Brick Owl is a small but really interesting marketplace because all they sell is Lego. Dan and I have always said that if a new marketplace is to succeed then their best chance is to go niche and that’s exactly what Brick Owl have done.
Dan’s recently sold some Lego and can attest to the fact that the toy is as popular as ever. Prices never seem to bottom out and, whilst sets sell more than individual parts, if you’ve lost one custom brick from your set then Brick Owl will almost certainly come up trumps for you.
Cross Border Trade is up and running on Brick Owl (You’ll already find retailers from around the world) and the only downside to the site that I can see is that with prices for individual bricks low, customers will end up paying relatively high postage rates. However, if you’re sensible you’ll get a Lego shopping list together and make multiple purchases from a single retailers store to minimise the postage costs.
Brick Owl first came into being as a website for the owners to sell their own childhood Lego, but when they realised there was much more demand for parts than they were able to supply themselves, they decided to create a marketplace that would allow other sellers to have a full storefront.
Payment on Brick Owl is handled with PayPal. They also have an interesting Wishlist buying tool, you build your list and Brick Owl will figure out which sellers have the majority of the parts you need to cut down on shipping costs.
Brick Owl have a decent traffic ranking, so if you have Lego you want to sell then the Brick Owl marketplace looks like it is well worth considering. If you already use Brick Owl we’d be interested to know how the buying and selling experience differs from more general marketplaces.
Dan adds: I’ve been astonished by how much my old Lego from the 1980s has achieved pricewise. Those little spacemen remain popular and pricey. The castle Lego too with knights and the like is also most sought after. If you’ve got a big old box of Lego, you can make a few quid on it. Don’t sell it as a job lot though and weigh it it by the kilo. Split out the popular items.
