General newbie help

The Maid of Orleans

So I am very new at this after raising a family and now have grandchildren ( who I get to buy lego for!!!). I thought it might be fun to help my Grandchildren understand the value of money and work by helping them to set up a little shop with used lego. However I have been over at BL for awhile purchasing used Lego. etc and now am a little terrified. I just thought it might be a fun thing for us to do and perhaps they may earn a little pocket money now and then however the last thing I wish to do is the wrong thing by the buyers.
I am really worried we might make innocent mistakes etc. we would never be a big time dealer etc and the pieces I have need a lot of cleaning and I don't think any of the white pieces can be sold. we would only be selling old used lego nothing flash.
Could people let me know if this will be ok or would be shouted down as complete and utter idiots whilst we were learning.
I would appreciate any advice .
Thank you so much

Jay37

I would say that it's pretty straightforward setting up a store here and there are plenty of helpful folk - don't ever think a question you have is too silly or basic! Obviously a bigger inventory will get you 'found' (in terms of searching) but there's nothing to say you can't start with a smaller quantity.

I predominantly trade in used pieces and yes, cleaning can be a lengthy process. I tend to leave pieces soaking in a tub with a water and disinfectant solution for at least 24 hours, then wash in soapy water using an old soft brush and rinse in clean water. Dry them on a towel then stick in the airing cupboard overnight to dry off all the nooks and crannies.

As far as condition goes, just be honest. There are a few forum posts here that discuss this and as long as any defects are described accurately (and you put them in the 'Acceptable' category) people can make an informed choice whether to buy or not.

I think it's a good thing to give your grandchildren an experience like this. If I can offer one piece of advice it would be to set up the store behind the scenes first (you can add inventory and set store terms and conditions, etc. while your store is closed). Ask questions here and if you need to change things based on others experience you can do all of that first before marking your store as open. Better to have something reasonably well set out before you start getting orders, as opposed to something half built that causes problems for you and your customers.

Hope this gives you a few pointers and welcome to Brick Owl!

James

The Maid of Orleans

wow thank you super helpful. Terrific advice.

Calibrick

Welcome @the maid of orleans! I love your user name, by the way. :-)

This is a terrific way for your grandchildren to learn the value of money PLUS gain some great real-world skills, ranging from organizing to handling money to customer service skills. And it's super-rewarding when your receive your first sale!!

I echo what @Jay37 said and is exactly what I did: I built out my store behind the scenes (took me a year - I have a large inventory, though - but not nearly as large as some folks!), placed a few orders here to get an understanding of the buyer perspective and process, and then went for it! And oh my, did I ask what I felt were incredibly stupid questions along the way, both here in the forum and direct to @lawrence, the admin. Everything from how to edit the catalog to "what the heck is this piece's link" (of which lots of folks cheerfully help!). I also looked at a variety of seller's terms and conditions so that I could get a sense of the kind of things to be up-front about with my store when setting my own terms.

And *everyone* here was incredibly, awesomely, supportive!!! Not one single "wow, that's a dumb question", or "can't your read the instructions"? Nothing. Just the nicest, nicest, most supportive folks here - absolute zero sense of competition. A true attitude of "your store's success is our store's success", because business in general at Brickowl benefits all - that new buyer may buy from someone else's store next time, if you don't have what they need.

This is a great, friendly, and respectful space to give those kids their first taste of real-world business, in my respectful opinion. I haven't regretted opening here for a second. :-)

And you are an AWESOME grandmother, I'd like to add!!!!

Area 51 Bricks

To get between the studs you could use a makeup brush, that works pretty well. As long as you don’t have chewed/damaged pieces, Yes definitely go ahead! can’t wait to see your store...

The Maid of Orleans

I am so amazed at peoples help.