Redisplay Messages: Compact | Brief | All | Full Show Messages: All | Without Replies| Author: | CCBricks  | | Posted: | Mar 24, 2024 22:38 | | Subject: | Re: Fraudulent / Spam Emails Continue | | Viewed: | 74 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| In Announce, popsicle writes:
| | In Announce, CCBricks writes:
| | Greetings all,
The spammer emails continue and are now a daily basis. See attached image as
it shows the incorrect email.
@BrickLink: can you please put a banner on the landing page to at least warn
users of this issue.
I'm curious though, is this being done to any/all users of BL or is this
subjective to sellers.
Brian
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https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1460563
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Already voted yes, but we both know that even if enough users vote yes, will
they even implement the category.
Bri-
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Mar 24, 2024 21:27 | | Subject: | Fraudulent / Spam Emails Continue | | Viewed: | 219 times | | Topic: | Announce | |
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| Greetings all,
The spammer emails continue and are now a daily basis. See attached image as
it shows the incorrect email.
@BrickLink: can you please put a banner on the landing page to at least warn
users of this issue.
I'm curious though, is this being done to any/all users of BL or is this
subjective to sellers.
Brian
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Mar 21, 2024 21:12 | | Subject: | Re: WARNING! Login from new device phishing emai | | Viewed: | 51 times | | Topic: | Problem | |
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| Well, I'll be one of the first to say that I did click the link. I noticed
the .com.co and knew something wasn't right. I'm not happy
with myself, but I immediately went in and changed the password...three times.
I'm going to say that I got lucky (extremely) and caught it at the right
time.
I did a download of my inventory with BrickStore to compare totals. This is what
I found: the total number of items (parts) is off by 4 and the dollar amount
is off by $2.56. This is possibly due to a couple of lots that I have retained
that are not zeroed out. I also looked at the "newest items" to see
if any were added, which I can confirm nothing was added. I also verified the
lot totals were correct (main store and stock rooms).
I strongly suggest every seller download BrickStore and performing a back up,
especially each day, or after sales. I usually do one a day. It is super easy
to "jump the gun" as I did, and it caught me off guard.
Hopefully BrickLink will post a banner on the main page to warn EVERY user about
this. As of this post, I didn't see anything, so BL should jump on the ball,
like yesterday.
Brian
In Problem, chetzler writes:
| | I had a couple of these this in my inbox this morning. They looked completely
legitimate. I did login in to BL from my work computer yesterday. When I have
logged in from work before, I have never gotten an email like this, but I thought
that maybe it was a new security feature.
Anyway, with a very official looking email in hand, I clicked the suggested logout
from all devices link and had just about entered my credentials in the new window
to log back in when I noticed two minor things that seemed just a bit off. I
won’t mention those things in case the fraudsters are reading. I looked at the
URL and it was very close to BrickLink’s (it was not the .net one that was mentioned
before). Needless to say, I immediately changed my PW and reenabled the one-time
PIN (I had turned it off because I was being repeatedly prompted for a new PIN
over very short time spans even when I hadn’t logged out). I’ll also be downloading
my inventory
BE DILIGENT! I’m a pretty suspicious person when it comes to online activity,
but, in my groggy state when I woke up this morning, I almost fell for a phishing
scheme presented as a very authentic looking email.
I don’t know why BrickLink has suddenly become such a juicy target. These people
have no hope of accessing any of my monetary accounts. I assume the goal is
to gain access to a legitimate shop so they can list high-dollar items to scam
other members.
I don’t envy the task that management has ahead of them, but they need to take
some substantive action soon. This is not a primary income stream for me, so
at some point, when all the gummy spam, phishing attempts, and slow helpdesk
response times become too much, I may simply close my store for a while. I don’t
need the extra headache of worrying about online security for a part-time job.
Had I fallen victim to this phishing attempt, I’m really not sure how much effort
I would have put into trying to recover my account. BrickLink just feels like
a dicier selling proposition lately.
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Jan 9, 2024 21:57 | | Subject: | Re: Important proposal regarding catalog variants | | Viewed: | 57 times | | Topic: | Catalog | |
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| This is like being invited to a taffy pulling contest where everyone picks their
nose!
A giant mess in my opinion. Leave the catalog the way it is, block the variants
from being added going forward. Use the TLG's data from the released sets
and upload it to the Catalog. Since TLG in essence "bought" the catalog,
they should be able to upload upon release date.
Also, with the potential for "merging", how will this impact the years
of production? Some parts were produced for certain years, retired, then re-released
as a new variant. This may cause some confusion for folks trying to piece together
an older set and get a part that isn't the true and correct part.
I'm not a fan of merging the minifigure heads as figures sold with blocked
open stud may command more money than a recessed or vented stud. Yeah, it's
the same part, does the same job, but it's not "that" true minifigure.
This is something that should have been pushed a loooong time ago (at least 3
to six months). This action seems like a spur of the moment push. Maybe it's
just me.
After reading 122+ posts, my eyes started seeing grooves!
Brian
In Catalog, Admin_Russell writes:
| | Hello everyone,
As a platform, we have decided to take a hard look at some of the mold variants
that we are currently asking you to recognize. For sellers, more variants means
extra sorting and extra work while pulling orders, plus the issues that arise
from variant misunderstandings.
For buyers, excess variants mean that it's harder to assemble a wanted list,
find stores, and ultimately obtain the parts you are looking for.
I have put together a quick Help page to outline these proposed changes:
https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=2625
Notice the date on this is coming up quickly (Feb 1), so I'm not giving a
lot of time for discussion. I'm aiming for about 1 week of discussion and
then we'll give sellers 2 weeks to adjust the descriptions on affected items
if they wish to retain the distinctions.
I plan to construct a full FAQ page with answers to all your questions. This
will serve to inform users about what was done here in February 2024, and also
help point the catalog in the right direction in the future.
To get started, I'll list a few here:
1. This sounds like you're dumbing down the BrickLink catalog to make
it easier for new users. Is that what is going on?
Not really. There are many, many other variants we expect people to sort and
care about. These ones don't really seem to matter much, and some of them
(e.g., the minifigure heads) actually cause problems for the catalog that cannot
be corrected otherwise.
2. What if I really care about a certain variant that is going away? Can I
still buy and sell that variant?
Absolutely! You can add notes to your listings to make them as "determined"
as you wish. Buyers can still search within notes for extra details, or they
can simply observe them as they browse listings.
3. How do I know which exact variants will be merged? I only see one example
in each category.
Please ask in this thread and I can be very specific. Usually we are talking
about a handful of parts and the printed versions.
4. Has a merge like this ever been done before?
Yes, there was a precedent - the Headlight Brick with Slot:
https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1016584
It was marked for deletion a few years ago and was finally merged last August.
5. Are these the only parts up for consideration, or are there other variants
that will be merged as well?
This is all for now. Based on how well this goes, we may elect to remove other
entries later. However, we will keep all functional variants and important cosmetic
variants.
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Dec 11, 2023 22:45 | | Subject: | Re: Requirments for new sellers | | Viewed: | 48 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| Snip...
| | what's the point in trying to start a business then if you are getting restricted
to a set profit amount. is that how banking loans work...?
|
Not a profit limit, just a sales limit. This just stops the bleeding in the
instance of a new seller scam. There's been a few experienced bad apples(sellers)
who have done such a thing (selling and not delivering). Lenders want to see
you making a profit (among cash flow, return on investment, debt load...etc.)
They are also looking at what risk you are and whether they want to take a chance
on you defaulting on the loan.
| | $250 a month in sales would likely yield roughly a $40-$50 profit if the seller
is lucky...
|
True., depending on product sold (minus cost). But in the case of a scammer,
if the goods were never in hand, and there is never an intention to ship, then
its all profit. The scammer does a "get in and get out" tactic, Assuming
they can skate by without chargebacks.
| | why would anyone waste their time when there are plenty of other venues to sell
Lego on that aren't going to suppress the seller.
|
True. I'm not privy to the sales info per seller, but I'm sure most
new sellers start out small and those kinds of sales come in time. Selling items
on the "bay" can yield higher profits, but come at higher expense. Its
all about protecting our site. Scammers will continue to target us and folks
will get taken. If its too good to be true, it usually is.
| | & what happens to their store once they hit that limit...?
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Once the limit is hit, they can't sell anymore until the next month.
| | are their items then removed from the marketplace until the end of the month...?
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Nope. The items are still there, or the store could be closed.
| | great idea... i'm sure everyone will not be having sales during that time
frame in order to suppress the new sellers more.
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Its not about beating down the competition. I enjoy competition. It keeps me
on my toes and makes me rethink my business strategy, often. Other sellers will
out do me, and I'm ok with that.
What suggestions would you offer, if asked, to help issues such as this.
I'll take it 
Brian
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Dec 10, 2023 10:15 | | Subject: | Re: Requirments for new sellers | | Viewed: | 58 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| I'm all for more secure vetting processes. I've been in the banking/finance
world for over 25 years and I've seen a lot of scams roll through.
While no plan or process is entirely bulletproof, actions can be taken to help
ensure the safety of the site, sellers and buyers (think reputation risk of BL).
I like the idea of having a monthly cap on sales. It may not be ideal, more
so inconvenient in some or most cases, but it could help deter scammers from
slipping through the cracks. A cap on monthly sales will allow sufficient time
(30 days) to weed out the offenders. Yes, there will be victims, but they will
have time to dispute charges and then the BL team can take action.
That doesn't mean that ALL new sellers are bad. Some seasoned, well established
stores can go bad as well. Either by choice or compromise. This stems from
examples of tenured and new accounts in the banking world. Accounts that are
tenured may not be under such scrutiny as they haven't had any "red flags"
to cause alarm.
These BL stores could in essence "go out with a bang" and not care how
it ends. For tenured stores, including myself, monitor the activity (additions
of inventory) and/or require proof of purchase. Maybe do a percentage of store
inventory dollar amount (10, 15, 20 percent) for a sales cap. Sellers will be
ultimately impacted, especially if any actions cause a disruption in their ability
to provide for their families. This is just a measure in place to prevent these
larger stores being targeted for fraud.
I also believe that BL and Lego need to have more staff on hand. I'm referring
to groups that handle new accounts (both buyer and seller registrations) as well
as security.
There should be (and probably are) checks in place to determine whether or not
someone is scamming folks, which we will never know due to the the security
measures in place. In the banking world, we had scanners figuring out our processes
and try to circumvent them. We were able to catch a wire scheme in its infancy
stages and it saved us a ton of headache (inaddition to customer cash/fraud).
Anyone (buyer and seller) can scam one another. Its a risk we take buying and
selling on this site. It comes down to your threshold of exposure and how much
you are willing to self insure. I'd be open to a panel (behind closed doors)
with other folks to discuss ways to help prevent such situations from happening
again.
Just my two cents
Brian
In Suggestions, cosmicray writes:
| | This is a suggestion to help prevent some of the recent problems with new seller
accounts.
In the beginning (2000 until a few years back) anyone could request selling privs,
and could sell here. The door was wide open, and it was occasionally abused.
The current mode is to receive at least one positive FB. Based on another thread
here, it is possible that is also being abused.
The suggestion is to request fees in advance for the first 45-60 day selling
period. The range of dates is such that at least one full month will be contained.
At the end of that time-frame, any fees not used would be refunded as a partial
refund. The amount charged would be nominal ($5 for example) but would also act
as a speed brake because it would limit how much can be sold during the time
frame (roughly $150). Someone who expects and intends to sell more, could pay
a larger initial fee, but would also face more verification prior to approval.
The advantage of doing this is that it would require someone to prove they exist
as a real person, via the payment. It may also expose someone trying to use a
stolen credit card.
The disadvantage is that it may limit participation from countries where electronic
payment is not possible.
I'm not 100% thrilled with this suggestion, but I think something needs to
be done to enhance validation and to limit the velocity of abuse.
Nita Rae
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Nov 11, 2023 13:21 | | Subject: | Re: Item not recieved by buyer - non tracked parc | | Viewed: | 48 times | | Topic: | Selling | |
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| Without tracking its hard to determine its current location. If I had to guess,
the package is already in the states. The USPS has derailed on delivery and subsequent
time frames for delivery. This new Ground Advantage has them all over the board
when it comes to consistent delivery time frames. I had a package go to the
north that went missing for three weeks. No scans, just showed up as delivered.
I refunded the buyer and told them to keep the order.
Priority Mail, IMHO, has not gotten better amd they are increasing those prices
here shortly. Im tempted to switch over to UPS ground for all shipments. With
Stamps.com its only a couple more dollars in price. Just my 3.5 cents (accounting
for inflation).
Depending on price of the shipment, just refund the buyer and call it a day.
It's much easier on the mind to not stress about it. If you ship to the
states, ship with tracking. If theres an extra cost, the buyer will oblige.
If not. You've saved your self the headache of a missing package.
Brian
In Selling, 7fish writes:
| | Hello brickinkers,
I have a customer who requested standard shipping on a small parcel from the
UK to the US and is now saying it has not arrived after almost 4 weeks. The customer
has no feedback so is obviously new to the site.
It was only a mini-figure..
What should I do to resolve the issue? Are they trying it on?
|
| |
Thoughts are welcome please..
Paul.
P&L Bricks.
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Sep 10, 2023 08:59 | | Subject: | Re: Stop List (revised) | | Viewed: | 38 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| Maybe "Not Today"
In Suggestions, Macaronis writes:
| | In Suggestions, ghyde writes:
| | In Suggestions, popsicle writes:
| | Gonna express this here under suggestions, for lack of a better topic to use.
But no need to vote or take too serious Just looking for candid feedback on
the idea of rebranding the sometimes divisive feature
As the Stop List is a unidirectionally action, I thought a more descriptive term
for the outdated and sometimes confusing phrase, could easily replace it. Some
other descriptor that would serve both buyer and seller better.
Decline Service List, Refuse Service List, Excluded from Service, Service
Exclusion List, or whatever you might come up with other than just “stop”
Just today’s over caffeinated thinking, and frankly not all that important. I
mean, ambiguous as stop sometimes comes across to the uninitiated here, the phrase
has been around a long time. There’s that to consider, but on the other hand
“don’t stop improving” is a good mantra and attitude to maintain.
-popsicle
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I voted no. It is simple and to the point. It's also easy for me to find.
Why overcomplicate things?
Cheers ...
ghyde
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I would suggest just using the word NOPE in Bold
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Aug 22, 2023 20:17 | | Subject: | Re: Order Confirm/Messages | | Viewed: | 38 times | | Topic: | Technical Issues | |
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| I'm not receiving any order confirmation emails.
In Technical Issues, change writes:
| | For the past days, after new bugs discovered I have few problems:
No messages for orders received.
No messages about invoices I sent.
Log in is again a pain.
I have to log in few times a day and always get a 404 error(I checked the "Keep
me signed" box every time).
Please give us some update.
Thank you.
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Aug 22, 2023 20:09 | | Subject: | Re: Seller is asking for more money? | | Viewed: | 62 times | | Topic: | Buying | |
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| I wonder if these fees they are referring to are the sales tax and PayPal fee.
I am not aware of an "insurance charge" that PP charges. I also wonder
if the assumption was to send as "family and friends". Unfortunately,
it is a cost of doing business.
In Buying, Just_Bricks_J writes:
| | I made a purchase from a seller for 240$ USD. He sends me a message saying PayPal
took 20 dollars as a small business fee and that another 20 dollars was taken
for some kind of insurance that he could not specify. Now the seller is asking
that I send 20 dollars to cover the shipping because PayPal took the money.
My question is shouldn’t that have been listed in additional fees on the order
page? OR shouldn’t his store be quote orders only so he can calculate how much
money he will need before accepting the order? Am I in the wrong here? I’m just
not comfortable sending over more money for something that was not previously
discussed prior to purchase. What can I do about this?
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Apr 23, 2023 17:13 | | Subject: | Re: Contest Finally Begins... | | Viewed: | 43 times | | Topic: | Contests | |
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| 332
In Contests, popsicle writes:
| | Apologies for the long delay, life gets crazy. Hope you find it worth the wait,
nonetheless. Enjoy!
Give the exact number of torso assemblies contained in the 4x9 inch vase shown.
First to post the correct number wins the grand prize shown here and as announced
by your contest moderator: https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1406346
One entry per 24 hour period with no limit to the number of entry days per member.
All members worldwide are invited to participate. Shipping is on us, ConstrucToys
Have a wonderful Sunday
Christman Family
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Mar 30, 2023 23:17 | | Subject: | Re: Worse news I have had in so many years | | Viewed: | 58 times | | Topic: | Off Topic | |
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| John,
I'm sorry to hear about this devastating news. Is there a chance for treatment?
I've had three Goldens that suffered rare, cancers and immune deficiency
diseases. I always joke that my pets get better medical care than I give myself...and
it's true. They're family.
You John, are a pet (animal) lover. There's a bunch of us here that share
that same trait. I've always enjoyed your posts where you took in a stray
or helped with animals in need. We know you for your love of kitties and barbies
Pets are our family. They show compassion and love in ways that no human could
ever do. Know that you have done amd continue to do your calling: taking care
of cats. It is always hard when you are faced with this situation. Make Sammi
comfortable, give her lots of salmon, cat nip and cuddles.
We are here for you John P.
Bri-
In Off Topic, legoman77 writes:
| | I just found out my oldest cat Sammi has cancer. She follows me around, sits
in my lap and sits on my computer desk when I am doing things. She sleeps in
my arms all night along with the 4 other cats that sleep on my legs and feet.
I cannot move for most of the night because I do not want them to leave. I
care for my cats, especially her, more than anything else except my family and
country. She helped me deal with the death of my 18 year old cat in 2008 by following
me around and insisting on being with me and has always been very vocal when
I am not home. We have a very special bond that is much stronger than I have
with my other six cats that I also love dearly.
I do not mean to use Bricklink as somewhere to lay my ills, but I am not on any
other social media and have a very small family, none of which are in El Paso.
I know that there are many cat lovers here and other pet lovers. This is the
only place to try and share my grief. For all the members that have beloved
pets cherish them as much as possible while they are with you.
John P
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Mar 14, 2023 22:22 | | Subject: | Re: Ban stores from having part variant policies | | Viewed: | 78 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| I guess the same should be noted for minifigures. They come unassembled in the
box. Why is there a need to assemble them. My listings specifically state if
a minifigure is sold unassembled or not. I browse and buy figures frequently
and I'm always looking for this verbiage in the listings. I have to email
sellers asking whether its assembled or not before I buy. Should there be an
check box available to notate such at the time of listing?
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Mar 14, 2023 20:28 | | Subject: | Re: Trans-Light Blue | | Viewed: | 30 times | | Topic: | Colors | |
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| Definitely two different colors...or at least a different shade. Those parts
look textured. I wonder if it's something in the mix that is used to make
the texture that is causing the color shift. But that one slope also looks "sanded"
so it's hard to say.
In Colors, jennnifer writes:
| | Here are some Trans-Light Blue parts I just opened in set
These wedges are so different!
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Oct 30, 2022 14:04 | | Subject: | Re: Getting "Page Not Found" 404 Message | | Viewed: | 39 times | | Topic: | Technical Issues | |
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| Admins,
Is there a resolution for this error that keeps popping up? Not sure how many
other folks are having this issue.
Brian
In Help, CCBricks writes:
| | Greetings all,
I've started to get a "Page Not Found" 404 error message when logging in.
It seems to happen when I time out on the site. If I click "My BL" at the top
of the page, it loads the sign on screen. My credentials are prefilled (Chrome)
and when I go to log in, I get the error message. Any ideas?
Brian
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Oct 2, 2022 11:28 | | Subject: | Seller Exemption Status/Process | | Viewed: | 189 times | | Topic: | Taxes | |
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| Has anyone heard anything regarding the sales tax exemtion for stores? If BL
is collecting the sales tax (and remitting it back to our respective states),
should we not be allowed to be exempt from paying sales tax for inventory being
resold?
Maybe this is in the works? 🤔
Brian
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Aug 28, 2022 13:28 | | Subject: | Re: Can these two parts be combined? | | Viewed: | 23 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| Forgot to add this: I guess they could be listed as a super lot with a description.
I'm guessing this would be the easiest way to list these. That is, if I
wanted to sell them together.
In General, CCBricks writes:
| | Greetings all,
I'm in the process of parting out some sets, and I have these two parts to
list (in reddish brown). Since they can be used separately, but they are more
than likely be used together, could they be listed as a counterpart (assembly)
in the catalog?
The reason I ask is once combined, they make a book (or book cover/jacket)?
I realize that this will/would alter all of the other 24093* and 24324* parts
in the catalog. I tried looking in the catalog, but I didn't see a listing
(and it may not exist).
Brian
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Aug 28, 2022 13:27 | | Subject: | Can these two parts be combined? | | Viewed: | 106 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| Greetings all,
I'm in the process of parting out some sets, and I have these two parts to
list (in reddish brown). Since they can be used separately, but they are more
than likely be used together, could they be listed as a counterpart (assembly)
in the catalog?
The reason I ask is once combined, they make a book (or book cover/jacket)?
I realize that this will/would alter all of the other 24093* and 24324* parts
in the catalog. I tried looking in the catalog, but I didn't see a listing
(and it may not exist).
Brian
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Aug 20, 2022 22:17 | | Subject: | Re: Day with my dad. | | Viewed: | 45 times | | Topic: | Off Topic | |
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| Tell Dad that he is cherished, not just by you, but by all of us. I had to read
it over and over again. It just hit me hard. We don't know how long we are
given on this earth.
Time flies by so fast, that we wonder where it went. Know that your online AFOL
community sends their love amd prayers to you and your family. Tell Dad to enjoy
those cigars 😊
Brian
In Off Topic, BrickOutLoud writes:
| | I spent the day with my dad. He's in end stage kidney failure so he decided
to take up cigar smoking (because why not!). He has less then 2 months left
according to the Drs. Not sure what i want to say but i guess it's, as we
get older, don't miss all the things we take for granted. They are gone
sooner than you think. Life goes by way faster than you think it does. Sometimes
you just smoke a cigar with your dad because you can! (not looking for I'm
sorry's, just appreciate today, because tomorrow is guaranteed!)
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| Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Aug 14, 2022 18:58 | | Subject: | Re: Need some advice before opening my store | | Viewed: | 45 times | | Topic: | Selling | |
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| Hello there!
I would opt to close the store if you are going to be gone for a period greater
than 24 to 48 hours. If I'm going to be gone for more than two days, I close
it (vacation, sick etc). I do have a note on my Terms page that states most
orders will take up to 48 hours to process (ie: time of day received; size of
order etc).
If you know you will be gone, closing the store is your safest bet. If you have
to leave for work with orders open, process what you can prior to leaving, but
email the buyers and let them know the order will be delayed "x" days until you
get back. Putting a note on your terms page disclosing work and the need to leave
is helpful. It may deter buyers as they won't know when they will receive
their order.
Just my two cents and personal process.. I would wait and see what other sellers
will offer and suggest. Learn from our mistakes 😉
Brian
| |
Is it enough to write this in the terms or what is appropriate to do when I need
to go away?
* Temporarily close the store so no orders come in while I'm gone?
* Write a message on the stores start page so hopefully customers see this before
they place an order so they are aware that the processing time will be slightly
longer than normal?
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