Discussion Forum: Thread 247405

 Author: fantapop View Messages Posted By fantapop
 Posted: Jan 19, 2019 15:45
 Subject: Affiliate fees for custom sets
 Viewed: 120 times
 Topic: Suggestions
 Status:Open
 Vote:[Yes|No]
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fantapop (19)

Location:  USA, Washington
Member Since Contact Type Status
Aug 14, 2018 Contact Member Buyer
Buying Privileges - OK
I'm new to the Bricklink community. Probably like many, I was into legos
when I was growing up, then stopped when I reached high school and now have kids
of the right age so I'm getting back into them.

I've bought a few sets of missing pieces so far on Bricklink. What was built
here never ceases to amaze me. It strikes me that one thing that's missing
is a way for creators to make money on their own custom sets. There is a very
old discussion topic on Affiliate Marketing which doesn't look like it went
anywhere. This idea is tangentially related.

It would be great if a builder could encode their design into a bricklink shopping
cart and then when people purchase the legos from the shopping cart or custom
set, the creator of the set could get some referral cost of the legos purchased.
This could give a huge boost to the lego community by empowering creators to
design and sell their own designs and could help increase cost per brick for
the sellers. At the same time, it would allow the common builder access to a
much wider array of sets to build.
 Author: JusTiCe8 View Messages Posted By JusTiCe8
 Posted: Jan 19, 2019 15:57
 Subject: Re: Affiliate fees for custom sets
 Viewed: 42 times
 Topic: Suggestions
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JusTiCe8 (121)

Location:  France, Île-de-France
Member Since Contact Type Status
Oct 27, 2018 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store Closed Store: MillyBricks
Hi,

like many of people around here I guess, I have played with many Lego sets when
I was younger, then get back to it just a while back, awesomeness still as fresh
as before .

That could be a good idea, there is also MOCshop or something similar but there,
prices are ridiculously high (higher than Lego sets, yes that's possible
!)

But I'm afraid long time sellers here will not agree MOC gives them some
cash as Studio is not very welcome as far as I understand. Too bad. Gathering
parts for a nice sets available in the gallery could be exhausting and boring.
Having a bag pf ârts ready to buy will be nice.

On the other hand, there is no official reference for gallery item so it is just
impossible to exactly match a design unless using the internal model ID
(ex: https://studio.bricklink.com/v2/build/model.page?idModel=71193).

I'll looking forward to what people think about this.

In Suggestions, fantapop writes:
  I'm new to the Bricklink community. Probably like many, I was into legos
when I was growing up, then stopped when I reached high school and now have kids
of the right age so I'm getting back into them.

[...]
 Author: JusTiCe8 View Messages Posted By JusTiCe8
 Posted: Jan 19, 2019 16:03
 Subject: Re: Affiliate fees for custom sets
 Viewed: 35 times
 Topic: Suggestions
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JusTiCe8 (121)

Location:  France, Île-de-France
Member Since Contact Type Status
Oct 27, 2018 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store Closed Store: MillyBricks
I forgot one important detail: it also hold the risk of people being motivated
by money only .

IMHO, it's a hobby and a relaxing activity to create some new things out
of random parts and I will not like seeing tons of poor designs or other by greedy
people who don't really care, especially it could be easy to copy/steal someone's
else work and get money for just bringing it here.

Of course Lego official sets are easy to spot, but who really knows about all
3rd party Lego Magazines sets (polybags) or even old Lego Idea books ?
Same apply for commercial books about Lego like Crazy Contraptions, Chain reactions,
LEGO Micro Cities: Build Your Own Mini Metropolis!, the Lego Book and many others.
 Author: SylvainLS View Messages Posted By SylvainLS
 Posted: Jan 20, 2019 00:09
 Subject: Re: Affiliate fees for custom sets
 Viewed: 42 times
 Topic: Suggestions
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SylvainLS (46)

Location:  France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Member Since Contact Type Status
Apr 25, 2014 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store Closed Store: BuyerOnly
BrickLink Discussions Moderator (?)
In Suggestions, JusTiCe8 writes:
  […]
But I'm afraid long time sellers here will not agree MOC gives them some
cash as Studio is not very welcome as far as I understand. Too bad. Gathering
parts for a nice sets available in the gallery could be exhausting and boring.
Having a bag pf ârts ready to buy will be nice. […]

I’d rather say that:
1. Sellers saw how the MOC Shop faired.
2. Sellers understand that MOCs are a niche market. Best-sellers are very rare.
Even MOCs-that-sell are rare.
3. Sellers understand that MOCs require much work (as you yourself noticed) and
they prefer buyers to do it themselves.


As for the prices, look at the constraints on parts for the “AFOL Design Contest.”
Even with a partnership with TLG, the sets will be around 10¢/part. More than
TLG’s sets when you consider there won’t be (new) prints nor recolouring nor
new parts nor expensive licences.

(Curious to see how many of the finalists will reach the crowd funding limit.)


And about Studio:
1. Most sellers don’t see what it could bring them as sellers (see MOC Shop,
see Mosaick).
2. Some (many?) think the efforts put to make Studio would have been better spent
of the main website.

(At least, Studio can compete (and win) with similar programs on many points.
That was not the case with Mosaick )
 Author: Emperor_Penguin View Messages Posted By Emperor_Penguin
 Posted: Jan 19, 2019 15:58
 Subject: Re: Affiliate fees for custom sets
 Viewed: 39 times
 Topic: Suggestions
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Emperor_Penguin (1317)

Location:  USA, Massachusetts
Member Since Contact Type Status
Oct 1, 2017 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Penguins and plastic
In Suggestions, fantapop writes:
  I'm new to the Bricklink community. Probably like many, I was into legos
when I was growing up, then stopped when I reached high school and now have kids
of the right age so I'm getting back into them.

I've bought a few sets of missing pieces so far on Bricklink. What was built
here never ceases to amaze me. It strikes me that one thing that's missing
is a way for creators to make money on their own custom sets. There is a very
old discussion topic on Affiliate Marketing which doesn't look like it went
anywhere. This idea is tangentially related.

It would be great if a builder could encode their design into a bricklink shopping
cart and then when people purchase the legos from the shopping cart or custom
set, the creator of the set could get some referral cost of the legos purchased.
This could give a huge boost to the lego community by empowering creators to
design and sell their own designs and could help increase cost per brick for
the sellers. At the same time, it would allow the common builder access to a
much wider array of sets to build.

I know some sellers have MOCS that they release what pieces are needed, and then
sell the instructions for that MOC.

That way they get some money off their creations.
 Author: Lauren_Luke View Messages Posted By Lauren_Luke
 Posted: Jan 20, 2019 05:46
 Subject: Re: Affiliate fees for custom sets
 Viewed: 40 times
 Topic: Suggestions
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Lauren_Luke (1609)

Location:  Australia, Queensland
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jun 24, 2010 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store Closed Store: Brickporium
[fantapop], have you looked at MOCShop?

https://moc.bricklink.com/pages/moc/index.page
 Author: fantapop View Messages Posted By fantapop
 Posted: Jan 22, 2019 11:52
 Subject: Re: Affiliate fees for custom sets
 Viewed: 31 times
 Topic: Suggestions
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fantapop (19)

Location:  USA, Washington
Member Since Contact Type Status
Aug 14, 2018 Contact Member Buyer
Buying Privileges - OK
I hadn't see than. Thank you!

In Suggestions, Lauren_Luke writes:
  [fantapop], have you looked at MOCShop?

https://moc.bricklink.com/pages/moc/index.page