Hello all, my name is Gerardo and I am from Spain. I currently make a living selling LEGO parts while studying. As in, one by one, different parts in different colors. Not long ago, I grew my store to 200k parts, of almost 6,000 different types. I've been doing this for almost 6 years!

My Proof: https://brick.brickowl.com - Here's a link to my store , where I have written my reddit username for proof.

I'll answer every question posted here, and later on I plan on making a video for my youtube channel where I like to make videos about my LEGO shops, answering the questions again, but with visuals! Feel free to check out my latest videos on packing 400$ worth of orders and sorting through 100KG of LEGO instruction booklets! :-)

Play well!

I'm trying to answer every single question as best as I can! It may take some time, but be patient. I'm going out soon with my lady, so if I'm, not able to answer it today, I will tomorrow! :-) I have to go out now, but please keep on asking anything. I'll answer them tomorrow, specially the more thoughtful ones (I saw you, the one that wants more shades of LEGO skin :-) )

Here is how my store looks like: https://i.imgur.com/adGTnpI.jpg

Good morning! I am back trying to answer all of those questions!

Comments: 1430 • Responses: 82  • Date: 

CarlCarbonite1694 karma

Literally just started selling Lego on Bricklink this week, growing my store rapidly! I wanted to ask how you deal with storage? Do you rent out a garage or something?

gerruta1069 karma

Oh, that's great! I love selling on Bricklink and Brickowl, and I hope you enjoy it too!

I am fortunate enough to have a big garage at my place, so I've always had more space than I needed (well, for now). If not, some people dedicate a room on their house to the store, or rent a place when it gets bigger. If I had a small place, I wouldn't have been able to get the store to where it's now!

As for how I store, I used to use a system where I had cheap boxes (since I had a low budget) that were numbered, and set all my remarks on BL. Now, I've moved to a better system with shelves, and plastic boxes. I can fit more than twice of what I used to have in less than half of the space.

This is how it used to look like: https://imgur.com/a/hg7cJF8

And this is how it looks now! (while parting out a set): https://imgur.com/a/gs70Ymf

stump82302 karma

I designed an engagement ring box with Lego a few years ago. I remember your store and the only one having all of the parts I had trouble finding. Thank you!

gerruta243 karma

Really?? Please share a picture!! That is amazing!

gerruta14 karma

That is amazing!! I'm grateful to have been able to do that, I hope she said yes!!

sireatalot30 karma

How do you keep track of what is in each box?

gerruta59 karma

As you can see on the right column, every single part has a remark, where I set in which box it is!

https://i.gyazo.com/7aaab74cffab58e4eed7e48d955a939a.png

KremKaramela623 karma

We have so many parts and kids don’t play anymore. How can I sell them or better yet, exchange them?

gerruta678 karma

There are mostly two ways. If you actually want to spend time sorting through them and listing them, and after that picking and packing a bunch of orders, go the bricklink way!

However, if you just want to sell them as a lot, I suggest to use ebay or classified ads.

Also, if you want to exchange them, some lego forums such as bricksetforum.com, I believe let members put up for trade whatever they want, and they just trade them for other lego items that they are interested in!

bluehat9322 karma

Where/how do you get the LEGO to sell? Do you purchase directly from LEGO, assorted loose pieces or something? Are the pieces used or brand new?

gerruta346 karma

I get most of my parts from buying on sale at retailers like toysrus, amazon, etc. Some of them I buy from ebay, or other sellers, but not many, just when they have some in particular that interest me.

Most of the parts in my store are brand new. I get them from the new sets, and put them straight into Zip loc bags and into my store. Now that I have more free time in the summer, I'm looking to expand my used collection, which is more time consuming, so I bought a few used lots from friends.

shrubs311155 karma

I get most of my parts from buying on sale at retailers like toysrus, amazon, etc. Some of them I buy from ebay, or other sellers, but not many, just when they have some in particular that interest me.

So you buy Legos on sale and resell them? I didn't think this would be that profitable but I saw elsewhere that you're paying bills with it, so good job!

gerruta364 karma

Yes! I buy them on sale, but I buy the whole box. My service is that I buy them, spend a lot of time classifying and sorting them, and afterwards sell individual parts, so you can buy any part you want, and you don't need to buy the whole set!

That's what you pay for. You save, since you don't need to buy a set, if you only want a few parts, and I make money on that time I spent sorting and picking orders.

shrubs311108 karma

Oh, I see now. I thought you could order individual parts from Lego but I'm sure going through people like you would be cheaper. And I also saw that you have parts from retired sets which I'm sure is nice for people in the hobby.

gerruta104 karma

That's the thing! It's mostly cheaper to buy from bricklink, and also almost every part that's ever been in production is for sale.

yourmomlurks22 karma

Almost?! What are the white whales?

gerruta74 karma

There are a lot of REALLY obscure parts that are not for sale. Things like... random heads from 80's minifigures, bionicle parts, you name it.

LEGO has made tooooooo many parts over the years.

somaRM181 karma

Do you know if they've stopped selling the Lego police car keychain? 🤔

gerruta204 karma

Haha, if you're talking about this one, it seems so! However, you can still get it on bricklink from a few stores both in Europe and the US, or, just buy the parts and build it yourself!

Suvtropics57 karma

Tinkering with Lego was around half my childhood. Reading your ama I feel like getting back into it again.

gerruta38 karma

Thank you! Really glad I was able to impact positively!

NecessaryBarnacle99 karma

How long did you handle distribution yourself before switching to using a distributor?

gerruta91 karma

Hello! Sorry, I can't understand your question. By distribution, do you mean shipping the packages to the customers?

NecessaryBarnacle62 karma

Yes

gerruta96 karma

I sell worldwide, so I really haven't shipped myself any packages... well, actually I've met with some AFOLs in my city to deliver to them, but that's it. I've always used couriers.

Could you imagine flying to Barbuda to deliver a 5$ LEGO order? Well, if they sent me the plane ticket, I definitely would! :D

NecessaryBarnacle109 karma

Oh I should clarify.

I meant has your business reached a large enough scale where you are no longer handling any logistics of putting lego into the package, putting a shipping label on it, etc.

I didnt mean hand delivering it

gerruta176 karma

Ah, thanks, that seemed odd.

For now, all the help I've got is from friends that I contracted part-time, specially around Christmas, when the store goes crazy. I also have a pretty easy workflow, with all of my packing materials in one place, so I don't waste much time doing it.

Once I get all the parts for an order, I get an envelope, print the invoice, include both the invoice and the parts in the envelope, and make a note on the outside so I know who it belongs to. After that, when I'm ready to go to the PO, I print all of the shipping labels together and stick them on the packages. Later, at the post office, I just drop all of them, since they already know how to sort them easily.

Thanks for the question!

shrinkingmama10 karma

Do you have a thermal printer? I ran a home based retail business for 10+ years. Thermal printer was probably my favorite business supply purchase.

gerruta12 karma

I don't. Less than 6 months ago I bought a new wireless printer, brother something, that could print two side and do everything by itself. I love it! Some day I'll probably get one.

Manyhigh99 karma

Do you ever just build stuff with your wares on slow days?

gerruta203 karma

I keep my personal collection (which is quite small) separate from the store. I sell mostly new parts, so it would be unethical for me to use them to build, and sell them later! What I do, if I need a part that I have for sale, is take it out of the store before I even go get it. That way, I also don't get inventory discrepancies, when someone orders a part, and I can't find it in my stock! (the worst nightmare of a LEGO seller)

Cyborg_rat22 karma

New parts? So you buy them bulk from lego? Or take kits appart.

gerruta44 karma

I part out sets that I usually buy on clearance in retailers such as toysrus, amazon, etc.

rex_dart_eskimo_spy30 karma

Do you ever come across sets that appear new and sealed at the store, only to find that they’d been opened and re-sealed with all of the “good stuff” taken out?

That’s becoming more and more common here in the US.

gerruta57 karma

YES!

That has happened to me once over 6 years of selling LEGO. It was last year, when I bought a set off amazon.co.uk. When I opened it, most of the parts had been replaced with magazines, lol. I just returned it to amazon hassle-free.

Dsstant83 karma

What is your average monthly profit?

gerruta205 karma

I'd rather not go into full detail, hope you understand, but I am able to pay my bills, and live decently (AS A STUDENT)! Not much, really. I'm also reinvesting most of my profits on growing my store, I'm addicted to it.

hrrm101 karma

Sounds like ~2500/mo

gerruta97 karma

That is a great guess!

IbNotEvenOnce32 karma

You are such a wholesome human we need more people like u

gerruta30 karma

Haha, thank you! I like to stay positive in life! We need more people like you too!

maugust0973 karma

Do you buy sets and sell their parts or do you buy in bulk? Do you ever buy out other smaller vendors lol

Also how much do you love Lego? :) they're the best!

gerruta111 karma

Copying a reply I wrote before:

I get most of my parts from buying on sale at retailers like toysrus, amazon, etc. Some of them I buy from ebay, or other sellers, but not many, just when they have some in particular that interest me.

Also, yes, I have previously bought out a few stores that were going out of business. It's much easier, since you get all of the parts pre-sorted, but you usually get the parts that they haven't been able to sell, even after discounts!

I've loved LEGO since I was a kid, playing, making videos, and now selling it! I just think that it's an amazing company, with great values, and excellent quality!

Faythezeal49 karma

How did you get into this business?

gerruta166 karma

Well, growing up I loved LEGO. This is the first LEGO set that my parents ever got me: http://i.imgur.com/eH2eiZp.jpg

After a while, I started making stop motion videos, and I needed some parts for one of them, so I found this site, bricklink, where I was able to purchase them. After some time, I wanted to sell some of my LEGO, so I decided to try to upload it to the site. It started selling, and I loved it, so with the first paychecks I got while working summers as a teenager, I bought the first new LEGO sets to part out. I just kept investing everything I made from the store, back into it to grow it. And here I am now!

benjick28 karma

Are you like an antiques dealer but with lego? Sorry if it's a stupid question

gerruta37 karma

I guess you could say that? Just a lego dealer in general. That doesn't sound right... :D

squid50s43 karma

  1. What’s the legality of something like this?

  2. How/where could I sell LEGO creations that I design?

gerruta92 karma

For one: it's completely legal but I AM NOT A LAWYER AND HAVE NO IDEA!. LEGO knows about these LEGO reselling sites, and I believe that they are crucial for the hobby! Thousands of LEGO fans like to make their own creations (MOCs), and they need to source parts for them. We provide them.

Well, in Bricklink, there is a MOC shop, where people sell either instructions for their LEGO designs, or the actual parts + instructions. You should check it out!

I think rebrickable also does this. Or you could try to sell them on ebay, it works as well.

masteryod31 karma

Not a lawyer but Lego can't do shit. What can get you in trouble is:

  • if you don't aquire your stock legally (even when you unknowingly buy stolen goods)

  • if you sell large enough amount that will pass the free tax threshold in a year and you won't pay taxes. Every country has its own limits. Some countries require you to have a registered company on your name if you sell goods on a regular basis like a shop (not once in a while like a regular Joe)

gerruta40 karma

If you don't acquire your stock legally, you will have a problem, but not with LEGO :-D

And yes, I had to register as a self-employed person last year since I passed the free tax threshold. It has it's pros and cons.

squid50s15 karma

Have you had any experience selling on the MOC shop in Bricklink?

gerruta20 karma

I actually just recently sold one that I listed a few months ago as a test, I didn't even remember I had listed it! It was a micro-tank MOC. Just that, it was a pleasant transaction, but a little hard to find and remove all of the parts from my stock.

[deleted]-17 karma

[deleted]

gerruta4 karma

I edited my original comment, as I have no idea!

I don't see why it would be illegal, since it's just reselling a toy that you bought, and they don't have any specific clauses saying that 'thou shalt not resell', so I fail to see why it would be illegal.

And yes, I suspect that they could've shut it down, but it would be detrimental to the community, in my opinion.

Erubadhron8939 karma

What are a few of the coolest projects you've helped people with?

gerruta152 karma

I love when customers send me pictures of the projects they have built with the parts I sent them. For me, the most fascinating one is this guy, who makes incredible machines out of LEGO technic parts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHVcBVy3QM4

This is and INCREDIBLE creation, made entirely out of LEGO!

I'll dig through my email to try to find more.

Erubadhron8928 karma

My personal favourite is probably the simplest you've seen... Myself and my Fiancée have a "Red 2x2 plate with hole" each as matching keyrings, that combine into a heart shape ❤️

gerruta21 karma

That is amazing! I need to get one for my girlfriend!

You should post a picture of it, I would love to see it. The beauty is in the meaning. <3

Switchoveragain37 karma

What is your worst Lego related injury?

gerruta89 karma

Stepping on one of these

No, but actually, one of the boxes in my store falling on my feet, one summer day when I was wearing sandals... I thought I had broken something on my foot.

Demojen34 karma

Where were you when republicattak was robbed of his lego sets?

gerruta65 karma

Installing a home security system :-(

Poor guy, that's a nasty thing to do...

Past_Contour30 karma

What is the most ordered piece?

gerruta75 karma

For me, the most sold part by quantity, are both the black Technic pin, having sold over 5000 of them, and the blue long technic pin. However, by value, it would be a sand green 4216. I have sold 520 of them for over 600€. I bought them for next to nothing right before Green Grocer retired. It needs 56 of them, and they have stopped production!

iamthechop28 karma

Do you get a lot of requests for shovels? Do you know why they people buy them?

gerruta35 karma

I do have a few shovels in stock, and sell one sometimes.

I do not want to know...

Just kidding, I love it when people send me pictures of what they build with my parts!

escapesuburbia28 karma

What’s the rarest piece piece you sell?

What’s the most expensive?

What’s your favorite set?

gerruta44 karma

For rarest, I think it would be this tire, but I don't really know, to be honest. https://imgur.com/a/GM98Dko

Most likely not.

Most expensive, a LEGO black train base, part 92339.

My favorite set, for the memories, is the first one I got, and still have somewhere. It was gifted to me on a birthday. Here's a picture of me with it! That or the UCS Super star destroyer...

the_blind_gramber6 karma

How much do you sell that train base for?

gerruta10 karma

Currently, 27€! i have sold parts, and specially minifigs, for higher, but that is the most expensive part I have for sale at the moment.

ggalaxyy24 karma

Very interesting! I'm an AFOL my self with around 60K parts in my possession. I have bought LEGO bricks from Brickland many times. Having a store as job has come to my mind several times. How tough is the competition in that space?

gerruta45 karma

It is very tough. There are multiple shops, specially in germany, austria, etc. that seem to have access to a "back door" LEGO stock. They show up with hundreds of thousands of parts, and well, it's hard to compete with that.

However, the buyer base is large, and if you offer good customer service, your prices are decent, and your turnover is fast, people will come to you for the assured satisfaction!

You should do it, if you have the time! it's very entertaining and I love it every time I get a new order.

jahjahjahjahjahjah21 karma

How much for all of the pieces in set 10182 if I bought all of the pieces individually?

gerruta106 karma

So, according to the bricklink part out value, which gives you the price of all of the individual parts on a set, a 6 month old sold average, would be around 800$, but then you'd need to buy from around 30 different stores, most likely. Say you pay 8$ on average for shipping, and you end up with 1040$. But it's probably more.

Or about tree fiddy

jahjahjahjahjahjah37 karma

Ok. Thanks for the info. I bought the set when it first came out for $150 and several years later I sold it for $600. I kinda wish I didn't sell it now.

gerruta44 karma

Ah, don't sweat it, you made a nice penny. You always get that fear, also when trading stocks, but profit made is money gained! And that's also a great return on your investment!

I also keep some LEGO sets sealed, that I never touch, that I plan on reselling whenever. I don't really care about them, I don't have many, but I like to keep a few. I like much more selling parts. There's some satisfaction in having all of these parts neatly organized.

BenjaminHamnett11 karma

Dude, I think you are just calling this hobby a business because you legally have to

I was big in legos for all the right reasons as a kid. But part of the fun is just stroking some OCD/spectrum wiring. The animal in me just loves putting my hand into a big tub of legos, going back and forth hearing that unique LEGO on LEGO scratching noise

gerruta14 karma

Well, not really. Legally I can call it whatever I want. Just calling it a business because I make some money out of it, and my LEGO hobby part, is separate. :-D

Yes!!! Having a tub full of 1x1 small round plates and just moving them around is so satisfying.

nanotech2318 karma

What was the largest order you ever received?

gerruta41 karma

My largest part order was from a wonderful lady in the netherlands, for around 1100€ worth of parts. It was around 11.000 parts in total!

Rhedogian17 karma

Hey thanks for doing this AMA. I’ve always wondered about brick reselling and its profitability - are there specific strategies that you have to implement to make a decent amount of money doing this? And also is the demand there?

Not asking for any trade secrets or anything, just genuinely curious about how it all works :)

gerruta22 karma

I can say that the demand is there. I don't live in a country with a lot of AFOLs (adult fans of LEGO), and still, about half of my orders are from my country.

Not really, just buy low, be patient for sales, and sell at a decent price. You can check the bricklink part out value tool, to see average selling prices of all the parts in a set at any given time, and use that as a REFERENCE. Then, you need to be wary of if those parts in a set actually sell. You get that from experience.

For example, you may get a great price on a spongebob set, but it's mostly orange, or rare colors, so demand is going to be low for those parts. You need to be careful!

maestroenglish17 karma

Have you ever come across a faulty piece of Lego? I mean a piece that was made wrong.

gerruta24 karma

Yes! One i remember was a wedge, plate, similar to this one in dark bluish gray, that came bent in a set. It didn't look like it was bent in transit or anything, it just looked... deformed. I tried to find pictures of it, but I could find any, unfortunately.

blink0r13 karma

Thanks for doing this! Very interesting!

How do you acquire the Lego to sell at a profit enough to keep the selling going?

Do you buy in bulk? Or garage sale?

Basically how does your store many any profit at all?

gerruta11 karma

Thanks to you for commenting!

I mostly get LEGO on sale from retailers, such as toysrus, amazon, etc. I first check if the part out value is good enough, and if the parts in the set are actually in demand.

I don't buy much in bulk, but I've also made some deals. Specially recently, since I am planning on adding more used parts to my store.

The profit is in the service. I spend a lot of time classifying every part, sorting them, and afterwards picking the orders for very specific parts.

SwallowedBuckyBalls13 karma

What tools are you using to keep an accurate count on your inventory?

gerruta24 karma

I rely on two programs, brickstock, an inventory management software, great program!

And bricksync, a program that syncs orders between bricklink and brickowl, the two pages I sell on, so that my stocks are accurate.

Derf_Jagged12 karma

How many hours per week would you estimate that you dedicate to the business? Also, what is your ideal sandwich described in 19 words?

gerruta5 karma

I think that in average, it would be around 10-30 hours a week. Depending on wether I am parting out sets, or just selling. If I'm just picking orders, it's maybe 10 hours, if I'm parting out and classifying sets, it will be much more, since it's a time consuming process.

gliese94610 karma

Hi, what do you think (if anything) about the fact that with so many people buying and selling (and in some cases hoarding) bricks it drives prices up for families who aren't interested in speculating, they just want to buy some bricks for their kids to play with? Like it used to be possible to find people selling bulk lots second-hand when the kids outgrew their collections. Now there are enough people buying to resell on bricklink, "parting out" someone's large collection brick-by-brick, that you have to be the very first person to spot a local ad, and head over there immediately with cash in hand, if you want any chance to beat the folks who are hustling for bricks. That's how it seems to me, anyway, as I've tried to get stuff for my kids! (Of course we buy new sets too but it's so expensive to build a collection that way.)

This is not an attack on your "way of life" by the way, because I have made purchases on bricklink myself, and I know the Lego community also benefits by the fact it is now possible to find the few very specific bricks you might need to finish a project.

gerruta11 karma

I know it isn't don't worry, it's a legit concern!

The profits are there to be made, and just like with anywhere where there's money, people will flock to it.

I personally don't like resellers that buy out every single set for sale, to try to corner the market, and that have shady practices, but I think that there can be something hypocritical about that... as I also like to make a profit and I'm paying my bills thanks to it.

I'm not nearly at the size of actually bothering anyone, since the most I've ever bought of a set at once is something like 4-5 of a large set.

but yes, you are right, it is REALLY hard to find a good deal on any site nowadays... but that's just life, it is popular, so I think that it's normal.

JebbieSans18710 karma

  1. What is your marketing strategy?

  2. What is your favorite piece?

  3. Frozen yogurt, ice cream, gelato, or sorbet?

gerruta32 karma

  1. I used to not have any. However, now, I like to keep an instagram page, that I don't update often, a youtube channel, where I'm actually more invested, as I have recently started making videos again, and want to do them about my LEGO store, and also be invested into local LEGO groups in Spain.

  2. My favorite part... that's interesting. How could people have a favorite? They all serve their purpose. Well, most of them, I think it's easier to have a least favorite! I personally love all sand green parts, love that color, I think it's amazing! What's your favorite part?

  3. ALL OF THEM! Relevant: recently I went on a trip to Florence, and I found the BEST ice cream shop ever. Nicest people, best ice cream I've ever tried (maybe gelato? not an expert). This was it: https://imgur.com/a/aBMw7fR

It was called DONDURMACI Gelateria Della Passera. This may seem like an ad, but really, it was the best ice cream I ever tried!!

resident_slacker10 karma

How profitable is your business? Are you interested in entrepreneurship fulltime?

gerruta22 karma

It's decently profitable! You just need to buy at a good price, and spend time, and LOVE it! If not, you just will go crazy.

I love entrepeneurship, always liked starting my own things, and I'm currently studying business and management.

WagonsNeedLoveToo10 karma

Huge LEGO fan here so thanks for everything you do!!! I was gifted this book a while back of MOCs with instructions and part lists. What’s the best way I can order all the bricks for a build when given the parts list? Every time I try to brick link a set I end up not being able to find a store with more than a few of the needed pieces and colors. Know there has to be a better way of sourcing all these pieces than I am using.

Thanks!!!

gerruta24 karma

Ah, that is tough. You sometimes need to get creative and see if you can use any alternative parts, or colors. It's really annoying when you need a few parts, but no store has them all, and you need to buy from 3 separate stores. I recommend using bricklink's easy buy tool. You can upload the part list to a "wanted list", and then, when you run it through the tool, it lets you know what is the most optimal combination of stores that have your parts.

Good luck, it's really hard to find one store with all of them, and if you do, you've hit the lotto!

booboothechicken9 karma

I've bought many individual bricks on various sites like Bricklink, and while sellers always have a minimum buy of a few dollars per purchase, I still can't understand how it's worthwhile to a seller. I checked out your store, and see that you have several pieces listed for under 4 cents each. If I were to buy say 500 different pieces and parts, it's only going to come out to maybe $4 or $5. I would imagine even if you had meticulous inventory, pulling all those pieces would take hours not counting the time it took you to organize it in the first place. Then on top of that, you need to package and ship.

So my question is, how is it profitable enough for you to justify spending that much time for that little amount of money?

gerruta32 karma

So what I do to combat this, since I don't like having a minimum buy set on my store, is to list my lowest shipping price at a few euros over what I pay.

In my store, if you buy under 50 grams of LEGO, I make money on shipping. It's for those small orders, when people just want a couple parts to replace broken ones, or for whatever reason. I make some money on shipping, so I'm happy to do it, and they are happy since I don't have a minimum buy, and they can just get the parts they need.

Muhdaphuka2229 karma

whats the most rare/expensive lego piece you have?

gerruta12 karma

I'm not sure if it's the most rare, but I love this tire, it's so large, I've always been amazed by it!

typed_this_now8 karma

I live in Denmark and was told by someone that the only place to get a Maersk shipping LEGO set was from the Maersk office and people re sell them online at a pretty good profit. Is there any truth in that?

gerruta7 karma

I would NOT be surprised by that. Anything that is scarce will most likely be resold for profit. That's a fact. However, I'm not sure which specific set you are talking about.

A few years ago there was a Maersk boat set for sale (that was amazing!), but it was sold by LEGO on their website, to all. I remember buying a few for parting out in my store.

sarzec8 karma

How many steering wheels do you have in stock right now?

wearer_of_boxers7 karma

I imagine there are many rare and expensive parts/pieces, do these pieces tend to be the same or are the rarest not the most expensive or vice versa?

gerruta16 karma

It's usually like a regular market, with supply and demand laws. If a part is very rare, but no one wants it, it will be cheap, if one is common, and everyone wants it, it will be normally priced. And some, that are sought after, and scarce, are the most expensive ones!

Take for example, the 4216 brick in sand green. You need 56 for the green grocer, which was retired a few years ago. They don't make the part anymore, so the price went from something like 10 cents a piece, to 3-4 euros!

ArchDucky7 karma

Have you ever taken the lego challenge? Dump a bunch on the floor and then walk through it barefoot.

gerruta17 karma

OK, I havent. It would be painful for me... if I saw all of those LEGO parts on the floor being scratched :-(

Hahaha, maybe I should try it! What would be the worst part to walk through barefoot?

_thememefrog_6 karma

What illegal building techniques have you seen?

gerruta27 karma

IAMA simple man. I see this, my brain explodes.

Turral6 karma

How much is shipping to America?

gerruta21 karma

It depends on weight. Shipping to the US from Spain, is usually between 3-4$ for really small orders, to 15-20$ for orders over 1KG. But usually then, you have a high value order, and I like to give away discounted shipping! (meant to write this as an answer, not an ad, really!)

StrangerThings836 karma

I have never owned or played with LEGOs. How should I begin to collect without spending a lot of money?

gerruta7 karma

There are a lot of currently in production, beautiful sets that you can buy at retail price, and if you are able to be patient, you can find a lot of bargains on clearance!

Also, used lots on ebay, if you can, and want to spend the times sorting through them.

And for just starting out, if you want to see if you like it, you can get really small sets, or polybags, that are beautiful, such as this vw beetle: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mp_7PlT7ckQ/maxresdefault.jpg and can give you a taste for the hobby.

NoUsername_mp46 karma

Favourite lego line? mine is architecture and i have like 15 sets!

gerruta8 karma

I LOVE the architecture line, specially the quality of it's boxes and instructions. I think that mine would be sculptures, both for parting out and building. Really like what they come up with.

sch776 karma

Is this steady business? Can you live comfortably in Spain with this income?

gerruta8 karma

I currently do, but I don't have many expenses, I don't have a family, nor own a house, etc. It's also seasonal, and not stable. I think that it's great for side income, specially if you really like to do it, but I think that it's really hard to depend on it for your life.

mj0r6 karma

does lego not sell specific pieces like that themselves? why is this even a thing?

gerruta15 karma

LEGO can only produce so many parts at a given point in time. Once they stop selling a set that has a specific part in inventory, why keep producing it? LEGO has made over 100k part types over the years...

Also, people have a bunch of LEGO in their homes, and they like to sell it, so they can get different parts, for example.

Science_Ninjaxx5 karma

What are you studying?

gerruta8 karma

I'm currently studying Business, and I finally found something that I like!

I started studying Telecommunications technologies, and also computer science, and also environmental sciences, but never really liked them. I'm not sure how I didn't think about business and management before, since I've always had a passion for starting my own businesses!

Vroomped4 karma

I've heard LEGO tires have gone through more changes than other parts. Do you have a favorite tire? Favorite part in general?

gerruta6 karma

Definitely! I have a tire in inventory, that is GIGANTIC! Look at this thing, and the rims, next to a sharpie for comparison. I couldn't find a LEGO figure at hand, but it's crazy!

As for part, not really. I do have a few least favorite parts :-P

plzdontyellatmethx3 karma

Does it even hurt when you step on one or are you immune?

gerruta8 karma

My feet are made out of LEGO bricks, so they just stick to them! Really useful for when I accidentally drop a part, don't need to bend to retrieve it!

Bagel_Prince3 karma

How do you go about pricing your pieces?

gerruta6 karma

I mostly use the price guides in bricklink. You are able to see the current price of every part for sale, by region, and every part sold in the last 6 months. You can see supply and demand, and price accordingly.

JapGon3 karma

I have alot of Lego. Do you want to buy any of if for inventory?

gerruta2 karma

Well, if you give me a good price, I don't see why not!

Unfortunately, shipping usually kills most good deals, specially if you're from another country.

tng19213 karma

I only had time to glance your store; do you have anything like the locomotive sets?

gerruta3 karma

I don't. I have a few train parts, and one cargo train set saved away. However, the beauty of it is that almost always, someone will have the parts you need for sale! I recommend you to check out bricklink.com and just use the search bar!

ottrocity2 karma

Have you played Forza Horizon 4 with the new LEGO expansion?

Do old brick sets have any value associated with them? I've got an old Creator-style set that's just a box of LEGO with a handle on it.

gerruta3 karma

I have not, it has been some time since I last gamed.

They do! There are thousands of LEGO collectors around the world that are really interested in old sets! Search for the reference number on bricklink or brickowl, and you'll be able to look around the market.

tgellen36922 karma

Is this an ad for your store?

gerruta1 karma

It isn't really! I do not expect to get any orders or anything for it, just wanted to have some fun! I did another AMA a few years ago and had a lot of fun answering the questions about what, for me, is a normal thing.

innocuous_gorilla2 karma

How much money do you spend a month on Ziploc bags?

I like to envision it like how Pablo Escobar would spend $2500 a month on rubber bands to hold all his money. You must spend a lot on Ziploc bags to hold all your Legos.

gerruta3 karma

Hahahaha, that is good! I currently have 3 sizes, small, medium, and really big. I maybe have to get a new, 1000-bag of ziploc bags every 2-3 days to replace one of them. It depends on wether I'm parting out new sets, or selling a lotf.

thescrounger2 karma

Is this a full-time job for you and how much money do you make from this?

gerruta6 karma

It is at the moment. I make enough to pay my bills, nothing crazy. I'm just a student, and I love LEGO, so I really like doing it!

willphase2 karma

How much does it annoy you when Americans say "legos"?

gerruta6 karma

I'll be honest, I know that the official way, is LEGO. And it's what TLG (the LEGO group) want you to say, however...

I think that people and language evolve to say whatever makes most sense to them, and if they want to say legos, why do I care? I'm sure LEGO cares, since they could lose their trademark maybe... but I like to live and let live!

AlaskanMooCow1 karma

What's your relationship like with LEGO, the company? Are they okay with you reselling their product? How does that work?

gerruta1 karma

I have no relationship with them. I do believe that they are OK with the second hand marketplace, as it helps fuel another side of the hobby, for people that are into building their own creations and need parts to do so. Also, it's been around for over 15 years, and nothing has happened!