BrickLink Discussion Forum

In Suggestions, brix4kix writes:

There was a post earlier about bricklink over seeing bad sellers, I cant remember
where. I vote yes to a complaint section to have administrator's review
complaints about poor seller's. I received a order I placed a while back,
well first off I never recieved any messages back from the seller, they mailed
out the package 5days after there store terms sead they do.not usually a problem
since I typically send a message like ( hi just checking in to se if the payment
got to you thanks) the seller always contacts me back with yep got it will be
sending out soon got a little bizzy. That is no problem but from this seller
nothing.

so when the package arrived I was very unhappy now take a look at the packaging(
lack of bubble wrap ore any type of protection. But I did get some religious
propaganda that I didn't order. And yes the parts were just in thin cardboard
with tape around it from post office. I have not left feedback yet was waiting
to calm down. Will update in a bit if you want the name of the seller pm me for
now till I post the feedback.

A couple things. I know one other person who sends out religious pamphlets with
your order. His store terms state pretty clearly that he will do so, but that
you can ask him not to and he won't. Personally it doesn't bother me
- if someone has a specific belief, and they are so devoted to that belief that
they are willing to go through the inconvenience of buying and adding printed
material to every order, then I don't mind it.

Recycled packaging? I like it. We throw too much useful stuff away and I'd
rather it be reused than go to the dump.

Now as for the way the parts are organized, that's not acceptable. I'd
consider a neutral for that, although honestly I think your negative is probably
a bit out of line. If your bricks showed up as ordered (good condition and undamaged)
but you don't like how they are packaged, simply least favorite him as a
store and move on. There are a lot more sellers out there that are extremely
friendly, including those who may choose to add a religious pamphlet in their
orders, and including those who won't.

Personally I don't mind it - I don't stop watching a show because a Scientology
commercial comes on, although I am very against the idea of it. So if someone
is paying money to include a religious message that they pay for, at no expense
to me, then I don't see what the issue is. If they used newspapers to protect
your order then chances are it would include a ton of different news stories,
even those that don't apply to you. So a piece of paper with a religious
message is just not something I would go out of my way to complain about.

Too long - didn't read version:
Recycling: good.
Saving the planet: good.
Inviting others to check out a religion that changed your life - good.
Putting all the stuff in one bag with no protection - bad.

Final result: least favorite him, drop that unwarranted negative, and move on
to one of the many much better stores out there.

Author:

ScootersBricks

Posted:

May 2, 2014 14:19

Subject:

Re: Chargebacks: Immediately Suspend Buying Privs

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In Suggestions, fosterbengoshi writes:

Please implement a new policy of immediately temporarily suspending the buying
privileges of any member who files a chargeback claiming unauthorized use of
their PayPal or credit card or account. This is NOT to punish the buyer. It is
to protect the buyer from further unauthorized use of his PayPal card or account.
And to protect sellers against whoever is using the buyer's card without
the buyer's permission.

A chargeback is different and more serious than a reversal. For one thing, unauthorized
use of a PayPal account or credit card is a crime. Furthermore, while you can
defend yourself from a reversal by showing proof of delivery, you have no defense
to a chargeback. Even proof of delivery will not help you because the issue is
not whether the buyer received the order but whether the buyer even placed the
order at all.

Therefore, to protect both buyers and sellers, when a buyer claims their PayPal
or credit card was used without their authorization, BrickLink should immediately
suspend the ability of this buyer to purchase or at least use that particular
card on this website. This is necessary not only to protect sellers, but to also
protect the buyer from continued unauthorized use of his card. Buying privileges
should only be restored when the buyer contacts BrickLink to let it know that
he has resolved the matter with PayPal or his credit card company and that he
will thereafter be responsible for all future charges made on that or another
card.

Again, unauthorized use is a much more serious (and criminal) matter. It should
be treated differently then a mere reversal claim of non-receipt.

Thor

Quick idea:

If the buyer files a chargeback, send them to collections. If their identity
was stolen, a simple police report should be enough proof that they aren't
at fault. But if they are just lying as part of a scam, their credit will at
least take a hit.

Author:

ScootersBricks

Posted:

Apr 14, 2014 12:32

Subject:

Re: Feedback Warning Upon Checkout

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In Suggestions, fosterbengoshi writes:

To protect buyers, make BrickLink a safer site for everyone, and encourage sellers
to perform at a minimum level, I suggest that if a BrickLink store has less than
95% positive feedback as a seller, a red banner should appear on the top of the
checkout page saying:

"WARNING! BUYERS BEWARE! READ THIS SELLER'S FEEDBACK BEFORE PROCEEDING FURTHER!"

If the seller has less than 90% positive feedback as a seller, another banner
should appear if the buyer ignores the first one and submits their order. This
second banner should say: "SERIOUSLY?!? ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD WITH
THIS ORDER?!? READ THE FEEDBACK! DON'T BE AN IDIOT! PRACTICE SAFE ONLINE
INTERCOURSE! FIND A SAFER PARTNER. OR DON'T COME CRYING TO US IF YOU GET
BURNED BY THIS SELLER! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK! DANGER DANGER WILL ROBINSON!"

OK, I am joking about the least one. But I think an appropriate banner might
help avoid SOME of these problems.

Thor

What about an option: "Continue with order" or "Save your cart as a wanted list,
and search all stores for best price." That way they could click one button
and see a good-feedback store that happens to have what they need.

Author:

ScootersBricks

Posted:

Feb 18, 2014 19:09

Subject:

Re: Minifigures (assembled or loose)

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In Suggestions, therobo writes:

In Suggestions, ERICSPEEd writes:

I have purchased minifigures a few times on Bricklink and some sellers ship what
they label as "New" minifigures in assembled form.
I feel that any Lego piece that is intentionally assembled is not new but used.
Period.

There needs to be an indicator that seller select when listing minifigs:

NEW (unassembled)
ASSEMBLED (not played with)
USED (played with or shows play wear)

I don't and never will call assembled Legos "new".

And I'm sick of buying so called "new" minifigs.

I shouldn't have to waste time messaging a seller about whether or not a
minifig is loose or assembled. Not to mention they could lie and disassemble
prior to shipping (though the "neck" of the torso would show signs that a head
had once been attached.

When I buy "NEW" I want it to be NEW.

Thanks.

You forgot:
NEW (torso and head assembled by LEGO)
NEW (whole minifig assembled by LEGO)

This. I remember when LEGO sets over $50 or so would have a top flap you could
open to see some of the most popular pieces and figures pre-assembled so you
could see how cool they looked. There are far too many ways we could break up
the new/used category unnecessarily. I am cool with how the rules are and would
wager most people are.

The only possible issue I have is with the collectible minifig line when sold
as a 'set'. I am always paranoid that since I am not putting it together,
I might miss a piece on accident.

Author:

ScootersBricks

Posted:

Feb 14, 2014 12:11

Subject:

Re: Bitcoin

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Topic:

In Suggestions, DagsBricks writes:

In Suggestions, tkkemp writes:

Really it makes bitcoin more of a quasi-commodity than a currency.

Oh, so it's a fiat currency then?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_money

Dunno about looneys and tooneys but the US Dollar is backed by the full faith
and credit of the US government...

Not Gold.

Brian

Gonna wade into the swamp here a bit, but my impression was that one of the biggest
things that causes a currency to easily be considered "worth something" to all
parties is for a country to accept it as payment for tax. The US can determine
that your possessions are "worth" a certain amount, and as such you owe a certain
percentage in taxes on the items. They determine this by basing the value on
the US dollar.

So when you say, "Well darn, now I need to go get 100 of those US dollars to
pay what my stuff is worth! and try to obtain some, people naturally are only
willing to give you those dollars if you give them a certain amount of goods
or services in exchange. The amount they request is generally related to the
"worth" that the government puts on items.

Currently Bitcoin isn't accepted as a form of currency for tax payments,
so it is much more difficult to assign a worth to it. While people may "mine"
Bitcoin, the work done has no value other than the value of the bitcoins mined.
Where if bitcoin mining performed folding of proteins, for example (something
where there is scientific value, due to the research value of such work), it
may be easier to say, "Because the overall folding solutions found so far represent
$2 million in scientific research data, that is the value of all totalled currency.

50 years from now I expect that Bitcoin will be valueless. I could be very wrong,
but it just seems like there is far too much opportunity for crashing that isn't
there with other commodities. Sure, gold and silver (which I don't put much
stock in as an investment) could crash, but there is a need for both items worldwide,
and a desire for both from individuals. So while both could crash immensely,
they can only crash "so much." The housing market can tank, but I doubt you'll
be able to buy a mansion for a dollar, no matter how much it crashes. But Bitcoin
has a theoretical bottom of zero, and that worries me.

Author:

ScootersBricks

Posted:

Feb 2, 2014 15:15

Subject:

Re: Part out suggestions

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Topic:

In Suggestions, ScootersBricks writes:

In Suggestions, jamesuniverse writes:

Now most of you probably have Brickstore or nifty tricks to parting out sets.
While I am hoping to learn BrickStock (Mac Brickstore), I am still using the
old method and man. This is annoying.

Few requests.

Checkbox to show what would consolidate on the modify prices and values page.
Automatically/Checkbox for showing the OLD remarks IF they consolidate on BOTH
Values and Verify page.

It is practically impossible for me to part out a set that consolidates a lot
of lots in which I use a storage system that demands the remarks system.

Now I guess I need to learn Brickstore/Brickstock.

~JU

I buy Sterilite bins from Kroger. $1 for a shoebox size, or $3 for a 16 quart
size. On the side I have the category it's in: Bricks, Technic, Modified
Plate, etc.

I started with just the $1 bins. Then got so much stuff in bins that I had to
move the contents of a bin into a larger one. Then I started "fragmenting" the
bins. So now as my store has grown, the "Bricks" became a "1x1 bricks," "1x2+
bricks," "2x2 & 2x3 bricks," "2x4 bricks," and "2x6+ bricks". If I get a ton
of 2x2 bricks, I'd separate the 2x2-2x3 bin, and so on. Basically once a
bin gets so full that it takes me more than 30 seconds to find a lot in that
bin, it's time to fragment. That way the storage option grows as the store
grows.

Edit: I go to the craft section of walmart and buy the clear baggies they have
there--they sell in packs of 100, $1 for the small bags, and $2 for medium
or large. Lots are separate by bag and then put into those bins to make it easier
to find all of a specific part--no parts are just freely lying there.

Author:

ScootersBricks

Posted:

Feb 2, 2014 15:14

Subject:

Re: Part out suggestions

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Topic:

In Suggestions, jamesuniverse writes:

~JU

Author:

ScootersBricks

Posted:

Dec 17, 2013 00:50

Subject:

Re: Sort Your Inventory By Part # Or Color?

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In Suggestions, Rob_and_Shelagh writes:

In Suggestions, BinOfBlocks.Com writes:

Some of you that have stores, have you found it better to sort your inventory
by the part # or by color?

As a seller I don't see any need to sort my inventory in any way at all.
There is a "remark" field which can be used to denote stock location then orders
can be sorted/displayed in that order for order picking. We do not store any
similar parts in the same locations to avoid picking the wrong item. This also
allows better use of storage, if you sort by type then you might have excess
space in your bricks bins but no space in plates, then you have to reorganise
= waste of time.

Robert

I worked with EDS in logistics years back; they used a very similar location.
Each part had a Plant and StorLoc number, telling the agent which location, and
then which sub-location the part was located in. For stores planning on having
a million + parts this isn't a bad way to go at all.

Author:

ScootersBricks

Posted:

Dec 16, 2013 04:43

Subject:

Re: Sort Your Inventory By Part # Or Color?

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Topic:

In Suggestions, BinOfBlocks.Com writes:

Some of you that have stores, have you found it better to sort your inventory
by the part # or by color?

I sort by part type. For example, right now I have three different bins just
for new bricks: 1x1 bricks, 1x2-1x16 bricks, and 2x2+ bricks. Remember: the human
eye can spot color differences much easier than it can spot shape differences.
Mold your inventory to that concept. You could easily have a ton of 2x2 bricks
in one place and still easily find the lime green ones. But it's much harder
to have a bucket of lime green bricks and find the 2x2's.

I started with just five bins that I paid $1 each for at Wally World. Separated
them into Bricks, Plates, Modified bricks/plates, Minifig, and Other. Then as
my inventory grew, I split those bins just like one would split a stock once
the value gets high enough. When I notice a bin getting so full that it takes
more than 30 seconds to find a part in it, I know it's high time to split
that bin into two.

So my 1x2-1x16 bricks bin is going to be split later on in the week into several:
a 1x2 bin, a 1x3 and 1x4 bin, a 1x6 bin, and a 1x8+ bin. My 2x2+ bin will be
split into a 2x2 bin, a 2x3 bin, a 2x4 bin, and a 2x6+ bin. Later on down the
line, when one of those bins gets full, it'll get split again, so it is always
fast and easy to find the parts I need.

If you're spending hours picking out small orders to ship, then you are making
less money per hour. I've found that ten minutes of organization gets me
back more than an hour in time saved, and the less time you spend doing orders,
the more time you can spend building!

Author:

ScootersBricks

Posted:

Dec 1, 2013 13:42

Subject:

Re: NPB increasing problem !

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