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In lugnet.general, Bryan Kinkel wrote:
> It has been a while since the bulk selection offered by Lego Shop@Home as
> been expanded beyond a new release or two. (Where are the gray tiles!?)
>
> And this got me thinking -
>
> A. Did the arrival of BrickLink create a viable alternative to bulk sales
> offered by Lego Direct?
What I find so interesting about this question is that all LEGO ultimately comes
from the same source: TLG itself. Now, understanding that, there are certain
Bricklink sellers who buy multiple sets for the sole purpose of parting them out
and re-selling them. You would expect for the price to be somewhat higher than
what TLG offers (the price of buying the piece you want in the quantity you
want).
However, lets take Troy's Surplus for example - he sells the Dark Grey 1x2 brick
for .04 a piece! TLG sells it at .06 a piece - at the max discount of 15%, it
is .052 per piece.
So, either Troy is buying in bulk, parting them out, and taking a severe cut.
OR TLG isn't selling at the lowest profitable price they can. Or there are
hidden costs in supply to bulk, that Troy avoids by parting himself.
> B. Because we have 1,056 (1) sellers on BrickLink, is there any need for
> bulk sales from Lego Direct?
While not all of TLG's prices are below Bricklink, many are. And also, TLG
offers an almost endless supply. If you want four hundred 1x2 bricks, BL is the
place to go. If you want 14,000 - even at the higher price, TLG is better
because they have the product in the quantity.
> C. Do you think BrickLink has had any influence on the decision making
> process at Lego Direct regarding the bulk offerings?
I sometimes wonder that myself. I also wonder about how they decide in relation
to high price items on BL - no example comes to mind, but i know some high
priced piece were dropped in value because TLG suddenly came out with a set
featuring that item at a really reasonable price or quantity (well, the 1x3x2
white half arch - used to be nowhere to be seen, now because of the space
shuttle set, I'd expect to see them alot around, and cheap).
> D. Why do you purchase Lego elements through Shop@Home versus BrickLink? Or
> BrickLink over Shop@Home?
Usually when i do it, for the same reason you said - they offer free shipping
over 100, but ive only got 80 in sets.. ahh, throw in a few 1x4 greys or
trans-white bricks.
-lenny
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