BrickLink Discussion Forum

I just went through a store change of address on BL. I've read so many problems
with sellers getting re-verified when changing addresses. Hoping for the best!

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Jan 27, 2023 09:20

Subject:

Re: Tell Me: What Do Sellers Want Most?

Viewed:

59 times

Topic:

In General, dcarmine writes:

During the last meeting we were told that the plan for seller tools was scraped
because what was being developed did not fit in with the plan for the new site.
(Yes there is a plan to write a new site). Yes, I am MORE than disappointed that
we, once again, are not getting anything new to help us.

So I am wanting your seller input that can get us a few things now, to work with
this site, to hold us over until the new site is done. My recollection is the
next two years.

ANALYTICS, ANALYTICS, analytics

Tell us what products customers are looking at, most landed on pages, clicks,
views, all that stuff that would actually help sellers understand what potential
customers are interested in. Basically a full suit of analytics, please.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Jan 20, 2023 13:36

Subject:

Re: Identifying Parts

Viewed:

42 times

Topic:

Help

In Help, dave_moz42 writes:

Hi, I wonder if anyone can help me with identifying these parts so I can locate
and purchase them? Any help with this will be greatly appreciated. Many Thanks!

RIP kitty...

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Dec 11, 2022 12:36

Subject:

Re: My collection button????

Viewed:

52 times

Topic:

In General, SylvainLS writes:

In General, wildchicken13 writes:

In General, gogogovro writes:

I just noticed that they have changed the roadmap page to no longer show the
"roadmap", just past updates.

I'm afraid we've reached the end of the road

Metaphors can be dangerous: “Previous decisions brought us to the brink but we’ve
now made a big step forward!”

Announcing... brinklink.com

You can now edit a forum post! Woot! (was that ever on the roadmap?)

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Dec 1, 2022 11:59

Subject:

Re: My Collection - an absolute useless feature

Viewed:

46 times

Topic:

Off Topic

In Off Topic, SylvainLS writes:

In Off Topic, gogogovro writes:

[…]
As the BL community we deserve more than just "trying".

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/trying

Not sure how that helps? [shrugs shoulders]

Well... at least you tried... trying though it was.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Dec 1, 2022 11:27

Subject:

Re: My Collection - an absolute useless feature

Viewed:

56 times

Topic:

Off Topic

In Off Topic, SylvainLS writes:

For some reason I get the idea that Bricklink, owned by the largest toy company
in the world - which we all love, otherwise we weren't here - doesn't
take us seriously.

They are trying.

As the BL community we deserve more than just "trying".

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Dec 1, 2022 10:14

Subject:

Re: Sorry

Viewed:

72 times

Topic:

Technical Issues

In Technical Issues, recliners1 writes:

How do you "accidentally" spill 2 litres of gourmet mustard? This sounds more
like intentional sabotage to me.

Ok guys, his story checks out.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Dec 1, 2022 09:56

Subject:

Re: Sorry

Viewed:

84 times

Topic:

Technical Issues

In Technical Issues, wildchicken13 writes:

Dear BrickLink members,

As you may have noticed, the site has been experiencing some performance issues
this week. While performing a routine security check on the BrickLink servers,
I accidentally spilled half a gallon (approximately two liters) of dijon mustard
on the server racks. The BrickLink team and I have been working hard to clean
up the mess and we are just about finished but you may continue to notice some
lingering issues as we get everything back up and running.

These issues are completely unrelated to the release of the My Collection feature,
which allows you to keep track of your ever-expanding collection of gourmet mustards.

I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused to those of
you who actually use this site for buying and selling lego items and not just
trolling the discussion forum.

If you have any questions, please contact the help desk: https://helpdesk.bricklink.com/Main/

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Play well.

How do you "accidentally" spill 2 litres of gourmet mustard? This sounds more
like intentional sabotage to me.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Dec 1, 2022 00:23

Subject:

Re: Roadmap?

Viewed:

46 times

Topic:

In General, jennnifer writes:

In General, gogogovro writes:

In General, 1001bricks writes:

In General, gogogovro writes:

In General, 1001bricks writes:

Anyhoo. Can we have the roadmap back? The community of sellers and buyers wants
to know what you're up to, Bricklink, and what projects our fees are going
towards.

Why? You're free to leave if you're not happy.

Really? I’m just going to assume that was not meant to be as insulting as it
sounded.

I’d like to believe that many, if not most, BL users would have higher expectations
of BL than, “if you’re not happy, just leave”. That’s pretty much the lowest
bar you can set.

I meant, there's no roadmap, no discussion, just things happening from time
to time, at the appropriate moment or not.

So, who's setting the bar anywhere here? Not me.

OK, no problem. Did you know that there used to be a road map there, not too
long ago? The legend at the top even refers to it:

The list of updates below are each given a status. Pending status means that it has been reported and assigned priority to be resolved. In progress status means that a developer has been assigned and work is in progress. Completed means that the work is finished and will be applied to the live site with the next release.

So there used to be a roadmap where we could see what BL was working on. It's
even still labeled that way, but the roadmap has been removed. So the discussion
should be on why was it removed and can we get it back. That's kind of the
point of my post.

I certainly don't know the whole story, but the road map that had been there
was added by the previous management and had not been updated for at least a
couple years.

I do hope we get a new one! More communication = better.

Jen

I’m not too sure how to use the Wayback machine very well, but I pulled this
up from 2019…

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Nov 30, 2022 23:25

Subject:

Re: Roadmap?

Viewed:

48 times

Topic:

In General, 1001bricks writes:

In General, gogogovro writes:

In General, 1001bricks writes:

Anyhoo. Can we have the roadmap back? The community of sellers and buyers wants
to know what you're up to, Bricklink, and what projects our fees are going
towards.

Why? You're free to leave if you're not happy.

I meant, there's no roadmap, no discussion, just things happening from time
to time, at the appropriate moment or not.

So, who's setting the bar anywhere here? Not me.

OK, no problem. Did you know that there used to be a road map there, not too
long ago? The legend at the top even refers to it:

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Nov 30, 2022 20:15

Subject:

Re: Roadmap?

Viewed:

65 times

Topic:

In General, 1001bricks writes:

Anyhoo. Can we have the roadmap back? The community of sellers and buyers wants
to know what you're up to, Bricklink, and what projects our fees are going
towards.

Why? You're free to leave if you're not happy.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Nov 30, 2022 15:10

Subject:

Roadmap?

Viewed:

193 times

Topic:

In light of the recent surprise update, I had a gander at BrickLink's roadmap
to see if that new release was on it. To my dismay, the "roadmap" on the roadmap
page has disappeared. What is left is just a list of previous updates.

https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=2547&q=roadmap

If that's not the definition of living in the past, I don't know.

Anyhoo. Can we have the roadmap back? The community of sellers and buyers wants
to know what you're up to, Bricklink, and what projects our fees are going
towards.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Nov 30, 2022 15:03

Subject:

Re: My collection button????

Viewed:

59 times

Topic:

In General, axaday writes:

In General, axaday writes:
I don't have an extra stockroom. I wish I had 8 more

of them.

If I had as many stockrooms as I have wanted lists, I would keep a set in its
own stockroom from part out until I was ready to release. Then I would put the
whole set up for sale with a couple clicks instead of sometimes hundreds.

I might even part out sets that I hoped to find and just leave it there until
I did.

I don't understand why I can't have more stockrooms.

But my understanding is that some coders are working on the whole revamp of the
whole system and have continued to do so while other coders made this new feature.
You can't necessarily get the revamp done faster by putting more cooks in
the kitchen. I'm not a coder. I took a class 20 years ago and learned the
basics, but the biggest thing I learned was that I couldn't imagine the jump
from "making a program that could receive a date and output the day of the week"
to "making a program that has 100 soldiers marching around on the screen fighting
with swords while 100 more dig up gold and run some farms". I just don't
know.

If I were them I would lay out a series of goals to achieve and let my community
know what those goals are and then work to achieve them - aka. roadmap

I just noticed that they have changed the roadmap page to no longer show the
"roadmap", just past updates.

https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=2547&q=roadmap

That is not any way to run an online community in my opinion.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Nov 30, 2022 09:22

Subject:

Re: My collection button????

Viewed:

68 times

Topic:

In General, axaday writes:

In General, gogogovro writes:

In General, axaday writes:

In General, gogogovro writes:

In General, bricks2you writes:

Since I am relatively new here can anyone explain the purpose of the my collection
button?

No, because no one has explained it from BL.

Surprise! Another feature that nobody asked for!

What will the next surprise feature be?

I'm guessing... Diamond 2x2 brick category.

Lots of people have asked for it, definitely including me. I'm surprised
no announcement though.

Why?

To organize my collection on Bricklink, using Bricklink pictures. I never went
to the trouble on some other website. Future interface abilities are in future
plans but as it is now, it is pretty easy to move something from "my inventory"
to "my collection".

It seems you have a store... couldn't you do that in a stockroom... my point
is, why was this prioritized? Was it even on the roadmap?

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Nov 29, 2022 15:00

Subject:

Re: My collection button????

Viewed:

52 times

Topic:

In General, axaday writes:

In General, gogogovro writes:

In General, bricks2you writes:

Since I am relatively new here can anyone explain the purpose of the my collection
button?

No, because no one has explained it from BL.

Surprise! Another feature that nobody asked for!

What will the next surprise feature be?

I'm guessing... Diamond 2x2 brick category.

Lots of people have asked for it, definitely including me. I'm surprised
no announcement though.

Why?

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Nov 29, 2022 14:42

Subject:

Re: My collection button????

Viewed:

82 times

Topic:

In General, bricks2you writes:

Since I am relatively new here can anyone explain the purpose of the my collection
button?

No, because no one has explained it from BL.

Surprise! Another feature that nobody asked for!

What will the next surprise feature be?

I'm guessing... Diamond 2x2 brick category.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Nov 17, 2022 12:13

Subject:

Re: Reserve your LEGO® account nickname today!

Viewed:

69 times

Topic:

Administrative

This is dumb, dumb, dumb! Account continuity is not required or asked for as
far as I can tell. Another make-work project instead of working on sellers tools.

BL coder: Hey we're almost done with taxes... now what do we do?

BL management: Make work! Make work! Make work!

BL middle managment: Let's mess with account names! That should give us enough
work for the next year at least!

BL coder: What about seller tools? [sound of crickets]

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Nov 15, 2022 14:38

Subject:

Re: Inevitable thread for recent nickname email

Viewed:

54 times

Topic:

Media

In Media, Admin_Russell writes:

It is legit. A Forum announcement is coming.

Already don't like that I can't use my bricklink store name as it's
already used on lego.com.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Jul 20, 2022 11:24

Subject:

Re: Pitchfork-a-plenty> we need rules implemented

Viewed:

63 times

Topic:

In General, 1001bricks writes:

In General, gogogovro writes:

In General, StarBrick writes:

Could we be less active acusing/thinking/insinuating etc. and leave the research
to the business part of BrickLink?

+1 zillion

Be kind, mind your own business and have fun!

I don't know... I've heard of people having metric tons of Mustard.
Nowadays, that's very abnormal

According to Google, zillion translates in French to "des tas de".

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Jul 20, 2022 10:35

Subject:

Re: Pitchfork-a-plenty> we need rules implemented

Viewed:

83 times

Topic:

In General, StarBrick writes:

Could we be less active acusing/thinking/insinuating etc. and leave the research
to the business part of BrickLink?

+1 zillion

Be kind, mind your own business and have fun!

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Jul 7, 2022 12:04

Subject:

Re: Store name change coming soon!

Viewed:

46 times

Topic:

Announce

In Announce, 1001bricks writes:

PS. For those reading in the forum do you think changing the name will have any negative affect on sales?

Probably not.

There are FAR much more important parameters than the name: as price, quantity,
diversity, service, speed, packaging, difference, whatever...

However, I would avoid a name with negative connotation - like StupidBricks
for example.
Who'd wish to buy there!?

PS: edited for kindness.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Jul 5, 2022 23:27

Subject:

Re: wolfpackbricks 80s&90s parts minifigs&sets

Viewed:

62 times

Topic:

In Sales, 1001bricks writes:

Poor guy, I really felt sorry for him. The seller was being bullied - that should
not happen.

OK you're right, the seller was right, mods and people replying are all/in
majority wrong. Sorry.
Please have a good one!

Less sarcasm and more kindness would go a long way in this forum. Have a good
one!

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Jul 5, 2022 21:18

Subject:

Re: wolfpackbricks 80s&90s parts minifigs&sets

Viewed:

57 times

Topic:

In Sales, ihlaking writes:

In Sales, wolfpackbricks1 writes:

In Sales, alexwilcox writes:

In Sales, SylvainLS writes:

In Sales, wolfpackbricks1 writes:

[…]
and then it remained silent there you were so out for me to close my shop well
you have your way

Take a breath and think over it.

No one asked you to close your store.

No one asked you not to advertise reasonably.

What we were trying to tell you is that:
— posting everyday doesn’t help you,
— posting everyday upsets people.

From which stores do YOU buy?
Those that have what you want and do their job?
Or those that shout the loudest?

I'm beginning to think he's an underage seller?

Not listening to anyone's advice and then getting upset and making things
worse for himself - that's the kind of thing children do!

I'm not even going to respond to this anymore or I'm too young I'm
41 but hey I'm doing my own thing and there's no one to stop me

As someone who works in sales & marketing, I've watched your posts every
day - and because I know it's the same thing, I started ignoring them. My
suggestions would be - try different tactics, make them *time limited*. A key
part of any sale is to add time pressure so people know that if they don't
buy now, they'll miss out.

Channels to market are most important. Secondly, knowing how to get your message
across. When you always have the same discount, it's not a discount - it's
your regular price.

So please take my advice, as a professional: stop posting regularly, and start
posting *strategically*. My experience with this community is that people want
you to succeed - and that's true around here, absolutely. We *want* you to
sell and make people happy, but listen to your customers - they want you to do
well, so hear their feedback, take it on the chin, and change. You can do this.

Feel free to message me and I can discuss a few ideas with you.

Thanks for trying a little kindness - you made Glen Campbell proud.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Jul 5, 2022 21:05

Subject:

Re: wolfpackbricks 80s&90s parts minifigs&sets

Viewed:

77 times

Topic:

In Sales, 1001bricks writes:

In Sales, gogogovro writes:

Mods should take their advice offline in my opinion.

At the contrary, it's the base of the moderation!
The moderator advice is a kind and educated balance on if there's abuse or
not.
Just like here, mod or mods have tried to contact the seller; this is very kind
and an human decision.
You may better wish you get this kind help the day you need it

If a mod doesn't like a poster's content, they should contact them offline.
If they can't reach them and the poster is breaking a rule, ban them, don't
shame them. My opinion (yes, I'm allowed to have one).

Poor guy, I really felt sorry for him. The seller was being bullied - that should
not happen.

Not that I do this, but It takes a lot of work. Success is defined in sales
and this seller is obviously having some success.

FYI, Sales messages appear on the main page of BrickLink.

There are 5 spaces here (on my PC anyway).

That means if this seller posts the same sale every day, he's taking a fifth
of the space, while 13000 other shops have to "fight" for this ad space.

Please understand this pseudo-sale (which is, when a shop is perpetually on sale)
isn't kind for the other sellers and they may get upset by this (so) basic
game.

That's the not seller's problem, that's bricklink's problem.
He is just smart enough to use the system to his advantage. If it's a bug,
it should be fixed.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Jul 5, 2022 18:06

Subject:

Re: wolfpackbricks 80s&90s parts minifigs&sets

Viewed:

78 times

Topic:

Don't listen to all the negativity. Just do your thing. If it's allowed,
it's allowed. I just ignore posts that don't interest me. Maybe the other
folks who responded negatively here should do the same. This should be a friendly
space to talk legos. Mods should take their advice offline in my opinion. Also,
I wish people wouldn't accuse folks of being children if their English writing
isn't perfect. By the way, marketing on other forums is often a daily thing.
Do you see ads for the same product on tv or google everyday? I'm sure you
do. Not that I do this, but It takes a lot of work. Success is defined in sales
and this seller is obviously having some success.

In Sales, wolfpackbricks1 writes:

In Sales, alexwilcox writes:

In Sales, SylvainLS writes:

In Sales, wolfpackbricks1 writes:

[…]
and then it remained silent there you were so out for me to close my shop well
you have your way

I'm beginning to think he's an underage seller?

Not listening to anyone's advice and then getting upset and making things
worse for himself - that's the kind of thing children do!

I'm not even going to respond to this anymore or I'm too young I'm
41 but hey I'm doing my own thing and there's no one to stop me

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Jun 14, 2022 09:31

Subject:

Re: Canadian Letter Mail vs Parcel Post

Viewed:

35 times

Topic:

Shipping

In Shipping, Bricklord writes:

I won't go over 200g for domestic or over 100g for US/international. Instructions/stickers
I will go higher. Otherwise its all small packet/parcel rates.

If you're talking about lettermail above, last time I checked, Canada Post's
terms don't actually allow goods to be sent to the USA or internationally
using that method - paper only. I know it works, but at some point there will
be problems b/c it is against their terms.

OP's original question: I have an expert lego packer (my wife) and we regularly
send orders between 400-500g within Canada (no stacking and including envelope
weight). Although, I don't like using lettermail, it is the least expensive
option. If I could go without I would because lettermail does not meet Paypal's
terms and is not always the best experience for buyers. There can be very long
delivery times with zero tracking and liability.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

May 20, 2022 11:09

Subject:

Re: Is this lego?

Viewed:

61 times

Topic:

Catalog Identification

Thanks guys... definitely a lego-quality piece... but not lego [toss].

In Catalog Identification, ryanaitch writes:

In Catalog Identification, SylvainLS writes:

In Catalog Identification, gogogovro writes:

Can't find it... don't even know what search terms to use.

Not LEGO.
I think it’s a Megablocks “inverter.”

TYCO!

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

May 20, 2022 10:57

Subject:

Is this lego?

Viewed:

154 times

Topic:

Catalog Identification

Can't find it... don't even know what search terms to use.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

May 19, 2022 00:11

Subject:

Re: Pick a Brick is now a joke.

Viewed:

111 times

Topic:

LEGO products

The reason regular parts are down is because of the current freebie promotion
(two sets for orders over $200 CAD). Parts orders now qualify for those promotional
freebies. The timing was just right for regular parts to go down before the promotion
started. I won't be surprised when regular parts go back online once the
promotion is over. Also, just about the same time as they "catch up".

In LEGO, Upstate_Brickz writes:

I just talked to two different customer service people this week and I asked
them both what was up with the pick a brick standard, they told me they are indeed
backed up, even from the holiday season. Orders are taking 5-6 weeks (so really
7-8

), which they said was unacceptably long so they are "pausing" the standard
parts to catch up. They also mentioned staffing issues. So I dunno, could be
all excuses but seems very possible.

FYI as of yesterday you can't even place a bestselling pick a brick order
in the US over the phone while the standard pieces are on pause.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Mar 4, 2022 00:12

Subject:

Re: Is this a misprint?

Viewed:

48 times

Topic:

Catalog Identification

In Catalog Identification, Crafteewon writes:

Likely just not finding the correct item in the catalog.
Wondering though if the modified head on the left is a missprint as it looks
like the head on the right but with the full pattern is filled in. The one on
the left has a 3475 on the inside and a 01 on the opposite inside. Found in a
bulk lot.

I'm guessing the one on the left is not lego.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 20, 2022 09:07

Subject:

Re: Seems old SW sets in old gray aren't wanted?

Viewed:

71 times

Topic:

Selling

In Selling, dearlydeparted writes:

I'm finally getting around to going through my son's vintage set tubs.
He has a lot of the old star wars sets using the old light gray and old dark
gray - all in display condition - he built and displayed and didn't really
play with them. I looked up the at-at 4483 set and there's only been one
sale in six months for $224 not in US - ebay is worse at average $90. Yet the
part out value is $388. I am really at odds for the best option to make my son
some $$ for school loans. What is the best way to go here? Looking for advice.

I would sell the set at - at least - PO value and give it a month or two (see
what I did there). When a set is rare on BL it may have potential value that
the last 6 mo. Sales don’t account for.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 17, 2022 11:42

Subject:

Re: (Cancelled)

Viewed:

53 times

Topic:

Terms and Policies

In Terms and Policies, ManyMiniBricks writes:

In Terms and Policies, scurry64 writes:

(Cancelled)

I wouldn't even wait for a reply from the seller. Start a PayPal claim and
get your money back. Seller openly says in their terms that they're not selling
LEGO (which is what you bought) and won't check to see if the parts are genuine
or not. Read their feedback.

Store needs to be closed. If I have the couple parts you need message me and
ill ship them to you.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 17, 2022 11:33

Subject:

Re: Excessive Fee?

Viewed:

69 times

Topic:

Terms and Policies

In Terms and Policies, scurry64 writes:

Are you saying that I shouldn't ask for advice on the forum?

Sorry, advice on what? You already sent an email to the seller and are waiting
on a reply. How can we advise you? When you get a reply or don't get a reply
after a few days we will be much better equipped to advise you.

I've messaged the seller a short time ago. He hasn't had much time to respond.

At this point, I'm just advising to wait on a reply from the seller.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 17, 2022 09:45

Subject:

Re: Excessive Fee?

Viewed:

69 times

Topic:

Terms and Policies

In Terms and Policies, scurry64 writes:

I placed a $5.00 order (see attachment). I checked the Store Terms before I paid
and I was fine with the $1.00 fee to cover PayPal and BrickLink fees that were
mentioned in the terms (see attachment). I didn't think about it again until
this morning when I realized I was charged a $7.00 "Additional Charge".

I think this charge is excessive especially since it isn't disclosed in the
Store Terms. I've messaged the seller a short time ago. He hasn't had
much time to respond. So, I wanted to get feedback from more experienced users.

Is this okay? Should I request to cancel the order if he doesn't offer to
refund $6.00 of the $7.00? How would you handle the situation?

Patience is a virtue. At this point I would give the seller a chance to respond
rather than post about it in the forum.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 17, 2022 09:38

Subject:

Re: Define Neutral Feedback

Viewed:

28 times

Topic:

In Feedback, yorbrick writes:

The only punishment is to the seller's
ego, no longer being 100% perfect. And I think that more than any real damage
to a store is the root cause of the complaints. The feeling of not being seen
to be absolutely perfect, rather than buyers being put off from buying from a
store.

This is correct and also not trivial. I'm no psychologist, but avoiding a
bruised ego has been and always will be a large motivation for action or inaction.
So to say that we must rise above that doesn't work in a large community
like BL. Instead the tools we are given to use must take this human nature into
account and work with the egos, not against them.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 17, 2022 09:04

Subject:

Re: Define Neutral Feedback

Viewed:

22 times

Topic:

In Feedback, Teup writes:

In Feedback, gogogovro writes:

Bricklink doesn't define what neutral feedback means on the feedback help
page (https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=248). What do you as a buyer
or seller define neutral feedback as? What are some reasons you would leave neutral
feedback?

I don't currently have a use case for using neutral, so I'm hoping on
learning from your replies.

If I focus not necessarily on my opinion but purely on the way the website interface
is designed, I would say that neutral or negative is any message that you want
future users to read before ordering (in other words, warnings).

A positive feedback will immediately disappear in the long list of positives
that nobody will ever read (its only effect is a contribution to the score),
while negatives and neutrals stick around, because their lists are much shorter
and their scores draw attention and curiosity because they are low numbers.

(The fact that negatives substract the score by one and that neutrals don't
change the score is just silly and has no meaning. Even if they would add +10
to the score, the fact they stick around in the feedback profile is much more
significant, so their 'punishing' effect remains the same.)

I agree with this but I think I would feel more compelled to leave neutral feedback
if the neutral feedback I received in retaliation didn't negatively affect
my store's positive feedback rating. Wouldn't every seller feel more
comfortable giving neutral feedback if that was the case? I think it would result
in many more honest neutral feedbacks which would be helpful to everyone looking
at a user's feedback page.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 16, 2022 18:27

Subject:

Re: Define Neutral Feedback

Viewed:

33 times

Topic:

In Feedback, legoman77 writes:

In Feedback, gogogovro writes:

A way to slam someone and not feel too guilty about it.
John P

MOO HA HA HA HA [clasps hand together]

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 16, 2022 15:59

Subject:

Re: Define Neutral Feedback

Viewed:

25 times

Topic:

In Feedback, yorbrick writes:

% praise is defined as 100x (praise feedback) / (all feedback).

That formula, and the prominence of a seller's positive feedback score, is
what discourages me from ever giving a neutral feedback.

No feedback = True neutral
Neutral feedback [less-than sign] True neutral

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 16, 2022 15:42

Subject:

Re: Define Neutral Feedback

Viewed:

26 times

Topic:

In Feedback, peregrinator writes:

In Feedback, gogogovro writes:

That is the way BL pictures neutral on their help page for feedback, but then
they penalize a user's positive feedback score anyway, so it's not really
neutral.

Only the seller's feedback score in penalized for a neutral, and then
only the "% Praise" score. For a buyer neutral feedback doesn't do anything
except exist, which I guess is its true purpose.

Right, but it just so happens that the seller's praise score is the most
visible and prominent metric that BL displays for each store. It's the large
number at the top right of each store's page. I don't think we can diminish
its importance, even if it's more of perceived importance.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 16, 2022 15:38

Subject:

Re: Define Neutral Feedback

Viewed:

17 times

Topic:

In Feedback, Bricks_NW_UK writes:

In many cases buyers not leaving feedback is effectively neutral. But once again
neutral should have no point value. If you want to leave a harsh review then
this is a negative and is how it should be. If it is, well I got my order, and
it was all, there, but I am not wowed, then this surely is a neutral, but the
seller has done nothing wrong, just not wowed the buyer. In this case why should
the seller be hit in his feedback?

Yes, you just verbalized how I give neutral feedback. If I don't want to
add to a store's positive feedback score because I'm not 100% hyped about
the transaction, yet I don't want retaliation, I just don't leave feedback
and ignore BL's constant nagging to leave feedback.

This leads me to believe people like us would leave more neutral feedbacks if
there wasn't a penalty - which would add value to future potential buyers
and sellers who review feedback scores.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 16, 2022 15:34

Subject:

Re: Define Neutral Feedback

Viewed:

27 times

Topic:

In Feedback, WUIt writes:

I would strongly prefer using "Neutral" to mean that the transaction has completed
without upping or downing my mood. It would allow me and other buyers to encourage
sellers with great service and signal those with substandard service to improve
their service.

That is the way BL pictures neutral on their help page for feedback, but then
they penalize a user's positive feedback score anyway, so it's not really
neutral.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 16, 2022 15:31

Subject:

Re: Define Neutral Feedback

Viewed:

24 times

Topic:

In Feedback, Jan_K writes:

In Feedback, gogogovro writes:

What do you as a buyer or seller define neutral feedback as?
What are some reasons you would leave neutral feedback?

As a seller, I take a neutral FB as: "damn, something went wrong" - and if I
wasn't aware of that risk before, I make sure the buyer lets me know. After
I fixed it (in many cases, this IS possible), I might decide to ask the buyer
to change the FB if I feel the buyer missed a chance to clarify an issue before
leaving FB.

As a buyer, I leave neutral FB as a "soft negative" - certainly not for a "normal
OK" transaction. If the order had issues and the seller wasn't willing or
able to fix it (or was very slow in communication), I consider a non-positive
FB. It will not be left before at least three attempts to get in touch with the
seller and find a solution.
It will be a negative FB only if the seller leaves me with a substantial loss
or doesn't show any will to fix an issue clearly caused by him.

I tend to spend much time on fixing issues, even if caused by the other party.
This often pays out in the end - but sometimes, it's waste of time, though.

Jan

Good explanation - you make a good case for neutral.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 16, 2022 15:28

Subject:

Re: Define Neutral Feedback

Viewed:

22 times

Topic:

In Feedback, calebfishn writes:

In Feedback, gogogovro writes:

The more I think about this issue the less I understand what the purpose of Neutral
could possibly be.

"Postive' in feedback can denote a range of experiences, all the way from,
"No problems" to "Wow! Praise!" And everything in that range is positive.
Negative means something was wrong in an unacceptable way.

But neutral? What does it mean? Is it supposed to mean: "Positive, but I wish
to suggest the seller develop in a certain area?" Or does it mean "I can't
decide if my experience was negative or positive"

Based on that, I don't know that the use of "Neutral" feedback gives the
seller, the buyer, or the community any useful information. So why is it part
of a score?

Insightful!

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 16, 2022 15:26

Subject:

Re: Define Neutral Feedback

Viewed:

32 times

Topic:

In Feedback, 1001bricks writes:

Yep - then currently showing 96% score in a shop won't make them understand
it has recent problems, at least.

If there are real problems, shouldn't that be marked as negative and not
neutral?

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 16, 2022 09:23

Subject:

Define Neutral Feedback

Viewed:

267 times

Topic:

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 15, 2022 16:48

Subject:

Re: A 0 + 5 Stars Feedback system for BrickLink

Viewed:

51 times

Topic:

Suggestions

In Suggestions, 1001bricks writes:

Following MANY discussions about this subject, and approving:
https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1327974
https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1328054
(and others)

And guessing this has probably already been proposed, but anyway...

I propose a 0 + 5 Stars rating system.

In essence:
- 0 would correspond to "Zero service (or the current Negative)"
- 1 would mean "I received the minimal service"
- 2 to 4 stars would be something like "it's ok"
- 5 could be "exceptional".

Details:

* a transaction could be "feedbacked" either 0 (very bad) or more usually from
1 (minimum) to 5 stars (maximum)

* while selecting the feedback:
- selecting 0 (or not selecting anything) would be shown in Red
- selecting 1 would be shown in Gray
- selecting 2 to 4 would be shown in Green
- selecting 5 would be shown in Yellow/Gold

* in the feedback score
- no rating would count for NOTHING
- a rating of zero would count (as a Negative)

I think it would be FAR better than the current system:
* frankly unhappy
* frankly happy
* neutral (but which decreases the seller's score!)
* abstention

The previous feedbacks would be converted with this simple rule:
* Negative : 0
* Positive : 5
* Neutral : 3

Then a simple calculation can be made to determine the global feedback of the
member.

On 120 orders, 100 only received a (any) feedback:
- 100 x 5 stars = 500 / 500 = 100%
- 100 x 3 stars = 300 / 500 = 60%
- 100 x 1 stars = 100 / 500 = 20%
- 100 x 0 stars = 0 / 500 = 0%

Of course, at the beginning, we won't see many changes, as Positive receive
5 stars and Negative 0.

But the difference in between the current "95/98%" will start while receiving
new stars feedbacks.

Some will get more 1 or 2, others will receive more 4 or 5.

We'll see some member having 40/60% and some others 80/90%.

Hoping that helps.

Sylvain

I'm voting yes just because something needs to be done. However, I don't
think this is right solution because it's not easy to implement. The BL dev.
team is and will be busy with tax law for who knows how long (laws keep changing).

The simplest solution is to remove the penalty that neutral feedbacks make on
a store or user's positive feedback score.

If the penalty was removed it would enable users to leave neutral feedbacks without
the fear of negative consequences or repercussions. It's honestly a pretty
simple change that would make a huge impact on feedback.

Suddenly, stores could have 10s or 100s of neutral feedbacks that would highlight
to potential buyers the problems they might face without negatively impacting
anyone's ratings.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 15, 2022 11:18

Subject:

Re: Sellers beware!

Viewed:

65 times

Topic:

In Feedback, Brick.Door writes:

I'm not aware of any rules or definitions set by Bricklink for how to leave
feedback. You can think this is 'not the Bricklink way' but that's
just your way. If it were the Bricklink way it would be defined in the site help
pages.

Having said that, I think the current feedback system is poorly implemented and
does very little to help buyers or encourage quality sellers.

BL actually doesn't suggest a use case for neutral feedbacks at all. It's
really kind of bizarre. The way BL visualizes it on the help page actually suggests
there is no impact by using a neutral feedback: https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=248

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 15, 2022 10:47

Subject:

Re: Sellers beware!

Viewed:

62 times

Topic:

In Feedback, yorbrick writes:

Here we go...

Personally, I either have a good experience or a bad experience when I buy on
BL (which is not that often). I've never had a neutral experience.

So you have not needed to use neutral feedback. Does that mean nobody else should?
I think not. Personally, I've never felt I needed to leave negative feedback
for a seller. Does that mean there should be no negatives too?

The purpose for saying "personally" is that I know my opinion is not the same
as everyone else's opinion.

However, another way to look at my past purchases is they were all neutral except
for the really bad ones. I placed an order and all the parts arrive as expected.
If I was brand new to the platform, neutral might be what I would choose. It
wasn't a positive experience per say because I got what I expected, no more.
You can see how that might be considered neutral, especially to new buyers.

I have said the same here too. Even good transactions are essentially just that
I got what I expected. But then nothing would be positive, yet people leave positive
feedback. I think most sensible buyers can also see other feedback people have
already left and understand that positive means they got their items. I have
sold to many new buyers, and they have either not left feedback or have left
positive. I have never received a neutral from a new buyer not understanding
the feedback system. Especially if the seller has already left them positive
feedback for paying, it shows that positive feedback means the other party did
what they meant to do. Although of course it does happen that occasionally a
new buyer leaves a neutral if they do not understand. Just drop them a message
and let them know that if nothing was wrong, then they should really have left
positive, as the seller has already done for them.

Rather than getting rid of neutrals completely, I'd prefer they introduced
a further step between placing a neutral or negative and it recording. Something
like "You are about to leave neutral/negative feedback. Have you contacted the
seller to rectify the problem? If the probelm remains unresolved click OK to
leave feedback". That gives a warning to any new users, and also an extra 10
seconds thinking time to anyone about to leave a neutral/negative.

Hooray for constructive thinking! The purpose of my post is to get people thinking
of possible solutions and this is one!

The big problem with neutral is illustrated in the point you brought up. You
want a way to warn others of an experience you had that you deem "less serious".
So you want to warn of a less serious problem, yet the effect on a store's
overall rating is exactly the same as if it was a negative feedback. That is
the big problem with neutral feedback.

It is not exactly the same. Negative feedback reduces the total feedback score,
counts in the red column and affects the percentage positive. Neutral affects
the percentage positive (as it is not positive) but does not affect the total
score and it also appears in a different column to negatives in the summary table.
They are not exactly the same.

On your store page, the only number that matters, the lowest hanging fruit, the
number that makes the biggest visual impact is the Praise percentage. It's
the big number at the top right of your store. It's the number that draws
a mental correlation, deserved or not, to other online shopping experiences.
That is what I am referring to. Neutrals and Negatives have the exact same impact
on this score.

In my opinion, if neutral feedback is supposed to be used for the purpose you
illustrate than the penalty should not be the same as negative feedback on a
store's overall rating.

The percentage rating is PERCENTAGE POSITIVE. If someone is not positive about
a transaction and wants to record that (even if it is a minor problem compared
to really bad transaction), why should it not count towards lowering the percentage
positive rate.

Because of my above statement regarding the importance of this particular metric.
It is the most impactful metric a store has to offer because of its visability
and prominence.

I would argue that honest neutral feedback is avoided by experienced users because
of this negative effect. Why would you want to hurt a store's rating for
a "meh" order?

If someone wants to record a less than positive problem, it is not meh. It is
bad enough that they want it recorded.

So your conclusion is that we should feel ok about making a store suffer in it's
most important metric because our experience was not negative, but rather a little
less than positive?

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 15, 2022 09:18

Subject:

Re: Sellers beware!

Viewed:

52 times

Topic:

In Feedback, gogogovro writes:

In Feedback, yorbrick writes:

And what if you want to warn other buyers that a few bucks worth of used parts
in a larger order were bad quality but the seller refused to replace them or
warn others that a seller does send items but it takes them two months to post?
Those are nowhere near as serious as a seller taking money and not sending items
at all. Leaving negatives might be harsh in those cases, but that is all a buyer
could do if it was only positive or negative; or they could accept that they
have no way to warn others. Currently a buyer can warn others about less serious
issues by leaving neutral feedback. Not leaving feedback at all means those warnings
are not given.

OK, I know I'm not going to convince you, but for the sake of others that
read this thread I will respond to your argument.

Personally, I either have a good experience or a bad experience when I buy on
BL (which is not that often). I've never had a neutral experience.

However, another way to look at my past purchases is they were all neutral except
for the really bad ones. I placed an order and all the parts arrive as expected.
If I was brand new to the platform, neutral might be what I would choose. It
wasn't a positive experience per say because I got what I expected, no more.
You can see how that might be considered neutral, especially to new buyers.

The big problem with neutral is illustrated in the point you brought up. You
want a way to warn others of an experience you had that you deem "less serious".
So you want to warn of a less serious problem, yet the effect on a store's
overall rating is exactly the same as if it was a negative feedback. That is
the big problem with neutral feedback.

In my opinion, if neutral feedback is supposed to be used for the purpose you
illustrate than the penalty should not be the same as negative feedback on a
store's overall rating.

I would argue that honest neutral feedback is avoided by experienced users because
of this negative effect. Why would you want to hurt a store's rating for
a "meh" order?

Forgot to mention this is something that comes up all the time. If you want BL
to change their neutral feedback policy, vote up one of the many suggestion posts
like this one:
https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1217067

You can search the forum for more of the same.

Author:

brickerking

Posted:

Feb 15, 2022 09:13

Subject:

Re: Sellers beware!

Viewed:

83 times

Topic: