Redisplay Messages: Compact | Brief | All | Full Show Messages: All | Without Replies Author: | CE_Tanja | Posted: | Mar 25, 2022 15:17 | Subject: | Important update reg. Ukraine and Russia | Viewed: | 68701 times | Topic: | Administrative | |
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BrickLink ID CardCE_Tanja
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Location: USA, California |
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Feb 17, 2021 |
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BrickLink Administrator |
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| Dear BrickLink members,
The LEGO Group released the following statement regarding the war in Ukraine.
Our thoughts are with all the children and families suffering as a result of
the war in Ukraine.
Our priority is the safety of all our colleagues. We are in contact with our
Ukrainian team and are providing ongoing support to ensure their safety. We are
also working to support other colleagues around the world impacted by the escalating
crisis including our team in Russia.
We have paused shipments of products to Russia given the extensive disruption
to the operating environment.
We care deeply about the lasting impact on children and together with the LEGO
Foundation and Ole Kirk’s Fond, we will donate DKK 110 million (approx. USD 16.5
million) to emergency relief efforts, with a focus on providing support for children
and families. The donation will be made to existing partners, including the United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Save the Children, and the Danish Red Cross.
This is a volatile and constantly evolving situation which we are monitoring
closely.
What does this mean for BrickLink?
The global payment platforms we use on BrickLink are currently not available
in Russia and deliveries to and from the country are severely disrupted. Given
this, buying and selling activities in Russia will be temporarily deactivated.
Members impacted by this will be informed individually.
We are grateful for everyone in our community and never imagined we would face
a situation such as this or witness the heartbreak and devastation we’re seeing
in Ukraine.
Please continue to adhere to our community guidelines and show each other respect
and support.
Thank you for your understanding.
The BrickLink team
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Author: | Admin_Russell | Posted: | Jan 10, 2022 23:20 | Subject: | Transparent and Glow-in-Dark Minifigures | Viewed: | 3165 times | Topic: | Administrative | |
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BrickLink ID CardAdmin_Russell
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Location: USA, California |
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May 9, 2017 |
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BrickLink Administrator |
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| 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
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Author: | CE_Tanja | Posted: | Dec 6, 2021 12:30 | Subject: | Organizational change in BrickLink | Viewed: | 1831 times | Topic: | Administrative | |
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BrickLink ID CardCE_Tanja
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Location: USA, California |
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Feb 17, 2021 |
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BrickLink Administrator |
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| Dear BrickLink Members,
When BrickLink was acquired by the LEGO Group in 2019, we did so with the vision
to get closer to our committed adult fans, and over the past two years, we’ve
invested greatly in supporting and developing BrickLink to better deliver on
your needs.
At the same time, we have seen a significant increase in the LEGO Group’s adult
audience, and we want to build strong, direct relationships with them. Given
BrickLink’s increasingly important role in being a voice for the AFOL community,
we see a need to bring BrickLink closer to the LEGO Group and ensure that their
valuable insights can influence the LEGO Group’s full adult strategy.
As part of the journey to bring BrickLink closer, Marvin Park, formally Vice
President of BrickLink, will become an external advisor, supporting us with his
experience and knowledge about BrickLink.
I would like to warmly thank Marvin for his contribution to BrickLink and the
LEGO Group. Marvin has brought forward a number of strong initiatives that have
been instrumental in shaping BrickLink and developing it to where it is today.
Since the acquisition, he has been dedicated to connecting BrickLink and the
LEGO Group together, while staying focused on creating value for the fans and
the LEGO Group.
The role as Head of BrickLink will be taken on by Casper Thingholm. Casper is
well-positioned to step into this role as he has been intimately involved with
BrickLink over the last two years. This, combined with his solid LEGO leadership
experience and his passion for the fan community, makes me confident that he
will lead the future integration in a smooth and seamless way and enable the
LEGO Group to strongly support BrickLink’s development.
With this change, we will foster closer collaboration, become even better at
developing products that will benefit BrickLink users, and strengthen the voice
of the community towards the LEGO Group.
In this transition and in the future, we are as committed as ever to serving
the AFOL community. Creating value for the BrickLink community and ensuring that
we are meeting their needs will continue to be our top priority and we look forward
to doing even more of that with this change.
Best wishes,
Julia Goldin
Chief Product & Marketing Officer at the LEGO Group
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Author: | Admin_Russell | Posted: | Nov 24, 2021 14:50 | Subject: | EU Distance selling feature is now live! | Viewed: | 610 times | Topic: | Administrative | |
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BrickLink ID CardAdmin_Russell
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Location: USA, California |
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May 9, 2017 |
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BrickLink Administrator |
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| Dear BrickLink Members,
We have released our Distance Selling feature for sellers who plan to or have
reached the EUR annual 10 000 distance sale of goods threshold. To see where
your current BrickLink sales totals are, you can download the order information
here:
https://www.bricklink.com/orderExcel.asp?orderType=received
To turn this feature on, navigate to your Store Settings page and enable distance
selling. You will be asked to enter your One Stop Shop (OSS) number:
https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/business/vat/oss_en
or foreign VAT registration information and provide valid documentation. Once
enabled, the prices of your items will remain the same on your storefront, however
the VAT rate charged and collected will be changed to match the country’s rate
in which the buyer is located.
This has been implemented to comply with the new EU marketplace regulations.
For more information, please see the European Commission article on this topic
here:
https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/business/vat/online-sellers_en
You can find additional guidance on the BrickLink EU Marketplace Changes Help
Page:
https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=2517
This message will be sent via email to all sellers at the beginning of next week.
Please add any questions about this feature (along with any bug reports) to this
thread.
Thank you,
The BrickLink Team
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Author: | Admin_Russell | Posted: | Jul 14, 2021 07:21 | Subject: | EU VAT Registration Guidelines | Viewed: | 865 times | Topic: | Administrative | |
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BrickLink ID CardAdmin_Russell
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Location: USA, California |
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May 9, 2017 |
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BrickLink Administrator |
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| An email was sent out a few hours ago concerning the new requirements for EU
sellers regarding VAT registration. I am reposting the email here for those who
may have missed it.
Email Preview: Action may be required if you have reached the new EU VAT distance
sales of goods threshold in the preceding 12 months EU VAT Registration Guidelines
Dear BrickLink member,
Following the implementation of the new EU VAT e-commerce rules for online marketplaces,
BrickLink is asking each seller who has reached, or expects to reach, the new
EUR 10 000 distance sales of goods threshold for the preceding 12 months to ensure
they are compliant with their EU VAT registration obligations and provide proof
of registration.
Changes at a glance:
• The previous thresholds for distance sales of goods to buyers in other EU Member
States (EUR 35 000 or 100 000, depending on the Member State) has been abolished
and replaced by a new EU-wide threshold of EUR 10 000.
• Below this threshold, you can continue to apply the domestic rules for VAT
on your cross-border sales. If your sales are above this threshold, you are liable
for VAT in the Member State where your buyers are located. Alternatively, you
can register for the One Stop Shop (OSS) – where you can register for VAT in
one Member State and pay the VAT due in other Member States.
• For more information, please see the European Commission article on this topic
here: https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/business/vat/online-sellers_en
What this means for you:
• If your sales in the preceding 12 months are above the new EUR 10 000 distance
sales of goods threshold, you will need to register for the OSS or in each individual
EU Member State where you sell on BrickLink.
• If BrickLink determines or receives notification that you are not meeting your
VAT obligations within 30 days after receiving this notice, this will result
in the suspension of your selling abilities on BrickLink.
• Once registered for VAT, you will need to enter a valid VAT and/or OSS registration
number in your Store Settings page within the Management tab and enable VAT in
your settings.
This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended
to provide, and should not be relied on for advice. Please speak with a tax professional
if you have any questions about your tax obligations. BrickLink does not assume
any responsibility in terms of determining or notifying sellers about their VAT
registration obligations.
Thank You,
The BrickLink Team
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Author: | Admin_Russell | Posted: | Jun 24, 2021 16:59 | Subject: | Terms of Service Update | Viewed: | 471 times | Topic: | Administrative | |
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BrickLink ID CardAdmin_Russell
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Location: USA, California |
Member Since |
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May 9, 2017 |
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BrickLink Administrator |
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| Dear BrickLink members,
On July 1, to accompany the EU VAT Marketplace implementation, we will be making
a few small changes to our Terms of Service. The changes are listed here:
From the General Terms:
4. General Statements Regarding Fees and Taxes:
Simply becoming a registered user on the Site is free and BrickLink does not
charge you any fees for simply being a registered user.
Of course, as a Buyer of an item from a Seller, you must pay the Seller for the
item you purchase from the Seller.
In addition, certain US states require marketplace facilitators such as BrickLink
to collect sales tax directly from the Buyer. If the shipping address for an
order is in one of these states, state sales tax will be applied to the order
regardless of where the Seller is located. Due to technical complexity and the
need for accurate recordkeeping, BrickLink may restrict the type of payment methods
available for all such orders.
Sellers are subject to pricing and payment terms in the Seller Terms (as defined
below).
Designers are subject to pricing and payment terms in the Designer Terms (as
defined below).
Will now read:
4. General Statements Regarding Fees and Taxes:
Simply becoming a registered user on the Site is free and BrickLink does not
charge you any fees for simply being a registered user.
Of course, as a Buyer of an item from a Seller, you must pay the Seller for the
item you purchase from the Seller.
In addition, certain countries and regions require marketplaces such as
BrickLink to collect and remit transaction taxes (e.g. sales tax, VAT, GST, etc.)
directly from the Buyer. If the shipping address for an order is in one of these
countries or regions, transaction tax may be applied to the order. Due to technical
complexity and the need for accurate recordkeeping, BrickLink may restrict the
type of payment methods available for all such orders.
Sellers are subject to pricing and payment terms in the Seller Terms (as defined
below).
Designers are subject to pricing and payment terms in the Designer Terms (as
defined below).
From the Seller Terms:
1.3.9 Value Added Tax (VAT):
If you have enabled VAT in your store, your fees due to BrickLink will be based
on the sum of the order net prices for the items in the order, which net prices
exclude VAT (i.e., we do not charge Fees on VAT amounts). If you are a VAT-registered
Seller in the EU, you must enable VAT in your store and submit your VAT ID to
the Site. All submitted VAT IDs will be verified electronically and the VAT ID
and the registered name of the store will be displayed on the store front. If
you are a Seller in the EU who has not enabled VAT in your store, a VAT charge
will be added to your bill for all BrickLink fees you incur on the Site. The
percentage of VAT will be determined by the national VAT rate of your country.
VAT-enabled stores will need to handle VAT through self-accounting practices.
Will now read:
1.3.9 Value Added Tax (VAT) and similar taxes on Fees:
Where applicable, VAT will be applied on fees charged by BrickLink. If
you have enabled VAT in your store, your fees due to BrickLink will be based
on the sum of the order net prices for the items in the order, which net prices
exclude VAT (i.e., we do not charge Fees on VAT amounts).
**************************************************************
1.4 Tax Obligations:
In addition to paying taxes on BrickLink fees, you are responsible for handling
all applicable taxes on the items that you sell from your store. However, for
orders shipping to an address in certain US states, BrickLink will collect sales
tax directly from the Buyer.
Will now read:
1.4 Tax Obligations:
In addition to paying taxes on BrickLink fees, you are responsible for
handling all applicable taxes on sales from your store. However, for orders shipping
to an address in certain countries or regions where BrickLink is subject to marketplace
legislation, BrickLink will collect and remit transaction taxes (e.g. sales tax,
VAT, GST, etc.) directly from the Buyer.
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Author: | Admin_Russell | Posted: | Jun 23, 2021 14:23 | Subject: | BrickLink and the new EU VAT e-commerce rules | Viewed: | 729 times | Topic: | Administrative | |
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BrickLink ID CardAdmin_Russell
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Location: USA, California |
Member Since |
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May 9, 2017 |
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BrickLink Administrator |
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| BrickLink VAT Changes Due to new EU VAT e-commerce Rules
Dear BrickLink members,
Following the introduction of the new rules for online marketplaces, BrickLink
will enable its VAT collection for goods imported into the European Union (EU)
on July 1, 2021 to comply with the new EU VAT Marketplace rules. Below is an
overview of these changes:
Changes at a glance:
1) EU buyers will see VAT exclusive prices from non-EU sellers and EU buyers
will see VAT inclusive prices from VAT-registered EU sellers.
2) BrickLink will collect and remit VAT on orders delivered to EU addresses imported
into their EU Member State from a non-EU country up to a value of €150 (not including
additional costs i.e. shipping insurance, etc.). For orders over €150 imported
to their EU Member State, the seller/buyer may need to pay VAT consistent with
the import country’s standard VAT rate as part of clearing the goods through
customs.
3) EU VAT will be added during the checkout process (where applicable) and at
the receipt of the final invoice and will not be included in the item price.
4) Where BrickLink is responsible for collecting VAT on orders sent to an EU
delivery address, this amount will be shown separately at checkout.
5) EU sellers that sell more than €10,000 of goods within the EU (but excluding
domestic transactions) per year will be required to be VAT registered in each
EU Member State it sells to or will need to register for the One Stop Shop (OSS)
scheme.
What this means for sellers:
1) If you are a non-EU seller and you want to sell goods to EU buyers, you will
need to opt-in to BrickLink’s on-site payment method.
2) In case of refunds, we encourage sellers to use the BrickLink refund feature
to ensure the correct amount of VAT gets refunded. The refund page can be accessed
from the Issue Refund link on the order detail page.
3) Sellers should list the items in their inventory exclusive of VAT and any
other taxes/fees to ensure price consistency in the Price Guide.
More information will be posted on dedicated Help and FAQ pages closer to the
release date.
Thank you,
The BrickLink Team
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Author: | CE_Tanja | Posted: | May 31, 2021 12:03 | Subject: | Marketplace Panel meeting minutes | Viewed: | 783 times | Topic: | Administrative | |
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BrickLink ID CardCE_Tanja
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Location: USA, California |
Member Since |
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Feb 17, 2021 |
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BrickLink Administrator |
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| 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
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