Anyone use bricklink much?

[Trent]

I'm looking to buy some stuff from Bricklink. I have signed up and have a basic grasp of how it works, but are there any tips or advice that one could offer? Any countries that should be avoided for whatever reason?

Thanks

[Golden Phoenix]

I've made several orders from Bricklink. It isn't too bad once you work it out.

If you make a wanted list, you can get a list of shops with multiple items on the list. Helps when you put together a list of parts and only want to buy from one or 2 shops.

I bought a Lego Soccer set from eBay, loose missing some parts. Bought minifigures and parts from 2 different stores.

[The_Black_Sheep]

Yeah I've been buying things off Bricklink for a little while now.

If I'm searching for quite a few pieces, I tend to check out the bigger stores first (stores with 20K, 30K, 40K, 50K+ pieces) in countries such as the US, UK, here in Oz, but if you're looking for older pieces - you're more likely to find them in European stores (shipping for small lots from Europe can be expensive but if you're like me & tend to buy a fair bit at a time, shipping isn't too bad).

When it comes to stores, make sure you read the Splash/Store Terms before you commit to buy (some overseas stores don't ship outside of their continent). I'm not sure if you read about paying but it's different from Ebay in that the seller will contact you & ask you to make a payment directly into their paypal account.

Sometimes you can find better prices on Bricklink & at other times there are better prices for certain sets/mini-figs on Ebay - make sure you check out both. Oh & it may take some time to read/understand all the different part terminology but it's worth it. I've been buying things from Bricklink for about a year now & I've already got a feedback score of 29... Lol!

[Trent]

Thanks. At the moment I'm trying to track down some SW188 Stormtroopers to go with my Death Star. It only comes with two which isn't nearly enough. I need at least 10 more They aren't easy to come by in decent quantities. It looks like I'm going to have to order from Germany, hence why I'm asking.

And then I've got to get the rifles as well


And of course all this is leading up to me brick building my own UCS Millennium Falcon. Hopefully they announce a Force Awakens version before I start

[Lint]

I've used bricklink quite a few times in the past. The system is pretty stacked in favour of the buyer so there's not much risk. Only tip I have is to carefully check splash pages of stores. Some may have cheaper parts but dearer shipping rates. Some also pass the 5% PayPal transaction fee onto you so read carefully.

[M-bot]

I've ordered from them before, without too many issues. I've had pieces sent to me from all over Europe, it's just like eBay - make sure you check feedback and stuff before you jump.

Worth keeping in mind when you come to your Falcon - most Lego sets come with a rare piece or 2, which means the price on Bricklink can be quite high. I built an entire discontinued modular City set using Bricklink, and one of the pieces was about $30 each (and the set required 2 of them). I changed the colour of the piece slightly (without it standing out at all) and kept the cost right down.

Another thing that I found useful was downloading xml file (I think that's what they're called, I'm not a computer guy) of all the pieces a set needed and plugging it straight into Bricklink, which made searching for retailers who were selling the pieces I needed easier.

[Trent]

I've ordered from them before, without too many issues. I've had pieces sent to me from all over Europe, it's just like eBay - make sure you check feedback and stuff before you jump.

Worth keeping in mind when you come to your Falcon - most Lego sets come with a rare piece or 2, which means the price on Bricklink can be quite high. I built an entire discontinued modular City set using Bricklink, and one of the pieces was about $30 each (and the set required 2 of them). I changed the colour of the piece slightly (without it standing out at all) and kept the cost right down.

Another thing that I found useful was downloading xml file (I think that's what they're called, I'm not a computer guy) of all the pieces a set needed and plugging it straight into Bricklink, which made searching for retailers who were selling the pieces I needed easier.

The Falcon has quite a few rare pieces in it. I've already downloaded the LDD file for it and have had a look. The grey mast rigging used on the engines is worth a small fortune as it was only made in that colour for the set. Same thing with several pieces. I am hoping to do some substitution and keep the cost down as cheap as possible. The only expensive things I'm going to definitley get are the mini figures.

But there are quite a few rumours around the internet about a Force Awakens version in the pipeline. But there is apparently 3 UCS sets already slated for 2016 so we'll see...

[Dkaris]

Use cracklink for a lot of my custom minifigs. I got tons of parts for my destiny ones and even some parts for a 300 style spartan . Ive never used it to build a whole set, though.

[daehenoc]

I've used it on and off, never had a bad sale, found Oz sellers responsible and good with communications. Some stores only ship once or twice a week (e.g. hobby for a person, they can only get to the post office occasionally), so check their terms.