Redisplay Messages: Compact | Brief | All | Full Show Messages: All | Without Replies| Author: | kzinti  | | Posted: | Apr 24, 2024 08:38 | | Subject: | How does USPS even operate? A short rant. | | Viewed: | 150 times | | Topic: | Shipping | |
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| Received a high dollar order on Feb 10th. Pulled, Packed, Invoiced, Paid, Posted
all in about 24 hours. Post office received package on Feb 11th. As it's
an international shipment, it goes through the Chicago International Distribution
Center on the evening of Feb 16th. Then it basically disappears until April 12th.
No one knows where it went, how it got there, what cruise line it detoured through,
nothing. Here's what the time interval looks like on the USPS tracking page
looks:
- Processed Through USPS Regional Facility
CHICAGO IL INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER
February 16, 2024, 7:43 pm
- Processed Through Facility
NETHERLANDS
April 12, 2024, 9:46 pm
Did they travel through the Bermuda triangle? Where did it go? I cannot express
the amount of appreciation I have for an understanding customer who paid so much
for this order, and then patiently waited almost two months for a tracking update
from USPS. TWO MONTHS! It's almost like the postal service is purposefully
trying to kill off international business opportunities. First with huge price
jumps, then with a decreased level of service that borders on apathy.
The postal service told me that after it leaves the US there's not a lot
they can do, 'it's out of our hands'. Why offer tracking at all when
it's of little use? And when I asked them about filing a case for a missing
package, they tell me that it has to be missing at least 60 days before I can
file as a missing package. Insane, absolutely insane. Going to send a Christmas
box of dog poop to Mr DeJoy... through Fedex.
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Apr 24, 2024 08:08 | | Subject: | Re: Complete orders and order feedback. | | Viewed: | 31 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, 1001bricks writes:
| | In Suggestions, The_Boyz_Bricks writes:
| | Can we have BL (after a 1 - 2 month period) send out a fallow up email for buyers
who haven’t yet completed and/or left feedback for their order? Thanks all!
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No.
It's optional, you can't enforce an option.
"Feedback is how you let other members know how well a transaction went."
So, if you're not interetsed to let other members know, you don't have
to.
Completed - same.
Buyer PAYS for some goods, seller ships, buyer receives, he's happy, he's
nothing else to do.
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I don't believe they are asking BrickLink to force the buyer to do anything,
simply send them a reminder email if an order isn't marked Completed and
feedback has not been left. I go through my filed order list at intervals and
send reminder notes to buyers as such:
Greetings!
We were archiving older orders, and see that yours was never set as completed,
and feedback wasn't left. We'd appreciate your feedback on our transaction,
as it lets other Buyers know the level of service we provide, and we do strive
to provide excellent customer service. Thank you.
Feedback Link: https://www.bricklink.com/feedbackPost.asp?id=[ordernum]
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Apr 19, 2024 15:57 | | Subject: | Re: Lego boxes | | Viewed: | 49 times | | Topic: | Off Topic | |
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| In Off Topic, Dhobeck writes:
| | In Off Topic, kzinti writes:
| | In Off Topic, Dhobeck writes:
| | Over the past couple years I’ve taken a liking to Lego box design and was wondering
where the best place to get bulk empty Lego boxes without ridiculous shipping
charges and if there is a store that has a ton of them.
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What size boxes are you looking for? I've got shelves full of stuff, some
cheap, some very expensive. Are you looking for something to use in a project
or for reselling?
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On the smaller side of things and I’m not sure what project but a project and
not reselling them
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I'll get over to the storage locker and see what I have over there still.
Parted several hundred sets once upon a time, and have most of those boxes still
around. Won't be this weekend, but probably next.
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Apr 19, 2024 13:51 | | Subject: | Re: Bulk Used Brick Sale | | Viewed: | 32 times | | Topic: | Sales | |
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| In Sales, Nubs_Select writes:
| | In Sales, Nubs_Select writes:
| | In Sales, kzinti writes:
That’s a big closet 😅
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But if your like me and ripped your closet doors off since you thought you heard
voices in the night it would make more sense
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Turned out it was the pizza calling me...
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Apr 19, 2024 13:50 | | Subject: | Re: Bulk Used Brick Sale | | Viewed: | 49 times | | Topic: | Sales | |
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| In Sales, zorbanj writes:
| | In Sales, kzinti writes:
| | In Sales, Adjour writes:
| | In Sales, kzinti writes:
4,892 lots available. Wow you weren't kidding
Crystal
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That's about half. Think I might have a slight Lego hoarding problem.
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You have 2.5 tons of unsorted lego up for sale, and another 2.5 tons you haven't
listed yet?!?
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When you say it like that... Just don't tell the Missus.
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Apr 14, 2024 17:54 | | Subject: | Re: Bulk Used Brick Sale | | Viewed: | 46 times | | Topic: | Sales | |
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| In Sales, Adjour writes:
| | In Sales, kzinti writes:
4,892 lots available. Wow you weren't kidding
Crystal
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That's about half. Think I might have a slight Lego hoarding problem.
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Apr 12, 2024 10:24 | | Subject: | Re: Lego boxes | | Viewed: | 37 times | | Topic: | Off Topic | |
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| In Off Topic, Dhobeck writes:
| | Over the past couple years I’ve taken a liking to Lego box design and was wondering
where the best place to get bulk empty Lego boxes without ridiculous shipping
charges and if there is a store that has a ton of them.
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What size boxes are you looking for? I've got shelves full of stuff, some
cheap, some very expensive. Are you looking for something to use in a project
or for reselling?
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Apr 5, 2024 00:14 | | Subject: | Re: Any US Stores having international ship issue | | Viewed: | 49 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| In General, uticabrix writes:
| | Are any other US Stores having shipping issues to international addresses lately?
We have had 3 lost in the last 60 days. No trace after it reaches country arrival.
All 3, the tracking info stops at that point.
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Yes, and USPS just shrugs and basically says it sucks to be you. No assistance
with anything, and though they state a service time of like fourteen days to
deliver, International packages cannot be considered lost until 60 days. Pay
more, get less, postal service is slipping fast into the toilet. Oh, DeJoy!
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Mar 26, 2024 21:37 | | Subject: | Re: Possible to view details of purged orders? | | Viewed: | 33 times | | Topic: | Help | |
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| In Help, cassandraann1 writes:
| | I haven't purchased anything on bricklink since December 2022, and all my
orders are now purged. Is there any way to view details of these purged orders
or is that information completely gone?
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If you have emails, that's about the only way you'd get details.
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Mar 11, 2024 13:37 | | Subject: | Re: Stripe v's Paypal | | Viewed: | 49 times | | Topic: | Selling | |
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| In Selling, gritts writes:
| | Hi All,
Given another terrible experience with Paypal does anyone use Stripe as the only
payment option and have ditched Paypal?
I appreciate neither is perfect. Trustpilot rates Paypal as 'bad' and
Stripe as 'poor' so not much in it however I have little issue with Stripe
payments and dread when a issue arises with a Paypal transaction as 'seller
protection' is a joke.
Thanks
gritts
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Paypal sucks trying to get issues resolved. Trying to deal with an actual person
that is. Stripe will let you know based on previous credit transactions whether
the purchase is suspect, or if the customer routinely files chargebacks. Stripe
also is setup to direct deposit to your bank at intervals, but you may wait a
day or three to get your money moving. Paypal is more widely accepted, and can
deal with multiple currencies, including crypto. So you can accept payment in
USD, and shift those into BTC for your own investment strategy. It's a mixed
bag either way you go, but for my money, Paypal is probably more flexible and
more widely used for accepting and making payments.
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Feb 26, 2024 22:39 | | Subject: | Re: PayPal chargeback after COMPLETED | | Viewed: | 74 times | | Topic: | Problem Order | |
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| In Problem Order, mooselover writes:
| | Had a buyer do a $100+ order, which was shipped and delivered. Arrived Jan 8.
Buyer marked the order COMPLETED shortly afterward.
Today (Feb 26) I get a note from PayPal that the buyer is initiating a chargeback.
No reply from buyer yet via BL messaging nor from direct email.
I've submitted the tracking number, proof of delivery, and screenshot of
the order marked COMPLETED to PayPal in response to their alert. Haven't
heard back from them yet, either.
What other options do I have, other than stop listing the buyer (which I've
done now)?
ALSO: I know from Facebook discussions that at least one other store got the
same chargeback alert today regarding the same buyer with an order around the
same time as mine.
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Had this happen. I sent Paypal everything I had, from start of order to finish.
Even used messages and emails. I'd recommend you emailing them outside of
BrickLink and Paypal to directly ask them what is going on, sending them the
postal tracking link once again with confirmation the package was delivered and
done. Then if they respond, copy that into the Paypal case as well. Worked out
ok in my case, hope it does in yours as well. Please send me the Buyer's
info so I can block them from my store pre-emptively.
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Jan 16, 2024 16:05 | | Subject: | Re: Year End Shipping Costs Issue | | Viewed: | 50 times | | Topic: | General | |
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| In General, uticabrix writes:
| | How do stores found out how much year end we have spent on Shipping? (for tax
filing).
Bricklink only includes what stores charge overall. Paypal used to have this
until Ship Station took over, and they don't have this option. Any suggestions?
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Shipstation takes Paypal payments as well, so everything would be going through
Paypal presumably. If not, like a special overnight at Fedex that you use a credit
card, use a small limit credit card for only business expenses. Easier to track.
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Jan 16, 2024 15:59 | | Subject: | Re: BrickStore database issue. | | Viewed: | 45 times | | Topic: | Related Software | |
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| In Related Software, TheBrickGuys writes:
| | When I open BrickStore and try to update the database I get a error message that
states "Could not load new database: download and decompress failed: Connection
timed out". Anyone else getting this message?
Jim.
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I had an issue trying to load my store inventory for backup, seems there's
two items in my store that can't be reconciled. One I think I know, but the
other... ? Frustrating.
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Jan 13, 2024 13:16 | | Subject: | Re: Buyer needs to sell an item | | Viewed: | 46 times | | Topic: | Help | |
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| In Help, avyz66 writes:
| | long time buyer with all positive feedback. i never sell my Lego but looking
to sell one set i have. how can i sell this one item here? any suggestions? not
looking to start a store. this may be the only thing i sell here?
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You can find a store willing to trade you goods they have for your item plus
or minus a cash value, as long as the "sale" transaction happens within
BrickLink market, and both parties are amenable to it, this has been acceptable
in the past.
Example, I have a minifgure that a store would be willing to pay me $20 for,
I see something in their store I'd like for $30, I would purchase that $30
item, with the understanding that I would be using $20 minifigure as partial
payment, and paypal/cash for the rest. BrickLink collects fees on the $30 purchase,
Seller gets a $20 minifigure and $10 cash, I get a $30 item. Everyone is happy.
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Nov 29, 2023 17:50 | | Subject: | Re: Virtual Co-working for sellers | | Viewed: | 46 times | | Topic: | Selling | |
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| In Selling, MiniRoz writes:
| | Hi there fellow sellers! I know many sellers run their BL shops with partners
or family members, but for anyone like me who is running their business solo,
I wonder if anyone else has considered some sort of virtual co-working space?
There are several apps for this purpose - often advertised as a platform for
virtual coworkers, accountability partners, body doubles - which match strangers
who need to do tasks and want some company while they work and/or another person
to help them stay focused.
The apps I’ve looked into have the same basic setup: You schedule a time to login,
you greet your “body double” and share what your goals are for the session, mute
your mic but keep your video on, and reconvene after the allotted time (30,45,60
mins) to debrief and share if you accomplished your goals. Most users on these
apps are doing desk work such as returning emails or studying, or they are doing
housework or exercising. I don’t know how I feel about moving around, packing
orders, and organizing my store while the other person is lifting weights or
writing a thesis. I suppose it doesn’t matter, but I would prefer sharing the
screen with people who “get” what I’m doing.
Anyway, I run my store alone and, while I have no problem getting orders packed,
it does get a little lonely, and admittedly my ADHD steers me off course now
and then. I like the idea of the companionship and accountability the apps I
looked at provide, and I was wondering if anyone would consider trying something
like this out? I think it would be great to have something like the existing
platforms, but instead of having just two sellers, perhaps multiple sellers could
co-work, and there might be a way to type a question and, anyone who has a moment
to answer can join that person on a separate screen to chat without interrupting
sellers who are focused on completing their goals.
Does anyone else have any interest in trying this out?
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Sounds a lot the definition of 'body double', use an app like www.focusmate.com
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Nov 29, 2023 17:12 | | Subject: | Re: perhaps a taboo inquiry about making money | | Viewed: | 65 times | | Topic: | Selling | |
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| In Selling, madeleine_ writes:
| | i'm sure for many people bricklink is simply a hobby, as for me, but the
shops at the top can't be sinking thousands of hours and dollars into something
because it's fun right? i want to know where these colossal stores find their
profit. as a super tiny store, my investment in little ebay listing or lots is
minimal, and any profit tends to come from shipping costs. i'd love to expand,
but with no guarantee of orders, it's a little daunting to invest money into
items that might only be worth $10 more than i get it for. also i only care about
bionicle. lol.
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In my view, if you can't make a certain percentage, it isn't worth doing
as a business. A lot of places on BrickLink use the platform to 'trade'
bricks. They sell what they have too much of, to fund the parts they need more
of. In the early days, the platform was built around a community that traded
rather than sold. The pricing was established to ensure fair trades.
As for my shop, in the heyday of selling, I was working about 4 hours a day in
the shop. I think that year, I made $35k off my efforts, figuring out cost, shop
rent, and everything else, I would have been better suited to working those hours
at my day job for overtime pay for several times that amount. Some items you
make decent money on, others, you're lucky to recoup costs. If this were
my sole source of income, I'd be hard pressed to pay the bills.
If you are thinking of going in full time, just be aware, you'll need to
buy low, sell high, keep excellent records, and when sorting used bricks, learn
to list items as you go, instead of sorting 2,000 pounds of bulk bricks, then
listing them for sale six months later. And the top item I'd recommend is
scalable inventory system. Whether it's trays, racks, tackle boxes, whatever
you use may be fine for today, but will it scale up from 1,000 bricks to 10,000
or 100,000 or even 1,000,000? Plan your system with growth in mind.
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Nov 20, 2023 11:23 | | Subject: | Re: One Piece MOC | | Viewed: | 33 times | | Topic: | Off Topic | |
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| In Off Topic, macebobo writes:
| | I am in the process of doing some Lego photography and captured this potato photo
and thought 1 piece MOC.
It is the backside of
What is your 1pMOC? or What would you title this one?
Startled Lego
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Skunkworks: Early Prototype
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Oct 13, 2023 14:05 | | Subject: | Re: Resetting Paid order to Unpaid to file NPB | | Viewed: | 50 times | | Topic: | Help | |
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| In Help, kzinti writes:
| | Perhaps an admin could help out here. I have seen this only a few times in the
Forum, and no real resolution on BrickLink's end. I have an order that was
paid, shipped, received. The Buyer used their parent's Paypal account and
the parents filed a chargeback for unauthorized use of their account. Also, no
idea if this person is underage or not, but I can't reset the order to a
status to be able to file an NPB on the Buyer. So what is the best way to proceed?
Thanks!
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Update: Was not able to reset it to an NPB state unless I refunded the payment.
And even then, I don't know. As the chargeback was still pending, I submitted
all shipping labels, invoices, information I had googled that showed the person
who ordered was a child residing in the same household, etc. In the end, the
chargeback was denied, and the case resolved in my favor. I have changed my feedback
on this individual to Neutral, as payment was eventually released, but also briefly
detailing what happened. Second time in all my years here that this has happened,
hopefully the last. All I was able to do on my end was reset payment from Completed
to Bounced. Buyer never responded to any messages/emails.
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| Author: | kzinti | | Posted: | Oct 11, 2023 12:50 | | Subject: | Re: where do you find brick lots on BL? | | Viewed: | 39 times | | Topic: | Help | |
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| In Help, CykillsGarage writes:
| | In Help, kzinti writes:
| | In Help, CykillsGarage writes:
| | Hi everyone! I wanted to know where do I find brick lots here on BL? i'v
tried looking up "custom item" and "brick lots" in the search
engine, is there something I'm missing? thanks!
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Are you looking to purchase bulk, unsorted, used bricks?
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I just want to know where to find them
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https://www.bricklink.com/v2/search.page?q=bulk#T=U&S=A
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