CNH1974 Posted June 13, 2013 Posted June 13, 2013 OK, at the risk of repeating a topic (sorry Alcarin) as I think this has been discussed before. And I suspect the answer will be subjective Quote
kerrmando Posted June 13, 2013 Posted June 13, 2013 I buy everything for myself, but I love flipping smalls =) Quote
sjbdeebo2 Posted June 13, 2013 Posted June 13, 2013 Ebay and paypal fees might impact the smaller sets more... Quote
CNH1974 Posted June 13, 2013 Author Posted June 13, 2013 Well I could flip my 9469's but at an average Ebay price of Quote
CNH1974 Posted June 13, 2013 Author Posted June 13, 2013 Ebay and paypal fees might impact the smaller sets more... Ebay is 10% And Paypal is 20p/30c + 3.4% so the only extra cost are the extra 20p's Quote
Anakinisvader Posted June 13, 2013 Posted June 13, 2013 You never know which sets are going to be the most profitable so I would suggest having a mixture of everything. Personally I don't stock up on a bunch of large sets (I have a few) because I can flip tons of small sets and make 10X what a large set would appreciate to in the same amount of time. Quote
ApesInCapes Posted June 13, 2013 Posted June 13, 2013 I usually avoid ebay for smaller sales. Those I tend to sell through Bricklink and with lower fees there is more room for profit. Quote
glucapg Posted June 13, 2013 Posted June 13, 2013 Ebay and paypal fees might impact the smaller sets more... don't forget the shipping cost Quote
Diabolos80 Posted June 13, 2013 Posted June 13, 2013 don't forget the shipping cost Right. You guys who flip smaller sets, what do you charge for shipping? I'd estimate about 10 bucks is the minimum. How do you sell a $20 retail set for $20+, plus $10 shipping? More to the point, where can I find suckers, I mean customers, like that? Quote
CNH1974 Posted June 13, 2013 Author Posted June 13, 2013 I usually avoid ebay for smaller sales. Those I tend to sell through Bricklink and with lower fees there is more room for profit. 10% is 10% regardless of the end price. Right. You guys who flip smaller sets, what do you charge for shipping? I'd estimate about 10 bucks is the minimum. How do you sell a $20 retail set for $20+, plus $10 shipping? More to the point, where can I find suckers, I mean customers, like that? Using 9469 as an example, and check out eBay UK to verify, I would charge either Quote
Darth Lego Posted June 13, 2013 Posted June 13, 2013 Diversity is the key. I try to spread out my investment into different sized sets across various themes. I think we should add a poll to this. Quote
Diabolos80 Posted June 13, 2013 Posted June 13, 2013 I've never seen 7944 before, that is a really cool hovercraft. Is the black part on the bottom all one piece? Quote
Anakinisvader Posted June 13, 2013 Posted June 13, 2013 Right. You guys who flip smaller sets, what do you charge for shipping? I'd estimate about 10 bucks is the minimum. How do you sell a $20 retail set for $20+, plus $10 shipping? More to the point, where can I find suckers, I mean customers, like that? I don't charge for shipping, all my items ship free. (costs about 3 bucks first class) It's not what you charge but what you buy the set for. Too many people on this site think 10% 20% 30% are great discounts but they aren't. You have to be choosy on what you buy and how much of a discount you can get on it. I sell small sets all the time and have a good 50% to 100% profit margin after shipping, fee's and expenses. It's all about what you can buy it for. Quote
Diabolos80 Posted June 13, 2013 Posted June 13, 2013 I don't charge for shipping, all my items ship free. (costs about 3 bucks first class) It's not what you charge but what you buy the set for. Too many people on this site think 10% 20% 30% are great discounts but they aren't. You have to be choosy on what you buy and how much of a discount you can get on it. I sell small sets all the time and have a good 50% to 100% profit margin after shipping, fee's and expenses. It's all about what you can buy it for. When you say you ship small sets for $3 first class, I assume you're talking about polybags. Isn't the weight limit for first class something like 13 oz.? When I think small sets, I think about Riddles for the Ring or Wolverine's Chopper Showdown. Quote
Anakinisvader Posted June 13, 2013 Posted June 13, 2013 When you say you ship small sets for $3 first class, I assume you're talking about polybags. Isn't the weight limit for first class something like 13 oz.? When I think small sets, I think about Riddles for the Ring or Wolverine's Chopper Showdown. The small (what I call battle pack boxes-such as Wolverine's chopper showdown) will ship for under 13oz if you find the right shipping box. This is including bubble wrap and such. Polybags will ship in a bubble mailer for $1.69 with tracking. Quote
CNH1974 Posted June 13, 2013 Author Posted June 13, 2013 Diversity is the key. I try to spread out my investment into different sized sets across various themes. I think we should add a poll to this. I should get some more small sets then I was thinking of some creator sets after a recent article on here. I've never seen 7944 before, that is a really cool hovercraft. Is the black part on the bottom all one piece? Yes it's all one piece. Mine is only 95% complete though and it's going for a whole 99p at the moment. I don't charge for shipping, all my items ship free. (costs about 3 bucks first class) It's not what you charge but what you buy the set for. Too many people on this site think 10% 20% 30% are great discounts but they aren't. You have to be choosy on what you buy and how much of a discount you can get on it. I sell small sets all the time and have a good 50% to 100% profit margin after shipping, fee's and expenses. It's all about what you can buy it for. Exactly. I used RRP in my original example for ease of calculation. I actually got 4 9469s for 52% off. ( not fair emoticons don't work on IOS devices. ) unless you know the code. 1 Quote
Grolim Posted June 13, 2013 Posted June 13, 2013 I don't discriminate on size, I'm an equal opportunity buyer. Diversification is good. As long as a set looks profitable then I'll buy it. Quote
LowestFormOfWit Posted June 13, 2013 Posted June 13, 2013 Yeah I'm not a fan of questions like this, and I've seen a lot of them pop up lately. It's painfully obvious for any investor in anything that narrowing your choices to a Black or White decision is a bad idea. Invest in LOTR, or Monster Fighters? The Answer is Yes. Sell on Ebay or Bricklink? The answer is Yes. Quick flip or long term invest? The answer is Yes. Small, Medium or Large? The answer is Yes. Diversifying everything you do, selling strategies, set choice, size choice, sourcing, etc will protect you from an "all eggs in one basket" problem. I build my portfolio to cover a little of everything, small quick flips, long term investments, small easily mailable polybags, parts to part out on Bricklink, etc. I've even started selling custom mobile frame MOCs I do myself. The only universal advice I can give that should benefit anyone, is to keep your entry price point as low as possible, and on a related note, always be looking for the deal. Online, at retailers, or locally. Always. Be. On. The. Hunt. There's boats setting sail everyday. Blink and you'll miss the next one. 2 Quote
CNH1974 Posted June 13, 2013 Author Posted June 13, 2013 I agree with everything except the first sentence. But there are some people who only buy large, Or small for that matter. I wanted to see if there were any about. Quote
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