Redisplay Messages: Compact | Brief | All | Full Show Messages: All | Without Replies| Author: | mhn1957  | | Posted: | Aug 6, 2014 21:59 | | Subject: | Re: New forum topic suggestion. | | Viewed: | 46 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, Bighurt writes:
| | I think ranting goes against the intent of BL forum's, why do you think Chat
disappeared.
|
Chat disappeared because it was full of security issues.
Mark
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Jan 6, 2014 18:43 | | Subject: | Re: 3 strikes you are out(dated)... | | Viewed: | 57 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, patchbox20 writes:
| | Back to my original post, I only posted this because admin did not reply to my
concern.
This whole discourse may bring to light the fact that BrickLink needs far more
help on the employee-side than we care to admit. I got privileges revoked due
to an outdated automatic 3-strikes policy, not by a person. I have yet to hear
from the admin, which I now call the Wizard of Oz.
|
I call him Eric.
So, maybe the rules are outdated. You could concentrate on the other two strikes,
and get one of those people on your side. Or you could just wait. Or you could
continue what you are doing. Often, calling people names does not make them anxious
to help you out or speed them up.
If suddenly, the three strikes policy was fixed to your liking, and you, a buyer
who deserves to be able to shop here had your rights restored, would a number
of bad sellers and buyers have their rights restored simultaneously? 'Cause
I'm agin that.
Mark
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Dec 26, 2013 11:35 | | Subject: | Re: Bitcoin | | Viewed: | 79 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, mintz writes:
| | In Suggestions, Pazzo writes:
| | In Suggestions, mlahor writes:
| | Any chance to add XBT to the list of currencies we can choose to accept?
|
We might consider adding marbles as well....... and small mirrors
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This is a very ignorant comment. I think bitcoin payments could work very well
with bitcoin. Wake up and smell the coffee.
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I would accept coffee as a payment. But that has little to do with Bitcoin.
M
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Dec 26, 2013 09:26 | | Subject: | Re: Bitcoin | | Viewed: | 88 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, mlahor writes:
| | You guys keep on joking, but I'm dead serious.
PayPal charges me 5% of the transaction and I have to wait for 30 days for my
account to be credited.
Bitcoin transaction is free and with time it's likely that bitcoins get accepted
in wider and wider circles. So why not be among the pioneers here at BrickLink,
those of us who are inclined towards it.
You others can just ignore it, no need to laugh at it.
Regards,
Mladen
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I see buyer protection as an issue with Bitcoin. With Paypal, a buyer can prove
there was a payment, and it isn't anonymous, so it can be refunded by the
company overseeing it. I'm not an expert in bitcoin, and maybe this issue
is solvable, but I wouldn't use an anonymous currency to purchase things
here. As a seller, I would not have a problem with it.
Mark
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Aug 16, 2013 10:43 | | Subject: | Re: Improve Wanted List / Shop By | | Viewed: | 28 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, mathematical writes:
| | In Suggestions, mhn1957 writes:
| | In Suggestions, mathematical writes:
| | Well...
If the program also factored in minimum buy (to reduce unneeded parts bought)
and shipping charges, the problem is actually a version of the traveling salesman
problem and is NP-hard, (Non-deterministic Polynomial-time hard) (You
can look both of those up on Wikipedia or something!). So, it is possible
for an implementation, but the time to solution cannot be solved in polynomial
time (read: reasonable time), unless P=NP (which has not been shown to be true,
but neither has P~=NP).
I don't mean to be mean or to burst your bubble or anything, but there's
just no way Bricklink would have enough computing power to accomplish this.
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I think we could get closer to a solution by changing the way lots are matched,
or possibly adding a sequence/level of importance to the wanted lists or items
in them. To give an example, I added zamor spheres to my wanted list and that
one item destroyed any hope of getting a meaningful list of stores until I adjusted
the price down to $.03. On my wanted list, I set the price of things that are
secondary very low, or set the quantity very high, so that, after I find a store
that has most of the top tier items, I can press the (all items) button and get
a more comprehensive list. That's only after I've selected a couple of
stores to check. The wanted list maintenance is a little clunky, and I can think
of a number of ways using a 2 or 3 level search would work without attempting
a cpu intensive search which would bring up multiple stores as in the suggestion.
If I could specify that all zamor spheres should be considered one lot as far
as my search is concerned, that would help. The total number would be more important
to me than what colors, as I don't care about color in this instance. Since
they are listed by color, and some stores have multiple lots of a color, including
this item really distorts things.
In natural language,
Get a list of all stores that have the all of my level one items. (Required items.)
Take that list and display the stores, ranking them by the lot count and quantity
of level two items, based on my sort preference. Lot count would be based on
my wanted list. The fact that I have zamor spheres as one item on my list would
mean that all zamor spheres would be totaled and counted as one lot in the list.
Mark
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Now that's the way to do it! 
I don't deny there are many better ways than perfect, but perfect here is
quite close to impossible.
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Small improvements would be welcome. And thanks, Math person, I learned something
today. When I say learned, I mean became more aware of some things I don't
entirely understand.
Mark
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Aug 16, 2013 09:00 | | Subject: | Re: Improve Wanted List / Shop By | | Viewed: | 25 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, mathematical writes:
| | Well...
If the program also factored in minimum buy (to reduce unneeded parts bought)
and shipping charges, the problem is actually a version of the traveling salesman
problem and is NP-hard, (Non-deterministic Polynomial-time hard) (You
can look both of those up on Wikipedia or something!). So, it is possible
for an implementation, but the time to solution cannot be solved in polynomial
time (read: reasonable time), unless P=NP (which has not been shown to be true,
but neither has P~=NP).
I don't mean to be mean or to burst your bubble or anything, but there's
just no way Bricklink would have enough computing power to accomplish this.
|
I think we could get closer to a solution by changing the way lots are matched,
or possibly adding a sequence/level of importance to the wanted lists or items
in them. To give an example, I added zamor spheres to my wanted list and that
one item destroyed any hope of getting a meaningful list of stores until I adjusted
the price down to $.03. On my wanted list, I set the price of things that are
secondary very low, or set the quantity very high, so that, after I find a store
that has most of the top tier items, I can press the (all items) button and get
a more comprehensive list. That's only after I've selected a couple of
stores to check. The wanted list maintenance is a little clunky, and I can think
of a number of ways using a 2 or 3 level search would work without attempting
a cpu intensive search which would bring up multiple stores as in the suggestion.
If I could specify that all zamor spheres should be considered one lot as far
as my search is concerned, that would help. The total number would be more important
to me than what colors, as I don't care about color in this instance. Since
they are listed by color, and some stores have multiple lots of a color, including
this item really distorts things.
In natural language,
Get a list of all stores that have the all of my level one items. (Required items.)
Take that list and display the stores, ranking them by the lot count and quantity
of level two items, based on my sort preference. Lot count would be based on
my wanted list. The fact that I have zamor spheres as one item on my list would
mean that all zamor spheres would be totaled and counted as one lot in the list.
Mark
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Apr 17, 2013 16:06 | | Subject: | Re: Favourite stores... Once again... | | Viewed: | 43 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, mabccc writes:
| | Or is there some penalty I have missed if a seller gets too many "least favorites"?
|
Living with hurt feelings.
I don't think anyone else can see the least favoredness of a store.
Mark
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Jun 9, 2012 15:05 | | Subject: | Re: Accept Bitcoin as payment | | Viewed: | 43 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, WILYKAT writes:
| | In Suggestions, Chaz27 writes:
| | First of all if you have not heard of Bitcoin, follow this link - http://www.weusecoins.com/
I would like an option to be able to accept Bitcoins as payment. A new entry
in "My Accepted Payment Methods" titled "Bitcoin" would be the first step. I
would then use bit-pay.com as the payment processor (to convert AUD, USD etc
to the Bitcoin rate).
Later on full integration into accepted currencies where users can see prices
in Bitcoins.
Regards
Charles
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I vote no. Currency that aren't backed by physical good are usually hard to
regulate and can vanish overnight, making them worthless. So unless Bitcoin is
backed by gold or silver, Bitcoin is really not worth anything to banks.
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Are you under the impression that any modern currencies are backed by specie
and redeemable in it? I don't think any modern nation has anything other than
a nonredeemable paper standard currency. The United States has not printed notes
backed by Gold or Silver since 1964. Silver Certificates are now redeemable only
in other notes. We in the USA have had no circulating silver or gold coins minted
since 1968. We went officially off of the Gold standard in 1971. This is not
a political statement. It is the history of our coinage and money. Before that
a dollar was tied to an amount of gold. $35 per ounce.
I don't know what gold is selling at now, but I know it is more than that.
Mark
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | May 24, 2012 23:52 | | Subject: | Re: custom search | | Viewed: | 30 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, legodude1423 writes:
| | Could someone add a new part to the search engine? When you go to the "sort by"
category, could you add another slot for another "sort by" column, to custom
the search, for example, "lowest price" (in one column) and "highest quantity"
(in the next column) to make somebody's search more accurate.
|
I just search with the lowest quantity filled in with the number I'm looking
for, and sort by lowest price. Generally I want to drill down and check shipping
charges and feedback before ordering. So, although this may be something you
need, I don't understand really why this would be that critical. Can you explain
what you are running into?
Mark
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Jun 27, 2011 08:29 | | Subject: | Re: Remove Top 10 Forum Posters League Table | | Viewed: | 53 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, brickcounter writes:
| | Increasingly, I've been wondering if the ambitions of some members to achieve
a position on this list are at the root of many of the problems we've been seeing
in the forums lately.
I'd like to suggest that the Top 10 Forum Posters League Table be removed, as
it serves little constructive purpose other than to provide an incentive to those
members who, for whatever reason, are motivated to appear on it.
Please note that I do not mean to imply that all of those who currently appear
on the list desired to be so.
|
I don't agree, but if it is your desire to turn it from a + to a -, just rename
it "The blabbermouth hall of shame".
Mark (MHN1957)
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Mar 15, 2011 09:59 | | Subject: | Re: Do Not Add FB from Merged Accounts | | Viewed: | 32 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, aftepes writes:
| | As with all rules, there should be exceptions though.
|
Calling exceptions should be the domain of Admin on a case by case basis.
Generally somebody reports a duplicate account and Admin or a delegate investigates
and does the merge. If someone, in your example, M&M, decides to merge accounts,
or people get married or whatever, they can always ask Admin, and ask for consideration.
But most of the cases are cases where rule avoidance if not fraud is involved
and they are not turning themselves in. In the current way of doing things, why
wouldn't I add an account occasionally and pad my feedback? Aside from the fact
that it is against the rules, and I'm not a cheater dog.
Mark gives Harry a +1.
Harry gives Mark a +1.
Accounts are merged for a net +2.
Crime pays!
Foster is right that something should change about how merges are done.
By the way, I could do this and not be detected as I have access to three different
IP ranges from my home without doing much of anything. DSL, Cable, and my work
VPN.
Mark (MHN1957)
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Feb 16, 2011 09:47 | | Subject: | Re: SUGGEST: conditions: unused/AFOL/other | | Viewed: | 52 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, swoosh_factor writes:
| | In Suggestions, melbourne_josh writes:
| | The nice thing about the current condition grading system is that it's clear-cut
what you're getting. New's never been used. Used is everything else. Bricklink's
terms specify what you can expect from used parts, but there are subjective grey
areas as to when condition defects need disclosure.
I think we could add another, simple grade: ex-AFOL. Ex-AFOL LEGO would have
only ever been used by a responsible party, and as such hasn't received much
playwear - it certainly wouldn't have formed a spaceship that crashed into a
wall, been dragged along a hard floor or been exposed to a hungry dog or child.
One encounters a lot of LEGO in ex-AFOL condition on BrickLink; I'm happy to
buy and use pieces in this condition. This, of course, assumes AFOLs just build
models, and don't play with their models... at least, not in the way children
do.
Used elements that have an unknown or non-AFOL provenance (ex-child, ex-yard
sale, ex-auction site) would get graded "other"; I'd prefer to steer away from
these pieces. I'd imagine all existing Used parts would be shifted to this condition,
with the sellers upgrading as needed.
The existing New condition would continue to be traded as is.
|
It's still a very subjective system. I would consider most of my childhood collection
to be in "ex-AFOL" used condition, just as I'm sure there are some AFOLs who
prefer using their teeth rather than a brick separator. Unless somebody can
come up with a universal, objective system for grading used parts, I think the
current system is fine.
Andrew
|
I use a four tier system.
1) New (out of the package)
2) Used (everything else, except for)
3) Filler (scratches, bite marks, damaged, stickered poorly, or too worn to grip
well. Not worth selling.)
4) Not worth keeping.
I grade myself as a "filler" as my grip isn't what it once was.
"Ex-AFOL" is not really descriptive of condition, but more as you said provenance,
and frankly I don't care if a piece was owned by Jon Voight the actor, John Voight
the dentist, (Seinfeld ref.) or a child as long as it is in good condition and
still works.
Descriptions of condition using provenance is the old used car dealer trick.
This was owned by a little old AFOL who only opened it to drive her
to church on Sundays .
Mark (MHN1957)
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Feb 7, 2011 09:21 | | Subject: | Re: Variant elements marked in inventory! | | Viewed: | 45 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, BigBrickDaddy writes:
| | Good morning.
I would like to see parts that have a 'b' or 'c' marked on all of the elements!
That may make the job of pulling like elements easier.
I am not sure if this has been suggested before, but it would be nice to have
some kind of marker on the order that there is a very similar if not identical
item with a 'b' or 'c' that exists.
I am sure this is not a problem for the more experienced sellers!
But it would be VERY nice for people who do not know about those slight differences!
LEGO on!
|
I'm not sure what you mean by "marked on all the elements". Could you explain
or give a real example?
This example would not be helped, as there are completely different numbers on
the similar parts.
http://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=513783
Are you saying that if you got an order for say,
4070, , that something would print on the order saying,
warning! Don't accidentally send 4070a!, [p=4070a], or something along those
lines?
My guess is that if it is important to the customer they will let you know.
BTW, that and the color change are two reasons I quit selling parts.
Mark (MHN1957)
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Jan 17, 2011 20:51 | | Subject: | Re: Let buyer and seller mark an order as paid | | Viewed: | 32 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, TheHawkins writes:
| | It is typical for about 25% of buyers to mark an order as paid. I would like
to be able to mark an order "paid" for those times when a buyer pays but does
not check the "paid" checkbox. Currently, if I mark an order as "paid" and then
later mark the order as "packed" the BOLD look of the currency amount goes back
to plain text. Only if I mark an item as "shipped" does the currency amount
becoome "bold" again.
This would improve the orders received page to better reflect an order's status.
David
|
Question:
Do you have this checkbox set?
"Separate order payment status from order status"
It is on the order settings page.
I think it works real well.
Mark (MHN1957)
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Jan 15, 2011 20:52 | | Subject: | Re: Option to Block Orders from Sellers | | Viewed: | 72 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, fosterbengoshi writes:
| | I WILL NOT USE THIS OPTION MYSELF, but I know there are some sellers here who
do not like to sell to resellers. Thus, I suggest they be given the OPTION to
block and not receive orders from any buyers who are also registered as a BL
seller. This could be coded as simply as blocking international orders or orders
from certain countries.
Now before you scoff and scream NO!, think about this for a minute. I won't use
this and most of you won't use this, so there is no harm giving this option to
those who want it. Not only is there no harm, there is actually a possible BENEFIT
to you if some sellers exercise this option. Most orders they block will just
be placed with another seller who has no such restriction - perhaps even YOU.
And before you talk about potential buyer confusion and frustration, keep in
mind that sellers tend to be more experienced and knowledgeable about BrickLink
and the variety of sellers and terms here than buyers-only.
Just a thought. Tear it to shreds if you like. Me... it won't bother me either
way. I will happily sell to resellers if others won't. If more resellers find
their supply becoming limited, maybe more will come to me.
Thor
|
I like it, because I like options. I have bought some things from a seller who
doesn't want to sell to resellers. I don't resell things I buy here. (That isn't
an absolute, forever, but generally, no, I haven't. I'm buying stuff I need or
want.)
So, I would like to have something come up similar to the store closed password
system, so I could shop in a seller who doesn't sell to resellers with him depending
on my word that I wasn't just going to flip the items.
It could be implemented by adding a function to the store settings, "show store
as closed to sellers", but then, I as a seller might not be able to see items
on sale so I can price my stuff slightly below the lowest seller's. Also, my
claims to lowest price on BL might be untrue without my knowledge.
The worst way to implement this would be to allow me to shop in the store, but
when I checked out, I would be told that my trade was not wanted. Why waste my
time?
Mark (MHN1957)
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Jan 12, 2011 17:25 | | Subject: | Re: More options for user feedback | | Viewed: | 23 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, eileenkeeney writes:
Obviously you meant YES
| | to "Did seller miss any items when sending the order"
The next question would be
"was the issue resolved successfully"
|
I thought I would jump on this before anyone else did.
Mark (MHN1957)
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Jan 10, 2011 15:17 | | Subject: | Re: Offensive user names not allowed. | | Viewed: | 66 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, fosterbengoshi writes:
I'm renaming my store "Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends"
Don't get mad. It's a TV show, and I like you. (Not "like like".)
Mark (MHN1957)
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Jan 2, 2011 20:03 | | Subject: | Re: Payment Charges to be included in list price | | Viewed: | 44 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, garyjh22 writes and I snipped:
| | But this whole thing about not being able to charge
for Paypal fees is very very "unAmerican". The last I checked, this was "supposed"
to be a "free" country. If Paypal is charging us to use their service, why can
we not charge someone to help pay for that fee?
Maybe Im missing something on the subject. just had to vent that some.
|
Here is the deal. You go to buy groceries and they say, "that's 6% tax". Oh,
you want to use a credit card? That's an additional 3%. Would you use the card?
Someone has to pay the company for the service. The grocer gladly pays the 3%,
because it increases his trade, and he makes it up overall. Paypal is built on
that credit card model. Gas stations get around it by offering "cash discounts".
Paypal wants those who are footing the bill to not have to pay an additional
charge. That way more people will use the service. You can offer a rebate if
you want for "cash" customers.
Mark (MHN1957)
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Nov 12, 2010 21:15 | | Subject: | Re: Request for forum improvements. | | Viewed: | 40 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
|
| In Suggestions, fleury writes:
| | In Suggestions, LegoJohn writes:
| | The more main stream you make the software, the bigger chance you will be hacked.
Hackers do not go after small targets. If they are going to do something, they
are going to make it worth their effort. Why do you think Windows has more security
threats then Mac? In my opinion, security first, features second.
|
If this is an argument against using an open source forum solution, it's a poor
analogy.
--
Marc.
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Hey Marc,
Is the security argument invalid? If so, how?
An open source is bound to be better tested and have less security flaws, because
numerous people are working to correct those discovered?
Don't just shoot him down. Make an argument for your position, if you please.
I'm wondering what the real risks are.
I don't know much about linux and open source forums.
Mark (MHN1957)
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| Author: | mhn1957 | | Posted: | Oct 13, 2010 11:34 | | Subject: | Re: Sellers Opt in to Banned Buyers | | Viewed: | 35 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, TorontoLego writes:
| | Let's make this simpler ---
I want the OPTION to SELL to BUYERS who are Banned.
Make it a store selling option, and a new list -- the START-LIST
[ ] Seller agrees to take orders from buyers on my START-LIST
When a Buyer gets their 3rd NPB - the system should tell the member that their
buying privileges have been revoked from all stores EXCEPT those that have that
flag turned on and have added them to their Start-List.
That way Sellers get to decide on individual cases as they see fit. And if they
don't want to bother, they don't have to.
|
Meh.
Going the other direction, I would like it if you could say, "I won't sell (temporarily,
until it is resolved) to someone with 1 pending or completed NPB, with 2 NPBs",
etc, or "I won't buy from a seller with 1 pending NSS", (2, 3, or whatever).
As the seller I wouldn't even know that someone was refused service in my store
because that theoretical flag. As a buyer, it would be an early warning system,
but only triggered when an order was about to be placed, and there would be an
override, (buy anyway).
Mark (MHN1957)
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