Hi, I thought I'd share my experience in BrickLinking the 10179 ... several months ago, a thread on another forum (google "DIY - LEGO 10179: Ultimate Collector Series - Millennium Falcon") convinced me that it was a feasible operation.
So about 1 month ago, I started to place orders on BL and now I'm waiting for the last ones to arrive in the mailbox.
I bought mostly pieces in New condition, and always the right color except the boat mast riggings (min 125$ / pce on BL right now) that I have got in black, to be painted.
The rationale was that if I have to sell it in the future, having the original parts will preserve its value.
The first two orders I placed allowed me to gather 80% of the most common pieces pieces (166 and 65 lots respectively, 'New' condition), for about 900 USD (including shipping and taxes).
Some 30 orders later, I ended with the most rare/overpriced parts:
- 100$ for 47 dark bluish gray 1x16 bricks
- 40$ for a used 10x10 radar dish (printed pattern)
- 180$ for 60 all light bluish levers
So, it's feasible, the parts are out there, but if you target New pieces whenever possible, and the right colors, be prepared to spend at least 1500$ (*excluding* shipping and taxes).
I estimate that I could have saved 1/3 of the total price if I had taken mostly Used parts, and of course if the colors don't matter, the price can be further lowered to achieve the ~800$ target that you can hear about here and there. Also, if time is no issue, and you can wait for months that some piece "surfaces" at an affordable price, the better you'll be.
You can also split the quantities, ordering 10 here, 20 there, lowering the cost per piece but increasing the shipping.
In the process of this mad 1-month BL session, I placed several other orders and I'll also be able to build a 10178 (in New condition) for about 1/2 the current Used price of the set (250$) which comforts me in my BrickLinking skills ;-)
I think that it will become harder and harder to BL the 10179 at a reasonable price. There are not much unique parts, but some are found only in a couple of other boxes and you need such a quantity (not 3 or 4 but 40 or more) that the prices are inevitably driven upwards.
Sounds depressing ? That's not the goal. I encourage anyone to try to do this. I'll try to post pics when the last parcel arrive and I can start to build !