| Redisplay Messages: Compact | Brief | All | Full Show Messages: All | Without Replies| Author: | ejv  | | Posted: | Mar 10, 2019 23:28 | | Subject: | Re: find nearby stores, based on my ZIP code? | | Viewed: | 21 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
| In Suggestions, mfav writes:
| | BL has said on more than one occasion they're not going to do it.
So, it isn't going to happen unless, say, you want to build it yourself.
All you need is latitude and longitude information for every postal code in the
world stuck into a database and cross referenced with your list of sellers. That
and a little math. You can find plenty of resources on the web how to program
this thing. Programming is relatively easy compared to managing the underlying
database, though.
For example, the Canadian postal code database will allow for a possible 7.2
million entries. Currently the Canadian database is over 800,000 entries. So
that's one country. Only about 270 more countries to go.
Sure this would be a great feature, but it would cost thousands of dollars to
implement and tens of thousands more to maintain. Some human body will need to
oversee the thing. It would be a full time job to maintain this functionality,
keep the user list policed, keep the postal code data up to date, and so on.
Maybe you'd offer to be the BL zip code database administrator...for no pay?
If you're willing to do that, maybe instead you'd like to be the BL catalog
administrator...for no pay...because there's already an opening there.
I don't mean to throw the snark, but this functionality isn't in any
way going to happen because it won't ever make enough money to be a break-even
proposition from a business standpoint. If it's opt-in and you get 37 sellers
opting in, was it worth the $8000 to build?
I don't think so. But feel free to disagree.
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Helpful concerns. I'm not an expert on this site, and didn't know BL
had refused this idea in the past. Originally I was thinking just U.S. ZIP codes,
but if it were opt-in, sellers could simply enter their own lat-long (within
a few km, for privacy), no complicated code or administration would be required,
and I was assuming that a lot of BL's coding is done by volunteers anyway.
(I'd be willing, but I only know C++ and not HTML.)
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| Author: | ejv | | Posted: | Mar 8, 2019 17:03 | | Subject: | Re: find nearby stores, based on my ZIP code? | | Viewed: | 28 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
| In Suggestions, runner.caller writes:
| | In Suggestions, ejv writes:
| | Hello,
After hitting a bug where Buy All failed to create orders that totaled my entire
Wanted List (and I didn't realize it until starting to build the models,
too late to ship another order before my time deadline!), I tried to place another
order but search for stores near me so I could pick up locally. I could find
no way to do this.
How about adding a "Stores near me" option in "Sort By" dropdown menu? It could
be based on ZIP code without compromising any store's address. As it was,
I had to manually compare the "284 stores found" list (after I'd limited
it to U.S. stores) with the dozens of stores in my state, finding only two that
matched.
From a programming perspective, it seems like this feature should be easy, with
a big payback in functionality of your wonderful website. And stores still retain
the option to share their address or not, as mine did, after a buyer Contacts
them.
Best regards,
ejv
|
The only problem I see with this is sellers might not have time to meet in person.
Especially for low value orders.
The sellers would have to opt in if they are willing for nearby buyers to pick
up locally.
Or, it would be on the buyer to work it out on the front end. Otherwise, you'd
run the risk of a local buyer placing an orders, and then demanding to meet in
person.
A lot of sellers run their business from their homes. There would be a fair number
of sellers who wouldn't want someone coming to their personal home address
to buy a few pieces, and also wouldn't have time to meet across town for
an exchange in person. Sending items in the mail is both convenient and adds
a layer of security.
Obviously, this could open a niche market for sellers that are willing to do
this. It would be pretty rare in my area, so if a local buyer contacted me, I'd
probably be happy to meet them.
But I think we need to allow seller's to opt into the option of "Allow buyers
to find my store by zip code" if this were to become a reality.
|
Thanks to all for your replies! It's clear that sellers would have to "opt
in" and check a box letting the site know they accept local pickups (maybe for
some minimum purchase). Perhaps the "Stores near me" function could only search
such stores, instead of all stores (although I envisioned that "search by ZIP
code" would still provide enough privacy)? This would seem to meet everyone's
concerns.
Do the website administrators/programmers read everything on this thread, or
is there a more effective way to propose this new feature?
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| Author: | ejv | | Posted: | Mar 7, 2019 11:03 | | Subject: | find nearby stores, based on my ZIP code? | | Viewed: | 89 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | | Status: | Open | | Vote: | [Yes|No] | |
| Hello,
After hitting a bug where Buy All failed to create orders that totaled my entire
Wanted List (and I didn't realize it until starting to build the models,
too late to ship another order before my time deadline!), I tried to place another
order but search for stores near me so I could pick up locally. I could find
no way to do this.
How about adding a "Stores near me" option in "Sort By" dropdown menu? It could
be based on ZIP code without compromising any store's address. As it was,
I had to manually compare the "284 stores found" list (after I'd limited
it to U.S. stores) with the dozens of stores in my state, finding only two that
matched.
From a programming perspective, it seems like this feature should be easy, with
a big payback in functionality of your wonderful website. And stores still retain
the option to share their address or not, as mine did, after a buyer Contacts
them.
Best regards,
ejv
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