BrickLink Discussion Forum

In Inventories, peregrinator writes:

In Inventories, dwight writes:

Should I worry about this when listing this as complete? Should I suggest changes
to the inventory of this set? Should I just stop worrying and go to bed? 😊

If you wanted to list it now, you would have to list it as incomplete since what
you have doesn't match the BrickLink inventory. You could suggest changes
with your parts listed as alternates. The printed tiles are definitely interesting
as I don't know where else you would have gotten them - they are not "known"
to have come with any set.

[P=3068bp22]

[P=3068bp23]

Alternately you could acquire the parts needed to complete the set - doesn't
sound like anything rare or expensive.

Stickered version of the title is cataloged in light gray

[P=3068bpb0151]

And in 1988 was lego still licensing independent manufacturers? There certainly
wasnt as much consistency as there is now, and bricklink wasnt as thorough in
documenting variations that could appear in sealed sets.

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Oct 8, 2021 00:37

Subject:

Re: Questions about set 6394 - Metro Park...

Viewed:

31 times

Topic:

Inventories

In Inventories, dwight writes:

I have a question for you all…

I’m inventorying set 6394 – Metro Park & Service Tower. I purchased this set
new, built it once and had it on display for years. I eventually bagged it up
whole when I had to move. Now that I’m inventorying it I’m finding that:

• Two of the hoses were listed as White when they were Light Gray in mine
• The 2348b is Trans-Light Blue when the one in my set is Trans-Clear
• Parts 3068bp22 and 3068bp23 are listed a White while mine are Light Gray
• The flowers are randomly off by color. I have Blue but no Blue are listed

Should I worry about this when listing this as complete? Should I suggest changes
to the inventory of this set? Should I just stop worrying and go to bed? 😊

Thanks,
-Dwight

List it as incomplete with the details you provided here. It's possible those
were the original parts, but more likely it was played with, parts were switched
from other sets. No the inventory won't be updated based on a model that
was on display for years, packed, moved, unpacked and then checked.

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Oct 7, 2021 17:48

Subject:

Re: Unfulfilled order tax return

Viewed:

47 times

Topic:

Buying

In Buying, SkippersMJ writes:

I ordered 3 items and 1 of them could not be fulfilled but I was taxed for all
3. I got a refund for the item that could not be sent but I didn’t see any refund
for the tax on the item. The seller says taxes are taken by Bricklink. Can anyone
tell me how Bricklink refunds the tax money?

The page for sellers to issue a refund was programmed wrong. I submitted a bug
report months ago, but had a refund earlier this week and noticed it still hasn't
been fixed.

There is an input field labeled "Refund amount Buyer will receive"

However the number the seller enters there isn't the amount the buyer will
receive. Bricklink removes taxes from that amount and the buyer receives the
difference.

There are two display fields that show the split between tax and refund, and
so the seller has to keep guessing/adjusting the amount entered until the numbers
are correct.

However, I don't think many sellers know this. You should contact your seller
and ask them to make another refund to you. Tell them the amount of refund you
actually received, and the amount still owing. They will have to guess/adjust
the number they enter on the refund screen for the second refund until the "Estimated
refund amount from Seller and PayPal" display field shows this o/s amount.

Confusing? Yes it's terrible programming.

(Also, the tax rate BL uses for the refund is the overall effective rate for
the entire order. In some states, the tax rate on shipping is different than
the products. So the refund will always be slightly wrong. There is no way for
it to calculate correctly because the refund page doesn't ask whether the
refund is for product or shipping. I mentioned this to Bricklink too, but don't
think they plan to fix it)

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Oct 1, 2021 22:26

Subject:

Re: question about Lego stamp on parts

Viewed:

27 times

Topic:

In Help, liisb writes:

Hi - Question for the parts experts please.

Are all parts stamped with the Lego brand/number? I am asking because I have
quite a few x346 Bionicle 1x3 tooth parts that I cannot see a stamp on. Does
that mean they are fake or are there some parts that didn't/don't have
visable stamps?
I used my magnifier app to close in and take a pic.

trans purple - no marks
trans dk. blue no marks
trans lt. blue - number on outer edge & Lego imprint inside
yellow - also has number and stamp.

If these are fakes they are damn good ones.....

any help would be great!
thanks!

There are many parts that don't have any logo or number. The moulds change
over time too, so some older parts don't have it but a newer version of the
same part does.

As with all fine artworks, provenance is more important than markings on the
object itself.

You've shipped 12,000 orders... that should qualify you as a parts expert?

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Sep 24, 2021 11:41

Subject:

Re: Get rid of Kentuckiana Bricks

Viewed:

130 times

Topic:

Problem Order

In Problem Order, firestar246 writes:

In Problem Order, GrimAmoeba91 writes:

Hides behind the usual Covid excuse and You never sent me an email. How do these
sellers continue to be able to sell on this site with continued lies and horrible
feedback.

Horrible feedback? I really think if they were as horrible as you say, that,
they wouldn't have a 98.5 positive percentage or be one of the top ten stores.

Where do you think 98.5 would rank them among the stores on Bricklink? I would
be willing to bet they are in the bottom 1 percentile of all sellers. Probably
even smaller than that.

Very few buyers are willing to post neutral or negative feedback. Especially
since sellers like this one will give a negative to a buyer for no reason other
than retaliation.

It's a shame that Bricklink chose to highlight this figure because it really
is misleading for buyers.

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Sep 3, 2021 17:27

Subject:

Re: Silver Metallic Lego (re: Tow Truck 8285)

Viewed:

34 times

Topic:

LEGO products

In LEGO, Claasen writes:

Sorry: just a small additional question (I am learning something here): what
is the 'catalog page' and where can I find this? Looked on the Lego and
BL site but am probably looking with my nose.

The Bricklink page where the information about the item is listed - if you click
on the part number in my previous post it will take you right there.

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Sep 3, 2021 16:07

Subject:

Re: Silver Metallic Lego (re: Tow Truck 8285)

Viewed:

38 times

Topic:

LEGO products

In LEGO, Claasen writes:

I have two questions about Silver Metallic Lego parts (such as exhaust pipe pieces
in the 8285 set in particular):
1) I have noted that Silver Metallic parts (like round domes en round exhaust
pipes) look like 'painted' Lego. The paint or coating falls of (OK;
8285 sets are getting old) and the parts do not like cleaning alcohol (it dissolves
the 'paint'

; al other Lego seems solid and more indestructible. Is that
the 'normal' Metallic Silver Lego Quality or am I dealing with fake parts?
I have seen this on several different Ebay (Marktplaats) sets and even parts
bought on Bricklink
2) On all the sets I have seen (at least 4) the exhaust pipes had slits. Someone
told me they should be solid without slits. What is the deal about slits in the
exhaust pipes?

Metallic silver (and chrome silver) parts are all painted, and yes the painting
can wear off to reveal the solid color underneath. It is normal. They are genuine
LEGO. However if there is significant wear or damage you should note it in your
listing.

75535 Technic, Pin Connector Round 2L without Slot (Pin Joiner Round)
Parts: Technic, Connector

was the original version of the technic pin joiner without slots.

On the catalog page you can see the note

Related Items:
This Item is similar in mold type to the following Item(s):
Part 62462 Technic, Pin Connector Round 2L with Slot (Pin Joiner Round)

It was revised to include the slots to make it easier to remove pins.

LEGO doesn't typically worry about the difference in their factories. So
until all the old ones are used up you can find either one packed into the sets
(and sometimes even 2 different versions packed into one copy of the set).

In the set inventory you can see the two versions listed as "alternate" items
meaning either one can be included for the set to be "complete".

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Sep 1, 2021 22:03

Subject:

Re: Feedback Destroyed

Viewed:

72 times

Topic:

Selling

In Selling, infinibrix writes:

the main purpose of your selling technique
is simply to draw people into your store by offering cheap minifigures so that
they may also look to buy other items at the same time

They MUST buy other items at the same time. Minifigures are $0.50 but limit of
3, and the store minimum purchase is $15.00. And those other items are priced
much higher than average of course.

jprei28 you say you are helping people get cheap minifigures, but really having
such unusual store terms - you are wasting peoples time.

For example,
infinibrix store has 77511 visitors and 4439 sales
jprei28 has more visitors 83624 but only 718 sales

I think you may have the worst cart abandon rate on Bricklink. But I'm sure
you will just smirk and congratulate yourself on how clever you are for your
little scheme.

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Aug 19, 2021 12:12

Subject:

Re: Variations

Viewed:

38 times

Topic:

Catalog Identification

In Catalog Identification, cosmicray writes:

In Catalog Identification, janzenroth writes:

Any thoughts?

A long time ago, when variations first began to be popular (which may be the
wrong word), I suggested that there should be an parent (or umbrella) catalog
entry for each group of variants. It would own all the variants, but it
would not represent any single variation itself, but by searching within the
parent, you would see color/price/etc results for all the variations beneath
it. Or you could search within a specific variation, if you had specific needs.

Nita Rae

The way to implement this would be as a new field in the catalog entry for "variant".
It would be similar to the color field. You could add the part to your want list
with variant=blank (which would search for all versions) or could specify the
individual variant(s). Store inventory would also either have the field blank
(could be any variant) or specified if the seller has confirmed.

This would also be a better way to handle stickered pieces. Add to the catalog
with the item number, and specify the sticker in the variant field. It would
then be easier for sellers listing cheap/unpopular stickered parts to sell them
to someone looking for the undecorated version.

Sadly I don't think we will ever see such an improvement due to the programming
and catalog work involved.

Adding an indicator to the item description is a good idea. When listing used
pieces I try to always check the catalog page to see whether there is an entry
for "similar items" and make sure I have the variant correct. If there were an
indicator in the description it would save time because I would know which items
don't need to be looked up.

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Aug 11, 2021 10:34

Subject:

Re: Are sellers allowed to sell broken electronic

Viewed:

64 times

Topic:

In Help, Crashpc25 writes:

So I put in a mass entry and I got a 501st trooper and 2 XL power function motors
and I didn't notice how cheap they were the condition had nothing in it saying
it was broken but the info thing said that electronics are not tested and refunds
are not possible if they are broken isthis allowed?

For an item that isn't fit for its expected use there should be a note added
to the item description. It isn't good enough to have a general disclaimer
buried in the store terms and conditions. If the seller won't refund, file
a Paypal claim for "not as described"

I had a buyer contact me this week because a motor that I described as "tested
and working" didn't work. I refunded them completely and asked whether they
were sure the problem wasn't the connecting wire or battery box they were
using. Sure enough there was a loose connection in the battery box. In fact their
old was working all along - there was no need to order a new one. So they returned
the refund to me.

My experience with Bricklink has overwhelmingly been that you don't need
detailed store terms if you just treat people decently.

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Jul 29, 2021 12:28

Subject:

(Cancelled)

Viewed:

36 times

Topic:

I've done a few of these and can probably help you out - sent you a PM.

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Jun 30, 2021 16:49

Subject:

Re: Shipping to Texas issues

Viewed:

46 times

Topic:

And beginning later tonight, they will lose Florida and Kansas ...

https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=2503

Nita Rae

Hopefully they can also change this error message to make it clear the problem
is payment methods, not shipping location.

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

May 26, 2021 13:13

Subject:

Re: What set do these go to?

Viewed:

40 times

Topic:

In Help, seymour3113 writes:

I have no idea what set this goes to. They are LBG 2x2 tile

60194stk01 Sticker Sheet for Set 60194 - (38706/6226802)
Parts: Sticker Sheet

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Apr 17, 2021 13:19

Subject:

Re: 30598

Viewed:

22 times

Topic:

Suggestions

In Suggestions, starbeanie writes:

They aren't parts anymore, they are minifigs.

https://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?catType=M&catString=179.622

Not sure if you would know the answer but was there a reason for these to be
assigned rac## as the minifig ID rather than 30598##?

Every other 1-piece "minifig" I've seen was catalogued with the part number.
Would make them much easier to find.

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Apr 16, 2021 10:08

Subject:

Re: Monochrome Minifigures

Viewed:

44 times

Topic:

Suggestions

'm pretty sure the main objective behind the catalog is
that it is a representation of the parts that are officially sold by Lego. While
they do sell parts to make monochrome minifigures, they are not sold as such,
hence why they are not listed in the standard catalog and require custom listings.
If they were to do this, it could open a can of worms for other requests.

Disagree - the main objective of the catalog is to facilitate selling and buying
LEGO in this marketplace. If there is significant demand it should be added to
the catalog to make it easier to buy and sell (and to track the price history).
I trust the catalog admins to make a judgement call whether something is worthy
or not, but can understand that they wouldn't want that responsibility and
the flood of requests/complaints.

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Apr 13, 2021 14:36

Subject:

Re: New Packing Dimensions Feature

Viewed:

29 times

Topic:

Just curious why are the packing dimensions for minifigures is defined based
on them being assembled. Is that the recommended way to ship? I think sending
the pieces is much more common. Will it be the same for special assemblies?

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Apr 9, 2021 22:45

Subject:

Re: 33299 vs 61408

Viewed:

28 times

Topic:

In Catalog, CamelCityBH writes:

While adding inventory this evening, I found that the pictures shown for 33299
and 61408 seem to be reversed. I have a lot of both in multiple colors. The
items that match the images for 61408 clearly show "33299" inside a circle on
one face. The items that match the images for 33299 do not have a part number
visible anywhere. We checked approximately 50 of each.

Is it possible that someone submitted the images wrong?

There are several mold variations for 33299, some of them have the extra half
axle (which you can also see in the image for 61408). However Bricklink does
not distinguish between them.

61408 was created as a separate catalog entry because of the shape of the pin
hole - not because of the axle holes. The new smaller pin hole will not accept
a bar, which 33299 does.

So look at the pin hole - it is likely that all the parts you have are 33299

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Apr 7, 2021 15:22

Subject:

Re: New Packing Dimensions Feature

Viewed:

37 times

Topic:

In Catalog, Admin_Russell writes:

You can test it by putting things in a cart and trying to go through checkout.
I personally tested it quite a bit when Instant Checkout was released, and it
works very well. You will need to make sure you have accurate dimensions for
the parts in your store, and you will need to make small adjustments to the process
at first.

When I put items in my cart and then go to checkout to test it I get the message

"Unable to buy from yourself
BrickLink does not allow sellers to buy from themselves."

It doesn't show me any shipping options.
Were you able to override this or did you test it using two separate accounts?

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Apr 7, 2021 11:57

Subject:

Re: New Packing Dimensions Feature

Viewed:

35 times

Topic:

In Catalog, Admin_Russell writes:

Instant Checkout will work no matter what order the data is in, but when stud
and metric dimensions are listed together, it makes sense that the fields line
up.

The Z dimension should always mean height / thickness according to the rules
for stud dimensions.

Thanks for the quick reply!

How do dimension limits work on instant checkout? I haven't been able to
find any documentation. There is no way for me to test it, so I simply didn't
use it.

There is a help page for "Store Shipping Methods" however it seems to be out
of date. I think it shows the shipping settings screens from before IC was implemented.

There is a help page under "Instant Checkout" "Advanced Options" that shows an
example of package restictions:

Orders can't be shipped with this method when order package exceeds any of
these conditions or when an item in the order has been flagged with manual packaging
type by the seller.
Max dimension
15 in (w) x 12 in (h) x 0.75 in (d)

It states that it is flagged if "order package" is too big. I don't know
what the size of the order package is, or how it is calculated. Does that mean
if any of the individual elements is too big?

Are we supposed to enter the limits in inches? Even though the packaging dimensions
are in cm?

Would a 1x1x5 Brick be allowed under this example?
It has dimensions 0.8 x 0.8 x 4.8 cm.
4.8 cm 0.75 in so it seems to be it would not be allowed, unless the system
is doing something behind the scenes to re-organize the dimensions and can see
that
4.8 cm
0.8 cm
0.8 cm

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Apr 7, 2021 11:04

Subject:

Re: New Packing Dimensions Feature

Viewed:

44 times

Topic:

For parts is the z dimension the height? Because I looked at 1x1x5 brick and
the height is .8 cm. The actual height was entered as the y dimension.

Or is the z dimension the smallest? So that it can be used to determine whether
the item will fit in a thin envelope. In that case there are many entries that
need to be changed.

Before all the work of populating part dimensions i think we need to figure out
how it is going to be used.

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Apr 6, 2021 12:35

Subject:

Re: New Packing Dimensions Feature

Viewed:

45 times

Topic:

In Catalog, Emporiosa writes:

In Catalog, Brick.Door writes:

How will this be used? Will we be able to set up a shipping method that is only
allowed if all pieces are under a certain thickness? (i.i USPS large envelope/flat)

So the checkout would need to find the smallest of the three dimensions for each
element in the cart, and make sure it is below the threshold.

Or is it just to better approximate the total volume of the order?

It's already very much in use with Canadians sellers; it can jump from a
$1.94 stamp to $22 if the part is over 20mm in thickness. Canadian sellers have
been manually putting in the packaging dimensions for every oversized item (and
setting those items to Volume based).

What you do is set the packaging limits (if you have any for USPS) in the shipping
option like you mentioned, and it ensures that if there's a thickness maximum
(like the 20mm in Canada for Lettermail), that no part has any dimension that
goes over that. There's also general volumetric dimensions that you can set
where it's to try to calculate if "that much LEGO" can fit into what you
gave it, but I'm not entirely sure how well this part works.

So you have to exclude a part with any dimension over 20mm? That doesn't
seem like it would work very well. A 1x6x5 brick can easily fit but only one
of its dimensions is less than 20mm.

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Apr 6, 2021 09:29

Subject:

Re: New Packing Dimensions Feature

Viewed:

53 times

Topic:

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Apr 5, 2021 14:17

Subject:

Re: What color is this gray?

Viewed:

39 times

Topic:

Colors

In Colors, gunga writes:

In a large box of loose LEGO, I came across several light gray pieces that I
can't identify the color of. They are from set 41154 and the only gray listed
in the inventory is LBG. The pieces in question are the 1x1 bricks as well as
the 1x2x5 bricks. For reference, the arch, 1x4, and 2x4 are light bluish gray.
The liftarm is very light bluish gray.

I know there is a variance in the light bluish gray, but this is a pretty dramatic
shade difference. And they ALL have the same shade, every 1x1 and 1x2x5. They
are LEGO pieces as I checked the studs and the logo is present.

Any ideas? Or have I overlooked something simple?

If they were in a large loose box are you sure they came from 41154? Were there
any older (light gray) pieces in the box? The previous owner may have been playing
and took it apart and put it back together with some older bricks.

However, the fact that it is only certain elements (and all of those elements)
leads me to believe it was a bad batch produced this way by LEGO. Since it is
a recent set I wouldn't expect any fading or discoloration this quickly.

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Mar 12, 2021 09:59

Subject:

Re: Option to exclude incomplete instructions

Viewed:

29 times

Topic:

Suggestions

In Suggestions, Ninepartsred writes:

We have the option to exclude incomplete sets from searches but I'm coming
across a lot of instructions entries that are missing parts and I'd like
to filter them out as I'm looking for complete ones.

I'm not suggesting disallowing individual parts as people may need them to
complete a set.

Interesting because incomplete minifigures can't be listed with the catalog
entry - they have to be listed as a custom item. I expect the same rules apply
to instructions.

Currently there is no way for sellers to indicate complete/incomplete except
for sets. So there is no way to flag them in searches. It would require programming
so is unlikely to happen.

Author:

Brick.Door

Posted:

Apr 23, 2020 16:07

Subject:

Re: Is this Pearl Light Gold?

Viewed:

33 times

Topic:

Colors