BrickLink Discussion Forum

Hi Robert,

I got your email and have started the alert process after testing the problem
on several devices. So we know this is going on and are in the process of fixing
it.

This seems to be the very same bug we had yesterday after the launch of the new
TOS.

Do you have any ETA on a fix?

Author:

legoccaz

Posted:

Dec 14, 2019 06:54

Subject:

Re: URGENT MESSAGE TO LEGO RE BRICKLINK

Viewed:

104 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Emporiosa writes:

In Suggestions, Admin_Russell writes:

In Suggestions, Rob_and_Shelagh writes:

Before doing anything else with this site I suggest, as I have many, many times
before:-

There needs to be a proper 24/7 help desk and a proper SLA with members.

When something goes wrong with the site there is just no way of alerting anyone
out of USA working hours and even after that often nobody responds. This is no
way to run a global e-commerce site of this scale.

Currently I cannot access the BL catalog using any browser on PC or tablet...
and this has being the case for hours...surely this requires a response at least
from someone, somewhere!!!!!

Robert

Hi Robert,
hi

i ve got the same thing , when I m log out , all works fine

I got your email and have started the alert process after testing the problem
on several devices. So we know this is going on and are in the process of fixing
it.

This seems to be the very same bug we had yesterday after the launch of the new
TOS.

Russell, I just noticed that when I log out, the catalogue works fine, but when
I log back in, I get the "General Error" message. Chrome, Win 10 desktop.

Author:

Admin_Russell

Posted:

Dec 14, 2019 06:42

Subject:

Re: URGENT MESSAGE TO LEGO RE BRICKLINK

Viewed:

156 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Emporiosa writes:

In Suggestions, Admin_Russell writes:

In Suggestions, Rob_and_Shelagh writes:

Russell, I just noticed that when I log out, the catalogue works fine, but when
I log back in, I get the "General Error" message. Chrome, Win 10 desktop.

Thanks for this input. This is what we are experiencing as well.

Author:

Emporiosa

Posted:

Dec 14, 2019 06:39

Subject:

Re: URGENT MESSAGE TO LEGO RE BRICKLINK

Viewed:

82 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Admin_Russell writes:

In Suggestions, Rob_and_Shelagh writes:

Russell, I just noticed that when I log out, the catalogue works fine, but when
I log back in, I get the "General Error" message. Chrome, Win 10 desktop.

Author:

the_journeyman

Posted:

Dec 14, 2019 06:15

Subject:

Re: URGENT MESSAGE TO LEGO RE BRICKLINK

Viewed:

88 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Admin_Russell writes:

In Suggestions, Rob_and_Shelagh writes:

Here's a novel idea. Roll back to the old ToS and we have our site back.
IT upgrades are always terrible planned and lack any testing.

Author:

Rob_and_Shelagh

Posted:

Dec 14, 2019 06:05

Subject:

Re: URGENT MESSAGE TO LEGO RE BRICKLINK

Viewed:

110 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Admin_Russell writes:

In Suggestions, Rob_and_Shelagh writes:

Great, thanks for the response, that is at least good to know. I still stand
by my original post though and with respect if the problem is known then it would
be really helpful if there were a message/banner on the site advising members
of this..especially those who don't use the forum.

Thanks again for your quick reply though, much appreciated.

Robert

Author:

Admin_Russell

Posted:

Dec 14, 2019 06:00

Subject:

Re: URGENT MESSAGE TO LEGO RE BRICKLINK

Viewed:

180 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Rob_and_Shelagh writes:

Author:

Teup

Posted:

Dec 14, 2019 05:54

Subject:

Re: URGENT MESSAGE TO LEGO RE BRICKLINK

Viewed:

104 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Rob_and_Shelagh writes:

+1! Should go without saying, but apparently it doesn't!

Author:

Rob_and_Shelagh

Posted:

Dec 14, 2019 05:51

Subject:

URGENT MESSAGE TO LEGO RE BRICKLINK

Viewed:

420 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Author:

StormChaser

Posted:

Dec 12, 2019 22:42

Subject:

Re: Add An Area for Catalog Scans

Viewed:

39 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, 62Bricks writes:

Great idea. It would be even better if they could be transcribed and made searchable.
Or even a list attached with the sets that appear in it.

Completely agree. I've been looking at some scanning companies in anticipation
of possibly (and professionally) scanning my E&D catalog collection and they
offer these services. It would be most helpful to know without going through
an entire catalog if the set you're looking for appears therein.

Author:

StormChaser

Posted:

Dec 12, 2019 22:40

Subject:

Re: Add Search Options to Advanced Catalog Search

Viewed:

35 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, 62Bricks writes:

How would you use these features? Do you want to see a list of all items that
appear as, say, extras? Or do you want to take a specific part and find all the
sets in which it appears as an extra?

I've wanted this functionality in the past, but can't recall just why.
So I'll answer your question by mentioning the situation that prompted me
to post this suggestion.

This set includes two minifigures as counterparts:

3041-1 (Inv) Big Bucket of Fun
464 Parts, 1998
Sets: Universal Building Set: Classic Basic

I wanted to know how many sets include figures as counterparts, but could not
search for this information. With the feature I'm asking for I could use
the advanced search to find all the sets with figures inventoried as counterparts.

The requested features would probably be most useful to those working on the
catalog and its inventories, but others may find them useful as well.

Author:

62Bricks

Posted:

Dec 12, 2019 22:07

Subject:

Re: Add Search Options to Advanced Catalog Search

Viewed:

28 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, StormChaser writes:

I need the ability to select from the following unavailable options as checkboxes
on the Advanced Catalog Search page:

Items Inventoried as Regular
Items Inventoried as Counterpart
Items Inventoried as Extra
Items Inventoried as Alternate

Thank you.

How would you use these features? Do you want to see a list of all items that
appear as, say, extras? Or do you want to take a specific part and find all the
sets in which it appears as an extra?

Author:

62Bricks

Posted:

Dec 12, 2019 21:10

Subject:

Re: Add An Area for Catalog Scans

Viewed:

34 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, StormChaser writes:

I suggest that BrickLink add an area to the site for scans of printed catalogs.
There are other fan sites that already do this, but the results vary. This
would be a useful feature that would compliment the BrickLink catalog, enable
more effective catalog/inventory work, and draw more visitors to the site. Plus,
there would never be questions about copyright because TLG is publishing the
data themselves.

If this was done, I would add scans of my extensive Dacta/Education catalog collection.
Nearly all of the catalogs in my collection would only be available as scans
on BrickLink.

Thanks for considering it.

Great idea. It would be even better if they could be transcribed and made searchable.
Or even a list attached with the sets that appear in it.

Author:

leopard37

Posted:

Dec 12, 2019 17:23

Subject:

Re: Add Search Options to Advanced Catalog Search

Viewed:

32 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

In Suggestions, StormChaser writes:

definitely agree especially counter parts

It's almost like he has a vision for a better catalog... Huh...

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

Dec 12, 2019 17:10

Subject:

Re: Add Search Options to Advanced Catalog Search

Viewed:

30 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, StormChaser writes:

definitely agree especially counter parts

Author:

calebfishn

Posted:

Dec 12, 2019 16:58

Subject:

Re: Clarify Timeout on Inventory Step 3

Viewed:

33 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, StormChaser writes:

Please make it clear to members how long they have to complete Step 3 (Verify
Changes) when submitting inventory change requests. This can be done with a
countdown timer or by clearly stating on the Verify Changes page how long the
member has to complete the process.

Currently Step 3 is timed out after an unknown amount of time and this is not
stated anywhere until you actually get the timeout. When the timeout occurs,
portions of the data being submitted can be lost (and, obviously, this occurs
with no warning whatsoever).

Thank you.

I am saying yes to this. My last few part outs were a disaster of wasted effort
thanks to the timing out issue. It can easily take 30 minutes to part out a
large set, especially if you need to adjust amounts, or condition factors, or
add some remarks.

Author:

mhl

Posted:

Dec 10, 2019 05:24

Subject:

Re: can purchased pieces show up in “have” ?

Viewed:

47 times

Topic:

I really like the suggestion, I know that the described solution works, but it
is not comfortable.

Reason why it is not comfortable as you wrote:
- I have multiple wanted lists
- When applying an order to multiple wanted lists, you do not see how many bricks
have been assign already.
- After the apply you do not have an overview of how many bricks are left for
use for other things.

So it would be generally better to have a list like "ordered bricks" or "my bricks".
Then from this list apply the order to a wanted list with the same screen as
today. And then decrease the amount of the "my bricks" list by the applyed number.
This would help me to have a view on what I have right after the apply_order_to_wanted_list
function.

And even when I add a new wanted list, with a function like "fill from my bricks",
this would help.

Cheers Maik

Author:

sarbaek

Posted:

Dec 9, 2019 07:40

Subject:

Configurability for when payment is captured

Viewed:

58 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

It would be very nice to allow store management to configure when a Stripe payment
is actually captured instead of capturing payment at checkout. In some countries
it's not allowed to capture payment before the order is actually shipped.

For instance it could be configured to automatically capture the payment when
the order status is set to "Shipped". This is how Stripe integration is handled
on BrickOwl so there's definitely an API for this. If an automatic handling
of this cannot be implemented for whatever reason I'd be ok with settling
for a manual process.

I would love to be able to fully comply with regulations

Author:

Sallywacko

Posted:

Dec 4, 2019 17:13

Subject:

Re: can purchased pieces show up in “have” ?

Viewed:

80 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, SylvainLS writes:

In Suggestions, Andrsv writes:

In Suggestions, Sallywacko writes:

My want lists have a place for the bricks I have. It would be nice if the pieces
I purchase through BrickLinks would automatically show up in the haves so I can
keep track. Is there a way to allow this to happen?

You can use «Apply order» button in your wanted list

Beware!

You can “Apply” the same order to multiple lists, hence counting the same bought
brick multiple times.

Worse, you can “Apply” the same order multiple times to the same list.

Better to make “bought lists” and manually (and painfully) change the values
in the “really anted lists” yourself.

Thanks for the cautions!

Author:

Sallywacko

Posted:

Dec 4, 2019 17:12

Subject:

Re: can purchased pieces show up in “have” ?

Viewed:

36 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Andrsv writes:

In Suggestions, Sallywacko writes:

You can use «Apply order» button in your wanted list

Thanks for the tip!

Author:

kejones02

Posted:

Dec 4, 2019 16:15

Subject:

Share my Wanted List with Others

Viewed:

58 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

I would love the ability to share my Wanted List(s) with others, especially around
year end, for gift exchanges and other gift giving. Thanks!

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

Dec 4, 2019 09:15

Subject:

Re: Show the set from which a piece was ordered.

Viewed:

39 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Lilbeastie22 writes:

Please show in the order details, the set from which pieces were ordered. As
a seller, this would be hugely helpful in finding the ordered pieces and sending
the order within a reasonable time.

Also voted no, as the current way is more flexible than what you propose. If
you want the set number, just add it as a remark. Also if you are not checking
inventories and sorting the parts out when you part out, watch out for variants
and extra parts.

Author:

Stuart9

Posted:

Dec 4, 2019 08:06

Subject:

Re: Show the set from which a piece was ordered.

Viewed:

39 times

Topic:

I will try this next few sets, thanks.

Looked at it but wary of trying until now.

In Suggestions, brickablocks writes:

When you upload or part out a set, you can set up concatenation settings that
will combine old and new remarks, so you don't have this problem. Customers
get pretty frustrated shopping in bL stores that have the same part in several
lots.

In Suggestions, Stuart9 writes:

If I part out a set, I add the set number to the comments which then shows up
in the order info.

This however has a drawback, it adds a separate entry for each of the parts each
time you part out a new set, you could end up with many parts listed numerous
times.

Might deter some from ordering but you can find the set quicker.

Author:

brickablocks

Posted:

Dec 4, 2019 07:56

Subject:

Re: Show the set from which a piece was ordered.

Viewed:

38 times

Topic:

Author:

axaday

Posted:

Dec 4, 2019 07:44

Subject:

Re: Show the set from which a piece was ordered.

Viewed:

34 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Andrsv writes:

In Suggestions, Lilbeastie22 writes:

Please show in the order details, the set from which pieces were ordered. As
a seller, this would be hugely helpful in finding the ordered pieces and sending
the order within a reasonable time.

When parting out a set you can choose default remark. I always set the set nr
as default remark. Would this solve your issue?

This is what I do. Not necessarily the set, but the remarks line shows where
I will find the piece. There is a setting to show remarks on your orders.

Author:

Stuart9

Posted:

Dec 4, 2019 07:37

Subject:

Re: Show the set from which a piece was ordered.

Viewed:

38 times

Topic:

Please show in the order details, the set from which pieces were ordered. As
a seller, this would be hugely helpful in finding the ordered pieces and sending
the order within a reasonable time.

Author:

Andrsv

Posted:

Dec 4, 2019 07:37

Subject:

Re: Show the set from which a piece was ordered.

Viewed:

35 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Lilbeastie22 writes:

Please show in the order details, the set from which pieces were ordered. As
a seller, this would be hugely helpful in finding the ordered pieces and sending
the order within a reasonable time.

When parting out a set you can choose default remark. I always set the set nr
as default remark. Would this solve your issue?

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

Dec 4, 2019 07:31

Subject:

Re: Show the set from which a piece was ordered.

Viewed:

38 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Lilbeastie22 writes:

Please show in the order details, the set from which pieces were ordered. As
a seller, this would be hugely helpful in finding the ordered pieces and sending
the order within a reasonable time.

Voted no as this really isn't possible. Pieces can and do come from a multitude
of sets so which one it comes from cannot be isolated except in rare circumstances.

Author:

Lilbeastie22

Posted:

Dec 4, 2019 07:27

Subject:

Show the set from which a piece was ordered.

Viewed:

119 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Please show in the order details, the set from which pieces were ordered. As
a seller, this would be hugely helpful in finding the ordered pieces and sending
the order within a reasonable time.

Author:

tsystem

Posted:

Dec 3, 2019 16:57

Subject:

Re: Create a Have List

Viewed:

42 times

Topic:

Hi, New update of my merge tools, i hope you like it

Author:

tsystem

Posted:

Dec 1, 2019 16:34

Subject:

Re: Create a Have List

Viewed:

51 times

Topic:

Hi All,

So i've decided to do my own tool... So i've put it online if it's
can help someone.
How does it work : really simple ... donwload your wanted lists as xml file,
go to my link, drop your xml, choose for options and merge the 2 files together
and upload it to a new list....

This way, i have a wanted list for my project and one for my own parts, so i
can merge the 2 list to see if request quantity is matching my having quantity
...
I think i'll add option to :
- keep only element present in first list
- keep only common element
- keep only different element
- ...

I hop it will help somone

link : http://www.tapsystem.com/bricklink/mergeXML/

test files if you want :
test file A : http://www.tapsystem.com/bricklink/mergeXML/testFiles/mergeXmlA.xml
test file B : http://www.tapsystem.com/bricklink/mergeXML/testFiles/mergeXmlB.xml

Thanks for your comments

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

Nov 30, 2019 11:12

Subject:

Re: can purchased pieces show up in “have” ?

Viewed:

55 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Andrsv writes:

In Suggestions, Sallywacko writes:

You can use «Apply order» button in your wanted list

Author:

Andrsv

Posted:

Nov 30, 2019 10:31

Subject:

Re: can purchased pieces show up in “have” ?

Viewed:

43 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Sallywacko writes:

You can use «Apply order» button in your wanted list

Author:

Sallywacko

Posted:

Nov 30, 2019 10:19

Subject:

can purchased pieces show up in “have” ?

Viewed:

71 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Author:

Emporiosa

Posted:

Nov 29, 2019 16:38

Subject:

Re: Create a Have List

Viewed:

44 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, tsystem writes:

Hi,

After all, thanks for this website ans studio, it's really great tools to
create and find parts !

My idea is to have the possibility to create an "have list" like the "wanted
list" but to reference my parts and so to be abble to make difference between
want / have lists to know wich parts i need to purchase. it will be great for
multipart/large model so i can purchase and work on a first part and continue
searching for other part but making a different wanted list for different submodels
...

I don't know if it's really clear ...

Let me know

Thanks by advance

Mr

Have you seen the website Rebrickable? It's fantastic for keeping inventory
of what you have as well as create wanted lists for parts you need to build MOCs
or other sets. It also Bricklink sellers are also integrated with it so you can
create a list there to use for buying on Bricklink

Author:

Brickwilbo

Posted:

Nov 29, 2019 12:44

Subject:

Re: Create a Have List

Viewed:

42 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, tsystem writes:

Let me know

Thanks by advance

Mr

You can upgrade to seller,keep the store closed for personal inventory.
Or use Brickstock for personal use.

Author:

tsystem

Posted:

Nov 29, 2019 12:23

Subject:

Re: Create a Have List

Viewed:

41 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, tsystem writes:
* before all a great thanks

)

Author:

tsystem

Posted:

Nov 29, 2019 12:22

Subject:

Create a Have List

Viewed:

93 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Let me know

Thanks by advance

Mr

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

Nov 26, 2019 13:40

Subject:

Re: Find sets based on pieces

Viewed:

49 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, randyf writes:

In Suggestions, bwbwings writes:

There is a feature I would love to see in Bricklink, it goes like this:

I have x number of pieces that belong to a set but I do not know what the set
is. I would love to specify which pieces I have and then view all the sets that
all the pieces belong to.

I do know that I can look up a single piece but it gets difficult cross referencing
5 or 6 pieces to find the common set.

Please let me know if you think this would be a beneficial feature or if you
would like more info.

Thanks

rebrickable.com

And https://www.bricklink.com/catalogIn.asp?viewMulti=Y

Author:

randyf

Posted:

Nov 26, 2019 13:36

Subject:

Re: Find sets based on pieces

Viewed:

50 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, bwbwings writes:

rebrickable.com

Author:

bwbwings

Posted:

Nov 26, 2019 13:19

Subject:

Find sets based on pieces

Viewed:

70 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

Nov 26, 2019 07:59

Subject:

Re: "Fast Shipper" badge for Sellers

Viewed:

44 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, bje writes:

In Suggestions, searme writes:

In Suggestions, bje writes:

Besides - if you know sellers who are listing items they do not have on hand,
you must report those lots to BrickLink

I'd love to but how do you suggest I prove that, short of raiding seller's
home/shop?

Per your original post - you and other LUG members are aware of those sellers,
so you and your fellow LUG members all report those lots and wait for BL to sort
it out. You are not prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner and neither are you
the policeman. But it also does not help matters if you just talk among yourselves
about it. If you and all other members of your LUG really feel there is a real
serious problem here with a specific subset of sellers, you all report the problem
lots. I'm sure BL can investigate the matter evenhandedly.

On the other hand, if there is nothing in your original statement, then we do
not need this badge idea, as all you have to do is ask the seller to ship to
your timeframe and keep the proof as you require.

In addition to what Jean has mentioned you also need to be aware that the suggestion
program has not worked for a long time as development on the classic site is
no longer part of Bricklink's plans. They have agreed publicly to continue
to support it but all work (development) is being aimed at the "Future of Bricklink
e.g. Bricklink XP" as stated in the Presentation at Brickworld. When and if that
happens it appears the business model will change - to what is really unknown
at present with only very sketchy details available. That plus the fact that,
again publicly, Bricklink have stated they are somewhat in limbo over the future
direction they want to decide on means that modifying the classic site is even
further down the line for anything to be done.

Using the existing feedback system is really your only avenue to deal with things
like this. I would think most people agree that system is flawed, not used correctly,
and in need of a facelift - but it doesn't really appear that is likely.

Things can of course change and there are lots of us who want to see that happen
but for the time being use the tools that are already there.

Author:

bje

Posted:

Nov 26, 2019 07:20

Subject:

Re: "Fast Shipper" badge for Sellers

Viewed:

45 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, searme writes:

In Suggestions, bje writes:

Besides - if you know sellers who are listing items they do not have on hand,
you must report those lots to BrickLink

I'd love to but how do you suggest I prove that, short of raiding seller's
home/shop?

Author:

searme

Posted:

Nov 26, 2019 06:45

Subject:

Re: "Fast Shipper" badge for Sellers

Viewed:

31 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, axaday writes:

eBay has 4 or 5 parameters in the detailed feedback. But I'm not sure who
ever checks it.

If an universally visible badge would be dependent on a parameter, you wouldn't
even need to check that parameter manually. It's kind of the whole point.

Author:

searme

Posted:

Nov 26, 2019 06:44

Subject:

Re: "Fast Shipper" badge for Sellers

Viewed:

31 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, bje writes:

Besides - if you know sellers who are listing items they do not have on hand,
you must report those lots to BrickLink

I'd love to but how do you suggest I prove that, short of raiding seller's
home/shop?

Author:

axaday

Posted:

Nov 26, 2019 05:51

Subject:

Re: "Fast Shipper" badge for Sellers

Viewed:

28 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, searme writes:

What if we added a secondary feedback where instead of just writing if the service
was OK or not OK, the buyer also rates service speed between fast/regular/slow?
And sellers who are consistently rated "fast" by buyers get a badge? Still can
be misused, but should be harder to tamper with. The problem is definitely there
and the existing feedback doesn't solve it. If a dishonest store states they
ship in 5-15 days, you're obviously hoping for 5 and they're obviously
just making 15 look nice. Seriously, maybe set a limit for a maximum shipping
time? If a seller can't ship anything in less than 3 weeks, they obviously
don't have time to run a store OR they're not being truthful about their
stock.

eBay has 4 or 5 parameters in the detailed feedback. But I'm not sure who
ever checks it.

Author:

bje

Posted:

Nov 26, 2019 05:48

Subject:

Re: "Fast Shipper" badge for Sellers

Viewed:

35 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, searme writes:

In Suggestions, yorbrick writes:

I don't think it is necessary. If you have a bad experience then leave appropriate
feedback.

Having a badge will do nothing, as sellers will find a way around it. Plus it
will need policing, which is impossible unless everyone reports tracking information
to BL, which will increase postage costs for buyers. Plus the tracking information
will still need checking to find out if it is genuine.

The shops in question clearly prove that feedback is not reliable, as they only
have 10-20% of complaints and they tend to blacklist complainers to prevent them
from buying again. Yes, a small percentage of sellers will find a way around
anything, but I still believe that for majority of them, such a badge would be
reliable. Far more reliable than blindly trusting the seller, which is what we
are mostly doing right now. I've lost all faith in the feedback system -
consider that if a seller declares on his page that he ships in 5-15 days and
then he ships every order in 15 days (which is pretty much the case with some
shops), you still have no grounds for negative feedback. And I feel like a number
of buyers is simply afraid of giving a negative feedback.

With 800+ buy orders under the belt you should know that feedback is not in any
way designed to be any barometer of service standards. If the seller is not clear
on when he/she will ship, then message them prior to placing the order and ask
what the timeframe is. That way you do not ahve to trust blindly.

A real example of why feedback is such a difficult tool to use to assess sellers:
I have an outstanding order. I asked the seller to keep proof of shipping. After
two months I ask the seller for the proof of shipping. The seller did not keep
proof of shipping. The seller offers me a refund. I did not order a refund. I
paid for the shipping in trust. The seller has no proof that the money I paid
him for shipping was used as intended. That seller is batting 0 for 3 - he has
not done a single thing I have asked him to do. Yet, if I were to leave him negative
or neutral feedback on the facts right now it will be the end of the world for
him because in his head he thinks he has done right by me by offering a full
refund of the order.

I think that if it is that mission critical that the seller must ship the next
day, then tell the seller that when you palce the order and give him/her a clear
opportunity to cancel if they cannot fulfill the order to your expectations.

If a seller then chooses to accept the order and still gives you that level of
poor service, either do not buy from the seller again or bite the bullet and
leave clear feedback such as "seller promises to ship next day but does not".

Besides - if you know sellers who are listing items they do not have on hand,
you must report those lots to BrickLink so those can be removed and if there
are a sufficient number of those lots, so the sellers can be closed down by BrickLink.
If you say nothing, then you are helping the seller to circumvent the very issues
you are complaining about.

Author:

searme

Posted:

Nov 26, 2019 05:43

Subject:

Re: "Fast Shipper" badge for Sellers

Viewed:

28 times

Topic:

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

Nov 26, 2019 05:19

Subject:

Re: "Fast Shipper" badge for Sellers

Viewed:

31 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, searme writes:

In Suggestions, yorbrick writes:

So BL goes for a badge for speed of shipping. That may lead to some sellers being
sloppy to make sure they qualify for that badge. So we need a badge for accuracy.
Plus for used parts sellers, we need a badge for quality of parts. And what about
a badge for quality of packaging, as some people don't package adequately.
And so on.

And all these badges need monitoring. Should it be down to the seller to declare
they ship within 5 days, or for the buyers to monitor this. And what about correctness
of order and so on - should a buyer declare this or the seller?

If you want a fast turn around, I suggest avoiding stores that state they will
ship in 5-15 days.

If a store has 10-20% of complaints, then I'd also avoid them.

As to a store blacklisting a buyer that complains, I don't see the problem.
If a buyer is upset with a store enough to leave them negative feedback, then
surely the buyer would not want to buy from that same store again. And if they
do, surely the seller has the right to stop them. If they didn't like their
purchase first time around, then why deal with that customer again if they are
just going to complain again at the service.

Author:

SurplusParts

Posted:

Nov 26, 2019 05:14

Subject:

Re: "Fast Shipper" badge for Sellers

Viewed:

33 times

Topic:

I honestly think that if the feedback system was used as it is designed to do,
then some of these problems would be eliminated.

What is the considered % for a top store. 100%? 99%? 90%?

That maybe is the problem. Everyone wants 100% and they don't want negative
feedback. They say they are happy for constructive feedback, but the reality
is that they don't really, unless it is positive. And some stores use some
bad methods to keep that score up.

Imagine if a top store was only 90%. Then people may be more likely to give
honest feedback as it would be less likely to ruin their perfect score.

I recently had a buying experience on Bricklink that i would consider neutral.
Wasn't disastrous, but was certainly not good. However i felt that i couldn't
leave that kind of feedback because i am a seller too, and i didn't want
to receive the same in return. Retaliatory feedback is a big problem.

But as mentioned above, sellers could just mark the shipment as shipped and it
would make no iota of difference.

I think that honest feedback is the only really way to go, but i am guilty of
the opposite myself so i won't be holding my breath that this will happen
any day soon.

Anyway, just my thoughts.
Douglas

Author:

searme

Posted:

Nov 26, 2019 04:36

Subject:

Re: "Fast Shipper" badge for Sellers

Viewed:

43 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, yorbrick writes:

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

Nov 26, 2019 04:26

Subject:

Re: "Fast Shipper" badge for Sellers

Viewed:

43 times

Topic:

Author:

Rob_and_Shelagh

Posted:

Nov 26, 2019 04:21

Subject:

Re: "Fast Shipper" badge for Sellers

Viewed:

47 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, searme writes:

Dear Bricklink,

There are certain dishonest shops that really ruin the BL experience for shoppers.
It's hard to prove, but some sellers apparently sell pieces they don't
have in their stock and only order them from elsewhere when you place an order
with them. Apologies if that sounds like unfounded accusation, but my LUG is
aware of a number of shops whose stock is always suspiciously similar to current
LEGO PaB stock, who delay shipping when PaB runs out of stock, and who generally
take around 3 weeks to ship anything, no matter how common and widely available.
Because I see no reliable way to denounce such sellers, I suggest a different,
easily implemented solution. Just like sellers who offer instant checkout are
marked with a special badge, why not create another badge that marks sellers
who ship e.g. 3 days after payment on average? We as buyers have no access to
sellers' shipping times, we can only look up their feedback and see if people
are complaining about slow service. But your system has dates of all payments
and shipments. Simply calculate days between payment and shipping for all seller's
orders and you can get a nice average. And I'm sure this average is going
to show that certain shops typically ship after 2-3 weeks while others ship after
2-3 days. Hell, I had a seller ship an order 30 minutes after payment once. Quality
service deserves recognition, and we as buyers deserve the right to be informed
whether a particular seller provides such service or not. Transparency is the
name of the game. Right now there in no reliable way to determine that, and picking
a wrong seller can mean that your MOC will get hold up for weeks.
I sincerely hope that you will consider this simple, easy to implement request
that would drastically improve Bricklink's overall transparency for buyers.

This has been mentioned before and I certainly support identifying and warning
buyers of stores who do not operate by the rules of the site - you must have
all listed stock on hand.

The suggested solution however is not foolproof as cheating stores can simply
mark orders as shipped before they have been. IMO Bricklink should force sellers
to commit in their terms to shipping lead times at least so buyers can avoid
slow (for what ever reason) stores if they need parts quickly. Unfortunately
with any system there will always be stores that try to cheat as well as genuine
postal delays to deal with of course.

As a lug you can at least share your data with other members so they can least
favourite these stores and favourite those who have proven to ship as promised.

Robert

Author:

searme

Posted:

Nov 26, 2019 04:10

Subject:

"Fast Shipper" badge for Sellers

Viewed:

163 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Author:

Captain_Q

Posted:

Nov 25, 2019 04:25

Subject:

Re: streamline payment process

Viewed:

33 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Akhoover writes:

The process for payment, when buying from multiple vendors should not be so time
consuming. I purchased from 21 vendors, still waiting to hear from one. but the
checkout time was very lengthy, possible look at how amazon checks out.

As BrainOfTheBrick has stated, Bricklink is not like amazon but, imo, more like
a Lego flea market with thousands of different stores with a lot of different
styles of selling. Amazon can combine all your items into one purchase and potentially
combine shipping for some items, if applicable.

If you are looking for quicker ways to purchase on Bricklink then you could stick
to the Bricklink stores that use "Instant Checkout", signified by having a lightning
bolt. That way you don't have to wait for a store owner to send you a manual
invoice.

Regards,
- CaptainQ

Author:

Brickwilbo

Posted:

Nov 25, 2019 01:37

Subject:

Re: streamline payment process

Viewed:

28 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Akhoover writes:

Check your email spam folder for invoice emails from @Bricklink.
Probably at least a few of those 21 stores use instant checkout, Bricklink automatically
sends invoices.

Author:

BrainOfTheBrick

Posted:

Nov 24, 2019 22:06

Subject:

Re: streamline payment process

Viewed:

36 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Akhoover writes:

You really shouldn't compare amazon and BrickLink. They are two completely
different sites which run completely differently.

Author:

Akhoover

Posted:

Nov 24, 2019 21:58

Subject:

streamline payment process

Viewed:

78 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Author:

normann1974

Posted:

Nov 23, 2019 09:58

Subject:

Part out value in local currency

Viewed:

98 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

If I'm not logged in (which I'm not on my phone), the POV page

https://www.bricklink.com/catalogPOV.asp

shows prices in USD. Unlike the price guides on all other pages which show my
local currency (DKK). This means when I'm at a store, I must use a calculator
to convert the POV's to DKK. This is rather annoying. Please fix it.

/Jan

Author:

axaday

Posted:

Nov 20, 2019 20:10

Subject:

Re: Daily and monthly downtime - I'd like to help

Viewed:

100 times

Topic:

My sister gave me that cat in your sig pic for Christmas last year. I just recently
finished it. I delayed a long time because I couldn’t tell from the instructions
what it even was.

In Suggestions, JusTiCe8 writes:

Hi,

not sure it is the right place for this and most importantly, if company such
FB can afford such a yearly uptime, is because they know how to do their job
right (at least in the server architecture). Plus, the lower the downtime is,
the higher it cost, 99% is a lot more cheaper than 99.9999%, 1% of a year is
quite 3.6 days off. Lowest downtime are a few hours or even minutes.

The cheapest and easiest way to remove downtime almost completely would be to
set-up a mirror of everything (web server mostly) they have now, upgrade one
while leaving the other running with old stuff, do the switch (here could be
a minor downtime), then upgrade the other and finally enable both together.

Anyway, we don't know how things has been setup behind the scene and how
they are actually managed, except it is not done according to BL expectations.

In Suggestions, Ethan1701 writes:

Hey,
I'm a database administrator (Business intelligence specifically), and I'd
like to help eliminate the daily and monthly downtimes. The way I see it, if
Facebook can have an uptime of 99.9999% while rolling out new features, so can
BL.

Hit me up, I'd love to know what the downtimes are for, and help see if we
can design a better solution for those needs.

Author:

Sadler_Bricks

Posted:

Nov 20, 2019 19:46

Subject:

Re: Daily and monthly downtime - I'd like to help

Viewed:

67 times

Topic:

Yes I would agree it would be nice but not sure that BL has the funds such as
a FB but would be nice to see some good improvments on this site as it has some
massive opertunity and doesn't seem like they have capitalized on all that
opertunity but maybe in due time we will see some great changes to make the site
improved for everyone's experience

Sadler_Bricks

Author:

Stonemonkey1974

Posted:

Nov 20, 2019 13:36

Subject:

Re: Better time information on maintenance

Viewed:

50 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, sonnich writes:

Yesterday at the post office I needed some adresses from BL it was under maintenance
- it said

Maintenance Time : Nov 19, 2019 12:00 PM - 04:00 PM EST

When is that according to GMT?

Please add times in GMT at the rest of the world uses - I have no idea what EST
is, not have the majority of the world.

Google (other search engines are available) is your friend

Author:

HarryPotter71

Posted:

Nov 20, 2019 13:24

Subject:

Re: Better time information on maintenance

Viewed:

45 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, sonnich writes:

Yesterday at the post office I needed some adresses from BL it was under maintenance
- it said

Maintenance Time : Nov 19, 2019 12:00 PM - 04:00 PM EST

When is that according to GMT?

Please add times in GMT at the rest of the world uses - I have no idea what EST
is, not have the majority of the world.

EST = Eastern Standard Time

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

Nov 20, 2019 04:30

Subject:

Re: Better time information on maintenance

Viewed:

58 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, sonnich writes:

Yesterday at the post office I needed some adresses from BL it was under maintenance
- it said

Maintenance Time : Nov 19, 2019 12:00 PM - 04:00 PM EST

When is that according to GMT?

Please add times in GMT at the rest of the world uses - I have no idea what EST
is, not have the majority of the world.

Could you have just looked it up, for example, here:
https://time.is/EST

If they add GMT, then no doubt others will want their time zone too. It makes
sense for BL to stick to one time - BL time - and do all times in that.

Author:

sonnich

Posted:

Nov 20, 2019 03:25

Subject:

Better time information on maintenance

Viewed:

150 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Yesterday at the post office I needed some adresses from BL it was under maintenance
- it said

Maintenance Time : Nov 19, 2019 12:00 PM - 04:00 PM EST

When is that according to GMT?

Please add times in GMT at the rest of the world uses - I have no idea what EST
is, not have the majority of the world.

Author:

JusTiCe8

Posted:

Nov 15, 2019 15:04

Subject:

Re: Suggestion for extra function in Bricklink

Viewed:

72 times

Topic:

Funny how idea flows in the ether as I think of a similar feature but a bit more
from a practical point of view. I encounter the same issue with the mini/micro
Serenity by Brothers Bricks which use a medium dark flesh modified tile on top
to hold the 3x3 dish, which I don't have obviously

, and while building
it I've figured out colour doesn't not matter at all, one part bought
quite uselessly.

So, I have imagine an invisible brick detection feature, maybe by using a light
source in a brick and by some kind of occlusion, or whatever the right name
is, calculations (lights vector can be computed and some algorithm could be use
to see if the light vector hit a face of a 3D object as it is done for "basic"
rendering technique like in deferred rendering).

If the light source is not visible from outside = bingo, the brick could be any
colour.
If not, its colour actually matters (if the builder also care of following designer
guidelines).

I don't have work enough in 3D rendering to get any kind of solution, I still
offer a way which can actually be done I guess.

In Suggestions, JLvL writes:

Hello,

Over the las couple of months i have designed some cars in Studio.
Some bricks in the middle may have a different color than the color I am currently
building. So if the color doesn't matter you select 'not applicable'
for that specific brick.

It always takes quite some time to figure out in the wanted list which bricks
should be on not applicable. I think it is much easier to include the 'color'
not applicable in the list.

As an extra function it is then useful to be able to choose the color of the
'not applicable' bricks. For example, if you are building a model in
red, you can set the 'not applicable' bricks to yellow. Because of the
contrast between these two colors you keep the overview on the model.

Greetings,

JL

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

Nov 15, 2019 12:23

Subject:

Re: Suggestion for extra function in Studio

Viewed:

37 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, JLvL writes:

Hello,

Over the las couple of months i have designed some cars in Studio.
Some bricks in the middle may have a different color than the color I am currently
building. So if the color doesn't matter you select 'not applicable'
for that specific brick.

It always takes quite some time to figure out in the wanted list which bricks
should be on not applicable. I think it is much easier to include the 'color'
not applicable in the list of colors in Studio.

As an extra function it is then useful to be able to choose the color of the
'not applicable' bricks. For example, if you are building a model in
red, you can set the 'not applicable' bricks to yellow. Because of the
contrast between these two colors you keep the overview on the model.

Agreed… but the dedicated forum for Studio is http://forum.bricklink.com/

Author:

JLvL

Posted:

Nov 15, 2019 11:58

Subject:

Re: Suggestion for extra function in Studio

Viewed:

32 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, JLvL writes:

Hello,

Over the las couple of months i have designed some cars in Studio.
Some bricks in the middle may have a different color than the color I am currently
building. So if the color doesn't matter you select 'not applicable'
for that specific brick.

It always takes quite some time to figure out in the wanted list which bricks
should be on not applicable. I think it is much easier to include the 'color'
not applicable in the list of colors in Studio.

As an extra function it is then useful to be able to choose the color of the
'not applicable' bricks. For example, if you are building a model in
red, you can set the 'not applicable' bricks to yellow. Because of the
contrast between these two colors you keep the overview on the model.

Greetings,

JL

Author:

JLvL

Posted:

Nov 15, 2019 11:55

Subject:

Suggestion for extra function in Bricklink

Viewed:

119 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Author:

JusTiCe8

Posted:

Nov 14, 2019 08:40

Subject:

Re: Daily and monthly downtime - I'd like to help

Viewed:

118 times

Topic:

Author:

Ethan1701

Posted:

Nov 14, 2019 06:52

Subject:

Daily and monthly downtime - I'd like to help

Viewed:

141 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

Author:

cycbuild

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 17:01

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

73 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Admin_Russell writes:

There are certainly some improvements to be made - pinning posts, notification
/ subscription plans, ability to edit or completely remove posted material -
but most of what you are asking for here can already be done.

First, the BrickLink Discussions Forum is actually many individual Forums all
joined together, including hidden Forums backstage for our community admins.
If you don't wish to read everything, start on this page and read only what
interests you:

https://www.bricklink.com/messageTopics.asp?utm_content=subnav

Second, you can customize the Forum to your exact specifications, including viewing
each thread without the replies. You can also block certain Forums (e.g. sales
posts). See the settings on this page:

https://www.bricklink.com/messageFilter.asp?viewFrom=P

I've never seen a Forum with this level of user customization, and I believe
most members don't even know about these options. Try out these suggestions
and see if that helps your impression.

I have been reading the Forum consistently for over 10 years, and I've noticed
that like rainy and dry periods with the weather, Forum participation ebbs and
flows with time. And if by "community involvement" you mean people like Foster
and Dan/Jon beating each other up on a regular basis, that sort of behavior isn't
tolerated anymore.

It might benefit the regulars and newcomers if this was added to the top of the
forum with links below to a shortlist of FAQs. And a hide option, if possible.

https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=126

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 14:25

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

36 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Admin_Russell writes:

[…]

My point was that forum.bl.com uses a modern, off-the-shelf, forum engine (and,
if I’m not mistaken, phpBB (it uses the Ariki style, designed for phpBB 3.0)).

So BL knows about and has experience with modern, off-the-shelf, forum engines

And our experience has not been good. Very difficult to manage, and a real challenge
to customize.

Yes, that’s why new ones are always popping up.

We had a bug for over year that prevented us from deleting any
post.

And there are no notifications for private messages (took me months to see I
had some), and those can’t be deleted (well, you can, but they are still there).

I actually rather like the mailing-list / usenet look of this old forum. And
the macro tags and the inventory change messages….

Author:

Admin_Russell

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 14:11

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

68 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, SylvainLS writes:

In Suggestions, Admin_Russell writes:

In Suggestions, SylvainLS writes:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

[…]
Just like to add that our forum has all the functionality of this one as well
as the ability to edit, add attachments, conduct polls, plus more and its free
software - phbbs forum. It took our web guy an hour or so to get it installed
and me about a day to learn all about it (and I still don't know all there
is to know) […]

Take a look at http://forum.bricklink.com/ ….

From the front page:

Most users ever online was 20 on Wed Sep 12, 2018 4:25 pm

That was around the time ADP was announced.

And our experience has not been good. Very difficult to manage, and a real challenge
to customize. We had a bug for over year that prevented us from deleting any
post.

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 13:56

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

33 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Admin_Russell writes:

In Suggestions, SylvainLS writes:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

Take a look at http://forum.bricklink.com/ ….

From the front page:

Most users ever online was 20 on Wed Sep 12, 2018 4:25 pm

That was around the time ADP was announced.

Author:

Admin_Russell

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 13:35

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

71 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

In Suggestions, Admin_Russell writes:

In Suggestions, SylvainLS writes:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

Take a look at http://forum.bricklink.com/ ….

From the front page:

Most users ever online was 20 on Wed Sep 12, 2018 4:25 pm

That was around the time ADP was announced.

Considering that was from 35 total users at that date and we have a very restricted
membership that isn't worrying. We are still growing there and as things
develop I am sure more will participate. I am not purporting that our forum is
better than this one far from it, but at the same time it shows what can be done
in a short space of time where there is a will.

My quote was from the Studio Forum, not your Forum.

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 13:31

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

34 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, yorbrick writes:

I don't monitor all the most used AFOL forums, but my impression that the
BrickLink Forum has been the leading and most active AFOL forum for a long time
now, despite it's archaic appearance and limitations. To the extent that
that is true, we don't want to break something that is performing so well.

I don't think it is, at least not for general LEGO discussion, MOCs, new
sets, etc. Eurobricks is more active and has way better content than here.

However, the BL forum is the most active and leading forum when it comes to Bricklink
issues, and aspects of buying and selling on BL. And isn't that primarily
what it should be? A forum that supports BL users with issues when using BL.

So what if the forum is a bit old fashioned looking. It is functional, I'd
hate to lose things like the easy tagging in of sets, parts and minifigures,
and so on.

Sorry for this

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 13:24

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

40 times

Topic:

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 13:07

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

36 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Admin_Russell writes:

In Suggestions, SylvainLS writes:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

Take a look at http://forum.bricklink.com/ ….

From the front page:

Most users ever online was 20 on Wed Sep 12, 2018 4:25 pm

That was around the time ADP was announced.

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 13:02

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

42 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Admin_Russell writes:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

You use the word "richer", but in some ways BrickLink's Forum is much richer
than these one-size-fits-all applications. It is fully integrated with the site
- Inv Change requests, Catalog and suggestions, moderator tools, messaging system,
macro tags, ID cards, and the list goes on and on. Sure, you can set up something
cheap and quick, and because it is new, it has some richer features. But overall,
if we did something like that, it would severely cheapen the BrickLink experience.

It's true that the Forum (as well as all the old code on the site) needs
to be completely rewritten and possibly redesigned. But we need to be sure while
doing that that we don't water down a core feature that made the site great.

So does this mean that is what is going on? Or is the focus still the new tangent
XP?

I don't monitor all the most used AFOL forums, but my impression that the

BrickLink Forum has been the leading and most active AFOL forum for a long time
now, despite it's archaic appearance and limitations. To the extent that
that is true, we don't want to break something that is performing so well.

I think the OP first and susbsequent messages has shown statistically that the
forum is not being used as much as t it had been in the past, and whilst I agree
it is a little like the weather, constantly changeable, he may have a point from
strictly the number side. Don't get us wrong - we enjoy using the forum -
it is really the only communications that goes on on the site, other than comms
via the messaging system.

Still, as we and others have said there are many more important things to be
done than the forum or messaging. My earlier point was it could be done quickly
and easily with plug ins (which is the way most modern software is put together.

Mo one, anywhere can do it all, not today, anyway. Dan and Eric had a head start
and brought this site to what it is today and we, like many others will not forget
that. Of course, improvement and updating is needed, but where and what that
transpires to be is currently outside of our knowledge.

Author:

Admin_Russell

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 12:55

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

82 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, SylvainLS writes:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

Take a look at http://forum.bricklink.com/ ….

From the front page:

Most users ever online was 20 on Wed Sep 12, 2018 4:25 pm

That was around the time ADP was announced.

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 12:53

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

27 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Leftoverbricks writes:

We must not forget their promise to the users after their acquisition

"Message from Jung-Ju “Jay” Kim, founder of the online game company Nexon, incoming
owner of BrickLink.com:

(As of June 5th, the Hong Kong-based company Bricklink Limited has acquired the
assets of BrickLink.com. Bricklink Limited is a subsidiary of NXMH.)

Dear BrickLink Community,

I am extremely pleased to be taking over the operations of BrickLink.com. I’ve
been a LEGO fan for 40 years and an avid user of BrickLink.com for over a decade.
My first plans are to upgrade the website, and do our best to make users happier
and more prosperous, while staying true to the original vision of BrickLink.com
founder, Daniel Jezek. We will work hard in order to ensure that BrickLink.com
becomes stable, secure and as user-friendly as possible.

I want to sincerely thank the family of Daniel Jezek, especially his mother Eliska,
as well as the BrickLink.com Community, for the opportunity to upgrade and operate
such a beloved website as BrickLink.com. In order to expedite the process of
renovating BrickLink.com, I and Bricklink Limited will be asking users to e-mail
us with their ideas for the improved functionality of the site, as well as any
current issues that need to be addressed in order to provide users with the best
possible selling and buying experience. We’ll establish those lines of communication
very soon.

Thank you for your continued patronage and support of Brick"Link.com

Jung-Ju Kim, incoming owner of BrickLink.com

Not really sure we have seen any of the promises turn into reality, but willing
to listen to debate about that.

In the past two years or so the owners of Bricklink showed no interest whatsoever
in changing the old 1990's code. Maybe they think 'don't change a
thing while it's working'.

Their wording was 'Spaghetti code' at the Brickworld conference in Octboer
of last year.

Changes to the forum?
This will not happen.
I wish it would.
But I'm sceptical.

As are we all

BL is really something special: it's outdated but yet thousands of sellers
earn a nice income using the outdated interface.
So I can understand BL's POV: never change something that already works fine.

I think they have bent that guideline several times with updates to the system.

But it's bad anyway. BL is 1990. We need 2019!

They should have started that with a proper system analysis and design project
coupled with liaison with the membership. (It was over 6 years ago and re-doing
this site is not a 6 year development project,

Author:

Admin_Russell

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 12:50

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

84 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 12:46

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

26 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, SylvainLS writes:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

Take a look at http://forum.bricklink.com/ ….

That is a more up to date forum but as we are not either users or interested
in stud.io we don't see it.

Does prove they can do it if they want to, but that also shows where their focus
is and it isn't the classic site.

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 12:30

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

32 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

Take a look at http://forum.bricklink.com/ ….

Author:

Leftoverbricks

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 12:28

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

29 times

Topic:

I agree, the Forum needs an update.

The forum and many other parts of this site are written in extremely old code
and it would require lots of time and effort for programmers to change this.
It's not like changing old code, they have to develop a completely new environment
from scratch. To make the forum 2019-proof they also have to make the forum responsive
for phones and tablets.

In the past two years or so the owners of Bricklink showed no interest whatsoever
in changing the old 1990's code. Maybe they think 'don't change a
thing while it's working'.

Changes to the forum?
This will not happen.
I wish it would.
But I'm sceptical.

BL is really something special: it's outdated but yet thousands of sellers
earn a nice income using the outdated interface.
So I can understand BL's POV: never change something that already works fine.

But it's bad anyway. BL is 1990. We need 2019!

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 12:08

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

60 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Admin_Russell writes:

In Suggestions, Nathan123 writes:

It seems the forum isn't getting the same kind of community involvement as
it once did. It is fairly common to see less than 100 messages per day and I
had to go back to July to find a day that had over 200. The way the forum works
right now it can be very frustrating and time consuming finding posts of interest
as even new posts get buried quickly under 2 or 3 more active posts and that
makes it difficult to participate in the forum if you do not have the time to
browse or search through it. In terms of utility the bricklink forum is not as
easy to use and enjoy as say brickset forum. There are a lot of good parts of
the BL forum but I feel it is largely being ruined.

My suggestion is that when a post is responded to the post itself moves to the
top but it doesn't show up as a new message, so if a post is made and has
10 replies it will still just look like one post on the forum. I would also like
to recommend that certain categories get put into a different area apart from
the forum so maybe for example buying and selling, inventory change requests,
and sales posts could be seperated from the rest so they don't bury the rest
of the posts out there and stagnate the forum.

The goal would be to allow more people and ideas to participate in the community.

Hi Russell and thank you for your comments on this topic (which isn't ours)
as you can tell.

Just like to add that our forum has all the functionality of this one as well
as the ability to edit, add attachments, conduct polls, plus more and its free
software - phbbs forum. It took our web guy an hour or so to get it installed
and me about a day to learn all about it (and I still don't know all there
is to know)

The Bricklink forum and messaging system , as you know, are well out of date
and whilst most of the regular members love this archaic piece of software (and
we have a liking to it as well), newer users are used to much richer applications.

There are lots of things that are more important than the forum and as you have
said in many comments here development time is at a premium whilst the company
determines which direction(s) it is going to take for the future. Might not be
a bad idea to keep the members informed - I know that kind of contravenes current
policy but it would engender a lot more respect for what is happening or about
to happen.

I have been a member for a long time now both as a buyer only (3 years before
we became a store) and nearly 9 years as a store, and feel, like most, that we
are kept in the dark about what is happening with the site. As for earlier times
and forum discussions/debates etc, we remember most of them - but again most
of those members are no longer involved with Bricklink. We get PM's from
some of them from time to time when they read something on the forum and want
an insiders view (Not really sure why they believe we have an insiders view but
still). It is nice to hear from them and we try to comment on what they are asking.

Life, forums, business , relationships are all about multi-directional communications
and this site is no different than any others. Keep your customers happy and
you will grow and prosper - give them cause for concern and you will not see
the real benefits you are looking for, regardless of the dir4ection you choose
and we all kow no one can do it on their own.

Bill & the Team @ Calsbricks.

Author:

Adjour

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 11:50

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

25 times

Topic:

LOL you are the OP.

Ok you changed my mind, we could use forum flair in addition to editing.

Author:

Adjour

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 11:47

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

32 times

Topic:

Please don't get hung up on me saying "hundreds". Its just an example in
reply to the OP who is musing about why there isn't more traffic on the forum,
and wrongly, IMO, blaming it on the forum template.

You can't argue the fact that, like I said, "wholesome" posts are almost
completely ignored here. If people really want more forum participation,
then they need to stop treating other users they do not know yet like
they are stereo instructions and reach out and be friendly. It is my opinion
that the issues presented by the OP is not a template issue.

The issue in my opinion is that there isn't enough
interest to get more people using the forum

This is exactly my point.

Author:

Adjour

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 11:43

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

32 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, SylvainLS writes:

In Suggestions, Adjour writes:

[…]
I remember a regular member posting a very nice collection photo because they
were excited about finishing or near finishing it iirc. I think it got two replies...

On Reddit, that same post would have got hundreds of positive replies. […]

On the other hand, 200 comments of “Good!” and “+1” aren’t fun to read either

To you maybe, but to the OP posting something personal, I'm sure they would
be thrilled. 200 is hyperbole for this site, anyway

I also believe that, as there are other forums that specialize in that sort of
posts, by comparison and by BL’s very nature, BL’s forum will always seem more
oriented towards selling/buying or cataloguing than MOCing or other news.

Right, which is why I don't get these occasional "omg where has tHe fAmIly
GoNE?" posts I see on here occasionally. If people really miss a wholesome forum
that "used to" exist, they should be reaching out to new member and stop acting
like this is some sort of old timers club. (not everyone obviously).

Heck, look at this post and how many replies it has. Lol

Author:

maxx3001

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 10:14

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

52 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, jennnifer writes:

In Suggestions, bje writes:

The captain has therefor cordially invited you to dine at the ship's main
table once it is upright and our onboard chef can manage to cook you dodo a la
efof.

Regards

Paid for by Pals Tours

Excellent.

You brightened my morning considerably.

Jen

+1

Maxx

Author:

Nathan123

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 10:08

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

40 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Adjour writes:

My personal opinion is the format is largely fine. I modded for years on a v
bulletin based board and the only real feature I miss is editing ability.

What I noticed is wholesome posts are largely ignored here. People posting mocs
or collections are almost completely ignored while drama posts create long chains
of comments

I remember a regular member posting a very nice collection photo because they
were excited about finishing or near finishing it iirc. I think it got two replies...

On Reddit, that same post would have got hundreds of positive replies.

I know personally I've had a few cool post ideas, but I know if it's
not negative or dramatic they will only be met with crickets.

Again, just my opinion

The difference in size is probably why there could be hundreds of positive comments
and upvotes while being met with silence here. Here there cannot be more than
a couple hundred people looking at the BL forum for any significant amount of
time from day to day. The issue in my opinion is that there isn't enough
interest to get more people using the forum but the other problem is that if
more people were to use the forum it would become harder to use as posts would
get buried that much faster.

Author:

SylvainLS

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 09:48

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

46 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Adjour writes:

On the other hand, 200 comments of “Good!” and “+1” aren’t fun to read either

Author:

Adjour

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 09:37

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

43 times

Topic:

Author:

jennnifer

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 09:36

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

46 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, bje writes:

The captain has therefor cordially invited you to dine at the ship's main
table once it is upright and our onboard chef can manage to cook you dodo a la
efof.

Regards

Paid for by Pals Tours

Excellent.

You brightened my morning considerably.

Jen

Author:

Hsousa

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 09:19

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

40 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, paulvdb writes:

In Suggestions, Hsousa writes:

Hello there, thank you for replying.

However I wanted to know if there's a way of, when clicking on a thread,
displaying the entire thread? There's an additional click on the "Entire
thread on one page" link every time I want to read a thread.

To rephrase, I want to open the foruns in "Compact" mode (done), but open the
threads in "Entire thread on one page". Is it possible?

You can click on the text bubble icon in front of the topic title to display
the entire thread on one page.

Cheers, that helped !

Author:

paulvdb

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 09:16

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

44 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Hsousa writes:

You can click on the text bubble icon in front of the topic title to display
the entire thread on one page.

Author:

Hsousa

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 09:10

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

45 times

Topic:

Author:

Nathan123

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 04:23

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

63 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Admin_Russell writes:

In Suggestions, Nathan123 writes:

Thank you for this information! I had no clue those options already existed although
I probably should have. It could be that the forum is just in one of those periods
of decreased participation but from the stats it doesn't seem like it has
really changed all that much in about 9 months...to me it seems it should be
busier and for whatever the reason is, it is apparent the forum just has not
grabbed people's interest.

Author:

bje

Posted:

Nov 8, 2019 03:25

Subject:

Re: Forum Reforms

Viewed:

52 times

Topic: