Feedback on Lego price comparison website

[ljames28]

I'm currently working on a Lego price comparison type website to collate all the discounted Lego deals. I'm based in the UK but making it for the US.

I'd like some advice on what US Lego websites should be included?

Currently I've got S@H/Target/B&N/Toysrus and I intend to do yoyo.com

Still a work in progress, but would appreciate any feedback: http://www.bricksalefinder.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks,
Lawrence James

[nkx1]

Some other sites would be:

Walmart
Kmart
Sears

The site seems like a good concept, if you can implement your ideas effectively.

I'll offer my feedback in the form of a question: Why are there only a limited number of sets listed? I can understand that only discounted sets would be listed, but there are full-price sets listed too. To appeal to the most people, it would seem beneficial to include all sets currently available for retail...

[ljames28]

Righto thanks I'll take a look at those :)

Ideally it should have every set currently for sale (in stock) in atleast one shop. Some are hidden with the theme filter at the top. What kind of sets are missing in particular?

Oh also just in case this is the issue, there's paging buttons on the bottom right

[SpaceViking]

This is a very nice effort. I find the layout appealing and the filtering interface is very intuitive. I like that that prices are shown directly in a table for quick comparison, and that there is historical data available just 1 click away.

The one thing I'm struggling to grasp is: in your mind, who your target audience? This site might work well for parents or other gift-givers to find the best price for a given set or theme on a given day. There is a lot of competition (at least for eye-balls) in this space, however, and you may want to give some thought or emphasize what sets your site apart from the others. For starters, if I'm looking for a specific set, I'll just use google shopping to find the best price that day. On other sites like 'Keepa' and 'camelcamelcamel', one can track prices at Amazon and have an alert sent if the price drops below a set threshold. Amazon often price matches Walmart at Toys R Us (and sometime Target), so for current sets this approach is often good enough to catch a reasonable deal. Another tool I often use is "Invisible Hand" which reports comparable prices at sites other than the one I'm currently browsing. Then, of course, there is the crowd-sourced approach like here at TnB.

One other issue I can think of with your approach is that the best deals happen very quickly. That is, there is a short time window, say 2-12 hours, between when the deal is posted and items sell out. By looking at the historical data, it looks as though you ping the sites a few times a day. The chances of missing the deal seem a bit high. Or worse, catching the deal and leaving it posted even though its sold out.

Just my two cents. Overall, I think its a nice effort.

[ljames28]

You make a valid point about audience. The intended audience is bricklink sellers / general Lego resellers who want to purchase certain themes on large discounts, but not necessarily just one set in particular (As like you say they could use google for just one set).

The idea is to soon add email alerts, so you can say for example I want to be emailed about Star Wars if any set is discounted > 40%

With regard to speed, you're right, I've upped the refresh rates to 1-2 hours for most of them, I'll definitely increase that in the near future.

Btw Kmart has now been added.

[sadowsk1]

Is it possible to have bricklink added to it in case someone bought a ton of sets and are selling them fast and undercutting all retailers? If it is possible I'm not sure how developed a site can be to find only the new sets that are inside of the US, well, I'm sure it's possible, I just don't know how much work it is, therefore my suggestion might be a little too much to ask for!

I like your website very much, keep up the great work!