Hello from Ohio

miamibear

I retired 2 years ago and I actually bought my very first Lego set 1 year ago. I've settled on collecting Star Wars and modular buildings, but I may branch out to the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. I'm just amazed at what some people are able to create with Lego.

Bumblepants

Welcome!

bandit778

@miamibear

I like your choices in themes, big Lego Star Wars fan myself and as much as I like the modulars I dare not venture there just yet as I have so many Star Wars sets still to get and the boss will only tolerate so much.

From experience, I heartily recommend getting to know your way round Bricklink, as with a bit of patience it can be a really good way to get hold of older/retired sets that you may have missed (especially if you are going to branch off into LOTR & the Hobbit themes as they are no longer produced) or obtain the bricks to build your own designs.

Also keep your eye on the marketplace here as there is often good opportunities to pick up sets that have long been retired (I have brought retired sets from forum members that have turned up in better condition than buying from the high street).

All in all, welcome to the hobby and welcome to the forum.

GeordiePaul

@miamibear Welcome to Brickset! You're living a lot of people's dreams here I think - retired and collecting Lego. Sigh, I'm still about twenty years away from retiring, so I best get saving my up for my Lego retirement fund.

Goldchains

Welcome from a fellow Ohioan and SWOT/SH collector!

miamibear

bandit778 said:

@miamibear

From experience, I heartily recommend getting to know your way round Bricklink, as with a bit of patience it can be a really good way to get hold of older/retired sets that you may have missed (especially if you are going to branch off into LOTR & the Hobbit themes as they are no longer produced) or obtain the bricks to build your own designs.

I've placed 3 orders from Bricklink for parts to make bases for my SW ships, but it seems to me the prices for sets are higher than what I can find on eBay. The selection is better on Bricklink but it's not very clear to me how much shipping will be before you place an order.

JudgeChuck

Hi @miamibear, welcome!

You can usually request a quote, prior to actually placing your order, but it's sometimes not available, or hidden in the order process.
Stores also publish their shipping charges, which you can then estimate for your order, based upon its weight, but it can be a little unclear at times.

natro220

@miamibear For sets (especially older, used sets), I always look through Bricklink listings before going to Ebay.  Bricklink sellers tend to be AFOL's too (adult fans of Lego), and therefore are keen on quality and completeness.  I can't tell you how many sets I've gotten from Ebay that were either disgustingly dirty or smelly, or were missing a significant number of pieces.  Don't get me wrong, you can find good deals on Ebay, and not all sellers there are bad.  You just have to be more careful is all.

Bricklink however is much more useful for buying parts, minifigures, and instructions.  If you play around with the "wanted" section, you can set up lists of items you want, and find which stores have the most of what you want in stock.

As JudgeChuck stated, you may need to inquire about shipping prior to buying, most sellers are happy to provide you a quote.