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The are a large number of people on ebay selling LEGO by the pound(or kg), for example, this guy. The LEGO is (implied to be) pre-owned as the eBay descriptions often say the bricks have been washed and sorted and non-LEGO brand bricks removed. These seller sometimes have 10's or maybe 100's of pounds of LEGO for sale.

Where do they get all this LEGO? And how much do they pay for it?

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    +1 I had the exact same question in mind when I saw a person selling pounds of Lego bricks. His answer is similar to the answer below, and he also mentioned that he gets a lot from his family and friends, as they know that he does this stuff.
    – Farhan
    Commented Jan 27, 2014 at 19:44
  • Now I'm wondering this, seller on eBay offer Lego Friend random torsos, heads & legs. They're of different national, who in their right mind would separate? Who'd want a mix? Some other lots are of more of 1 item you're likely to want.
    – Andrew Hodson
    Commented Aug 1 at 11:48

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Garage-sales, estate-sales, second-hand stores, flea-markets and graigslists are the most common way to source out used LEGO. This is especially true in neighborhoods where there is a LEGO store nearby so a lot of kids have them, or where LEGO is popular in the community in general (suburbs and middle-class neighborhoods are especially great places to scout).

As far as how much they pay for it, it just depends on the deal, but of course the less is better. These buyers often make an offer on an entire lot to get the best deal, and they are very familiar with what sells the best and for how much.

They wash them, clean them, then cherry-pick the minifigs and expensive parts out they will sell separately on eBay or BrickLink and dump the rest on eBay as mixed lots. It is not easy work by any means, but it can be a lucrative business.

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  • Great answer +1. I could not understand how it can be a lucrative business. Anyone who owns Lego, knows its worth very well. In addition, buying it from others and then selling it, wouldn't that make the profit margin less? I do agree that it is not an easy task.
    – Farhan
    Commented Jan 27, 2014 at 19:46
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    @Farhan - It isn't necessarily true that people who own LEGO know how much it is worth. Maybe they do, maybe they don't. Just depends on who they are and how they aquired it. Also, just like with everything else, it is not always about the money. Some people just want to clean house and get rid of stuff and they don't have the time to research what they have or sell it in the most ideal way. They are happy if you help them get rid of it all. I was reading a post on reddit about someone finding an almost new LEGO set in the dumpster!
    – TheBrickBlogger
    Commented Jun 14, 2014 at 21:58
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I asked a similar question about finding older sets and I got a good list of places to check out. This might be useful for your searches. Good hunting!

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People can sell their Lego to We Buy Games at £5 per kilogramme. 1kg consists of about 700 bricks (so 1lb has about 317½ bricks), then sell in lots of 25. The price was £2 for 2×2 and £3 for 2×3 but is more now, so anything else from your 1kg is a profit for them.

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