Buying a used set...opinions/advice on when its not complete.

sir_Bricksalot · October 2015

Not sure where the right forum to ask this is but I bought a set on ebay labelled as 100% complete and I'm about half way though the build and so far there are 2 pieces missing.

(Searched my living room high and low and have sorted though everything - defo not there).

Both pieces are not integral to the build (ones a bone) but when it comes to my sets I am a bit OCD.
Is there a socially acceptable margin of error if any before i can go back to the seller asking about the completeness of the set?

Wondering what the general consensus on this is (or if its just personal preference).

karmajay · October 2015

I don't leave feedback until I build an Ebay set. If it just a couple of very small pieces then I usually don't make a big deal but if a set is missing some pieces in the 2x6 or bigger then I check the cost of me getting them from bricklink and email the seller that I expect a refund for that amount. At least on Ebay you can do this. I bought one used set of Craigslist and was out of luck as a lot of pieces were missing and it was supposed to be 100%!

james.sparham · October 2015

I'd do exactly as @karmajay suggests, anything advertised as 100% complete should be just that! eBay tend to look after sellers (sometimes too well) and I don't think it's unreasonable to build it, check it and get an idea from Bricklink as to the cost for replacement parts. You do have the option of leaving unfavourable feedback too if the seller isn't interested. Good luck if you go down that route :)

JudgeChuck · October 2015

I have been in this situation once or twice and generally don't bother, if it's only a small piece or two. I do generally email the seller and ask them to search for the piece and once they found the pieces and mailed them to me and one other time, they couldn't find it, so I simply added it to my next Bricklink order, for the price of a few pence, which the seller offered to pay for. I declined, as it simply wasn't worth worrying about.
So far (touch wood) I have found that LEGO sellers, in my experience, have been honest and willing to try to rectify the problem and I haven't yet been in the situation where I have had a major problem.
I think the best solution is to always give the seller the opportunity to make things right, if they can, but you do need to be happy with a purchase, especially if it has been advertised as 100% complete.
Maybe I have been lucky so far, but I haven't felt the need to give anyone negative feedback, or had to return anything, yet.
I have had similar experiences on Blicklink, where I have mainly been buying old Classic Space parts and sets. Once or twice, I have had to email the seller because a piece was missing from my order and once because the pieces (Parts 3830 and 3831) were so badly ill-fitting, they were unusable, in all cases the seller has rectified the problem with no fuss whatsoever.
Ratings are no guarantee, but I do tend to favour buying from people with good rep on both sites and especially those who still get positive feedback, when the detail shows that there was some slight issue. It shows that they are willing to right a mistake.

Anyway, in your case, I would finish the build, see what is missing and email the seller first. They may have simply mislaid the pieces and will be willing to send them to you. If the set is obviously missing a lot of pieces, well, you then need to make a judgement call!

YMMV, as they say. Best of luck! :-)

Fauch · October 2015

sir_Bricksalot said:
Is there a socially acceptable margin of error if any before i can go back to the seller asking about the completeness of the set?

depends on you. even if that's just one 1x1 light bley plate missing, you can still ask the seller.
I'm getting used of having a couple pieces missing from my orders, but if I can get them easily for just a few cents, I prefer not bothering the seller. one of the most annoying case was missing stickers for helm's deep (not easy to find, especially in europe), which the seller proposed to buy and send to me for free.

Sethro3 · October 2015

I had an issue recently with a bricklink order. In the pictures, the set looked great. Receiving the product multiple pieces were damaged/glued and some were unusable. Plus, it was missing 10+ pieces. I contacted the seller and they apologized profusely and refunded the whole auction. Very unexpected. But they definitely wanted to rectify the situation.

So I guess you never know until you contact them after you build it to see what can be done. I'd expect a refund for at least the price of the pieces you need to replace or some sort of discount.

wagnerml2 · October 2015

I sell a lot of used sets on Bricklink, Ebay and at shows. I advertise all of mine as 100% complete which means that they have the entire bricklink inventory sans the "extra" pieces. I also make sure that all of my customers know that if something is missing that I will replace it at my cost. I have had to do this on more than one occasion as not sorting system is 100% effective. I make sure that customers know that they only need to communicate and I will fix the problem.

As for 100% complete, I consider that to be ALL pieces necessary for the build plus all minifigs and accessories. I try to include the instructions, but if I don't have the original instructions, I include a CD with a PDF copy.

MattsWhat · October 2015

I'm surprised no one has said anything about price point. If I bid on a badly listed auction with a sketchy picture that was claiming 100% and I had only paid a fraction of retail, I wouldn't even bother going back to the seller over ~£1 worth of pieces. If on the other hand I had taken it BIN from a reputable seller at the going rate, I would of course be on their back to get the pieces/refund.

Fauch · October 2015

£1 would be like 15 pieces missing, so I would have a problem with that.

MattsWhat · October 2015

^Not if I had paid £75 for a tower of Orthanc. But in a more serious response, I was including postage in my original comment.

Sethro3 · October 2015

True, end price is a good indicator about how much you want to haggle with them. If you got a great deal and nothing crucial is missing, then I'd probably look the other way. If it is critical to the build and they indicated the set was complete, I'd definitely get on them about it.

sir_Bricksalot · October 2015

Thanks all. The price point did cross my mind as the measuring stick for this.

Guess it is just about personal preference and replacement cost. Just checking I wasn't being completely unreasonable by going back to the seller.
Already given the feedback on ebay (learnt from that mistake) and again thanks for the tip.

Not that I'm suddenly going to start using the feedback as a blackmail tool (so don't worry if you think you've opened Pandoras box here) :)

SumoLego · October 2015

I prefer to buy sets with some missing pieces. Makes it a bit of a project.

Picked up a Fire Brigade and a Green Grocer with some cat damage at a nice price. (Yes, you read that correctly.)

Fauch · October 2015

reminds me of the burnt super star destroyer

SumoLego · October 2015

^ I was thinking the same thing, except that even if you peel off the damaged parts, the rest will still reek of the smoke.

Buying a used set...opinions/advice on when its not complete.

Comments

Shopping at LEGO.com or Amazon?

Howdy, Stranger!

Quick Links

Categories