Horror Stories - Lego you bought off flea-bay and BL

[DrJB]

We all have different 'standards' as to what to expect from a new/used purchase off some of the popular sites, be it flea-bay or bricklink. In any event, what have been your most 'challenging' mishaps? I'll name a few.

1. Placed a medium sized order on BL. Lady kept on giving me one excuse after another, took 2 weeks to ship. Parts were supposed to be new. Many had teeth marks on them ... but worst part? .. there was a nail clipping in the bag ... yikes.

2. From BL again ... parts were supposedly new. Had few scratches on them ... but seller recycled an old bag .. that had some 'sticky' feel to it ... Darn! couldn't he afford NEW ziplock bags?

Edited January 30, 2015 by DrJB

[ShaydDeGrai]

I can honestly say I've never had a bad experience with BrickLink. I will, however, qualify that statement by saying that I screen my suppliers pretty throughly before I order from them and 99% of my orders are to two companies that I've come to rely upon as my key suppliers. Really the only time I entertain new vendors is when I need something in a hurry and my preferred guys just don't have the inventory. I never go "bargain shopping" with unfamiliar suppliers, I'd rather pay a hair more and get exactly what I expect than risk the hassles of a botched order or unexpected "surprises".

As for E-Bay, I never do business with them, Lego or otherwise. Pierre Omidyar (founder of E-Bay) was an old classmate of mine and, while I think his wife Pam is lovely and has been an excellent, positive influence on him, I can't think of of E-Bay without remembering the [adjectives deleted] kid who used to irritate me in the computer lab.

Edited November 5, 2013 by ShaydDeGrai

[Faefrost]

I have had nothing but good experiences with BL. I think one situation where a part was missing and the seller was very apologetic and quickly found and shipped it. Overall a very good experience.

Whereas buying Lego from E-Bay is often a bit of a horror. New sealed sets are OK, (so long as they aren't current, available sets. Beware the dropship scam!). But used stuff? Large blocks of parts missing. Parts that look like they have been sandblasted. Weird oddly applied stickers. Other bits of weird gross child related organic substances stuck on the parts. Tons of non lego parts in specified sets. My general rule with used Lego on E-bay is that it pretty much never ever is as advertised. Just horrible.

[Lego Spy]

I myself have never bought anything (yet) from BL, but from all of the people I know who have, I've only heard positive feedback from.

eBay is another story. I have never, and probably will never, buy anything from eBay, especially Lego. (Particularly from the people who take the original product image and just use that for the picture)

Edited November 5, 2013 by Lego Spy

[Ridge Montante]

I just bought my first item from BL yesterday so I can't say anything about that site yet. But I've bought plenty of LEGO sets off of ebay with out any problems. Maybe I've just lucked out. But I'm careful as to what I purchase and always look at the sellers rating, feedback and their inventory to see if they have a good track record.

[ep3_lol]

I took a chance with a legitimate looking seller on eBay who had a 6670 advertised as complete and in unused condition sans instructions with a near mint box. I already have this kit from my childhood (missing pieces and in bad shape), so I took a chance and what I got was better than expected- a completely mint kit, minus extra pieces and instructions, for $8. I've ordered another $120 worth of sets from the seller today, I'll let you guys know how that goes.

[dj2005]

I've had good luck with eBay, and can usually find better deals there than BL. In fact, the only issue that I've had is that the LEGO box arrives somewhat squished due to poor packaging (as in, LEGO box wrapped in brown paper). I am not a reseller so that isn't a big deal to me.

Then again, I haven't had any issues with BL so I use both eBay and BL depending who is the cheapest.

[Redhead1982]

I always had (99% of cases) good experience with BL. I just wanted to comment on recycling zip bags. I do that as a seller, and I always keep zipbags from my BL purchases. I see not point of throwing them away, unless they're torn or something. I have never experienced a sticky bag, though. But I got a comment from one of the buyers once, that new zip bags should be used with new bricks, and recycled zip bags with used bricks. I'm not following that though, as sometimes, I get a new bag from a seller, and except for minor creases it still looks new. At least for me, it's not about being able to afford new zip bags, it's about reusing and recycling them.

2. From BL again ... parts were supposedly new. Had few scratches on them ... but seller recycled an old bag .. that had some 'sticky' feel to it ... Darn! couldn't he afford NEW ziplock bags?

[CamelBoy68]

I have nothing to complain about either eB or BL. I tend to only buy stuff from Uk sellers, due to shipping etc (except for those extreme situations were a piece isn't available), but I have found no problems whatsoever. If fact some of the turnaround of BLers is quite impressive, both for packing and speed, less than 24hrs in some cases.

I look for track record, range of parts for BL and the old adage of "if its seems too good to be true..." for eB.

[Carrera124]

At eBay, I only buy sealed sets. I also bought some used sets, but it was like playing roulette. All used sets were described as "complete" and "good condition". But most of them had missing and/or broken parts, so I had to replace/complete them by buying single parts at BL. Finally, decided to buy used sets only if a MISB one is really expensive (e.g. 8868).

At Bricklink, things are better but not perfect. I never got used sets with missing parts, but in some (few) cases some parts were in bad condition.

On the other hand, some BL sellers sent used sets/parts that look like new, everything in perfect condition.

-> sealed sets: more eBay, less BL

-> used/sets/parts: more BL, less eBay

[Bob De Quatre]

I'm currently Bricklinking for 700$ of Lego, with 13 different stores, and so far everything was perfect (a vendor forgot 3 pieces on a total of 900). I've had to buy from a US store and the horror is the price I've paid, but those parts weren't available in Europe...

[naf]

I've had generally good experiences buying from both bricklink and ebay. I only buy from ebay sellers who have overwhelmingly positive feedback, and original pictures to listings. If a price is too good to be true on a new set it's probably a drop ship scam and I stay away.

Bricklink sellers seem to be pretty professional for the most part. I've only had a few issues, and the seller responded quickly. I had one order with a few missing pieces, and they sent them at their own expense. I bought one set that was shipping in a ziplock in a bubble mailer. The pieces were all damp in the bag, I think they washed them before shipping and didn't dry them enough. That seller gave me some money off because of it. All in all, a positive experience so far.

[Metallic11]

Personally for me, I have only had a minor problem buying a figure on eBay and receiving another LEGO figure instead of the one which I wanted, although I rarely shop on eBay, and on Bricklink no problems but I have only made 2 orders from BL

[Aredhel]

I did have some bad experiences with buying Lego from eBay. Tried this for two Harry Potter sets of the earlier years. The quality of the used bricks was ok but there were some parts missing which was not announced. I still need to do my first BL order but until now I did not hear anything bad of it.

[tazzy007]

Only ever had 1 problem on Bricklink seller sent wrong parts ordered new got used and none lego parts then had the nerve to blame me. When i asked for the parts to be replaced they sent me a rather rude email and left me negative Feed Back. I have had a few problem's with Ebay but the seller's has either sent me the parts or refunded me what i paid.

[escortmad79]

Had a few chewed parts from BL sellers

Had a few fake Lego bricks for BL sellers

Had a few orders which stank of smoke (I've flagged a message against these sellers if ever I go to buy from them again)

[Balrog]

I personally did not have too bad experiences yet. Usually I only buy new sets from Amazon and only sometimes from eBay. If I buy spare parts, I use Bricklink.

When I did my first BL order, I received a part wrong. I instantly contacted the seller and got the correct part and was allowed to keep the wrong sent part.

When I ordered some 1x1 trans clear plates from a seller I received 1 or 2 in the batch that were no Lego parts. But that was something not major enough to complain about, though I notified the seller.

This summer, I decided to get 8458 and 8466. I eventually bid high enough and received 8458 for a good price. I contacted the seller and he offered me to send 8466 in good condition as well (for a price of course).

The seller stated these models were just built once and then were displayed in a cabinet. 8466 was in excellent condition. All stickers were fine except for those marking the gears. Although it was very dusty, so it was rather on a shelve than in a cabinet or it was plainly true. The parts didn't have any visible dents or anything, just dust. 8458 on the other side was only a little dusty, stickers are all in great shape. But, when I disassembled it, I found some oddities. Two of the bent liftarms that were used were in the wrong color (which wasn't obvious from the complete model). Also a good portion of the 2L black pins was obviously newer than the rest (more matte than shiny). And some parts had little dents. That made me think, that the set was at least at some point in its history disassembled and part of a collection. Though, when it was last assembled, at least the parts seemed to have been clean, because the dust was reasonably spread and no dust under connections. All in all I was still satisfied of both, because all needed parts were there except for the spare parts.

[obsidianheart]

I buy off Bricklink all the time, and I've never personally had a bad experience. I've had a few missing parts, but if they're a big deal enough, I'll contact the seller and get them sent seperate or get refunded and pick them up on my next order from where ever.

My mom told me that way back in 2001, when I was unable to use my computer for a few months, she was checking my eMail regularly, and one of the Bricklink sellers who I had bought some stuff from started sending increasingly belligerent eMails about the fact I had not left feedback. Since I was unable to do it, and she couldn't ask what kind of experience I had, she ignored them, and the seller stoplisted me. Another seller claimed I didn't pay, and left me negative feedback and filed a NPB report against me, but I don't remember what happened there, so I'm not going to say the seller was wrong.

I sold all my old LEGO Star Wars sets on eBay, never had any complaints there. However, I have never purchased anything on eBay, including LEGO sets.

[AmperZand]

I order from BL quite a lot and very occasionally from EBay. I only ever order new parts.

I once got someone else's order from a BL seller instead of the one I had placed. I returned the wrong order while the seller sent the right one, so it all ended well. He was very apologetic.

Another time, I didn't get the invoice from a BL seller for a couple of weeks. I tried to reach her several time during that period but didn't get a reply. Eventually, she responded saying that she was on holiday, had forgotten to change her BL site and would send me the invoice in 10 more days. She made it clear that she thought it was all very funny. I didn't agree. The parts were fine so I didn't leave negative feedback but I was very tempted.

I sometimes get different parts from the ones I ordered but the sellers have always been cool about sending the right parts ASAP.

My experience of both BL and EBay has been almost always positive.

I've had more problems ordering directly from TLG. Their customer service team are really friendly but their pickers are less than competent.

[naf]

I should add that when I first got out of my dark ages, I ordered some sets used since they were long retired by then and buying new and sealed would be way out of my price range. Now that I've bought all the sets I wanted that were out during my dark age, I try to only buy new. People have varying opinions on what constitutes "good" "fair" "like new" conditions, and I don't really want to be surprised. For a little more money, I prefer the new parts whenever possible. The only time I buy used parts now is if I can't find them new, or if they're a rare part that would offer a significant savings buying used.

[dr_spock]

I haven't had any problems with Bricklink. I buy new and stay away from used if possible. Some sellers are faster than others.

[just2good]

My most recent order on the Homer and Ned heads came with a moldy cracker crumb from Mexico. That was terrifying.

[Freddy Bricker]

While I've only shopped on Ebay once, it was for the CMF s6 Intergalactic Girl, and she came sealed in the packet!! I mean, whoever felt her package must have been pretty skilled and confident to send her still in her original bag, it wasn't even torn up or anything. Which leads to my asking, is it usually a "big risk" to order un-opened CMF? And I really want to buy 7931 and 7930 off of BL but have fears as to the condition, so what do you guys suggest for these purchases? I just don't want to come back here with a horror story to tell.

[TheLegoDr]

Every order I've made has been fine so far. I've ordered pieces/figures from bricklink and only figures (pretty much) from eBay. I do also tend to screen who I buy from. Granted, everyone has a first impression, so if someone has the inventory I need, if their feedback looks good and prices are comparable/good, then I'll give them a try. But normally I stick with the same sellers I'm used to because I know I will receive what I need from them.

I did buy a duplo/LEGO table on ebay once for our daughter. It came with plates to switch from duplo to lego and then extra bricks of both. It was a good price compared to the others listed. Other than some parts being scratched/well-used, I can't say they were significantly dirty or smelly. I did wash them just to be safe, but it was surprisingly good.

^And to Freddy Bricker ^ I have sold on Amazon quite a bit and I always keep my CMF sealed. I am good at feeling and have only made one error in the last 8 series, so I'm confident enough with what I found. However, I'm sure it is risky nevertheless on both accounts. I could make a mistake, OR the buyer could claim it wasn't the right figure even if it was. So far, everyone has not left me negative feedback ,so I'd assume they were being honest in that it was the right figure. With that said, there probably isn't any major issue with opening them to confirm and sell them that way, clearly stating it has been opened to verify contents. Most people I know who collect them open them to display them, so being sealed may not matter to most people. When I have purchased CMFs I didn't care if it had been opened, as long as it was mint/near-mint in condition and complete.

[The Architect]

Never used BL but Ebay alyways been good for me.