Author:  runner.caller  Posted:  Dec 1, 2023 15:59  Subject:  Re: perhaps a taboo inquiry about making money  Viewed:  68 times  Topic:  Selling Cancel Reply	BrickLink ID Card runner.caller (2656) Location:  USA, South Dakota Member Since Contact Type Status Jan 18, 2014 Seller Store: A Minifig Galore Store
In Selling, madeleine_ writes:    i'm sure for many people bricklink is simply a hobby, as for me, but the shops at the top can't be sinking thousands of hours and dollars into something because it's fun right? i want to know where these colossal stores find their profit. as a super tiny store, my investment in little ebay listing or lots is minimal, and any profit tends to come from shipping costs. i'd love to expand, but with no guarantee of orders, it's a little daunting to invest money into items that might only be worth $10 more than i get it for. also i only care about bionicle. lol. I've really only ever invested in bulk used lots with figs or used fig only lots. The profit comes from the labor to sort the valuable stuff out. Here's a few historical examples with numbers. I wouldn't say it's typical bc I don't buy enough to have a typical quantified experience flipping used eBay lots. 50-lbs lot of bulk + figs purchased for $468 I pulled 7-lbs of figs / accessories out and the BL value was $1145 Combined 10 used lots together and sorted all at once. 77-lbs purchased for $430 Listed 6-lbs of valuable stuff worth $1793 Then, all the leftover can be sorted to as high of a level as wanted. I dump a lot of it to FB marketplace at that point bc space and time requirements don't allow me to scrape every penny out of it. Here's a pic of all the bonk parts I siphoned out of a bunch of lots once upon a time which happened to have a protodermis mask hiding in it.

Message is in Reply To:

perhaps a taboo inquiry about making money - madeleine_ (31)

i'm sure for many people bricklink is simply a hobby, as for me, but the shops at the top can't be sinking thousands of hours and dollars into something because it's [...] (6 months ago, Nov 28, 2023, to Selling)

Message Has 1 Reply:

Re: perhaps a taboo inquiry about making money - EclecticHoarder (4)

[...] This is fascinating - thank you for sharing! :) Where do you find those types of bulk lots? How can you be sure that another dealer hadn't sorted through them [...] (6 months ago, Dec 3, 2023, to Selling)

48 Messages in this Thread:

 Msg 1 - madeleine_ (31) 6 months ago Nov 28, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 2 - wildchicken13 (876) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 3 - Nubs_Select (3821) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 4 - peregrinator (783) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 5 - wildchicken13 (876) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 6 - peregrinator (783) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 7 - wildchicken13 (876) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 8 - 1001bricks (52467) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 9 - Nubs_Select (3821) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 10 - wildchicken13 (876) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 11 - 1001bricks (52467) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 12 - wildchicken13 (876) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 13 - eileenkeeney (1610) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 14 - Procook131 (556) 6 months ago Dec 1, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 15 - cosmicray (3498) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 16 - yorbrick (1185) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 17 - cosmicray (3498) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 18 - madeleine_ (31) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 19 - Macaronis (725) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 20 - wildchicken13 (876) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 21 - zorbanj (827) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 22 - Macaronis (725) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 23 - wildchicken13 (876) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 24 - 1001bricks (52467) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 25 - kzinti (4925) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 26 - wahiggin (2867) 6 months ago Nov 29, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 27 - rtzx9r (1037) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 28 - BrickDeals (2813) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 29 - Nubs_Select (3821) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 30 - Nubs_Select (3821) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 31 - helge (24141) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 32 - Nubs_Select (3821) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 33 - Admin_Russell 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 34 - Nubs_Select (3821) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 35 - 1001bricks (52467) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 36 - Stellar (3536) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 37 - helge (24141) 6 months ago Dec 1, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 38 - 0to60 (5819) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 39 - yorbrick (1185) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 40 - 1001bricks (52467) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 41 - 1001bricks (52467) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 42 - yorbrick (1185) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 43 - 1001bricks (52467) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 44 - SylvainLS (46) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 45 - 1001bricks (52467) 6 months ago Nov 30, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 46 - helge (24141) 6 months ago Dec 1, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 47 « - runner.caller (2656) 6 months ago Dec 1, 2023 to Selling
 Msg 48 - EclecticHoarder (4) 6 months ago Dec 3, 2023 to Selling