BrickLink Discussion Forum

Quick question: I remember in the past, sellers were able to change the payment
status manually if a payment came through in a different way than the buyer originally
selected. However, this seems to be no longer the case.

I have an order (from mid-December) where the buyer selected Paypal Onsite as
the payment method, but they ended up paying directly via Paypal (at least I
think this is what happened). Because BL didn't recognize the payment coming
through, the Payment Status column still shows as "None", and I can't change
it. This also means that I can't show the item as shipped, and I can't
file the order away either.

I was able to add the tracking number, the order has been delivered, BL fees
have been charged, so there are no issues on any of those fronts. However, because
I can't change any of the settings, it seems like my only option is to wait
six months until the order naturally falls off my dashboard.

Is there a way I can mark this order as paid and shipped, and file the order
away?

Thanks for any help with this, and Happy New Year!

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

Jun 26, 2020 15:27

Subject:

Re: How do we get updated pictures for sets?

Viewed:

55 times

Topic:

Inventories

We are currently looking to get larger / better images directly from the LEGO
Group for a lot of the older sets.

Wow! That's great to hear!

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

Mar 19, 2020 13:27

Subject:

Re: Just a little something to BRIGHTEN your day

Viewed:

59 times

Topic:

Colors

In Colors, Admin_Russell writes:

Thanks for sharing this! There is a new range of iridescent colors starting this
year. Official they are called Opal. We have been calling them Satin (for now,
anyway). But yes, we do want actual photos of any exotic color whenever possible.

Unfortunately we do not inventory items that make up key chain parts since they
are glued/screwed together. But maybe we can put the color name in the gear Item
Name so at least people can find it through a general search.

Yeah, adding the color or special feature to the name would help a lot, and of
course, adding actual pictures. Opal is a great color too! I think that's
the one for the jewels in the DOTS sets. Very pretty too!

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

Mar 19, 2020 11:44

Subject:

Just a little something to BRIGHTEN your day

Viewed:

327 times

Topic:

Colors

Status:

Open

So, I recently placed an order at S&H to get the DOTS bracelets, and some other
stuff, and I accidentally found these key chains. The pictures are terrible and
totally inaccurate, but the descriptions intrigued me; iridescent and metallized
key chains?

I didn't know what to expect, but I put them in my shopping cart. This is
what I got, and I couldn't be more delighted. The iridescent one is especially
stunning. I put Sweet Mayhem there too because of her similarly holographic hair.
I have a full review with more pictures for those of you who are interested:
http://thebrickblogger.com/2020/03/lego-iridescent-blue-chrome-black-key-chains/

Neither of these key chains are in the BrickLink database as of yet, but if they
do get added I recommend replacing LEGO's stock images with actual photos.
They are too beautiful to be hidden like that. I think 2x4 collectors would be
very interested.

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

May 17, 2017 17:16

Subject:

Re: Website changes and phasing out of old stuff.

Viewed:

43 times

Topic:

One of the problems I can see with this is that if a customer contacts a seller
about some issues (i.e. they can't figure out how to do something, can't
find a feature, etc.) an old-time seller won't be able to direct them properly
because they don't see the same things. The website is already so large and
complex, having two versions would be a nightmare to manage and guide people
through. That's just my initial thought on it.

In Suggestions, PaulOfBricks writes:

I was wondering its a long shot Im not sure if it is even possible to implement
any of these ideas lol

But I know how Bricklink are trying to get us to embrace new changes a little
bit and I know change is sometimes really hard to take. Especially for some
of the long time users that run as a full on professional business, may find
it really difficult.

Instead of forcing it upon all members. Maybe make it that all new members that
register from say 1st June will not get access to old lists etc, they will only
see the new lists and they will not even know any different!

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

Jun 9, 2016 20:24

Subject:

Re: Show prices and stores in Wanted List

Viewed:

33 times

Topic:

Voted yes, the current wanted list is simply not usable for people who are working
on serious projects. It is only helpful for casual shoppers. I don't see
why they can't find a middle ground. I need to see store prices, as well
as my entire list in an easily viewable format. I'm holding off all shopping
until this is fixed.

In Suggestions, Classicsmiley writes:

Per this exchange, I am formally asking for prices and stores to be shown again
in the Wanted List. Please vote!

My email to bugs@bricklink.com:

I am unable to see prices in my wanted list, and it takes many, many more
clicks to actually be able to find any shops with the parts that I want. I
depend on this feature, and need the old functionality restored as quickly
as possible.

Yesterday this page ( http://www.bricklink.com/wantedView.asp?wantedMoreID=
) allowed me to have access to some of the functionality I needed, but it
now redirects to the new, broken wanted list.

Please fix the wanted list.

Response from Bricklink:

Unfortunately this is not currently a function of the new wanted list feature. I am very sorry that you are not satisfied with the new wanted list feature. We provided users with the opportunity to provide feedback during our preview launch and have since applied much of that feedback. The redirect link was a bug and should not have ever led to the old pages. I understand that learning an entirely new feature can be a bit daunting and would be more than happy to help you with specific tasks if I am able. However, if you have any specific suggestions you would like to provide about how we can improve the wanted list please feel free to post them on the Suggestions topic of the Discussion Forum. This way other users that feel similarly can vote on these changes. This will be the most efficient way to get them addressed. Thank you!

Sincerely,
BrickLink Quality Assurance

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

Aug 20, 2014 11:54

Subject:

Re: BL Development Team: Test before rollout!

Viewed:

45 times

Topic:

Thanks, Pam, but I'm using IE and it doesn't work for me.

In Suggestions, picabo writes:

In Suggestions, akunthita writes:

Yes, you can place an order on BL, but you can't check the store's splash,
page, or contact the store in any way. I won't hesitate to place an order
from a store I regularly do business with, but not from a new store. I have tried
zooming in and out and nothing makes the tabs appear.

I just switched over to Firefox and IE. The tabs show up in those 2 browsers,
at least for me. But not in Chrome.

HTH.

Pam

In Suggestions, picabo writes:

In Suggestions, edeevo writes:

In Suggestions, picabo writes:

In Suggestions, akunthita writes:

I voted yes, of course, and I'm very upset that currently I can't shop
because of the missing tabs (that's why I'm hanging out here), but to
put things in perspective, LEGO's own shop has been down since yesterday
morning when they did a major update.

I called them about it on the afternoon and the shop started working for me later
in the afternoon, but I was just on the Brickset forum and there are still people
who can't access the site. The issue appears to be browser related.

So yeah, even big companies like LEGO screw up on testing before they roll something
out. Or maybe they did test it and things still broke. I don't know, but
it is funny that right now a lot of people can't shop either on Bricklink
or on LEGO's website.

I just placed an order without any issues.

Pam

If people are still having issues accessing LEGO S@H, they just need to clear
their browser history and reconnect to the site...

Life is Good.
~Ed.

Sorry, I meant I placed an order on BL without any issues.

Pam

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

Aug 20, 2014 11:31

Subject:

Re: BL Development Team: Test before rollout!

Viewed:

59 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, picabo writes:

In Suggestions, edeevo writes:

In Suggestions, picabo writes:

In Suggestions, akunthita writes:

I just placed an order without any issues.

Pam

If people are still having issues accessing LEGO S@H, they just need to clear
their browser history and reconnect to the site...

Life is Good.
~Ed.

Sorry, I meant I placed an order on BL without any issues.

Pam

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

Aug 20, 2014 10:46

Subject:

Re: BL Development Team: Test before rollout!

Viewed:

91 times

Topic:

In Suggestions, lovaquero writes:

Bricklink World Class Programming & Customer Serivce team -

Test before release. This concept is not hard. Perhaps in your eagerness to
pacify the crowd with pitchforks and torches you have forgotten it. Perhaps you
may just not know. Here is how you do it:

For EACH (individual) change to Bricklink:
-----------------------------------------
#1 - Scope your change to know its impact
#2 - Write your test plan to match the requirements for the change
#3 - Recognize that there are at least three (3) internet browsers to support:
Chrome, Firefox & Internet Explorer (IE)
#4 - Make sure that the test plan fails before any change is made
#5 - Implement the change, and only that change, in a development environment
#6 - Execute the test plan (in an isolated environement that matches the live
environment) for Chrome, Firefox and IE
#7 - Repeat steps 5-6 until the test plan passes for all three (3) browsers
#8* - Run the full test plan on the ENTIRE site to ensure everything still works
#9 - If anything fails, return to step #1 and repeat
#10 - Release the change to the live site.

(* Bricklink is written with ancient software that has so many dependencies,
querks, gotchas and 'hidden' features that it is impossible to know what
a change will do to seemingly unrelated features. That is why the software used
to run Bricklink is no longer used nor even supported, not even by the company
that originally created the software...)

Your new mantra must be: "test! Test! TEST! And then test it again!"

Any modern development team worth being paid - especially one that performs
web development - knows this.

Regards,
Rodney
Software Systems Engineer
Solution Infrastructure - Guidance & Machine Automation
John Deere Intelligent Solution Group

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

Aug 20, 2014 09:41

Subject:

Re: Localization settings

Viewed:

37 times

Topic:

Voted, yes. I saw it this morning and found it really alarming. Not as bad as
the missing tabs, but man, I came here to do some shopping and now I can't
shop, and I see that we have been taken over by the Chinese.

In Suggestions, Cyberclark writes:

Bricklink is a Global marketplace. Awesome. So let's looks like one.

Not sure if it is just the American in me, but logging in to a site and seeing
a little red Chinese flag in the corner of the site with some chinese characters
next to it, just sets off a lot of little alarm bells in my head. It reminds
me of that movie with Sandra Bullock, The Net, where there was a little hidden
symbol on a page and when you clicked on it you were taken to somewhere bad.

If I were a new user and unfamiliar with the site that little icon might make
me think twice about using the site.

Why not do this like most other Global companies do it. Have the main domain
go to a splash page of sorts. A very plain page with a Large Bricklink logo
in the middle and right below it a dropdown box that says choose your location.
Then for now they can have North America and China (the only two localizations
currently available) then as other languages are made available you can easily
add the links for those to the dropdown and users can be directed the the version
that best suits them. Also below that dropdown box have a checkbox that says
Remember this setting on my computer. Checking this box will create a cookie
file so that the next time the user comes to the site they will be auto-directed
to the proper site.

Here are some examples of other companies that use this approach:

http://www.ups.com/
http://www.fedex.com/

Option 2 - You could do what companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google and many
others do and that is route the user based on their IP address. For instance
when I go to http://www.microsoft.com I am seamlessly redirected to http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx
with no interaction on my part. And then at the bottom left side of the page
they have a picture of a globe, not a US Flag mind you, with the words United
States - English after the globe. If I click on that it takes me to a page when
I can then pick a different localization if for some reason I didn't want
to be on the US site. I know though that this option can be problematic espeically
for people who may be visiting or temporarily living outside of their home country
that they may want to view the site in.

Or Option 3 - If the above 2 take too long to implement. For now just remove
the Chinese flag!! Chinese in this case is a language, you shouldn't need
a national flag to represent that. Isn't the Chinese language used by
more people than just those living in China? Plus, When you click on the link,
to come back it just says Eng? No British or US flag? So why do you feel the
need for the China National flag? Also move the link to the footer of the page,
not the header. Most of the other large sites I am looking at have it in the
footer. And most are just simple text links. Look at Amazon.com for another
example. So internet users are used to having to look for it in the footer,
if they need it. Plus in the upper right there, what happens if you add even
more localizations, are you going to have 30 flags up there in that little tiny
space?

Now I know I gave you 3 options so since they don't give us an option for
a poll in the forum it will be hard to vote on. So how about this, A yes vote
just means that Bricklink needs to look at these options and do something to
change the way localization is currently. A no vote means you are 100% happy
with the way they rolled it out so far

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

May 31, 2014 11:05

Subject:

Re: Improve search to allow for generic terms

Viewed:

39 times

Topic:

Voted a big YES! Yesterday I searched for Unikitty and only got one result, but
I wanted to see all of them (Astro-kitty, Angry-kitty, etc.). Then I searched
for kitty and got the other versions. I also do the same as other's mentioned;
use other websites as my search engine (Brickset, the LEGO wiki, etc.) find the
exact set number then come back here. A shame... search engines are a very basic
functionality of any website, not to speak of a shopping site! As Troy said;
people will just go elsewhere if they can't find what they are looking for
here. This is one of the biggest complaint people have about BL in the larger
community.

In Suggestions, mnementh writes:

Please make the necessary improvements to the search functionality to allow for
matching based on generic terms / attributes.

The situation that I have is that someone asked me a question about a particular
Friends polybag set, but did not provide the set number. So I did a search for
"Friends Polybag":

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?q=friends%20polybag

As you can see, this returned ZERO hits even though there are a ton of different
Friends Polybag sets.

Meanwhile, the exact same search at BrickOwl, returned 26 different friends polybag
sets. Including the one I was looking for. (Link not provided due to forum
rules)

The same search on Amazon returned 3 results, including the one I was looking
for. Adding the word "lego" to the search terms (since amazon is not LEGO specific)
improved the results to 10 polybag sets. (Link not provided due to forum rules)

The same search on eBay returned 237 results, again including the one I was looking
for. (Link not provided due to forum rules)

We might as well just be sending people to these sites, because that is exactly
what is going to happen if they do a search here and do not find what they are
looking for. They are going to go elsewhere and end up buying there because
the search works.

The problem seems to be that BrickLink is using a straight keyword search. So
if "Friends" isn't in the name of the set, and "Polybag" isn't in the
name of the set, it isn't going to find anything.

I propose that the BL search also search through all the attributes of items
as well. Some attributes, such as category, BrickLink already has in the database.
Some attributes, such as "polybag", may need to be added.

Thanks,

Troy

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

May 29, 2014 22:01

Subject:

Re: Add import duty clause to new membership

Viewed:

41 times

Topic:

I think this is a great idea. Some people who just start shopping International
may never even think about duties and taxes, only to get a sticker-shock when
the package arrives. So it is best to prepare them beforehand. It is really in
the best interest of BL as a marketplace. Maybe even add a message when they
check out so they are aware they may have to pay to their local governments.

In Suggestions, AlltRightBricks writes:

Given the recent thread
http://www.bricklink.com/messageThread.asp?ID=170852
about another buyer who was surprised by the import duty that he had to pay before
receiving his package. I think it would be beneficial for BL to add a clause
to new membership that must be agreed to before you can complete your membership.
Something to the effect of:

As a buyer you are responsible for paying any and all import fees and taxes
charged by your government on international packages. It is in your best interest
to educate yourself as allowances and taxes charged can vary greatly from country
to country.

I don't know if there are any easy links that will point a buyer in the general
direction he needs to go in order to learn about his specific countries import
fees, but I think that doing what we can to educate buyers at the beginning might
go a long way to keep sellers from getting the brunt of this issue. And the flip
side also to keep new buyers from getting surprised with some of these outrageous
charges.

Katie

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

Apr 11, 2014 14:02

Subject:

Re: Remove MSRP Price

Viewed:

77 times

Topic:

Paul, I have considered that and may still write up something. I tend to shy
away from controversy, wait it out, while wishing the best for everyone. If someone
would like to write a guest-post they are welcome to do so.

Anna

In Suggestions, Tsitra writes:

In Suggestions, akunthita writes:

Voted YES! It is understandable that a site like Brickset has this information,
as Brickset is a reference site. But for BrickLink? It doesn't make any
sense, nor does it serve any positive purpose. Unless BL is planning to become
a LEGO and Amazon affiliate.

BL's new owners appear to be confused about the identity of the site. What
gives BL's its uniqueness is that it is the largest LEGO marketplace. Period.
It doesn't have to become a reference site, news-site, blog, MOCshop or any
of that other stuff other sites are already doing just fine. BL rules its very
own, very unique, and very needed niche.

"10,000 songs in your pocket". That's it. The most brilliant advertising
ever. That' why Apple is awesome. It focuses on one thing instead of being
all over the place. The message is clear, the niche is defined, people love it.
BL's slogan should remain focused like that. It should remain The Largest
Unofficial LEGO Marketplace...

If only there were some people on here, with extremely popular LEGO blogs that
could comment on the current state of BrickLink's confused identity, maybe
a little bit of bad publicity would get the owners attention...

Paul

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

Apr 10, 2014 12:07

Subject:

Re: Remove MSRP Price

Viewed:

70 times

Topic:

On pages like this:

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?S=9496-1

Please remove the reference and link to the MSRP price. This is a new feature
that many have questioned. Although I don't think anyone has made a formal
suggestion to remove it.

I do not think this helps sales on BrickLink. On the contrary, as Tracy and others
noted, listing an MSRP that is lower than what the item sells for on BrickLink
could very well be sending buyers elsewhere, turning them off to BrickLink or
discouraging them from ordering such items here on BrickLink.

When I shop for LEGO online or in the real world at Target, TRU, WalMart and
other places, I have never seen any of these retailers list a lower MSRP alongside
their own higher price. Why in the world would they? It might make sense when
their prices are far below the MSRP, but never when prices are higher than the
MSRP.

My apologies, but I just don't see the purpose of listing the MSRP as far
as sales are concerned. It might have some minor passing appeal as a mere historical
reference for long discontinued sets, but how exactly does it help sales when
currently available sets are often priced higher here on BrickLink? Unless the
purpose is to bring down those prices? IMO, any usefulness in listing the MSRP
as a mere reference is greatly outweighed by the potential negative affect on
sales, turning off of buyers, and creating disputes between buyers and sellers
as to why a seller is charging more than the MSRP.

Profit is not a sin. It makes commerce possible. And it makes buyers able to
easily get what they want.

Thor

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

Dec 14, 2012 10:59

Subject:

Re: Please stop purging forum posts

Viewed:

44 times

Topic:

Definitely voted yes on this (although it doens't seem to matter what we vote
on since Dan's passing). There has been so many valuable and significant posts
here that are now gone.

I like the suggestion of keeping some of the topics purged, like sales announcements
and the off topic category, and archive all the other ones. I know on Brickset
forum they have pretty strict rules to not start a new topic if a similar topic
already exists. New posters are required to do their homework and first check
if something similar has been posted before by doing a simple search. It seems
that members are pretty good at keeping this rule, but if someone does start
a double topic by accident a moderator merges them. This keeps the forum tidy.
Perhaps something similar can be implemented here?

In Suggestions, Timothy_Smith writes:

Back in the day, when hard drives were measured in millibytes, it made sense
to purge Forum posts from time to time. But modern servers have vast storage
capacity. All the typing every member could ever do in their lifetimes won't
fill a hard drive of even modest size.
Purging discussion threads destroys 'institutional knowledge' and as a result
we have the same discussions over and over.

Currently there's a thread about sending plastic toys to Italy.
This comes up about once a year, and each time the previous discussion has been
lost and has to be recreated from scratch. This certainly uses more server resources
than simply linking to an existing discussion, but more important is the loss
of knowledge.
We have institutional amnesia, deliberately induced. It's a set back.

Thanks for reading.

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

Feb 28, 2011 12:58

Subject:

Re: Establish a process to remove from PG

Viewed:

31 times

Topic:

Yeah, can you believe that! But he will soon burn with envy when he sees our
latest 2x2s!

In Suggestions, aiangoodchild writes:

snip
Absolutely, that is very important -- I'm a big fan of Transparency.

Especially Trans-Orange 2x2 bricks

hmmmm... rubbing it in, eh?

-the other Marc

Robert

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

Feb 28, 2011 12:49

Subject:

Re: Establish a process to remove from PG

Viewed:

26 times

Topic:

LOL!

Absolutely, that is very important -- I'm a big fan of Transparency.

Especially Trans-Orange 2x2 bricks

Robert

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

Feb 18, 2011 12:08

Subject:

Re: Facebook & Social Networking.

Viewed:

50 times

Topic:

I voted "yes". I love Bricklink and all, but I think it is not keeping up with
the times in some areas. Social networking is one of them. We should be able
to ad our facebook and twitter links to our store.

In Suggestions, legoman84 writes:

With social networking becoming more & more popular, why not add a Facebook link
on the BrickLink community & in the stores to share with other AFOLs & parents
who have children that love LEGOs.

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

Jan 13, 2011 09:58

Subject:

Re: suggest. disallow all TMs from store names

Viewed:

64 times

Topic:

Actually, it is not just common sense, it is the accepted law as far as I know.
I have taken a class on trademarking, and I clearly remember this. So, yes, Apple
Bricks would be totally fine.

Also, I remember from class that if a company only operates and do business in
one state, then an other company in an other state can name their business the
same as long as they are also operated only in their own state.

For example there could be a business called Michael's Drycleaning Service in
Arizona, and someone else can also call their drycleaning service the same name
in Florida.

I'm sure Foster will chime on this topic with much more info.

In Suggestions, LEGOMASTER writes:

In Suggestions, bagelboybugle writes:

Admin

It stands to reason that if sellers cannot use the word `LEGO` in their store
name, then other trademarks should be forbidden too.

As such I suggest that section 15 of the TOS should be updated accordingly to
forbid the use of any trademark in store names.

Although this should in theory be covered by common sense and section 12 of the
TOS it is increasingly clear that it isnt entirely obvious.

thanks for considering
Gareth

I vote 'NO'.

United Artists (Movie company)
United Airlines (Airline company)
United Moving Vans (Moving company)
United (Bricklink store) ... I think.

Apple, Inc
Apple Music
Apple Bricks .... would be fine.

There are towns, cities and other companies and using 'Apple', 'United', but
are in different business or different places. Another example anyone can start
a company can create 'BrickLink Rent A car' or BrickLink Airlines' or 'Bricklink
Software'. Because the companies don't share the same line of business.

There is no need to list every town, private and public company here or there
as in
USA, Europe, Asia. As someone already mention ... it is pretty much 'common
sense' people understand the difference.

Author:

akunthita

Posted:

Jan 8, 2011 16:58

Subject:

Re: Cancel Order & Block FB for Customs Fraud

Viewed:

82 times

Topic: