Ebay - how does a private seller get their hands on these ?

Shropshire

For the record I am not saying it is dodgy at all more a curiosity in me to explore, just asking for open input/thoughts as to how someone could (in UK) have access to these types of items, please don't make specific accusations either just looking for input as to in what circumstances these can become available to a private seller in the UK.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/adjwaa/m.html?item=224019259672&hash=item342896a118%3Ag%3AsxYAAOSwWclex8le&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

Dozens and dozens of each in-store monthly mini-build (look at "sold" not just available on items)

Sealed bags of 140 elements clearly intended for BaM tower in-store

Lots of GWP that sold out to the public.

In sold/completed some Employee only items so shows is employee or at least connected in some way.

so, questions: does inclusion of mini-build exclude discovery centres and licenced resellers as a potential source and point more to brand stores. does inclusion of employee only eliminate the supply chain/licenced resellers and point more to the retail end etc.. cam employees normally acquire / buy / free to dispose of items at end of period eg. end of GWP period, end of that item in BaM etc ?

open to thoughts.

klinton

I'd assume that Lego has various chanels through which they unload excess stock like that. They don't sit on oudated product indefinitely. Maybe they have little auctions? Maybe there are vendors and charities to whom they routinely offload stock?

karrit

Those Pumpkin heads are $1.31 on BnP here in the US so way overpriced.  By my calculations that would translate to about 144 pounds for the head pieces.  We only pay $2.95 shipping from Lego direct.  I don't know what you pay in the UK for BnP shipping but that shipping charge they are quoting is outrageous.  Buyer beware.  I'd think they might have fallen off a truck or someone is getting back door deals.

Shropshire

Look at the labels on the bag, destined for
build a minifigure tower, not from BnP

Shropshire

Oops can’t see as either sold them or taken them down

Shropshire

I took a picture

karrit

The postage listed on your screen shot is way less than what I saw when I looked on ebay earlier.  It shows 86.74 pounds including Customs services & tracking in the ebay listing I see so I guess they are calculating if I wanted to have them shipped to me here in the US.  Even if they are bagged for BAM they way they are being sold I can purchase the same item direct from Lego BnP for way less.  The Penguins are a different story because I don't think they can be gotten from BnP at least not with the numbers showing on the bag.  They've blacked out the actual part numbers.  I certainly wouldn't buy that large amount of the penguins though.  I've purchased some of the Pumpkin Heads from BnP in the past as well as gotten some from BAM.

Shropshire

Ebay adjusts for location, Seller is UK, i am UK so it’s low postage, you seeing from USA shows postage to USA

DB361

The penguins have sold, as I'm the one that's taken a gamble and bought them, with the intention of putting them on my Bricklink store. If all is as it should be, it's a good deal as the last 6 months sales average on that part new is £2.59 each, so £362.60 of stock for £149.10. And with good sales numbers to back it up as well so turnaround should be pretty reasonable.
Of course, I'll be double checking them super carefully to make sure that they are as described (luckily I still have one of the series 16 CMF it came from), and will leave them in quarantine for a few days before listing them given the current events, but the sellers feedback all seems good so thought I would take the gamble and will report back on here how it goes!
As nice as it would be to have the pumpkins as well, they are well overpriced, even with domestic shipping. Not sure where the seller gets their prices from but they seem to be slightly inconsistent! 

madforLEGO

My guess is they either worked at a LEGO or LDC store and took them, as I have never heard of LEGO allowing their employees to take (or even buy) stock like that OR they -or someone else-are sneaking them out the back door of the factory making the BaM parts. It does confirm that LEGO  put their BaM stock out by quarters of the year.

DB361

Just received the penguins and all seems in good order, so will be putting them on Bricklink after leaving them in quarantine over the weekend. Very much mystery unsolved though!

gmonkey76

They were probably meant to be recycled because of covid, and they walked out the back door.