145
I call myself Brick Top. I sell LEGO parts and bricks for a living. AMA!
I currently sell Lego parts for a living. As in, one by one, different parts. I was wondering if this could be of any interest to the folks around here!
As for proof, I can simply link to my store where on the front page, I wrote "Hey Reddit!".
Play well! - Music helps!
EDIT: It's never too late. I'm always around.
gerruta25 karma
Allright, I'll bite.
A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent. Personified in this case by...
Fill in the blank. :-)
gerruta18 karma
I used to make Stop-Motion YouTube videos. Channel is LegoProds if anyone interested (I would link but my favorite and harder to do video and last was just removed on a copyright problem - it was a Mack the Knife video clip - some other user stole it from me and uploaded it too).
That's how I discovered bricklink (the website used to buy and sell lego originally). I started buying a few bits for what would be my last videos, and after I stopped, I forgot about the site.
About a year later, I got back into Lego, and remembered. I thought, well, I have a lot of Lego, and same as I buy bricks, I wonder how it is to sell bricks. It must be fun!
Started listing some bricks from my own collection and was pretty excited when I got my first few orders. I had never had a business of my own, always worked for others, so it was quite novel.
I did have some money so after some time of selling used bricks from my collection, I started buying some sets solely with the purpose of selling the parts. It was a roll from there.
I have put into it A LOT of hours, and work, and I am still in a point where I want to keep growing.
gerruta17 karma
Don't downvote, this is something I really want to explain, but it's a long story, so will take a little!
freedomakkupati10 karma
http://brick.brickowl.com/store/lego-tan-plate-1-x-1-with-vertical-clip-thin-u-clip-4085 How did you obtain those pieces in tan, I haven't seen them appear in any set?
gerruta11 karma
Yes it did! Typically for this cases (mold variations), the bricklink catalog is much better populated. On this case, this part in tan came in 21017, Imperial Hotel and 10236, Ewok Village.
I got them in the Imperial, mixed with the other mold types.
gerruta3 karma
Could you believe that i haven't seen it yet!
I am waiting to be able to see it in Original Language, not in Spanish. We have a original language cinema in Seville, but they didn't air the movie. I'll probably wait until I can DVD it.
Canis3147 karma
What is your favorite Lego playset? Mine is the Knights' dungeon that had the little ghost in it from the 90's.
gerruta9 karma
Probably the Parisian Restaurant that just came out. The design is magnificent!
lastnameever6 karma
If you call yourself Brick Top, why is your username gerruta?
Also, how's business?
gerruta5 karma
Brick Top has been so taken that a similar name would be a painful name. Would have probably been something like Bricky_Toppp1, well, not my preference.
Gerruta is another username I used to have, long time ago, so made that one.
gerruta7 karma
And for free! Even though I'm not going to be using it, it was a lovely gesture!
gerruta10 karma
Probably the most valuable single part that I have sold was a new Black Tire Technic Power Puller I need to fix the image/name in the catalog!
RadicalDog11 karma
To explain to non-LEGO-peeps: This tire is the biggest made by LEGO ever, and it was on two wheels in one set a decade ago. So, people making crazy awesome big remote control offroaders buy it at £22 per tire. That's £88 for a full set. You could buy a LEGO house for that.
gerruta8 karma
Yes indeed!
The tires are huge, the threads also go for big money.
It was only made available on 1 set, which is also amazing, so that's another reason. Cheers for the explanation!
AshitloadOfLego4 karma
Ok I got some questions.
Why dont you have a bricklink store? Or if you do what is the addy?
How do you determine pricing. 235 for grand emporum? It is still at lego for 150.
Can you get over seas polybags. Such as batwing.
Do you have a way to get a lego movie press kit?
Is there anyway you can get the movie printed baseplates.
What do you think about the fake marvel and such figs?
These are only a few. And great idea to promote you store thru an ama. Using it just like celebrities do.
gerruta1 karma
I sell on BL, Brick_top there.
The GE example is not within the usual. As in, I normally sell parts, almost no sets. I only have a few sets stashed away to sell some day. I am not particularly sure why I listed the GE at that price point, but I don't want to sell it right now, nor expect it to sell.
It's unfortunate that people are actual buying fake figures. Some out of ignorance, but some others actually now. I don't like it.
I actually didn't think of the promoting factor until now. I was wondering if it would generate any interest, and it seems to!
clovens3 karma
Hey there Brick Top!
Do you ever get requests for assortments? Say (hypothetically) someone's building a pirate vs. skeleton army, but doesn't know all the variants?
gerruta3 karma
I've actually never got one, but it would be easy to fulfill if it were something like the example.
NocturnusGonzodus3 karma
Holy crap. This might be just what I've been looking for. Might not be the cost of buying bulk brinks on eBay, but I'd have more control over what I get. Might have to wait a few paychecks, though. If you get a run of blue bricks, it's might be me.
gerruta3 karma
There are pros and cons. You now have access to any brick that was ever produced... which will make your wallet crash if you don't have self control. :-) But also, the quality and service tends to be better.
gerruta5 karma
Thankfully none at work! At home, that's a different thing. I do know what nemesis means.
gerruta2 karma
I do sell on BL, that's how I started actually. I just linked the Owl page here side it's a easier page to see and modify/navigate through. Bricklink profile
Saturnix2 karma
Where do you buy the bricks and why aren't your customers buying them from the same seller?
gerruta2 karma
Because I don't buy the bricks I sell. At least nor separately. I'll explain more in the morning, getting late here.
Saturnix2 karma
Oh, I understand now. So bricks are bought by a seller in sets or in a bulk? I ask this because the idea that there are independant Lego bricks sellers is totally new to me.
gerruta8 karma
That's one of the reasons why I made this AMA! A lot of Lego fans around don't know that there are actually part sellers apart from Lego itself. And that the way to get parts is not only to buy sets in which those parts came from, or to pay sometimes ridiculous prices on the online Pick A Brick.
That's actually the core of our businesses.
Builder John needs 10 of part X to finish his building. Part X only came in a set in 2 quantity, which costed 50€.
Does that mean that John would have to buy 5 of that set just to get the 10 bricks, and toss apart 1000 of others?
People like I, will buy those 10 sets and sell the parts separately, allowing for the builders to fulfill their parts needs without having to buy a lot of unneeded things.
KanpaiWashi1 karma
I hate to get on the late train to this AMA, but I just wanted to say that's pretty fucking amazing you found a way to make a living off of your passion.
I needa figure this out for myself as I'm sitting in my cubicle, hating every minute of it.
gerruta2 karma
No worries. What you can try and do is start something slowly while working on your main income. Build it up until you can live of it. If you can't build it up until you can pay your expenses out of it, well, it probably isn't your thing. Rinse and repeat.
Leg Godt!
ColorMeMac1 karma
Since you said you do this full time, I think I saw that you are in Spain, do you pay taxes on your business? Can anyone in the US explain how taxes would work with a store like this?
gerruta1 karma
It's a real tricky thing, where you somewhat establish a 'cost' per part, even though you bought a bunch of parts for the same price. that's what the big guys do, I think.
For me, for now, tracking income and expenses, and doing a net at the end of the year, has worked (so-so).
But someone else could probably do better in explaining this in English.
brickfrenzy1 karma
How's your experience with Brick Owl been when compared to Bricklink? I've been a Bricklink user since its inception, both as a buyer and seller, and I can see why a viable alternative needed to be created.
gerruta1 karma
I've been on BL since the beginning. I love BL. However, I mostly like 2 things from the Owl. How easy to use it is for new people, or people just wanting to get things for others but don't know LEGO, etc. And the automatic checkout. That thing is a godsend. At least here in Spain where we don't have 800 different rates and go by weight, not size.
However, BL has so much functionality that it will always be there. BrickOwl is like BrickLink Lite. It has the basics, but it is probably about 30% of what BrickLink can do (when you get to know the site).
gerruta2 karma
As a child. I would play with Lego that my parents bought. Then I got into stop-motion videos. After some time this.
RadicalDog1 karma
Do you make models? Link 'em. My willingness to favourite your shop will be based on your building skills.
gerruta1 karma
Unfortunately I haven't made MOC's lately. I did some mods to the 8448 super street sensation, and to the MK2 crane that just came out. Maybe not actual MOC's but landscaping for the modulars, etc. I don't have the time for it unfortunately.
legogirl1 karma
If you're not willing to give an annual income, can you at least say whether or not this is your primary source of income, ie do you make your living at it or is it supplemental income? Could you support a family?
I'd love to make a living with Lego, but most of the ways I've explored have been along the lines of supplemental income - I'd have to keep my day job :P I don't have the resources to start a store, but I still have the dream of doing something
gerruta5 karma
Indeed it is!
It's actually the only thing I do to pay off my expenses right now. Granted, I am not married/don't have kids, and I've never had high expectations.
However, this is a fun thing, that I started as a hobby, and it got much bigger than that over the years months.
I think that, if bigger, it could probably support a family. Girlfriend helps here and there, but having a second full time person would help me run a much bigger store.
And as to supplemental, if you love Lego, go for it! This is a niche thing, mostly, so either you love selling parts, or you hate it. Hopefully it will be the first. :-)
ProbeOne1 karma
How do you price an individual lego? Right down the a tenth of a percent. What makes you decide how much its worth?
gerruta2 karma
I will normally look at the price guide, past sales, how popular the part is becoming, etc. Some other times I will just auto-set the prices according to the price guide.
ProbeOne1 karma
That's both awesome and mind boggling that a price guide exists. Thanks for giving us some insight into your world!
gerruta2 karma
Thankfully, there is an awesome and detailed Price Guide for every single part on BL. It includes the prices at which the past is currently being sold now, and the prices that it was sold over the last 6 months.
Take a look at the White 2 x 4 Brick price guide:
ProbeOne1 karma
Ok another question if I may.
HOW DO YOU SORT THROUGH ALL THESE? Are you superhuman?
gerruta2 karma
Hehe, it's not that hard if you part copies f the same set. You normally have around 2000 parts of 180 different types. Little by little you build the small mountains with similar parts.
Sorting an actual mountain of used parts... that's different.
ProbeOne1 karma
Sorting an actual mountain of used parts... that's different.
That gave me some warm childhood memories of a 3' x 3' x 6" bin underneath my bed filled to the brim with every lego set I was ever given, completely unsorted.
I think if I saw the storage room a person like you kept legos in I'd feel like a child again, except I'd appreciate the organization this time.
Do you still have moods where you just say "Fuck it, I want to build something out of my inventory!"
gerruta5 karma
While building or modding, indeed. Hell, if you have 100,000 parts down there... so neatly packed...
However, I can't. I sell new parts and those parts have strictly never been used. Which means, that I will not use them (I'm really picky when it comes to delivering quality).
But... I have bought from myself a few times!
gerruta2 karma
Beware of any man who has a pig farm. Or buys thousands of mini plastic grip seal baggies. That would be me.
gerruta1 karma
I buy them from someone from northern Spain. I like them more than evens those that arrive from orders that I place at other stores.
ATZ01 karma
I went through my totally random tub of Lego earlier last year and managed to reassemble a few of my sets after meticulous sorting by color, printing out part lists, then sorting into sets.
Do you have any tricks/tools/recommended techniques to quickly sort through a pile of blocks and come out with some kind of cohesive order?
gerruta3 karma
As long as you don't sort by color, it's all good.
But I generally recommend sorting out first the big things, then the smaller things by type (bricks, plates...) then the even smaller and more uncommon things. It's like the house metaphor, from the big things to the small.
jkexxbxx1 karma
I have around 130 sets and at least 6 25 gallon tubs and im trying to get rid of it. Do you have any recommendations?
gerruta1 karma
Honestly, if you just want to say goodbye to it, if go the what route. You'll get quite a bit less but it'll be faster and easier.
EDIT: phones spellcheck. What = ebay. The ebay route.
AKA Feebay, fleebay, fleabay. Fun fact, BrickLink was named BrickBay
before ebay decided to sue them.
Riizu1 karma
So, I was a huge Lego fan growing up, with a full 25 gallon tub that I loved. Unfortunately, it was sold during a move without my knowledge. Do you sell any assorted packs at a discounted price for that volume? I've seen the packs LEGO does, but they are only about 400 piece count, which is quite low.
gerruta1 karma
Well, I don't specifically sell pre-defined packs, but I do give discounts on larger purchases. However, there are a lot of people and things to discover. You may want to explore Bricklink!
tojehst1 karma
Why does the pricing on your website go down to 3 decimal places? Because it might just be one of the only places to do such a thing and in any which case, its confused me!
gerruta3 karma
Because I don't deal with 1 or 2 products. I deal with sales of thousands of tiny little parts. It's like if you were buying beads at a online bead shop. People don't buy 1 Brick, but dozens, hundreds, etc.
On that magnitude, a third decimal place is quite well used. I have a lot of bricks that are sold for less than 2 cents. Using a 3rd decimal place on those prices can account for about 50% more accuracy (r/math help me!).
gerruta1 karma
For those who don't know about these scammers.
http://www.bricklink.com/messageList.asp?v=c&max=100&q=bricksters
Whoistcmt1 karma
Whats the best/easiest way to obtain a very significant amount of legos?
Single parts are cool; but if somebody wanted say.. Roughly 10,000 pieces?
gerruta2 karma
Depends on the variation. If you need a specific variation, buy from stores like mine. If you don't care which parts, just buy 8-10 big sets.
Whoistcmt1 karma
Well.. for an example;
This Dragon is in Legoland.
I realize that Legoland probably gets its legos 'free'; but if I wanted to re-create this, would going through companies like yours work best?
gerruta3 karma
I would say that yes. Not more varied stores aimed to please a broader range like my store, but maybe there are a few bulk stores over at Germany (online), that have specific bricks at low prices and high quantities
Even though Legoland is not part of LEGO itself, it could be that they do pay for the bricks, but dealing with Lego in a specific, beneficial way.
Whoistcmt1 karma
Yeah.. I assume they aren't opening bulk boxes for pieces; but from what I've gathered.. unless you regularly buy $10k+ worth of lego, they won't do a custom order/shipment from them.. which is way beyond what I can afford.
Thanks for the info
gerruta1 karma
Another big problem about their reselling program (or whatever it was called) was that you need to have a retail store in order to qualify for it.
Unless, of course, you're Amazon.
Bat_turd1 karma
How do you get started doing this?
How do you choose which models to buy?
Where do you buy from?
How much do you make? (Ballpark?)
:)
gerruta1 karma
- Written above
- From those that I find 'buyable' (good price), I will look at the parts in them. I will see if they have usual seller parts, or those parts that will never, ever sell. I will see if it's full of parts that I already have or will add variety to my store.
- A lot of places. A few people I know, Amazon, and generally other retailers when they offer a good price, which is here and there only.
- Enough to live decently.
leinahtan250 karma
What is your fulfillment process like? It seems like you probably have thousands of different SKUs. Does finding the exact SKU become difficult when an order is placed? Or have you worked out a fairly simple inventory system?
gerruta2 karma
Quite simple. I have every lot in a sealed grip seal bag. Those bags are placed in bigger bags or boxes. Ever box is numerated (letters and numbers in a certain order). When looking for a part, all I need to go is to the specific big bag, and search through the different lots in the bag.
Downvotes_Flickr_Use-3 karma
What's with all of you lego fuckers using the worst website ever instead of imgur?
gerruta1 karma
I don't use flickr so I can't tell. From what I heard people are hating the new interface, but that's about as far I know. Probably tradition. Edit: that username.
justinyates-6 karma
In your business has anyone really been far even as decided to even use go want to look more like?
27th_wonder43 karma
Do you know what nemesis means?
View HistoryShare Link