BrickLink Discussion Forum

In Catalog, Admin_Russell writes:

If you already sort a particular variant, simply add the descriptor to your listing
notes for each item. You can still sell them even though they are not distinguished
in the catalog. No need to lose money.

With respect, that is incorrect. I know my store very well and have extensive
data on the sales patterns due to being an Excel nerd. And I already have comments
for quite a few minor variations that Bricklink doesn't differentiate in
the catalog, and almost none of them sell (the only real exceptions being misprints
and Old Dark Red, which regularly sells better than the New Dark Reds even at
a higher price point).

Sure, if I price the 3747a variant the same as the 3747b variant under the new
umbrella entry, they'll both sell. But any markup for vintage variations
will almost certainly stop selling, and I have hundreds of these lots, many of
which are good or great sellers. Please trust me to know my business, and
make no mistake -- these changes will cost me hundreds in sales every month.
If you'd like, I will take the time to go through every order for the last
month and add up my sales for the parts to be changed, and then add up the sales
in February for the same parts when they're only differentiated with listing
notes.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jan 10, 2024 12:39

Subject:

Re: Important proposal regarding catalog variants

Viewed:

49 times

Topic:

In Catalog, Admin_Russell writes:

In Catalog, TakeAbricK writes:

In Catalog, Admin_Russell writes:

In Catalog, Brickitty writes:

In Catalog, zorbanj writes:

I read through this thread with great interest. Looks like there is some confusion
as to what the end result will be. Maybe you could make an addition to the Help
page that shows what the end result will be for the parts shown?

Yes, +1 on that.

I was already going to post a request that every single change be listed in advance
so that many of us can adjust our listings before the automatic changes mess
up our inventory systems. That way it'll only take a couple hours to fix
these entries, rather than a day or two of work.

Ok, I've started to build out the list:

https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=2626

Please let me know if this type of list is sufficient.

It is sufficient, will the list be complete before the two weeks start for sellers
to add notes and members who want to create their own database of removed variants
found in sets?

The list should be complete by tomorrow.

Thank you very much; this will be extremely helpful for preparing.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jan 9, 2024 16:55

Subject:

Re: Important proposal regarding catalog variants

Viewed:

74 times

Topic:

First, thank you very much for the thorough and clear response. I really appreciate
it, and I feel a bit better about the proposed changes. I have just a few more
things to say, and thanks for your attention.

In Catalog, Admin_Russell writes:

No. For the 4 basic parts represented by the last example on the Help page, no
merges will take place, just a renaming and renumbering of the current "b"
variant.

That's a relief!

We're not even thinking of touching the jumpers. They are all considered
first class cosmetic variants. Even the stud holders on the 15573 are considered
cosmetic due to uses like:

21036-1 (Inv) Arc De Triomphe
386 Parts, 2017
Sets: Architecture

And an even bigger relief!

Yes. But for the record, the 32064 entry currently is an umbrella entry anyway.
If you just want the the modern version, there is no entry on BrickLink that
will guarantee that.

To be clear, for entries like this that will be merged, there will be a note
added, correct? A note to clearly say that there are multiple variants of the
part, some with different axle holes and some with inside side supports?

In general, I agree. And in general, we aren't changing BrickLink's commitment
to variants. But I would ask, for example - what do you feel about the hinges
with teeth? Do you really think it matters?

Functionally? No. For MOCs? No. For the purpose of set inventories? Yes. As a
collector and a buyer, I would NOT want to receive a used set from 2010 with
7-tooth hinges.

It can only matter when someone is being super fussy about period variants, but
the reality is that BrickLink does not recognize most variants. Getting the exact
period element is not something BrickLink ever supported. Take, for example,
the solid and hollow pins on the bottom of 1 x X plates and bricks. This is actually
one of my favorites, and I very much appreciate the correct parts. But BrickLink
has never and likely will never distinguish to such a degree, because it's
impractical.

And the hinges with teeth are impractical. Academically they are interesting,
but they function exactly the same, and who uses hinges for cosmetic reasons?
The only use case is collectors wanting to fill out an old set, and we are so
very far from being able to provide that level of distinction on BrickLink.

I recognize that this is a very good point. Bricklink doesn't support fully
period-accurate inventories, and can't in any practical way. As a detail-oriented
person, though, I've always appreciated that the catalog tries to differentiate
down to the minutiae. Even though most of the language I'm hearing is trying
to minimize the effect that this will have on inventories, I believe that the
changes will make things significantly more difficult and frustrating for many
collectors.

Lastly, please recognize that for some of us sellers, these proposed changes
will directly hurt our bottom line. I've put a lot of time and money into
investing in certain variants that can be hard to find, and I have suppliers
that specifically search bulk for some of these soon-to-be-deleted variants,
which I pay a premium for. For example, over the years I've put a lot of
resources into having a huge stock of 4032b. It's been a best-selling part
for me for years, and if it's merged with 4032, all that time and money will
be wasted -- I know I can differentiate them with comments, but I also know
that my sales will drop drastically due to the part not being separated in set
inventories. Another example is part 553a. I don't know if that one's
going away, but I've invested a lot in having those verified parts, separate
from 553b and 553c, because buyers want them for certain old sets. Same for vintage
46212 in non-transparent colors. Same for certain blocked-open heads. Same for
3747a.

I estimate that these changes will cost me hundreds of dollars in sales every
month, not to mention all the work I've done in the past being negated. Please
understand that this is very, very frustrating and disheartening.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jan 9, 2024 15:59

Subject:

Re: Important proposal regarding catalog variants

Viewed:

71 times

Topic:

In Catalog, zorbanj writes:

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jan 9, 2024 12:48

Subject:

Re: Important proposal regarding catalog variants

Viewed:

128 times

Topic:

Hi,

I'm opposed to this. As one of the sellers who differentiates every part
carefully, I frequently get messages asking me to confirm which variant I'm
sending. Buyers do want period-accurate mold differences, including ones on that
list. I realize I could still list these differences in the comments, but the
problem is that they're presumably going to be removed from inventories,
so buyers and collectors won't know which sets are supposed to have which
variants.

Before continuing, I would like some clarification on a few points, please.

1) For the tiles with/without groove, does this mean that 3068b 2x2 Tile With
Groove will become 3068 2x2 Tile, but that 3068a 2x2 Tile Without Groove will
still be an entry? Or will 3068a be deleted and merged?

2) For Blocked and Vented studs, does this mean merging those two categories,
or does it mean merging Blocked, Vented, AND Hollow studs into one entry? Will
all non-solid stud minifig heads be considered the same? Or will Blocked/Vented
and Hollow still remain two separate entries?

3) If merging is happening to both X-shaped axle holes and Inside Side Supports,
does this mean that all 3 variants of 32064 will be considered the same part?

4) Will the Inside Side Supports cause 2454 and 46212 to be merged?

5) What will happen to 1x2 jumper plates? Will 3794a, 3794b, and 15573 all be
merged into one entry? I think that's absolutely ridiculous if so, and I
would be very annoyed if I received 15573 in a used set from the '90s. Most
collectors would.

Some of these entries I understand changing, like the Smooth Slopes. For others,
though, I think it is very irresponsible to collectors to change the inventory.
It's one thing to make 3068b the default 3068, for example, but a totally
different thing to eliminate the entry for 3068a and remove the differentiation
in set inventories. And that goes for most of these variants. The variants are
there so that collectors can have a more accurate set and buyers can find period-accurate
parts. Like I said, I receive a lot of these orders and I know how detail-oriented
Lego collectors can be.

-Jordy

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Dec 20, 2023 16:20

Subject:

Order batch after coupon expires

Viewed:

76 times

Topic:

Hi,

Does anyone know what happens if a buyer makes an order from a seller that allows
open orders and applies a 10% coupon, then the coupon expires, then the buyer
adds another batch to the order and checks out after the expiration?

1) Does the coupon only apply 10% off for the first batch, but not the second
batch after expiration?

2) Does the coupon apply 10% off for both batches (the entire order) because
it was initially applied before it expired?

3) Does the coupon not work at all for either batch?

Not looking for guesses, only anecdotal experiences or facts. Thanks!

-Jordy (Brickitty)

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Nov 13, 2023 20:05

Subject:

Re: Your "Fav. Store" with the Highest feedback?

Viewed:

50 times

Topic:

In General, Brickman4you writes:

Just curious - shout yours out?

I know most large stores make our "Least fav. list", but was happily
surprised of mine...

- Bricks on the Dollar -

For New parts, BrickVibe is absolutely fantastic. I get what I order every time,
and they're fast for such a large store. BAHP Store is a close second.

For Used parts, it's Tons of Bricks (GDM). Always fantastic, love their coupon
system, love the free shipping on large orders, love the constant new stock.
Also wanna give a shout-out to ACE of BRICKS and Brick Brokers (you rock, Michelle!)

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Nov 9, 2023 12:17

Subject:

Re: Login From New Device emails

Viewed:

55 times

Topic:

In General, SylvainLS writes:

In General, Brick_A_Brac writes:

[…]
because the "Stay logged in for this browser" checkbox seems to do nothing
will just mean we start ignoring them.

Hi,

Have you accepted the Preference cookies here: https://www.bricklink.com/v3/cookies.page
?

All of my cookies are accepted and on, and the "stay logged in" checkmark
has been irregular for years. Now I'm getting the emails even if I didn't
need to log in, just by visiting the site on my phone or tablet or laptop for
the first time in a few hours. I don't believe the site is actually remembering
devices.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Oct 25, 2023 17:36

Subject:

Re: seller has got my buying privileges revoked

Viewed:

98 times

Topic:

In Buying, jonsogel2fun writes:

In Buying, Brickitty writes:

In Buying, TheBrickGuys writes:

I have to point out that even if all you say is true, it would be hard to feel
any sympathy for you considering that a little over 2% of your buyers have left
either a neutral or negative (117 total)feedback against you for doing the exact
same thing, and a lot worse, to your customers.

Jim

+1

Yeah, this store was one of the first I ever least-favorited. Even though I've
never ordered from them, looking through their feedback just makes me angry.
It's a huge gigantic bright red flag when someone always has an aggressive
and self-righteous response to any complaint or criticism, in business or in
life. And it makes the dishonesty the seller described and showed above entirely
believable. THATS FUNNY BECUASE YOU ON MY LIST AS WELL FOR BEING WAY TO EXSPENSIVE. SO YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT A NEUTRAL PARTY AND I MUST HAVE BOUGHT FROM YOU IN THE PAST

Wow, that caps lock sure doesn't support my point about your aggression at
all. You're really coming across as calm, reasonable, and trustworthy here.

I wasn't going to mention it, but buddy guy, your store was one of the influences
on my pricing model. "If this irresponsible seller with horrible feedback
can charge these prices, I'll offer the same prices with much better service."
So that's not quite the insult you think it is.

According to my records, you've never bought from me. Which makes sense,
since you've been stoplisted as a buyer since before I had inventory in my
store. I don't trust anyone who responds to feedback like you do.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Oct 25, 2023 17:08

Subject:

Re: seller has got my buying privileges revoked

Viewed:

79 times

Topic:

In Buying, jonsogel2fun writes:

In Buying, Brickitty writes:

In Buying, TheBrickGuys writes:

+1

Yeah, this store was one of the first I ever least-favorited. Even though I've
never ordered from them, looking through their feedback just makes me angry.
It's a huge gigantic bright red flag when someone always has an aggressive
and self-righteous response to any complaint or criticism, in business or in
life. And it makes the dishonesty the seller described and showed above entirely
believable. Thats funny because you are on my least favorite store list as well and my reason was way to exspensive.

Ah, and there's the aggressive and self-righteous (not to mention irrelevant)
response I mentioned, right on time. Thanks for supporting my point.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Oct 25, 2023 16:59

Subject:

Re: seller has got my buying privileges revoked

Viewed:

91 times

Topic:

In Buying, TheBrickGuys writes:

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Oct 25, 2023 16:22

Subject:

Re: seller has got my buying privileges revoked

Viewed:

102 times

Topic:

You have under 98% positive feedback, not 99%. No reason to fib when we can all
see it, especially if you're so honest. And somehow... you're never at
fault for any of them?

Based on the copious feedback that you regularly send out damaged parts and respond
poorly to customer feedback, well, it looks like karma to me.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Oct 10, 2023 15:54

Subject:

Re: Inventory turnover rate?

Viewed:

34 times

Topic:

In Selling, LegoVolunteer writes:

How quickly does your inventory turnover? That is, when you add something to
your store's inventory, how long does it sit there before it sells? (just
looking for estimates...I assume there is a lot of variety). Thanks!

Honestly, it depends on way too many factors for an answer to be meaningful.
For a very-low-demand part, just a handful of copies might take 10 years to sell.
Or a single buyer could come along and purchase every copy you have at once,
after a week or a month or 5 years. For a high-demand part, you might sell it
within minutes of listing it, as I've done many times, or you might not sell
that one copy for a year or two. Copies might sell one at a time, or you might
sell a thousand-plus copies in one day. My best-sellers are constantly flying
off the metaphorical shelves, but at least once a week I sell something I've
never sold in 2+ years. Then you have to take into account type of part, store
size, pricing, location, store feedback, etc. There's really no way to set
an expectation unless you're more specific. Otherwise the answer is meaningless.

If what you want is an average across all parts, like others in this thread have
assumed, I've sold approximately 60% of my starting inventory size in a little
over 2 years. But I've also added almost that many parts back into my inventory
in that time, and many of the parts I've sold were ones I added after launch.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Sep 13, 2023 17:14

Subject:

Re: Confirm multiple variations in same set

Viewed:

26 times

Topic:

In Catalog Identification, unrefined writes:

Here is another fun mold change that I would love to know the years for:

I have these mold differences separated in my store. As best as I could trace
it a few years ago, the one with the embossed logo in the center was the only
variant up until around 2008-2009, when they introduced the one with no logo.
Both molds were included in sets until around 2011-2012, when the one with the
embossed logo was fully phased out. Note that these years are just my best estimations
based on a variety of sets, when new colors of the part were introduced, etc.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Sep 12, 2023 17:16

Subject:

Re: Confirm multiple variations in same set

Viewed:

27 times

Topic:

In Catalog Identification, unrefined writes:

I am rebuilding some old sets and I would like to confirm that sets from the
1980s and 1990s used multiple mold variations of the same part in the same set.
Primarily I am looking to confirm that these older sets used pieces (plates)
with both solid posts and hollow posts.

My main goal is to rebuild some older sets as accurately as possible but seeing
as how there is no confirmed answer to when the hollow posts started being made,
and how long it took to phase out the solid posts, I am unsure of my accuracy.

I think the best way to confirm this is with someone who owns a new, open-box
set from this period, and can look through the unopened bags to confirm that
both molds are present in the same bag/set.

I realize that this is a big ask but I feel like it would help the community
greatly. If someone is willing to provide photo evidence of this I will use it
in a website that I am making to help with identifying parts.

Thank you!

Yes, I have opened sealed sets from the mid-to-late-'90s and '00s that
included both hollow and solid bottom pins in plates, modified plates, bricks,
and modified bricks in the same set.

For the '80s, I have only opened a couple of sealed sets, but every single
part had solid bottom pins. Based on available evidence, including discussion
forums, part release dates, and experience with sets that weren't sealed
but had been kept built for decades, I believe that hollow bottom pins didn't
exist until sometime in the early '90s.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Sep 11, 2023 16:53

Subject:

Re: What are those? Are they even lego?

Viewed:

46 times

Topic:

In Catalog Identification, BricxaLot writes:

Please see attached picture.
Not really sure if they are LEGO but wanted to check...

They're the sprues from 36752:

36752 (Inv) Minifigure, Utensil Wand, 2 on Sprue
Parts: Minifigure, Utensil {Dark Orange}

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Sep 1, 2023 21:09

Subject:

Re: Very specific parts - very small order

Viewed:

68 times

Topic:

In Buying, caincha writes:

Hi

I want these specific parts for a personal custom project but seems most sellers
have a minimum $$ order purchase… And I am in New Zealand so it would be needed
to ship overseas…
Any help?

Parts list:

5x LEGO Black Technic Pin Connector Round with 4 Clips (15646 / 90202)

5x LEGO Black Hinge Arm Locking with Single Finger and Friction Pin (41532 /
57697)

18x LEGO Medium Stone Gray Bar 1L with Handle (23443 / 49755)

18x LEGO Flat Silver Small Horn (53451 / 88513)

I have all of those in stock, I have no minimum buy, and I ship to NZ.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Aug 31, 2023 16:50

Subject:

Re: CAN'T PRINT POSTAGE ON PAYPAL

Viewed:

26 times

Topic:

In General, Brickitty writes:

In General, pitz8008 writes:

I saw the post earlier about someone not being able to transfer money out of
paypal. Well I'm currently not able to print postage on paypal. Is anybody
having this issue?

Yes, I just started shipping orders this afternoon and ran into the same problem.

It's working now!

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Aug 31, 2023 16:42

Subject:

Re: CAN'T PRINT POSTAGE ON PAYPAL

Viewed:

27 times

Topic:

In General, pitz8008 writes:

I saw the post earlier about someone not being able to transfer money out of
paypal. Well I'm currently not able to print postage on paypal. Is anybody
having this issue?

Yes, I just started shipping orders this afternoon and ran into the same problem.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Aug 30, 2023 19:10

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 75958-1

Viewed:

26 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

75958-1 (Inv) Beauxbatons' Carriage: Arrival at Hogwarts
412 Parts, 4 Minifigures, 2019
Sets: Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire

* Change 1 Part Reddish Brown {4532 Container, Cupboard 2 x 3 x 2 (Undetermined Type) to 4532b Container, Cupboard 2 x 3 x 2 - Hollow Studs}

Comments from Submitter:
From my original sealed copy of the set

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Aug 29, 2023 19:51

Subject:

Re: What the....

Viewed:

50 times

Topic:

In Shipping, Brickitty writes:

And for any of y'all who are curious about those some of those stats:

Most orders in any half-hour of the day: 17:00-17:30 MST (19:00-19:30 EST)

Least orders in any half-hour of the day: 5:00-5:30 MST (7:00-7:30 EST), exactly
12 hours earlier than the most orders

Most orders for a state compared to expected orders by population: Virginia (4.44%

2.58%)

Least orders for a state compared to expected orders by population: Texas (6.27%

Busiest day of the week: Monday, and it's not even close

Slowest day of the week: Tuesday

Oops, the formatting didn't work there. The states are Virginia (4.55% instead
of expected 2.58%) and Texas (6.27% instead of expected 8.75%).

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Aug 29, 2023 19:49

Subject:

Re: What the....

Viewed:

26 times

Topic:

2.58%)

Least orders for a state compared to expected orders by population: Texas (6.27%

Busiest day of the week: Monday, and it's not even close

Slowest day of the week: Tuesday

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Aug 29, 2023 19:41

Subject:

Re: What the....

Viewed:

29 times

Topic:

In Shipping, popsicle writes:

In Shipping, Brickitty writes:

In Shipping, popsicle writes:

~ Buyer places order using IC @ 14:15 PST

~ Order handed to USPS with acceptance scan @ 14:43 PST

~ Order status marked as shipped and Thank you Drive Thru with tracking
link provided @ 14:48 PST

Put another way: 28 minutes after the order is placed, it’s on it's way to
the buyer. Thirty three minutes after order, they get their already activated
tracking link, and Thanks

Not our best time, but pretty good

Very nice! I love orders that come in just before I go to the post office every
day (2:00-4:00 MST) because I can really impress with the speed. My current record
is 6 minutes from order time to Drive-Thru & tracking, left right away, dropped
off at the post office 10 minutes after order time.

Now that is impressive. Well done! Think you got me beat too. Damnit!

Even better though, is not having to travel, but handing it off to your well-timed
mail carrier just outside your front door, as we did today

Now that's convenient! I've never done that, partially because our local
post office is only 2 minutes away. It's tiny and grandfathered in without
a lot of modern post office amenities, but it gets the packages to Denver's
USPS distribution center even faster than the bigger post offices I've used
in the past.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Aug 29, 2023 19:38

Subject:

Re: What the....

Viewed:

28 times

Topic:

In Shipping, sasquatch_eater writes:

In Shipping, popsicle writes:

Not our best time, but pretty good

Very nice! I don't know my best time but it was probably nowhere below an
hour. Out of curiosity, any particular reason why you use military time?

--Claude

Can't speak for Popsicle, but I use 24-hour time too. The primary reason
is that all of my order info goes into a gigantic spreadsheet, and then I can
easily generate cool stats like a bar graph of the amount of orders I get during
each hour of the day. My partner and I enjoy working on the spreadsheet together
and coming up with new ways to visualize the data.

My favorite so far involved inputting state populations from the 2020 census,
dividing each state by the total U.S. population to determine each state's
percentage of the population, doing the same with the percentage of orders we
get from each state, and then juxtaposing those on a graph so we can see which
states are over/under the expected sales based on population. Stats are so much
fun!

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Aug 29, 2023 19:01

Subject:

Re: What the....

Viewed:

46 times

Topic:

In Shipping, popsicle writes:

Not our best time, but pretty good

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Aug 29, 2023 15:05

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 4766-1

Viewed:

24 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

4766-1 (Inv) Graveyard Duel
518 Parts, 6 Minifigures, 2005
Sets: Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire

* Change 2 Part Dark Bluish Gray {30237 Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Clip (Vertical Grip) (Undetermined Type) to 30237a Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Split U Clip Thick (Vertical Grip)}
* Change 4 Part Tan {30237 Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Clip (Vertical Grip) (Undetermined Type) to 30237a Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Split U Clip Thick (Vertical Grip)}

Comments from Submitter:
Original copy of set from my collection, which I'm now parting out

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Aug 29, 2023 12:32

Subject:

Re: Need help identifying minifigure

Viewed:

33 times

Topic:

In Catalog Identification, almarsh78 writes:

In Catalog Identification, Classicsmiley writes:

In Catalog Identification, almarsh78 writes:

I got this in a bulk bin of Legos which contained a bunch of parts from the Queen
Anne's Revenge set. Look exactly like the zombie gunner but the torso should
be brown
This one is green. What is this?

poc014 (Inv) Gunner Zombie
Minifigures: Pirates of the Caribbean

Looks like you've got a misprint, and a pretty cool one at that.

Would this be worth anything? How common/uncommon is this?

I've been following misprint groups for years and I've never seen one
of these. If you can verify it's Lego (logo on top of neck), I'd say
this is a $150-$200 misprint minimum, possibly more. The FB group Misprints For
Sale & Show could probably value it more accurately. If you still want to finish
your Queen Anne's Revenge, I'd suggest buying a fig for that and keeping/selling
this one separately.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Aug 21, 2023 20:44

Subject:

Re: Old Dark Red

Viewed:

41 times

Topic:

Colors

In Colors, here4bricks614 writes:

Does anyone have experience dealing with old Dark Red from 2001-2008? Is it brittle?
I’ve only had four modern Dark Red parts break, but I don’t own enough old Dark
Red to know if that color is as brittle.

I separate the shades of Dark Red in my store, and I've built tons of '00s
and '10s sets. In my experience, Old Dark Red can be brittle, but it's
brittle far less often than New Dark Red from around 2010-2014 (which is the
same period with very brittle Reddish Brown).

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Aug 13, 2023 20:46

Subject:

Re: Item/lot ratio

Viewed:

55 times

Topic:

In General, Gleaming writes:

In General, tEoS writes:

There's already a well established store with the same name. Maybe consider
something original.

In General, Gleaming writes:

What do y’all consider to be a good item/lot ratio?

completely ignored the question

And yet he's correct. You should change it.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Aug 13, 2023 12:42

Subject:

Re: What is this?

Viewed:

49 times

Topic:

In Catalog Identification, qwertyboy writes:

Another victim...

https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1112988

Niek.

The part really should be in the category Bar. Even immediately after it came
out, it was used at least as often as a sconce as it was a palm tree leaf-holder.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Aug 9, 2023 12:45

Subject:

Re: What comes after Ground Advantage?

Viewed:

64 times

Topic:

In Shipping, legoranger00 writes:

Is Ground Advantage’s weight limit still 15.9 ounces, as when it used to be First
Class? What’s the 2nd cheapest USPS mailing service?

No, it was combined with Parcel Select and now goes all the way up to 70 pounds.
The second-cheapest is Priority.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jul 29, 2023 23:07

Subject:

Re: Inventory Change Request for Set 4500-2

Viewed:

24 times

Topic:

Inventories Requests

In Inventories Requests, Star_Wars_Geek1 writes:

Please make changes to the following inventory:

4500-2 (Inv) Rebel Snowspeeder (redesign), Original Trilogy Edition box
202 Parts, 3 Minifigures, 2004
Sets: Star Wars: Star Wars Episode 4/5/6

* Change {4 to 3} Part Black 4032 Plate, Round 2 x 2 with Axle Hole

Comments from Submitter:
Pages 20, 29, and 36 in the instruction manual are the only instances of this part. Quantity should drop from 4 to 3.

Page 10, step 12.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jul 28, 2023 16:42

Subject:

Re: Please add note

Viewed:

22 times

Topic:

Catalog Requests

In Catalog Requests, Turez writes:

In Catalog Requests, Brickitty writes:

Please add "This minifigure has been found with both the 'b' and
'c' style head." to sw0366. All of my original minifigures from my
sealed copy of 10236 came with 'c' style heads.

Minifig No: sw0366 Name: Imperial Stormtrooper - Printed Black Head, Dotted Mouth Helmet, Detailed Armor

sw0366 (Inv) Imperial Stormtrooper - Printed Black Head, Dotted Mouth Helmet, Detailed Armor
Minifigures: Star Wars: Star Wars Episode 4/5/6

Could you please also submit a request to add the alternate head to the set inventory?
See here for example: https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemInv.asp?S=9490-1

Done!

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jul 28, 2023 16:42

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 10236-1

Viewed:

24 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

10236-1 (Inv) Ewok Village - UCS
1928 Parts, 17 Minifigures, 2013
Sets: Star Wars: Ultimate Collector Series: Star Wars Episode 4/5/6

* Add 1 Part 3626cpb0664 Black Minifigure, Head Balaclava with Face Hole, Stubble and Rakish Smile Pattern - Hollow Stud (Alternate) (match ID 13)

Comments from Submitter:
Adding alternate head to set inventory as requested

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jul 28, 2023 13:21

Subject:

Please add note

Viewed:

49 times

Topic:

Catalog Requests

For:

Catalog Associate

Status:

Completed

Please add "This minifigure has been found with both the 'b' and
'c' style head." to sw0366. All of my original minifigures from my
sealed copy of 10236 came with 'c' style heads.

sw0366 (Inv) Imperial Stormtrooper - Printed Black Head, Dotted Mouth Helmet, Detailed Armor
Minifigures: Star Wars: Star Wars Episode 4/5/6

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jul 28, 2023 13:18

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 10236-1

Viewed:

25 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

10236-1 (Inv) Ewok Village - UCS
1928 Parts, 17 Minifigures, 2013
Sets: Star Wars: Ultimate Collector Series: Star Wars Episode 4/5/6

* Change 1 Part Dark Bluish Gray {44301 Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 1 Finger on End (Undetermined Type) to 44301b Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 1 Finger on End without Bottom Groove}
* Change 1 Part Dark Bluish Gray {44302 Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 2 Fingers on End (Undetermined Type) to 44302b Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 2 Fingers on End and 9 Teeth without Bottom Groove}
* Change 4 Part Black {6628 Technic, Pin with Friction Ridges and Tow Ball (Undetermined Type) to 6628a Technic, Pin with Friction Ridges and Tow Ball with Round Pin Hole}
* Change 3 Part Reddish Brown {30237 Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Clip (Vertical Grip) (Undetermined Type) to 30237a Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Split U Clip Thick (Vertical Grip)}

Comments from Submitter:
Sealed set from my collection

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jul 11, 2023 18:11

Subject:

Re: Bad stretch of luck, or overall problem?

Viewed:

62 times

Topic:

Problem Order

In Problem Order, rainbowmist writes:

Its just not you. I too normally get orders that are wrong or missing parts.
Seems like this is common now. I have said this before in a post about sellers
are getting orders out too fast and not checking to see if the order is accurate.
Most the time I make an order on an evening then the seller ships it the next
morning. How can anyone be that fast?? I would want my buyer to have the right
parts they ordered and then spending extra time making sure. This is not amazon.

Well, that's not quite fair about the speed! For some sellers like me, this
is a full-time job and we take it very seriously. I get 90% of my orders out
within 24 hours, and around 50% out within just a couple hours. This week I've
already mailed multiple 50-lot to 100-lot orders in that timeframe, evening order
shipped the next morning or morning order shipped that afternoon. And I triple-check
every order and virtually never make an error.

I do agree with you that many sellers aren't checking carefully enough. But
contrary to your statement, I actually find that it's more often inversely
correlated with the shipment speed. Whenever I make a new batch of orders, the
ones that arrive the quickest are usually the most correct. It's often the
ones that aren't mailed for 5-10 days after payment that have the most errors
(or the most egregious errors). After all, if a seller isn't making their
buyers a priority with shipment time, why would they make them a priority by
spending extra time to double-check everything?

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jul 11, 2023 14:37

Subject:

Re: Bad stretch of luck, or overall problem?

Viewed:

71 times

Topic:

Problem Order

Unfortunately, this is a systemic issue on Bricklink. I've been buying regularly
for almost 9 years, and the rate of orders with at least one error has stayed
steady at around 60% to 70%. If I include unmentioned significant damage on at
least one part, it jumps to around 80% to 90%.

There are a few things you can do mitigate the issues. As other commenters have
said, always check feedback before you order. I avoid any sellers with multiple
comments about lack of response to issues or argumentativeness, as well as
any sellers with a fair amount of comments about missing parts or damage. I would
never have ordered from the seller you just left negative feedback for. In fact,
I wouldn't have ordered from them even if they had just 3 comments like that
from 1,000 feedback, and they have 25+. To be frank, that seller is horrible.

Secondly, when you write to a seller, be polite but firm. I say something like
"Most of the order looked great, but unfortunately, there were a few errors."
Then I list the errors on separate lines, ending with a "Please let me know
what you can do" and thank them. If they don't respond within 4 days,
I send a follow-up email every 2 days. If worse comes to worse, you can always
file a PayPal claim and an NSS (I wait 10-12 days for a response first), but
I've only had to do that a couple of times over the years, and it was almost
always with sellers that either 1) had poor feedback but I ordered anyway, or
2) were fairly new and wrongly convinced that they couldn't make mistakes
and buyers with complaints were just trying to rip them off.

Most of my favorite stores make errors sometimes too! But they always make it
right, and quickly. You don't need to order from the bad apples. There are
plenty of excellent stores on Bricklink.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jul 10, 2023 23:47

Subject:

Re: Off-Brand Marvel Mini-Figures..?? no markings

Viewed:

53 times

Topic:

In General, PlanetEarthToys writes:

ok, been sorting & posting my new batch of random figures & ran into these..
nothing has any markings except a random '1, 4, 12' etc.

no Lego anywhere, looked up a few of them , they were close as far as design
goes, but something was always a little off.

no clue what these are or who makes them,

any ideas is appreciated.

When I went to Denver Comic-Con a few years ago, literally every single vendor
who sold "Lego" had fake minifigs -- probably at least 8 different
vendors. I checked figs from all of them, and I didn't find a single genuine
fig. They all looked like these -- mostly correct but a little off, with
no logos anywhere. The vast majority were Marvel and DC super heroes, though
there were a few Star Wars ones, Lord of the Rings, etc.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jul 4, 2023 19:36

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 76023-1

Viewed:

26 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

76023-1 (Inv) The Tumbler
1860 Parts, 2 Minifigures, 2014
Sets: Super Heroes: The Dark Knight Trilogy

* Change 4 Part Black {44301 Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 1 Finger on End (Undetermined Type) to 44301b Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 1 Finger on End without Bottom Groove}
* Change 4 Part Dark Bluish Gray {44302 Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 2 Fingers on End (Undetermined Type) to 44302a Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 2 Fingers on End and 9 Teeth with Bottom Groove}

Comments from Submitter:
From sealed set

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jul 2, 2023 20:54

Subject:

Re: What’s your part white whale?

Viewed:

64 times

Topic:

Searching

In Searching, Mrkrazy133 writes:

What piece do you wish you could buy but it’s either too hard to find or too
expensive? Personally I’m desperately looking for 2 copies of the 60s Robin legs
for a MOC, but I missed my chance years ago and now no one is selling them. I’m
willing to pay a pretty penny for them too, but I can’t find a single store that
has them.

Well, for about 3 years there, it was:

30218 Clam Shell, Folding - Continuous Scalloped Inner Lip
Parts: Animal, Water {Bright Light Orange}

I ordered it approximately 15 times and messaged 20+ sellers that listed it.
Every single one I received was actually Medium Orange, regardless of any assurances
the sellers gave me, since that color appeared in 2 common Star Wars sets and
the Bright Light Orange version only appeared in a very rare, very expensive
Belville set. The colors are close, but are actually pretty easy to tell apart
if you compare them to other parts in good lighting.

I finally broke down and ordered an incomplete version of 5960 on eBay a few
months ago, and my friends were very amused when I received the package while
they were over and started jumping for joy when 30218 was the correct color.
It cost me almost $100, but hey, I parted out the rest of the parts into my store,
so hopefully I'll make it up eventually.

IF YOU HAVE 30218 LISTED IN BRIGHT LIGHT ORANGE: You're wrong. It's Medium
Orange. Please change your listing immediately.

Now, my white whales are actually instruction books for rare promo sets I already
own:

3070-1 Mosquito
Instructions: Space: Insectoids

3071-1 Light Flyer
Instructions: Space: Insectoids

3073-1 Booster
Instructions: Space: Insectoids

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jun 14, 2023 19:07

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 60102-1

Viewed:

19 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

60102-1 (Inv) Airport VIP Service
348 Parts, 4 Minifigures, 2016
Sets: Town: City: Airport

* Change 2 Part Light Bluish Gray {44567 Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 1 Finger on Side (Undetermined Type) to 44567b Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 1 Finger on Side without Bottom Groove}

Comments from Submitter:
Sealed set contents

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jun 12, 2023 19:32

Subject:

Re: How do I add to an existing paid order??

Viewed:

26 times

Topic:

In Buying, tamizale writes:

Thank you! Does that mean I place a new order and the seller , who has agreed
to combine, can just refund the overcharge on shipping? Thank you

Correct. The reason for this is that PayPal charges a transaction fee for each
individual instance of a payment sent ($0.49 + 3.49% domestically), so adding
a small amount to an order would cause the seller to lose money due to the static
fee.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jun 5, 2023 20:48

Subject:

Re: Respect for all that sell used.

Viewed:

66 times

Topic:

Retail

In Retail, macebobo writes:

I just tried my hand at buying used IRL and selling it here.

I must say, I did not realize how much work is involved in obtaining, cleaning,
sorting out junk, assembling minifigures from piles of parts, checking parts
for any damage (old minifigures are some of the worst for hiding cracks, got
to get the light and magnifier just so!) It was so disappointing to see an otherwise
perfect minifigure, cracked.

I respect all of those who sell used who may do this even part-time. Thank you
for making it possible to get period parts for old sets. So, here's to you
all who like doing it. Well done, you all rock.

Needless to say, even though I did find some treasure, I don't think I'll
be doing it again soon and I still have about 20lbs of bulk to go through.

-- John

Thank you! For my part, I really appreciate that recognition. It took me nearly
3 years to buy, sort, double-check, and list over 1,500 pounds of bulk, over
2,500 minifigures, and over 1,000 instruction books. It was the single biggest
thing I've ever accomplished in my life and continues to be a huge amount
of work as my full-time job. (And to be clear, it wouldn't have been possible
without my partner supporting us and believing in me the whole time.) But I'm
so glad I did! I love sending buyers exactly what they need. This is the best
job I could've imagined... not to mention a fantastic conversation starter
at social events

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jun 5, 2023 20:15

Subject:

Re: A gentle reminder

Viewed:

54 times

Topic:

In Selling, rainbowmist writes:

I like what you said and I get what you are saying but they are still rude even
when you are being nice. I noticed most buyers don't say thank you anymore
in messages and too busy to even leave feedback or mark as completed. Doesn't
make bricklink very enjoyable either as a seller. And these are just basically
kids toys which is not that important in life.

I understand that it feels unfair, but I've never regretted responding to
rudeness with politeness and generosity, in real life or or on the internet.
(Though I've often regretted the times I haven't.) And in the majority
of circumstances, the other party has changed their tune or apologized because
of how I responded.

Many things that people get upset or antagonistic about aren't that important
in life. I know. My wife came very, very close to dying in January. That was
important. But a gentle reminder that you don't get to decide what's
important to others, regardless of how silly it seems to you. Being polite and
validating others' feelings is very, very rarely the wrong decision.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jun 5, 2023 19:37

Subject:

A gentle reminder

Viewed:

260 times

Topic:

Just a gentle reminder that the vast, vast majority of buyers have good intentions
and are acting in good faith. They may have no knowledge of buying etiquette.
They may make mistakes because they have very little knowledge of Lego parts.
They may sometimes act aggressively or rudely when they're confused, upset,
or impatient. But communicating in a polite, patient, and generous way makes
a world of difference.

A few days ago, a buyer left me neutral feedback for sending "fake Lego parts."
They had bought a few 3068a Light Gray Tile 2x2 without Groove when -- as
best as I can figure from our communication -- they meant to order a few
3068b Light Bluish Gray Tile 2x2 with Groove. They had also ordered another Light
Bluish Gray part. Between the different shades of gray, the lack of a groove,
and the lack of the Lego logo on the underside of the part (since these were
1960s/1970s parts, though fully verified), they assumed the tiles were fake.

I reached out and calmly explained why the vintage pieces were genuine and where
the confusion might be, and offered to send replacements for free. They understood,
but there was more confusion -- they complained about other parts they'd
actually ordered from a different seller and didn't remove the feedback.
It took a few more messages to clear things up, and I remained patient and polite.
An hour ago they finally removed the feedback, and we ended our communication
respectfully with mutual thanks.

This type of thing has happened maybe 9 or 10 times over the 2 years I've
been running my parts store. (For example, one buyer left a negative and called
me a scammer because they accidentally ordered an empty box instead of the set
they wanted. Another accidentally sent the order to an old address. Another dropped
a part on the ground when they were unpacking the order.) But if I'd responded
antagonistically or impatiently, or if I hadn't messaged them to clear things
up, I'd still have multiple unfair neutrals and negatives. Instead, I treated
them with respect every step of the way, so we left things on great terms.

As a buyer, I've stoplisted at least a dozen sellers over the years because
their response to being politely messaged about an error was to respond antagonistically
and unapologetically, and at least another dozen because they never responded
at all. Don't be like them. Just a gentle reminder to be polite, patient,
generous, and kind, even when you're being aggressively confronted and you
didn't do anything wrong.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

May 16, 2023 16:15

Subject:

Re: Seller ignoring requests for tracking

Viewed:

47 times

Topic:

Problem Order

In Problem Order, wildchicken13 writes:

In Problem Order, UTLF writes:

The seller in question has a good amount of positive feedback, but I'm still
a bit puzzled as to why it's so difficult for them to send the tracking number

It's a German custom not to let the buyer know the tracking number

Not just German. I'd say half of the orders I make from European and British
sellers say they'll include tracking but never send it.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

May 16, 2023 15:33

Subject:

Re: Why bricklink didn't add it?

Viewed:

50 times

Topic:

In General, s0l0kr writes:

Hey everyone, I have an idea that Bricklink can implement, and I don't know
why it is not implemented yet.
So, there are few type of sellers, someone responds for like a week, or doesn't
respond at all, ships parts in polybags which were used at dinosaur times, and
packaging 100 parts for like a 4 days.
Other type of seller is when a seller quickly responds, includes some gifts for
his customers, responds as fast as possible, in other words puts a lot of effort
in his job, but both of this sellers gets the same money from orders.
And my idea is pretty simple, why Bricklink didn't implement tip system?
Good sellers who put effort will receive a tip from customers if they want to
send it to them, other sellers will try to become better, will try to make their
packaging looking better, will put more effort in their job in order to get tips
for their work. Bricklink can collect fees on this tips.

I think there are many reasons this isn't a good idea, but a primary one
is that it would require a second PayPal transaction. You can't simply "update"
a payment that's already been paid with a tip (which is why there isn't
a built-in system on Bricklink for adding a single part or two onto an order
that's been paid). And a second transaction means PayPal will take another
transaction fee ($0.49 domestically, $0.99 internationally, plus a percentage).
So if someone wanted to tip $1 or $2, the seller would lose a good chunk of that
to fees.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

May 4, 2023 19:21

Subject:

Re: Is it really a "sale"?

Viewed:

61 times

Topic:

In Selling, Shiny_Stuff writes:

Well, mathematically, someone has got to sell at higher prices so that the average
can exist.

I still quote something another BL seller used to say years ago (and probably
still does):

"There is nothing wrong with my prices. Everybody else is just setting their
prices too low."

At least regarding parts and minifigs, some of the most successful BL shops are
those that maintain HIGH prices.

I believe that was Ed of Lucky Ed's Good Ol' Bricks. He's quite an
inspiration and completely correct in that regard! It was nerve-wracking over
the 1.5 years when I was listing and pricing before launch, but I listened to
him. And I'm so glad I did, because I've become one of those wildly successful
shops. I've found that an extremely diverse inventory, near-perfect accuracy,
consistently high-quality parts, speedy shipping, and flawless service are invaluable
to many buyers. The old axiom "you get what you pay for" may not always
be true... but it usually is.

I've thought a lot about it, and my opinion is that many 6-month average
prices are far below the actual value of the parts (especially for rare and semi-rare
parts) because the vast majority of sellers price using Brickstock or a quick
glance at the average prices rather than actually studying the supply-demand
dynamics. This creates a self-perpetuating cycle where prices only slowly increase
despite the parts being perennially hard to find, all caused by sellers pricing
too low for the levels of supply and demand (in other words, at or near average
prices). On certain parts, my store alone has had a distinct effect on the price
guide, occasionally increasing the average price by 5x or 10x for an individual
part, and yet the part keeps selling just as well for all sellers at the new
price level. In my opinion, this corroborates my reading of the Lego economics
at work here.

Of course, this strategy wouldn't work for all sellers, since it specifically
applies to used parts, not new parts that can easily be parted out and sold by
a layperson. And given that 75% to 85% of my used-part orders as a buyer on BL
have at least one error or damaged part, the level of service usually doesn't
justify higher prices.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Apr 28, 2023 12:40

Subject:

Re: How does everyone sort used?

Viewed:

49 times

Topic:

In Selling, tons_of_bricks writes:

So we're looking at trying to streamline of processing our used pieces. Currently,
we figured we handle each piece about 6 times from start to finish, and we'd
really like to cut that down a bit. Here's our current process.

1. Get a box of used pieces, break it down into about 40 or so broad categories
(brick modified, tiles, plate 2x, etc.).

2. When one of the boxes of those categories gets full, we'll break it down
to individual pieces.

3. We then take each individual piece and separate them into colors and putting
aside the decorated items.

4. We then take the colors, do the final deep lookover for fakes, defects, etc.
then count what we have.

5. We list each item, putting them into one of our several hundred organized
and labeled bins.

6. When ordered, we pull the piece from their bin and package it up, sending
it to the customer.

So how does everyone else go through the steps? As you can see, each piece is
handled quite a bit, but because of the quantities we deal with, we can't
figure out a way to combine any steps that will still be efficient.

I do it very similarly, although one of those original categories is non-minifigure
decorated pieces, so they get their own bin. It's easier for me to list all
the decorated pieces at once rather than with each part type.

My system uses closer to 22 initial sorting categories of various-sized bins,
rather than 40. For step 2, I don't wait until each bin is full, I sort a
predetermined amount into the bins (usually around 20-25 pounds) and then break
down and list all the bins consecutively. My final sorting system for picking
orders uses approximately 2,500 labeled plastic drawers rather than several hundred,
along with a few dozen boxes for oversized/overflow parts and nested ziploc bags
sorted by theme for minifigures.

Lastly, in the final step, I use a tablet to walk around and pull parts onto
a tray, lay them out on a table, and then inspect them once again for damage,
color, quantity, etc. as I bag them up for shipping. This way they end up triple-checked,
which is why I have a virtually nonexistent error rate below 0.1% of orders.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Apr 19, 2023 22:15

Subject:

Re: usa shipstation through paypal down?

Viewed:

35 times

Topic:

In Shipping, BrickfordBricks writes:

Is anyone else having issues with shipping using shipstation through paypal in
the USA today?

It's been having issues since yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. I was able to
get it to work eventually by continually reopening the page through PayPal's
Ready To Ship orders rather than directly through ShipStation's order-aggregator
page for 5-10 minutes.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Apr 19, 2023 20:31

Subject:

Re: More unpopular color Lime or Orange???

Viewed:

43 times

Topic:

Colors

In Colors, peregrinator writes:

In Colors, rainbowmist writes:

Which color does everyone think is more unpopular right now Lime or Orange? Or
is there another color that is not popular either, maybe Red?

Lime
Dark Purple
Medium Lavender
Bright Pink
Medium Azure
Magenta

colors typically associated with Friends sets

I sell a lot of Medium Azure, though not as much as Medium Blue, which is extremely
popular over the past year. I also sell a lot of Dark Purple, though far more
specialty parts than regular bricks, plates, or tiles. And I sell a TON of Lime.
Out of all of those, Magenta is easily the worst seller for me, and Medium Lavender
and Bright Pink are also low, about the same level as Dark Pink, Medium Nougat,
and Trans-Orange. As to the OP, Lime sells far better than Orange. But IMO, Magenta
is the lowest seller.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Apr 13, 2023 14:26

Subject:

Re: ShipStation vs other, please guide me

Viewed:

35 times

Topic:

In Shipping, popsicle writes:

To the contrary, I find it helpful. So far, that is

It can definitely be helpful for verification and adding the last 4 digits of
a zip code! But I find it so weird that 75% of the time it changes Unit to Apt,
but also changes Apt to Unit 75% of the time. One time it changed the house number
for no apparent reason. And occasionally, it just completely deletes important
information in non-traditional addresses (like building numbers in addition to
apt numbers), to the point where the package would've been Returned to Sender
if I hadn't caught it. And until last August/September, when it presented
the option to use the corrected address or the original one, choosing the original
address wouldn't work. It would change it to the corrected one regardless
of your choice, and you'd have to manually edit it to change it back.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Apr 13, 2023 12:01

Subject:

Re: ShipStation vs other, please guide me

Viewed:

32 times

Topic:

In Shipping, fignbrick writes:

I took a break from selling on bricklink and now that I am back, I see they have
moved to using ShipStation from their previous way. This has proven very frustrating
as the tracking number is not part of the purchase. The options are also more
limiting.

Is there another shipping service that is super easy, free, offers the discount
from retail and provides tracking?

Thank you in advance!

Jenn

There actually is a tracking number included with every postage purchase on ShipStation.
It'll appear on the screen after you purchase postage below the Print Shipping
Label option, usually as a link that can be copy-pasted onto Bricklink. I was
frustrated with ShipStation at first too, but it's grown on me and I actually
think it's better than Pitney Bowes was. The only exception being the address
auto-correction, which can be extremely annoying and unhelpful.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Apr 12, 2023 20:39

Subject:

Re: Auto-Select Stores issue

Viewed:

29 times

Topic:

In Buying, 1001bricks writes:

No offense, but none of this was helpful.

I didn't imagine BL could handle +1000 lots in a Buy List.

I don't know BL computing power resources, but this may use 'a lot'
of them (proportionnaly), which could make this kind of request kind of 'borderline',
hence a reason for your problems today?

HTH, sincerely.

Sorry for being brusque; I was frustrated since I was hoping to start this big
buy a few hours ago and the technical issues prevented me from doing so. Yeah,
running the Buy function with that many lots certainly taxes Bricklink's
system -- it usually takes about 5 minutes to run a 1,500-lot-ish query.
So if the server was already having issues today, it makes sense that a query
that large would overload them. But I wasn't sure what was happening --
for example, if it might've just been single item with a text string that
was causing issues -- so I figured I'd ask if anyone was having similar
issues. I'm fairly experienced with the average times it takes Bricklink
to run queries or load pages, so it's very noticeable when they take significantly
longer.

Anyway, thanks for your thoughts, sincerely

I'm just glad everything
is working again and I can spend a couple grand on some Lego!

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Apr 12, 2023 19:33

Subject:

Re: Auto-Select Stores issue

Viewed:

34 times

Topic:

In Buying, 1001bricks writes:

In Buying, Brickitty writes:

Is anyone else experiencing issues with the Buy function today or recently? Compared
to the previous few years, it seems to be taking twice as long to find stores
after clicking Apply for Wanted Lists and after clicking Auto-Select.

More shops, more buyers, more lots, more wanted-lists, more shipping methods,
more taxes involved...

And whenever I try it with my primary wanted list of 1,100 items, it times out

Guessing you're talking about LOTS and not items, because items quantity
won't change much the calculation time. You could make a WL for 1 million
2780 Black, it'll quickly reply I guess.

If lots, frankly, apart for making a study of the global prices or such (?),
I'm not sure to see the interest of making a 2500 or 1000 LOTS wanted-list.

I'd (and I do) manage my "wanted-lists" locally (BrickStore?), then
when you're ready to buy, try to acquire 100 lots or 200 maximum: it's
already probably 10 or 20 orders to manage...

If you wish a simple pricing, both rebrickable, studio and BrickStore will provide
you with an average.

HTH?

No offense, but none of this was helpful. I wanted to see if others were having
the same issue, or if someone could provide technical assistance -- I'm
not going to rethink the entire way I buy after years of perfecting it (and it
working well every time), and I'm certainly not going to max out at 200 lots
per list. That's ridiculous. I suppose you don't build many large MOCs,
but I've bought parts for individual MOCs with more than 1,100 lots, and
I've made as many as 80 orders in one part buy. In my experience, it's
not cost-effective unless I buy at least 500 lots from at least 25 sellers each
time I do a part buy.

It does seem as if there was a server problem, since the function wasn't
working well for hours, then Bricklink completely went down for a few minutes,
and now it's suddenly MUCH faster (the same query took about 1/4 of the time)
and I'm not getting the error message any longer. Hence why I cancelled the
message.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Apr 11, 2023 17:20

Subject:

Re: 4070a Dark Blue how to list

Viewed:

33 times

Topic:

In Help, Tiggy2 writes:

Hi

I have a 4070a in Dark Blue. First the 4070a is marked for deletion and 2nd there
is no Dark Blue in the known list.

So how do I list this item? Is it important enough to list under 4070 and state
it has a slot?

Thank You for your help

As the note on the page says, the presence or absence of the slot is inconsequential,
and it's believed that this may be a minor manufacturing variation/defect
over various time periods rather than an actual deliberate mold difference. Hence
why it's marked for deletion. So list it under 4070, and no need for a comment.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Apr 10, 2023 17:05

Subject:

Re: Anybody have the box for 75870?

Viewed:

50 times

Topic:

Wanted

In Wanted, Poncke writes:

I dont understand point 2. How does selling it with a box increase reputation
and respectability? If you sell it with the correct condition then you are just
being as honest. Having a box doesnt change that imo. For me personally the condition
of an item doesnt increase or decrease the reputation and respectability of a
seller. The actual sales process and customer service does though.

I think it's as simple as the fact that laypeople or people who are just
starting a hobby aren't familiar with the standards for that hobby. The box
thing is an easy assumption to make for someone who hasn't been in the Lego
community long, especially someone who tends to be a completionist.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Apr 10, 2023 17:01

Subject:

Re: Anybody have the box for 75870?

Viewed:

39 times

Topic:

Wanted

In Wanted, Brandish_Jaye writes:

2) thanks for the advice. Like I said earlier I probably will list without the
box, I just try to go that extra mile when possible. It's not so much increasing
the sale as it is increasing reputation and respectability.

Oh sure, I get that desire. I'm a detail-oriented perfectionist, so I did
that too -- along with spending hours of extra time picking period-accurate
parts based on glossiness, stud design, and hollow vs. solid underside tubes.
Things like that. But after a little while, I saw that those efforts were wasted;
buyers never noticed or cared. So I honestly doubt that going the extra mile
with boxes will do anything for your reputation or respectability.

What will affect those, however, is whether or not you send out complete, correct,
undamaged sets. The majority of sellers here and on the auction site constantly
send out sets with missing parts, damaged parts, or incorrect mold variations,
even if it's just one or two. Probably 90% of the sets I've ever bought
have had something wrong with them... but 99% of the ones I sold had every single
correct part, clean and undamaged. I triple-checked the inventory to ensure it.
Spending that extra time is worth it for your reputation, whereas spending that
time on boxes won't affect it.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Apr 10, 2023 15:41

Subject:

Re: Original set from 1976

Viewed:

45 times

Topic:

In Help, RR395 writes:

Dear Experts,

I have the chance to buy a set from 1976. The seller is telling me that the set
is completely new and was just accidently opened. And the set looks really very
good and the seller sent a photo from the opened box with all the parts inside.
I'm just wondering that the parts are not packed up in a transparent plastic
bag - although the set is declared as new.

Does anybody know if lego uses plastic bags for the parts in 1976?

Of course, my question is a little bit strange, but maybe someone can help.

Best regards and thanks for every hint in advance

Steven

In the past year, I've opened sealed sets from 1973 and 1978, and neither
had bags of any type inside the box. All of the parts were just loose in the
box.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Apr 10, 2023 15:38

Subject:

Re: Anybody have the box for 75870?

Viewed:

49 times

Topic:

Wanted

In Wanted, Brandish_Jaye writes:

Hi. I'm looking to complete a set but no one anywhere is selling the packaging.

75870-1 (Inv) Chevrolet Corvette Z06
168 Parts, 1 Minifigure, 2016
Sets: SPEED CHAMPIONS

If anyone has one (USA preferred) drop me message and I'll buy it from your
store if at a reasonable price. Thanks!

First, absolutely love your store logo and name!

Second, if you haven't seen the Items For Sale Condition page, it specifies
that used sets do not need to contain the box or extra parts to be listed
as Complete: https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=102

So you don't actually need the box, and from 7+ years of experience selling
used sets here and the auction site (before launching my parts store), including
the box with a set rarely helps it sell for more. Especially for a set that small.
In fact, the majority of buyers won't want the box if it increases the shipping
cost by even $1 -- which it almost always does. It's one thing if you
want to include the box as an option if you already have it, but even then most
buyers will opt for no box. In my opinion, hunting down and purchasing a box
to sell it with a set will only lose you money and time.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Apr 6, 2023 14:32

Subject:

Re: Music

Viewed:

32 times

Topic:

Off Topic

In Off Topic, s0l0kr writes:

Hey everyone, I can't do anything without music, but for like a month I can't
find any music which I would like to hear. Maybe can I have some suggestions
please.
Any genre is fine!
Thank you everyone, I hope you will give me something interesting

I play music all day every day, and I listen to almost everything, but lately
I've been on a huge indie rock kick, especially indie rock with synthesizers.
Lots of artists from Canada and England. Here's some recent favorites:

Metric (start with their brilliant new release Formentera and work backwards)
We Are Scientists
White Lies
Editors
Arkells
Silversun Pickups
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Interpol
Foals
Beach Weather
Wildermiss
Super Furry Animals
Aviators
The Wombats
The Vaccines

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Mar 31, 2023 16:34

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 4093-1

Viewed:

29 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

4093-1 (Inv) Wild Wind-up
315 Parts, 2003
Sets: Inventor

* Change 1 Part Trans-Yellow {6192 Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double (Undetermined Type) to 6192a Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double without Groove}

Comments from Submitter:
Sealed set contents, parted out years ago but never sold or mixed.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Mar 31, 2023 16:32

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 71756-1

Viewed:

23 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

71756-1 (Inv) Hydro Bounty
1091 Parts, 10 Minifigures, 2021
Sets: NINJAGO: Seabound

* Change 1 Part Tan {6192 Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double (Undetermined Type) to 6192b Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double with Groove}

Comments from Submitter:
Sealed set contents

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Mar 31, 2023 16:31

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 7257-1

Viewed:

20 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

7257-1 (Inv) Ultimate Lightsaber Duel
278 Parts, 2 Minifigures, 2005
Sets: Star Wars: Star Wars Episode 3

* Change 9 Part Reddish Brown {6192 Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double (Undetermined Type) to 6192a Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double without Groove}

Comments from Submitter:
Sealed set contents, bought and opened and built about 5 years ago, never deconstructed.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Mar 31, 2023 16:27

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 75312-1

Viewed:

25 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

75312-1 (Inv) Boba Fett’s Starship {Slave I}
589 Parts, 2 Minifigures, 2021
Sets: Star Wars: Star Wars The Mandalorian

* Change 1 Part Dark Green {6192 Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double (Undetermined Type) to 6192b Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double with Groove}
* Change 3 Part Light Bluish Gray {6192 Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double (Undetermined Type) to 6192b Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double with Groove}

Comments from Submitter:
Sealed set contents

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Mar 31, 2023 16:26

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 10269-1

Viewed:

22 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

10269-1 (Inv) Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
1023 Parts, 2019
Sets: Creator: Creator Expert: Traffic

* Change 1 Part Dark Bluish Gray {6192 Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double (Undetermined Type) to 6192b Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double with Groove}

Comments from Submitter:
Sealed set contents

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Mar 31, 2023 16:25

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 21047-1

Viewed:

23 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

21047-1 (Inv) Las Vegas {Bellagio Hotel Version}
501 Parts, 2018
Sets: Architecture

* Change 1 Part Light Bluish Gray {6192 Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double (Undetermined Type) to 6192b Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double with Groove}

Comments from Submitter:
Sealed set contents

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Mar 31, 2023 16:23

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 70657-1

Viewed:

24 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

70657-1 (Inv) NINJAGO City Docks
3494 Parts, 14 Minifigures, 2018
Sets: The LEGO NINJAGO Movie

* Change 1 Part Dark Bluish Gray {6192 Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double (Undetermined Type) to 6192b Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double with Groove}

Comments from Submitter:
Sealed set contents

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Mar 31, 2023 16:21

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 10260-1

Viewed:

22 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

10260-1 (Inv) Downtown Diner
2454 Parts, 6 Minifigures, 2018
Sets: Creator: Creator Expert: Modular Buildings Collection

* Change 10 Part Dark Turquoise {6192 Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double (Undetermined Type) to 6192b Slope, Curved 2 x 4 Double with Groove}

Comments from Submitter:
Sealed set contents

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Mar 28, 2023 14:34

Subject:

Re: 2 MILLION parts!

Viewed:

48 times

Topic:

Announce

In Announce, WildBricks writes:

We did it! We finally hit the 2 million mark.

Thanks to my amazing team for their help in making this crazy dream work. Thanks
to all of you awesome BL'ers for your help with my myriad of questions. And
a great big THANK YOU to all of the buyer's who have shopped with us along
the way.

Ginny
Wild Bricks GA

Congratulations, Ginny! You've been one of my favorite stores since I first
ordered soon after you launched, and you should be proud of building such a great
inventory and store!

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Mar 26, 2023 15:31

Subject:

Re: Store suspended due to FEE Avoidance?

Viewed:

71 times

Topic:

In Help Desk Missing Ticket, SylvainLS writes:

In Help Desk Missing Ticket, rankster writes:

[…]
I guess that insane extra fee has something to do with taxation of used products
since more than 94% of his items are used. The banners says "Vatsystem problems
pre-owned bricks".

25% is Denmark’s VAT rate.

They are VAT-registered in EU. They use BL’s VAT mechanism and they charge VAT
to EU buyers (at buyer’s rate).
For non-EU buyers, the VAT is set at 0% by BL’s VAT mechanism (as usual).

So, they are reapplying Denmark’s VAT rate to non-EU exports.

Thing is, IIUC, under the margin VAT scheme, the seller has more conditions to
meet to be able to export at 0% (time limit and paperwork).

So, maybe that’s their problem with the VAT mechanism: they can’t meet the 0%
conditions but they need to use BL’s mechanism for EU.

The bigger issue with that store seems to be that the shipping costs and fees
are not provided beforehand. No exact shipping costs visible in his terms or
during checkout so basicly he can charge whatever he wants.

I'm sorry, maybe I don't understand VAT, but why is this being charged
to the buyer? When I ordered from this seller, I was charged tax at the full
Colorado, USA rate. Why should I have to pay VAT in addition to tax? And not
only that, but pay VAT on the tax I already paid? I made a $105 order that turned
into $178 after shipping, tax, 10% handling, and the 25% charge. That's absolutely
ridiculous. And to rankster's point, I believe that the seller is overcharging
shipping too, since the same weight, same postal service, same package size is
significantly cheaper from other Danish sellers.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Mar 26, 2023 14:19

Subject:

Re: Store suspended due to FEE Avoidance?

Viewed:

81 times

Topic:

In Help Desk Missing Ticket, axaday writes:

A handling fee is okay as long as it isn't a percentage or really big.

And yet MY OWN STORE in Denmark is charging a 35% fee on non-EU orders (10% handling
mentioned in terms and 25% international fee only mentioned in the banner and
nowhere in the terms, which seems like it's also breaking the rules --
and both are charged on the total including shipping and tax, which is extra
ridiculous) and has been allowed to continue. I reported them months ago, but
nothing happened. I don't understand why the big sellers who do this blatantly
get away with it for months or years, while the 80-feedback sellers get banned
quickly.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Mar 16, 2023 12:58

Subject:

Re: bricks by rick 20% discount on parts

Viewed:

49 times

Topic:

Sales

In Sales, legomalego writes:

You must be an adult to operate a store on Bricklink.

Sorry.

I assume Bricklink management checked the age on their ID when they opened/reopened
their store. But yeah, between the "lying about a new owner" fiasco,
their reactions to any criticism or advice, and their responses in this thread,
this person certainly seems like a teenager.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Mar 8, 2023 20:55

Subject:

Re: How to get rid of a bad smell on some Lego

Viewed:

46 times

Topic:

In Help, Adrienhb writes:

Hi,

I've bought some Lego that must have been stored in a cave. And now they
smell like a cave. They are not dirty, just smelly.
Any advice on how to get rid of the smell ?

Place in a dryer bag. Soak in a mixture of white vinegar and water (1 part vinegar
to 4-5 parts water) for at least 48 hours, rinse with water, lay out on a towel
to air dry for least 72 hours. Repeat if needed.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Feb 27, 2023 16:50

Subject:

Re: Any tips?

Viewed:

39 times

Topic:

In Help, s0l0kr writes:

Hey everyone, I just recently opened my lego store, and I am really into it whole
time, I also had some orders recently, maybe is there any tips how to attract
buyers?
Thank you in advance everyone!

There are some small things you can do that might bring an extra buyer or two,
but selling Lego isn't really about marketing. It's about having a good
selection. Buyers will find you as long as you keep adding parts. Every day,
or almost every day. Right now, you're making a few sales because you're
new and have some desirable parts (or combinations of parts), but those will
soon dry up. Especially since there are multiple Lego sets currently available
that have more parts in a single set than your entire store has. Right now, you're
a tiny store. So keep adding. And adding. And adding. Based on what others sellers
have said on this forum over the last few years, you won't start seeing regular
or dependable sales until somewhere around 30,000 to 50,000 parts in your store.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Feb 17, 2023 16:58

Subject:

Re: Inaccurate feedback problem

Viewed:

49 times

Topic:

Feedback

In Feedback, axaday writes:

When I started taking a picture of every order when packing AND TELLING THEM
SO IN THE DRIVETHROUGH, claims that I had made a mistake went way down.

Yup. After 3 or 4 buyers tried to lie about missing parts in my first month (usually
the most expensive parts in an order, when I had photographic evidence that they
were sent), I added a line in my Terms about taking pictures and/or video of
every order. Since then, I've had maybe 3 false claims in 18 months, and
all of them miraculously "found" the parts after I responded that they
were present in the pictures. I think it also helps to have an excellent reputation
for sending out complete and undamaged orders every time, as it seems we both
do -- buyers would have to be pretty bold to try to make false claims.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Feb 15, 2023 14:55

Subject:

Re: Anything else doing besides Lego work?

Viewed:

33 times

Topic:

Off Topic

In Off Topic, qwertyboy writes:

Interested to hear what others are doing besides working with the plastic brick
and reading the forum (yes, I see you do).

I prepped tonight's dinner (nasi goreng with chicken satays), made a batch
of chicken curry salad (which sounds way healthier than it is - "chicken
curry spread" would probably be a better term), now doing some home cleaning.
I was hoping to take a brisk walk outside, but it looks like there is still too
much ice on the sidewalks, and I can't risk toppling over again after two
back surgeries (if that wouldn't have killed me, my wife would have finished
the job).

Niek.

Celebrated my 13th anniversary with my spouse last night at a very nice sushi
place, then cuddled up and watched The Last of Us. Today I'm listening to
Finnish folk music, Calogero, VNV Nation, Katatonia, and Metric (music is my
true love, and my tastes are quite diverse), drinking coffee, and watching the
snow as I do a variety of work on my laptop before I pack orders.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Feb 13, 2023 19:54

Subject:

Re: Compare Inventory to Wanted Lists

Viewed:

46 times

Topic:

In Help, tah5273 writes:

Hello, I am adding my inventory to BrickLink and I also have wanted lists compiled
for sets that are missing a few pieces. Is there any way to compare the two of
these lists and see if any parts I add to BrickLink inventory are on my wanted
list by a filter/compare standpoint? Thank you!

If you're talking about your store inventory, go to the My Store Inventory
page, check the box on the right-hand side that says "Items on My Wanted
List," and click "Go!"

If you're talking about the newer feature, My Collection, nope. But people
keep asking for it recently, along with other features like ways to see the total
value and ways to search and edit it more easily, so hopefully Bricklink staff
are paying attention.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jan 31, 2023 14:54

Subject:

Re: Inventory Change Request for Set 4774-1

Viewed:

33 times

Topic:

Inventories Requests

In Inventories Requests, axaday writes:

In Inventories Requests, Brickitty writes:

In Inventories Requests, axaday writes:

In Inventories Requests, Brickitty writes:

Please make changes to the following inventory:

4774-1 (Inv) Scorpion Orb Launcher
221 Parts, 2 Minifigures, 2005
Sets: Alpha Team: Mission Deep Freeze

* Change 7 Part Light Bluish Gray {44301 Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 1 Finger on End (Undetermined Type) to 44301a Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 1 Finger on End with Bottom Groove}
* Change 6 Part Dark Bluish Gray {44302 Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 2 Fingers on End (Undetermined Type) to 44302a Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 2 Fingers on End and 9 Teeth with Bottom Groove}

Comments from Submitter:
From sealed set contents, bought for personal collection.

Which 32064 did you get?

Interestingly, 32064c, which isn't listed in the alternates but is era-appropriate.
I hadn't bothered checking that one since I just searched the inventory for
the keyword "undetermined." I assume I should add that as an alternate?
Or should I switch it to regular and list the other two as alternates?

32064 is an unsplit umbrella. It has never been split. Bs and Cs have just
been pulled out from it. B is more noticeable and are probably more picked out
by now, but any 32064 before 2004 or so is likely to actually be C.

Interesting! Thanks to both of you.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jan 30, 2023 23:16

Subject:

Re: Inventory Change Request for Set 4774-1

Viewed:

30 times

Topic:

Inventories Requests

In Inventories Requests, axaday writes:

In Inventories Requests, Brickitty writes:

Please make changes to the following inventory:

4774-1 (Inv) Scorpion Orb Launcher
221 Parts, 2 Minifigures, 2005
Sets: Alpha Team: Mission Deep Freeze

Which 32064 did you get?

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jan 30, 2023 19:34

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 4774-1

Viewed:

31 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

4774-1 (Inv) Scorpion Orb Launcher
221 Parts, 2 Minifigures, 2005
Sets: Alpha Team: Mission Deep Freeze

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jan 22, 2023 12:17

Subject:

Re: 1 x 1 round brick

Viewed:

40 times

Topic:

In Catalog Identification, Brickitty writes:

In Catalog Identification, here4bricks614 writes:

Those are just cases of people not familiar with colors.

I think that's half of it, but since 3062b has an open stud without a logo,
I think the other half is people accidentally listing Mega Bloks and other brands
of 1x1 round bricks. I've caught some in my own inventory by going through
it carefully and looking for ones where the inside of the open stud is completely
round (clone parts) instead of hexagonal (real Lego). Sometimes the color and
sheen of the parts is virtually identical to the corresponding Lego color, and
the stud opening is the only noticeable differentiating factor. That difference
has also identified at least a dozen clone 3062bs that I've received from
BL sellers in the last few years alone. So they all got thrown in a bin with
over 75 lbs of clone parts from bulk lots and donated to a large local rec center!

Sorry, octagonal, not hexagonal. Lego identification is my superpower, not geometry!

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jan 22, 2023 12:05

Subject:

Re: 1 x 1 round brick

Viewed:

48 times

Topic:

In Catalog Identification, here4bricks614 writes:

Those are just cases of people not familiar with colors.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jan 17, 2023 13:07

Subject:

Re: Item History

Viewed:

31 times

Topic:

In Help, chriskiepfer953 writes:

Is there a way to run a report on the transaction history of a part? (what orders
and when it was sold)

It's not exactly a solution, since the data is still difficult to access,
but yes, it's possible to run a search and see which orders and when for
a certain part. Go to your Orders Received page, click on the Find Orders link
in the upper right, and then put the item number in. You can narrow down by color,
condition, and more. Click Search Now! and you'll receive a list of orders
that part is in.

You'll still have to do more work if you want to find the price or quantity
from each order, but at least it's a start. And of course, it only goes back
6 months.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jan 16, 2023 15:32

Subject:

Re: Gray vs. Bluish Gray

Viewed:

53 times

Topic:

In General, SDF_Bricks writes:

The large parts are not a problem. The real issue is with small parts such as
small gears and Technic bushings. What I did was align all the parts and stack
them in rows, but still, sometimes under full sun I can separate them, but any
indoor light is not good enough.
Are there any indoor lights (amazon link) that would make identification easier?

If you're not familiar with the standard color temperatures of bulbs, check
out the image I attached that I found with a quick Google search.

Basically, the yellower/warmer the light, the harder it is to identify color
differences - especially Light Gray vs. Light Bluish Gray, since the main difference
is a yellower tint to Light Gray parts. So warmer light will obviously mess with
your ability to differentiate them. (Tangential to this discussion, but warmer
light also makes it more difficult to spot part imperfections and damage, for
the same reason that people generally use it for pleasant indoor settings - it
hides small skin blemishes, wrinkles, etc. while cooler light shows them. That's
why people look better and healthier in pictures taken under warm light.)

So you want to use at least Cool White bulbs, but Daylight is preferable. You
definitely need multiple light sources, not just one - preferably at least four
for a small room, or six or eight light sources for a larger room. If your
room looks uncomfortably white and bright after you've installed them, almost
like you're in a lab or hospital, you've succeeded. Bonus - it'll
also keep you alert and awake for your work.

I use 5000k LED daylight bulbs, but my bulbs are non-standard and won't fit
most lights. A search on Amazon using those keywords will bring up what you need.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jan 16, 2023 11:54

Subject:

Re: Gray vs. Bluish Gray

Viewed:

42 times

Topic:

In General, peregrinator writes:

In General, CZ_Colonel32 writes:

If you have a set that can either contain LG or LBG parts
the set itself must be listed as incomplete as per Bricklink seller terms of
service (because the ones in incorrect color are technically missing).

There was at least one set that originally came with mixed parts (that is, some
parts were light gray and others were light bluish gray)

Yeah, I bought a 25-lb lot years ago that was mostly a fairly complete 10030
UCS Imperial Star Destroyer. It definitely had a mix of new and old grays, based
on some parts that were specifically from that set. But when I found another
partially sealed 10030 in another lot, it was 100% old grays.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jan 16, 2023 11:40

Subject:

Re: Gray vs. Bluish Gray

Viewed:

32 times

Topic:

In General, SDF_Bricks writes:

I'm having a very hard time separating the light gray from bluish light gray,
especially on very small parts. Plus, I'm discovering that even within such
two colors, there are often color variations and/or yellowing due to sun exposure.

Would potential buyers really object if a given set ahs mixed colors or is that
a no-no ?

What's your experience?

The dark gray and bluish gray are much easier to discern.

Buy daylight-rated LED bulbs. Practice. Turn parts over to look at the underside
if it seems like sun damage. Put all Light Gray/Light Bluish Gray into a pile
and pick out the ones that stand out. There are many strategies, and selling
Lego isn't always easy. Sometimes you gotta put in a little extra work or
time, but that's what it takes to be a responsible seller.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jan 6, 2023 14:48

Subject:

Re: delay in updating again?

Viewed:

25 times

Topic:

Technical Issues

In Technical Issues, StarBrick writes:

Hitting 'submit changes' on inventory updates ('My Store Inventory

arts
:...'

doesn't seem to work.

Anyone else experiencing this?

Earlier this week same thing, after 10 minutes or so it showed the changed pages.

Yes, this has been happening on and off for me since January 30. It's really
frustrating and has wasted hours of my time at this point.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jan 4, 2023 13:10

Subject:

Re: Bricklink refunded the customer twice

Viewed:

35 times

Topic:

Technical Issues

In Technical Issues, cweir1969 writes:

Hello,

On December 31st I sent my customer a refund for some missing parts. The order
is now showing that the refund was issued twice. I checked my PayPal account
and the money was taken out twice. I only issued 1 refund. Why or how was it
deducted twice?? Attached is a screen shot of the order showing the refunds.
The order number is #20926376. Any help would be appriceated.

Chris
Reclaimed Components

This happened to me the other day; I believe it was because I accidentally double-clicked
the "Submit refund to..." button when confirming the refund. I messaged
the buyer and told them it was a mistake and wished them a merry Christmas, but
the next day they refunded my refund... and called it refundception. Made me
smile

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Jan 2, 2023 16:46

Subject:

Re: Finding pieces with the correct stickers

Viewed:

36 times

Topic:

In Buying, gmill writes:

I'd like to find several pieces that already have the stickers applied. I.e.
I'm looking for the Hogwarts banners (red/green) in set 4842. I know how
to find the replacement pieces, but I'm thinking there must be pieces with
the stickers applied.
While I'm at it, how do I identify pieces I'm selling that have the stickers
already applied?

Thanks so much
Garrett

Garrett,

If you know what set it's from, the easiest way is to go to the Bricklink
catalog entry for the set, navigate to the inventory page, and scroll down past
the Parts, Minifigures, and Extra Items to the Counterparts section. This is
where any stickered parts for the set will be located (if they have catalog entries
-- most do, but some do not since they're added by volunteers): https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=4842-1

If you don't know the set but you do know the part number, you can search
for the part number with an asterisk after it (in this case, 30292*) and that
will show all versions of the part, including stickered versions.

If you don't know the set or the part number, a keyword search can help (in
this case, searching for "Slytherin flag" or "Gryffindor flag"

.

Here are the catalog entries for the parts you asked about, and you can add them
to a Wanted List and buy them just like regular parts:

30292pb009 Flag 7 x 3 with Bar Handle with 'Gryffindor' and Lion In Shield Pattern (Sticker) - Set 4842
Parts: Flag, Decorated {Red}

30292pb010 Flag 7 x 3 with Bar Handle with 'Slytherin' and Snake in Shield Pattern (Sticker) - Set 4842
Parts: Flag, Decorated {Green}

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Dec 7, 2022 20:27

Subject:

Re: Obviously lying sellers: can anything be done

Viewed:

94 times

Topic:

In General, rab1234 writes:

This has probably been raised before, but is there anything that can be done
about these sellers who list figs from the 70s and 80s as new? It’s hard to
be 100% sure they’re lying (even with feedback claiming buyers were sent used
as new), but how much circumstantial evidence is enough? I saw a seller today
who had some very rare castle figs listed as new, so I checked his parts list
and, wouldn’t you know it, some of the exclusive parts from those sets are listed
in used condition with damage noted. Really?

I’ve also sold a used fig to someone before and saw them list it as new a week
after I shipped it.

Why bother having a condition if you can just lie and there are no consequences?

Indeed. It's a travesty. These sellers are nothing more than scammers, the
lowest of the low. I've been reporting the one with the tire brand in their
name repeatedly every few months, but nothing's ever done despite the fact
that it's patently obvious from literally over 100 feedback reports that
they regularly sell new figures as used. How much more evidence is needed? Get.
Them. Off. The. Site.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Dec 7, 2022 14:37

Subject:

Re: 25% fee hidden and charged on tax as well

Viewed:

34 times

Topic:

In Buying, 1001bricks writes:

Well,
10% for handling,
+ 10% for PayPal,
+ 5% for BL,
= 15%

Plus add the "Pay only in this 'exotic' (sorry) currency" cost.
This adds 5% or even more as PayPal conversion fees.
And this on the WHOLE amount: including order, shipping, extra fees, and all
taxes!

Which is why you'd favor a transparent Shop like ours.
Welcome to paradise, welcome to 1001bricks!

(what? which unashamed plug???)

I've been meaning to order from your shop for years! Many of my orders are
based on one or two rare lots, and then I add lots of common stuff from my wanted
lists onto the order. So that's the main criterion, but I'll keep my
eye out for your store.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Dec 6, 2022 16:27

Subject:

25% fee hidden and charged on tax as well

Viewed:

129 times

Topic:

Hi,

I'm embarrassed to say that, because I was in a hurry, I accidentally ordered
from an EU seller with an exploitative fee (25%) added to the invoice after the
order. Two questions:

1) This fee is not stated on their Terms page. It's only mentioned in the
banner announcement and the slogan areas. Is this permissible? I thought all
fees had to be mentioned in the Terms. I checked their Terms page before ordering
and saw a "5-10 % - handling, paypal, bricklink fees additional to order," so
I anticipated a smaller fee but not a 25% fee that was only mentioned in the
banner/slogan and seems to be exclusive to non-EU customers for "VAT reasons"
even though we have no VAT.

2) The 25% fee was calculated on the shipping and tax charges as well as the
order. Is it permissible to charge a 25% fee on the shipping/tax?

My order was approximately $106 USD, but the combination of a very high shipping
cost (which I believe was deliberately overcharged as well, based on other orders
I've made from Denmark), tax, and this exploitative fee that's also charged
on shipping/tax adds almost $80 to my order cost. Do I have a valid case for
cancellation based on either the contradictory statements around the fee, the
fee being "hidden" in the banner/slogan, the fee only being charged to non-EU
customers, or the fee being calculated on the tax? Can I report this seller for
avoidance of Bricklink fees?

-Jordy (Brickitty)

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Dec 6, 2022 14:45

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 75917-1

Viewed:

25 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

75917-1 (Inv) Raptor Rampage
311 Parts, 3 Minifigures, 2015
Sets: Jurassic World

* Add 1 Part 3006pb012R White Brick 2 x 10 with Red and White Danger Stripes and Rivets Pattern Model Right Side (Stickers) - Set 75917 (Counterpart)
* Add 1 Part 3006pb012L White Brick 2 x 10 with Red and White Danger Stripes and Rivets Pattern Model Left Side (Stickers) - Set 75917 (Counterpart)

Comments from Submitter:
Found these stickered counterparts missing from 75917 earlier this year and added them to the catalog.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Dec 6, 2022 14:43

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 70813-1

Viewed:

15 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

70813-1 (Inv) Rescue Reinforcements
838 Parts, 5 Minifigures, 2014
Sets: The LEGO Movie

* Add 1 Part 892pb037 Light Bluish Gray Road Sign 2 x 2 Triangle with Clip with Warning Sign with Black Exclamation Mark on Yellow Background Pattern (Sticker) - Set 70813 (Counterpart)

Comments from Submitter:
Found this missing stickered counterpart from 70813 earlier this year, but sadly I don't have any additional stickered parts to add from this set.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Dec 6, 2022 14:40

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 8863-1

Viewed:

16 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

8863-1 (Inv) Blizzard's Peak
477 Parts, 6 Minifigures, 2010
Sets: World Racers

* Add 1 Part 61678pb171R Red Slope, Curved 4 x 1 with Blue Wiring, Silver Suspension, and Black Line Pattern Model Right Side (Sticker) - Set 8863 (Counterpart)
* Add 1 Part 61678pb171L Red Slope, Curved 4 x 1 with Blue Wiring, Silver Suspension, and Black Line Pattern Model Left Side (Sticker) - Set 8863 (Counterpart)
* Add 3 Part 30407pb07 Black Hinge Plate 1 x 8 with Angled Side Extensions with Black and Yellow Danger Stripes Pattern (Sticker) - Set 8863 (Counterpart)
* Add 1 Part 32271pb020L Dark Bluish Gray Technic, Liftarm, Modified Bent Thick 1 x 9 (7 - 3) with Black 'FuZone' and Polygons on Silver Background Pattern Model Left Side (Sticker) - Set 8863 (Counterpart)

Comments from Submitter:
Parted out a used 8863 earlier this year and found these stickered counterparts missing from the catalog and inventory.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Dec 6, 2022 14:30

Subject:

Inventory Change Request for Set 8161-1

Viewed:

17 times

Topic:

Status:

Open

Please make changes to the following inventory:

8161-1 (Inv) Grand Prix Race
567 Parts, 7 Minifigures, 2008
Sets: Speed Racer

* Add 1 Part 41770pb06 Dark Bluish Gray Wedge, Plate 4 x 2 Left with Dark Blue and Gray Swirl Pattern (Sticker) - Set 8161 (Counterpart)
* Add 1 Part 61678pb170R White Slope, Curved 4 x 1 with Red Stripe and 3 Headlights Pattern Model Right Side (Sticker) - Set 8161 (Counterpart)
* Add 1 Part 61678pb170L White Slope, Curved 4 x 1 with Red Stripe and 3 Headlights Pattern Model Left Side (Sticker) - Set 8161 (Counterpart)

Comments from Submitter:
Parted out a used 8161 earlier this year and found these 3 stickered counterparts missing from the catalog and inventory.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Nov 30, 2022 16:44

Subject:

Re: log in problems

Viewed:

23 times

Topic:

In General, Brickitty writes:

In General, TheBrickGuys writes:

On some devices, when I try to log in, I get the message "ID or Password Mismatch!".
I use a password manager so I am not miss typing. If I logout I can sometimes
log back in but more often I just get the Mismatch message.

Anyone else having log in problems?

Jim.

I get that problem on my laptop as well as my tablet once or twice a week. I
just clear the cache on my browser, shut down the browser completely, and then
reopen it. Works nearly every time.

And by cache, I mean that and, more importantly, the cookies. A simple "Clear
Browsing Data" option.

Author:

Brickitty

Posted:

Nov 30, 2022 16:40

Subject:

Re: log in problems

Viewed:

24 times

Topic: