How do you buy LEGO?

[wgemini]

I am just starting out and I am wondering how people buy their legos.

I can see several ways:

1. Buy a set. This seems to be the most expensive way since the PPP is extremely high most of the time. I tries to control my PPP at 10 Canadian cent, but it's really hard to do with taxes and such.

2. Buy classic sets on black Fridays. 10697 was $40 for 1500 pieces, much better than regular sets. However, they don't come around very often. Regular price (10698 for $59.99) is still at 8.5 cent/piece.

3. Buy cups. At $19.99, a cup can easily have 300 pieces, makes the PPP about 7.5 cents after taxes. I have heard people can pack a lot more into the cup. However, they have very limited selections and it's time consuming to pack properly.

4. Buy on bricklink. It can be a lot cheaper. However, shipping is extremely expensive and can double the price. So only very large orders might be worthwhile.

5. Buy pounds. At $10/pound, it's about 3 cent per piece. Occasionally, you see $5/pound. But Kijiji users can be pretty hard to deal with (just had a 40 lbs order fell through for no reason).

I also find it's extremely hard to build a set using pieces. I am close to 10,000 pieces now, but there are very few complete sets I can build.

How do you buy your legos and stay in a tight budget? And when could somebody say that I got enough to build anything? Do you keep your sets in display after built or mix them up?

Edited January 27, 2016 by wgemini

[TomKraut]

I don't, because there is no such thing as legos.

However, when I buy Lego, I usually go for sets, and I usually don't pay RRP but at least 10-20% off. If I pay more than 10c per piece (Euro Cents, that is) there has to be another good reason for me to buy the set, like minifigs I really want.

I haven't used Bricklink yet, because I loathe the idea of having to deal with multiple stores who don't accept PayPal (or charge you for it). I usually want a shopping experience of "find it, click-to-add, click-to-pay, wait for delivery", which is why I sometimes buy single pieces from eBay even though I could get them a few cents cheaper from Bricklink.

I also used to buy unsorted lots from eBay or flee markets, but haven't done so for some time because I rather spend my money on specific parts / sets than to gamble that I might get something I can actually use.

As for building sets from pieces: I would say it's virtually impossible without sourcing at least some parts (which can be costly) or having a really huge collection. I am somewhere close to 100k pieces (estimated, 63k is from sets I bought since coming out from my dark ages, the rest from unsorted lots and PaB), and when I want to build something, I usually have to either buy it directly or order the parts I'm missing.

About staying in a tight budget, I'm afraid I can't help you at all. I spend way too much on Lego as it is and still, if I had more money, I would spend even more...

Cheers

TomKraut

[mechamike]

Im a moc'er, and I only use new parts. I never buy used lots. I seen friends do it and the price fop usable parts seems steep and to much a gamble.

To get the parts i need I buy my Lego from:

Set's if its 10-250% off and I like it , 25% off and above if the parts are useful. This is my basic way of filling the bins with parts I may need.

Bricklink. This is the way I get the parts I need a reasonable amount of and the hard to get stuff

S@H if the price on the parts is cheaper than on Bricklink

Lugbulk, once a year and long wait for those bigger projects that needs a lot of normally expensive parts but still can be fitted inside the Lugbulk frame.

(Lugbulk is only open for RLUGS)

Pab cups, very rarely an almost only if its a small element I need a cup of.

To keep the cost down, do smaller builds with the part you have, Vig on 8x8 16x16, microspace..Go for detail and looks..

[MAB]

Don't think about price per part. It's completely misleading. I could sell you a load of parts at 8c a piece, and would be ripping you off. Conversely I could sell you a load of parts at 50c a piece, and you'd be getting an incredible bargain.

Think about what the parts are, rather than how many there are. Will you use them, if so get it. If you won't, it doesn't really matter how much they are per part.

[dr_spock]

It depends on what kind of sets you're wanting to build. When I started out, I found that buying a few Technic sets on sale were enough parts to build other Technic sets from instructions. Sometimes the color may not match exactly but I'm not spending more money. That was ok until newer sets started using newer parts. Then it was buy those parts or find a creative substitute with pieces I already have. Some times it can be easier to save up and buy that set than trying to get the parts separately.

I buy mostly new parts now. Some times a set here and there. In order of value (to me) and wait time to get the part:

PAB wall at the LEGO Store is pretty good when you take the time to pack the cups. There are various packing techniques to get the most out of the $19.99.

To save on Bricklink shipping charges, you can use local sellers who allow local pick up instead of shipping. Some do, some don't. Bricklink or Brickowl could be the only source for parts out of production.

PAB online can be cheaper than Bricklink for some parts and situations. You can get free shipping if your order is $75 or more, plus you earn VIP points. VIP points can be accumulated and redeem for other parts or sets.

Bricks'n'pieces is another option but no VIP points and has a flat shipping fee and part quantity limit.

LUGBULK can be an option if your RLUG is ordering parts you're interested in.

eBay is last resort. I never found eBay that good for my LEGO needs but other people have. Your mileage may vary.

With a limited budget, you have to look at the piece you want and determine the best source for that particular piece. Research.

I keep some sets together for display. Others I shred for parts. Same with my MOCs. Once a while I get the "Oh MegaBloks, I shouldn't have shredded that just yet."

[Captain Britain]

Depends what it is I'm buying really - Marvel and DC minifigures are what I generally go for but sometimes I like to keep the sets too.

I find eBay quite expensive but I have bagged myself a few good bargains on there before. Bricklink seems to be the best way for me to get the minifigures here. For parts I've used both the Pick A Brick site and also Bricklink.

[Andrzej777]

I either buy sets or make pab or bap orders

I started out last year, I bought a couple of creator sets and got more and more into 'historic' lego like pirates, castle and western (lone ranger), even bought the airjitzu temple. In between I bought a lot bap and pab packs - foliage elements, sloping elements etc., sometimes there was a sale at the local supermarekts so I bought some small star wars sets, elves sets etc. Needless to say I invested quite a bit last year :)

This year I decided to try operating with a budget of roughly 500 EUR.

In regard to sets I want to buy only stuff that has good value for me - if I can give you an advise dont take the price per peace ratio at face value - there are usually a lot of small pieces in a set and chances are the majority of which will not come in handy for you any time soon, rather check the set on brickset and see for yourself if a given set makes sense to you - buying individual bricks doesnt need to more expensive - just add a lot of small (and useful) elements and you should be roughly on the same level!

The most important thing for me have become the minifigs - my goal is create some historic mocs and whatever I would like to create is somewhat limited by the figs that I own - I mean if I were to create a medieval farm but didnt have any villagers and farm animals (which I dont) what sense would it make? So right now I am basically on the lookout for sets which contain such figs - and unfortunately there arent any at the moment and probably not anytime soon because of the nexo knights theme which is definitely not partial to, minifigs and partswise. In this regard the price the per peace ratio doesnt matter to me - I want the figs and take whatever comes with them.

In the meantime I will be trying things out with the bricks that I have accumulated and see what kind of bricks I might need in the future - buying some individuall bricks from lego from time to time. This might sound like a slow approach but it will save some money which I might invest once some desired sets come out.

In the end I think it depends on what your building plans are - mine are history related and new sets have become few and far between these days - making me regret that I didnt start earlier with lego. So if you are into city building or Technic or something this approach might not be very helpful to you.

Edited January 27, 2016 by Andrzej777

[ejred]

I haven't used Bricklink yet, because I loathe the idea of having to deal with multiple stores who don't accept PayPal (or charge you for it). I usually want a shopping experience of "find it, click-to-add, click-to-pay, wait for delivery", which is why I sometimes buy single pieces from eBay even though I could get them a few cents cheaper from Bricklink.

Bricklink has its inconveniences -- i.e. you can spend a lot of time trying to minimize the total cost (incl. shipping) for a collection of various parts. I guess there is software for that, but I haven't tried it.

BUT, lack of paypal is not a problem I've experienced. I've done 100s of orders (mostly US sellers, a few from Europe). Every seller I've ever encountered has taken paypal. MAYBE one charged me a fee for it. (Of course I'm sure the payment processing costs are built in like everything else...)

[Japanbuilder]

I wish I had the options everyone else had. In my country there are very few Bricklink stores and all of them have a very poor selection. Ordering from so far afield has been expensive so far. Usually for me in Japan the best bet for a decent deal is to either go to Amazon.co.jp and hope they have what I want for close to even slightly reduced prices than the MSRP or....bite the bullet and go to either my closest Lego affiliate shop (which is far for me) or go to the local Yamada Denki and pray and hope like a madman they are carrying the set I want.

I end up paying a lot more per piece than I would like. So I have chose to limit my Lego sprees to End of Year and January.

The only silver lining here is that most large department stores that carry Lego do blow out sales at year's end to make way for the new year's Lego inventory! That is how I got into City this past December; got 2 large sets for half off heh heh.

[Iria]

I'm also Canadian, so I feel your pain regarding shipping costs. I love building official sets, but usually end up taking them apart for MOCing. Here's my order for where/how I get my Lego bricks:

1) New sets- my preferred method. Either in town (ToysRUS / LondonDrugs / Walmart), or the online Lego store. Seems to be the latter more often these days as the local stores have lousy availability of sets. I focus on sets that I really like and consider the variety of pieces the set contains and if they'll be useful for MOCing.

Days of the 10cent/brick are gone for the most part due to inflation, low dollar, etc. (Unless you going for large sets like Modulars, but they are filled with a lot of small pieces like studs, and boring bricks, .

2) Local used sets- I try to check online for sets at least once a week. There can be some really good deals, but you have to contact the seller very quickly because there is lots of competition.

3) BrickLink- awesome selection of exactly the bricks you want for reasonable prices, but shipping in Canada is awful at >10 dollars. If you buy a lot from one seller it's okay, but otherwise no. Not a good value for numerous small orders.

4) Lego Online Store- Bricks and Pieces site. Definitely an expensive choice for cost per brick, but shipping is reasonable. This method of buying bricks can occasionally compete with buying from BrickLink when it comes to factoring shipping. Occasionally prices are better here than BrickLink.

5) Lego Store in person- I can only visit it ~once a year because it is a costly ferry ride away. The Pick A Brick wall is pretty decent if you find bricks that you want and take the time to pack them. I'd probably visit it monthly if I could.

For Minifigs specifically: I buy CMFs in store so I can feel and find exactly what I want, or I order them on BrickLink/or Ebay.

[wgemini]

Thank you for your inputs. Very helpful.

I also think PPP is misleading, but can't think of a better way. Bricklink has weight/set, which seems more usable, but not sure whether they are accurate (modulars seems to be very light, too many small pieces?). Is there a website that would show you the sum of the prices of all pieces from a set? Bricklink seems to have all the information, but hasn't found a way to get it in a single number.

How would you value common minifigs? Some of the starter sets seem to have 4 minifigs with decent piece count for $12.99, although starter sets probably have smaller pieces as well.

I am just starting out, so just kind of accumulating pieces to slightly mod some sets with no specific goals in mind.

Some of my recent purchases:

Super Secret Police Dropship: because I like the movie and I can see it as a real world police force as well (not necessarily bad guys).

Bad Cop fun pack: because my swat team need a leader and I like the 3 in 1 build.

Arctic Base: I like the play features and it's easier to have a realistic arctic base than a city square.

Pirate Chess: Mainly for the blue coat minifigs, although I hate not having the shakos.

Wall-E: Hope to motorize it.

Exo-suit: Nice Mech that can be used anywhere.

Lord of Skull spider: 50% off and a monster can be used in multiple settings.

As you can see, I don't have a theme yet. :)

[ButterKnifer]

What I often do is frequent local Flea Markets, and Thrift Shops. The other day I was able to pick up a container with a estimated 3000 parts for only 20 dollars. (Keep in mind half of the parts are yellowing dirty or...covered in a mysterious substance) I find this the easiest way to buy in bulk. However while sorting trough bins you can sometimes find unwanted "Stuff" other building toys, used Band-Aids, even a plastic bag full of leaves. Its not the cleanest way or the easiest if your moc building ,but its easiest way in my opinion

[alois]

Where I get my Lego:

-New sets, never at full price. This option I use less and less.

-Used Lego in bulk from Marktplaats (the Dutch Ebay). This is always a gamble, the Lego can be full of scratches and bitemarks, or be almost brand new. The good thing about is that you get to know all kinds of unknown pieces, also from earlier periods, that can be useful in a moc. And it is relatively cheap. But a lot of it is never used (I have hundreds of car wheels that will rest forever in a drawer).

-Bricklink. When I am building a specific moc, and I don't have the required pieces. This is mostly when I am building something after a real life building or vehicle, and cannot alter the design to fit the pieces I already have..

-Lugbulk. Extremely useful when you need a large quantity of just one piece that sometimes even can't be bought on Bricklink in that quantity.

-Pieces in bulk and polybags as a gift from TLC.

[rodiziorobs]

I also don't have theme yet, and my dark age ended over 6 years ago I MOC rather than collect sets, so I am in it more for parts than sets. Here is how I buy, in order of preference (I'm in the US, by the way):

In-store PAB: I am lucky to have a store about 15 minutes from my work, so can go somewhat regularly. It is a great way to stock up on pieces, but I will only get a cup if there is a good selection of different parts that are useful to me. Since most stores started coordinating parts around a small model, that means that sometimes every piece is great. I.e. last October the selection was good enough I ended up getting about 5 or 6 large cups. They change the selection quarterly, and right now the Pick-a-Model doesn't have a whole lot for me so it will probably until April that I go again (I may go for the 2x VIP in March, IDK.)

Clearance sets, particularly Target. If a theme is nearing the end of its life, you can often get sets over 50% off. This varies from store to store, though; where I used to live I could find really good deals, but where I live now it seems like they are content to let old sets rot on the shelf rather than mark the price down. I have never found a good clearance at WalMart, YMMV. TRU also has good clearance from time to time.

Ebay mixed/incomplete lots. I haven't used this much for years, but when I first got out of my Dark Age it was a great way to increase my collection. You have to be diligent and check almost daily (put potential buys on your watch list) but also patient to wait for when a listing that is ending is actually worth bidding on. It will also help you to get an idea of value to see how much other people pay for things: there will be deals that get away from you that you realize you should have bid on. You'll start to realize when others have spent too much on something, or when a seller is asking way too much. Mixed lots can be good to bulk up a collection (and find surprise parts you would never have bought otherwise, but can't live without afterward!) and incomplete sets are a good way to try and get something specific you are after (10193, Medieval Market Village, was one of those for me). I watched ebay for several months picking up little things here and there before springing for a big ones, and ended up getting an average of 60-70% off everything.

I rely on PPP as a good metric, but with a caviat: if there are minifigs or pieces that are worth more to me, I figure that separate from the price. Take for example, a $30 set with 279 parts and three minifigs: two of the minifigs are worth $4 each to me and some of the parts I really want--say I would pay $3 just for those few parts without the set. Normal PPP is about $0.11/p, but for me personally, the leftover of the set that I don't particularly need (but would like) drops to about $0.07. I would consider that set a good deal and have no problem paying RRP. Of course, my budget still doesn't allow me to get every set that passes this test, but this "adjusted PPP" helps me consider value for me personally.

[Hobo Fett]

Bricklink, thrift stores, flea markets, rarely ebay

[Vorkosigan]

Absolute cheapest is garage sales and flea markets, I've gotten great lots of near complete sets with figures for $1 or $2 a pound. But as others have pointed out its often more about getting the right parts than getting bulk, especially as you build up your collection. Don't rule out new sets, I find that its usually better to get what I really want than just getting something cheap.

[Swan Dutchman]

I get my LEGO from:

- new sets: I rarely pay the recommended selling price for a set and know a couple online shops that are trustworthy and are cheaper (mostly 20% discount on big sets and sometimes 30% cheaper on smaller sets). With new sets I look at the price, the parts in the set I think I can use and are special and the minifigures.

- used sets: Sometimes I buy used sets in bulk on Marktplaats (local ebay)... it's a bit of gamble though, but many times I have hit the 'jackpot'. A drawback is that sometimes the parts are a bit damaged, dirty (I wash it anyway) and that sets are not 100% complete. However, you can derive a lot from the text and pictures included in the advert: if the pictures are hastily taken and the text is hastily written you can assume it's a hasty person... and mostly those sets are not 100% complete. A seller that has photographed everything (so you can take a good look at it) and has a very neat description (from what time the lego is, what sets are in it, has taken an overview photo of all instruction books) sells mostly 99,9% complete sets that are in good shape. If the instruction books look very crisp and clean you know it's a caring person and you just know this person treated his lego very well.

- pab wall: sometimes I get lucky finding usefull parts in the wall

- pick a brick: expensive, but sometimes cheaper than bricklink (tree leaves!)

- bricklink: I buy a lot on bricklink for my MOC's. Mostly I miss the special parts. My policy is when I buy at a bricklink store not only to buy the parts I need, but also to buy the (special) parts I think I might need. In the end this saves me shipping costs... and this policy actually works for me . The number of bricklink orders steadily goes down the past 2 years and I expect it to go down more.

- lugbulk: I haven't participated in the programm yet, but hope to enroll the coming year.

[Robert8]

Whoever edited the title: THANK YOU

[Oshikaru-Sensei]

For custom Lego, like creating scenes with custom weapons, accessories, and custom printed Minifigures, it's Firestartoys, Brickmania, GiBrick, and back when you could order off the site itself, Brickarms.

If it's Legit Lego, I use Thrift Stores, Flea Markets, Ebay, Amazon, and Local stores like Walmart and Target.

Just the other day I was at 4 different Thrift Stores, I got two bags of Bionicle parts, all in perfect order, no broken clips for the ball joints or anything, and two bags of basic Lego parts. Random assortment of bricks and whatnot, Dark Red slopes and dishes, Pearl Gold studs, a Minifigure Medical Stretcher in White, and one of those Ice Meteor pieces from the Arctic theme. It was an awesome haul for not knowing what I'd find or if I'd find anything at all.

Due to medical issues, I'm currently out of work and out of school, so I can't really afford more than one set at full price per outing, but that's really just because I'm cheap when it comes to full-price sets. I'd much rather buy very specific things on Bricklink or Ebay for the same price as a regular Lego Set.

No offense to anyone who likes the current Lego themes, but in my personal opinion, everything other than Ninjago and the basic staples (Superheroes and Star Wars.) Is pretty lame as of late. I really don't like Nexo Knights, nothing about that theme feels like it'll be relevant in a year's time, and you can't use it anywhere outside of it's own theme - It's like Lego Ninja Turtles. Cool parts, but not particularly modular or applicable in the Minifigure or vehicle department.

Sorry if I got off topic there, just thought I'd leave an opinion real quick.

[Andrzej777]

Since there arent any interesting sets to buy for me (hopefully it will change next year) I will stick to the occastional pab cups at lego stores. I decided to take a slower approach as space has become a problem. I bought lots pab and bap bags in the past but due to the high price will have to cut down on those as well.

[jkexbx]

I have been playing around with getting large ucs sets but using random colored bricks. I have found that they are extremely cheap to bricklink and am fine with them.

[LegoFan12861]

I have been a big LEGO fan for years. I used to just browse through Amazon and the official LEGO website to find sets, but recently I have found this website: https://thebestlego.com which I have been using to find things.

I also find the JangBricks YouTube channel great for discovering good LEGO sets.

Edited June 10, 2020 by LegoFan12861

[MAB]

1 hour ago, LegoFan12861 said:

I have been a big LEGO fan for years. I used to just browse through Amazon and the official LEGO website to find sets, but recently I have found this website: https://thebestlego.com which I have been using to find things.

That looks like a site that has been set up (and only four days ago) solely to drive amazon affiliate sales rather than provide any useful information.

 

 

[LegoFan12861]

20 minutes ago, MAB said:

That looks like a site that has been set up (and only four days ago) solely to drive amazon affiliate sales rather than provide any useful information.

 

 

It does seem like it, although I do still like the way it is set out. It is more visually pleasing than scrolling through Amazon pages.

[hagridshut]

I usually go to a store in person to buy a new set.  Most of the large retailers near me will sell LEGO at a discount.  Occasionally I will buy from an online retailer like Amazon, or from an independent shop on Bricklink for sets that are out of production.