Are Bricklink Sellers Legit?

[Lego David]

I was just looking for Dino Attack Raptors on Bricklink and came across something really strange:

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?id=56970#T=S&O={"minqty":"100","iconly":0}

Plenty of sellers claim to have more than 400, even 1000 of those! The Dino Attack Raptor only came in two sets with limited release, so it's literally impossible to own so many of them. Alright, maybe you somehow managed to get like 100, but 1000? That's absolutely impossible.

Can anyone explain to me how can those sellers own so many of them? Are they even legit?

[Peppermint_M]

They are based in Germany. Not only is there a superb pick a brick at the Legoland, but "animals" are available there to purchase. There is also a discount tent, another source of sets and parts.

Also, the "era" of the sets, LEGO sets were "dumped" on some markets, low prices and surplus of sets available, or even available in discount chains at a steal of a price. I managed to get a fair amount of Knights Kingdom at rock bottom prices back then.

So yes, it is legit. Dino Attack is also Dino 2010, so there might have been a wider release of sets with that dinosaur. I think my brother got one in a supermarket here in the UK.

[Lego David]

1 hour ago, Peppermint_M said:

They are based in Germany. Not only is there a superb pick a brick at the Legoland, but "animals" are available there to purchase. There is also a discount tent, another source of sets and parts.

Also, the "era" of the sets, LEGO sets were "dumped" on some markets, low prices and surplus of sets available, or even available in discount chains at a steal of a price. I managed to get a fair amount of Knights Kingdom at rock bottom prices back then.

So yes, it is legit. Dino Attack is also Dino 2010, so there might have been a wider release of sets with that dinosaur. I think my brother got one in a supermarket here in the UK.

Well... That explains a lot. But still there is that seller from Hong Kong that has like 1100 in his store. Even if he got them at an incredible low price, I still can't see how he managed to get so many of them.

Edited May 3, 2019 by Lego David

[MAB]

The German and Polish sellers are well known legit bulk sellers. I've never bought from the HK one, but have no reason not to believe they are legit, given their feedback and other store contents.

 

These sellers are able to buy huge quantities of parts direct from discount factories or other routes - not from sets.

[Mylenium]

3 hours ago, Lego David said:

Can anyone explain to me how can those sellers own so many of them?

The ways of LEGO parts bulk lots are as mysterious as the ways of the lord... It's perfectly possible, though. Especially for small and mid-sized sets people often underestimate how many of them are actually on the market and for the right price it will be easy enough to buy the leftovers after they've been EOL'd. The sets in question seem to fit that bill nicely, so it's not impossible one of the resellers bought an entire palette of unsold sets from a big retail/ grocery store chain for a very low price that could last for another ten years. Therefore I'd say it's legit, surprising as it may seem that they still have such large quantities available after so many years.

Mylenium

[LEGO Historian]

Sometimes even LEGO model shop surplus parts make it to the Bricklink market.  I once bought 210 of the Maersk blue 1x1 round bricks (never found in any set) from a UK BL seller.  He said he got them from the Windsor model shop.  At the time 7 UK sellers were the only stores that had them.

Edited May 4, 2019 by LEGO Historian