BrickLink Discussion Forum

In Suggestions, Teup writes:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

We won't be signing up for xp either - it isn't aimed at our type of
store - its target is a large one - the 'Soccer Moms' so to speak who
want a set for little Johnny for xmas and do not need the complications of Bricklink
to hamper them.

(...)

Apparently xp requires Instant Checkout (not a problem for some), also requires
Paypal for Marketplaces (Again not a problem for some) but little else is known
about it.

And this is where it goes totally wrong. On the one hand, they seem to aim at
the broad casual consumer market, on the other hand, they force a highly specific
online-business-insiders-only payment method. If I would go to the local supermarket
and ask random people if they have bought something online last week, lots of
them are going to say "yes". If I ask them if they used PayPal, pretty much all
of them are going to respond "what's PayPal?"
And then I haven't even touched on PayPal's plan to dramatically increase
transaction fees by next month, which ruins their competitiveness compared to
other payment methods (but they are trying to circumvent the free market principle
by forcing sellers not to disclose the fees to buyers in as many countries as
possible, and encouraging the buyers to ask for PayPal because it is "free")

If they will implement a relevant payment method, then I will participate in
XP (for the Dutch market, the 4th largest country on Bricklink, this is iDeal).
If they don't, I won't. I'm done trying to make Bricklink see reason.
iDeal is one of the main reasons that I set up my own webshop, and now that I
have it, I don't really care what Bricklink does anymore. If they are not
going to add iDeal, that's just going to be more Dutch consumers for me in
my webshop

Hi Teup

Never heard of Ideal - is that Dutch only? Irrespective of that the business
model of xp does not suit our store and we wouldn't adopt it whatever happens.
We are not into selling large one-off sets at bargain prices - ours is a part
shop from top to bottom. Our orders average several hundred items and over 50
lots - that isn't going to be bought by a google search result which is what
we believe BL are trying to bring about. Instant checkout doesn't' work
for our store either and with over 40,000 items without dimensions in the catalogue
it is fair to say, probably never will - it is not designed well around shipping
methods and was not built to be adaptable (zip code pricing in the USA - The
largest market on BL), volume and weight based in the UK and most of Europe.
We have 14 different box sizes 3 large letters, and 11 small parcels, we never
ship a medium parcel as that is too costly so we are using multiple small parcels
to deal with weights over 2Kg and yes I know this could be set up but what a
hassle a different delivery method for each box type (each box has a different
tare).

We also have no concept of Bricklink dealing with our funds by way of Marketplace.
Far too many things against it for us to even consider it,((we know they have
claimed they are not into that, but who knows what might happen if we all give
them the right to do that)). but then it might suit some - that will only be
found out as and when they launch it, as unfortunately no communications is the
norm for the site - so no one will know what it is about til they launch it and
based on previous launches it will be some time before it would be 'bug free'
so to speak.

IC, in our view, needed to be regionalised and much more flexible in its design.
It works for some and that is great, and not for others, which is a shame, but
that is how they have done it. No talking, no discussion, no customer agreement,
here it is - if you don't like it tough, - that is what you are getting.
And the funny thing is BO launched with it and it is much smoother over there
and far fewer complaints about missing bits.

I can say without reservation that we will not be adopting xp at any time.

Author:

Teup

Posted:

Sep 9, 2019 09:55

Subject:

Re: More stockrooms!

Viewed:

42 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, calsbricks writes:

(...)

Apparently xp requires Instant Checkout (not a problem for some), also requires
Paypal for Marketplaces (Again not a problem for some) but little else is known
about it.

Author:

Soviet

Posted:

Sep 9, 2019 07:18

Subject:

Re: Remark in validation process

Viewed:

37 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, BrickTobi writes:

I miss the remarks by adding a new part to my invetory. if I have the part in
the invetory there is shown the old price but not the old (and new) remarks.

thanks and regards
tobias

Did you try this:

Author:

calsbricks

Posted:

Sep 9, 2019 07:14

Subject:

Re: More stockrooms!

Viewed:

56 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Teup writes:

In Suggestions, nologolego writes:

But most importantly, it is sad to think we have no pilot or crew for Bricklink.
Is it fated to crash and burn eventually? Do we need to get our parachutes
ready?

I think it will be ok

I am more afraid of stupid changes than of Bricklink's
inertia. I'm not going to participate in this new Bricklink XP they're
developing, and I wish they hadn't come up with that idea. Anyway, as long
as Bricklink is just asleep it's fine by me. It's not dying, just sleeping

It generates money so if anything would happen to it, even the least interested
management would take measures keep it running.

We don't know either but think it may be okay. Many businesses fail because
they do not listen to their customers. That is a serious matter here, but they
have the market pull - thanks to Dan and all the excellent volunteers they have
had over the years. Customers
have a strange habit of going where the products are and BL is probably at the
top of the tree for that.

We won't be signing up for xp either - it isn't aimed at our type of
store - its target is a large one - the 'Soccer Moms' so to speak who
want a set for little Johnny for xmas and do not need the complications of Bricklink
to hamper them. In MP's presentation at Brickworld last year he suggested
an Amazon/Ebay model (we don't know if they have achieved that or not and
his throwaway comments about we will continue to support the classic site don't
fill many of us with enthusiasm, but those are the issues that are known at
present.
We were also informed some time ago that Phase I release was due to come out
in March ((and it didn't make it - rumour has it that Phase 2 will be out
at the end of the year)) so we still have plenty of time to contemplate this
radical change.

Storerooms - we don't use them either but we know people that do. It is,
however, unlikely that you will get any changes to the classic site as MP also
announced nothing more will be done on the classic site due to the fact they
feel xp is the future , they don't understand the 'spaghetti code',
and their
early changes were not met with enthusiasm.

Apparently xp requires Instant Checkout (not a problem for some), also requires
Paypal for Marketplaces (Again not a problem for some) but little else is known
about it. I think generally there is a lack of interest in this latest tangent.
It may appeal to some but large part stores may find it diametrically opposed
to the way they operate. There have been, since the announcement, not many threads
about it so everything may have changed or it may be exactly as they outlined,
we won't really know til it is released, it appears.

Not really convinced that is the best way to get new software accepted and 'taken
up' but it isn't our business to run it is theirs - we are only here
to pay the bills

.

How about this for a throwaway line - might not be our (Community) business to
run but then again, maybe it should be

Author:

BrickTobi

Posted:

Sep 9, 2019 07:05

Subject:

Remark in validation process

Viewed:

65 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Vote:

[Yes|No]

I miss the remarks by adding a new part to my invetory. if I have the part in
the invetory there is shown the old price but not the old (and new) remarks.

thanks and regards
tobias

Author:

Teup

Posted:

Sep 9, 2019 06:44

Subject:

Re: More stockrooms!

Viewed:

48 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, nologolego writes:

But most importantly, it is sad to think we have no pilot or crew for Bricklink.
Is it fated to crash and burn eventually? Do we need to get our parachutes
ready?

I think it will be ok

It generates money so if anything would happen to it, even the least interested
management would take measures keep it running.

Author:

nologolego

Posted:

Sep 9, 2019 06:37

Subject:

Re: More stockrooms!

Viewed:

35 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, Teup writes:

In Suggestions, Shintaku writes:

I personally am fine with three but I've heard people complaining that 3
stockrooms are very few, as you can have a lot of wanted lists, a lot of featured
items, it's limitating that you only have 3.

I don't think it would be dramatic to increaase this number.

What do you thinK?

I don't get the idea of "multiple stockrooms" in the first place. The way
I see it, it is a binary thing: something can either be for sale or not for sale.
(Maybe a second Schrödinger's stockroom for items that are neither for sale
nor not for sale?

)

If I understand it correctly, multiple stockrooms are kind of like tagging items
with remarks. The remarks feature already exists. It's overlapping functionality.
I'm guessing multiple stockrooms are needed for inventory operations that
apply to one tag only, and the remarks field is not available for this operation?
Then Bricklink should have made the remarks field available to that operation.
That way, the whole multiple stockrooms thing could have been abolished and at
the same time you would have kept all the functionality. It's like you can
define an infinite number of "stockrooms", but in your remarks.

(Bricklink's cockpit is abandoned and we're left to our own devices,
it's not like it will change of course.. so I say "could have been"

)

I like having multiple stockrooms because I use them for multiple purposes (back-stock,
items temporarily removed from sale, items that have been misplaced and need
to be found, sets I am parting out, sets I am considering parting out, parts
for my own use). I often find myself juggling the stockrooms, and wish I had
more, but I manage with three.

I hadn't considered using remarks to keep things categorized. Thanks for
the tip; I will experiment with it and see if it works for me.

But most importantly, it is sad to think we have no pilot or crew for Bricklink.
Is it fated to crash and burn eventually? Do we need to get our parachutes
ready?

Author:

Shintaku

Posted:

Sep 9, 2019 06:34

Subject:

Re: More stockrooms!

Viewed:

30 times

Topic: