BrickLink Discussion Forum

In Announce, Danielsmom writes:
Wishing my beloved son, Dan Jezek, a happy 45th birthday, today. He would be
so proud of his creation, BrickLink, still bringing so much fun and enjoyment
to so many around the world. We miss him every day, but feel his presence right
here on the biggest LEGO marketplace in the world! Thanks, Dan, you’ve done
a great job, level88, and will always be a part of this wonderful place called
BrickLink.

All my love,
your mom,
Eliska
June 25, 2022

It's awesome that he was able to create something that brings joy to so many
people around the world. Bricklink was central to bringing me out of my dark
ages and I appreciate it.

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Feb 29, 2016 23:05

Subject:

Re: Self-Insurance Disclosure

Viewed:

37 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, ScootersBricks writes:
My only fear is that scammers may choose to disproportionately target self-insurers.
Scamming individuals is bad, but scamming the USPS and having the US Postal
Inspector Service on your back is a thing of nightmares, though.

Good point. That alone may be a deal-breaker.

A few other thoughts...

As a seller, I look at insurance as protection for me. Like it or not, PayPal
will take care of the buyer. I frequently purchase insurance on my own for orders
whenever I feel it warranted without telling the buyer anything about it. I
probably insure more orders for myself than orders that buyers request. (Although
neither number would come close to describing the majority of my orders).

Identifying if insurance is purchased from a reputable source could also lead
to false confidence for the buyer. The insurance needs to be properly bought
and assigned within the allowable timeframe for it to be effective. If something
goes wrong, I would expect that the "self insuring" seller will be much more
willing to make good on the order (since he has accepted the risk) than the "mistake
making" seller (since he thought he had transferred the risk to someone else).

I frequently use InsurePost as a lower cost alternative to USPS. They sell insurance
in increments of $100. For an order of $110, I will purchase $100 when buying
at my (seller's) choice. If a buyer is requesting insurance, he typically
will not balk at a price of $2.10 rather than $1.05. So I will purchase full
insurance for him (since he paid for it). But I could see where some sellers
would want to offer the cost savings of "self insurance" of a small dollar amount
to supplement the purchased insurance for orders just over an insurance threshold.

Matt

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Jan 10, 2016 23:16

Subject:

Re: Best Thread list

Viewed:

65 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Grego writes:

I would like to see a permanent Topic like CL's Best of Craig's list
Topic

They've got a couple running right now that would surely be nominated for
the Best of list.

or failing that, the ability to do a mash-up so we could end up with combinedthreads

like:

Searching for Free 2014 Stormtrooper shipping ...to double up on the fun.

I must be getting old as I truly enjoy reminiscing.

... Sexiest AFOL
... Price Guide manipulation (through exchange rate)
... The demise of the reselling market (2002. And 2003. And 2004. And 2005.
And 2006. And ...)
... JohnP's best MOC ever (the 1x4 brick sitting on a blue baseplate, posing
as a ship)
... Customs fraud (about a thousand of those)

I don't know how you could ever narrow it to a "best of"

Matt

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Jul 3, 2015 20:45

Subject:

Re: Ability to see what's new in a certain year

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Topic:

In Suggestions, Teup writes:
Though I'm no longer a MOCer, I feel a strong urge to suggest this simply
for the fact that its absense seems to be a hole in the catalog's functionality:

The ability to see everything that is released in a certain year.
(So not just new molds and decorations, but new part/colour combinations included)

I remember that on LUG forums AFOLs eagerly compile and share lists of new part
releases they discover. It's pretty vital and exciting info if you're
a builder, because if something is new, good chance you wanna know about it instead
of discovering a few years on "wow does that part come in that colour....?"

It seems like BL has making some kind of rudimentary attempt at this with the
"NEW" tags, but they are bugged, incomplete as well as vague and inflexible.

I think it's a bit awkward that AFOLs do their best to scrape this info together
while BL is just sitting on all that info, it's already there in the catalog,
all it needs is a door into it!

I think BL posted a little list about 2015 parts on Facebook not too long ago,
even I thought it was interesting even though I'm only selling. Would love
to see the full list!

(It would be a nice bonus if peripheral items could optionally be filtered out,
such as weird useless parts with 1 appearance or stickered/decorated items as
they tend to make up the bulk of what's new. But not strictly necessary.)

Does the Brickset database year filter apply to New elements, or just elements
that were released in sets in that year?

http://brickset.com/parts/year-2015

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

May 22, 2015 22:18

Subject:

Re: Add 'Customs Fraud' to option to cancel order

Viewed:

61 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, fosterbengoshi writes:

In Suggestions, Teup writes:

In Suggestions, LordSkylark writes:

Please add

"Buyer wanted seller to lie on custom's form"
as an option for the seller to cancel the order.

Andy

I take it you meant

"Buyer demanded"

I think that's an important difference. Just asking for it shouldn't
be cause for a seller to freak out and cancel the order.

I disagree. Asking someone to commit a crime is more than enough IMO. It puts
needless pressure and concern on a seller, increases the risk of PayPal claims
and other problems, and casts the ethics and trustworthiness of the buyer into
doubt. And how exactly do you differentiate between "asking" and "demanding"?
They are on the same spectrum and only differ by very subjective degrees.

Thor

Right on. There are some things that you can ask for, like a discount or special
packaging considerations. I don't see any situation in which it be acceptable
to ask someone to commit a crime.

Matt

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

May 5, 2015 20:54

Subject:

Re: Maybe something can be done?

Viewed:

41 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Teup writes:

In Suggestions, popsicle writes:

I don't really know what constitutes customs fraud as per US import and customs
statute.

Same here. But ignoring the interpretation of the law, I revert to common sense.
If I was under investigation for this type of fraud and a law enforcement official
presented me with a package, from which he removed the invoice for the order,
what value would I want on the customs form? The unequivocal answer is the amount
the buyer paid for the items.

Sure I can attempt to justify some other value. "This is what I paid for the
items". "I opened the item after purchase per the pre-arranged agreement, so
it isn't worth as much". "This is a promotional item given for free, so
it really has no declarable value". But I don't feel any of those are as
black-and-white as an invoice that shows a value at which you assessed the items
(your sale price) and at which the buyer assessed the items (the same purchase
price).

I choose to believe that even if I have given the incorrect answer, my
intent to comply with applicable laws is clearly evident and I will be treated
with corresponding leniency. No guarantees, of course.

I know there are cultural difference to consider

That is a two-way street. If I travel to the UK, I don't insist that everyone
drive on the left side of the road to accommodate my cultural upbringing. And
I would venture it would be completely insulting if I was to even suggest as
much.

I'm inclined to be lenient on the price negotiation as that is both more
worldwide (with varying levels of practice) and not clearly addressed in my store
terms.

I know it's fraudulent

I know it's dishonest

I know having a stranger ask me to lie, feels bitting. Personally I can't
feature asking another to lie on my behalf. Especially, to save a few bucks....

I think it's important not to take it personal. In many a buyer's reasoning,
the shipping of the order is kind of someone (the seller) being the remote extension
of the buyer, the buyer dictates their address, wants you to put on some stamps,
write this and that on it, declare a value of ....

So I think it's good as a seller to take yourself out of the equation in
this reasoning. I don't see it as "the buyer making the seller lie" but rather
"the buyer lying and trying to have the seller pen that down." Maybe if you look
at it that way, it doesn't feel insulting.

I am willing to steal LEGO. Are there any sellers out there willing to go into
the store, take it for me, and ship? I'll gladly pay shipping and a small
token for your efforts. (Just a different, more extreme extension of the same
line of thought).

I've said it several times here, to every post office I go the personel will
tell me to write a low value on it and warn me about it if I don't, I could
either take that as them "making me lie", causing me to become angry, or take
it as them trying to help

I voted yes on the suggestion because it'd be good if the interface mentions
customs fraud is not to be expected or asked, avoiding misunderstandings and
friction between buyer and seller.

(What suddenly happened to that other customs post o_O I saw one branch was kind
of rotten, but to cut down the whole tree..?

)

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Jan 8, 2015 22:43

Subject:

Re: Require sellers to pass a test before selling

Viewed:

56 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, eileenkeeney writes:
I am not even certain I think this is a good idea, but I had this thought.

Suppose Bricklink required that one pass a simple test, before being able to
sell on Bricklink.

Or maybe include some pictures of pieces in some colors that are close, but different
enough to easily identify.

Five to ten years ago, I think this could be reasonable. In the past few years,
it seems like the numbers of colors have tremendously increased. Particularly
in the Blue, Purple, Pink, and Green families. I almost exclusively sell new
parts and rely heavily on the BL catalog to ensure that the colors are listed
correctly.

Differentiating Light Gray and Light Bluish Gray? Easy.
Differentiating Lavender and Medium Lavendar? Not so easy for me.
Differentiating Metallic from Pearl? Not always easy for me.

Or maybe a better idea is to present sellers with a verification popup, when
listing certain part/color combinations.
- Anytime a color is listed, that is no longer in production, a popup asking
the seller to verify the color, and telling them the color has not been produced
since (year), would avoid some errors.

- Anytime it is a part/color combination, that is not one that is known to have
been in any set, a verification popup would be useful.

I like this latter idea, a lot. Easy enough to check and helps prevent mistake
listings.

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Jul 14, 2014 12:41

Subject:

Re: Wanted List Improvements

Viewed:

34 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, lucasrenzi writes:

It's my first time on BL and purchasing Lego in 20 years but my experience
has been positive. My project is a photo mosaic with 3500 1x1 plates and I used
the XML uploader. It worked great but it took me a long time to work out how
to remove items from my wanted list automatically. I had 71 lots, all plates.
I didn't want to remove lots one by one. I eventually found the tool that
removes items from my wanted list by the order number but it was not an intuitive
feature. This is because, at many other online retail sites, you place an order
and the item disappears from your shopping list. This site operates more like
airbnb.com because you have to request an order, not make a purchase, then the
seller confirms the order before you eventually pay.

Therefore, my suggestion is: make the wanted list sortable by order number, or
add the ability to make 'ordered items' invisible by filtering. This
would make it more intuitive.

Also, please promote the features 'remove items in this order from your wanted
list' in the FAQ wanted list section. that's where I looked for answers
but it's a very empty FAQ.

There is a steep learning curve to the current BrickLink. There is simply an
amazing number of tips, tricks, techniques, and tools hidden throughout the site.
And unfortunately, a proportional absence of easily accessible formal documentation
of them.

Perhaps it's possible to dynamically build
the FAQ knowledge base through getsataiaction, Zendesk,or similar community driven
databases? It might help relive the load on site admins if volunteers like me
can write articles that help others. And therefore make the site more accessible
to newbies... Just an idea

In Suggestions, goshe7 writes:

In Suggestions, kernal writes:

Two improvements to the wanted list would greatly increase the workflow of buying
pieces on the site.

1. Quantity, the actual quantity desired not the minimum. I can understand the
reasons for the min quantity, however I believe the desired quantity would be
much more useful. With this information two new abilities can be done.
- As we order parts the quantity could automatically lower.
- The item count in "by shop" could be limited to our desired quantity making
it reflect our desire for there parts versus there stockpile of a single part.

I use the remarks field for this. Or create a duplicate wanted list with all
quantities set to 1 and use that to see what stores have the most variety of
parts.

2. Bulk Wanted List Load.
I would be nice to load say 100 parts at once using CSV.

You mean this?
http://www.bricklink.com/wantedXML.asp

It has to be XML format. There are a number of tools to generate the XML format.

Adding functionality to also accept CSV is more like adding a replicate functionality,
rather than fixing things that are broken or creating new improvements. Given
the demonstrated speed of improvements on BL 1.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.1
I think it is essential to focus on the former.

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Jul 14, 2014 10:03

Subject:

Re: Wanted List Improvements

Viewed:

42 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, kernal writes:

I use the remarks field for this. Or create a duplicate wanted list with all
quantities set to 1 and use that to see what stores have the most variety of
parts.

2. Bulk Wanted List Load.
I would be nice to load say 100 parts at once using CSV.

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Jul 1, 2014 11:06

Subject:

Re: Remember the old chat rooms?

Viewed:

52 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, ablivian writes:

In Suggestions, goshe7 writes:

In Suggestions, fab_track writes:

I don't know if this will ever happen but I would love to see that chat rooms
return. They really helped me out when I was new and other as well. It was
also nice to make friends and talk Lego with others to get ideas and tips on
projects. I would hope that admin and the new owner of BL may see that chat
was an addition to the site. It was not the cause of BL 1.0's downfall so
it really makes no sence to take it out

How confident are you of this last statement? I don't know programming.
I thought I recall it being listed as a specific liability that was exploited
by a hacker.

I would really appreciate it if those that request chat could substantiate how
much they actually used the service.

As evidenced by my data, I am not really missing it.

You can find the info here:
http://www.bricklink.com/myActivity.asp

So of us were actually quite fond of Chat and we took great advantage of it being
available

99599:31 Minutes in Chat.

Ab.

Ever since it has been gone, there are periodic requests for the return of Chat.
Each one looks about the same. "I liked it" "I found it useful" and such.
That has never garnered enough merit for the service restoration to be completed.

So rather than singing the same old song, I am suggesting the request might have
more merit if people can give a greater evidence of the value it brought.

Of greater value is proving that it impacted BrickLink's bottom line. But
that is more difficult. An easy middle ground is giving evidence of the hours
spent on this site using the service. Users can just as easily spend hours on
other sites, but the potential for BrickLink to profit from them is diminished.

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Jul 1, 2014 10:45

Subject:

Re: Remember the old chat rooms?

Viewed:

49 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, fab_track writes:

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Apr 17, 2014 07:10

Subject:

Re: Suggestion: REMOVE SUGGESTIONS

Viewed:

57 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, theboyslegos writes:

This is a sincere suggestion and not sarcasm.

Please remove the suggestion topic from the forums. There's 850 open suggestions
with over 77,000 posts and 0 have been implemented.

There is a reason for that. You can debate if the reasons for 0 implementations
is valid, but the reasoning has been explained.

Most recently the suggestion
to remove MSRP's was discarded even though the vast majority of sellers do
not want it.

Majority vote never has been, and never should be, the only factor in implementing
suggestions.

I've seen numerous suggestions to alter the way feedback is displayed to
better represent the members performance in the community and thus far nothing
has come of it.

I understand the desire for any company to want input from their customers, but
in this setting when input is given, but action is not taken it quickly becomes
demoralizing for the members. Eventually people realize their opinion is of
no value to ownership and they stop participating.

Agreed.

I think when a company puts
more emphasis on "market research" than they do the words coming from customers
mouths it's a recipe for degradation of the community here on bricklink.

BrickLink has something like 300,000 registered users. Probably 300 are active
on the forums. And probably 30 are particularly "vocal". Letting that tiny
fraction of the population that is "vocal" on the forums be your sole voice for
maintaining the community is equally dangerous.

Like I said, this is a serious suggestion. I think giving people the illusion
of some decision making ability when in fact they have none will do nothing more
than hurt the site.

Matt

Suggestions do not equal decision making ability. Perhaps you misspoke. I wouldn't
disagree if you said the suggestions topic might give people the impression that
their opinions matter when in fact it doesn't.

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Apr 15, 2014 18:38

Subject:

Re: On all Suggestions, display # of yes/no votes

Viewed:

30 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, lmeyer writes:

I think regardless of whatever suggestion is for, the numbers of votes for and
against should be shown/made visible.

This will not only show the attitude of the most concerned Bricklink folks (the
ones who are concerned the most for any particular suggestion are the ones that
take the time to vote yes or no), but also the importance of the issue to those
more connected in the goings-on on Bricklink, by noting the totals of votes an
issue receives (an issue getting thousands of votes is more important to the
community than one that gets dozens total).

It would also be a good measure to see how the Bricklink admins and powers that
be react to issues strongly felt one way or the other to those in the community
at-large here. If they do nothing for an issue felt very strongly by many here,
it's good to know that. Also would be great to see an important community
issue being taken care of quickly because so many folks here deem it important.

I vote no... This isn't a democracy and votes are only part of the consideration.
Showing that information would only lead people to treat it more like a democracy,
thinking that a majority of votes or any threshold of votes would make an implementation
"mandatory". We get what we get. We can ask, support, denounce, improve, weaken,
etc. by discussion.

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Mar 27, 2014 16:28

Subject:

More Forum Bans Please

Viewed:

430 times

Topic:

Status:

Discarded

There is practically nothing productive being added to BrickLink.

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Mar 22, 2014 20:33

Subject:

Re: Sellers forum. Let's Keep it in the Family

Viewed:

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Topic:

In Suggestions, JETTY writes:

In Suggestions, Rolf writes:

In Suggestions, JETTY writes:

To all of you Bircklinkers out there...
And especially the administrators and frequent forum posters.

Bricklink is a wonderful place where we all can enjoy our very different passions
of LEGO. We all enjoy being here, otherwise we would be some where else....

The bricklink community is very committed, and has very strong opinions about
the site that they helped to build and populate.

Times are changing, also in Bricklink, and imho its necessary, to keep BL in
the lead. For everybody's benefit.

The new owners hopefully understand that the users of BL are a very powerful
tool, that put in use the right way can be of great benefit for the site.

But my concern right now is that the very long and passionate forum treads are
harming the reputation of the site, scaring away newcomers.

The debate in the forum are necessary and understandable. But imho they are mostly
for admins and sellers, and not a benefit for the common buyer.

So this is my proposal:
Lets have a closed forum for sellers and admins, where the details of the BL
maschine room can be debated. And a forum for everybody where we can discuss
the joy of lego, help newbies and so on.

Regards Jes

(I'm not so old here, but i really enjoy being here, Its like being at a
family dinner, uncle Maxx as always talking about 3001's, uncle Thor lecturing
about decent and civilised behaviour, Mama Admin is trying to make everybody
feel at home, and behave, and so on (-: one big family..)

I didn't want to make a secret club, I wanted to create a place for sellers
to discuss seller related matters. If a buyer wants to know what selling is all
about, he can open a account and read the forum, no problem. But i really don't
thing the average buyer would be interested, he just wants his precious bricks....
Jes

I believe that it benefits people to be exposed to more than what may immediately
be of interest. As a small seller, I have appreciated and benefited from the
perspective that large sellers bring to how business should be conducted. Even
if a buyer has no intent of selling, he could benefit from being exposed to the
seller's perspectives. I prefer keeping a low (no) barrier to entry for
that exposure.

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Mar 21, 2014 22:25

Subject:

Re: Sellers forum. Let's Keep it in the Family

Viewed:

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Topic:

In Suggestions, blackrock writes:
Less than 1/10th of 1% of the BrickLink membership wastes their time here in
the forum.

Oops, I meant to say less than 0.1% of the membership reads the average forum
posting.

How highly we think of ourselves to think that any meaningful basis even cares
what is said here.

One must also recognize that (as Tim Smith once called them) 10 lonely people
make up 1/6 of all forum posts.

The above being said, I still kind of agree with your idea.

An under-appreciated talent is being able to insult the heck out of people while
making them laugh about it (rather than being offended). Well done.

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Mar 21, 2014 20:29

Subject:

Re: Sellers forum. Let's Keep it in the Family

Viewed:

239 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, JETTY writes:

I don't like the idea. Firstly, the "buyer only" population will lose representation
in the discussions. There are not a tremendous number of high volume, buyer
only members. But the vocal ones offer a good perspective focused solely on
the buying experience (rather than a balanced buyer/seller perspective).

Secondly, there have been debated and heated threads in the past. BrickLink
has grown through all of it. (Maybe not as fast as possible, but clearly not
suffering much for it.)

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Mar 20, 2014 22:39

Subject:

Re: Request for Forum Roundtable with Mr. Kim

Viewed:

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Topic:

In Suggestions, fosterbengoshi writes:

This suggestion is actually a polite request for a Roundtable discussion in the
BrickLink Forum with Mr. Kim's direct participation. Face-to-face Roundtables
in Europe, the USA and elsewhere help. But they are not enough, impractical and
too costly for many to attend. There are also questions and jealousies about
who gets invited to these face-to-face Roundtables. What is the selection criteria
and how representative are they of the rest of us?

Anyone reading the Forum for the past year will note the obvious discontent and
anxiety many here have about BrickLink. Although the new "Customer Service" team
seems to be a step in the right direction, many are wondering if they are addressing
the right issues or really able to address the many issues facing BrickLink.
In fact, many here wonder whether the new owner - Mr. Kim - is even aware of
the extent of this discontent and anxiety, and what needs to be done to improve
BrickLink and regain the confidence so many have lost over the past year or two.
Many are frustrated by the seeming lack of progress and lack of clear vision,
objectives and involvement by BrickLink's new owner and management. This
is particularly worrisome for those members whose livelihoods depend solely or
primarily on BrickLink.

I know some may have reservations about the free-for-all nature that may be inherent
in this sort of Town Hall Meeting style of Roundtable. But it can still be a
worthwhile endeavor for Mr. Kim, BrickLink and BrickLink's members. We just
won't bus in a load of angry Tea Partiers or Occupy Wallstreeters.

Seriously...
we can agree on rules in advance and have several mods present to keep order.
If you are worried about the public nature of such a Roundtable and it being
available for non-members to read or listen in on, tweak things so that it is
available only to members. Or reserve and "borrow" someplace else where this
can occur online and post how any BrickLink member who wants to can attend and
participate.

In short... We want to hear from the Boss. No, not Bruce Springstein or Lord
Business. But the guy who can get things done around here. The Buck-Stops-Here
Top Tamale. And we hope he will listen to us as well.

Thor

Sorry, but I don't see way too many drawbacks.
- With the current climate, exasperation, and faceless nature of the internet,
the roundtable will almost assuredly get nasty.
- I perceive the fundamental issue to be a discrepancy between a call for action
(by users) and a lack of evidence of action (by owner). Users will ask more
questions, and be told more answers. Otherwise known as BL 1.0 business as usual.
(I'm just failing to see what the roundtable would yield that the vague,
promising forum posts for BrickLink reps have not yielded).
- It is essentially a "one-on-_____" meeting. How can one person adequately
recognize and respond to a large group of users. While the majority of users
wouldn't participate, it wouldn't seem to take more than 5-10 users to
overwhelm the 1 responder. I'm pretty sure more than 10 people have many,
serious questions.

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Mar 20, 2014 22:30

Subject:

Re: Request for Forum Roundtable with Mr. Kim

Viewed:

44 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, dcarmine writes:

In Suggestions, Master_Jedi_Rob writes:

In Suggestions, fosterbengoshi writes:

[snip]

Rule #3 It's ok to say "I don't know"

This is the hardest thing for so many people to do without feeling like they
are incompetent. But it is the best way to gain the confidence of your customer.
It's one of those things that most people think is backwards, ie "don't
admit you don't know something or they will think you are incompetent". This
is simply not true.

Thank you for sharing this.
Donna

This is one of the key traits I look for when interviewing job candidates. It
requires both the ability to be humble while maintaining a confidence in your
other abilities that makes you comfortable acknowledging a limitation.

Author:

goshe7

Posted:

Jan 21, 2014 11:15

Subject:

Re: Verification of new seller for possible fraud

Viewed:

37 times

Topic: