kid in a candy store" look!

[dr_spock]

Some sellers will tell you how much more "room" weight you can still add to the order to make better use of the postage.

I try to use local stores where I can pick up the order.

[ocifant]

All good suggestions, thanks. I like the idea of an 'urgent' and a 'balance' wanted list - I may well use that one! And the idea of looking for local stores for pckup, I'm sure there must be some sellers here in London, UK that would cater for smaller orders on pickup?

[Hrw-Amen]

Just to be different I never make a wanted list. I know what I am building and more or less what I have got. I have half a dozen trusted Brick Link stores that I use for 99% of my orders (Well over 300 now) and I tend to go for things I know I am likely to need to have them in stock. That way I can just build away most of the time.

I tend to try and always have a few in house of what I am likey to use. That way even if I do need a part and one of my favourite stores has it I will then pad out the store with other things I am running low on even if I do not need them right away. Useually tiles, plates, train wheels and buffers etc.

If I have to use a different store than normal I usually get the bit I want and then add some basic generic things that whilst I need to restock it is not the end of the world if they take a whle to come. Having said that though so far I have been lucky. The longest I have had to wait has been a week.

[Duq]

My ordering is a bit of a mix of the various methods. I tend to have a handful of wanted lists; one for generic parts I'll always use, one for missing parts (things I need to complete sets) and a few for current and planned projects.

When I place an order I first look for the best store based on the current project, then I use the 'show everything from my wanted list' option to see what else the store has. Finally I look through some categories like minifig utensils and printed tiles for interesting bits I might use some day.

Here in Dublin I don't have too many options for collection. Because of shipping costs I tend to buy from European sellers and usually end up with German, French or British sellers.

[weavil]

Must be nice to do pick of your orders. Legoland and the discovery center is 2 hours south and the closest BL seller is 2 hours north. So the shipping from any USA BL store is cheaper than fuel. So if pick up is cheaper and/or easier, go for it.

[AmperZand]

I'm sure there must be some sellers here in London, UK that would cater for smaller orders on pickup?

Not in my experience. LEGO takes a lot of room especially if a store's inventory is large. London has some of the highest property prices in the world, so not many people in the city can afford to maintain a BL store. It's almost impossible to run one economically. Most of the UK sellers I've bought from - and there have been loads - are located in small cities or rural locations.

[Milan]

I always order part just for current MOC i am building, and very often, for future mocs. Order size is, on average, 40euros. I choose the shop by price of the bricks, and shipping prices, and by location, respectively.

Small story:

I have ordered quite a big order from European seller. Accidentally I forgot that order valued more than xxx euros are held on my custom for a two weeks, and I have to pay very high taxes...up to 50% of the order.

I was very annoyed by that, cos I already placed the order. I thought that this seller is from Germany. But, later that same day, my cousin called me and offered me and my girlfriend vacation/ride to the Bratislava/Vienna/Graz, for a weekend with him and his wife. I said of course, lets go.

I was about to cancel that order with a apology, and when I got to the seller page, I noticed something great...seller is not from Germany, but from Austria, city of Graz...I asked him is it a problem if I come in person and take my 1.5 kg order, he said no problem!

And there I will save lots of money for shipping, and lots of money on customs!

Hope no one from my customs is AFOL and read this :)

Edited September 4, 2014 by Milan

[UrbanErwin]

I have found a Bricklink seller which is a 5 minute bike ride from my home, this is ideal because he gives me discount for picking up the order there and on weekends it is possible to have the parts in just hours from ordering.

So I do really recommend finding a store which is really close to a location come very often, work/school or home.

http://www.bricklink.com/browse.asp

Then click on your home country and the region.