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Design byME vs. Pick a Brick

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« on: August 01, 2011, 12:55:28 pm »

Hey all ye builders. I have a question:

I have a gift card for LEGO, and I am unsure on something. If I were to build a small model on LDD, would I save any money if I bought all the required bricks through Pick a Brick? Or is Design byME approximately the same cost anyway? What are the advantages of going through Design byME (do they have any extra bricks?), or is it better to drop the cool box and instructions and get the bricks through Pick a Brick?

You opinion is appreciated!
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« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2011, 03:11:56 pm »

Hey all ye builders. I have a question:

I have a gift card for LEGO, and I am unsure on something. If I were to build a small model on LDD, would I save any money if I bought all the required bricks through Pick a Brick? Or is Design byME approximately the same cost anyway? What are the advantages of going through Design byME (do they have any extra bricks?), or is it better to drop the cool box and instructions and get the bricks through Pick a Brick?

You opinion is appreciated!
CC

I've never purchased anything through Design ByME, but I do know its more expensive (from checking prices on some models). You have about a 5-7 dollar handling charge, no mater how large your model is. So if its a small model, its going to be at least 5-7 dollars, then add the price of the parts. You do have the option of getting your instructions printed free of charge though, which is pretty good. All it is though is the html file you can generate yourself, so it may not have the best angles on it for seeing all the parts. Also, the printed box isn't actually a printed box. Its a paper sleeve that goes over a generic brown cardboard box, cool, but not top notch.

If you have a relatively small model (100 pieces or less) or have a lot of time on your hands, go the Pick a Brick way.

Hope this helps Smiley
Every part thats in Design ByME is in the online Pick a Brick, save the hero factory models (i think).
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« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2011, 03:48:10 pm »

Going through SAH either way will incur a postage/shipping cost. With DBM you also get a custom box, which PAB does not offer.

An easy way to gauge would be to take a similar LXF already done, get a brick count, and then ask DMB for a price. It should be fairly easy that way.
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« Reply #3 on: August 01, 2011, 04:59:00 pm »

If you need bricks for a creation, I honestly would just use BrickLink. Online PaB and DBM are absurdly expensive, it's not worth it. The prices on them are about 10 times higher than what you'll find on BrickLink. A 1x1 brick will sell for 10 cents on PaB, it will go for a penny or less on BrickLink.
What I do is design my models in LDD, obtain a parts inventory of the .lxf file that's created, upload that to my BrickLink account as a wish list, and then hunt down the parts I need from various BrickLink sellers.

In my humble opinion, a LEGO gift card is best spent on sets.
The benefit of PaB is that its all there, in an unlimited quantity, so you don't have to go scouring brickset for the seller that has all, or most of your parts in the condition your looking for.

It all comes down to time you have.
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« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2011, 05:07:30 pm »

I have time (the model is getting ahead for Christmas). THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP EVERYONE.

I have a few more questions:
Do LEGO gift cards pay for shipping if you buy online (I don't think I have much left on my gift card, so I might just wait until the next time I'm at a LEGO store)?
I've never used BrickLink before... isn't it a pain to have to deal with so many sellers?
Doesn't the shipping on BrickLink add up to be a ton?
What countries will BrickLink ship to?

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« Reply #5 on: August 01, 2011, 06:33:45 pm »

R8, I deeply appreciate your reply. You have helped me a lot.

I will definitely be looking for my needed bricks on BrickLink soon, although atm I'm studying for a final. I will let you know if I have any questions, but it seems that you have given me enough information to last me for a long time. THANK YOU.
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« Reply #6 on: August 01, 2011, 08:50:40 pm »

Jayko - Even so, PaB is vastly limited in the diversity pieces it offers, when compared against BrickLink which literally has nearly every single piece ever created in LEGO's history. I think the additional time needed to look for the parts you need is well worth it, considering how much money you will save in the long run. Quantity and quality is usually not an issue on BrickLink as many sellers have hundreds or thousands of a given piece in stock, and even used pieces are in fairly good condition unless the seller denotes otherwise.

I agree with you on the part limitation. I guess i've just never had much luck with bricklink myself. Even with a small model, I can never seem to find all the parts I need in less than 3 stores.
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« Reply #7 on: October 05, 2011, 03:33:11 pm »

Ok, I'm thinking about that model I was planning on buying the pieces for again (I never got around to it because I was simply planning ahead for Christmas). I have another question about BrickLink though if anyone can answer it...

Where do the sellers get all their pieces?? They obviously are not all selling sets left over from their younger days...
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« Reply #8 on: October 05, 2011, 06:25:12 pm »

Some will stuff pick-a-brick buckets with one or two kinds of parts, then re-sell. Others buy sets when they are discounted, then take them appart.
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« Reply #9 on: November 21, 2011, 08:10:37 pm »

Ok, I finally created a BrickLink account. Cheesy I spent most of today "hunting" for all the pieces I needed, and trying to only buy from two sellers or less. It took a while (especially because I had never used BrickLink before) but I eventually found everything I needed (and wanted!). All pieces for Christmas presents for my family. So far, I'd rate BrickLink 5/5 stars. It is an impressive website.

So? What are your favorite things to buy at BrickLink? Anyone have a resource for cute, little models with build instructions and part lists?
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