Selling Lego Fulltime on Bricklink , Brickowl & eBay - My thoughts. Was it the right move?

Selling Lego Fulltime on Bricklink , Brickowl & eBay - My thoughts. Was it the right move?
I know a lot of you have been wanting an update on how my transition to selling Lego full-time has been going. Am I managing to make a living? What did I have to do to go from hobby seller to selling full time etc.
In this video, I outline how I got started selling Lego, what I had to consider when moving to full time and what I think are the PRO's and CON's of selling Lego for a living.
I hope you'll find something useful that can help you in your journey!
** Interested in buying Lego parts or Minifigures? **
You can check out my Bricklink store at www.bricklink.com/store.asp?p=...
You can also check out my Brickowl store at brickarena.brickowl.com/
** Contact or follow me **
Instagram - brick_arena
Twitter - @BrickArena
email - [e-mail]
Thanks for watching!!

[@Vision_cleaning]

Awesome video mate. I'm in the process of setting up a bricklink store with a 5 year plan to go full time. Due to the job I'm in at the moment, I'm in pain everyday. I'm only 39 and need to plan ahead so I'm able to continue to work. I'm already self employed and a lego enthusiast . I appreciate the advice your offering. Keep up the good work

[@BrickArena]

Good luck with your endeavour, glad you enjoy the videos. Not sure what pain your in and how that will differ with doing Lego full time I suffer with me knees so know how that can affect me.

[@azclickybrix6282]

Thank you for this episode. I really enjoy hearing other people’s stories on how they got to where they are with reselling. I think more folks should take a minute and do a similar VLOG.

[@BrickArena]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@blocklodge7004]

Great stuff. Thanks for the honest look. Love the channel!

[@BrickArena]

Thanks for watching, and thanks for the comments on the channel.

[@krispyskins2122]

Hi Keith. Long time no speak. Hope you are keeping well. What a transition. Looks like you are enjoying what you are doing however. This video was really useful in general as a new seller to bricklink and as a supplement to the hobby. So thanks for sharing. Look forward to future videos and also catching up on some of the more recent ones you have done.

[@BrickArena]

Hi, yes indeed it is a long time. Welcome back to the channel :) Glad you found this useful.

[@dtenex]

Thanks for uploading this - it was very interesting.

[@BrickArena]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@lukegraves4554]

Love your videos, i just wish you uploaded more often! After all it cant hurt your lego sales

[@BrickArena]

Thanks Luke, I always intend to upload more :) - I had a quite a few false starts with this one due to equipment failure etc.

[@brickheadhun]

Hi! I really like your story, appreciate your honesty and the insite you are giving your viewers. I am at the stage where Ive spent a fortune on lego but does not have any time to process it beside my full time job. So lego stays plan b. Thank you!

[@BrickArena]

Thanks for watching. When working I had a similar large stockpile but the plus side was it gave me plenty to go at when I lost my job and needed to scale the store. So it will not come in wrong I'm sure.

[@HilliansBricks]

Great update! I keep looking at the size of your store on Bricklink/BrickOwl as a benchmark - unfortunately I've not got the space to expand as much.

[@BrickArena]

Space to expand is an essential I think. Even I feel like I'm short on space and ned to expand. Ideally I'd like to double my current inventory.

[@dazwoodley9995]

A great VLOG I’m new to Lego but find the whole buying and selling another part of being an AFOL…something I would like to consider in the future! Keep up the good work and channel 👍

[@BrickArena]

Thanks for the comment. There are so many interesting aspects to the AFOL community.

[@quilltoys3453]

This video resonates with me quite a lot. Running a bricklink store is currently my side business as I do work full time. Unfortunately (or luckily) I get a healthy salary’s every month which the store doesn’t currently support and even if I was to go full time would probably not support either just to the physical constraints. I also run my store from home as it’s so much more convenient. The downside of that is I don’t switch off. I was putting stock away until 1am last night for example and up again at 7 today to pick and post orders before the midday cut off. If you ever decide to sell up when you fully retire let me know I may be interested in buying you out 😃

[@BrickArena]

This is one of the big issues I see, going from a significant salary + store income to just surviving on the store income. You need to build a significant nest egg to support you until the store can. As for the never switiching off, I find that’s still an issue even when working full time. If it’s not managing orders/inventory it’s doing admin or looking for stock.

[@BenjaminsBay]

'You are the Master of your own Destiny'. That's some fancy use of words! Great video!

[@BrickArena]

Thanks! Never a more true word spoken :)

[@Leila2206]

hi from Slovakia! I really enjoy to hear you speak about this topic and also thank you for your clear english :D I could understand everything :) I would love to have my own shop, but i need to think about it, make a plan and so on. But you are an ispo ♥

[@BrickArena]

Thanks for your kind words. I'm glad you enjoy the content and that it's easy to understand.

[@brawbricks8286]

Very interesting insight into the pros and cons of running a bricklink store. I'm probably never going to become a "bricklinker" but I keep a few sets sealed just for the heck of it!

[@BrickArena]

Thanks Buddy. You never know what the future holds ;)

[@nksbrickworld2207]

Hey. Nice to see you again. Great video I must say. Cheers

[@BrickArena]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.

[@kevinseymour6964]

Such a great Video. I get asked all the time how to start, what's it like etc. In future, I will direct them to this Video. Such an honest and in-depth summary of turning hobby into a successful business. Its really not the easiest and you do need to be a certain kind of person in a certainnumber of circumstances.

[@BrickArena]

Thanks Kevin. I put this off for so long because I think people want to know the hard numbers. I wanted to get across that the circumstances, drivers and needs are different for everyone. As are the mix of platforms and business models. Everyone needs to evaluate for themselves, but running this as a business and paying the mortgage is very different for running it as a hobby for a few hours a day to reinvest in the hobby.

[@TRLBAN1.0]

Some very useful words said Greatly enjoyed!!😊🙃🙂

[@BrickArena]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@adoseofbricks7208]

Great Video. As a Bricklink seller now for almost a year and trying to scale to an idea of doing full time (I developed a multi-year plan to get to that when I opened), I see what you are seeing and the difficulties with it. While I agree there has been a increase of sellers, I feel like there might be a drop soon. I have started to notice, more and more small stores (15,000 pieces or less) selling off everything. I think there was a surge during the pandemic and now that things are opening back up, I feel like we might see a reduction of stores for a bit as people who may only do a few sales a week won't see the value in it anymore, especially when working full time. Just my two cents. Good luck and I enjoy when you post a new video.

[@BrickArena]

Thanks! you may be right in some smaller stores closing but I see this as something of the norm (though there may have been a spike due to the pandemic). There are many sellers who follow the same cycle where this is seen as a route to a fast buck but when they realise whats needed in terms of investment in money, time and effort some will find its just not for them. But there are always new people interested, fuelled by all the videos on KZbin (mine included).

[@Carl-G]

I have been waiting for this video since you announced you was going full time selling LEGO last year :D Excellent video and glad it's working out for you ;) I have sort of stopped adding LEGO to my Store now. Not really gone to the next level because I am not sure I want to really. I do like making money tho :D

[@BrickArena]

Glad you liked it :) One thing for sure with working for yourself, you have to be driven to keep pushing forward.

[@Carl-G]

@@BrickArena Yeah that is true. One odd :D thing that gets me motivated(apart from money) is that while I'm in my Attic(where all my BrickLink and LEGO and Man Cave :D stuff is) I look at my Classic Space set up and Classic Town set up and even my Scalextric set up and I think that doing BrickLink has paid for all that which is cool :P

[@cleverdadvideos]

This is definitely a must watch for anyone thinking about opening a Bricklink store. The only update I think should be included is the recommended store size and the amount of investment required to start a store that size to make X amount. I think many people feel that they have 50 unopened sets, or they have pounds of lego sitting around, that reselling on Bricklink would be easy, however that isn't the case. You always need more than what you have and you still need time to build up reputation. I was thinking about opening a store, but after trying to sort my mixed sets and seeing the effort it takes to keep things organized, I have decided to just stick with the videos I'm doing. Hopefully that picks up enough to fuel the engine to enable me to buy more.

[@BrickArena]

Thanks for the comment - So many people underestimate the time, investment and dedication needed to run a store. I've seen three stores go up for sale this week alone for various reasons.

[@brickburybricks2260]

Super insightful, your videos have helped me start my store with order 30 today! Would be great to grab a beer and talk Lego!

[@BrickArena]

Umm Beer - glad you find the videos useful.

[@brickburybricks2260]

Just watched just a brick on the bucket video on running a successful store and the great brick lab shouted out your store!

[@wasdaletimelapse7658]

Very interesting Kieth, thanks for sharing. I think that anyone considering the transition should really do the maths and be clear in their aims and expectations. I have considered setting up a bricklink store but there are several limitations that have stopped me, not least of all the space required to do it properly. Another aspect that you mention is the repetition, I get bored very quickly and I wouldn’t enjoy having to pick, pack and that sort of thing for maybe a whole day at a time. Good look and I am going to watch your progress with interest.

[@BrickArena]

Thanks for the comment. This is mainly the reason for the video, to give an honest input into what to expect. Its definitely not for everyone, and I have seen a number of smaller stores go up for sale in the last month or two as sales slow over summer. Sounds like not moving onto open a store is the right move for you. Space is critical dn if your to be successful you will be doing a lot of picking of orders. There are other ways to make an income without the need for a store.

[@WonderfulWorldOfStuff]

Awesome to here it has been a success & that life has taken a better turn, I didn’t doubt it for a second when you said you were making the move into full time. Congratulations on the new venture, when do we start to see business bulk hauls ? 😄 I’m joking in part.

[@BrickArena]

Thanks for the kind words. The problem I find with hauls now is that it's more time sensitve to get the stock into the store so can't let it build up. There was a largish (if 1K is large) haul from Prime Day, but was too quick to get that parted out. I have thought of a more blog style approach but thats a lot of work.

[@WonderfulWorldOfStuff]

@@BrickArena Totally makes sense, I went a bit crazy on prime day too, I work on the basis now that reselling & parting out pays for me to keep one & maybe a bit more cash to keep buying more :D

[@BricktopBrickstop]

Thanks so much, fascinating watch

[@BrickArena]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@tvscas]

Love to listen to your vids: the way you say LEGO. The Northern accent (not Scottish thought, am I right?) is great. Much love from Holland.

[@BrickArena]

Haha thanks! Yes your right 😃

[@vDC2me]

I appreciate your candor in this discussion. This is one aspect of the Lego community that I feel eats its growth and popularity and purity. That there are so many people that are humble and try to help others. I am not considering starting a store but like to think that someday in the future it could be a possibility. I really enjoy your historical descriptions with keeping personal information to yourself. Look forward to seeing more of your videos. May I ask what country you are in you mentioned selling to Europe or the United States? Are you in Australia.

[@BrickArena]

Thanks for the comment - I'm glad you found it interesting even if your not currently running a store. I'm in the UK.

[@vDC2me]

@@BrickArena okay. The part that interests me the most is being involved in the community by building automation into the sorting process. I've started working on a little machine that will automatically sort Lego. It's still in its baby States. What is really time consuming is going through my collection and finding one unique part in every color and combination to train the machine what these 67,000 different parts are. I'm actually enjoying sorting more than I do building. Also envisioning a little robot that I could sell to individuals like yourself that would be able to go pick and return drawers to their locations. I think it would be a big help for those that spend a lot of time going from order to drawers and storing them back again

[@BrickArena]

Sorting Lego efficiently is every store owners (and large collectors) dream. I find it hard to believe that any sorter could be "Small" though. Any machine would have to not only recognise each part type but also have the capability to allocate to a sorting bin. Sorting the parts would be a tough enough job but something to pull drawers and put them back I'm sorry to say I would think impossible. Sellers use such a wide range of storage solutions, not all of them drawers. You've taken on a mammoth task which I wish you all the best with.

[@vDC2me]

@@BrickArena goal in the sorting machine is the size of a residential refrigerator. Sitting is in multiple stages. First, 30-40 categories, second run 30-40 types or colors based on database of first scan, then final sort by unique part. Like washing your dishes three times. When finished visual QA if sorting used. Then import Bricklink inventory.

[@BrickArena]

Sounds very interesting. Would love to see it in action.

[@chunkhunk47]

Very insightful keith.gives me more questions than answers..but I can see my self going part time at my work place.my wage is pretty crap,so with pensions and a 3 day week I'm on for doing it soon...also my wife now parts put for me and is very fast and confident with the parts...ie left hand and right hands parts and and the ones with studs on 1 or 2 or 3 sides...its a huge help...glad its going well with you...look forward to the next instalment....

[@BrickArena]

Thanks Matthew - Sorry I somehow missed this when you posted.

[@chunkhunk47]

@@BrickArena you must get loads of questions.so no surprise

[@MrAlexy90]

Hey mate, Great video and pleased to hear you are happy with the decision and transition into full time. I've always wanted to give bricklink selling a go as a full time job, Having always had a large amount of stock, I've wondered if I could make it work and make a healthy salary from it, but with some of the points you made about being younger and unsure if you would have made the same decision, somewhat cemented my decision to go in a different direction a couple of years ago (I'm the guy who sent you that lego sorting tower). 1 question, You said there were pros and cons to a royal mail business account, Would you mind telling me a bit more about them as I am looking to open one myself. Thanks, Alex

[@BrickArena]

Hi Alex, hope your well. I don't think full time selling is a good path for someone considerably younger in years than myself. Theres a lot to be said for stability, company pensions and building a career. I'll come back to you regarding RM business pros and cons. .

[@unrealuser023]

Great video!! I cut down to 4-5 sets for myself, not money related just things I like.

[@BrickArena]

Glad you enjoyed it. Cutting down is hard.

[@unrealuser023]

@@BrickArena Agreed.. just sell and never check prices lol

[@imAlico64]

Great video once again! Personally, I run a very small BL store and am reselling some used sets on a platform similar to Ebay. I'd love to expand, but I'm just 29 years old with a newborn and my career is still lifting off. Like you said, if I were to submit to the Lego selling, would I want to do this until my pension? Probably not, so I'll continue this at the side and grow the store were possible, while maintaing my career path and be able to provide for my family. I love following your journey, it definitely is inspiring and it does motivate me to keep buying, selling and collecting. :)

[@BrickArena]

Arnold, sorry for the late reply. I somehow missed it when posted. I think your doing the right thing.

[@endtalk6072]

Fantastic video.

[@BrickArena]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@timbainbridge1946]

Great videos. Very helpful. U sound like a fellow north eastern 👍👌

[@BrickArena]

Thanks, I am indeed

[@GoldenJokered]

I would like to setup a part time store in the future, but I think what you went through is what I'm scared of. I love building Lego as a hobby, and wouldn't want business to make me lose interest in it.

[@BrickArena]

Plenty of people run a small store and still collect/build. But you will battle over where to spend your money and where to put your time.

[@MrRofl131]

Nice video! We are in the same boat, where i`m a bit younger. The company I worked for filled for bankruptcy. So I also had kind of salary for the first years. I can second what you are saying about giving up the lego hobby (I only have my modular buildings left) and have discipline to make good hours well spent. At this moment for me the hardest part is to keep up with the contant change of rules EU-OSS, US-sales tax, Brexit. So maybe a topic for a new video or answer here. How do you manage this?

[@BrickArena]

Good to hear from someone in a similar position although it sounds like you'll want to make this work a little longer than I do. I assume you are full-time selling but where are you based, just so I know how to approach your questions regarding sales tax etc.

[@brickheadhun]

What you have not mentioned I would say as a big negative: what you need to consider before you start is whay you going to do in case you decide to move away from lego. You would lose lots of money in case you want to sell everything at once in case you find someone.

[@BrickArena]

I mostly focused on moving from hobby to full time seller and both require an exit strategy. You're quite right I did not cover this side of things. Might make a good topic for a future video.

[@PriestessOfSlaanesh]

Where to you get your stock from? Do you actually dismantle new sets?

[@BrickArena]

Mostly from online outlets (including Lego themselves) and supermarkets, but latley I bought out a large store so that will keep me going for some time. - Not sure what you mean about dismantling new sets? I part out new sets right out of the box.

[@glukes750]

I have a lot of Lego, maybe 100 sets and about 40 sealed sets all 2000+ Piece sets, at what point is it worth doing a store, is it best to have a certain amount of bricks. It would be a hobby for me not a full time job.

[@BrickArena]

You can run a store with a fairly modest amount of items. I'd say you'd start to see orders at around 10K - 20K parts, If that is your business model. But you may want to just sell sets sealed or otherwise.. Checkout my video on what to consider before opening a store.

[@bikeomatic8005]

How much money do you need to invest to start to fund the hobby to begin with?

[@BrickArena]

Thats depends on lots of things. The cheapest way to start would be to flip some sealed sets, or buy some used bulk to re-sell. I started with £180 which just involved buying some boxes of minifigures and flipping the boxes, then re-invest the cash etc. - The problem is any funds you make need to be reinvested in the store if it is to keep making you money. So you will never be able to take 100% from your earnings to "fund your hobby". Checkout my article on things to consider before starting a store. brickarena.com/starting-a-bricklink-store/

[@bobsbits5357]

hi bull eye you have it right pool of the market place and people making the shops bigger this why in the past i put alot of money in to reel to reel decks pro end ones 24 track decks as i know the price of them will all ways go up over time .lego takes up space why i stopped buying and lego DOE'S NOT LIKE RESELLRS if you are in the london zone you will know me in the shops lego have plans to stop re seller why pab stock is very bad now

[@bobsbits5357]

hi to all out there DANGER be very carefull work place s don't like older lego fans i was like you the same i got payed of like you i under stand and i am about the same age i have a place all payed for this why they payed me of

[@BrickArena]

I don't think my departure from my company had anything to do with Lego, but for sure they don't like you spending time on other ventures while employed