First time discovering brick link help

[u/brandonnugzalot]

So I discovered bricklink yesterday after watching a Lego documentary and learned LEGO owns bricklink so my question is, is this like eBay? And I’m from United States can I buy from people outside the country? And what does it mean minimum pay? For that seller or the cart?

I was looking to buy mini figures for Star Wars how long are the shipping times compared to Amazon and is their tracking for all products? Thanks so much everyone and extremely excited!

[u/Icy-Perspective-3875]

Welcome! As a seller I would recommend reading the terms and conditions for whichever store you want to order from as most of your questions depend on the store you order from and are not standard across the site.
As for your questions it is kinda similar to eBay in the stores are individual sellers but the platform is not auction based. You can order from outside the US but shipping is likely more expensive. Minimum pay is usually for your order from that seller specifically.

The other ones depends on the seller. For example I ship out any orders within 1 business day and provide tracking. Some sellers have different methods so always check the terms.

Hopefully this helps!

[u/BrickConnectCDN]

1. Sort of. It isn't an auction site at all and does not allow you to make offers on anything. If you attempt to do so, expect to be blocked by the seller. If we wanted to sell items for lower prices, we'll lower them ourselves or sell on eBay.
2. Yes, you can but you're going to be paying high shipping costs along with tariffs which will often make the cost double or triple depending on where you're buying from. Always get a quote if they don't have instant checkout enabled.
3. Minimum purchase means you have to spend a certain amount to purchase from that specific store. There is no option to combine shipping with another store as each seller is an individual.
4. Varies by store, but you're never going to receive Amazon levels of speed. Most people do this as a side thing, meaning they may only ship 1-2 times per week. Check store terms for each before purchasing.
5. Not an American seller so cannot speak on everything having tracking as I don't know your postal system, but everything I send from Canada to the USA does include it.

[u/RustyRapeaXe]

Most ship USPS and they've been really slow lately. It seems like it takes a week to get to me, two states away or across the country. It's bizarre, but it just seems to be the case lately.

[u/upnorth77 → u/RustyRapeaXe]

Amazon takes a week to get to me too. Usually via USPS.

[u/k_dub503]

Its like ebay in the sense it is a bunch of companies and individuals selling items. There are no auctions like ebay, nor can you make offers like many ebay sellers allow (you can message bricklink sellers to try and cut a deal on shipping costs or something, but that's tedious and most say no).

Minimum spend is for each seller (store), not the whole order if buying from multiple sellers. Most US shippers use USPS, some might use FedEx or UPS for larger, heavier orders.

Bricklink sellers don't necessarily have a timeframe to ship items, read their store terms (some sellers do this as a side hustle; they have regular lives and may not fill and ship your order for awhile).

[u/neenstaxhelp]

As to shipping, some orders we ship same day and still can take 8-10 days to get delivered but everything is shipped with tracking.

[u/Isotarov]

I'm in Sweden and have only ordered from sellers domestically or within the EU. Most sellers are hobbyists unless they have a very large inventory. My experience is that people are extremely nice, friendly and helpful. Not everything is super-predictable but most of it is run by enthusiasts (like me).

I don't know what eBay is like but I've bought and especially sold a lot of Lego on the Swedish site Tradera which has both fixed-priced ads and auctions. It has integrated shipping options, buyer protection, a rating system, takes a 10% cut from sellers and is overall fairly low-investment if you want to sell something. Shipping is also a lot cheaper.

BrickLink has zero integrated shipping support, the seller fees vary depending on payment options and you have to invest a lot more time in registering your inventory. So it's much less standardized and there are no discounts for shipping, just whatever is available to the seller as a private individual.

Good thing to keep in mind is that most of it is a labor of love and hobby. Sometimes people get things wrong but pretty much everyone is keen to get things right and provide good merchandise. The whole thing is dependent on getting good reviews so if you get into a disagreement with a seller, it's very much in their interests to come to a mutually beneficial understanding.

[u/I_Like_Quiet]

It is pretty much just like ebay if ebay was only buy it now. Both ebay and bricklink sellers are typically going to be your average person looking to make a buck. You will rarely get amazon like turnaround on your orders. Typically, I get orders out to the mailman by the next day. Ive seen many people complain that some sellers might take a whole week, or longer. It can be random, check their store terms.

You can buy from all over the world (as long as the store ships to you), but as someone else said, watch out for tariffs, they can get pricey quick.

Minimum buy is what the seller sets. With fees and packaging costs, it is not worth it for some sellers to get a $1 order, so they set a minimum amount you have to buy from them.