BrickLink Discussion Forum

In Suggestions, waltzking writes:

Of late I am regularly getting spammed through the wanted list feature for minifigures
listed either under the wrong listing or as an incomplete "new" figure.

With the current system all figures are under the same either "new" or "used"
condition heading, but unlike sets can be listed from a few parts (everything
missing but the torso and head) or complete per the correct inventory of that
figure. This not only opens sellers to "acceptably" list wrong items, or worse
in a deceptive manner (such as the new Loki sh033a in the old Loki sh033), by
simply adding a comment like "missing cape" or "new style cape".

Clearly these are not what a buyer wants to be notified of through their wanted
list settings. Such incomplete or incorrect items also have a negative effect
toward useful sales info, or even current items for sale info. WHish is what
leads to my suggestion....

Please, can we have the same "Complete" and "Incomplete" sub-conditions for
figures like we have for sets?

This will effectively require sellers to list items accurately. If they are
not the exact item they must be listed as "Incomplete" and can then either be
excluded from search and history, or reported for misuse. Figures are a large
part of the value of a set, so if a set can't be listed without a sub-condition,
it would follow that figures (which to many are the most collectable items LEGO
makes) should have the same requirement.

Thanks for considering.
Jonathan
waltzking

Hi Jonathan, I don't understand why people don't just part the figure
out myself. Listing it without a head, hair or torso? Really? Just part it out

Have a great evening.

Author:

mhortar

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 17:08

Subject:

Re: Stop Wanted List Spamming for Minifigs

Viewed:

45 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, yorbrick writes:

In Suggestions, tEoS writes:

I disagree. There are plenty of instances where someone sold a minifig that
was missing a cape (for example). I've probably bought several figs that
were missing something.

There's a market for these, so why not accommodate it by using complete/incomplete

I agree. There is a market for incomplete figures where a piece is missing, which
is why such a feature is good for both buyers and sellers.

I just wish there was a way to denote instances such as

[M=sw127] 'incomplete, missing jet pack'

is just
[M=sw126]

or

[M=sw109a] 'incomplete, missing pauldron'

is just

[M=sw036b]

Josh

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 16:50

Subject:

Re: Stop Wanted List Spamming for Minifigs

Viewed:

47 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Proprietor writes:

That was the practice a few years ago.

There are strict rules for creating the inventory of a minifigure. My belief
is that to sell the figure, it should include all correct parts; otherwise it's
not THE minifigure but a collection of similar parts. It messes up both sides
of the averages (sold and available).

But there is a contingency here that doesn't agree, often it seems because
historically accurate minifigs aren't a big part of their sales. When I
see a debate here that doesn't impact me much, such as including the historic
suggested retail list price of a set as they do on Brickset, I stay out of it,
even though I don't agree with the majority who don't want that info
easily available on BL.

I believe that sellers who specialize in used minifigs as well as buyers of older
figures detest the games played by sellers who sell parts under minifig listings
or who sell incomplete minifigures under the minifigure listing. If you want
to sell the figure as described, finish it properly, and if you don't want
the hassle, then part it out.

There are also strict rules for sets. And you could apply the same logic, if
you want to sell the set, complete it and only allow complete sets on BL. Yet
BL recognises there is a market for incomplete sets so allows incomplete sets
to be sold without messing up the price guide. They could do the same for minifigs,
without affecting people that only want to buy or sell complete figures. If anything,
it would be better for them too if incomplete ones could be tagged that way as
BL don't seem to do anything about incomplete figures, so incomplete ones
do mess up the price guide.

They also recognise that some figures can be sold complete / incomplete according
to their rules by having two versions of a minifigs. Such as the ideas Ghostbusters
figures. There should be no need for two entries according to their rules but
there are two entries anyway.

And here's a similar open suggestion from 2010:

http://www.bricklink.com/messageThread.asp?ID=105117&nID=498385

In Suggestions, calebfishn writes:

A minifig is not a set.

I prefer a rule that makes clear that any "incomplete" listing is incorrect and
will be reported and removed.

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 16:43

Subject:

Re: Stop Wanted List Spamming for Minifigs

Viewed:

44 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, tEoS writes:

I agree. There is a market for incomplete figures where a piece is missing, which
is why such a feature is good for both buyers and sellers.

Author:

Proprietor

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 16:16

Subject:

Re: Stop Wanted List Spamming for Minifigs

Viewed:

61 times

Topic:

A minifig is not a set.

I prefer a rule that makes clear that any "incomplete" listing is incorrect and
will be reported and removed.

Author:

tEoS

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 16:15

Subject:

Re: Stop Wanted List Spamming for Minifigs

Viewed:

44 times

Topic:

I prefer a rule that makes clear that any "incomplete" listing is incorrect and
will be reported and removed.

Author:

edk

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 16:11

Subject:

Re: Stop Wanted List Spamming for Minifigs

Viewed:

56 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, waltzking writes:

From what I understand a mini-fig listing MUST be the complete figure.Anything
less can be reported and removed. If not a complete figure as inventoried it
is parts and should be listed as parts. Anything less than complete can be reported
and removed.

Author:

calebfishn

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 15:53

Subject:

Re: Stop Wanted List Spamming for Minifigs

Viewed:

52 times

Topic:

A minifig is not a set.

I prefer a rule that makes clear that any "incomplete" listing is incorrect and
will be reported and removed.

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 15:51

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

50 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, MarieA writes:

[…]
Off the top of my head I think it's
4.7% for the category of classification that includes Lego, but I might be wrong.

That’s what I read too but it seems you can also “choose” a “flat duty tax” of
2.5% in certain circumstances.
Welcome to Byzantium.

Most small packages sent via normal mail fly under the radar of customs and so
don't end up costing anything extra, but random spot checks can result in
charges, and often the highest charge is the administration fee levied by the
courier.

Looking for the fee levied by La Poste (15 €), I found the Swiss Post takes CHF 16
+ 3% of the value, up to CHF 70.
Nice little cash cow postal services have there…

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 15:43

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

37 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, legomalego writes:

Just to clarify though...

These would be taxes that the buyer would be paying whether they bought the product
within their own country or not. Correct?

Yes and no.

From France, if I buy from my country or any EU country, VAT is either included
in the (VAT registered) seller’s prices or not applicable (hobby/not VAT registered
seller). Anyway I don’t pay anything more to get my package than what
I paid to the seller.

If I buy from outside EU (above 22 €) I have to pay VAT. And above 150 €, I (may,
depending on what I buy) have to pay duty.
I have to pay through the delivery services which will add their fee (as I read
it on their website (haven’t imported/had to pay for a while), 15 € for La Poste).

(Duty is on the product. VAT is on the product, the shipping, the insurance,
the duty, and the fee!)

Author:

bb414973

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 15:41

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

42 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, legomalego writes:

Just to clarify though...

These would be taxes that the buyer would be paying whether they bought the product
within their own country or not. Correct?

Not really, no. Depends on the buyer's country, but in the EU, above certain
value thresholds, there will be Import Duty and Import VAT to pay, as well as
an administration fee for collecting the amount due.

Import VAT is charged at the same rate as though the products were purchased
locally, and Import Duty is set depending on the classification of the product
(and, sometimes, on the country of origin). Off the top of my head I think it's
4.7% for the category of classification that includes Lego, but I might be wrong.

Most small packages sent via normal mail fly under the radar of customs and so
don't end up costing anything extra, but random spot checks can result in
charges, and often the highest charge is the administration fee levied by the
courier.

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 15:40

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

38 times

Topic:

Same for UK, they would pay the VAT but not the £8 charge for collecting it.

Author:

bb414973

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 15:30

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

38 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, yorbrick writes:

I disagree. Sellers only need concern themselves with their country's export
laws, not the import laws of every country they ship to.

Reasonably sure that's not true.

Author:

Grego

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 15:22

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

33 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, legomalego writes:

Just to clarify though...

These would be taxes that the buyer would be paying whether they bought the product
within their own country or not. Correct?

Not necessarily, on imports, Canadian Customs collects GST &PST / HST asmwell
as a brokerage fee of $8.0

The GST/HST component, the buyer should expect to pay to any Canadian seller,
without any additional notice, except during checkout itemizing the taxes paid.

Few Canadian BL seller charge their buyers GST/HST although legally small business/hobbyists
are allowed and are supposed to.

I certainly don't charge Canadian buyers Extra for GST/HST, (it is built
into the price they see for the items they purchase), but it is a real cost to
me.

Author:

waltzking

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 15:06

Subject:

Re: Stop Wanted List Spamming for Minifigs

Viewed:

63 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, yorbrick writes:

I think it has been asked for before (by both buyers and sellers), more from
a price guide / history point of view, but I can see it will also affect wants
lists too. Especially if people are using cost minimise, there is an incentive
to list parts as incomplete figures.

Honestly I think all items with an inventory should have the "Complete" "Incomplete"
requirement. It would certainly save a lot of headache and hassle for buyers
and especially in regards to the price guide/history aspect too for both buyers
and seller alike.

Author:

scarbrs

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 14:46

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Gear 880031

Viewed:

22 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

880031 (Inv) Play and Build Kit for Nintendo DS - Pirates of the Caribbean
Gear: Electronics: Pirates of the Caribbean

* Add 1 Minifig poc001 Captain Jack Sparrow (Alternate) (match ID 1)

Author:

legomalego

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 14:46

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

46 times

Topic:

Just to clarify though...

These would be taxes that the buyer would be paying whether they bought the product
within their own country or not. Correct?

In Suggestions, yorbrick writes:

In Suggestions, legomalego writes:

The countries I listed do not charge duty, they may charge sales tax.

I believe these are different charges. Correct me if I am wrong.

Here is where I got my info.

https://www.dutycalculator.com/dc/135760443/toys-games/figures-dolls/figures-dolls-non-humans/import-duty-rate-for-importing-dolls-and-toys-from-united-states-to-canada-is-0/

In Suggestions, RobErNat writes:

In Suggestions, legomalego writes:

They could have a line on their terms or splash page that states...

Most countries do not charge duty on toys. This includes Canada, the US, the
United Kingdom, France, Germany, Greece, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland,
Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal,
Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Botswana and many more.

Now where on earth did you read all those EU countries do not charge duty (or
import taxes, or VAT or whatever you wanna call it)on toys

All the EU countries you state *can* charge 'import taxes' and as a matter
off fact they frequently do, the threshold for free import troughout the EU is
22 Euro, every order above that value is subject for 'import costs and/or
VAT' depending on value and content (and always a 'handling' cost
on top *if* they process the shipment).

That is correct. There is no specific toy duty, but all the regular import taxes
charged on everything else are still payable.

But if you put in your terms that there is no duty to be paid and then a buyer
has to pay tax, then your buyer is not going to be very happy. You are making
it sound like there is no extra to be paid, when this is not the case. Some big
US sellers like Amazon and target allow prepayment of UK taxes by buyers, so
it is not due on import. Putting "no duty" makes it sound like that to a buyer.
And they are then likely to refuse the parcel, causing you a headache later,
or pay up then leave negative feedback as you said no duty payable and they had
to pay tax on arrival.

Author:

legomalego

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 14:44

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

37 times

Topic:

Got it.

In Suggestions, yorbrick writes:

In Suggestions, legomalego writes:

Now where on earth did you read all those EU countries do not charge duty (or
import taxes, or VAT or whatever you wanna call it)on toys

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 14:43

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

33 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, legomalego writes:

Now where on earth did you read all those EU countries do not charge duty (or
import taxes, or VAT or whatever you wanna call it)on toys

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 14:36

Subject:

Re: Stop Wanted List Spamming for Minifigs

Viewed:

50 times

Topic:

Author:

legomalego

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 14:36

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

35 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, legomalego writes:

Now where on earth did you read all those EU countries do not charge duty (or
import taxes, or VAT or whatever you wanna call it)on toys

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 14:31

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

37 times

Topic:

I voted no. I think it is up to sellers to decide to stop listening buyers, rather
than blanket bans for things like this.

If you find it distasteful, then refuse it. I've not had many, but when I
have I have simply said no and explained why. I think in three cases the buyer
asked to cancel and in two they went ahead anyway (although I made sure I charged
them for tracked postage).

There is also the problem that some sellers don't understand what is being
asked
I once asked a US seller if they put merchandise costs on the customs form,
or merchandise costs plus postage. They replied they don't do customs fraud.
That was before I placed an order. I bought elsewhere, from a seller that did
understand my question. I wouldn't be happy if I got a black mark that might
stop me using BL at all from a seller that sees "customs form" and nothing further.

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 14:23

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

39 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, legomalego writes:

That could work well.

Or

They could have a line on their terms or splash page that states...

Most countries do not charge duty on toys. This includes Canada, the US, the
United Kingdom, France, Germany, Greece, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland,
Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal,
Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Botswana and many more.

So in some cases I think sellers need to be educated about import laws and how
to fill out customs forms properly more than buyers need to be banned from the
site.

In Suggestions, cosmicray writes:

In Suggestions, calibrick writes:

Respectfully recommend an auto-ban of any user that requests a seller lie on
customs forms based on a specific criteria (e.g., 5 unique seller complaints
for the same username). Note this in the buyer guide/help context (against the
rules, fraud, account will be auto-banned).

Worse, some buyers are punishing sellers by leaving negative feedback when they
are merely being good, fair-minded citizens that are following federal regulations
and complying with the LAW.

My understanding is that this is not the first time this has been requested.
Seems to me this could be a field appended to the existing database that is populated
by admins based on seller complaints as a regulatory-minded service to the seller
community.

Perhaps the easier solution would be for the seller to post on their Terms page

"I do not falsify total order values on customs forms (so don't ask)"

or

"I will falsify total order values on customs forms (no need to ask)"

(emoticon added for context)

Ray

I disagree. Sellers only need concern themselves with their country's export
laws, not the import laws of every country they ship to. The import laws are
up to the customer to know and understand.

And as others have noted, whilst there is no specific extra tax or duty on toys,
there is still VAT and sometimes import duty (depends on order value) for importing
into the EU. If a seller writes that there is no duty to be paid and then later
there is, they are on dodgy ground with the buyer.

Author:

waltzking

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 14:14

Subject:

Stop Wanted List Spamming for Minifigs

Viewed:

245 times

Topic:

Status:

Discarded

Author:

mikmo

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 14:09

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

41 times

Topic:

Sorry could not resist

wir fahren fahren fahren auf der auto ban

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iukUMRlaBBE

Author:

RobErNat

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 14:04

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

49 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, legomalego writes:

Now where on earth did you read all those EU countries do not charge duty (or
import taxes, or VAT or whatever you wanna call it)on toys

Author:

Brettj666

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 13:39

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

39 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, legomalego writes:

It may not be duty in Canada, but I think duty is synomynous with getting it
"stopped and have some sort of money due"

If I order something from the US for $20, the chances are really small that it
gets a tax on it, but if it's $200, there's a lot more likelihood to
getting a "pick up and pay" notice.

So in some cases I think sellers need to be educated about import laws and how
to fill out customs forms properly more than buyers need to be banned from the
site.

In Suggestions, cosmicray writes:

In Suggestions, calibrick writes:

(emoticon added for context)

Ray

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 13:36

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

40 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, legomalego writes:

[…]
Most countries do not charge duty on toys. This includes Canada, the US, the
United Kingdom, France, Germany, Greece, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland,
Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal,
Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Botswana and many more.

The value for “duty” also serves to calculate VAT, whose threshold is about 22 €
in EU (45 € for gifts between friends/family).

(Notwithstanding the fact that, as discussed here some time ago, some countries
don’t call it “VAT” on import but “special duty tax which exactly replaces VAT
because we can’t/don’t want to call it VAT because it’s actually a duty tax.”)

Author:

legomalego

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 12:55

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

46 times

Topic:

and...

If you live in Brazil or Argentina you should email your government and ask why
they hate children and/or AFOLS.

In Suggestions, legomalego writes:

In Suggestions, calibrick writes:

(emoticon added for context)

Ray

Author:

legomalego

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 12:52

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

54 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, calibrick writes:

(emoticon added for context)

Ray

Author:

cosmicray

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 12:05

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

45 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, calibrick writes:

(emoticon added for context)

Ray

Author:

FigBits

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 11:27

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

42 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, ToddMyers writes:

To reiterate: This has all be argued before in the forum, and beyond what I've
already
said, I'm not gonna rehash it all in this thread.

Beyond that, I have no interest in debating with you specifically, Marc. Just
not interested in your opinion or your views.

I'm sorry to hear that. It's really too bad when one side of a discussion
has no interest in hearing from the other side. Oh well.

In any case, I voted "No" to the suggestion. I prefer to have MORE potential
customers come to my store, not fewer.

--
Marc.

Author:

DINKACOLs

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 11:21

Subject:

Re: Showing Current average Price

Viewed:

23 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Killermike writes:

As a BUYER, I'd like to be able to show the current average sale price of
an item, when browsing a store.

Its not like the information isn't out there, but having it displayed when
shopping would certainly help. Now I have to spend a bunch of times comparing
price guides, etc.

I know some sellers would say NO, it makes price differences too obvious, etc;
but there could be a filter; maybe only show the price if the difference is x%
or more/less.

Thoughts?

(I WAS going to investigate on how this my be accomplished via a GreaseMonkey/TamperMonkey
script, but haven't got that far yet)

There's a round-about way to accomplish this by adding items to your wanted
list and then going through to the 'buy' screen. The script is out there.

Author:

Killermike

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 11:03

Subject:

Showing Current average Price

Viewed:

88 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Author:

FigBits

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 09:08

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

55 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, ToddMyers writes:

The argument is not to immediately ban a buyer on a first offense. Sure, go
ahead and educate on the first offense. Educate on the second offense. Educate
on the third offense, even. But if a buyer persists in asking sellers to commit
fraud, over and over again, that buyer is not interested in being educated and
you know as well as I do that there will be an unscrupulous seller who takes
them up on it, and that takes a sale away from the honest seller, putting them
at a disadvantage.

They would not be taking away a sale from an honest seller, because that sale
was NEVER going to be placed with the honest seller, according to your own argument.
With the current situation (where buyers are not getting banned for this), not
a single sale is being lost in honest stores. However, if the proposed ban was
implemented, honest stores WOULD lose sales.

On that fact alone, the ban is a bad idea. It would HURT honest stores.

I would prefer that no sale happen for anyone rather than
allowing a buyer to hunt for sellers willing to commit fraud for them.

You would prefer that no sale happen for anyone, INCLUDING honest stores? That
seems silly to me.

--
Marc.

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 08:56

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

52 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Heartbricker writes:

[…]
You seem very angry and exorcised by an issue that doesn't affect you (or
any seller) too much...

[my emph]

Beware of the pea soup, he’s all Linda-Blair-ed

Author:

Heartbricker

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 08:32

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

55 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, ToddMyers writes:

In Suggestions, Heartbricker writes:

if you shut their account on BL- they are just gonna open another one (as we've seen so many times)

Ah yes, the argument that because they are going to break the law (or TOS) anyway,
there is no point in actually prohibiting the behavior. ANARCHY FOR EVERYONE
BECAUSE ONE DUDE IS GONNA BREAK THE LAW OR REGULATION ANYWAY!

No.

Funny how you're scalding me for not focusing on the main issue in my reply
to the OP yet in every reply you make you're 'cherry picking' the
one minuscule item you disagree with rather than the big picture...
So the scammer buyer will find the scammer seller and i'll lose the 1/100
overseas customers to that seller, i'm not gonna cry over losing the business
of an 'anarchist'
You seem very angry and exorcised by an issue that doesn't affect you (or
any seller) too much...
i'll be retiring from this pointless thread and concentrate on the big picture;
packing my weekend orders and loading up new inventory...

Nice and positive week to all

Author:

happygolucky

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 08:18

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 60102-1

Viewed:

20 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

60102-1 (Inv) Airport VIP Service
348 Parts, 4 Minifigures, 2016
Sets: Town: City: Airport

* Add 1 Part 15210pb026 Black Road Sign Clip-on 2 x 2 Square Open O Clip with Map and Black Airplane Pattern (Sticker) - Set 60102 (Counterpart)

Comments from Submitter:
Adding stickered counterpart to inventory. Thank you.

Author:

Heartbricker

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 08:04

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

54 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, ToddMyers writes:

In Suggestions, Heartbricker writes:

In Suggestions, ToddMyers writes:

In Suggestions, Heartbricker writes:

In Suggestions, calibrick writes:

How has this been a problem for you if your store shows 0 sales?
Not sure it's necessary to bother BL help desk with something you haven't
had a problem with...

I have sales and I agree with OP's suggestion. Feel better now?

SMH

You can't start kicking buyers out of the BL platform left and right, BL
isn't going to do that because these buyers buy from sellers in their respective
countries too and bring revenue to the system - Just state that you're unwilling
to falsify documents. when i'm asked to do it i state that i won't do
it and that if the buyer is unwilling to accept responsibility for customs laws
then they are welcome to cancel the order. 9/10 times they accept responsibility
and buy anyway- never had an issue and i do a lot of overseas business.
If you can't handle dealing with overseas buyers then you can choose not
to sell to them, don't kick them out of BL because they will spend the money
with someone who can gently communicate/reason and have a successful transaction
with them.

So many sellers complain about buyers, treat buyers like they are bothersome
and then complain that no one is buying...
SMH

Interesting how you chose to attack OP because he hasn't made any sales instead
of getting to the substance of your objection. Why was that?

And yes, we should totally not penalize buyers who constantly ask sellers to
commit customs fraud. Totally. Because those buyers will never find a seller
willing to commit that fraud and the seller who refuses to commit that fraud
won't ever lose a sale because they won't participate in customs fraud.
Did I get that right? I simply do not accept your 9/10 example as being the
norm.

So yeah, I'm not buying your argument. Bricklink should make it crystal
clear that asking for customs fraud will not be tolerated, and if there is a
way to prove that a seller engaged in customs fraud, they should be kicked off
of the site, too.

First of all, i didn't attack the OP- was just wondering how has this been
a problem for them if they haven't had sales?
9/10 certainly applies in my experience, i reply to these request by saying that(this
is a saved template i use): "i will not falsify customs forms as i will not risk
my exporter's license and will not commit an unlawful act. if this is unacceptable
for you then i'm willing to cancel the order without penalty within 24 hours
of first invoice (per my store terms) i will not ship your order until i receive
a reply from you agreeing to accept responsibility for customs fee (if applicable)"

again: 90% of these buyers agree and proceed- i can only recall one who cancelled
within hours.
The beauty of BL is that it is a free market- everyone is free to run their business
as they see fit; if someone is willing to falsify docs- they have to accept the
possibility of prosecution by authorities.
If a buyer is unwilling to pay customs fees- he can try his luck by asking but
should face the consequences that some sellers would penalize him/her if they
don't complete the transaction.
Forcing someone to pay for something they no longer want will only aggravate
them and can possibly cause them to falsely claim via paypal. if you shut their
account on BL- they are just gonna open another one (as we've seen so many
times)

Author:

FigBits

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 07:52

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

61 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, ToddMyers writes:

In Suggestions, Heartbricker writes:

In Suggestions, ToddMyers writes:

In Suggestions, Heartbricker writes:

In Suggestions, calibrick writes:

Respectfully recommend an auto-ban of any user that requests a seller lie on
customs forms based on a specific criteria [snip]

How has this been a problem for you if your store shows 0 sales?
Not sure it's necessary to bother BL help desk with something you haven't
had a problem with...

I have sales and I agree with OP's suggestion. Feel better now?

SMH

Which will result in more lost in a particular store:

1) Banning all buyers who request customs form falsifications, and therefore
can never place any more orders at all.

2) The store simply telling a buyer who requests customs form falsification that
they will not do this.

You recommend the first scenario, and you imply that this is because the second
scenario will result in more lost sales. But how is that even mathematically
possible? Heartbricker said that 9/10 buyers will simply proceed with the order
anyway. You doubt that 9/10, but even if it's only 1/1000, that's still
one more order out of 1000 that would NOT be received in the first proposed solution,
because that buyer would have been banned.

Clearly, the best solution is simply to inform buyers that this isn't allowed.
Doing so results in MORE orders for stores, including any stores that explicitly
don't allow it, and even those who complain about it on the forums.

--
Marc.

Author:

BrickBuy

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 07:32

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

73 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Heartbricker writes:

Just state that you're unwilling
to falsify documents. when i'm asked to do it i state that i won't do
it and that if the buyer is unwilling to accept responsibility for customs laws
then they are welcome to cancel the order. 9/10 times they accept responsibility
and buy anyway- never had an issue and i do a lot of overseas business.

I would suggest that if they ask for falsification of customs AFTER they place
an order, you should NOT let them cancel but file NPB. This way, the buyer will
learn and either ask before placing an order, or better yet, accept that it is
not OK to ask sellers to lie on official custom forms.
In my experience, after filing NPB, more than half pay for the order, while the
other ones get a strike, and will have to be more careful going forward. If you
merely cancel the order the buyer will keep doing this behavior. If you are a
good seller and value the community, you file NPB, not cancel the order.

Author:

Heartbricker

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 07:13

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

78 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, ToddMyers writes:

In Suggestions, Heartbricker writes:

In Suggestions, calibrick writes:

How has this been a problem for you if your store shows 0 sales?
Not sure it's necessary to bother BL help desk with something you haven't
had a problem with...

I have sales and I agree with OP's suggestion. Feel better now?

SMH

Author:

Heartbricker

Posted:

Jan 23, 2017 00:45

Subject:

Re: Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

131 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, calibrick writes:

How has this been a problem for you if your store shows 0 sales?
Not sure it's necessary to bother BL help desk with something you haven't
had a problem with...

Author:

j7r7o7c7k7

Posted:

Jan 22, 2017 17:27

Subject:

Re: Bricklink clean up improperly listed items!

Viewed:

44 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, calibrick writes:

In Suggestions, j7r7o7c7k7 writes:

There are already rules in place for this. But I see it time and time again.

New - was built once and displayed.
Complete - missing figs, missing this part, different color on this part.
Sealed - box opened to verify contents.

There are several others, fakes listed under real. etc etc etc

Im sure others here can post about others things like this that are wrong.

But the rules are there, can you guys start cleaning them up? We shouldn't
have to report ever one we see. And there is a good chance if a seller listed
one wrong they have more. And its not just a mis-click. I would think there would
be some kinda search on you guys end where you can put complete and missing in
the same search and could clear up a ton of the bad listings. Maybe not, but
can it be worked on? Cause what good is clicking the exclude incomplete if its
listed as complete. Or looking at new if the used is listed as new. You have
the rules, enforce them!!!!

It's a shame this was discarded. I see a LOT of value in this idea, quite
frankly.

I would assume it's a matter of cost - is the labor available to police seller
listings? Could that be offset by some code that searches for items listed as
complete but have a comment with "missing" tagged to it? Sealed with "open/opened"
tagged to it? That could be a compromise (until people figure out alternative
words to use).

Maybe another alternative is to instead focus on enforcement/punishment if reported
on, as some (not all - some people are just jerks - but def some!) may be based
on seller misunderstanding or not bothering to read the rules.

First time reported/caught: a polite warning (upon admin verification of the
problem). If not resolved within 30 days, that store is locked by admin until
resolved. Second time reported/caught: if more than a single item (I can see
someone accidentally missing an item the first fix if they have a lot), your
store is locked for 30-60 days automatically. Hey, you KNEW. Third time caught:
if admin review shows willing violation, the store is shut down and username/email
address banned.

I have to guess Bricklink has limited funds from our fees so have to balance
labor spent on this vs. labor spent on new features, etc. A level playing field
is important though!

Yea the ban thing might be a little harsh but if there are real abusers then
little the punishment fit the crime. Its very easy to be listing sealed sets
and then list a used and forget to click. Or its late and you click the wrong
thing. But those will be stores that only have 1-2 listings like this. When you
check a store and they have 50+ 100+ or more of these type listings it is no
misclick. They need to figure out a way to get rid of this stuff, other then
just relying on people on here to help them out and let them know each time.
Unless they want to give a little kick back for each one (very doubtful) The
price guide is so out of wack its BAD and I mean BAD! If needs cleaned up, so
people actually have a idea what to pay when buying and what to price at when
selling. And the really big thing it is a clear violation of the rules. And im
in no way talking about those 1 off things like a misclick. We all make mistakes,
its those people that know they are doing it but just trying to get over on people.
And where its really hurts everyone is when it burns a new buyer that doesn't
understand the games being played. And how to look up everything and figure it
out. The real seasoned people on here know and can spot it a lot of times. But
if this is your first time and you don't know all the rules and ins and out,
and you get burned. Guess what there is a really good chance you leave and NEVER
come back. How many buyers have we lost on here that something like this happend
on there very first deal? I am guessing a LOT. A number that any of us on here
don't want to know about. But its like why have rules at all? Just do what
ever the hell you want on here, no one is enforcing the rules. Just get rid of
them just takeing of space and just a waste of words. lol Not mad here, just
more like WOW.

Author:

bb373892

Posted:

Jan 22, 2017 17:12

Subject:

Auto-ban Users That Request Custom Form Fraud

Viewed:

274 times

Topic:

Status:

Discarded

Author:

bb373892

Posted:

Jan 22, 2017 16:50

Subject:

Re: Bricklink clean up improperly listed items!

Viewed:

42 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, j7r7o7c7k7 writes:

Author:

bb373892

Posted:

Jan 22, 2017 16:41

Subject:

Re: Scam awareness idea

Viewed:

56 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Jamesf077 writes:

How about some safe buying advice on the loging page warning buyers of common
scams? I.E, brand new store with a massive inventory, lots of orders with no
feedback, prices too good to be true on rare, valuable and sought after items.

I can see value to your suggestion as a fellow Bricklink buyer... but as a future
Bricklink seller or thinking from a new buyer POV, I know if I visited a site
for the first time and the first thing I saw were warnings of scams, I'd
immediately think this marketplace has some SERIOUS issues and might be put off
from even trying it.

Similarly, a checklist at the cart stage. There's no real criteria that would
also exclude the innocent that I can think of.

If not already present, perhaps a trigger for a new buyer at their first attempted
purchase *suggesting* they read a forum section on Buyer Rules and Guidance prior
to proceeding as this is their first purchase (which is an area that first reminds
them of their buyer responsibilities, a seller's responsibilities, and potential
watch items before proceeding. Which only comes up during a first purchase. That
might be the happy medium that services all end user perspectives without being
overly intrusive...?

Just an alternative suggestion!

Author:

bb373892

Posted:

Jan 22, 2017 16:33

Subject:

Change Proposal for Catalog Search/Browse Vie

Viewed:

62 times

Topic:

Status:

Discarded

Hi! I would like to submit a Software Change Proposal (SCP) for your Configuration
Change Board's (CCB's) consideration during the next requirements review
(based on a read of your report last year, it sounds like you have a CCB and
good process in place, which is completely awesome!!!).

I'm not conversant in your page/data field names, so: When browsing or searching
the catalog, say by color, the system does not "remember" or cache the color/category
list view I select in a single login session - even if I never leave the catalog.

For example, if I'm in Catalog-Parts-Colors-Dark Blue, select Technic, Connector
part category, and change my view to Thumbnail Gallery (vs. the default List
view) and THEN click on Colors in the navbar to browse to a different color,
I have to go through view selection all over again.

While it may not sound like a big deal, there is a latency to reload the part
category page each time. And it's kind of annoying when finding part numbers
for hundreds or thousands of parts over time. Ideally, the system would remember
the user's "view" selection throughout the logged-in session, at a bare minimum,
regardless of where in the catalog they click to.

The system DOES remember your view if you use the back key to navigate back to
the main color selection page. So there is code in there that I would guess is
repulling the database on the GUI each time, which refreshes the user selection
back to default, when a user revisits a catalog section from the top navbar.

Unsure of proper wording as I'm not too conversant on your field/page terms,
but I suspect it would be something like "The system shall retain the end user's
last-selected view preference within the catalog (List, List with Images, Thumbnail
Gallery, Category Summary, or Year Summary)for each logged-in session."

Ok, that is worded pretty lousy as I reread it, sorry! I think you get the gist
though.

Thank you in advance for adjudicating this item, regardless of acceptance!

And thank you for all the hard work you and your team do for us. Bricklink has
been an invaluable resource for allowing me to part out older large sets for
assembly as part of my pain management regimen (discovering for the first time
a pure love of Legos five years ago at middle age! ) and soon, to be able
to sell all my extras to at least save a little bit of money on my new habit.

R,

Sandy Van Densen
User: "Calibrick"

Author:

Stellar

Posted:

Jan 22, 2017 14:35

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 70317-1

Viewed:

12 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

70317-1 (Inv) The Fortrex
1092 Parts, 7 Minifigures, 2016
Sets: NEXO KNIGHTS

* Add 1 Part 93789 Black Minifig, Weapon Pike / Spear - Flat End (Extra)

Comments from Submitter:
Parted out 3 sets and were 2 spears in each one.

Author:

Stern1977

Posted:

Jan 22, 2017 14:32

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 42064-1

Viewed:

22 times

Topic:

Status:

Open