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Showing content with the highest reputation on 10/29/2018 in all areas

  1. I've now finished making the brick built versions of the wagon and all the other accessories that accompany the traction engine model, so the set is now complete. Really pleased with how it has turned out - it feels more like a complete set now that all the extra bits have been built and I think that it would make a nice display model but also has that "play set" feel to it that I think the LEGO review board would appreciate it, if ever it went all the way on LEGO IDEAS! Now if I could just persuade enough people to vote for it!
    5 points
  2. I'm starting to think that buying up a couple hundred 76085's might not have been my greatest decision.
    4 points
  3. TJ Maxx/HomeGoods started stocking holiday toys and found some old TRU exclusives. $70 75191 Jedi Starfighters, $30 75175 A-Wings, and $8 Master Wu/Phasma/Finn Brickheadz.
    3 points
  4. Had a stall at a Lego market on the weekend (8:30 - 2:45) Table cost $35. Temperature 30+, no air con, only fans in a tin shed exhibition hall. Stoked about what I sold, but I was woefully prepared for how busy I would be. I had plans to make a note of what was sold and price, but after the first half hour, this was abandoned and I focused on completing sales and keeping the tables full of product. Went with a view to sell these larger sets: Palace Cinema, Mystery Mansion, Santa's Workshop, Winter Village Market, Deep Sea Exploration Vessel and 60004 Fire Station. Sold all but the Fire Station @ 2 x price paid. The Fire Station came home with me. Friends sets I had purchased from Woollies on boxing day (Heartlake Gift Delivery & Heartlake Surf Shop) and Aldi Friends book and polybag sets - all sold City sets - only sold a few small cars, eg Rally Cars, Monster Trucks Batboat Harbour, 2015 Star Wars Advent Calendars and some Rogue One Buildables - gone Ninjago - did not sell one set or polybag - I sell these all the time on eBay - go figure Farewelled books with minifigs, old baseplates My daughter and I had rebuilt a lot of sets from bulk buys over the past month and we sold 20 - 30 rebuilt sets (stocktake later will give final figures) We sold 50+ polybags - no idea yet what was sold have to trust in the fact everything had a price sticker and was priced with a least a 75% markup on purchase price. Next weekend I'll have to do a full stock-take and put everything away properly, as when we got home and shoved everything back into the garage, we just collapsed into the pool. If I was to do this again: Get some sort of display carousels or shelving for elevation on table. I wouldn't attempt to do this without help. Miss 11 was invaluable and I was very impressed with her Maths skills and ability to make change - didn't accept a $50 without showing me first. Bring plenty of water and deodorant. Kids know Lego - I listened to plenty of kids tell their parents what was rare and what wasn't (Gladdens the heart). Source more discounted Friends and Elves sets. My table got pretty messy - I would try to make it more visually appealing - quite a few people don't like touching and looking through items. Ignore ignorant people - the number who said Advent calendars are $35 at Big W...
    3 points
  5. I've been to that store and you're right, it's awesome. I wish you all the success in the world. Make those initial experiences positive and be able to throw in little extras to hook your customers on their first visit. Use as much social media as u can and get into all the local moms groups on Facebook, Instagram etc to advertise your parties. Good luck!
    2 points
  6. Celebrated my 15th wedding anniversary three days early as my wife and I had lunch and enjoyed a largely kid free day. It was a very good use of a vacation day. Going to the pumpkin patch with the kids soon. Also bought a like new Nintendo Switch console with two controllers, all cables, etc. with the Splatoon 2, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 and Super Mario Odyssey games for $260 on Craigslist and beat 5 others people to it according the father I bought it from. It was a great day!
    2 points
  7. 2 points
  8. I'm somewhere in between - It will absolutely still pay off (way too much value), but I would really have liked to have seen them disappear.
    2 points
  9. My church held their annual Trunk or Treat. Everyone who cane through stopped and admired the LEGO in our van, kids and adults. It was fun! Sent from my iPhone using Brickpicker Forum
    2 points
  10. we had our grand opening yesterday! Great turnout, way more than i expected, about 20 people in the store at all times from open to close! People really seemed happy with everything, no complaints so far. Kids were all very excited to see so many Lego sets and loved building minifigures. Got to meet lots of adult Lego fans too. Closed today, so I can finally get some rest, then back for more tomorrow. I had my wife and a friend help out all day yesterday but it will just be me from now on until I can hire someone else. Thanks again for all the support here!
    2 points
  11. Hi everyone I wanted to showcase my Lego Ideas project, The Old Workhorse - Traction Engine. If you like the model I'd really appreciate it if you could please vote for it https://ideas.lego.com/projects/2a2ec583-9836-4868-8dc7-6b3bb0a2fe80 "A roaring fire and a full head of steam, the old traction engine is ready for work!" I have created a scene set some time during the early 20th century. Farmers are working in the fields with their steam traction engine, affectionately known as "The Old Workhorse". The model includes a detailed mini fig scale traction engine, a wagon and various other accessories and mini builds. THE TRACTION ENGINE The main feature of the model is the traction engine itself. I've used a classic green and red livery with polished brass lining and details. There are several interesting parts used to create this engine including paint roller handles and mini fig syringes used to create the piping around the boiler and inside the cab. A system of cogs ensures that the flywheel spins around as the traction engine is pushed forward. A detailed cab interior includes steering wheel, controls and a firebox door that can be opened and closed to reveal the burning fire inside. The front wheel axle can be pivoted left and right. THE WAGON I've also included a wagon/trailer that can be coupled to the back of the traction engine and used to carry the various accessories included with the model. The sides of the wagon can be dropped down to provide loading access for the mini figs. There is space at the front of the wagon to hold tools and mini fig accessories. MINIFIGURES & OTHER ACCESSORIES Included with the model are 2 mini figs, a dog, a rat and several mini builds including tree stumps, logs and rocks. These are all designed to be carried and towed in the wagon. LEGO IDEAS Thanks very much for reading this. I hope you like the model. I've created a gallery album containing more pictures of the model if you'd like to check them out. https://community.brickpicker.com/gallery/album/310-the-old-workhorse-traction-engine/ If you would like to vote for the model on LEGO Ideas then here is the link to my page. https://ideas.lego.com/projects/2a2ec583-9836-4868-8dc7-6b3bb0a2fe80. Thank you very much! ☺️
    1 point
  12. 1 point
  13. Let us know if any of the following have changed recently regarding ITD: 1. have to have a brick and mortar store for minimum 2 years open 2. can't sell more than 50% Lego 3. online sales strictly prohibited 4. minimum order must include all product lines, no pick and choose There's a reason why very few BrickPickers have ITD accounts. In addition, I've been told that even if you are accepted, you can expect sets 3-6 months after general release. They fill Amazon/Target/WalMart first before they bother with the ITD orders.
    1 point
  14. On the one hand, DC. On the other, the movie isn't even out until December. So yeah, probably depends on whether you picked them all up on clearance for $5.
    1 point
  15. Triple if you convince them to give you a sent of Bricktober minifigs....
    1 point
  16. Lol. Add a bar to it. Sell liquor id be spending there my evenings if I lived close by and many others here I’m sure too lol Last call! ...and everybody buys their last lego sets...
    1 point
  17. watch the seller univrsity videos for overview of process. this alone will take a while but is crucial to understanding what is actually going on. if you understand that you will be ready to roll. start out simple. send in 2-3 sets you are ready to sell now. something small like microfighters or an item you paid little for. your entire future selling on amazon will depend on you NOT getting negative feedback during these initial first sales. a few nitpicky negative feedbacks during your inaugural days as a seller may doom your store. there seems to be heightened scrutiny of new toy sellers at this time of year and even more so this year. if you receive negative feedback you will have little chance to recover by getting positives if you don't have a sales volume established . it may be a better idea to start selling during the post-xmas holiday period when people spend their gift cards and the expectations for perfection and timed arrival have diminished. ->You don’t have to have each Lego individually packaged in a shipping box within the main box? only for sets that are very high price or have appreciated greatly (e.g. $14.99 speed champions selling for $75 gets its own box before i send it in to fba.). .>I hear commingling is bad so does everyone print their own barcode on their Lego? Have you had any customer get angry about the sticker on the box? for many sets amazon doesn't even give you a choice anymore. no one has ever complained once about the sticker. >Do you limit how many sets you ship at a time? as many as possible - more sets = decreased cost of shipping per set. as you will learn, putting together an order in itself is somewhat of an art trying to minimize the number of distribution center and packaging each shipment box like a tetris of lego sets . in the end amazon tells you where to ship stuff. you might have 10x of a set, 3x go to one distribution center, 3x go to another and 2x to another. you have to piece together a large shipment set by set over time adding on to earlier shipment plan going to multiple distribution centers where you can stuff 24x20x20 boxes of items - 30-40lbs of lego at a time (or with a pallet and forklift if you are BTP) or if you have all your inventory listed you can just select all the items you want to convert to fba and make a shipping plan that way even quicker. if you just ship 3 or 4 sets to one dc and 2 or 1 to another -forget it - not worth it to me. using amazon prep? goodbye profit. again, all this is a little complicated at first . all it takes is a couple of mistakes during this time of year to screw your store if its just getting started fba and if you don't have a lot of positive feeback to buffer. so keep that in mind before jumping in with both feet. once you have "the hang" of it, you will wonder how you ever did things the way you did before.
    1 point
  18. I’ve said it before , while I understand the temptation , learning how to fba during the holiday season can be a disaster and I wouldn’t advise it . You can end up losing much more than you would earn . @landphieran, I believe it has to be recieved by Nov 5th rather than sent out .
    1 point
  19. thanks! i tried to make it look as professional as i could while still staying on a very limited budget. most of the shelving and display cases were bought used from craigslist. i wanted to have the colorful lego boxes and sets themselves stand out so i just left the walls white. the brick wall idea i got from another independent lego store down in florida: brick city bricks (great store and very nice owner, check them out if you’re in the tampa area). i still have to finish up the party room, and start on my big display/town area, i’ll keep you all updated!
    1 point
  20. I have created a collection of 3 mini Lego steam engines, A Traction Engine, Steam Roller and Showman's Engine. I've called them "Miniature Steam Machines" and they are intended to be a kind of side project to accompany and help promote my "Old Workhorse Model on LEGO IDEAS". I set myself the challenge of seeing how much detail I could fit in using a very limited amount of bricks. each of these models is very small with the biggest one only containing 128 bricks. The pictures below show the 3 little models alongside The Old Workhorse to give an idea of how small they are. If you're interested you can find many more pics of these models on my Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/140122416@N02/albums/72157700977635461/with/31511230398/ And don't forget if you'd like to give The Old Workhorse a chance of being made as an official set, please vote for it on LEGO IDEAS. https://lego.build/2vRfVGL
    1 point
  21. Think that’s a great idea and good luck to you mate.
    1 point
  22. Amazon support got back to me via email. Basically, they are blaming Lego. I'm just shaking my head. Note: I talked to big Amazon FBA Lego reseller (2 years selling FBA) He's current stock seems fine but he's now noticing approval restrictions on new listings. He was unaware of all of this until I called him today. Anyway, here is the email Amazon seller support sent me 15 mins ago. Dear Seller, I understand your issue regarding your ASIN B00NHQFMKM and I deeply regret the inconvenience caused to you in this regard. I would like to inform you that there is a recent gating on this product by the manufacturer. Please know that such products are currently restricted to be listed. Only sellers with prior manufacturer's authorization are allowed to list such product. Please note that the manufacturer of this product must have requested our categories team to restrict sellers from listing this product. To ensure buyer satisfaction our seller performance team occasionally restrict the sales of certain products to pre-approved sellers. Although certain sellers may be listing these items, Amazon is not accepting new offers at this time both for seller fulfilled and Amazon fulfilled listings. Please know that the pre-approved sellers refers to the sellers who are directly approved by manufacturer to be their preferred distributors. These listings have been restricted based on reports that some customers have received products that are inconsistent with the product detail pages. It is no reflection on you as a seller. It is just a way for us to protect both the buyer as well as our sellers. Due to the nature of this restriction, Seller Support cannot provide further information or approve new requests to list/relist this ASIN. Please understand that the decision to allow sellers to list this item only relies with the manufacturer and the categories team. Having said so, I would also like to inform you that as of now, our team is currently working on the making the process of gaining approval easier for our sellers and we are currently waiting for an update regarding the same. I also see that you have listed the products earlier with this brand name however they are now having block placed on them in your inventory due to the same restriction. --> link removed In this case, I request you to kindly request approval by referring to the below link. --> link removed I deeply apologize for the delay that this may cause you but request you to kindly allow us the time to provide you with the best solution. Your patience and understanding in this regard would be much appreciated. If you still have any issues, please use the following link to get in contact with a member of our Seller Support team: https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/contact-us/contact-amazon-form.html
    1 point
  23. I have a feeling this thread is going to get very busy in the next few days...
    1 point
  24. Bright side is Santa's workshop might drop down to like 200 sellers...
    1 point
  25. Yes. Most on this site are in for a bad weekend when they find out.
    1 point
  26. I've never had any problem with goods damaged on arrival at Amazon, nor arrival at buyers home. I've had a half-dozen items lost or damaged while in warehouse at Amazon, and I believe in most cases, got NO proactive report or payment from Amazon. Usually going over my books, I would discover, "hey... I sent in 6 of those... they sold 2... now I have only 3?" I'd have to discover the problem, initiate the claim, and only then would get reimbursed... sometimes at a fair rate... sometimes a little less than fair (but whadaya gonna do?). So you definitely have to check and recheck your inventory at Amazon, keep track of what's sold, and what they should have... stay on top of things. Do not ship in items before they reach the sell price you can accept. I usually find that when I see an FBA price point I like, I send my items in, and 3 more sellers move in at the same time, and the price drops 5%. As the holiday season approaches, more sellers will be moving merch into Amazon and you can expect more competition on some items. I use Amazon principally for current or "just retired" sets. My Haunted Houses, Town Halls, etc, I sell on eBay (and Brickclassifieds).
    1 point
  27. They changed something last year in how they do the BB so that it is more directly tied to MSRP even after an item is no longer offered at MSRP. I went around and around with Seller Support last year to confirm and they confirmed that each of the listings was working correctly. It's probably an issue of buyer satisfaction and is targeted more at products that are still offered on the primary market, but go out of stock for a period of time. It would be a huge driver of dissatisfaction if people were buying at a highly infalted price only to see the price drop dramatically when the item came back in stock. By eliminating the BB when a price rises too high, Amazon ensures that the price that buyers see on the landing page is more consistent.
    1 point
  28. send her return label. and tell her that you will process refund once you receive the item. few suggestion: a. its a business. never explain to customer your side of things. [ like its your first return etc... ] b. don't get personal. i know its hard but it is what it is. hopefully you will get the item back. btw, i thought kylo ren [ 75104 ] was gated. how did you get past it? or its the secondary listing? if you are listing items under secondary listing you are looking for trouble don't do that. if she pushes amazon might ask you for invoice of purchases or remove you from that listing. [ this one sharing from personal experience ] just list the item under whatever UPC codes provides?
    1 point
  29. General tip : That's not how Amazon works. Costumer asks for a return u have to authorize it within 30 days for delivery and then refund upon receipt . You evaluate and asses the item upon return and can apply a restocking fee . Once you authorize return ( and provide pre paid label if applicable ) you have gone a long way in protecting yourself against an A-Z claim
    1 point
  30. Those are sets from different regions that have different UPCs. Best listing strategy is to use the listing for the product that you actually have. If you're using FBM, you have more flexibility since you won't have someone at Amazon scanning your item. If you're using FBA, you should always list under the proper UPC or your item may land in stranded inventory. You can get around that by applying a sticker with the Amazon ASIN, but you're playing with fire by doing that because you're trying to manipulate the listing of your product. With Lego, chances are no one would ever notice since the differences between sets produced for different regions is so small, but if you got caught, Amazon tends to be pretty unforgiving to people who screw around like that.
    1 point
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