Shopping for that 20 pound lot of Lego product on eBay?  Want to find a treasure trove of toys for the big or little guy for Christmas?  Well you have to learn how to sift through the alot of garbage to find the prize.  Many experienced eBay sellers will tell you that even they get duds from time to time. We usually figure on 1 out of 3 lots being mis-described.  There are many ways to cut down the chances of this.

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First...decide how big a lot you want; whether it be 5, 10, 20 or more pounds this is a must as there are different competitors at each level.  Most sellers look for the larger 30 plus pound lots.  I have actually found the best bargains in the 5-20 pound range.

Second...decide your budget.  Most of us tend to bid or buy based on a per pound limit.  If the lot is 15 pounds you may put a cap of $90 on it at $6 per pound...remember, take into account the shipping in your budget.  The better lots that contain the castle, pirate, star wars, wild west or other popular themes will, of course, bring more per pound and you will find more competition on these collections as this material dries up rather quickly on the marketplace.

Third...searching can be the key to finding the treasure.  We look for several things when searching.

• Keywords....we search under the keywords Lego Huge and Lego Large as we find this takes us to the major collections offered daily.  Sometimes a seller will also use variations of these words like Legos; while this is not how Lego(r) Corporation wants their name used, it is how the normal buyer uses it that counts in searching.  You might also try Huge Lego Lot or Collection.  The keywords are very important.  You might also try some of your own; you never know what you might luck up upon that can be a super bargain because a seller didn't use the right words in their header.
• Content...we look for a collection that has the right mix.  This includes Minifigs, Instruction Books, Specialty Parts plus the right themes you want.  There is nothing worse than getting half a set and finding out the seller has split up the collection and is selling the other half in another listing so check the sellers link for View Sellers Other Items.  I sometimes will also check out the sellers completed items as well if a collection just doesn't look right.  You will come to know what belongs where in a set.  I do not buy the comment from sellers when they state in their listings that "we're not Lego experts"...to me that is a red flag.  When you are taking someone's money, you had better know what you are doing.  I think also somewhere in there you will find "all sales final" stated (with Paypal they are not)...that brings me to the next step.
• Payment Methods...we generally look for listings that offer Paypal.  It's quick, easy and you are covered if a lot is mis-described!  Most sellers will work it out with you but there are those rare instances where the seller just wants the money and doesn't care; in those instances, and this is not common,  you can file a Paypal Significantly Mis-Described dispute and this will usually get the seller to be a bit more reasonable as Paypal will tie their funds up until it's resolved.  Now by mis-described I don't mean a few random Mega-Blocks or Tyco or other toys strewn through...this happens.  I had one last May that the seller had advertised as 33 pound genuine Lego brand and it turned out to be 25 pounds with 40 percent Mega-Block.  There is just too much out there to buy that Paypal is the only way to go.  Remember Buyer Protection Plan...if the seller won't make it right; sometimes Paypal will.
• Buy It Nows...when I search lots I pull up the Keywords , such as Lego Huge, and then search the buy it nows.  I find some of the best lots listed this way, especially when eBay has special listing days.  It's quick, easy and you don't have to bid against anyone.  Some sellers just like the option of selling fast rather than watching the bidding process and this can be your gain.  Get in the habit of looking every morning...you never know what was listed during the night.
• Learn how to tell Lego from other brands.  Remember that Lego will imprint their Logo on the nubs (or dots)...this way you can tell the difference. Learn the Lego-lingo.
• Ask Questions...most reputable sellers will answer as they want you to bid.  Ask the right questions...are they clean, are there any bite or chew marks, do they come from a smoke-free home (believe it or not this is important as lego is a plastic and is porous and retains odors), shipping options, ask for a weight of the product alone (many list the weight after it's packaged and this can be misleading).  Ask any question...when you are spending hundreds of dollars it IS important.  Save the email answers until you receive you collection and varify it is as described.  protect yourself.  Communicate only through eBay's forwarding (email) system as this also protects you from SPAM and there is a ready copy of your correspondence in your "my messages" section of your account page (also known as MY EBAY).
• Search Other Sellers Bids...let other sellers do your work for you.  Some don't use sniping software and you can let them do your work for you.  Simply go to ADVANCED SEARCH at the top of any eBay page and click, then click on ITEMS BY BIDDER, type in their eBay name and click SEARCH.  Even if they use a secondary bidding account they can't hide their tracks.  Let them do your searching for you...you might also want to click on completed items and find out what other sellers use as keywords to search for collections.  To find the bidders names, simply click on BID HISTORY on the completed listings and the list of bidders will be there; unless it's a private auction.
• Feedback...okay this one is mis-leading and we don't really let it influence our decisions unless the feedback is really bad.  If you are on eBay long enough you will have bumps in the road.  Many sellers now do not leave first feedback...eBay has made feedback a requirement to participate in advanced groups and sellers just do not take a chance any more so this is really not a good indicator.  Ebay requires Power Sellers to play by the rules and holds them to a higher level in the community...look for the Power Seller logo when buying.  These people have met eBay's requirements.  I look at the total feedback score...if the seller is a 3,000 but has 18,000 total feedback this tells me that they have alot of repeat business.  That means more to me...

We encourage our regular customers to feel free to ask us questions and we will help you whenever we can...so feel free to send us questions if you are not sure of something on the system.

Treasures of the Emerald Coast is not affiliated with Lego (r) in any way.