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No unethical practices were acted out in order to reach these prices. Nor was any price matching done. I simply asked a walmart associate if I could speak to a manager about items in the clearance isle. When the person came back, they introduced themselves as the CSM and ask "How may I help you?" I simply said I would like to purchase all their Star Wars advent calendars and was hoping she could give me a better price on them. They were marked @ $20. She said " what were you hoping to purchase them for? and I replied $10 each. She then agreed to meet me half way at $15 each. Then I asked about the Lego Jokerland set with the box all beat up on and marked down to $89. Said I would like to purchase it as well if she could also give me a better price on it. She took the box with her and came back about 2 mins later with a new price tag of $57.85 What is the worst thing they will do...say "No"........that is why I said it never hurts to ask. And yes...I have been turn down before. The last time I was in there to make a deal I walked out with 2 Razor Drift Karts for $ 80 each marked down to $100 from $300 Maybe I should not be sharing this idea....but it is nothing new....it is called bargaining. Good luck out there and never hesitate to ask..????

Note to self: stalk the store manager at my WM and figure out when he visits the clearance section

Bought a used 10212 Imperial Shuttle off eBay for $282.00 and $22.00 back in eBay bucks - I think with the bucks back it makes it a pretty good deal No minifigures included. He's trying his best to find the instructions, which would make it a much better score. He says only 1 disc piece is missing from the entire build (which I can pull from the Lego Batman Movie Mr. Freeze set). Hoping it's in good shape when it arrives next week!

I also vote for responding to a message about damage. I always assume I'm getting scammed, but communicate as if the person on the other end has the best of intentions. I never offer a discount for damage. What I do is send a message apologizing and explaining in detail how to initiate a return. I don't say anything about shipping being at their expense; they will figure that out if they actually follow through on a return. All my listings include a 20% restocking fee, which I have yet to charge on a return. It's more of an insurance policy if something is fishy. In some cases, it could protect you against losses with a damaged box or missing pieces. I sold a woman a built Tardis recently split from the Ideas Dr. Who. She wrote me very upset about the size of the Tardis. Bought it as a Christmas gift for her neice and thought it was something more substantial. Here's how I handled it: HER: Built from the box... Where is the box, instructions? This thing is tiny! I can't give this to my niece for Xmas. Seriously disappointed. ME: This sale was for the Tardis only. Box and instructions are not included. I do accept returns. Go to Purchases. To the right of the item click on More Options. Then Return Item. Follow instructions from there. Cheers, [me] She opens a return. Return reason was 'changed mind.' In the comments section of the return she writes, I thought it was a real Lego set that you build. It s basically a plastic box with a Lego top and very small. Wow! A restocking fee???? Unbelievable! And I have to pay for shipping it back???? So I get what, like $10 back?? I feel bad for her, and email her this: Hey [her], It's [me] from EBay. Sorry about the misunderstanding about the LEGO Doctor Who Tardis. There is a silver lining. I have located the set at a LEGO Store that is close to you, and it's on sale. Here is a description of the set: https://shop.lego.com/en-US/Doctor-Who-21304 Here is the LEGO Store near you: [address] Here is their phone number: [phone #] I just called them and they have the set in stock. When you arrive ask for, "The Doctor Who Ideas Set." It's due for retirement at the end of the year, so if you want this set for your niece, this is the month to pick it up. I hope this helps, [me] She then closes the return writing, I'm going to keep it. Thank you for the legwork on the Lego store, but I purposely don't shop at that overpriced mall. Plus around christmas, parking is horrid. That s why I shop on ebay. Who knows if it was my buyer-unfriendly return policy or my friendly email that dissuaded her, but this is how I like to handle returns.

Finished! This was a quick and relatively inexpensive way to pad my UCS collection ($110 + shipping). Wasn't sure what size to expect but it's a decent size and also narrow enough to store once I bust out the bigger UCS sets

WALL-E is my most favourite Ideas set till now. Though I reserve the option to change my preference after the upcoming Apollo 11 Saturn V set comes out. I have high hopes for that set!

Still trying to figure out how you were scammed though?

Set numbers on BL need a suffix. Most of the time it's -1. So for the UCS MF it would be 10179-1. Sometimes set numbers are reused so the -2 comes in. For example, Sears Tower is 21000-1 but Willis Tower is 21000-2. Hope that helps.

Cheating again with another sizable Halo Pelican Gunship. Fun build and it took a few nights.

$5 in suprised points, $4 in my points and I got this:

Winter Toy Shop $68 on amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015OYWEBO

70904 - Clayface Splat Attack - 448 pieces If you weren't convinced yet that this is a cool set, check out this excellent New Elementary post which shows just how much new Medium Nougat comes with the set and what you can do with those pieces. A definite must-have for your parts collection! http://www.newelementary.com/2017/01/medium-nougat-dark-flesh-lego-batman-clayface.html

Woo thanks! Wife might like this one as a surprise, or she may continue saying "stop buying lego sets"

It does it fact come with legs...built it the other day on lunch.

Don't usually post in this thread but thought this purchase was interesting. Was browsing through a local shop who sell some lego, to my surprise they had several 21023 Flatiron, surprising as they never stock Architecture sets. Asked for price and told as set is no longer "being produced" they were selling for 50% off. I usually stay away from Architecture sets as too hard to predict retirements. Not really expecting much from this set, doubt it will even reach 1.5 RRP in Europe, and it will probably be a slow seller, but 50% off a retired set seems like a low risk gamble to me.

Lego valentine dog back in stock for 9.99 at amazon https://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Bricks-Valentines-Cupid-Building/dp/B019VRTJYU/?

Repricers deserve a complaint thread all their own.

I actually hate it even more when seller sends counteroffer that is only 1 cent less than their original BIN price. Just say no so we can move on with our lives

I hate when people don't bother responding. Just say yes or no. I hate when I get the "Offer Expired" notification, both on offers I place and counteroffers I send.

A complaint about myself: Why is it that when I send in a "Best Offer" on EBay I get nervous when the seller hasn't responded yet after 3hrs? What experience made me into this immediate gratification person that can't wait a day or so? I blame our email culture of course - back when I started working (late 90-ies) you had 24-48hrs to respond to messages. When I left corporate America the expectation had gone up to almost text-messaging speed - 1-2hrs turnaround. I guess that has conditioned my brain .......

In post a week or so ago, someone indicated it is likely to happen at start of week 6. I believe my KMT just hit the start of week 3. I believe weeks 3, 4 and 5 keep toys at 30%.

I've seen a lot of stories here in the past week, gotten several PMs from other Brickpickers, plus my own experience (a few pages back)... all leads me to one conclusion: perhaps due to the holiday "boom", Amazon is dealing with (probably) thousands of A-to-z claims everyday right now. They are making a new, "special" effort to cut their losses on these claims. Maybe solely at their own discretion, or perhaps they given the (outsourced) claims department some special incentive to reduce those losses...? There's no way to know, but clearly they are taking a new, harder line on us sellers, making us shoulder the cost of claims whenever possible, facts or reason be damned. Scammers are clearly aware of the change... they know that Amazon is churning through these claims without paying attention to the details right now; they know that they have the upper hand when buying from a 3PS (the customer is always right); so they are running more scams and pocketing free money while they can. From what I've seen in the Amazon Seller Help Forum, the best defense for FBM sellers right now is to ship signature required, at least on higher dollar items.. To defend against Item Not Received claims, it shouldn't be necessary. But Amazon is ignoring their own policy on this.

For Minifigures, check out Fun in the Park. Also browse the Creator theme. That theme specifically feels like the spiritual descendant of the LEGO I grew up on. The Robo Explorer and Mighty Dinosaur are next on my list for personal builds.

Some great deals here. I already messaged the seller though before responding here so that nobody got in ahead of me.

Set items need a suffix, e.g. 30303-1 for the Joker Bumper Car polybag. The "-1" part is because there have been number re-uses in LEGO's 50+ year history, so you might find two different sets with the same number. For all modern sets, assume the suffix is always "-1". Also helps to avoid confusion between parts (no suffix) and sets (suffix) with the same number.

I did some bargaining with the CSM and she lowered the prices down for me =) Never hurts to ask and be polite on top of it.....

I wasn't sure where to post this but thought I'd share, I was able to get a local radio station (99.3 cfox in Vancouver) to give Brickpicker.com a plug on their morning show today.

I wasn't buying anything today...but they had Batman Lego Movie sets at yoyo with 15% and I still had my $25 Hatchimal fiasco credit. So Joker Balloon, Catwoman, and Riddler for $36 shipped. Might not be the best "value", but I want as many of these ready to build when my daughter and I get home from the movie next month.

If you're worried about the wire shelves damaging your Lego boxes, just break down those shipping boxes and line them. More than enough padding to keep those boxes looking minty fresh for FBA.

Lego store Houston had tons on the shelf yesterday discounted to $45 I think. I'm not going back until the disco Batman polybag so hopefully one of you picks them up

Masochist.

My honest opinion at this price point is; the only way is up! If you check this forum you shall see that there is a lot of negatism about this set. Compared to other modulars, this one had the longest lifespan. A lot of Brickpickers think that this set is 'overhoarded' and therefore have less expectations regarding possible gains than other modulars that retired. But when I look at Marktplaats (local EBay) I see that this set is growing steadily to €175,-/€180,- already. Let's put it otherwise; I'm glad I have 9 of this set. 4 of this I have bought at RRP. I'm confident that you can get a good return on this set. Especially when you have a long breath and don't sell immediately.

Found at Checkout aisle...

But there is an "insulting offer" threshold. I always assume the person wants to meet 1/2 way between their offer and my price. If they bid so low that I wouldn't even consider that number, the person isn't serious about what I consider a reasonable price and just wants to see how desperate I am. At that point, negotiating is a waste of my time and I'll just decline. I guess it depends on what kind of person you are. Would you rather be told to eff off, or be ignored?

Or when they just decline (but no autodecline, those are immediate and you can recognize them quite easily). At least show your willingness to bargain, or don't put the "Or Best Offer" option up at all .....

Just visited my liquidating KMT. Toys are now at 30%. Appears they restocked the entire Lego aisle since I was last there. In addition, the entire store looks restocked. I will be holding out until it hits 40%. I bought just a few healthcare items. 25% clearance pricing plus 30% back in points. They just will not let you use any coupons.

If it is not new then don't list it as new (new to Amazon means bought from the manufacturer or an authorized distributor with invoices to back it up if they ask). New means no tape, residue or electrical tape. When doing retail arbitrage on restricted items my advice would be to follow amazon's policy. You may get away with small things here and there for a time but what happens when you get a complaint of "fake" or inauthentic and a few weeks later you get that special message from a bot stating your account is suspended until you provide manufacturer invoices and permission from TLG to sell on Amazon? The other choice is to sell as "collectible". Problem is your items are used and not collectible and again you are skirting Amazon policy. It is against policy to sell used toys on Amazon. You may get away with it for a time until you piss off the wrong buyer and then you are suspended until you can come up with invoices. My advice with Amazon is to play the long game. Think of all the revenue and profits it can generate for you over the next 10-20 years (many millions) vs a few hundred bucks in profit selling a used item as new or collectible. Is it worth risking millions long term for a quick buck now? Facebook, ebay, brick classifieds are perfect to sell items that you are not allowed to list on Amazon. You may not get top dollar but the odds of those transactions banning your amazon selling account are zero. Now it comes down to risking millions for twenty to thirty dollars left on the table. My advice play it smart, play it long term, and profit. FBA is an insanely good value to a seller and an excellent choice for Lego if you have long term plans as an Amazon seller. Getting grandfathered into Lego was a huge gift from Bezos so I'd follow policy and do everything possible to make it last.

My bad, VAT in Belgium bring the price to £50.41 (+shipping), picked one anyway.

Yep, think so

The knob makes the wings on the Flying Time Vessel slowly flap up & down when turned if I remember right. I recall seeing this in store way back in the day.

The issue is u are dealing with Amazon at that point and not the buyer ... ur options are limited when it comes to "fake" or not as described .. if u choose to fight it before having ur item back, u stand a good chance of being out of product and money . So say u try to tell Amazon u sent the right authentic product but u have no proof - invoice - then it turns into a he said she said situation and buyer has upper hand. A prepaid label moves the ball back into buyer court and u would have something to use as proof of a scam if the item sent back is not the original item . * not saying it is 100% win but seller's odd of winning claim would be significantly higher

Not sure if this belongs here or in the Gaming thread! Linked to me by a gamer buddy who knows I'm a Lego and Destiny fan. Check the Youtube for the full layout, but the Fallen Walker is by far the highlight! https://youtu.be/PlGlz_7_F7Q

That's like 15 of the same scam that I'm aware. Most are in different states as well. Is there some scam blog out there telling how to win a-z claims?

The lot of you... You are All my undercutters! I love to hate you! I have to ride the 7th wave on account of these absurd buy-ins! And yet I manage to make a profit.... [emoji3]

Really can't see this failing in the UK. Literally every one of 60 million people knows Doctor Who and merchandise and memorabilia is very popular and collectible. It's just not necessarily the same people who go on SAH. Give it a year or two and Dr Who back on telly and this will skyrocket.

@exciter1 said it was a great build so I know I need to pry open the wallet for one. Waiting until 2/16 (I think it is) to use towards LEGO Shop at Home Disco/Tears Batman poly promo. Maybe PM with the batcave today at TRU.

Amazon Music is a must for me too. I like albums, since I'm old school.

The first claim, I've been discussing here all morning... status: Claim Granted / Seller Funded. Now I'm just trying to decide what's the best way to appeal. The second claim I responded as follows: This is NOT a claim for 'Item Not As Described'. This is an 'Item Not Received' claim and needs to be handled as such. I suspect the buyer may have given the wrong claim reason in order to receive faster refund. The item WAS shipped on time, and was in no way 'materially different' than the product listing. Buyer's claim is null for this reason. Please have the buyer explain exactly HOW the item is different than the product listing. If this is an 'Item Not Received' claim, I am prepared to provide proof of delivery for Amazon. ... I doubt I will have any success with that, but thought I'd try something different than just providing tracking info, etc. Claim Status is "Under Review"

Check Lego at May the 4th. Likely be a decent SW offer given the 40th anniversary. With VIP it should compare favourably to the Smyths offers.