BrickLink Discussion Forum

Thanks for this WoutR, it's amazing. I'm bookmarking it as fascinated
by the Lego colours. Great work

In Suggestions, WoutR writes:

(Many thanks to https://www.flickr.com/photos/126975831@N07/sets/)

Recent changes:
- There are two new colors: Coral and Trans-Light Green
- Some of the smaller problems were solved by changes in set inventories. I did
not check all of them.

-----

Here is my UPDATED list:
There is actually a surprising number of BrickLink colors that contain multiple
LEGO colors. In many cases this does not cause any catalog conflicts because
the parts do not exist in both design-color combinations. In a few cases there
are (possible) problems.

In order to help gain an oversight over the possible problems, I have split up
my list in a few sections.
- BrickLink colors that match one LEGO color
- BrickLink colors containing multiple LEGO colors (without known catalog conflicts)
- BrickLink colors containing multiple LEGO colors (with known catalog conflicts)
- BrickLink colors without LEGO name
- LEGO colors without BrickLink name
- BrickLink colors that are confusing or split up LEGO colors (including all
gold, silver copper)

Within each section, the colors are in the same order as the BrickLink catalog.

BRICKLINK COLORS THAT MATCH ONE LEGO COLOR
Solid colors
1 White = 1 White
49 Very Light Gray = 103 Light Grey
99 Very Light Bluish Gray = 208 Light Stone Grey
86 Light Bluish Gray = 194 Medium Stone Grey
9 Light Gray = 2 Grey
10 Dark Gray = 27 Dark Grey
85 Dark Bluish Gray = 199 Dark Stone Grey
220 Coral = 353 Vibrant Coral
59 Dark Red = 154 Dark Red/New Dark Red
26 Light Salmon = 100 Light Red
58 Sand Red = 153 Sand Red
88 Reddish Brown = 192 Reddish Brown
120 Dark Brown = 308 Dark Brown
69 Dark Tan = 138 Sand Yellow
90 Light Flesh = 283 Light Nougat
28 Flesh = 18 Nougat
150 Medium Dark Flesh = 312 Medium Nougat
91 Dark Flesh = 217 Brown
106 Fabuland Brown = 4 Brick Red
160 Fabuland Orange = 19 Light Brown
165 Neon Orange = 133 Neon Orange (watch parts)
4 Orange = 106 Bright Orange
31 Medium Orange = 105 Bright Yellowish Orange
110 Bright Light Orange = 191 Flame Yellowish Orange
96 Very Light Orange = 36 Light Yellowish Orange
103 Bright Light Yellow = 226 Cool Yellow
33 Light Yellow = 3 Light Yellow
158 Yellowish Green = 326 Spring Yellowish Green
166 Neon Green = 134 Neon Green (watch parts)
76 Medium Lime = 115 Medium Yellowish Green
55 Olive Green = 330 Olive Green
80 Dark Green = 141 Earth Green
36 Bright Green = 37 Bright Green
38 Light Green = 6 Light Green
39 Dark Turquoise = 107 Bright Bluish Green
40 Light Turquoise = 116 Medium Bluish Green
41 Aqua = 118 Light Bluish Green
152 Light Aqua = 323 Aqua
63 Dark Blue = 140 Earth Blue
153 Dark Azure = 321 Dark Azur
156 Medium Azure = 322 Medium Azur
72 Maersk Blue = 11 Pastel Blue
105 Bright Light Blue = 212 Light Royal Blue
87 Sky Blue = 232 Dove Blue
55 Sand Blue = 135 Sand Blue
97 Blue-Violet = 195 Royal Blue
109 Dark Blue-Violet = 196 Dark Royal Blue
43 Violet = 110 Bright Bluish Violet
44 Light Violet = 39 Light Bluish Violet
24 Purple = 104 Bright Violet
93 Light Purple = 198 Bright Reddish Lilac
157 Medium Lavender = 324 Medium Lavender
154 Lavender = 325 Lavender
54 Sand Purple = 136 Sand Violet
71 Magenta = 124 Bright Reddish Violet
94 Medium Dark Pink = 16 Pink

Transparent Colors
12 Trans-Clear = 40 Transparent
13 Trans-Black = 111 Transparent Brown
17 Trans-Red = 41 Transparent Red
18 Trans-Neon Orange = 47 Transparent Fluorescent Reddish Orange
98 Trans-Orange = 182 Transparent Bright Orange
164 Trans-Light Orange = 231 Transparent Flame Yellowish Orange
121 Trans-Neon Yellow = 157 Transparent Fluorescent Yellow
16 Trans-Neon Green = 49 Transparent Fluorescent Green
221 Trans-Light Green = 285 Transparent Light Green
20 Trans-Green = 48 Transparent Green

15 Trans-Light Blue = 42 Transparent Light Blue
113 Trans-Very Lt Blue = 229 Transparent Light Bluish Green
114 Trans-Light Purple = 284 Transparent Reddish Lilac
107 Trans-Pink = 230 Transparent Bright Purple

Pearl Colors
83 Pearl White = 183 Metallic White
119 Pearl Very Light Gray = 150 Light Grey Metallic
61 Pearl Light Gold = 127 Gold
115 Pearl Gold = 297 Warm Gold
81 Flat Dark Gold = 147 Sand Yellow Metallic

Milky Colors
60 Milky White = 20 Nature
159 Glow in Dark White = 329 White Glow
46 Glow In Dark Opaque = 50 Phosphorescent White
118 Glow In Dark Trans = 294 Phosphorescent Green

Glitter Colors
102 Glitter Trans-Purple = 114 Transparent Medium Reddish Violet Glitter
100 Glitter Trans-Dark Pink = 129 Transparent Bluish Violet with Glitter
162 Glitter Trans-Light Blue = 302 “Pctr Li.Blue W/” (Polycarbonate Transparent
Light Blue with Glitter)
163 Glitter Trans-Neon Green = 339 “Tr. Fl.Gre W/Gli” (Transparent Transparent
Fluorescent Green with Glitter)

BRICKLINK COLORS CONTAINING MULTIPLE LEGO COLORS
(WITHOUT KNOWN CATALOG CONFLICTS)

Solid colors
11 Black
= 26 Black
= 149 Black Metallic (for Bionicle Rahkshi parts 44807, 44138, 44140)
= 342 Conductive Black (part 15411)

5 Red
= 21 Bright Red
= 184 Metallic Bright Red (for Bionicle Rahkshi parts 44807, 44138, 44140)

25 Salmon
= 101 Medium Red (Scala)
= 123 Bright Reddish Orange (Duplo salmon)

27 Rust
= 13 Red Orange (Duplo cows, Fabuland heads)
= The other BrickLink Rust parts are probably an odd version of 21 Bright Red
(?) but that color is so different that the separate listing is justified.

8 Brown
= 25 Earth Orange
= 187 Metallic Earth Orange (for Bionicle Rahkshi parts 44807, 44138, 44140)
= “Homemaker brown” The part x197 Homemaker headgear is a dark brown color.

68 Dark Orange
= 38 Dark Orange
= 216 Rust (for Skateboard 48394, Ladle x234, Dog 51163cx1)

3 Yellow
= 24 Bright Yellow
= 190 Fire Yellow (used in Clikits, color is VERY close to Bright Yellow)

35 Light Lime
= 15 Lemon (Duplo lemon-lime)
= 120 Light Yellowish Green (Scala/Belville/Duplo Princess)

34 Lime
= 14 Pastel Green (Fabuland, Duplo)
= 119 Bright Yellowish Green (current Lime)

6 Green
= 28 Dark Green
= 186 Metallic Dark Green (for Bionicle Rahkshi parts 44807, 44138, 44140, often
sold as Chrome Green or metallic green)

37 Medium Green
= 29 Medium Green
= 233 Light Faded Green (for part 44403c04)

48 Sand Green
= 151 Sand Green
= 210 Faded Green (for part 44513)

89 Dark Purple
= 268 Medium Lilac
= 197 Bright Lilac (for part 44611)

47 Dark Pink
= 22 Medium Reddish Violet (approximately 1994-2004)
= 221 Bright Purple (approximately 2004-now)
There is probably a lot of overlap between these colors, so theoretically there
must be catalog conflicts, but the colors are so close to each other and have
so much variation that it is nearly impossible to tell the difference.

104 Bright Pink
= 222 Light Purple
= 295 Flamingo Pink (for parts clikits141, clikits135, clikits135pb01, clikits100pb04)

Transparent Colors
19 Trans-Yellow
= 44 Transparent Yellow
= 234 Transparent Fire Yellow (Lighter than Transparent Yellow, used in Clikits
only)

108 Trans-Bright Green
= 227 Transparent Bright Yellowish Green (approximately 2003-2006)
= 311 Transparent Bright Green (Since 2010)

74 Trans-Medium Blue
= 143 Transparent Fluorescent Blue
= 293 Transparent Light Royal Blue (used om Clikits)
There might be a third Trans-Medium Blue color in the Clikits parts.

50 Trans-Dark Pink
= 113 Transparent Medium Reddish Violet
= 158 Transparent Fluorescent Red (for Bionicle part 32554)

Metallic colors
70 Metallic Green
= 200 Lemon Metallic (for Bionicle Kraata and Krana)
= The Metallic Green technic panels have a surface coating, and I do not know
what the official name is for the Metallic Green tube in the technic sets.

Glitter Colors
101 Glitter Trans-Clear
= 117 Transparent With Glitter
= 122 Nature with Glitter (Duplo spider web)

BRICKLINK COLORS CONTAINING MULTIPLE LEGO COLORS
(WITH KNOWN CATALOG CONFLICTS)

Solid colors
2 Tan
= 5 Brick Yellow
= 224 Light Brick Yellow (for part ava005 and the hair of figure 47205pb006).
Figure 47205pb006 has been found with hair both in tan and in “light tan” color.

29 Earth Orange
= 12 Light Orange Brown
= 128 Dark Nougat (used in some Harry Potter sets for parts 30374 (wand), flute
(30374px1), part 3901 (Vernon Dursley hair)
There is a catalog conflict on part 3901 and maybe 30374.

73 Medium Violet
= 112 Medium Bluish Violet (approximately 1999-2003)
= 219 Lilac (approximately 2003-2005)
= 213 Medium Royal Blue (for part 44688 in set 7495-1)
= 218 Reddish Lilac (used in Clikits, closer to modern Lavender)
There is some overlap between Medium Bluish Violet (Blueish Medium Violet) and
Lilac (Reddish Medium Violet). Both are known as part 3001 for example. The different
Medium Violet colors are VERY different. This causes confusion.

23 Pink
= 17 Rose (approximately 1992-1997 Paradisa pink)
= 9 Light Reddish Violet (approximately 1997-2006)
Several plates are known to exist in both colors. The Clikits Pink parts are
probably all Trans-Pink, misnamed because of the appearance of the material used.

32 Light Orange
= 121 Medium Yellowish Orange
= 225 Warm Yellowish Orange (for Duplo plate 8x16 part 6490)
Some Q-elements are known in both colors.

Transparent Colors
14 Trans-Dark Blue
= 43 Transparent Blue
= 156 Transparent Deep Blue (use outside watch parts is uncertain)
There is a conflict in the watch links, but not much is known about them. (See
https://www.flickr.com/photos/111441268@N03/15417687510/)

51 Trans-Purple
= 126 Transparent Bright Bluish Violet
= 236 Transparent Bright Reddish Lilac
Conflict in Clikits parts

Pearl Colors
77 Pearl Dark Gray
= 148 Dark Grey Metallic (approximately 2002-2010)
= 316 Titanium Metallic (since 2010)
There are conflicts, such as part x110c01.

BRICKLINK COLORS WITHOUT LEGO NAME

Solid colors
56 Light Pink
= Possibly a Scala/Belville clothes color. Probably this color is mainly used
for the “Paradisa pink” color.

Chrome Colors
These colors did not receive a LEGO color ID because they were treated as a surface
decoration just like the printed parts.
57 Chrome Antique Brass
122 Chrome Black
52 Chrome Blue
64 Chrome Green
82 Chrome Pink

LEGO COLORS WITHOUT BRICKLINK NAME

N/A - 109 (PC) Black IR (Probably part of IR assemblies only )
N/A - 132 Black Glitter (Original box for set 7159-1)
N/A - 144 Dark Army Green (watch parts)
N/A - 146 Sand Violet Metallic (watch parts)
N/A - 220 Light Lilac (Torso of 47394pb028)

The trunks of the Granulated trees are also a unique color of brown. No name
is known for this color for both BrickLink and LEGO.

BRICKLINK COLORS THAT ARE CONFUSING OR SPLIT UP LEGO COLORS
The silver, gold and copper colored parts cause most problems, because they can
have a completely different appearance depending on material used (ABS, polypropylene,
rubber) and part shape. In the years before any official color information was
available, we invented different color names for parts that actually were made
in a single color.

Solid Colors

7 Blue
= 23 Bright Blue
= 185 Metallic Bright Blue (for Bionicle Rahkshi parts 44807, 44138, 44140)

LEGO 185 Metallic Bright Blue is split up between Blue (for parts that do not
look pearly because of the plastic used) and 78 Metal Blue (for parts that do
look pearly).

Tiny Blue
42 Medium Blue
= 102 Medium Blue
= 188 Tiny Blue (for part 44534)
= 269 Tiny-Medium Blue (for part 44403c02)

62 Light Blue
= 45 Light Blue
= 188 Tiny Blue (for part 44461)

LEGO 188 Tiny Blue is split up between Medium Blue and Light Blue, depending
on which set it occurred in and how the person doing the inventory solved the
problem of how to classify a new unknown color.

Speckle Colors
Speckle colors are covered in a speckled coating. The speckles are not part of
the plastic itself.

111 Speckle Black-Silver
= 304 (ink) Cool Silver, Diffuse on Black parts

117 Speckle DBGray-Silver
= 304 (ink) Cool Silver, Diffuse on DB-Gray parts

151 Speckle Black-Gold
= No LEGO (ink) color ID is known

116 Speckle Black-Copper
= 306 (ink) Copper, Diffuse on Black part

LEGO 304 is split up depending on the color of the base-part it is applied to.
It does not cause any catalog problems, but it might need a “color note” to explain
the relation with the official LEGO color names for future reference.

Pearl Colors
Metallic Bright Blue
78 Metal Blue
= 145 Sand Blue Metallic
= 185 Metallic Bright Blue (for part 54005pb01 and the hubs of 54007c02)

Silver, Gold and Copper colors
Silver, Gold and Copper colors are made in a few different ways:
- As a color of the plastic itself
- as a shiny surface finish, called “chrome” on BrickLink.
- as a matte surface finish, called “metallic” on BrickLink.
- Painted, sprayed or brushed onto the part as a surface decoration. (In those
cases LEGO will usually specify the color of the part underneath the decoration,
with a description of the decoration in the part name). These are usually called
“metallic”, but I think I have seen a few inconsistencies (I did not check yet).

The naming conventions LEGO used for these colors are as confusing as the way
BrickLink dealt with differences in appearance caused by the use of different
materials. Initially LEGO only assigned a name to the color of the plastic itself.
Until somewhere around 2006 (?) all surface coatings were seen as decorations
only. Then a few color names were introduced that describe the appearance of
the brick. Since somewhere around 2009-2012 (?) those names have been replaced
by “ink colors” with labels (No 1000, No 1100) in the part name to describe the
surface finish.

So what is what?..

Gold colors

Chrome Colors
21 Chrome Gold
= until approximately 2010: surface decoration (no number assigned);
= later: 310 Metalized Gold
= present: 335 Gold Ink (probably with “No 1100” in the official LEGO part name)
(I am not sure about the exact dates for the changes in the LEGO naming conventions
for this color)

Pearl Colors
61 Pearl Light Gold = 127 Gold
115 Pearl Gold = 297 Warm Gold
81 Flat Dark Gold = 147 Sand Yellow Metallic

Metallic Colors
65 Metallic Gold
= 1998-2006: surface decoration (no number assigned);
= 2006-2009: LEGO 299 Warm Gold, Drum Lacquered
= 2009-present: LEGO 335 Gold ink (ink (probably with “No 1000” in the part name)

Silver colors
Chrome Colors
22 Chrome Silver
= until approximately 2010: surface decoration (no number assigned);
= later: 309 Metalized Silver
= present: 336 Silver Ink with (probably with “No 1100” in the official LEGO
part name)
(I am not sure about the exact dates for the changes in the LEGO naming conventions
for this color)

Pearl Colors
66 Pearl Light Gray and 95 Flat Silver

- Bricklink uses Pearl Light Gray for parts that “look swirly”
- Bricklink uses Flat Silver for parts that “do not look swirly” The definition
used can be found here: http://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=1096 I think
the definition is very confusing and open to interpretation.
- Bricklink uses Flat Silver for all 315 Silver Metallic parts (since 2010).

= 131 Silver (approximately 1998-2010)
= 296 Cool Silver (briefly replaced 131 Silver in 2006)
= 315 Silver Metallic (since 2010)
= 179 Silver Flip/Flop (for Bionicle Kanohi mask. Used only in Bionicle mask
packs from 2002. Because these packs with random parts are not inventoried, no
BrickLink color is known for these parts. They are currently sold as Metallic
Silver, flat silver, pearl light gray, pearl dark gray)

Parts in softer plastics that didn't show the pearl-ness much used to be
considered Flat Silver on BL (even though they LEGO considered them to be the
same color as Pearl Light Gray).

Metallic Colors
67 Metallic Silver
= 1998-2005: surface decoration (no number assigned);
= 2005-2009: LEGO 298 Cool Silver, Drum Lacquered
= 2009-present: LEGO 336, Silver ink (probably with “No 1000” or 1001 in the
part name)

Copper colors
Pearl Colors
84 Copper
= 139 Copper
= 189 Reddish Gold
= 176 Red Flip/Flop (for Bionicle mask 32573 and 32572)
= 178 Yellow Flip/Flop (for Bionicle Kanohi mask. Used only in Bionicle mask
packs from 2002. Because these packs with random parts are not inventoried, no
BrickLink color is known for these parts. They are currently sold as copper,
metallic gold, pearl gold.
= 346 Copper Metallic

= 300 Copper, Drum Lacquered matte copper surface coating
= 334 Copper ink

This color is a bit of a mess on BrickLink. Because BrickLink does not have a
“Metallic Copper” the Copper color is used both for the actual plastic (139,
176, 178, 189, 346) and the Copper coated parts (300, 334). The copper surface
coatings have a similar history as the silver and gold colors.

Author:

WoutR

Posted:

Jun 25, 2019 17:02

Subject:

Re: Please add LEGO colour names to Color Guide

Viewed:

58 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, WoutR writes:

If we ever add Dark Nougat, the required information is available here:
https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=958067

Because the message is no longer available, I am copying the missing information
here:

Part 3901
Part color code: update 4163862
Small Images: Choose one of the images in Fabuland Brown or Earth Orange and
delete the other.

Part 30374
Part color code: update 4159161
Small Images: Choose one of the images in Fabuland Brown, Earth Orange or Dark
Orange and delete the rest.

Part 30374px1
Remove additional note.
Update small image color from Dark Orange to Dark Nougat

Inventory 4706-1
Change part 30374px1 from Dark Orange to Dark Nougat (regular and extra)

Inventory 4730-1
Change part 30374 from Dark Orange to Dark Nougat

Inventory 4752-1
Change part 30374 from Dark Orange to Dark Nougat

Inventory 4756-1
Change part 30374 from Earth Orange to Dark Nougat

Inventory 4758-1
Change part 30374 from Earth Orange to Dark Nougat

Inventory 10132-1
Change part 30374 from Dark Orange to Dark Nougat

Inventory minifigure hp023 (used in set 4728-1 and HPG02-1)
Change part 3901 from Earth Orange to Dark Nougat

---

In the discussion, the name "Medium Dark Orange" was proposed for our
catalog

Author:

WoutR

Posted:

Jun 25, 2019 16:35

Subject:

Re: Please add LEGO colour names to Color Guide

Viewed:

116 times

Topic:

Author:

bricksahead

Posted:

Jun 21, 2019 18:38

Subject:

Re: about to make notes in orders

Viewed:

46 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, broomhandle writes:

When I make a purchase from a store, it could be for 3 or more builds. I would
like to be able to make a note on the order page, or a link to which want list.
This would help, a lot of the time, after a week or so shipment. I forget...

On the "Orders Placed" page there is a note field that you can use to insert
text about your builds. These notes may however be deleted 6 months after the
order was placed.

https://www.bricklink.com/orderPlaced.asp

On the order page there is a link titled "Add Order Items To My Wanted List".

Perhaps these existing features may be helpful.

Author:

broomhandle

Posted:

Jun 21, 2019 18:25

Subject:

about to make notes in orders

Viewed:

77 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Author:

ACBuilds

Posted:

Jun 20, 2019 21:40

Subject:

Hiding items in wanted list

Viewed:

93 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

I don't want to see certain items on my lists but I want them to still be
on my lists.

When I am sorting through my pieces and finding pieces that I already have before
needing to buy more, I want to hide the pieces I either confirm that I do not
have or hide the pieces I have already.

I know I can sort by quantity but that still shows pieces that I have looked
for and do not have.

What is left visible on the lists will be pieces that I have not yet looked for.

I have gotten around this in the past by creating multiple wanted lists per project
and moving pieces to lists that say need to buy... but that has made my wanted
lists messy and I would prefer clean wanted lists.

Author:

brum_blue

Posted:

Jun 20, 2019 11:48

Subject:

Add ability possible to search carts

Viewed:

61 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Add the ability to search all carts by the name of an item. Sometimes I take
a while to build list of parts in several carts, for different stores. This process
may take several days (on and off). It would be very useful to see if I have
already put a part in a cart.

Thanks for considering.

Author:

Crispybricks01

Posted:

Jun 17, 2019 08:49

Subject:

Re: Make website mobile-friendly

Viewed:

90 times

Topic:

Have you tried Brickbiz?

It's a really easy and simple app that bolts straight in to Bricklink. Kyan
Lim developed it down here in Perth and i love it. the premium version is the
way to go - perfect for store owners. You still use a computer from time to time
but i do all my orders direct from the app. Never had a problem. Only Apple devices
unfortunately.

regards

Paul

Author:

skybound13

Posted:

Jun 12, 2019 08:44

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

63 times

Topic:

Yorbrick,

I think there are some brick-and-mortar retailers who would love to have you
and Teup on staff!

Yep, now that they’ve spent the money they need to take advantage of the membership.
But we can’t let them just use that $1000 like store credit, they only get to
pay for a portion of each order from that $1000, say maybe 10% per order? That
way we encourage new members to order $10,000 of product a year, they pay an
additional $9000 out of pocket and get to use that $1000 to make up the difference.
While BrickLink is waiting for members to use their $1000 membership fee they
have the money parked in a high interest account, a portion of the interest would
be distributed to sellers, of course!

Ted

Author:

skybound13

Posted:

Jun 12, 2019 08:42

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

38 times

Topic:

Calebfishn,

You’ve got a really good point about how part of running a business is providing
quotes and such which may not lead to a sale, like when I’ve met with prospective
clients who decided not to hire me.

I do agree that keeping BrickLink accessible and welcoming to new members should
be a priority. Your Walmart example is good. There are examples of businesses
charging fees for entry, such as bars with cover charges and even Costco’s membership
fee, but again, better for BrickLink not to give someone reason to walk away.

Ted

Author:

skybound13

Posted:

Jun 12, 2019 08:40

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

36 times

Topic:

Matthew,

Yeah, I didn’t mean to stir up the hornets’ nest!

I can relate with having to put building on the back burner to take care of work.
A big distraction for me is my home office renovation which will be the room
where I build and display all things LEGO. I’m not very fast when it comes to
renovation work but I’ve made matters worse by expanding the scope of the project
to include new UV-blocking glass in the windows, also decided to cut out the
wood panels in the interior door and install frosted glass which is something
I’ve always thought looked nice.

Boy, dust is my sworn enemy, especially with the renovation work. Every LEGO
set I’ve bought this year is in boxes which are then sealed in trash bags in
the storage room (formerly known as the living room!) To help keep dust down
the office renovation will include a HEPA filter and vinyl plank flooring instead
of carpet, might even splurge and get one of those vacuum robots.

Ted

Author:

skybound13

Posted:

Jun 12, 2019 08:38

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

47 times

Topic:

Teup,

I guess it’s easy for me to now say I’d pay a fee because I value what BrickLink
has to offer.

I didn’t realize there was an issue with people not wanting to sign up for BrickLink.
I know in general that I do resist signing up for yet another online account
when I don’t expect to regularly purchase at that online store, but at the end
of the day if I want what they have and there’s no other way to get it I’ll sign
up for that account.

Regarding setting up a BrickLink account, when I signed up in February of this
year I was impressed by how easy the account set up seemed to be - just email,
username, password, then to click Confirm in the email from BrickLink - it was
fast and easy in my opinion.

I also thought BrickLink did well enough to provide information on how the site
works, but then again, I took a few minutes to patiently search for and actually
read the information. I would agree that the typical person probably expects
something like Amazon where you just select the items and as you proceed through
the check-out process everything is calculated.

But in general, I think everyone can agree with the concept of keeping BrickLink
simple and accessible, a sign-up fee would work against that goal.

Ted

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

Jun 12, 2019 07:20

Subject:

Re: There should really be an FOV slider!

Viewed:

47 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, DeLeSepTep writes:

I apologize if this is for suggestions for the website specifically, but I couldn't
find where to submit suggestions for the Bricklink Studio program itself.
[…] Thanks for reading this, and I again apologize
if this was the wrong place to post this but I couldn't find any other place
to suggest this.

http://forum.bricklink.com/

Author:

bb1415098

Posted:

Jun 12, 2019 06:54

Subject:

There should really be an FOV slider!

Viewed:

126 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

I apologize if this is for suggestions for the website specifically, but I couldn't
find where to submit suggestions for the Bricklink Studio program itself. The
field of view in the view port is waaaay too narrow. If possible, a simple FOV
slider that goes up to at least 90 degrees would be enough to make using the
Studio program so much more easier, not only so I can see more but it so it won't
make me nearly as dizzy to use. Thanks for reading this, and I again apologize
if this was the wrong place to post this but I couldn't find any other place
to suggest this.

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

Jun 12, 2019 04:06

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

66 times

Topic:

"Let's trap all buyers inside of this mall so they don't go out without buying our products"

That's a good idea. How about membership fees of $1000 per year. But that
allows you to get $1000 of credit towards any BL orders you place in that year.
For large buyers it will make no difference. For small buyers, it will encourage
them to spend more.*

* Or not join at all.

Author:

alahaka

Posted:

Jun 11, 2019 22:33

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

52 times

Topic:

Hi Ted,

Thanks for the bump! (Pretty sure some chaos has ensued.)

I've been pulled away from bricks for a while now due to another j-o-b, and
after looking up a set a friend mentioned, I just happened to glance at forums
to catch this eerily familiar sounding subject.

Enjoy the community and building! I have four projects unfinished, and have
yet to get them off the carpet ... ... after, um, months. (But these bricks
are protected from sun and dust by scrap paper, so the ol' habitat looks,
well ... livable.)

A good day to all, Matthew

Author:

Adjour

Posted:

Jun 11, 2019 22:31

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

54 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, legoman77 writes:

In Suggestions, matejo writes:

Mentioned in other posts, I am submitting this as a separate suggestion.

The goal of the $1 payment is to preclude new members from making false orders
and thereby avoid time wasted on pulling order items, attaining packing supplies,
calculating shipping, etc.

Perhaps there is also a benefit with regard to new sellers. Not sure.

I recognize there will be process, payment, and accounting challenges for BrickLink
administrators, along with maybe an undesired initial action to become a member,
however this proposal would screen out false buyers, and benefit the integrity
and positive experiences of the entire new member, buyer, and seller community
-- which for my part is a key reason I'm here.

I have said it before, the best way to weed out undesirable buyers and sellers
is to require 10 positive feedbacks before they are allowed to sell or buy. It
sounds so simple.
John P

Shoot, make it 50 while we are at it

Author:

legoman77

Posted:

Jun 11, 2019 20:29

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

49 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, rgurskey writes:

In Suggestions, legoman77 writes:

In Suggestions, matejo writes:

I have said it before, the best way to weed out undesirable buyers and sellers
is to require 10 positive feedbacks before they are allowed to sell or buy. It
sounds so simple.
John P

How do you get 10 positive feedbacks if you are not allowed to buy? Or are you
being facetious?

Facetious. I am never that. Facetious/ feces / yes-we are back to colon stuff.
It worked.
John P

Author:

rgurskey

Posted:

Jun 11, 2019 20:14

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

33 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, legoman77 writes:

In Suggestions, matejo writes:

I have said it before, the best way to weed out undesirable buyers and sellers
is to require 10 positive feedbacks before they are allowed to sell or buy. It
sounds so simple.
John P

How do you get 10 positive feedbacks if you are not allowed to buy? Or are you
being facetious?

Author:

legoman77

Posted:

Jun 11, 2019 19:42

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

54 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, matejo writes:

I have said it before, the best way to weed out undesirable buyers and sellers
is to require 10 positive feedbacks before they are allowed to sell or buy. It
sounds so simple.
John P

Author:

Teup

Posted:

Jun 11, 2019 19:25

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

41 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, skybound13 writes:

As a recent new member, would I have paid $5.00 (or whatever) for a lifetime
BrickLink membership? The concept would have bothered me a little at first,
but yeah, I would have paid because I wanted buyer privileges. If that fee were
refunded back after so many orders, great, if not, not a big deal really.

Hmm, as I think more about it, such a payment would at least confirm that a buyer
is a real person and has a means by which to pay for orders online.

I think you may be pretty exceptional in this. While you are right it could be
a good decision to pay it, I think that the vast majority of people will not
realize it and be turned away by it. The current situation with so many consumers
unwilling to sign up for Bricklink is bad enough as it is.. even creating an
account and learning to navigate the site is already too much for alot of regular
consumers. Let's not make Bricklink's weak point even weaker. People
want to find their products and then buy them by clicking on them and entering
their address. Not go through some strange process of paying a fee for "being
a member" of something they don't (yet) care about..

Author:

Teup

Posted:

Jun 11, 2019 19:19

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

63 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, firestar246 writes:

Don't agree with this at all. This will do nothing except make a lot of people
mad. Ever since I set up instant checkout about a year ago, I've had only
2 NPBs I can think of; one of them what an international buyer, that when I contact,
said that the shipping was too high so I cancelled. The other I never got a response.

So non-paying buyers aren't really a big deal if you have your store set
up correctly.

Agreed. It sounds absurdly consumer unfriendly and frankly hard to take seriously.
Imagine going to the supermarket and being charged $1 upon entry that will not
be refunded. In the EU, consumers can cancel or return purchases for full refunds.
It's considered a vital part of commerce. It would certainly scare off buyers
if they were forced to agree to this. Also, it would require new buyers to set
up a PayPal account and send money to it before placing their first order, which
they are just not going to do.

And yes, NPB's are just not really a big deal. All stores have to deal with
returns, it's part of business. Wanting to eliminate it 100% sounds like
lazy thinking from the seller's perspective. What's next? "Let's
trap all buyers inside of this mall so they don't go out without buying our
products"

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

Jun 11, 2019 17:23

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

51 times

Topic:

Funny how 15-months old suggestions can be resurrected

Author:

tons_of_bricks

Posted:

Jun 11, 2019 16:50

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

53 times

Topic:

Author:

Adjour

Posted:

Jun 11, 2019 15:58

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

51 times

Topic:

I dunno, I'm at 400 orders now and had a NPB, what, twice? I don't think
I've had one since I setup instant checkout either.

Sorry, can't get on board with this idea.

Author:

skybound13

Posted:

Jun 11, 2019 15:29

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

57 times

Topic:

Nectara,

Brickwilbo also suggested Instant Checkout. Just thought I’d share my thoughts
after reading Chezler’s comment above that Instant Checkout doesn’t always prevent
Non-Paying Buyers and that maybe the initial membership fee could be refunded.

Bricklnk offers a great service and has a great community, even if that membership
fee wasn’t refunded a new member would get a lot of value for the minimal sign-up
fee.

Ted

In Suggestions, nectara writes:

The solution is already here called Instant Checkout

Regards
Nectara

Author:

nectara

Posted:

Jun 11, 2019 11:12

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

60 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, skybound13 writes:

Matejo,

I’m not saying that I think any little fee should be part of the solution, but
if a fee were implemented maybe it should be considered an “order processing
fee” and be paid to the seller to be credited towards the order assuming it wasn’t
a fake order, otherwise seller keeps it. But even if the buyer turns out to
be fake then that $1.00 hardly seems like adequate compensation for wasting the
seller’s time.

As a recent new member, would I have paid $5.00 (or whatever) for a lifetime
BrickLink membership? The concept would have bothered me a little at first,
but yeah, I would have paid because I wanted buyer privileges. If that fee were
refunded back after so many orders, great, if not, not a big deal really.

Hmm, as I think more about it, such a payment would at least confirm that a buyer
is a real person and has a means by which to pay for orders online.

Ted

The solution is already here called Instant Checkout

Regards
Nectara

Author:

calebfishn

Posted:

Jun 11, 2019 10:31

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

61 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, matejo writes:

No. It is not necessary to screen out false buyers. Although it is true that
this is very frustrating, it is part of doing business and running a store to
give quotes, calculate shipping, etc. When i walk into walmart, they don't
charge me a dollar to make sure I am a "real" customer.

Most so called "false" orders, are really in my view "Failed" orders, and those
are most often the result of new buyers, or people who could not figure something
out on the website interface. The percentage of "failed" orders is very small
compared to successful orders. I can deal with the odd inconvenience.

We should reject every single suggestion that would make it harder for first
time, and one time buyers from ordering lego in our stores.

I agree that community is important, and that is why I am here also. However,
I believe the health of the community depends on being open and welcoming to
newcomers, rather than being a closed community that wants to screen new arrivals
and place obstacles in their path.

Author:

skybound13

Posted:

Jun 11, 2019 10:12

Subject:

Re: Have all members pay BL $1 to buy and/or sell

Viewed:

89 times

Topic:

Author:

skybound13

Posted:

Jun 11, 2019 09:54

Subject:

Re: Seller checkout approval for <X new buyers

Viewed:

41 times

Topic:

Matejo,

Out of curiosity, if some sort of seller approval system were in place, what
is it that would give you confidence to sell to a new BrickLinker with zero feedback?
So for example, new member wants to place their first order, they send you the
message that says, "Would you please sell this item to me even though I don't
have enough feedback?" then you have to decide to say yes or no - what would
you be looking for that would make you approve the order request?

You made the comment, "…to minimize time-wasting fake orders…" - are there really
people who have nothing better to do then to set up an order for which they never
intend to pay? That is so weird to me.

Ted

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

Jun 8, 2019 12:17

Subject:

Re: 'Prefer My BrickLink Classic?'

Viewed:

52 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, randyf writes:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

very and fast - The site has become unstable yet again and although it isn't
with server 500 errors - I wonder if they are adding code to the site and it
is breaking it.

And they always seem to add it on a Friday as they are leaving for the weekend.

Why would anyone in their right mind or with any common sense whatsoever let
that happen. The mind simply boggles. There could be a million people (total
membership) trying to place orders or load inventory and unless they read the
forum and/or try workarounds they are going to be put off using the site. It
just doesn't make any sense to me but then again I am an old fashioned MD
- far too old to change my ways and very slow to catch on to new gimmicks.

Charlie Brown give me strength.

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

Jun 8, 2019 11:48

Subject:

Re: 'Prefer My BrickLink Classic?'

Viewed:

27 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, randyf writes:

[…]
And they always seem to add it on a Friday as they are leaving for the weekend.

It’s because the ones they don’t do on a Friday as they are leaving for the weekend
are either:
1. not breaking anything because they weren’t made by sleep-deprived, eager to
leave for the weekend devs,
2. or quickly fixed because said devs hadn’t yet rushed to the nearest dive to
drown their memories of that awful spaghetti code and all the 500’s they got
the whole week.

Author:

randyf

Posted:

Jun 8, 2019 11:35

Subject:

Re: 'Prefer My BrickLink Classic?'

Viewed:

32 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

very and fast - The site has become unstable yet again and although it isn't
with server 500 errors - I wonder if they are adding code to the site and it
is breaking it.

And they always seem to add it on a Friday as they are leaving for the weekend.

Author:

Abels_Bricks

Posted:

Jun 8, 2019 08:30

Subject:

Re: 'Prefer My BrickLink Classic?'

Viewed:

38 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

In Suggestions, Abels_Bricks writes:

In Suggestions, crxefx writes:

X2 , No interest in AFOL whatever in the middle of what i'm trying to do!

Totally agree, also the AFOL stuff that pops up at the top of your searches.

But main gripe today would be I would love it if bricklink was working correctly
today. having to go to the front page to do anything is getting old.

David

very and fast - The site has become unstable yet again and although it isn't
with server 500 errors - I wonder if they are adding code to the site and it
is breaking it.

Might be an idea for BL to get a proper sandbox in place and use that for rolling
out updates and/or changes - like most development teams do.

A sandbox would be fantastic, this is something I have been suggesting in the
forums since I started selling. Even someway for sellers to test postage.

But even some bloody communication would be nice. Lawrence has a pinned site
updates post on the brickowl forums, and regularly updates and gets involved
in the forums.

David

hahahahahahahahaha. I just went to post this and got the 500 error.

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

Jun 8, 2019 08:08

Subject:

Re: 'Prefer My BrickLink Classic?'

Viewed:

52 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Abels_Bricks writes:

In Suggestions, crxefx writes:

X2 , No interest in AFOL whatever in the middle of what i'm trying to do!

Author:

Abels_Bricks

Posted:

Jun 8, 2019 07:08

Subject:

Re: 'Prefer My BrickLink Classic?'

Viewed:

49 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, crxefx writes:

X2 , No interest in AFOL whatever in the middle of what i'm trying to do!

Author:

crxefx

Posted:

Jun 8, 2019 06:05

Subject:

Re: 'Prefer My BrickLink Classic?'

Viewed:

46 times

Topic:

X2 , No interest in AFOL whatever in the middle of what i'm trying to do!

Author:

Brickwilbo

Posted:

Jun 8, 2019 05:52

Subject:

Re: 'Prefer My BrickLink Classic?'

Viewed:

48 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, WhiteHorseMatt writes:

Can we please remove the 'Prefer My Bricklink Classic?' (and the corresponding
one from the old screen) from the top of the 'My Bricklink' page.

Yes, please remove "View My New BL" from the top of the 'My Bricklink'page.

It takes up loads of screen real estate and would be as a tick box on a display
settings option.

I think after it being there a year most people will have chosen which style
they prefer.

Matt

Author:

WhiteHorseMatt

Posted:

Jun 8, 2019 05:47

Subject:

'Prefer My BrickLink Classic?'

Viewed:

155 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Can we please remove the 'Prefer My Bricklink Classic?' (and the corresponding
one from the old screen) from the top of the 'My Bricklink' page.

It takes up loads of screen real estate and would be as a tick box on a display
settings option.

I think after it being there a year most people will have chosen which style
they prefer.

Matt

Author:

jonwil

Posted:

Jun 5, 2019 09:46

Subject:

Re: Suggestion for battery boxes

Viewed:

41 times

Topic:

Looking at it some more it seems like many battery box parts e.g.

54950c01 (Inv) Electric 9V Battery Box 4 x 11 x 7 with Red Switch
Parts: Electric, Battery Box

already list their battery requirements, as do some sets that use those parts.
So mostly its a matter of identifying parts and sets that need batteries that
dont list such requirements e.g.

8287-1 (Inv) Motor Box
93 Parts, 1 Book, 2006
Sets: Technic: Supplemental

6399-1 (Inv) Airport Shuttle
728 Parts, 9 Minifigures, 1990
Sets: Town: Classic Town: Airport

not showing the requirements.

Author:

novabrick

Posted:

Jun 5, 2019 06:00

Subject:

Re: Suggestion for battery boxes

Viewed:

50 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, jonwil writes:

I think all battery boxes (and other parts that take batteries) as well as the
sets that contain them should have a statement "this part/set takes xyz batteries"
to let people know what batteries they need.

A few items contain such information in their "notes" but its inconsistent (ideally
it should cover all the items that need batteries and possibly be a specific
field rather than just notes)

I guess you refer to parts like

40931c01 Electric, Light & Sound Siren 2 x 6 x 1 with Trans-Dark Blue Lights and White Center
Parts: Electric, Light & Sound

54930c02 Electric, Light Brick 2 x 3 x 1 1/3 with Trans-Clear Top and Yellow LED Light (Glows Orange)
Parts: Electric, Light & Sound

which actually include batteries in their respective
sets and have comments regarding what battery is needed.

Other sets like

42043-1 (Inv) Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245
2793 Parts, 2015
Sets: Technic

don't include the needed 6x AA-Cells. I think
on most sets it's actually printed on the box if extra batteries are needed.
Nevertheless as additional information for customers this might me a helpful
information to be included on the item/set pages so they can gather needed batteries
for their purchases.

Christian

novabrick-team

Author:

jonwil

Posted:

Jun 5, 2019 05:51

Subject:

Suggestion for battery boxes

Viewed:

87 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

Jun 1, 2019 12:33

Subject:

Re: Option to Donate to reach min. buy

Viewed:

39 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Brickochet writes:

In Suggestions, nectara writes:

In Suggestions, Brickochet writes:

This is a fairly bad marketing idea for shops that probably don't work out
in the shops favour. I know a majority of my browsing has ended up in me taking
my business and money to another shop. Where I am either buying from someone
without a min buy, or selecting other items I actually want to hit that minimum
purchase amount. So my suggestion is to add a donation field/possibility to finish
passing the required purchase line.

I have only made 3 purchases since I joined but these 3 people are profiting
by shop deterrence over the min buy. One of which was a difference of 3 cents
to the min buy vs. paying 1 cent more for the same thing because it didn't
have one.

If a few cents deter you to buy then maybe Lego hobby it's too expensive
for you.
Regards
Nectara

spending a few extra cents doesn't deter me; being a few extra cents away
from min purchase amount and not being able to find something else I desire to
reach that min buy amount however does.

For example:

if I am after certain minifigs

shop a) has fig 1 for 1.99, and fig 2 for 2.99 that I am after - with a min buy
of 5.00 I am at 4.98. 2 cents away

shop b) will have the same one for 2.00 but no min buy - so I purchase that one
(shop a misses out)

shop c) will have fig. 2 for 6.00 and a min buy of 5.00 - and I'll pay the
extra $3 for that one - because it passes the min buy margin.

It's not that I'm paying more that's the issue - it's more so
that shop a, is missing out on business because of literally 2 cents (or even
$2) that I would be more than willing to donate just so save a 5 or 10 minutes.

so now shop a misses out on a possible profit due to selectivity and lack of
a difference feature

So you will overpay by $3 and also pay two lots of shipping, which is probably
another $2 minimum. In this example, was there really nothing else under $5 that
you could have added, getting you a cheaper overall price plus a free item?

Author:

edk

Posted:

Jun 1, 2019 10:58

Subject:

Re: Option to Donate to reach min. buy

Viewed:

42 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Brickochet writes:

I've had this in place for years.
"I offer a low $8 minimum order with an option to order less but a charge equal
to the difference between $8 and the order amount will be assessed, The bypass
code is TIP."

but in reality just order something lightweight to get to the min. buy. It's
just that simple.

Author:

nectara

Posted:

Jun 1, 2019 10:00

Subject:

Re: Option to Donate to reach min. buy

Viewed:

51 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Brickochet writes:

shop a) has fig 1 for 1.99, and fig 2 for 2.99 that I am after - with a min buy
of 5.00 I am at 4.98. 2 cents away

Just buy a 2 cent brick!!!
Your time writing this worth more than a few cents and to be honest I do not
need such big business on my store. Usually, the penny pickers are the trouble
maker and they are never happy whatever you do.

Regards
Nectara

Author:

bb1404048

Posted:

Jun 1, 2019 09:44

Subject:

Re: Option to Donate to reach min. buy

Viewed:

46 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, nectara writes:

In Suggestions, Brickochet writes:

If a few cents deter you to buy then maybe Lego hobby it's too expensive
for you.
Regards
Nectara

Author:

Pippysblocks

Posted:

Jun 1, 2019 07:08

Subject:

Re: Option to Donate to reach min. buy

Viewed:

49 times

Topic:

This issue does crop up quite often, and the reason shops will have a min buy
(mine included) is that if an order comes in for a very small amount then the
shop will actually be paying to send the order out (it's all to do with min
Paypal fees etc).

What I would suggest is if there's a shop with items you want but under their
min buy just talk to them, most will be accommodating. I've had plenty of
people message me this and always allow the purchase to go through as long as
I am able to tag on an axtra 50p to make sure I don't run at a loss. It's
just a practical

I know it can seem frustrating but it is just the mechanics of running a store
without hitting a loss. It is not the shops profiting or any bad marketing decisions.

In Suggestions, Brickochet writes:

Author:

nectara

Posted:

Jun 1, 2019 06:42

Subject:

Re: Option to Donate to reach min. buy

Viewed:

45 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Brickochet writes:

If a few cents deter you to buy then maybe Lego hobby it's too expensive
for you.
Regards
Nectara

Author:

axaday

Posted:

Jun 1, 2019 04:12

Subject:

Re: Option to Donate to reach min. buy

Viewed:

33 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Brickochet writes:

In Suggestions, axaday writes:

In Suggestions, Pretty_Pieces writes:

So good idea, but doesn't really need a separate feature, in my humble opinion.

It does for instant checkout.

not all shops offer: the above mentioned work-around, or instant check out.
Kinda missing the point =/

I am pretty sure you missed my point. PrettyPieces says it doesn’t need a special
feature because she will adjust the invoice. I say it does need a special feature
for instant checkout.

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

Jun 1, 2019 04:06

Subject:

Re: Option to Donate to reach min. buy

Viewed:

37 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Brickochet writes:

Can't you just buy some extra parts you are likely to need in future?

Author:

Brickwilbo

Posted:

Jun 1, 2019 03:06

Subject:

Re: Option to Donate to reach min. buy

Viewed:

40 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Brickochet writes:

This hasn't been implemented yet because having a store minimum doesn't
have to be intended for the money, it's often there to save time for not
having to pick small orders.

Author:

bb1404048

Posted:

Jun 1, 2019 02:51

Subject:

Re: Option to Donate to reach min. buy

Viewed:

43 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, axaday writes:

In Suggestions, Pretty_Pieces writes:

In Suggestions, Brickochet writes:

Hi Brickochet,
I've had this in place since I opened, though my minimum buy has crept up
since then. On my home page I list a minimum buy bypass password, along with
a notification that if it is used, I will add a $ amount to their order to hit
the minimum. I only have people take me up on it about once a year. It was more
often when my minimum was lower.

So good idea, but doesn't really need a separate feature, in my humble opinion.

It does for instant checkout.

not all shops offer: the above mentioned work-around, or instant check out.
Kinda missing the point =/

Author:

axaday

Posted:

Jun 1, 2019 00:24

Subject:

Re: Option to Donate to reach min. buy

Viewed:

50 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Pretty_Pieces writes:

In Suggestions, Brickochet writes:

It does for instant checkout.

Author:

Pretty_Pieces

Posted:

Jun 1, 2019 00:19

Subject:

Re: Option to Donate to reach min. buy

Viewed:

49 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Brickochet writes:

Author:

bb1404048

Posted:

Jun 1, 2019 00:09

Subject:

Option to Donate to reach min. buy

Viewed:

190 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Author:

iprice

Posted:

May 28, 2019 13:54

Subject:

Re: Embedding pictures in contact function

Viewed:

36 times

Topic:

In Help, CCBricks writes:

Good morning all,

Is there a way to send photos via the contact option? I have a potential buyer
interested in a certain minifigure and wants photos. I'm happy to oblige,
but can't figure out how to send photos. I dont have the email address so
I can't send then that way. I tried using the Help section. But was unsuccessful.
any help is appreciated.

Brian

Can't you just ask the buyer for their email address?

Author:

Brickwilbo

Posted:

May 28, 2019 11:19

Subject:

Re: Embedding pictures in contact function

Viewed:

74 times

Topic:

In Help, CCBricks writes:

Upload images to your My Images and add the links into your message.
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/myimages_modal.page?CKEditor=splash-editor-6013&CKEditorFuncNum=1&langCode=nl

Author:

bje

Posted:

May 28, 2019 08:46

Subject:

Re: Embedding pictures in contact function

Viewed:

42 times

Topic:

In Help, CCBricks writes:

I've never been able to that. Add the images as additional images to your
inventory (select the inventory item, click on "edit more" and then "upload image")
or ask that person to send you his/her e-mail address so you can send the images
direct.

Author:

CCBricks

Posted:

May 28, 2019 08:39

Subject:

Embedding pictures in contact function

Viewed:

72 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Author:

Brickwilbo

Posted:

May 28, 2019 05:21

Subject:

Re: Warning to seller for inconsistent config

Viewed:

51 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, alexbinary writes:

Hello,

After some time as a buyer, I just opened my store on BrickLink.

At first I was only shipping domestic so I configured domestic shipping method
and checked only the domestic checkbox for PayPal payments.

I am now opening to international sales, so I configured international shipping
methods, but I had forgotten about the international checkbox for PayPal and
did not check it.

I got messages from potential buyers saying they could not checkout because I
had not configured a payment method.

I do not understand how enabling international shipping without international
payment can make sense, so I would assume that anyone who did this made a mistake.

My suggestion is to have BrickLink check for this inconsistent configuration
and at least warn sellers about it, or maybe even prevent it from happening.

Thanks
Alex

BrickLink can't know the intention of the seller for certain configurations.
It's the sellers responsibility to make sure that the settings are correct.
There should be a proper way to test settings though.

Author:

alexbinary

Posted:

May 28, 2019 01:23

Subject:

Warning to seller for inconsistent config

Viewed:

189 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Author:

DeLuca

Posted:

May 27, 2019 20:46

Subject:

Rewording of Forum Rule #4

Viewed:

184 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

I recently noticed that the wording of Forum Rule #4 is quite odd. While I do
understand the meaning of the existing version, it is structured awkwardly and
ambiguously (such that, for example, it could indicate that offensive
words are not to be replaced with pornography!).
A revised version of Rule #4 (such as I have drafted) would clarify what, precisely,
is defined as "offensive" (as this is a highly subjective term), as well as making
the sentence-structure more understandable - Particularly to non-native English-speakers.

Existing:
"Posts should not include foul language, lewd, or other offensive content, or
links to such content. This includes replacing offensive words with alternate
letters or characters, pornography, or any kind of racial/prejudicial content."

Revised:
"Posts should not include offensive content, nor any links to such content, including:
Profane, foul, lewd, pornographic, violent, or prejudicial language or images.
Replacing censored words with alternate letters or characters, or editing images
to obscure forbidden content with pixilation or black bars, is also prohibited."

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

May 27, 2019 13:39

Subject:

Re: Helpful but ....

Viewed:

48 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, bje writes:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

Optionally included where?

https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=22

That is not how it works when we upload our xml file from Briokstock. The file
has the category number in it but leads with the itemid.

Knowing how the tables work and what is in them would be helpful to get this
sorted, but suffice to say that when the xml data comes along Bricklink has to
make up its mind what to do with it and it cannot do that without the itemid
e.g. part no. It requires part no, colour and condition to see if the data submitted
is a new lot or matches an existing lot. So the item id is used somewhere - it
cannot just work from the category id.

It is a mandatory field out of Brickstock for an xml
update inventory. The only time lot numbers come into it are if you wish to update
existing inventory. Niek is right - the system is doing a lookup to pick up the
description so it can look up the product id quite easily.

It performs a lookup on the category only, nothing else.

Sorry that cannot work - the category could have hundreds of items in it so how
is it going to know which item to either add or update? It simply isn't logical.

Yes according to Bricklink
we sell lots but according to reality we sell items which make up lots.

In reality there has never been a single catalog item sold on BL

Mind blowing
I know, but download your orders with full detail - there is no such thing in
the catalog as a "Red Technic, Brick 1 x 14 with Holes" as a separate catalog
item, yet that is the only description on your invoice.

The catalogue is made up of many related tables - the order detail download is
useless as far as we are concerned and has been set up by Bricklink to offer
info they wish to offer not the info we need.

The fact
that this platform has no real inventory system available to stores does not
mean we cannot look at elements of the catalogue when we are bringing in data.
A schema would clearly establish this - Product ID cannot be duplicated and
therefore can be read easily when a lookup to that table is done.

What do you mean by Product ID - the lot ID or the catalog item ID? These are
two different things altogether and bear no relation to each other.

The lot id is a bricklink generated number assigned to each store for each item
no, colour and condition. That then represents , lets call it a stock item and
that is what we sell. Lot nos, however are cumbersome and clumsy, so we use Lego
design id nos or (Bricklink part nos) to refer to our items. No one uses lot
nos other than the system.

If I modify the xml file we created when we export xml to Clipboard - the mass
upload will not work - we get an error message that the file format is invalid.
If I put the itemid back in it works.

Export with a comment and delete the item field again, it will work. You could
conceivably list your entire inventory without a single catalog item id.

No, I am afraid it doesn't - the system tells us it is an invalid file format.

We have moved off the original point - the only real resolution to this is if
someone at Bricklink who understands the code

is willing to share that info
out in the forum.

Whilst I am confident nothing will happen over this suggestion it would be welcome
for BL to comment.

Admin ?

Author:

qwertyboy

Posted:

May 27, 2019 13:35

Subject:

Re: Helpful but ....

Viewed:

37 times

Topic:

To illustrate, see attached picture of an upload of a yellow 2x4 brick. The program
knows it is part 3001, it even shows the picture, and if you hover over that
picture, the title says "Part No: 3001 Name: Brick 2 x 4". So don't tell
me that when showing this page it is difficult to add "Part No: 3001" somewhere
in clear text on that line.

Niek.

Author:

qwertyboy

Posted:

May 27, 2019 13:24

Subject:

Re: Helpful but ....

Viewed:

35 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, bje writes:

In Suggestions, qwertyboy writes:

In Suggestions, bje writes:

That would be a valid argument, if BL weren't already showing the item description
on that exact same screen. If the program is able to show the description (which
is a lookup into the items table), it already knows the part number (or at least
grab it from the same table the description came from).

So yes, it is a request easily implemented.

Niek.

But the item number is optionally included, it is not even a required field.
And from what I can see, only the category field ties to the item number in the
catalog. As a matter of fact, you can list everything in your store without a
single catalog item number, so long as you have the category and comments fields,
mass uploads will work. We sell lots, not catalog items.

You are missing the point. The issue here is that, when uploading a common "2x4
brick" (part 3001), the screen shows "2 x 4 Brick" - the official BL description
of part 3001. Obviously at that point the program knows it is dealing with part
3001 (as it had to look up that description) and it also shows a picture of that
part. As it has all the info, it is indeed easy to just add "3001" somewhere
on that line item.

Niek.

Author:

bje

Posted:

May 27, 2019 12:57

Subject:

Re: Helpful but ....

Viewed:

33 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

Optionally included where?

https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=22

It performs a lookup on the category only, nothing else.

Yes according to Bricklink
we sell lots but according to reality we sell items which make up lots.

In reality there has never been a single catalog item sold on BL

The fact
that this platform has no real inventory system available to stores does not
mean we cannot look at elements of the catalogue when we are bringing in data.
A schema would clearly e4stablish this - Product ID cannot be duplicated and
therefore can be read easily when a lookup to that table is done.

What do you mean by Product ID - the lot ID or the catalog item ID? These are
two different things altogether and bear no relation to each other.

If I modify the xml file we created when we export xml to Clipboard - the mass
upload will not work - we get an error message that the file format is invalid.
If I put the itemid back in it works.

Export with a comment and delete the item field again, it will work. You could
conceivably list your entire inventory without a single catalog item id.

Whilst I am confident nothing will happen over this suggestion it would be welcome
for BL to comment.

Admin ?

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

May 27, 2019 12:40

Subject:

Re: Helpful but ....

Viewed:

30 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, bje writes:

In Suggestions, qwertyboy writes:

In Suggestions, bje writes:

Optionally included where? It is a mandatory field out of Brickstock for an xml
update inventory. The only time lot numbers come into it are if you wish to update
existing inventory. Niek is right - the system is doing a lookup to pick up the
description so it can look up the product id quite easily. Yes according to Bricklink
we sell lots but according to reality we sell items which make up lots. The fact
that this platform has no real inventory system available to stores does not
mean we cannot look at elements of the catalogue when we are bringing in data.
A schema would clearly e4stablish this - Product ID cannot be duplicated and
therefore can be read easily when a lookup to that table is done.

If I modify the xml file we created when we export xml to Clipboard - the mass
upload will not work - we get an error message that the file format is invalid.
If I put the itemid back in it works.

Whilst I am confident nothing will happen over this suggestion it would be welcome
for BL to comment.

Admin ?

Author:

bje

Posted:

May 27, 2019 12:02

Subject:

Re: Helpful but ....

Viewed:

34 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, qwertyboy writes:

In Suggestions, bje writes:

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

May 27, 2019 11:51

Subject:

Re: Helpful but ....

Viewed:

28 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, qwertyboy writes:

In Suggestions, bje writes:

Thanks Niek

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

May 27, 2019 10:54

Subject:

Re: Helpful but ....

Viewed:

29 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, qwertyboy writes:

In Suggestions, bje writes:

Thanks Niek

Author:

qwertyboy

Posted:

May 27, 2019 10:51

Subject:

Re: Helpful but ....

Viewed:

35 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, bje writes:

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

May 27, 2019 08:42

Subject:

Re: Helpful but ....

Viewed:

47 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, bje writes:

I voted yes, but I am not entirely sure this would be as simple as is believed
on first glance.

The reason that part number gets dropped is because in BL world, that part number
is not something used to differentiate inventory items. What you are adding are
lots, and not individual stock items or even different colours of an item. This
is the reason you cannot cost 2 different batches of the same inventory item
with different cost prices added at two different dates on BL, as you are merely
adding to existing lots, and not adding a new batch which must be reported on
separately. Showing the part number when importing would probably have to mean
that the lot would need an additional characteristic added to it to move it into
the realm of actual inventory of parts and not lots.

My information may be a tad wrong, but from experience, lots (that is your inventory
items) are differentiated only on the comments and the condition, nothing else.
It is, sadly, a throwback to auctioneer inventory where the lot is costed as
a unit and fees are earned on the unit. To get to a basis of project costing
or at the very least some average costing for your inventory items as actual
items and not lots, would possibly take a redesign of the entire inventory handling.

Thanks for adding your comments/thoughts to this. I am not convinced they should
apply, though. The xml file to the mass upload feature includes the part no -
if it is in that file it can be displayed on the verify page. I understand the
lot concept but as Bricklink does not really have an inventory management system
built in we believe picking this field up from the xml file that it receives
should not be a problem.

Having said that as the code is referred to as spaghetti by the development team
they may not understand how to do this.

Speaking of average costing that would be a blessing - but again little chance
of that as BL move towards no stores, no inventory just Amazon/Ebay esque model.
We won't be involved with that as, when and if it ever appears, and from
the comments we have had from others neither will an awful lot more.

Brickowl also doesn't have a proper inventory management system and although
handling Lego items isn't easy - Lego have an in house modified system -
they do not have to deal with condition. Here you have part no colour and condition
to cope with.

A fresh design would be ideal but development investment is not high on the priority
list, it appears.

If you look at a sample of a small file we did yesterday, in-between server 500
errors, you will see what I mean

95345
88
18
P
3
0.270
U

The lot number is checked based on item no, colour and condition and if there
is a match it adds to that lot; if not it creates a new lot and adds that but
it still knows the item no. Displaying it, ther4efore is a couple of lines of
code to be added (according to my head of development).

Thanks again for your comments and for voting for the suggestion.

Author:

bje

Posted:

May 27, 2019 07:51

Subject:

Re: Helpful but ....

Viewed:

61 times

Topic:

Author:

uvt203

Posted:

May 27, 2019 06:00

Subject:

Re: Helpful but ....

Viewed:

35 times

Topic:

Voted YES - it's a really good proposal for a simple improvement.

/Asger

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

Firstly let me say that we know suggestions are not being implemented and according
to MP no work is being done on the classic site however this is a small request
which doesn't require huge amounts of development time and would make life
a bit easier.

Currently the method of manually adding inventory is long winded, provides no
audit trail of what has been done and at best is clumsy.

We use Brickstock for most of our updates to our store. It is much easier, quicker
and provides us with a complete audit trail - the only real snag is what happens
when the file gets to Bricklink, The verify screen drops off the Bricklink part
number for some reason so we are left with an audit trail which, when variants
are involved, isn't really all that helpful, although to be fair we have
used this for some time.

Simply placing the bricklink product code on the verify screen would be very
helpful and this is not a major programming issue. At the same time give us a
print button to print that screen Using the print command from the browser doesn't
work well with the page setup falling short of what is needed.

This is a simple matter and could be resolved in minimal time - please implement.

Author:

Stuart9

Posted:

May 27, 2019 05:55

Subject:

Re: Helpful but ....

Viewed:

36 times

Topic:

+1

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

May 27, 2019 05:50

Subject:

Helpful but ....

Viewed:

233 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

May 14, 2019 05:17

Subject:

Re: Fair, safe and legal trading = BL principles

Viewed:

73 times

Topic:

Well, yes, you are right. The seller has to cancel when requested but is entitled
to taking any measures they like. Especially since this Bricklink world is slightly
different from regular online retail as a lot of labour goes into getting an
order together.
Maybe the "without penalty" part wasn't phrased to well. At least I would
like the language to change. Because right now some sellers write things in their
terms like "I don't accept cancellation requests" or "orders are legally
binding contracts" or stuff like that. I think there's an important distinction
between discouraging it / considering it rude or something like that on the one
hand, and making buyers believe they have no actual choice but to pay up on the
other hand. The latter is basically misinformation about the rights that consumers
have. I think vulnerable/naive consumers should be protected by at least being
offered store terms that don't obscure their rights.

Yeah, I totally agree. This is sort of covered already in the terms, as sellers
must abide by their local laws, and writing contract terms that go against those
just mean the buyer is likely to win if they ever took the case to small claims
court or equivalent.

That said, the BL terms mention that orders are "legally binding contracts",
which probably needs cleaning up.

- Being responsible for lost shipments - meaning full refund or resend if anything
goes missing

And no problem there, and this holds if the buyer pays with paypal anyway. Although
if BL start asking for proof of delivery routinely, this may change smaller orders
as sellers start charging for this.

I think Bricklink could do two things in all this: 1. Enforcing by being involved
with the actual transactions, which might be complicated and costly (although
that is not an excuse it is not needed - perhaps it is) and/or 2. Simply moderate
store terms ahead of any transactions a store may be involved in. That's
not too much manual work, and we live in an age where computers can recognize
actual people in photographs, so I'm pretty sure some algorithms can be put
together to spot illegal store term claims. Even with a simple search operation
it's easy to spot them.
I think the main problem has to do with stores having illegal terms more than
store having legal terms but not keeping to them. Once the store terms are sound,
buyers will be able to call out and spot bad sellers pretty easily whenever they
cause trouble that's not in line with their own terms.

Yeah, although there are probably ways around the machine learning checks for
terms. It might be better that BL has one set of terms that sellers must agree
to, standardised across all stores. Where necessary there could be country based
amendments (across all sellers in that country) due to local laws.

Author:

Teup

Posted:

May 13, 2019 14:45

Subject:

Re: Fair, safe and legal trading = BL principles

Viewed:

48 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, yorbrick writes:

- Full acceptance of cancellation without penalty and without reason required

This issue has been around for years (as has the thread!). There is no legal
right to cancellation without penalty. The buyer has a right to cancel,
but that does not mean that they can order, then cancel. Order, then cancel.
And so on without penalty. If a buyer becomes a problem for a store (whether
on BL or elsewhere), the store is legally entitled to stop selling to them. It
is the same with feedback - feedback does not affect the right to cancellation.
Just because a buyer has a right to cancel, it does not take away the right a
seller has to leave feedback or file a NPB. Of course, if a buyer is responsive
and asks for a cancellation, then many decent sellers will allow cancellations
and they may be more lenient than if the buyer just doesn't pay. But if a
buyer orders then cancels, orders then cancels, orders then cancels, it wouldn't
surprise me if the buyer gets blocked from buying from that store.

And last but not least:

- Being responsible for lost shipments - meaning full refund or resend if anything
goes missing

Author:

JusTiCe8

Posted:

May 13, 2019 06:39

Subject:

Re: Fair, safe and legal trading = BL principles

Viewed:

68 times

Topic:

In an ideal world maybe, in our world anyway, even law enforcement units doesn't
care so much about laws so...

Modern profit oriented world: as long as money comes in (and in the "right" pocket),
who cares ?
But when the flow decrease or worth, stopped: panic mode, create tons of new
laws, made tons of arrests and trials (quite like financial crisis of 2007/2008)
then... move on, and the show must go on.

BL team becoming stricter = less sellers = less sales = less profit, I guess.

In Suggestions, Teup writes:
[...]

These laws apply to all EU stores, regardless of the legal form of the store.
Here on Bricklink we sell in stores (selling through the forum is not even allowed).
Therefore, all of the above is applicable and in my opinion should be enforced
by Bricklink.

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

May 13, 2019 06:03

Subject:

Re: Fair, safe and legal trading = BL principles

Viewed:

72 times

Topic:

- Full acceptance of cancellation without penalty and without reason required

- Accepting returns and refunding the buyer including the postage cost and the
postage cost of sending it back

Again, legally they have this right (although may need to pay return postage
if this is detailed in the seller's terms). But that doesn't mean the
seller cannot block them to stop them doing it again in the future.

Large online retailers are starting to crack down on people buying items, especially
clothes, wearing them with the tags on, then returning them.

- Not charging more for transaction fees than the transactions actually cost

No problem there.

And last but not least:

- Being responsible for lost shipments - meaning full refund or resend if anything
goes missing

Author:

Teup

Posted:

May 13, 2019 04:52

Subject:

Re: Fair, safe and legal trading = BL principles

Viewed:

103 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Rob_and_Shelagh writes:

This suggestion is a summary of my recommendations, plus input from others' many
private messages I received on this over the last few days that I would like
Admin to consider in the site upgrade.

BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION:-

The BrickLink site has always required its' members, both buyers and sellers,
to trade legally and fairly. This is an essential aspect of the site's reputation
which makes it an attractive venue for buyers and sellers to trade here with
confidence and safety. The continued success of the site and enjoyment of it
experienced by its' members both depend heavilly on this being maintained.

The site continues to grow rapidly and welcomes many mew members, both buyers
and sellers every day. The financial success of the site has indeed secured its'
future beyond the loss of its' inspired founder. In the early days, this site
was a small community and the founder members and early adopters clearly did
a great job in building the principles of the site and policing it in a self-regulatory
way. For the most part this still works today but, as is demonstrated in the
many threads recently, some (buyers and sellers) are falling short of those principles
and indeed the law! This may be driven by the vast increase in membership which
makes this place less "personal" for some and combined with this; the laws and
regulations covering internet trading become more and more complex as governments
focus on the explosion of such trading and their need to close tax loopholes
and try to protect their consumers from substandard trading and scams.

I believe the site and ALL its' members (except for any that come here to do
unfair or illegal trading) will benefit from a more developed policy on safe
and legal trading for both their own protection and for the reputation of the
site in general which should help promote its' continued growth and success.

The following suggestions are simply my thougths on "how" some of the issues
might be addressed taking into account the direct input I have had from several
other members as well as many forum threads over the years but some recent ones
in particular:-

SUGGESTION #1 - EXPAND ON THIS IN TOS:-

TOS #11 REQUIRES the following.

"General Compliance with Laws:
You shall comply with all applicable laws, statutes, ordinances and regulations
regarding your use of our service and your listing, purchase and sale of items."

Whilst this "covers" the site in demonstrating to authorities its' intent not
to encourage illegal behaviour, in practice it does little or nothing to:

1. Help inform its' members about what those laws might be and where to find
out about them. Many of the problems here (for buyers and sellers) are caused
by a complete lack of knowledge on the relevent laws.

2. Provides no penalty for breaking them which unfortunately is the reason why
some of the intentional law breakers are comming here.

I suggest changing the TOS #11 to spell out some of the specific laws that members
need to comply with, namely:

Customs - sellers are required to complete customs documents as required by law
honestly and accurately which, for the purpose of selling here, means declaring
the sales value of the goods as stated on the invoice and NOT misprepresenting
commercial sales as gifts.

Compliance with local advertising, selling and consumer protection laws - sellers
are required to comply with all relevent laws applicable to their selling activities.

Taxation - prior to listing any items for sale, sellers are advised to check
the rules in their country relating to any taxation they may need to charge their
customers (e.g. sales tax, VAT as applicable) and any requirements to declare
to their tax authorities any sales activity they conduct on this site.

SUGGESTION #2 - MAKE CUSTOMS FRAUD A REPORTABLE OFFENCE:-

Just as we can report listings that do not comply with the TOS, have a similar
funtion where:

1. Sellers can report (with evidence e.g. private message) to Admin that a buyer
requested a fraudulent customs declaration.

2. Buyers can report (with evidence e.g. private message or something in sellers'
terms) that a seller is offering a fraudulent customs declaration.

3. If a penalty is given, just like an NPB or NSS, a buyer or seller can have
feedback removed if it was given in relation to a transaction subject to the
penalty.

4. A buyer or seller has the right to cancel an order without penalty if subject
to a validated request for customs fraud.

Validated reports would result in a penalty ranging from 1st warning, through
temporary suspension of buying or selling rights, to membership termination for
repeat offenders.

SUGGESTION #3 - HAVE A HELP GUIDE ON SAFETY AND THE LAW

Which members have to declare they have read before they can buy or sell on the
site.

Unlike eBay which has legal resources in many of its' markets, BL has a central
Administration which cannot be expected to be expert on these matter in all geographies.

Perhaps we cound have voluntary "country Admins" for this purpose who would be
responsible for maintaining content with an opening statement relevent to their
market and a number of (official government only) links to any laws relating
to internet buying and selling in their country and the official taxation and
customs sites for their country. This must have a legal disclaimer saying these
Admins and the site are not giving legal advice and it is the ultimate responsibility
of the individual member to ensure he/she complies with all applicable laws.

SUGGESTION #4 - HAVE SOME FUNCTION TO PROMPT BUYERS WHEN BUYING INTERNATIONALLY
-

When you put something in a cart of a store not in your country, you are prompted
to look at a page that says something like:-

"You are about to purchase from a store located outside of your country, you
are advised to check if you may be liable for any customs charges relating to
importing this item into your country WHICH ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY before committing
to this purchase. Purchasing from overseas may also limit your rights as a buyer."

Obviously, this needs some more thought! I would not want this message for EVERY
item I put in a store cart, maybe just the 1st one for example. Maybe give an
option "do not show this message again" after a couple of hits on it within a
certain time period.

SUMMING IT UP FOR ME:-

None of this changes anything that is not the intent of the current TOS.

It is not to differentiate between "private" or "business" sellers for any purpose
of promoting one above the other, although for UK at least and many EU countries,
Gareth's suggestion on that would help keep sellers on the right side of the
law so I still support that too. There does seem to be some differences of definition
on that between countries which would need to be addressed further.

This is intended to HELP buyers and sellers comply with their laws and avoid
some of the risks many are taking now through ignorance of them. Being reported
for falling foul of a law or being caught not complying with it in most cases
carries penalties that most people would be pleased to avoid if given a chance
and informing them better simply helps to avoid that possibility

I would be happy to do more work on this if required as I am passionate about
keeping this a safe, respected place with trading standards that we can ALL be
proud of and enjoy.

CONGRATUALTIONS YOU GOT TO THE END OF THIS POST -

Thank you very much for your time!

Robert

I very much agree with your introduction, and I can't say I disagree with
the rest, but to me the issue of customs delcarations seems really minor and
anecdotal - people are usually talking more about the issue in theory than about
actual occurences of it, and I wonder how much money in the history of Bricklink
has been actually saved by inaccurate forms.

For me much more immediate concerns that comes to mind when reading your introduction
are the following, because when I go over various random EU store's terms
MORE THAN HALF of the sample is not legally compliant with at least
one and usually multiple ones of the following rules:

- Full acceptance of cancellation without penalty and without reason required

- Accepting returns and refunding the buyer including the postage cost and the
postage cost of sending it back

- Not charging more for transaction fees than the transactions actually cost

And last but not least:

- Being responsible for lost shipments - meaning full refund or resend if anything
goes missing

These laws apply to all EU stores, regardless of the legal form of the store.
Here on Bricklink we sell in stores (selling through the forum is not even allowed).
Therefore, all of the above is applicable and in my opinion should be enforced
by Bricklink.

Author:

Steven_Villman

Posted:

May 10, 2019 14:38

Subject:

Re: Fair, safe and legal trading = BL principles

Viewed:

78 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, yorbrick writes:

This is great and all of that; as I don't support customs fraud, and so I
support this idea of yours! HOWEVER, the problem with buying internationally
(at least for a Canadian Buyer as myself) is that the sales taxes (GST, HST and/or
PST) *IN PARTICULAR* (it's much, MUCH more difficult to do it with customs
duty fees, but whatever...) aren't usually automatically levied and actually
shown/itemized on invoices for Bricklink orders from Sellers in foreign countries
like the U.S. when the net amount [price of LEGO goods, excluding shipping, handling
and insurance fees (if insurance is requested by the Buyer or is made mandatory
by the Seller)] is over $40, which is the *new* minimum amount in which GST,
HST, PST, etc. can be levied for importing goods via e-commerce. Therefore, this
creates an emotional headache for the Buyer when the mail person delivers the
parcel to the shipping address but asks for sales taxes plus the customs handling
fee payments *before* releasing the parcel to the Buyer (or to someone else on
the Buyer's behalf), as the buyer is often either in one of two situations
– one, he/she is not always home there when the parcel is attempted delivery;
or two, the buyer's own home address is different from the delivering-to
address (the latter one is the one that applies to me personally there), and
the person who is supposedly accepting the parcel on the Buyer's behalf refuses
to pay anything that is owning to various levels of government (sales taxes,
customs duties and/or customs handling fees) on the Buyer's behalf (to which
the Buyer will later pay back to whoever had to pay the various fees to the postal
worker UP FRONT on the Buyer's behalf) – which results the Buyer in needlessly
in having to go to the local post office to pick up the parcel and make "surprise"
payments for any sales taxes (as well as possible customs duty fees, in some
cases) plus the customs handling fee that are owning there.

I don't really see how any of this is different to other countries that charge
sales tax on imported goods over a threshold. If you buy over the threshold,
you get taxed. It is your job to know about this as an importer buyer, and there
should not be a surprise.

I see your point. However, sales taxes should *still* always be itemized (IF
there's going to be any amount that's owing to various levels of government
in their county) on the invoice for Bricklink orders from Bricklink Sellers from
foreign countries [just like shipping and handling and insurance (if any) charges
are itemized on Bricklink invoices now for *ALL* Bricklink orders *regardless*
of country of origin]. *That* is what I meant by "surprise" charges; "surprise"
charges [I put the word "surprise" in double quotation marks because *some* people
already can figure out on what sales taxes in which they will owe to various
levels of government for any given Bricklink order; but the fact remains that
not everyone can figure it out, and others (like me) just don't want the
hassle in having to pay *TWO* separate times (2 separate transactions: one when
they first place the order and one when they see a postal worker to receive/claim
their package) for their Bricklink order and thus want to pay for it once and
forget about it!] of this nature can be quite easily be avoid there (unlike *CUSTOMS
DUTIES*, as they are much, MUCH more unpredictable – thus very difficult – to
calculate there!) if they were actually itemized on Bricklink Orders' invoices.

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

May 10, 2019 13:54

Subject:

Re: Fair, safe and legal trading = BL principles

Viewed:

66 times

Topic:

Author:

Steven_Villman

Posted:

May 10, 2019 13:43

Subject:

Re: Fair, safe and legal trading = BL principles

Viewed:

112 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Rob_and_Shelagh writes:

Author:

bb1126827

Posted:

May 9, 2019 11:13

Subject:

Re: New Rigid Hoses flex

Viewed:

40 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, SylvainLS writes:

In Suggestions, frankool86 writes:

Hi Studio Devs,
thanks for adding rigid hose flex feature

i am actually trying that new feature and cant seem to make it work on that type
of projet (attached picture)
looks like the tip of the hose wont follow camera orientation. it is always facing
my mouse cursor in all camera modes/orientation. That said, i just cant plug
the tip of the hose in the proper way as you can see on the picture. Maybe i
need tips on that to make it work.
Keep doing a great job on studio

First, the dedicated forum for Studio is http://forum.bricklink.com/ (which,
despite the generic name, isn’t this one).

Then, you can simply rotate the hose’s head with the arrow keys (shift for 45°
increments).

Merci Beaucoup Sylvain. Génial.
Francois, Québec,Canada

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

May 9, 2019 11:00

Subject:

Re: New Rigid Hoses flex

Viewed:

40 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, frankool86 writes:

Hi Studio Devs,
thanks for adding rigid hose flex feature

Author:

bb1126827

Posted:

May 9, 2019 10:29

Subject:

New Rigid Hoses flex

Viewed:

96 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Hi Studio Devs,
thanks for adding rigid hose flex feature

Author:

bb1126827

Posted:

May 8, 2019 10:37

Subject:

Rigid Hoses on Studio

Viewed:

52 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Hi, would it be possible in a near future to make Rigid hoses flexible on studio
?
for now, as far as i can see we can only do on ribbed hoses and chains. thank
you

Author:

JusTiCe8

Posted:

May 8, 2019 03:31

Subject:

Re: Studio Subheadings

Viewed:

22 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, JEL129a writes:

Can the starwars have it's own separate category under the studio gallery.
There is a lot of great starwars creations in their, but at the same time, if
you are looking for other things, it makes it hard to find something else.
Thanks

Just use search, if authors are good enough, they should have add a proper tag.
Or at least something in model's title.

No need to add special stuff for one kind only, what about Star Trek, Super Heroes,
any movies and Tv Shows inspired models, military (WWI, WWII, modern, ...), nature,
landscape, animals, buildings, etc

Author:

JEL129a

Posted:

May 7, 2019 18:21

Subject:

Studio Subheadings

Viewed:

55 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

May 7, 2019 11:10

Subject:

Re: Automatic store selection in Buy mocs

Viewed:

31 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, titips writes:

Hi,
I hope this is the right place to post this.
I think it would be a good thing to be able to set the maximum number of stores
used to fulfill a wanted list search of matching stores in order to have a good
compromise between items costs and shipping costs.
Since shipping costs can't be taken in count during stores automatic selection,
you could add a parameter "max N° of stores" so that we can compair a result
with 10 stores and very low pieces costs and 2 stores with more high pieces costs.
Sometime shipping costs from many stores override high pieces costs from 1 or
2 stores.
hope is clear enough

First, it has been said that the algorithm has a (mysterious) way to include
shipping costs in its calculations.

Then, at a time there were up to three options for Auto-Select:
1. minimize price,
2. minimize number of stores,
3. “best” price (we never could get an answer about what “best” meant).

And they were removed because they didn’t work as advertized and there were “funny”
results (“min stores” cheaper than “min price” or “min price” with fewer stores
than “min stores” and such).

IOW, I doubt BL could implement your suggestion.

Moreover, it has been said several times that development on this website is,
at best, frozen.
So, if I were you, I wouldn’t hold my breath for that suggestion to be even considered.

Author:

titips

Posted:

May 7, 2019 10:50

Subject:

Automatic store selection in Buy mocs

Viewed:

58 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Author:

axaday

Posted:

May 6, 2019 05:52

Subject:

Re: That Randy Color

Viewed:

56 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, randyf writes:

Who said I'm non-technical?

It wasn't me.

Author:

randyf

Posted:

May 5, 2019 21:08

Subject:

Re: That Randy Color

Viewed:

64 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, mfav writes:

It's a quick read, and appropriate for non-technical types.

Who said I'm non-technical? I have a degree in Chemical Engineering, a minor
in Computer Science, worked as a process engineer for a Fortune 50 company, and
then transferred into working for that same company as a web application developer
specializing in UI/UX design and database architecture. Believe me, if this was
my site, things would be wayyyyyyyyyyy different.

Thanks for your thoughts on everything, though. I do appreciate them, but a project
of the scope you are talking about is way above my pay grade and I have no ability
to implement it the way I would want to.

Cheers,
Randy

Author:

mfav

Posted:

May 5, 2019 14:41

Subject:

That Randy Color

Viewed:

207 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

I want to further the discussion at https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1139677
but under an appropriate thread.

In regards to color.

The comments below go to the use of color labeling in the context of being functional
in regards to search. It is not in regards to color accuracy in terms of cataloging.
There is a schism between the two uses because there is only one available field
in the database to handle what are two distinctly different purposes.

At https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1139699 you bring up the color guidelines.

I appreciate as one of the admins, you're attempting to follow the guidelines.
The guidelines however are in conflict with what an average person with no experience
with the guidelines would expect. They're even in conflict with what someone
with greater than average knowledge of the color labeling conventions on BL would
expect. I would reconsider those guidelines.

There are, by my count currently 170 different distinct colors that the system
knows. https://www.bricklink.com/catalogColors.asp

Assuming an ideal world where all of the decorations are accurately color-described
in the database per the guidelines, it's unreasonable to expect any average
person to be able to remember 170 different colors and to accurately identify
every instance of them. Colors shift over time due to aging and formulation.
Color perception changes relative to adjacent colors. Perceived color accuracy
is relative to the available reference photos or renders, the skill of the photographer
to capture the color, the ability of any individual piece of hardware or software
to properly interpret and render the color, lighting conditions, and other factors.
Color is a rainbow hell-hole.

Here is a test situation to illustrate my point. Take the torso in question in
the original thread and show it to 20 random people. Ask them what the colors
are. I'll wager you a cookie that if you ask 20 people who are not jenwick,
that exactly zero describe the blue as "medium azure." I'll wager you another
cookie that less than half describe the purple as "magenta."

With that in mind, somebody comes to the site and attempts to find something.
Somebody will use what they think the color is because that is their perception
of the color, not because they've reviewed the color chart in depth and have
spent time comparing many pieces to one another to grok the nuances and accurately
predict the exact hue necessary to achieve a match in search. What they'll
do is enter the color they think it is (blue) and do a search, and the search
results will be unsatisfactory, and they'll declare they can't find it
and post in the forum "what is this" or they'll search repeatedly and repeatedly
get unsatisfactory results, declare the site too complicated, and go away in
frustration. This frustration ends up being an indelible negative association
with BrickLink in that person's mind.

We've witnessed this scenario time and again here on the forum. We've
witnessed the endless debates over yellowed LBG vs LG, the confusion with pearl
gray and flat silver (two labels for one color), the confusion with pearl gold
(one label for two colors), people can't find pieces they're looking
for when they're looking right at them because the thumbnail color isn't
the same as the color they searched for, and more.

Having people "go away in frustration" is not in the best interest of BL as a
marketplace. Presumably the 10,000 plus shops here have invested some effort
in attempting to sell things. With that in mind, I argue that things which facilitate
sales should have precedent over "historical accuracy" when it comes to searching
the catalog. One needs to be able to find something before one can dig deep into
understanding it and its associated nuances...if one even needs or wants to understand
them.

We know a better solution to the issue would be a more robust database. As we've
been told repeatedly that isn't going to happen, you're left with a choice.
Either you populate the description field with user-friendliness or with historical
accuracy in mind (for user-friendliness, decoration colors in the item/description
would be their most generic counterparts: black, gray, silver, white, gold, red,
orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, tan, chrome, copper, and speckle).
I would suggest the item field be populated with user-friendliness in mind and
that the note/comment field be generously populated with the historical accuracy
and other more esoteric information.

It's not an ideal solution, but it would work within the current operational
parameters of the database and site interface.

On contributions.

I went through a discussion with the Stormchaser about this at length. This isn't
going to improve until all the UI is improved. The forms are too convoluted and
not explained well and the explanations are hidden and it's just too much
work for anybody who isn't more than casually dedicated. All the instructions
for filling a form need to be adjacent to the fields on the form. The instructions
are buried elsewhere. If you start filling a form, then have to leave to find
instructions, the form is then blanked when you return, and that's an issue
and causes frustration. The UI can't improve much without programmer time.
The whole issue gained no traction while I was communicating with the Stormchaser.
I don't expect any improvement any time soon. Refer to second picture attached
after you finish reading this post.

In regards to the Stormchaser.

You'll forgive me if I read your statement about following in his footsteps
probably not the way you intended it. It's pretty clear that being a volunteer
admin at BrickLink is basically like being in the "zone" in Stalker https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079944/

To really appreciate the statement, you'll have to experience the movie,
if you haven't already.

Stormchaser's footsteps promised much change, then he made like Mrs. Hogwallop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsAZ0RweVxk So maybe don't follow those footsteps
too closely.

I had a number of communications with the Stormchaser both on- and off-line.
I'll suggest to you the same thing I did with him: read Steve Krug's
"Don't Make Me Think" https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Think-Revisited-Usability/dp/0321965515/
This book has been revised a few times. I'm familiar with the second version,
but would expect the later versions to be effectively the same content probably
with more recent references. It's a quick read, and appropriate for non-technical
types. He said it helped him with how he thought about things he wanted to do.

So. Food for thought. And in closing, because you asked, a portrait of Randy
after reading this post.

Author:

change

Posted:

May 3, 2019 18:04

Subject:

Re: Change NPB Timeline

Viewed:

40 times

Topic:

4 + 4
Do it!

In Suggestions, MidwestBrick writes:

I had enough of these in the last few weeks that waiting 2 full weeks is painful
to complete them.

I don't mind the 1 week to pay before it is started. But another full 7 days
to complete the NPB is not necessary.

I would propose 3 additional days and that is it. Let us get our stock back
in our stores to sell to someone else instead of being held at our will for 14
full days when 10 is plenty enough.

I can't be the only one that feels this way and 14 days might have worked
10-15 years ago when access to Smart-Phones wasn't as widespread, but these
days, you can't go far without having the ability to respond. Thanks

Author:

MidwestBrick

Posted:

May 3, 2019 17:52

Subject:

Re: Change NPB Timeline

Viewed:

38 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, manganschlamm writes:

In Suggestions, MidwestBrick writes:

OK then in return I propose that we buyers can initiate and complete NRS and
NSS after proportionally shorter time. If sellers want to give us buyers less
time to make the payment, then they should also have less time to issue invoices
and ship. Something for something. As a side note, I would like to mention that
in Europe many payments are still made by conventional bank transfer, which may
take few days to complete (and will only be processed on business days).

Final comment: Sellers that want to push for high-speed payment should accept
the fact that for 99% of buyers this is a hobby whereas for a considerable fraction
of sellers it is a full- or part-time business. We buyers typically have a normal
job and need to find the time to do things related to BL.

Not a problem and I 100% see the buyer side and Agree. As a buyer myself too,
it is frustrating when you are sitting there waiting and waiting for an invoice,
which is why as a seller, I send them out asap or if it is going to take some
time (like up to 2-3 days), I send communication with the buyer so they are fully
aware that I will get be sending it soon. Although, many times I have simply
estimate the shipping, refund if I over-estimated and take the hit if I under-estimated
just to get the invoice out asap still.

It would be wonderful if sellers had stats that showed how quickly invoices are
sent out and how quickly shipments are sent as I feel the NPB should start when
the invoice is sent and not determined on how many days pass from the date of
purchase.

Overall, Yes to Both sides. Hold Sellers and Buyers accountable. +1

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

May 3, 2019 16:40

Subject:

Re: Change NPB Timeline

Viewed:

52 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, tonnic writes:

[…]
If I look at your large amount of feedback you generate I almost suspect you
of having a Lego business too but on a different sellingpoint... 😅

Almost 1 order a day, I suspect them of being in love with their post(wo)man

Author:

tonnic

Posted:

May 3, 2019 16:18

Subject:

Re: Change NPB Timeline

Viewed:

41 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, MidwestBrick writes:

I agree, an NPB takes too long.
In rare occassions a payment is made after an NPB but most of the time it results
in a finished NPB.

So for me a week waiting after an order is made is okay but 3 days after starting
an NPB should be enough.
The warning signs for an NPB are enough to shake the buyer awake and response
to the sellers messages and NPB.

Author:

tonnic

Posted:

May 3, 2019 16:15

Subject:

Re: Change NPB Timeline

Viewed:

48 times

Topic: