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 Author: axaday View Messages Posted By axaday
 Posted: Feb 17, 2022 09:58
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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 Topic: Administrative
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axaday (7303)

Location:  USA, Oklahoma
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jun 28, 2005 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store Closed Store: Axaday
In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear BrickLink members,

Please find the minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting.


Minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting May 20th. 2021



Agenda

- Panel member introductions

- Marketplace panel program presentation

- Workshop

- BrickLink vision

- Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

- Next steps



Ad. 1 Panel member introductions

We have selected the initial panel members based on criteria such as: Having
both buyers and sellers represented, BrickLink experience, ability to engage
in constructive dialogues about the future of BrickLink and ability to consider
the greater good for the BrickLink sellers and buyers.

The initial panel members are:

Constructibles, SimplyBricks, Dcarmine, Calsbricks, Erkiles, Legoman77, Faro,
BrickCoast

During this first part, all panel members introduced themselves and it is clear
that this is a diverse, multitalented group that are all passionate about BrickLink.

No doubt that this select group will be a fantastic first Marketplace panel.



Ad 2. Marketplace panel program presentation

The structure of the program had been shared with the panel ahead of the meeting,
so in this session, we mainly dug into the basics of the program and collaboration
principles:

4 annual meetings with an opportunity to impact the future development of the
BrickLink Marketplace

Between the meetings we will collaborate through a Teams channel, making it possible
for us to engage outside the meetings as well.

We aim to increase the number of members in the panel to a max of 14 people throughout
the next 1-2 years.

We will invite new members to the Panel annually, to ensure fresh perspectives
by shifting 50% of the panel members with new members meeting above criteria.
We will be promoting the opportunity to sign up for the panel in Q1 2022.

In our collaboration, we will be looking to the future as opposed to the past.

We will be mindful of one another in the dialogues we have, remembering that
we are all in this with the best of intentions.



This panel is focused on the Marketplace specifically. There will be other initiatives
similar to this one, that focus on e.g. Studio, The Catalog, etc.



Ad 3. Workshop

This being the first Panel meeting, we felt a need to make sure we got the frustrations
out of every one’s system, in order to be able to focus on the future of BrickLink,
as opposed to being stuck in the past. This was done in a workshop where everyone
was able to share frustrations but also the things, they love about BrickLink.



Ad 4. BrickLink vision

Marvin Park shared thoughts related to the vision and mission of BrickLink as
a platform through which LEGO fans can also realize their dream designs. As for
the long-term roadmap, it was highlighted how BrickLink marketplace and Studio
can evolve to meet diverse needs of the AFOL community and become an integral
part of the entire LEGO ecosystem.



Ad 5. Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

BrickLink’s new Senior Product Manager Stephen Wilhelm presented the current
Marketplace roadmap. This roadmap is now mainly focused on development related
to VAT compliance rules (initiatives that we are bound to by law and that we
are not able to de-prioritize) and initiatives intended to support e.g., the
ability to lower response rate for new seller verifications, etc. There are several
user experience related initiatives the BrickLink Marketplace team plans to work
on, but we are looking to the Marketplace Panel members to help us prioritize
what enhancements would provide the most value.

Aside from above, several focus areas that we have picked up based on input from
the BrickLink members in general were presented with the intention to prioritize
them. We were not able to finish the prioritization discussions completely at
this meeting, but a couple of things were highlighted as being critical to prioritize:

Seller tools (e.g., Inventory management, store management, seller page updates)

Continue modernization of the BrickLink platform. This is already ongoing, but
we aim to apply more resources later this year.

A few less critical but still impactful areas were introduced:

Telephone support and the ability to have expert engagers to reach out to

Order Item Refund Request (OIRR) & Refund enhancement

Rewriting storefront pages to support mobile / native.

Provide BrickLink shipping methods (preferably one shipping cost per customer)

Overhaul/update payment processes

The above list varies greatly in level of complexity, and we will need to take
all input in to consideration in upcoming plans. Status on above and long-term
plans will be shared in minutes from the next Panel meeting.

A few other things we will be looking in to due to the input from the panel:

Ability for Sellers to make use of BrickLink’s access to Google Analytics.

On-site payment and why some sellers choose not to use this option.

Shipping price calculations based on zones instead of weight (US specific)



Ad 6. Next steps

It was decided to disclose the BrickLink panel members to the general BrickLink
membership base, this is not to be seen as an invitation to reach out to the
panel members directly with input for the Panel
, but a way to be transparent
about who is in the panel as per the request of many members. Any ill manor
targeted directly at the Panel members may result in abandonment from BrickLink.



We need everyone’s input!

We have recently taken input from all BrickLink members in the survey, and we
take input regularly in the NPS survey, this input has already played a huge
part in shaping the focus for BrickLink in general and will be part of shaping
the future of BrickLink also.

During the upcoming Panel meetings, we might come across items to prioritize
that are not straight forward, in terms of defining what is best for the majority
of BrickLink members, in these cases, we will have a poll among the members in
general in order to ensure solid facts to back the decisions.



Upcoming meetings

The next meetings are planned for August and November.



Reflections

No doubt that we are blessed to have members on BrickLink that are prepared to
spend hours in their busy lives, participating in dialogue to make sure that
we have the best outside-in perspective we can when deciding how to prioritize
our efforts on BrickLink going forward. This is not something we have been able
to prioritize to the same extent in the past (hence numerous understandable frustrations),
but it is something that we are committed to prioritizing going forward!

BrickLink members, you can be proud of your Panel members, they did an amazing
job in representing you. Everyone spoke freely about critical issues to be addressed,
this is highly appreciated because then we won't have to waste time (mis)interpreting
this and we can get moving on the things that matter.

We hope that you will read this and share any feedback you might have, in this
topic or directly to ce_tanja. We have just started this journey and we are happy
to take your input to the process and adjust along the way.



Thank you!

The BrickLink Team

I hope one of the tools being talked about is infinite (or way more) stockrooms.
I would love to part each set out to its own stockroom. And be able to name
the stockrooms.
 Author: par016 View Messages Posted By par016
 Posted: Feb 17, 2022 09:55
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
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 Topic: Administrative
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par016 (7666)

Location:  USA, New York
Member Since Contact Type Status
Apr 30, 2013 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Boston Red Blocks
In Administrative, maxx3001 writes:
  In Administrative, par016 writes:
  In Administrative, Admin_Russell writes:
  Dear BrickLink Sellers,

Over the past several months, we’ve seen a variety of Transparent and Glow-In-Dark
minifigures flood the market. We have determined these to be illegitimate LEGO
items, despite the fact that many of them are imprinted with the LEGO logo.

Of particular note are the Darth Vader minifigures, Batman, and other superheroes.

We will start removing these listings this week, both from the custom items section
and from listings under catalog entries. This includes whole minifigures and
minifigure parts. For those of you who regularly file Problem Item For Sale reports,
please add these to the things you screen for.

Thank you,

The BrickLink Team

Having run across a marbled brick yesterday, it got me to thinking. How does
this policy relate to Grangemouth Marbled 2 x 4 bricks?

It's fairly well known that those bricks were created by employees off the
record, much like these items here. So do they get the same treatment, or is
the statute of limitations up on Grangemouth bricks?

-Pete

The difference in my eyes is that Grangemouths were not made to make a profit.
These new parts are clearly being made to create monetary value.

The test bricks are normally hard to find, sure batches show up every now and
then.
But these new parts are being sold to stores across the world in high numbers.

A fascinating problem.

Maxx

I agree, I just wanted to confirm BrickLink's stance on it.
They don't show up very often on BrickLink but every now and then when I
need my Grangemouth fix I would to be able to know I get get them on BrickLink.

-Pete
 


 Author: maxx3001 View Messages Posted By maxx3001
 Posted: Feb 17, 2022 09:40
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
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 Topic: Administrative
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maxx3001 (2568)

Location:  Netherlands, Utrecht
Member Since Contact Type Status
Nov 28, 2004 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: 3001: A Brick Oddity
In Administrative, par016 writes:
  In Administrative, Admin_Russell writes:
  Dear BrickLink Sellers,

Over the past several months, we’ve seen a variety of Transparent and Glow-In-Dark
minifigures flood the market. We have determined these to be illegitimate LEGO
items, despite the fact that many of them are imprinted with the LEGO logo.

Of particular note are the Darth Vader minifigures, Batman, and other superheroes.

We will start removing these listings this week, both from the custom items section
and from listings under catalog entries. This includes whole minifigures and
minifigure parts. For those of you who regularly file Problem Item For Sale reports,
please add these to the things you screen for.

Thank you,

The BrickLink Team

Having run across a marbled brick yesterday, it got me to thinking. How does
this policy relate to Grangemouth Marbled 2 x 4 bricks?

It's fairly well known that those bricks were created by employees off the
record, much like these items here. So do they get the same treatment, or is
the statute of limitations up on Grangemouth bricks?

-Pete

The difference in my eyes is that Grangemouths were not made to make a profit.
These new parts are clearly being made to create monetary value.

The test bricks are normally hard to find, sure batches show up every now and
then.
But these new parts are being sold to stores across the world in high numbers.

A fascinating problem.

Maxx
 
 Author: par016 View Messages Posted By par016
 Posted: Feb 17, 2022 09:13
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
 Viewed: 161 times
 Topic: Administrative
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par016 (7666)

Location:  USA, New York
Member Since Contact Type Status
Apr 30, 2013 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Boston Red Blocks
In Administrative, Admin_Russell writes:
  Dear BrickLink Sellers,

Over the past several months, we’ve seen a variety of Transparent and Glow-In-Dark
minifigures flood the market. We have determined these to be illegitimate LEGO
items, despite the fact that many of them are imprinted with the LEGO logo.

Of particular note are the Darth Vader minifigures, Batman, and other superheroes.

We will start removing these listings this week, both from the custom items section
and from listings under catalog entries. This includes whole minifigures and
minifigure parts. For those of you who regularly file Problem Item For Sale reports,
please add these to the things you screen for.

Thank you,

The BrickLink Team

Having run across a marbled brick yesterday, it got me to thinking. How does
this policy relate to Grangemouth Marbled 2 x 4 bricks?

It's fairly well known that those bricks were created by employees off the
record, much like these items here. So do they get the same treatment, or is
the statute of limitations up on Grangemouth bricks?

-Pete
 Author: WoutR View Messages Posted By WoutR
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 18:25
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
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 Topic: Administrative
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WoutR (920)

Location:  Netherlands, Zuid-Holland
Member Since Contact Type Status
Mar 8, 2011 Contact Member Buyer
Buying Privileges - OK
In Administrative, yoavheskia writes:
  
  
  If I read correctly they are illegally made by employees in their spare time
using materials, time, molds etc. they weren’t allowed to use.

If I was one of the employees there, I would find the current 2x4 mold and produce
for my self a modern 3001 in every color that exist!

I would love to have a black-with-glitter or trans dark-blue satin brick, but
I am happy that this niche collectors market has not been spoiled by this issue.
 Author: yorbrick View Messages Posted By yorbrick
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 14:31
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
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 Topic: Administrative
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yorbrick (1185)

Location:  United Kingdom, England
Member Since Contact Type Status
Apr 11, 2011 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Yorbricks
  
What about all the odd colored SW Blasters? Are they allowed legitimate Lego
parts?

 
Part No: 58247  Name: Minifigure, Weapon Gun, Blaster SW Standard
* 
58247 Minifigure, Weapon Gun, Blaster SW Standard
Parts: Minifigure, Weapon {Black}
 
Part No: 92738  Name: Minifigure, Weapon Gun, Blaster SW Small with Scope
* 
92738 Minifigure, Weapon Gun, Blaster SW Small with Scope
Parts: Minifigure, Weapon {Black}

Some are those are pretty funny. One seller lists as hard to find, then another
lists 100+ of them at about 50c each.
 Author: bahpstore View Messages Posted By bahpstore
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 13:51
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
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 Topic: Administrative
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bahpstore (21044)

Location:  USA, Virginia
Member Since Contact Type Status
Sep 20, 2016 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: BAHP Store
In Administrative, Admin_Russell writes:
  Dear BrickLink Sellers,

Over the past several months, we’ve seen a variety of Transparent and Glow-In-Dark
minifigures flood the market. We have determined these to be illegitimate LEGO
items, despite the fact that many of them are imprinted with the LEGO logo.

Of particular note are the Darth Vader minifigures, Batman, and other superheroes.

We will start removing these listings this week, both from the custom items section
and from listings under catalog entries. This includes whole minifigures and
minifigure parts. For those of you who regularly file Problem Item For Sale reports,
please add these to the things you screen for.

Thank you,

The BrickLink Team

Thank you for taking care of this.

What about all the odd colored SW Blasters? Are they allowed legitimate Lego
parts?

 
Part No: 58247  Name: Minifigure, Weapon Gun, Blaster SW Standard
* 
58247 Minifigure, Weapon Gun, Blaster SW Standard
Parts: Minifigure, Weapon {Black}
 
Part No: 92738  Name: Minifigure, Weapon Gun, Blaster SW Small with Scope
* 
92738 Minifigure, Weapon Gun, Blaster SW Small with Scope
Parts: Minifigure, Weapon {Black}
 


 Author: yorbrick View Messages Posted By yorbrick
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 13:22
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
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yorbrick (1185)

Location:  United Kingdom, England
Member Since Contact Type Status
Apr 11, 2011 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Yorbricks
In Administrative, ryanaitch writes:
  In Administrative, yorbrick writes:
  
  I hope that we don't need to go that far. I love the view into LEGO development,
production and quality control that we can get through these parts.

For me, a few genuine test parts that got out are different on principle from
large quantities of illegitimate parts that were specifically made to be stolen
and sold to collectors.

I agree, but when they are veing made for the market, there becomes no difference.
Who can tell the difference between a red Darth Vader helmet that was really
used for testing and a red Darth Vader helmet that was produced to be sold as
a test item. If they clear out the trans parts but keep the red, then the illegitimate
production will just shift to making more red ones.

I think the difference is which parts are actively being listed. If there is
an influx of red parts that "shouldn't" exist, from multiple stores, that
seems to be new production (and not old stock), that would likely be restricted
too.

So they list one at a time to make them appeal real.
 Author: rylie_aitch View Messages Posted By rylie_aitch
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 12:59
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
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 Topic: Administrative
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rylie_aitch (251)

Location:  USA, Colorado
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jul 12, 2021 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: rylie_store
In Administrative, cosmicray writes:
  In Administrative, ryanaitch writes:
  No one is saying they're counterfeit here, as far as I can tell. They're
using official molds, but rogue employees are using that equipment to make parts
after hours that they think will sell well on the gray market. They're real
Lego but not seen as legitimate in that sense.

I would very careful making that assertion (unless you have verifiable first
hand knowledge). They could also be unscrupulous manufacturers trying to cash
in on easy money, and they simply don't care about trade-dress infringement.
If anything, putting the LEGO logo on them might cause customs to think they
are legitimate, and allow them into the country.

Nita Rae

Yep sorry, I should have clarified that what I said is only the current prevailing
theory. Those who resell the figures are not talking of course.

Ryan
 Author: cosmicray View Messages Posted By cosmicray
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 12:39
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
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cosmicray (3495)

Location:  USA, Florida
Member Since Contact Type Status Collage
Oct 1, 2000 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
View Collage Pic
Store Closed Store: Cosmic Toys
In Administrative, ryanaitch writes:
  No one is saying they're counterfeit here, as far as I can tell. They're
using official molds, but rogue employees are using that equipment to make parts
after hours that they think will sell well on the gray market. They're real
Lego but not seen as legitimate in that sense.

I would very careful making that assertion (unless you have verifiable first
hand knowledge). They could also be unscrupulous manufacturers trying to cash
in on easy money, and they simply don't care about trade-dress infringement.
If anything, putting the LEGO logo on them might cause customs to think they
are legitimate, and allow them into the country.

Nita Rae
 Author: rylie_aitch View Messages Posted By rylie_aitch
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 12:31
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
 Viewed: 79 times
 Topic: Administrative
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rylie_aitch (251)

Location:  USA, Colorado
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jul 12, 2021 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: rylie_store
In Administrative, yorbrick writes:
  
  I hope that we don't need to go that far. I love the view into LEGO development,
production and quality control that we can get through these parts.

For me, a few genuine test parts that got out are different on principle from
large quantities of illegitimate parts that were specifically made to be stolen
and sold to collectors.

I agree, but when they are veing made for the market, there becomes no difference.
Who can tell the difference between a red Darth Vader helmet that was really
used for testing and a red Darth Vader helmet that was produced to be sold as
a test item. If they clear out the trans parts but keep the red, then the illegitimate
production will just shift to making more red ones.

I think the difference is which parts are actively being listed. If there is
an influx of red parts that "shouldn't" exist, from multiple stores, that
seems to be new production (and not old stock), that would likely be restricted
too.
 Author: rylie_aitch View Messages Posted By rylie_aitch
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 12:28
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
 Viewed: 91 times
 Topic: Administrative
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rylie_aitch (251)

Location:  USA, Colorado
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jul 12, 2021 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: rylie_store
In Administrative, calebfishn writes:
  If there are legitimate "test batches" then you would expect the following:

a) They would be in limited colors, not every trans color imaginable (and unimagined)
b) They would not be limited to highly desireable parts, such as star wars figures,
and Darth Vader helmets with their neck pieces.
c) They would be uncommon, rather than appearing in hundreds, in dozens of stores.
d) there would not be stores offering hundreds of Star Wars minifig blaster weapons
and Emperor Palpatine statuettes in a multitude of rainbow colors.

For years, collecting test batches in some interesting colors, (predominantly
red) has been a niche collectors' market. But the new transparent color minifigures
and parts have flooded the market. There are several sellers who have 5 or
6 Darth Vaders in Tran Bright Green for example, (and 2-5 each of many other
monochrome colors) or Trans Yellow minifig helmets in numbers between 22 and
40. This is no longer something that is rare.
If you think that Lego produced these parts, is almost like they made more Darth
Vader helmets in Trans and Bright colors than they did in Black.

I feel bad for collectors and sellers who have worked hard to secure genuine
rare test batch parts in colors. I feel bad for reputable sellers who have inadvertantly
got these fake parts in their supply chain. But I think that all sellers and
buyers should be very cautious of all of these so called "rare" colors, and suspect
them to be counterfeit unless they can verify otherwise.

I appreciate the work that Bricklink is now doing to clean up these improper
listings. It would be a tragedy if Bricklink gained a reputation for being full
of counterfeit minifigs and parts.

No one is saying they're counterfeit here, as far as I can tell. They're
using official molds, but rogue employees are using that equipment to make parts
after hours that they think will sell well on the gray market. They're real
Lego but not seen as legitimate in that sense.
 Author: calebfishn View Messages Posted By calebfishn
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 12:12
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
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 Topic: Administrative
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calebfishn (2143)

Location:  Canada, Ontario
Member Since Contact Type Status
Feb 17, 2009 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Barbie's Brick Store
If there are legitimate "test batches" then you would expect the following:

a) They would be in limited colors, not every trans color imaginable (and unimagined)
b) They would not be limited to highly desireable parts, such as star wars figures,
and Darth Vader helmets with their neck pieces.
c) They would be uncommon, rather than appearing in hundreds, in dozens of stores.
d) there would not be stores offering hundreds of Star Wars minifig blaster weapons
and Emperor Palpatine statuettes in a multitude of rainbow colors.

For years, collecting test batches in some interesting colors, (predominantly
red) has been a niche collectors' market. But the new transparent color minifigures
and parts have flooded the market. There are several sellers who have 5 or
6 Darth Vaders in Tran Bright Green for example, (and 2-5 each of many other
monochrome colors) or Trans Yellow minifig helmets in numbers between 22 and
40. This is no longer something that is rare.
If you think that Lego produced these parts, is almost like they made more Darth
Vader helmets in Trans and Bright colors than they did in Black.

I feel bad for collectors and sellers who have worked hard to secure genuine
rare test batch parts in colors. I feel bad for reputable sellers who have inadvertantly
got these fake parts in their supply chain. But I think that all sellers and
buyers should be very cautious of all of these so called "rare" colors, and suspect
them to be counterfeit unless they can verify otherwise.

I appreciate the work that Bricklink is now doing to clean up these improper
listings. It would be a tragedy if Bricklink gained a reputation for being full
of counterfeit minifigs and parts.
 Author: yorbrick View Messages Posted By yorbrick
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 11:59
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
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 Topic: Administrative
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yorbrick (1185)

Location:  United Kingdom, England
Member Since Contact Type Status
Apr 11, 2011 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Yorbricks
  I hope that we don't need to go that far. I love the view into LEGO development,
production and quality control that we can get through these parts.

For me, a few genuine test parts that got out are different on principle from
large quantities of illegitimate parts that were specifically made to be stolen
and sold to collectors.

I agree, but when they are veing made for the market, there becomes no difference.
Who can tell the difference between a red Darth Vader helmet that was really
used for testing and a red Darth Vader helmet that was produced to be sold as
a test item. If they clear out the trans parts but keep the red, then the illegitimate
production will just shift to making more red ones.
 Author: yorbrick View Messages Posted By yorbrick
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 11:49
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
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 Topic: Administrative
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yorbrick (1185)

Location:  United Kingdom, England
Member Since Contact Type Status
Apr 11, 2011 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Yorbricks
  
They are indeed no test batches.
If I read correctly they are illegally made by employees in their spare time
using materials, time, molds etc. they weren’t allowed to use.


Lego / BL are using the word illegitimate rather than illegal. Presumably they
are not breaking any laws, but may well be breaking their employment contracts
by removing and selling these items.

Torsos alone have been selling for $100US, and there are a number of people showing
off their complete illegitimate monochrome figures on various forums, so someone
is making a tidy sum from this.
 Author: yoavheskia View Messages Posted By yoavheskia
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 11:18
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
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 Topic: Administrative
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yoavheskia (500)

Location:  Israel, Mehoz Tel Aviv
Member Since Contact Type Status
Nov 30, 2013 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: TLV parts
  
  If I read correctly they are illegally made by employees in their spare time
using materials, time, molds etc. they weren’t allowed to use.

If I was one of the employees there, I would find the current 2x4 mold and produce
for my self a modern 3001 in every color that exist!
 Author: WoutR View Messages Posted By WoutR
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 09:38
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
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 Topic: Administrative
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WoutR (920)

Location:  Netherlands, Zuid-Holland
Member Since Contact Type Status
Mar 8, 2011 Contact Member Buyer
Buying Privileges - OK
In Administrative, tonnic writes:
  In Administrative, yorbrick writes:
  In Administrative, Yo_Yo_Flamingo writes:
  In Administrative, Admin_Russell writes:
  Dear BrickLink Sellers,

Over the past several months, we’ve seen a variety of Transparent and Glow-In-Dark
minifigures flood the market. We have determined these to be illegitimate LEGO
items, despite the fact that many of them are imprinted with the LEGO logo.

Of particular note are the Darth Vader minifigures, Batman, and other superheroes.

We will start removing these listings this week, both from the custom items section
and from listings under catalog entries. This includes whole minifigures and
minifigure parts. For those of you who regularly file Problem Item For Sale reports,
please add these to the things you screen for.

Thank you,

The BrickLink Team

This certainly is interesting, and there are definitely cases where these items
are frauds (such as the pictures show here, these items can be seen to not be
LEGO parts, clear as day).

However, I think it we need to be careful before flagging every transparent minifigure
part under the sun- the catalog listing itself for minifigure torsos shows a
transparent torso
 
Part No: 973  Name: Torso Plain
* 
973 Torso Plain
Parts: Minifigure, Torso
. Transparent minifigures have made their way out
of test batches in the past- are these no longer allowed for sale?


There are photos of three different coloured trans torsos in that listing. Are
they all "test batches"? I doubt it. Why would they need to run test batches
of multiple trans colours, especially of a long existing part? These are more
likely the made-for-sale parts that someone is producing outside of LEGO's
production.

They are indeed no test batches.
If I read correctly they are illegally made by employees in their spare time
using materials, time, molds etc. they weren’t allowed to use.


I highly doubt that it was in their spare time. I more suspect night shifts where
there is less supervision.

The molds probably need cleaning and revisions, followed by production of a few
test batches for quality control. There is no reason to use all these odd colours
for that, nor for making larger quantities of specific minifigures.

  
  
But maybe LEGO / BL do need to ban all non-production parts, just so it is clear
that even the genuine test parts that were either stolen or otherwise removed
from factories are no longer allowed here as there is little difference between
genuine test parts and these new made-for-sale parts.
 Author: WoutR View Messages Posted By WoutR
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 09:32
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
 Viewed: 114 times
 Topic: Administrative
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WoutR (920)

Location:  Netherlands, Zuid-Holland
Member Since Contact Type Status
Mar 8, 2011 Contact Member Buyer
Buying Privileges - OK
In Administrative, yorbrick writes:
  In Administrative, Yo_Yo_Flamingo writes:
  In Administrative, Admin_Russell writes:
  Dear BrickLink Sellers,

Over the past several months, we’ve seen a variety of Transparent and Glow-In-Dark
minifigures flood the market. We have determined these to be illegitimate LEGO
items, despite the fact that many of them are imprinted with the LEGO logo.

Of particular note are the Darth Vader minifigures, Batman, and other superheroes.

We will start removing these listings this week, both from the custom items section
and from listings under catalog entries. This includes whole minifigures and
minifigure parts. For those of you who regularly file Problem Item For Sale reports,
please add these to the things you screen for.

Thank you,

The BrickLink Team

Thank you.
Sadly, I think that this is the best way forward.

A single figure is a fun oddity, flooding the market is completely different.

  
  This certainly is interesting, and there are definitely cases where these items
are frauds (such as the pictures show here, these items can be seen to not be
LEGO parts, clear as day).

However, I think it we need to be careful before flagging every transparent minifigure
part under the sun- the catalog listing itself for minifigure torsos shows a
transparent torso
 
Part No: 973  Name: Torso Plain
* 
973 Torso Plain
Parts: Minifigure, Torso
. Transparent minifigures have made their way out
of test batches in the past- are these no longer allowed for sale?


A very few rare trans-clear figure parts have been seen before this abuse. Those
actually might have been test items.

  There are photos of three different coloured trans torsos in that listing. Are
they all "test batches"? I doubt it. Why would they need to run test batches
of multiple trans colours, especially of a long existing part? These are more
likely the made-for-sale parts that someone is producing outside of LEGO's
production.

These illegitimate figures are clearly made-for-sale. They are products that
we might wish for, but that are unobtainable. Clearly made for collectors who
pay high prices only. I hope that LEGO can identify the culprits and will take
appropriate action. As long as this problem is ongoing, we should not support
it here. (If a few random parts show up in ten years time, that would be different
for me because a sale here would no longer reward fraud/theft/abuse.)

These figures seem to be marked as "prototype" or "test batches" because that
helpes sales only.

Red and transparent parts are known for actual testing, because certain molding
problems show up clearly. Sometimes other colors were also used, maybe "whatever
was available at the time in that injection molding machine".


  But maybe LEGO / BL do need to ban all non-production parts, just so it is clear
that even the genuine test parts that were either stolen or otherwise removed
from factories are no longer allowed here as there is little difference between
genuine test parts and these new made-for-sale parts.

I hope that we don't need to go that far. I love the view into LEGO development,
production and quality control that we can get through these parts.

For me, a few genuine test parts that got out are different on principle from
large quantities of illegitimate parts that were specifically made to be stolen
and sold to collectors.
 Author: tonnic View Messages Posted By tonnic
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 09:30
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
 Viewed: 94 times
 Topic: Administrative
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tonnic (4350)

Location:  Netherlands, Noord-Holland
Member Since Contact Type Status
Sep 30, 2004 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Tons_of_Bricks
In Administrative, yorbrick writes:
  In Administrative, Yo_Yo_Flamingo writes:
  In Administrative, Admin_Russell writes:
  Dear BrickLink Sellers,

Over the past several months, we’ve seen a variety of Transparent and Glow-In-Dark
minifigures flood the market. We have determined these to be illegitimate LEGO
items, despite the fact that many of them are imprinted with the LEGO logo.

Of particular note are the Darth Vader minifigures, Batman, and other superheroes.

We will start removing these listings this week, both from the custom items section
and from listings under catalog entries. This includes whole minifigures and
minifigure parts. For those of you who regularly file Problem Item For Sale reports,
please add these to the things you screen for.

Thank you,

The BrickLink Team

This certainly is interesting, and there are definitely cases where these items
are frauds (such as the pictures show here, these items can be seen to not be
LEGO parts, clear as day).

However, I think it we need to be careful before flagging every transparent minifigure
part under the sun- the catalog listing itself for minifigure torsos shows a
transparent torso
 
Part No: 973  Name: Torso Plain
* 
973 Torso Plain
Parts: Minifigure, Torso
. Transparent minifigures have made their way out
of test batches in the past- are these no longer allowed for sale?


There are photos of three different coloured trans torsos in that listing. Are
they all "test batches"? I doubt it. Why would they need to run test batches
of multiple trans colours, especially of a long existing part? These are more
likely the made-for-sale parts that someone is producing outside of LEGO's
production.

They are indeed no test batches.
If I read correctly they are illegally made by employees in their spare time
using materials, time, molds etc. they weren’t allowed to use.

  
But maybe LEGO / BL do need to ban all non-production parts, just so it is clear
that even the genuine test parts that were either stolen or otherwise removed
from factories are no longer allowed here as there is little difference between
genuine test parts and these new made-for-sale parts.
 Author: yorbrick View Messages Posted By yorbrick
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 08:10
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
 Viewed: 129 times
 Topic: Administrative
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yorbrick (1185)

Location:  United Kingdom, England
Member Since Contact Type Status
Apr 11, 2011 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Yorbricks
In Administrative, Yo_Yo_Flamingo writes:
  In Administrative, Admin_Russell writes:
  Dear BrickLink Sellers,

Over the past several months, we’ve seen a variety of Transparent and Glow-In-Dark
minifigures flood the market. We have determined these to be illegitimate LEGO
items, despite the fact that many of them are imprinted with the LEGO logo.

Of particular note are the Darth Vader minifigures, Batman, and other superheroes.

We will start removing these listings this week, both from the custom items section
and from listings under catalog entries. This includes whole minifigures and
minifigure parts. For those of you who regularly file Problem Item For Sale reports,
please add these to the things you screen for.

Thank you,

The BrickLink Team

This certainly is interesting, and there are definitely cases where these items
are frauds (such as the pictures show here, these items can be seen to not be
LEGO parts, clear as day).

However, I think it we need to be careful before flagging every transparent minifigure
part under the sun- the catalog listing itself for minifigure torsos shows a
transparent torso
 
Part No: 973  Name: Torso Plain
* 
973 Torso Plain
Parts: Minifigure, Torso
. Transparent minifigures have made their way out
of test batches in the past- are these no longer allowed for sale?


There are photos of three different coloured trans torsos in that listing. Are
they all "test batches"? I doubt it. Why would they need to run test batches
of multiple trans colours, especially of a long existing part? These are more
likely the made-for-sale parts that someone is producing outside of LEGO's
production.

But maybe LEGO / BL do need to ban all non-production parts, just so it is clear
that even the genuine test parts that were either stolen or otherwise removed
from factories are no longer allowed here as there is little difference between
genuine test parts and these new made-for-sale parts.
 Author: Yo_Yo_Flamingo View Messages Posted By Yo_Yo_Flamingo
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 07:51
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
 Viewed: 115 times
 Topic: Administrative
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Yo_Yo_Flamingo (4580)

Location:  USA, New York
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jan 9, 2016 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Set You Up
In Administrative, randyf writes:
  In Administrative, Yo_Yo_Flamingo writes:
  In Administrative, Admin_Russell writes:
  Dear BrickLink Sellers,

Over the past several months, we’ve seen a variety of Transparent and Glow-In-Dark
minifigures flood the market. We have determined these to be illegitimate LEGO
items, despite the fact that many of them are imprinted with the LEGO logo.

Of particular note are the Darth Vader minifigures, Batman, and other superheroes.

We will start removing these listings this week, both from the custom items section
and from listings under catalog entries. This includes whole minifigures and
minifigure parts. For those of you who regularly file Problem Item For Sale reports,
please add these to the things you screen for.

Thank you,

The BrickLink Team

This certainly is interesting, and there are definitely cases where these items
are frauds (such as the pictures show here, these items can be seen to not be
LEGO parts, clear as day).


I think the point is that the pictures shown here are *in fact* LEGO parts that
have been manufactured in a LEGO plant without the blessing of LEGO.


  However, I think it we need to be careful before flagging every transparent minifigure
part under the sun- the catalog listing itself for minifigure torsos shows a
transparent torso
 
Part No: 973  Name: Torso Plain
* 
973 Torso Plain
Parts: Minifigure, Torso
. Transparent minifigures have made their way out
of test batches in the past- are these no longer allowed for sale?


That is pretty much what the post is stating. Those "test batches" are not authorized
by the company, so they should not be in the market.

The way I read it is that these items may have the logo, but were not manufactured
by LEGO- it would be nice to have some clarification on this point. I know red
test-moulds of parts are popular items to sell here.
 Author: randyf View Messages Posted By randyf
 Posted: Jan 13, 2022 01:23
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
 Viewed: 160 times
 Topic: Administrative
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randyf (442)

Location:  USA, Ohio
Member Since Contact Type Status
Sep 16, 2009 Member Does Not Allow Contact Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store Closed Store: The Bricking Spectre
BrickLink Catalog Administrator (?)
In Administrative, Yo_Yo_Flamingo writes:
  In Administrative, Admin_Russell writes:
  Dear BrickLink Sellers,

Over the past several months, we’ve seen a variety of Transparent and Glow-In-Dark
minifigures flood the market. We have determined these to be illegitimate LEGO
items, despite the fact that many of them are imprinted with the LEGO logo.

Of particular note are the Darth Vader minifigures, Batman, and other superheroes.

We will start removing these listings this week, both from the custom items section
and from listings under catalog entries. This includes whole minifigures and
minifigure parts. For those of you who regularly file Problem Item For Sale reports,
please add these to the things you screen for.

Thank you,

The BrickLink Team

This certainly is interesting, and there are definitely cases where these items
are frauds (such as the pictures show here, these items can be seen to not be
LEGO parts, clear as day).


I think the point is that the pictures shown here are *in fact* LEGO parts that
have been manufactured in a LEGO plant without the blessing of LEGO.


  However, I think it we need to be careful before flagging every transparent minifigure
part under the sun- the catalog listing itself for minifigure torsos shows a
transparent torso
 
Part No: 973  Name: Torso Plain
* 
973 Torso Plain
Parts: Minifigure, Torso
. Transparent minifigures have made their way out
of test batches in the past- are these no longer allowed for sale?


That is pretty much what the post is stating. Those "test batches" are not authorized
by the company, so they should not be in the market.
 Author: Yo_Yo_Flamingo View Messages Posted By Yo_Yo_Flamingo
 Posted: Jan 12, 2022 23:52
 Subject: Re: Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures
 Viewed: 200 times
 Topic: Administrative
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Yo_Yo_Flamingo (4580)

Location:  USA, New York
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jan 9, 2016 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Set You Up
In Administrative, Admin_Russell writes:
  Dear BrickLink Sellers,

Over the past several months, we’ve seen a variety of Transparent and Glow-In-Dark
minifigures flood the market. We have determined these to be illegitimate LEGO
items, despite the fact that many of them are imprinted with the LEGO logo.

Of particular note are the Darth Vader minifigures, Batman, and other superheroes.

We will start removing these listings this week, both from the custom items section
and from listings under catalog entries. This includes whole minifigures and
minifigure parts. For those of you who regularly file Problem Item For Sale reports,
please add these to the things you screen for.

Thank you,

The BrickLink Team

This certainly is interesting, and there are definitely cases where these items
are frauds (such as the pictures show here, these items can be seen to not be
LEGO parts, clear as day).

However, I think it we need to be careful before flagging every transparent minifigure
part under the sun- the catalog listing itself for minifigure torsos shows a
transparent torso
 
Part No: 973  Name: Torso Plain
* 
973 Torso Plain
Parts: Minifigure, Torso
. Transparent minifigures have made their way out
of test batches in the past- are these no longer allowed for sale?
 Author: CE_Tanja View Messages Posted By CE_Tanja
 Posted: Jan 12, 2022 15:22
 Subject: Re: Studio to replace LDD Fan
 Viewed: 69 times
 Topic: Administrative
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CE_Tanja

Location:  USA, California
Member Since Contact Type Status
Feb 17, 2021 Contact Member Admin
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
BrickLink Administrator
Hi Stellar,

Your feedback is highly appreciated! We did hear this in the dialogues and I
am going back to ensure that it has indeed been added to the FAQ section and/or
the tutorials




In Administrative, Stellar writes:
  In Administrative, Tracyd writes:
  In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear all,

Today it is announced that LEGO® BrickLinkStudio will be replacing LEGO Digital
Designer as the LEGO Group’s official 3D building app.


We are of course very excited about this step but at the same time aware that
for some this may be a difficult transition.
Leading up to this announcement we have been in dialogue with current LDD and
Studio users in the community in an attempt to make the transition as smooth
as possible, hopefully that will be the case.

Tanja, if it helps, one of the most shocking changes to some users that they
told me is the color transition from White background from LDD to Black by default
in Stud.io but it can be changed in Stud.io to White, and it helped them feel
more confortable using it.

  
  
You can read the details on the LEGO Ambassador Network here:
https://lan.lego.com/news/overview/the-lego-group-will-focus-on-bricklink-studio-and-pull-back-support-for-lego%C2%AE-digital-designer-r301/

If you haven't already tried 3D building using Studio, do check it out!

Please tell me there will be a direct link to the Studio forum on the Studio
side so we dont't get flooded with Studio issues on this forum.

It is there and it already points to the correct forum: https://forum.bricklink.com/
 Author: CE_Tanja View Messages Posted By CE_Tanja
 Posted: Jan 12, 2022 15:20
 Subject: Re: Studio to replace LDD Fan
 Viewed: 56 times
 Topic: Administrative
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CE_Tanja

Location:  USA, California
Member Since Contact Type Status
Feb 17, 2021 Contact Member Admin
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
BrickLink Administrator
Hi Tracyd,

There is, all LDD Fan users are being guided to a Studio page with link to forum
as well as Q&A and video tutorials.

In Administrative, Tracyd writes:
  In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear all,

Today it is announced that LEGO® BrickLinkStudio will be replacing LEGO Digital
Designer as the LEGO Group’s official 3D building app.


We are of course very excited about this step but at the same time aware that
for some this may be a difficult transition.
Leading up to this announcement we have been in dialogue with current LDD and
Studio users in the community in an attempt to make the transition as smooth
as possible, hopefully that will be the case.

You can read the details on the LEGO Ambassador Network here:
https://lan.lego.com/news/overview/the-lego-group-will-focus-on-bricklink-studio-and-pull-back-support-for-lego%C2%AE-digital-designer-r301/

If you haven't already tried 3D building using Studio, do check it out!

Please tell me there will be a direct link to the Studio forum on the Studio
side so we dont't get flooded with Studio issues on this forum.

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