Best site for selling?

[Desultor]

Hi folks, I've only sold two LEGO sets, but have had a lot of experience selling collectible playing cards (MTG) on eBay. I've found that "buy it now" tends to give the seller more money than an auction listing, if the value is reasonably predictable. I assume the really rare stuff would be better sold as an auction, but I don't have any of that. Anywho, how does Amazon or Bricklink compare to eBay, for the seller? Please include factors like fees and selling tools. Thanks! EDIT: sorry - the poll should be "Bricklink" not "Brickset."

[stephen_rockefeller]

I want to say that strictly from an exposure standpoint EBay is the way to go. How to list the set is tricky, as I believe you already stated, it depends on the set. Some less desirable sets would probably benefit from a buy it now, the ones that everyone wants I.E. the 10179 and a handful of others would probably benefit from listing it auction style. In these cases you will have many different bidders all wanting the set so human nature dictates that at least a few of those bidders are willing to pay a little extra to get that set......my $0.02

[Ed Mack]

Overall, EBAY gives you the most exposure and protection for selling your item. Amazon is a great place to buy an item, but selling an item like a Lego set is less than optimal with no real photos or description options. Bricklink is a solid choice with low commissions. It has less exposure, but anybody who uses it is a Lego fan. As for auction vs. buy it now, an auction with a higher starting point for the item is the way to go. At least you can set you minimum price and still hope for a bidding war.

[quakerlaker91]

I didn't figure this out until recently, but in terms of fees, the eBay Buy it Now (fixed price) is actually cheaper than the auction option for higher priced items. I always felt that auctions are a little risky, because there is always the chance that your item sells for way less than you intended, whereas with BIN you are guaranteed the desired price, assuming it sells.

[stephen_rockefeller]

I didn't figure this out until recently, but in terms of fees, the eBay Buy it Now (fixed price) is actually cheaper than the auction option for higher priced items. I always felt that auctions are a little risky, because there is always the chance that your item sells for way less than you intended, whereas with BIN you are guaranteed the desired price, assuming it sells.

that is what I'm saying....if its a desirable set, you are more than likely get what you want out of it listing it auction style.... maybe a little more because like Ed said a bidding war is likely to occur.

[Huskers1236]

that is what I'm saying....if its a desirable set, you are more than likely get what you want out of it listing it auction style.... maybe a little more because like Ed said a bidding war is likely to occur.

Exactly. If I have a set that I know is going to get a lot of views/bids, I run with the auction. On a set that will get little run, I go with a buy it now that I am happy with, but a price that should sell too. Auctions are crazy, just sold a 7743 a couple weeks ago for over $55, but couldn't give it away for $35 when I had it as a BIN, you never know.

[Teachdaire]

From a fee perspective, Bricklink is the way to go. Exposure wise, Ebay is much better and offers a little more protection. I think that ultimately it depends on how long you want to wait, if you're not in a rush to sell, use Bricklink. If, on the other hand you want to get your money out so you can buy more sets, use Ebay. Fee breakdown(simplified): Ebay fees start at 9% of final sale price and go up from there depending on how it's listed(if you have an Ebay store it's a little different). On top of that, you have 2.9% for paypal(unless it's an international transaction, at 3.5%). Plus, you pay full fees on any shipping that you charge. (I don't think there's a need to talk too much about insertion fees because regular accounts get 50 free listings a month, if you go over those you're looking at a maximum of $2 for each basic auction listing). Bricklink starts at 3% and scales down to as low as 1% depending on the order batch total, no fees for shipping cost. Example: if you're selling a 10179 UCS Millenium Falcon for about $2000, it'll cost you (depending on how you list it) a minimum of $238 on Ebay (using paypal and standard auction), and on Bricklink only $35 for bricklink fees + $58 for paypal (which you can avoid by using other methods). So a savings of $145 just on this one sale. Ebay fees are a lot more complicated than this, but I wanted to keep it simple .

[stephen_rockefeller]

Gotta love feebay!!

[Miro78]

From a fee perspective, Bricklink is the way to go. Exposure wise, Ebay is much better and offers a little more protection. I think that ultimately it depends on how long you want to wait, if you're not in a rush to sell, use Bricklink. If, on the other hand you want to get your money out so you can buy more sets, use Ebay.

Fee breakdown(simplified):

Ebay fees start at 9% of final sale price and go up from there depending on how it's listed(if you have an Ebay store it's a little different). On top of that, you have 2.9% for paypal(unless it's an international transaction, at 3.5%). Plus, you pay full fees on any shipping that you charge. (I don't think there's a need to talk too much about insertion fees because regular accounts get 50 free listings a month, if you go over those you're looking at a maximum of $2 for each basic auction listing).

Bricklink starts at 3% and scales down to as low as 1% depending on the order batch total, no fees for shipping cost.

Example: if you're selling a 10179 UCS Millenium Falcon for about $2000, it'll cost you (depending on how you list it) a minimum of $238 on Ebay (using paypal and standard auction), and on Bricklink only $35 for bricklink fees + $58 for paypal (which you can avoid by using other methods). So a savings of $145 just on this one sale.

Ebay fees are a lot more complicated than this, but I wanted to keep it simple .

Thanks for breaking it down for us. I have a store on Bricklink, and I haven't sold a thing on Ebay for about 9 years. Wow, things sure turned bad for Ebay in the last years. I don't think I'll be selling through them. I'll stick with Bricklink even if I have to wait longer.

Miro

[Ed Mack]

Thanks for breaking it down for us. I have a store on Bricklink, and I haven't sold a thing on Ebay for about 9 years. Wow, things sure turned bad for Ebay in the last years. I don't think I'll be selling through them. I'll stick with Bricklink even if I have to wait longer.

Miro

As stated earlier, each marketplace has positives and negatives. I have had excellent experiences with all three, but I don't believe EBAY is doing poorly by any means. Quite the contrary. It is a machine, but it doesn't work well for every seller or buyer. Many people like the Mom and Pop feel of Bricklink. There is a need for such a marketplace and Bricklink is an excellent resource for the LEGO collector and would highly recommend it to any LEGO fan.

That being said, the safety and security of EBAY and Paypal is second to none in this type of marketplace and if I was selling high priced LEGO sets, I would pay the extra commission for a piece of mind and the extra exposure, but that is just my opinion. Many sellers do quite well with Bricklink and their system.