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| | | Author: | CALBrickLAB  | | Posted: | Mar 23, 2017 14:04 | | Subject: | notify sellers when set inventory updated | | Viewed: | 130 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | | Status: | Discarded | |
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| BrickLink already keeps track of what sets I have parted out. I can go look up
the log of my past uploads. If would be helpful if sellers were automatically
notified when a set they have parted out in the past has its inventory updated.
Then I would be able to go double-check that lot to make sure it wasn't from
the newer version of the set inventory. It would allow me to provide better customer
service because I would have less errors in my inventory.
Here is the reason for my suggestion:
Say in July 2016 I parted out 20 of a set. In August 2016, someone updates the
inventory with a variant part. I am left completely unaware that half of my parts
were actually the second variant until I notice a mixture while pulling the order.
Another version of this scenario is when LEGO changes the build and the number
of pieces in a lot changes. My inventory might say I have 120 pieces in a lot,
but I actually only have 100. If someone buys out the lot, hopefully I can find
more of that piece in a set I have waiting to part out.
If I were notified of set inventory updates on sets I have parted out, I could
go check my inventory before there is a problem.
Romy
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| | | | | Author: | bricksahead | | Posted: | Mar 23, 2017 14:44 | | Subject: | Re: notify sellers when set inventory updated | | Viewed: | 47 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=815881
In Suggestions, CALBrickLAB writes:
| | BrickLink already keeps track of what sets I have parted out. I can go look up
the log of my past uploads. If would be helpful if sellers were automatically
notified when a set they have parted out in the past has its inventory updated.
Then I would be able to go double-check that lot to make sure it wasn't from
the newer version of the set inventory. It would allow me to provide better customer
service because I would have less errors in my inventory.
Here is the reason for my suggestion:
Say in July 2016 I parted out 20 of a set. In August 2016, someone updates the
inventory with a variant part. I am left completely unaware that half of my parts
were actually the second variant until I notice a mixture while pulling the order.
Another version of this scenario is when LEGO changes the build and the number
of pieces in a lot changes. My inventory might say I have 120 pieces in a lot,
but I actually only have 100. If someone buys out the lot, hopefully I can find
more of that piece in a set I have waiting to part out.
If I were notified of set inventory updates on sets I have parted out, I could
go check my inventory before there is a problem.
Romy
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| | | | | | | Author: | CALBrickLAB | | Posted: | Mar 23, 2017 15:15 | | Subject: | Re: notify sellers when set inventory updated | | Viewed: | 33 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| I knew I couldn't have been the first person to suggest it! I don't understand
all the objections in that thread. We work hard to identify problems before uploading
sets. OF COURSE we do! That doesn't mean that we might not miss something.
Especially my scenario where the lot piece count changes. Say I am uploading
20 of a set with 2000 parts each, 450 lots. I don't believe that the majority
of stores are counting out all 40,000 pieces.
Sometimes I catch the catalog errors while I'm sorting. But there have been
times when I haven't. This feature would be good for BrickLink because it
would reduce order errors. And order errors seem to be the #1 complaint of buyers.
Happy buyers, more retained customers, more orders, Bricklink corporate makes
more money.
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| | | | | | | | | Author: | viejos | | Posted: | Mar 23, 2017 16:00 | | Subject: | Re: notify sellers when set inventory updated | | Viewed: | 35 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, CALBrickLAB writes:
| | I knew I couldn't have been the first person to suggest it! I don't understand
all the objections in that thread. We work hard to identify problems before uploading
sets. OF COURSE we do! That doesn't mean that we might not miss something.
Especially my scenario where the lot piece count changes. Say I am uploading
20 of a set with 2000 parts each, 450 lots. I don't believe that the majority
of stores are counting out all 40,000 pieces.
Sometimes I catch the catalog errors while I'm sorting. But there have been
times when I haven't. This feature would be good for BrickLink because it
would reduce order errors. And order errors seem to be the #1 complaint of buyers.
Happy buyers, more retained customers, more orders, Bricklink corporate makes
more money.
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One of the things I believe would be very helpful to sellers, is that if a set
had an inventory note, this would be displayed in bold on its own page at the
start of the partout process. This is where you look for oddball stuff happening
to sets, and even for sellers not particular about variants etc, everyone really
should read the inv note before parting out. It can save a lot of headaches down
the road.
I am all for a notification system, plus a number of other features to give sellers
more choices during partout.
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| | | | | Author: | yorbrick | | Posted: | Mar 23, 2017 15:03 | | Subject: | Re: notify sellers when set inventory updated | | Viewed: | 28 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| For the second scenario, don't you count parts when parting out?
If so, there wouldn't be an error that needs correcting.
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| | | | | | | Author: | CALBrickLAB | | Posted: | Mar 23, 2017 15:56 | | Subject: | Re: notify sellers when set inventory updated | | Viewed: | 37 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, yorbrick writes:
| | For the second scenario, don't you count parts when parting out?
If so, there wouldn't be an error that needs correcting.
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Not every lot. Especially if it's a piece that is in a lot of sets, sometimes
it's not worth the time to count out every lot.
The example I gave in the reply I just posted above wasn't arbitrary. I parted
out 24 of set 70751 (temple of airjitzu) on Dec 9, 2015. That set has 1965 parts,
13 mini figures, 447 lots, 51 lots as extra items, 17 lots as counterparts, and
4 lots as alternates. It was inventoried on August 26, 2015, confirmed on Oct
3, 2015, with 9 logs of inventory changes. 3 of those inventory changes occurred
after I parted it out.
You can lay as much hate on me as you like, but I did not count out all 47,000+
pieces. Especially because I knew I had more unlisted inventory that I could
fall back on if I ran into a problem. Your store currently has less than 10,000
items. Counting that one upload would be like me counting your whole store 5
times. I'm not trying to be rude here, just trying to give some perspective.
There comes a point where I have to trust the BrickLink catalogue.
On the wrong item scenario, again, look at the Temple of Airjitzu partout I refer
to above. The last inventory change occurred on March 16, 2016. It was changing
the type of arch from "14707 Brick, Arch 1 x 12 x 3 Raised Arch" to "18838 Brick,
Arch 1 x 12 x 3 Raised Arch with 5 Cross Supports." So I originally had it listed
as the type that doesn't specify, when it turns out that I had the type with
5 cross supports. For whatever reason, those two parts don't even share the
same part ID. So I see 14707, not 14707a or 14707b. Many sellers wouldn't
even know that there is a completely different part to check for unless they
went to that part's individual catalogue page.
Of course, I could argue to a buyer that the unspecified type doesn't exclude
cross supports. But I WANT to give my buyers exactly what they ask for. BrickLink
should too. It's good for business.
Romy
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| | | | | | | | | Author: | viejos | | Posted: | Mar 23, 2017 16:20 | | Subject: | Re: notify sellers when set inventory updated | | Viewed: | 37 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, CALBrickLAB writes:
| | In Suggestions, yorbrick writes:
| | For the second scenario, don't you count parts when parting out?
If so, there wouldn't be an error that needs correcting.
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Not every lot. Especially if it's a piece that is in a lot of sets, sometimes
it's not worth the time to count out every lot.
The example I gave in the reply I just posted above wasn't arbitrary. I parted
out 24 of set 70751 (temple of airjitzu) on Dec 9, 2015. That set has 1965 parts,
13 mini figures, 447 lots, 51 lots as extra items, 17 lots as counterparts, and
4 lots as alternates. It was inventoried on August 26, 2015, confirmed on Oct
3, 2015, with 9 logs of inventory changes. 3 of those inventory changes occurred
after I parted it out.
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Nothing of consequence changed since you parted out:
Jan 9, 2016 - Treasure Chests moved to counterpart. This saved you the extra
step of assembling 48 treasure chests. But it didn't cause a problem with
a buyer.
Feb 3, 2016 - Spear to specific version. No buyer problem here either. And in
case you would like to use the determined entry, you *were* notified about this
when the undetermined spear entry was marked for deletion.
Mar 16, 2016 - large arch becomes new type. I don't believe there is any
functional difference, just that the newer one has more reinforcements underneath.
And strictly speaking, I do believe the older one is an umbrella entry that includes
the other one:
Part 14707 Brick, Arch 1 x 12 x 3 Raised Arch
Part 18838 Brick, Arch 1 x 12 x 3 Raised Arch with 5 Cross Supports
I am all for an efficient notification system, but I do think sometimes people
get worried about things that don't end up happening. Did you have any buyers
complain about something traced to this partout?
Russell
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| | | | | | | | | | | Author: | CALBrickLAB | | Posted: | Mar 24, 2017 02:34 | | Subject: | Re: notify sellers when set inventory updated | | Viewed: | 45 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, viejos writes:
| | I am all for an efficient notification system, but I do think sometimes people
get worried about things that don't end up happening. Did you have any buyers
complain about something traced to this partout?
Russell
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I didn't have a complaint about this partout, it just served as a good example.
This topic stems from a thread I read earlier today where someone asked how much
it mattered to buyers weither you distinguished between part versions:
https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1032668
It seemed that the general consensus was that while most buyers don't care
either way, some buyers do care an awful lot. We as sellers should try to satisfy
all of our customers, so we should assume that every buyer will care.
It doesn't matter that you and I think that an arch with cross supports has
the same functionality as one without. There's always a buyer out there that
has found a new way to use the piece and does care if the opening is blocked.
(Or at least a buyer that will use your mistake to ask for his money back.)
Romy
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| | | | | | | | | Author: | yorbrick | | Posted: | Mar 23, 2017 16:31 | | Subject: | Re: notify sellers when set inventory updated | | Viewed: | 35 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| Who said you have to count every part in every set? If you are parting out many
copies of one set, surely it makes sense to verify the inventory once for all
the sets with the same batch number.
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| | | | | | | | | | | Author: | CALBrickLAB | | Posted: | Mar 23, 2017 18:16 | | Subject: | Re: notify sellers when set inventory updated | | Viewed: | 31 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, yorbrick writes:
| | Who said you have to count every part in every set? If you are parting out many
copies of one set, surely it makes sense to verify the inventory once for all
the sets with the same batch number.
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You are correct here. That is what we should do, but it doesn't always work
that way. We often dump the bags out into bins long before we actually part out
a set. It's my fault for not taking that extra step to verify before throwing
the LEGO box away, but it happens. We have other ways that work for us rather
than verifying each part.
My point with this post is that it could be an ADDITIONAL tool for sellers.
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USA, California
United Kingdom, England