Discussion Forum: Thread 290673

 Author: CE_Tanja View Messages Posted By CE_Tanja
 Posted: May 31, 2021 12:03
 Subject: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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 Topic: Administrative
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CE_Tanja

Location:  USA, California
Member Since Contact Type Status
Feb 17, 2021 Contact Member Admin
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BrickLink Administrator
Dear BrickLink members,

Please find the minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting.


Minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting May 20th. 2021



Agenda

- Panel member introductions

- Marketplace panel program presentation

- Workshop

- BrickLink vision

- Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

- Next steps



Ad. 1 Panel member introductions

We have selected the initial panel members based on criteria such as: Having
both buyers and sellers represented, BrickLink experience, ability to engage
in constructive dialogues about the future of BrickLink and ability to consider
the greater good for the BrickLink sellers and buyers.

The initial panel members are:

Constructibles, SimplyBricks, Dcarmine, Calsbricks, Erkiles, Legoman77, Faro,
BrickCoast

During this first part, all panel members introduced themselves and it is clear
that this is a diverse, multitalented group that are all passionate about BrickLink.

No doubt that this select group will be a fantastic first Marketplace panel.



Ad 2. Marketplace panel program presentation

The structure of the program had been shared with the panel ahead of the meeting,
so in this session, we mainly dug into the basics of the program and collaboration
principles:

4 annual meetings with an opportunity to impact the future development of the
BrickLink Marketplace

Between the meetings we will collaborate through a Teams channel, making it possible
for us to engage outside the meetings as well.

We aim to increase the number of members in the panel to a max of 14 people throughout
the next 1-2 years.

We will invite new members to the Panel annually, to ensure fresh perspectives
by shifting 50% of the panel members with new members meeting above criteria.
We will be promoting the opportunity to sign up for the panel in Q1 2022.

In our collaboration, we will be looking to the future as opposed to the past.

We will be mindful of one another in the dialogues we have, remembering that
we are all in this with the best of intentions.



This panel is focused on the Marketplace specifically. There will be other initiatives
similar to this one, that focus on e.g. Studio, The Catalog, etc.



Ad 3. Workshop

This being the first Panel meeting, we felt a need to make sure we got the frustrations
out of every one’s system, in order to be able to focus on the future of BrickLink,
as opposed to being stuck in the past. This was done in a workshop where everyone
was able to share frustrations but also the things, they love about BrickLink.



Ad 4. BrickLink vision

Marvin Park shared thoughts related to the vision and mission of BrickLink as
a platform through which LEGO fans can also realize their dream designs. As for
the long-term roadmap, it was highlighted how BrickLink marketplace and Studio
can evolve to meet diverse needs of the AFOL community and become an integral
part of the entire LEGO ecosystem.



Ad 5. Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

BrickLink’s new Senior Product Manager Stephen Wilhelm presented the current
Marketplace roadmap. This roadmap is now mainly focused on development related
to VAT compliance rules (initiatives that we are bound to by law and that we
are not able to de-prioritize) and initiatives intended to support e.g., the
ability to lower response rate for new seller verifications, etc. There are several
user experience related initiatives the BrickLink Marketplace team plans to work
on, but we are looking to the Marketplace Panel members to help us prioritize
what enhancements would provide the most value.

Aside from above, several focus areas that we have picked up based on input from
the BrickLink members in general were presented with the intention to prioritize
them. We were not able to finish the prioritization discussions completely at
this meeting, but a couple of things were highlighted as being critical to prioritize:

Seller tools (e.g., Inventory management, store management, seller page updates)

Continue modernization of the BrickLink platform. This is already ongoing, but
we aim to apply more resources later this year.

A few less critical but still impactful areas were introduced:

Telephone support and the ability to have expert engagers to reach out to

Order Item Refund Request (OIRR) & Refund enhancement

Rewriting storefront pages to support mobile / native.

Provide BrickLink shipping methods (preferably one shipping cost per customer)

Overhaul/update payment processes

The above list varies greatly in level of complexity, and we will need to take
all input in to consideration in upcoming plans. Status on above and long-term
plans will be shared in minutes from the next Panel meeting.

A few other things we will be looking in to due to the input from the panel:

Ability for Sellers to make use of BrickLink’s access to Google Analytics.

On-site payment and why some sellers choose not to use this option.

Shipping price calculations based on zones instead of weight (US specific)



Ad 6. Next steps

It was decided to disclose the BrickLink panel members to the general BrickLink
membership base, this is not to be seen as an invitation to reach out to the
panel members directly with input for the Panel
, but a way to be transparent
about who is in the panel as per the request of many members. Any ill manor
targeted directly at the Panel members may result in abandonment from BrickLink.



We need everyone’s input!

We have recently taken input from all BrickLink members in the survey, and we
take input regularly in the NPS survey, this input has already played a huge
part in shaping the focus for BrickLink in general and will be part of shaping
the future of BrickLink also.

During the upcoming Panel meetings, we might come across items to prioritize
that are not straight forward, in terms of defining what is best for the majority
of BrickLink members, in these cases, we will have a poll among the members in
general in order to ensure solid facts to back the decisions.



Upcoming meetings

The next meetings are planned for August and November.



Reflections

No doubt that we are blessed to have members on BrickLink that are prepared to
spend hours in their busy lives, participating in dialogue to make sure that
we have the best outside-in perspective we can when deciding how to prioritize
our efforts on BrickLink going forward. This is not something we have been able
to prioritize to the same extent in the past (hence numerous understandable frustrations),
but it is something that we are committed to prioritizing going forward!

BrickLink members, you can be proud of your Panel members, they did an amazing
job in representing you. Everyone spoke freely about critical issues to be addressed,
this is highly appreciated because then we won't have to waste time (mis)interpreting
this and we can get moving on the things that matter.

We hope that you will read this and share any feedback you might have, in this
topic or directly to ce_tanja. We have just started this journey and we are happy
to take your input to the process and adjust along the way.



Thank you!

The BrickLink Team
 Author: popsicle View Messages Posted By popsicle
 Posted: May 31, 2021 12:16
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 125 times
 Topic: Administrative
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popsicle (6654)

Location:  USA, Washington
Member Since Contact Type Status
Feb 21, 2006 Contact Member Seller
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Store: ConstrucToys
In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear BrickLink members,

Please find the minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting.


Minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting May 20th. 2021



Agenda

- Panel member introductions

- Marketplace panel program presentation

- Workshop

- BrickLink vision

- Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

- Next steps



Ad. 1 Panel member introductions

We have selected the initial panel members based on criteria such as: Having
both buyers and sellers represented, BrickLink experience, ability to engage
in constructive dialogues about the future of BrickLink and ability to consider
the greater good for the BrickLink sellers and buyers.

The initial panel members are:

Constructibles, SimplyBricks, Dcarmine, Calsbricks, Erkiles, Legoman77, Faro,
BrickCoast

During this first part, all panel members introduced themselves and it is clear
that this is a diverse, multitalented group that are all passionate about BrickLink.

No doubt that this select group will be a fantastic first Marketplace panel.

An excellent group of BL members!
 Author: tEoS View Messages Posted By tEoS
 Posted: May 31, 2021 12:26
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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 Topic: Administrative
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tEoS (5297)

Location:  USA, Michigan
Member Since Contact Type Status
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Store Closed Store: The Elements Of Surprise
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John P. is a confusing choice, simply based on site activity in recent years.

  
An excellent group of BL members!
 Author: HC View Messages Posted By HC
 Posted: May 31, 2021 13:11
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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HC (9556)

Location:  Netherlands, Noord-Holland
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Store: YODAs_bricks
disagree !!

with his sometimes weird answers,and posts about ''what happened''
who's died'' and who is having a birthday.. funny and different ...and
for me when reading always a smile on my face.
seems to me a man that ''thinks outside the box'' and therefor
an asset
 Author: Macaronis View Messages Posted By Macaronis
 Posted: May 31, 2021 21:37
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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Macaronis (725)

Location:  USA, New York
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jun 13, 2002 Contact Member Seller
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Store Closed Store: Midnight Leftovers
  seems to me a man that ''thinks outside the box''


wouldn't that be outside the brick?


W
 Author: tEoS View Messages Posted By tEoS
 Posted: May 31, 2021 23:29
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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tEoS (5297)

Location:  USA, Michigan
Member Since Contact Type Status
Dec 24, 2002 Contact Member Seller
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No Longer Registered
BL doesn't need outside the box thinking. Plenty of site issues have been
posed that should be well within professional website developers realm of understanding.

This very outside the box thinking is what caused the new BL to lack features
that the old BL had. Additionally, it seems to have caused the previous roundtables
to be about worthless.

This page has been "temporarily disabled" for many years now:
https://www.bricklink.com/storeSettings.new.asp

Instead, BL worked on weird projects like Mosaic and Studio that weren't
really necessary at the time.

I don't want to be a party pooper, but anyone that's been here for quite
some time will probably have come to recognize a pattern. My expectations are
very low.

Sometimes I think that the catalog is the only thing holding this site together.
At least, I am grateful for all of the volunteers over the years.

  with his sometimes weird answers,and posts about ''what happened''
who's died'' and who is having a birthday.. funny and different ...and
for me when reading always a smile on my face.
seems to me a man that ''thinks outside the box'' and therefor
an asset
 Author: wildchicken13 View Messages Posted By wildchicken13
 Posted: May 31, 2021 23:45
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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wildchicken13 (875)

Location:  USA, Illinois
Member Since Contact Type Status
Aug 11, 2014 Contact Member Seller
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Store: Wild Chicken
In Administrative, tEoS writes:
  […] Instead, BL worked on weird projects like Mosaic and Studio that weren't
really necessary at the time. […]

Studio is love. Studio is life.
 
 Author: tEoS View Messages Posted By tEoS
 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 00:03
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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tEoS (5297)

Location:  USA, Michigan
Member Since Contact Type Status
Dec 24, 2002 Contact Member Seller
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I may be wrong about Studio, but I thought that LDD was still very active at
that time.

Studio may have been a worthwhile investment in its own right. Still, that was
likely resources that may have been better used for improving the marketplace,
which is BL's primary function.

  Studio is love. Studio is life.
 Author: wildchicken13 View Messages Posted By wildchicken13
 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 01:08
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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wildchicken13 (875)

Location:  USA, Illinois
Member Since Contact Type Status
Aug 11, 2014 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Wild Chicken
In Administrative, tEoS writes:
  I may be wrong about Studio, but I thought that LDD was still very active at
that time.

Studio may have been a worthwhile investment in its own right. Still, that was
likely resources that may have been better used for improving the marketplace,
which is BL's primary function.

If I recall correctly, Studio was released in December 2016, shortly after the
LEGO Group announced that they would stop supporting LEGO Digital Designer in
January 2016, although they have made a few updates since then. However, LDD
doesn't work on more recent versions of macOS, so many have been forced to
switch to Studio. I can't say for sure how many BrickLink sales are generated
in whole or in part by Studio projects, but I can say for sure that many of the
BrickLink orders I place are. But I agree with you in that BrickLink is first
and foremost a LEGO marketplace and that should be its primary focus.
 Author: SylvainLS View Messages Posted By SylvainLS
 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 11:34
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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SylvainLS (46)

Location:  France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Member Since Contact Type Status
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Store Closed Store: BuyerOnly
BrickLink Discussions Moderator (?)
In Administrative, wildchicken13 writes:
  In Administrative, tEoS writes:
  I may be wrong about Studio, but I thought that LDD was still very active at
that time.

Studio may have been a worthwhile investment in its own right. Still, that was
likely resources that may have been better used for improving the marketplace,
which is BL's primary function.

If I recall correctly, Studio was released in December 2016, shortly after the
LEGO Group announced that they would stop supporting LEGO Digital Designer in
January 2016, although they have made a few updates since then.

— LDD 4.3.10 was out in March 2016 (many parts added).
— They added ONE part in February 2017 (26604, Brick, Modified 1 x 1 with Studs
on 2 Sides, Adjacent).
— LDD 4.3.11 was out in January 2018 (many parts added, but only to Extended
mode, “normal” mode became totally useless).
— They also “released” a totally counterproductive 4.3.12 for Windows only in
August 2019: it was supposed to fix installation problems on Windows 10 (caused
by Flash) but ended up with a very outadted and non-updatable parts library.

So, on my count, there was two (real) updates since the abandonment announcement,
one just after the announcement and before Studio was out, and the other one
long-after and very final.  So I wouldn’t say “LDD was still very active at that
time” either


  However, LDD
doesn't work on more recent versions of macOS,

… and you have to be creative to install 4.3.11 on Windows 10…


  so many have been forced to
switch to Studio. I can't say for sure how many BrickLink sales are generated
in whole or in part by Studio projects, but I can say for sure that many of the
BrickLink orders I place are.

There’s also a lot of buyers who use Rebrickable… for projects made with Studio…
or with LDraw tools or LDD or Mecabricks or…, but I don’t think BL can know which,
so, yeah, it’s very hard to tell.


  But I agree with you in that BrickLink is first
and foremost a LEGO marketplace and that should be its primary focus.
 Author: swilhelm View Messages Posted By swilhelm
 Posted: Jun 3, 2021 16:06
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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swilhelm (1)

Location:  USA, California
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Store Closed Store: swilhelm
In Administrative, tEoS writes:
  This page has been "temporarily disabled" for many years now:
https://www.bricklink.com/storeSettings.new.asp


Hello tEoS, thanks for your input. We are currently looking into this page and
will post an update soon.
 Author: swilhelm View Messages Posted By swilhelm
 Posted: Sep 8, 2021 11:53
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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 Topic: Technical Issues
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swilhelm (1)

Location:  USA, California
Member Since Contact Type Status
Mar 1, 2021 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store Closed Store: swilhelm
Hello BrickLink community,
We have resolved the issue of the Store Settings page being disabled. Users can
now update their store settings from this page, along with the existing ‘Item
Settings’ modal in storefront. The two will sync together when any changes are
made in either place. Hopefully this provides a good solution to a long standing
page issue.

In Administrative, swilhelm writes:
  In Administrative, tEoS writes:
  This page has been "temporarily disabled" for many years now:
https://www.bricklink.com/storeSettings.new.asp


Hello tEoS, thanks for your input. We are currently looking into this page and
will post an update soon.
 Author: qwertyboy View Messages Posted By qwertyboy
 Posted: Sep 8, 2021 12:32
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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 Topic: Technical Issues
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qwertyboy (7847)

Location:  Canada, Alberta
Member Since Contact Type Status
Apr 9, 2013 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Maple Bricks
In Technical Issues, swilhelm writes:
  Hello BrickLink community,
We have resolved the issue of the Store Settings page being disabled. Users can
now update their store settings from this page, along with the existing ‘Item
Settings’ modal in storefront. The two will sync together when any changes are
made in either place. Hopefully this provides a good solution to a long standing
page issue.

It sounds you are a BL employee. Please consider posting these messages from
an account recognizable as such instead of a generic account.

Niek.
 Author: randyf View Messages Posted By randyf
 Posted: Sep 8, 2021 13:12
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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 Topic: Technical Issues
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randyf (442)

Location:  USA, Ohio
Member Since Contact Type Status
Sep 16, 2009 Member Does Not Allow Contact Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store Closed Store: The Bricking Spectre
BrickLink Catalog Administrator (?)
In Technical Issues, swilhelm writes:
  Hello BrickLink community,
We have resolved the issue of the Store Settings page being disabled. Users can
now update their store settings from this page, along with the existing ‘Item
Settings’ modal in storefront. The two will sync together when any changes are
made in either place. Hopefully this provides a good solution to a long standing
page issue.

In Administrative, swilhelm writes:
  In Administrative, tEoS writes:
  This page has been "temporarily disabled" for many years now:
https://www.bricklink.com/storeSettings.new.asp


Hello tEoS, thanks for your input. We are currently looking into this page and
will post an update soon.


It doesn't work.

I have my settings set to show 100 items per page. When I go to any store, the
screen shows "10 Per Page" in the drop-down box and actually shows 25 items on
the page. So my settings say one thing, the drop-down says something different,
and the page is yet doing a third thing. That is some amazing programming skills
to get three different things to all ignore each other.

The pagination bar does not work correctly, either. It always shows only a number
one for one page of results no matter how many pages there are. This used to
work fine, so it looks like it was broken.
 Author: infinibrix View Messages Posted By infinibrix
 Posted: May 31, 2021 19:35
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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 Topic: Administrative
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infinibrix (4979)

Location:  United Kingdom, England
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jul 1, 2013 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: infinibrix
In Administrative, tEoS writes:
  John P. is a confusing choice, simply based on site activity in recent years.


I share your thoughts in that it would probably be wise for BL to choose panel
members that have bought or sold at least something within the last year along
with showing some participation in the forum however small that might be. Likewise
when selecting sellers I think a few more checks would be beneficial:-

https://www.bricklink.com/messageList.asp?overTP=Y&q=&qS=Y&qM=Y&msgID=&uName=brickcoast&ID=&status=&v=c&max=50

If a sellers only participation in the forum is an apparent never ending 70%
off weekly sale it doesn't exactly showcase the best and most transparent
of selling practices from which to represent the selling community but I respect
that the panel has already been chosen and my intention is not to take anything
away from any of those selected and already contributing their efforts towards
helping to improve the site yet I can only hope bricklink take similar factors
into consideration when selecting panelists going forward given they will be
the voice of us all

That said the plans sound good and the overall panel looks to be a great representation
of the community
 Author: leopard37 View Messages Posted By leopard37
 Posted: May 31, 2021 23:48
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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leopard37 (4518)

Location:  Canada, Alberta
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Store: Leopard37
Perhaps that seller is selling so well they have no time for the forum...
 Author: randyipp View Messages Posted By randyipp
 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 00:45
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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randyipp (3469)

Location:  USA, New Hampshire
Member Since Contact Type Status
Dec 24, 2004 Contact Member Seller
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Store: Addicted to Building
In Administrative, leopard37 writes:
  Perhaps that seller is selling so well they have no time for the forum...

Agreed, someone with nearly 10k feedback in a year seems like a member who might
have some decent input as to what sellers might need.

Besides, I think calsbricks makes up for this member never using the forum, haha
 Author: Captain_Q View Messages Posted By Captain_Q
 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 01:42
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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Captain_Q (7852)

Location:  USA, Oregon
Member Since Contact Type Status
Aug 6, 2005 Contact Member Seller
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Store Closed Store: Captain Q Bazaar
In Administrative, randyipp writes:
  In Administrative, leopard37 writes:
  Perhaps that seller is selling so well they have no time for the forum...

Agreed, someone with nearly 10k feedback in a year seems like a member who might
have some decent input as to what sellers might need.

Besides, I think calsbricks makes up for this member never using the forum, haha

I agree, not everyone of the panelists needs to be the exact same and if one
of them does not post much on the forum, then does it matter?

But dang! Someone with 10k feedback in a year probably has some useful insight.
 Author: infinibrix View Messages Posted By infinibrix
 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 06:47
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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infinibrix (4979)

Location:  United Kingdom, England
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jul 1, 2013 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: infinibrix
In Administrative, Captain_Q writes:
  In Administrative, randyipp writes:
  In Administrative, leopard37 writes:
  Perhaps that seller is selling so well they have no time for the forum...

Agreed, someone with nearly 10k feedback in a year seems like a member who might
have some decent input as to what sellers might need.

Besides, I think calsbricks makes up for this member never using the forum, haha

I agree, not everyone of the panelists needs to be the exact same and if one
of them does not post much on the forum, then does it matter?

But dang! Someone with 10k feedback in a year probably has some useful insight.


I fear by replying to you all I will only end up in further trouble so I will
try to generalize my response so it reflects on future chosen panel members as
a whole rather than targeted at existing panelists though it should be said that
all your replies have skirted around my main concern/issue to which I cannot
further discuss for obvious reasons?

Of course it goes without saying that any member whether they do or don't
post on the forum may still be a valuable asset to the panel however those that
already engage with the community to either offer help to others be that identifying
parts, sharing advise/knowledge and contributing to the catalog I feel would
add even more value to any panel not least because that extra layer of passion,
enthusiasm for the site and engagement with the community already exists which
can only be a good thing but yes I accept some sellers may be doing so well and
be so busy that they don't have time for the forum(though being a panelist
in itself takes up time right?)

however (and yes I'm generalizing again here and not targeting!) if a panelist
is given that special privileged benefit of speaking on behalf of the community
then being a community based role I feel a certain level of buying/selling ethics
should also be expected and taken into consideration within that selection process
likewise I wonder whether inactive users not currently using the site for its
primary use of buying/selling can actually add as much value insight into issues/problems
compared with users that are currently actively buying/selling and experiencing
problems on the site and whilst I accept that BL is also used by many members
as just a reference source having awareness of current buying/selling issues
are an important aspect of helping towards improving to the site

Overall I feel my observations are fair and relevant even though others may disagree
but in the spirit of the chosen panelists and at the request of the admins I
will respect their wishes by not engaging in any further discussion on the matter!
 Author: CE_Tanja View Messages Posted By CE_Tanja
 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 07:50
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
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 Topic: Administrative
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CE_Tanja

Location:  USA, California
Member Since Contact Type Status
Feb 17, 2021 Contact Member Admin
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
BrickLink Administrator
In Administrative, infinibrix writes:
  In Administrative, Captain_Q writes:
  In Administrative, randyipp writes:
  In Administrative, leopard37 writes:
  Perhaps that seller is selling so well they have no time for the forum...

Agreed, someone with nearly 10k feedback in a year seems like a member who might
have some decent input as to what sellers might need.

Besides, I think calsbricks makes up for this member never using the forum, haha

I agree, not everyone of the panelists needs to be the exact same and if one
of them does not post much on the forum, then does it matter?

But dang! Someone with 10k feedback in a year probably has some useful insight.


I fear by replying to you all I will only end up in further trouble so I will
try to generalize my response so it reflects on future chosen panel members as
a whole rather than targeted at existing panelists though it should be said that
all your replies have skirted around my main concern/issue to which I cannot
further discuss for obvious reasons?

Of course it goes without saying that any member whether they do or don't
post on the forum may still be a valuable asset to the panel however those that
already engage with the community to either offer help to others be that identifying
parts, sharing advise/knowledge and contributing to the catalog I feel would
add even more value to any panel not least because that extra layer of passion,
enthusiasm for the site and engagement with the community already exists which
can only be a good thing but yes I accept some sellers may be doing so well and
be so busy that they don't have time for the forum(though being a panelist
in itself takes up time right?)

however (and yes I'm generalizing again here and not targeting!) if a panelist
is given that special privileged benefit of speaking on behalf of the community
then being a community based role I feel a certain level of buying/selling ethics
should also be expected and taken into consideration within that selection process
likewise I wonder whether inactive users not currently using the site for its
primary use of buying/selling can actually add as much value insight into issues/problems
compared with users that are currently actively buying/selling and experiencing
problems on the site and whilst I accept that BL is also used by many members
as just a reference source having awareness of current buying/selling issues
are an important aspect of helping towards improving to the site

Overall I feel my observations are fair and relevant even though others may disagree
but in the spirit of the chosen panelists and at the request of the admins I
will respect their wishes by not engaging in any further discussion on the matter!

Dear Infinibrix,

Thank you for your input! This seems like a good occasion to share a bit of information
about the concept we are currently introducing called Community Voice. The Marketplace
Panel is one of many initiatives under this umbrella. We will be introducing
a Studio and a Catalog panel within the next month as well and I invite anyone
who would like to be a part of either of these panels to let me know, even if
someone is not selected for the first Panel, we will be partially exchanging
the Panel members annually in order to apply fresh perspectives to apply as broad
a representation as possible. Also, once we get this up and running, we are planning
to increase the size of the Panels.

These are new initiatives on BrickLink and all the input that you and others
share is valid and valued, and will be taken in to account. Thank you!

If you or anyone else prefers to share their input with me directly, I welcome
that and look forward to more great input.
 Author: Stuart9 View Messages Posted By Stuart9
 Posted: May 31, 2021 12:26
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 93 times
 Topic: Administrative
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Stuart9 (1029)

Location:  United Kingdom, England
Member Since Contact Type Status Collage
Jul 22, 2012 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
View Collage Pic
Store: Top Slot
Thank you, should prove interesting, look forward to future postings.



In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear BrickLink members,

Please find the minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting.


Minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting May 20th. 2021



Agenda

- Panel member introductions

- Marketplace panel program presentation

- Workshop

- BrickLink vision

- Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

- Next steps



Ad. 1 Panel member introductions

We have selected the initial panel members based on criteria such as: Having
both buyers and sellers represented, BrickLink experience, ability to engage
in constructive dialogues about the future of BrickLink and ability to consider
the greater good for the BrickLink sellers and buyers.

The initial panel members are:

Constructibles, SimplyBricks, Dcarmine, Calsbricks, Erkiles, Legoman77, Faro,
BrickCoast

During this first part, all panel members introduced themselves and it is clear
that this is a diverse, multitalented group that are all passionate about BrickLink.

No doubt that this select group will be a fantastic first Marketplace panel.



Ad 2. Marketplace panel program presentation

The structure of the program had been shared with the panel ahead of the meeting,
so in this session, we mainly dug into the basics of the program and collaboration
principles:

4 annual meetings with an opportunity to impact the future development of the
BrickLink Marketplace

Between the meetings we will collaborate through a Teams channel, making it possible
for us to engage outside the meetings as well.

We aim to increase the number of members in the panel to a max of 14 people throughout
the next 1-2 years.

We will invite new members to the Panel annually, to ensure fresh perspectives
by shifting 50% of the panel members with new members meeting above criteria.
We will be promoting the opportunity to sign up for the panel in Q1 2022.

In our collaboration, we will be looking to the future as opposed to the past.

We will be mindful of one another in the dialogues we have, remembering that
we are all in this with the best of intentions.



This panel is focused on the Marketplace specifically. There will be other initiatives
similar to this one, that focus on e.g. Studio, The Catalog, etc.



Ad 3. Workshop

This being the first Panel meeting, we felt a need to make sure we got the frustrations
out of every one’s system, in order to be able to focus on the future of BrickLink,
as opposed to being stuck in the past. This was done in a workshop where everyone
was able to share frustrations but also the things, they love about BrickLink.



Ad 4. BrickLink vision

Marvin Park shared thoughts related to the vision and mission of BrickLink as
a platform through which LEGO fans can also realize their dream designs. As for
the long-term roadmap, it was highlighted how BrickLink marketplace and Studio
can evolve to meet diverse needs of the AFOL community and become an integral
part of the entire LEGO ecosystem.



Ad 5. Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

BrickLink’s new Senior Product Manager Stephen Wilhelm presented the current
Marketplace roadmap. This roadmap is now mainly focused on development related
to VAT compliance rules (initiatives that we are bound to by law and that we
are not able to de-prioritize) and initiatives intended to support e.g., the
ability to lower response rate for new seller verifications, etc. There are several
user experience related initiatives the BrickLink Marketplace team plans to work
on, but we are looking to the Marketplace Panel members to help us prioritize
what enhancements would provide the most value.

Aside from above, several focus areas that we have picked up based on input from
the BrickLink members in general were presented with the intention to prioritize
them. We were not able to finish the prioritization discussions completely at
this meeting, but a couple of things were highlighted as being critical to prioritize:

Seller tools (e.g., Inventory management, store management, seller page updates)

Continue modernization of the BrickLink platform. This is already ongoing, but
we aim to apply more resources later this year.

A few less critical but still impactful areas were introduced:

Telephone support and the ability to have expert engagers to reach out to

Order Item Refund Request (OIRR) & Refund enhancement

Rewriting storefront pages to support mobile / native.

Provide BrickLink shipping methods (preferably one shipping cost per customer)

Overhaul/update payment processes

The above list varies greatly in level of complexity, and we will need to take
all input in to consideration in upcoming plans. Status on above and long-term
plans will be shared in minutes from the next Panel meeting.

A few other things we will be looking in to due to the input from the panel:

Ability for Sellers to make use of BrickLink’s access to Google Analytics.

On-site payment and why some sellers choose not to use this option.

Shipping price calculations based on zones instead of weight (US specific)



Ad 6. Next steps

It was decided to disclose the BrickLink panel members to the general BrickLink
membership base, this is not to be seen as an invitation to reach out to the
panel members directly with input for the Panel
, but a way to be transparent
about who is in the panel as per the request of many members. Any ill manor
targeted directly at the Panel members may result in abandonment from BrickLink.



We need everyone’s input!

We have recently taken input from all BrickLink members in the survey, and we
take input regularly in the NPS survey, this input has already played a huge
part in shaping the focus for BrickLink in general and will be part of shaping
the future of BrickLink also.

During the upcoming Panel meetings, we might come across items to prioritize
that are not straight forward, in terms of defining what is best for the majority
of BrickLink members, in these cases, we will have a poll among the members in
general in order to ensure solid facts to back the decisions.



Upcoming meetings

The next meetings are planned for August and November.



Reflections

No doubt that we are blessed to have members on BrickLink that are prepared to
spend hours in their busy lives, participating in dialogue to make sure that
we have the best outside-in perspective we can when deciding how to prioritize
our efforts on BrickLink going forward. This is not something we have been able
to prioritize to the same extent in the past (hence numerous understandable frustrations),
but it is something that we are committed to prioritizing going forward!

BrickLink members, you can be proud of your Panel members, they did an amazing
job in representing you. Everyone spoke freely about critical issues to be addressed,
this is highly appreciated because then we won't have to waste time (mis)interpreting
this and we can get moving on the things that matter.

We hope that you will read this and share any feedback you might have, in this
topic or directly to ce_tanja. We have just started this journey and we are happy
to take your input to the process and adjust along the way.



Thank you!

The BrickLink Team
 Author: Andrsv View Messages Posted By Andrsv
 Posted: May 31, 2021 18:33
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 80 times
 Topic: Administrative
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Andrsv (2838)

Location:  Norway, Rogaland
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jun 23, 2016 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: AVBRICKS AS
When prioritizing something, then something else is unprioritized. Finding things
to prioritize is easy. The difficult part is to unprioritize less important stuff.
If you do not unprioritize anything, then you'll loose.

I'm very interested to hear about what you decided to unprioritize

Good luck and thanks for bringing customers to the discussion table
 Author: macebobo View Messages Posted By macebobo
 Posted: May 31, 2021 19:54
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 61 times
 Topic: Administrative
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macebobo (2423)

Location:  USA, Oregon
Member Since Contact Type Status
Apr 3, 2016 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: MacsBricks
In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear BrickLink members,

Please find the minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting.


This is an exciting first step. I really appreciate the transparency on the
topics discussed. I feel like there is an excellent mix of personalities and
representation on the panel (based, of course, on their public view on the forum.)

I look forward to future minutes from the meetings.

Thank you to the members who took the time to do this for all of us and the future
of Bricklink. I appreciate you all!

Sincerely,
John
 Author: Macaronis View Messages Posted By Macaronis
 Posted: May 31, 2021 20:03
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 65 times
 Topic: Administrative
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Macaronis (725)

Location:  USA, New York
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jun 13, 2002 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store Closed Store: Midnight Leftovers
In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear BrickLink members,

Please find the minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting.


Minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting May 20th. 2021



Agenda

- Panel member introductions

- Marketplace panel program presentation

- Workshop

- BrickLink vision

- Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

- Next steps



Ad. 1 Panel member introductions

We have selected the initial panel members based on criteria such as: Having
both buyers and sellers represented, BrickLink experience, ability to engage
in constructive dialogues about the future of BrickLink and ability to consider
the greater good for the BrickLink sellers and buyers.

The initial panel members are:

Constructibles, SimplyBricks, Dcarmine, Calsbricks, Erkiles, Legoman77, Faro,
BrickCoast

During this first part, all panel members introduced themselves and it is clear
that this is a diverse, multitalented group that are all passionate about BrickLink.

No doubt that this select group will be a fantastic first Marketplace panel.



Ad 2. Marketplace panel program presentation

The structure of the program had been shared with the panel ahead of the meeting,
so in this session, we mainly dug into the basics of the program and collaboration
principles:

4 annual meetings with an opportunity to impact the future development of the
BrickLink Marketplace

Between the meetings we will collaborate through a Teams channel, making it possible
for us to engage outside the meetings as well.

We aim to increase the number of members in the panel to a max of 14 people throughout
the next 1-2 years.

We will invite new members to the Panel annually, to ensure fresh perspectives
by shifting 50% of the panel members with new members meeting above criteria.
We will be promoting the opportunity to sign up for the panel in Q1 2022.

In our collaboration, we will be looking to the future as opposed to the past.

We will be mindful of one another in the dialogues we have, remembering that
we are all in this with the best of intentions.



This panel is focused on the Marketplace specifically. There will be other initiatives
similar to this one, that focus on e.g. Studio, The Catalog, etc.



Ad 3. Workshop

This being the first Panel meeting, we felt a need to make sure we got the frustrations
out of every one’s system, in order to be able to focus on the future of BrickLink,
as opposed to being stuck in the past. This was done in a workshop where everyone
was able to share frustrations but also the things, they love about BrickLink.



Ad 4. BrickLink vision

Marvin Park shared thoughts related to the vision and mission of BrickLink as
a platform through which LEGO fans can also realize their dream designs. As for
the long-term roadmap, it was highlighted how BrickLink marketplace and Studio
can evolve to meet diverse needs of the AFOL community and become an integral
part of the entire LEGO ecosystem.



Ad 5. Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

BrickLink’s new Senior Product Manager Stephen Wilhelm presented the current
Marketplace roadmap. This roadmap is now mainly focused on development related
to VAT compliance rules (initiatives that we are bound to by law and that we
are not able to de-prioritize) and initiatives intended to support e.g., the
ability to lower response rate for new seller verifications, etc. There are several
user experience related initiatives the BrickLink Marketplace team plans to work
on, but we are looking to the Marketplace Panel members to help us prioritize
what enhancements would provide the most value.

Aside from above, several focus areas that we have picked up based on input from
the BrickLink members in general were presented with the intention to prioritize
them. We were not able to finish the prioritization discussions completely at
this meeting, but a couple of things were highlighted as being critical to prioritize:

Seller tools (e.g., Inventory management, store management, seller page updates)

Continue modernization of the BrickLink platform. This is already ongoing, but
we aim to apply more resources later this year.

A few less critical but still impactful areas were introduced:

Telephone support and the ability to have expert engagers to reach out to

Order Item Refund Request (OIRR) & Refund enhancement

Rewriting storefront pages to support mobile / native.

Provide BrickLink shipping methods (preferably one shipping cost per customer)

Overhaul/update payment processes

The above list varies greatly in level of complexity, and we will need to take
all input in to consideration in upcoming plans. Status on above and long-term
plans will be shared in minutes from the next Panel meeting.

A few other things we will be looking in to due to the input from the panel:

Ability for Sellers to make use of BrickLink’s access to Google Analytics.

On-site payment and why some sellers choose not to use this option.

Shipping price calculations based on zones instead of weight (US specific)



Ad 6. Next steps

It was decided to disclose the BrickLink panel members to the general BrickLink
membership base, this is not to be seen as an invitation to reach out to the
panel members directly with input for the Panel
, but a way to be transparent
about who is in the panel as per the request of many members. Any ill manor
targeted directly at the Panel members may result in abandonment from BrickLink.



We need everyone’s input!

We have recently taken input from all BrickLink members in the survey, and we
take input regularly in the NPS survey, this input has already played a huge
part in shaping the focus for BrickLink in general and will be part of shaping
the future of BrickLink also.

During the upcoming Panel meetings, we might come across items to prioritize
that are not straight forward, in terms of defining what is best for the majority
of BrickLink members, in these cases, we will have a poll among the members in
general in order to ensure solid facts to back the decisions.



Upcoming meetings

The next meetings are planned for August and November.



Reflections

No doubt that we are blessed to have members on BrickLink that are prepared to
spend hours in their busy lives, participating in dialogue to make sure that
we have the best outside-in perspective we can when deciding how to prioritize
our efforts on BrickLink going forward. This is not something we have been able
to prioritize to the same extent in the past (hence numerous understandable frustrations),
but it is something that we are committed to prioritizing going forward!

BrickLink members, you can be proud of your Panel members, they did an amazing
job in representing you. Everyone spoke freely about critical issues to be addressed,
this is highly appreciated because then we won't have to waste time (mis)interpreting
this and we can get moving on the things that matter.

We hope that you will read this and share any feedback you might have, in this
topic or directly to ce_tanja. We have just started this journey and we are happy
to take your input to the process and adjust along the way.



Thank you!

The BrickLink Team

I really hope this is something that is actually going to happen and not like
years past of so called "meetings" and "panels" to get people hyped up only to
be left for dead on the side of the road with nothing to show for it other than
wasted time.
 Author: CE_Tanja View Messages Posted By CE_Tanja
 Posted: May 31, 2021 20:52
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 116 times
 Topic: Administrative
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CE_Tanja

Location:  USA, California
Member Since Contact Type Status
Feb 17, 2021 Contact Member Admin
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
BrickLink Administrator
Dear All,

I really appreciate your comments and input, most of which are both kind and
valuable, thank you! The intention is to be transparent, however I kindly ask
that in the attempt to be so, you all stay on the ball! Calling out any individual
panel members in a negative context will not be tolerated.

Thank you for your understanding.
 Author: SecondChildhood View Messages Posted By SecondChildhood
 Posted: May 31, 2021 21:13
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 78 times
 Topic: Administrative
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SecondChildhood (2486)

Location:  USA, New Jersey
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jan 3, 2017 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Second Childhood
In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear All,

I really appreciate your comments and input, most of which are both kind and
valuable, thank you! The intention is to be transparent, however I kindly ask
that in the attempt to be so, you all stay on the ball! Calling out any individual
panel members in a negative context will not be tolerated.

Thank you for your understanding.

With all respect, Tanya:

Telling the names of the actual panelists was probably not a useful choice. It
will only put undue pressure on these people who are giving of their time and
effort to help the entire community. A better choice may have been (and still
would be, as I--like, I would imagine, many other folks on the forum--don't
know who these panelists are at all) to tell us some general facts about them:
what countries they represent, what levels/types of BrickLink activity they represent,
etc. I think their anonymity should have been preserved!

Nevertheless, I am hopeful that good will come of this!

Martin of "Second Childhood"
 Author: infinibrix View Messages Posted By infinibrix
 Posted: May 31, 2021 21:46
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 85 times
 Topic: Administrative
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infinibrix (4979)

Location:  United Kingdom, England
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jul 1, 2013 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: infinibrix
In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear All,

I really appreciate your comments and input, most of which are both kind and
valuable, thank you! The intention is to be transparent, however I kindly ask
that in the attempt to be so, you all stay on the ball! Calling out any individual
panel members in a negative context will not be tolerated.

Thank you for your understanding.

Tanja I do respect what you are saying but I hope you can also appreciate that
my comments are not necessarily targeted against any of the selected panelists,
after all they didn't select themselves but were chosen and as such should
of course be able to continue to contribute to the panel as intended. To be clear
I really have no ill intention towards any of them

I only point out factors that may be of benefit for taking into consideration
when selecting future panelists to which the BL team may agree/disagree but to
which I feel would be to the benefit of helping to strengthen the panel further
when the time comes....
 Author: brickbiters View Messages Posted By brickbiters
 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 18:34
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 106 times
 Topic: Administrative
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brickbiters (134)

Location:  USA, Arizona
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jun 2, 2012 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: BrickBiters
so in an OPEN discussion forum, someone raises valid concerns and is threatened.

i hope this isn't a foretelling of how it's going to be from now on.

bricklink has done just fine for 20 years without this sort of policing and has
always been community driven. no need for these 'teams' that are not
chosen by the community.

it's not just buyers on here but people who have invested a lot of money
'slinging' bricks, some of which do it full time and these decisions
affect their families and their livelihood.

if you want to know what's best for the community just open discussion with
the them and they'll tell you, if you're actually willing to listen.
no need for some special 'teams'.

for anybody other than the 'community' to think they are the voice of
the community it's...well, it's just not good.

it's not ok to call out a panel member but it's ok to do so to a concerned
member of the community in the public forum instead of with a private pm? interesting.

personally, i'd be more than happy to give my input to help bricklink be
a better place. would i want to join one of their 'teams'? no, not really.
because bricklink was built by the community and any improvements should include
input from the entire community, not a select chosen few.

it takes a modular village to raise a brinklink.....

i'm not calling out any particular individual. i'm just making an observation
of what i see in the threads here that i'm not sure i appreciate.

just heard somewhere that my comments and input were really appreciated, and
it's a shame that any time folks have a comment that they have to feel worried
that they are going to get kicked off of bricklink. to me that doesn't really
make it feel like a community anymore.

In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear All,

I really appreciate your comments and input, most of which are both kind and
valuable, thank you! The intention is to be transparent, however I kindly ask
that in the attempt to be so, you all stay on the ball! Calling out any individual
panel members in a negative context will not be tolerated.

Thank you for your understanding.
 Author: brickbiters View Messages Posted By brickbiters
 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 00:55
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 82 times
 Topic: Administrative
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brickbiters (134)

Location:  USA, Arizona
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jun 2, 2012 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: BrickBiters
re: shipping zones

are you talking about ADDING the option for zones or REPLACING shipping costs
by weight WITH zones?

In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear BrickLink members,

Please find the minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting.


Minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting May 20th. 2021



Agenda

- Panel member introductions

- Marketplace panel program presentation

- Workshop

- BrickLink vision

- Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

- Next steps



Ad. 1 Panel member introductions

We have selected the initial panel members based on criteria such as: Having
both buyers and sellers represented, BrickLink experience, ability to engage
in constructive dialogues about the future of BrickLink and ability to consider
the greater good for the BrickLink sellers and buyers.

The initial panel members are:

Constructibles, SimplyBricks, Dcarmine, Calsbricks, Erkiles, Legoman77, Faro,
BrickCoast

During this first part, all panel members introduced themselves and it is clear
that this is a diverse, multitalented group that are all passionate about BrickLink.

No doubt that this select group will be a fantastic first Marketplace panel.



Ad 2. Marketplace panel program presentation

The structure of the program had been shared with the panel ahead of the meeting,
so in this session, we mainly dug into the basics of the program and collaboration
principles:

4 annual meetings with an opportunity to impact the future development of the
BrickLink Marketplace

Between the meetings we will collaborate through a Teams channel, making it possible
for us to engage outside the meetings as well.

We aim to increase the number of members in the panel to a max of 14 people throughout
the next 1-2 years.

We will invite new members to the Panel annually, to ensure fresh perspectives
by shifting 50% of the panel members with new members meeting above criteria.
We will be promoting the opportunity to sign up for the panel in Q1 2022.

In our collaboration, we will be looking to the future as opposed to the past.

We will be mindful of one another in the dialogues we have, remembering that
we are all in this with the best of intentions.



This panel is focused on the Marketplace specifically. There will be other initiatives
similar to this one, that focus on e.g. Studio, The Catalog, etc.



Ad 3. Workshop

This being the first Panel meeting, we felt a need to make sure we got the frustrations
out of every one’s system, in order to be able to focus on the future of BrickLink,
as opposed to being stuck in the past. This was done in a workshop where everyone
was able to share frustrations but also the things, they love about BrickLink.



Ad 4. BrickLink vision

Marvin Park shared thoughts related to the vision and mission of BrickLink as
a platform through which LEGO fans can also realize their dream designs. As for
the long-term roadmap, it was highlighted how BrickLink marketplace and Studio
can evolve to meet diverse needs of the AFOL community and become an integral
part of the entire LEGO ecosystem.



Ad 5. Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

BrickLink’s new Senior Product Manager Stephen Wilhelm presented the current
Marketplace roadmap. This roadmap is now mainly focused on development related
to VAT compliance rules (initiatives that we are bound to by law and that we
are not able to de-prioritize) and initiatives intended to support e.g., the
ability to lower response rate for new seller verifications, etc. There are several
user experience related initiatives the BrickLink Marketplace team plans to work
on, but we are looking to the Marketplace Panel members to help us prioritize
what enhancements would provide the most value.

Aside from above, several focus areas that we have picked up based on input from
the BrickLink members in general were presented with the intention to prioritize
them. We were not able to finish the prioritization discussions completely at
this meeting, but a couple of things were highlighted as being critical to prioritize:

Seller tools (e.g., Inventory management, store management, seller page updates)

Continue modernization of the BrickLink platform. This is already ongoing, but
we aim to apply more resources later this year.

A few less critical but still impactful areas were introduced:

Telephone support and the ability to have expert engagers to reach out to

Order Item Refund Request (OIRR) & Refund enhancement

Rewriting storefront pages to support mobile / native.

Provide BrickLink shipping methods (preferably one shipping cost per customer)

Overhaul/update payment processes

The above list varies greatly in level of complexity, and we will need to take
all input in to consideration in upcoming plans. Status on above and long-term
plans will be shared in minutes from the next Panel meeting.

A few other things we will be looking in to due to the input from the panel:

Ability for Sellers to make use of BrickLink’s access to Google Analytics.

On-site payment and why some sellers choose not to use this option.

Shipping price calculations based on zones instead of weight (US specific)



Ad 6. Next steps

It was decided to disclose the BrickLink panel members to the general BrickLink
membership base, this is not to be seen as an invitation to reach out to the
panel members directly with input for the Panel
, but a way to be transparent
about who is in the panel as per the request of many members. Any ill manor
targeted directly at the Panel members may result in abandonment from BrickLink.



We need everyone’s input!

We have recently taken input from all BrickLink members in the survey, and we
take input regularly in the NPS survey, this input has already played a huge
part in shaping the focus for BrickLink in general and will be part of shaping
the future of BrickLink also.

During the upcoming Panel meetings, we might come across items to prioritize
that are not straight forward, in terms of defining what is best for the majority
of BrickLink members, in these cases, we will have a poll among the members in
general in order to ensure solid facts to back the decisions.



Upcoming meetings

The next meetings are planned for August and November.



Reflections

No doubt that we are blessed to have members on BrickLink that are prepared to
spend hours in their busy lives, participating in dialogue to make sure that
we have the best outside-in perspective we can when deciding how to prioritize
our efforts on BrickLink going forward. This is not something we have been able
to prioritize to the same extent in the past (hence numerous understandable frustrations),
but it is something that we are committed to prioritizing going forward!

BrickLink members, you can be proud of your Panel members, they did an amazing
job in representing you. Everyone spoke freely about critical issues to be addressed,
this is highly appreciated because then we won't have to waste time (mis)interpreting
this and we can get moving on the things that matter.

We hope that you will read this and share any feedback you might have, in this
topic or directly to ce_tanja. We have just started this journey and we are happy
to take your input to the process and adjust along the way.



Thank you!

The BrickLink Team
 Author: swilhelm View Messages Posted By swilhelm
 Posted: Jun 3, 2021 15:47
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 103 times
 Topic: Administrative
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swilhelm (1)

Location:  USA, California
Member Since Contact Type Status
Mar 1, 2021 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store Closed Store: swilhelm
In Administrative, jhess writes:
  re: shipping zones

are you talking about ADDING the option for zones or REPLACING shipping costs
by weight WITH zones?


Hello jhess, the conversation was around replacing the current shipping method
with shipping by weight to zones. We are looking into API solutions with USPS
among others as our current system doesn't support adding zones.
 Author: jennnifer View Messages Posted By jennnifer
 Posted: Jun 3, 2021 16:25
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 78 times
 Topic: Administrative
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jennnifer (3531)

Location:  USA, Illinois
Member Since Contact Type Status
Sep 8, 2009 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Old Grey Bricks
In Administrative, swilhelm writes:
  In Administrative, jhess writes:
  re: shipping zones

are you talking about ADDING the option for zones or REPLACING shipping costs
by weight WITH zones?


Hello jhess, the conversation was around replacing the current shipping method
with shipping by weight to zones. We are looking into API solutions with USPS
among others as our current system doesn't support adding zones.

Ah... Hi. Don't mean to be rude, but who are you and who is we? Do you work
for BrickLink?

Also, the concern here was that you all understand that the USPS uses weight
and location, not one or the other.

Jen
 Author: Admin_Russell View Messages Posted By Admin_Russell
 Posted: Jun 3, 2021 16:49
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 131 times
 Topic: Administrative
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Admin_Russell

Location:  USA, California
Member Since Contact Type Status
May 9, 2017 Contact Member Admin
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
BrickLink Administrator
In Administrative, jennnifer writes:
  In Administrative, swilhelm writes:
  In Administrative, jhess writes:
  re: shipping zones

are you talking about ADDING the option for zones or REPLACING shipping costs
by weight WITH zones?


Hello jhess, the conversation was around replacing the current shipping method
with shipping by weight to zones. We are looking into API solutions with USPS
among others as our current system doesn't support adding zones.

Ah... Hi. Don't mean to be rude, but who are you and who is we? Do you work
for BrickLink?

Also, the concern here was that you all understand that the USPS uses weight
and location, not one or the other.

Jen

He is our new Product Manager for the Marketplace Team.
 Author: jennnifer View Messages Posted By jennnifer
 Posted: Jun 3, 2021 19:25
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 105 times
 Topic: Administrative
Cancel Message
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BrickLink
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jennnifer (3531)

Location:  USA, Illinois
Member Since Contact Type Status
Sep 8, 2009 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Old Grey Bricks
In Administrative, Admin_Russell writes:
  In Administrative, jennnifer writes:
  In Administrative, swilhelm writes:
  In Administrative, jhess writes:
  re: shipping zones

are you talking about ADDING the option for zones or REPLACING shipping costs
by weight WITH zones?


Hello jhess, the conversation was around replacing the current shipping method
with shipping by weight to zones. We are looking into API solutions with USPS
among others as our current system doesn't support adding zones.

Ah... Hi. Don't mean to be rude, but who are you and who is we? Do you work
for BrickLink?

Also, the concern here was that you all understand that the USPS uses weight
and location, not one or the other.

Jen

He is our new Product Manager for the Marketplace Team.

Ah, thank you for sharing the information...perhaps an administrator banner is
in order.

Jen
 Author: Teup View Messages Posted By Teup
 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 06:35
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 106 times
 Topic: Administrative
Cancel Message
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Teup (6591)

Location:  Netherlands, Utrecht
Member Since Contact Type Status
May 6, 2004 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: BLOKJESKONING
In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear BrickLink members,

Please find the minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting.


Minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting May 20th. 2021



Agenda

- Panel member introductions

- Marketplace panel program presentation

- Workshop

- BrickLink vision

- Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

- Next steps



Ad. 1 Panel member introductions

We have selected the initial panel members based on criteria such as: Having
both buyers and sellers represented, BrickLink experience, ability to engage
in constructive dialogues about the future of BrickLink and ability to consider
the greater good for the BrickLink sellers and buyers.

The initial panel members are:

Constructibles, SimplyBricks, Dcarmine, Calsbricks, Erkiles, Legoman77, Faro,
BrickCoast

During this first part, all panel members introduced themselves and it is clear
that this is a diverse, multitalented group that are all passionate about BrickLink.

No doubt that this select group will be a fantastic first Marketplace panel.



Ad 2. Marketplace panel program presentation

The structure of the program had been shared with the panel ahead of the meeting,
so in this session, we mainly dug into the basics of the program and collaboration
principles:

4 annual meetings with an opportunity to impact the future development of the
BrickLink Marketplace

Between the meetings we will collaborate through a Teams channel, making it possible
for us to engage outside the meetings as well.

We aim to increase the number of members in the panel to a max of 14 people throughout
the next 1-2 years.

We will invite new members to the Panel annually, to ensure fresh perspectives
by shifting 50% of the panel members with new members meeting above criteria.
We will be promoting the opportunity to sign up for the panel in Q1 2022.

In our collaboration, we will be looking to the future as opposed to the past.

We will be mindful of one another in the dialogues we have, remembering that
we are all in this with the best of intentions.



This panel is focused on the Marketplace specifically. There will be other initiatives
similar to this one, that focus on e.g. Studio, The Catalog, etc.



Ad 3. Workshop

This being the first Panel meeting, we felt a need to make sure we got the frustrations
out of every one’s system, in order to be able to focus on the future of BrickLink,
as opposed to being stuck in the past. This was done in a workshop where everyone
was able to share frustrations but also the things, they love about BrickLink.



Ad 4. BrickLink vision

Marvin Park shared thoughts related to the vision and mission of BrickLink as
a platform through which LEGO fans can also realize their dream designs. As for
the long-term roadmap, it was highlighted how BrickLink marketplace and Studio
can evolve to meet diverse needs of the AFOL community and become an integral
part of the entire LEGO ecosystem.



Ad 5. Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

BrickLink’s new Senior Product Manager Stephen Wilhelm presented the current
Marketplace roadmap. This roadmap is now mainly focused on development related
to VAT compliance rules (initiatives that we are bound to by law and that we
are not able to de-prioritize) and initiatives intended to support e.g., the
ability to lower response rate for new seller verifications, etc. There are several
user experience related initiatives the BrickLink Marketplace team plans to work
on, but we are looking to the Marketplace Panel members to help us prioritize
what enhancements would provide the most value.

Aside from above, several focus areas that we have picked up based on input from
the BrickLink members in general were presented with the intention to prioritize
them. We were not able to finish the prioritization discussions completely at
this meeting, but a couple of things were highlighted as being critical to prioritize:

Seller tools (e.g., Inventory management, store management, seller page updates)

Continue modernization of the BrickLink platform. This is already ongoing, but
we aim to apply more resources later this year.

A few less critical but still impactful areas were introduced:

Telephone support and the ability to have expert engagers to reach out to

Order Item Refund Request (OIRR) & Refund enhancement

Rewriting storefront pages to support mobile / native.

Provide BrickLink shipping methods (preferably one shipping cost per customer)

Overhaul/update payment processes

The above list varies greatly in level of complexity, and we will need to take
all input in to consideration in upcoming plans. Status on above and long-term
plans will be shared in minutes from the next Panel meeting.

A few other things we will be looking in to due to the input from the panel:

Ability for Sellers to make use of BrickLink’s access to Google Analytics.

On-site payment and why some sellers choose not to use this option.

Shipping price calculations based on zones instead of weight (US specific)



Ad 6. Next steps

It was decided to disclose the BrickLink panel members to the general BrickLink
membership base, this is not to be seen as an invitation to reach out to the
panel members directly with input for the Panel
, but a way to be transparent
about who is in the panel as per the request of many members. Any ill manor
targeted directly at the Panel members may result in abandonment from BrickLink.



We need everyone’s input!

We have recently taken input from all BrickLink members in the survey, and we
take input regularly in the NPS survey, this input has already played a huge
part in shaping the focus for BrickLink in general and will be part of shaping
the future of BrickLink also.

During the upcoming Panel meetings, we might come across items to prioritize
that are not straight forward, in terms of defining what is best for the majority
of BrickLink members, in these cases, we will have a poll among the members in
general in order to ensure solid facts to back the decisions.



Upcoming meetings

The next meetings are planned for August and November.



Reflections

No doubt that we are blessed to have members on BrickLink that are prepared to
spend hours in their busy lives, participating in dialogue to make sure that
we have the best outside-in perspective we can when deciding how to prioritize
our efforts on BrickLink going forward. This is not something we have been able
to prioritize to the same extent in the past (hence numerous understandable frustrations),
but it is something that we are committed to prioritizing going forward!

BrickLink members, you can be proud of your Panel members, they did an amazing
job in representing you. Everyone spoke freely about critical issues to be addressed,
this is highly appreciated because then we won't have to waste time (mis)interpreting
this and we can get moving on the things that matter.

We hope that you will read this and share any feedback you might have, in this
topic or directly to ce_tanja. We have just started this journey and we are happy
to take your input to the process and adjust along the way.



Thank you!

The BrickLink Team


This is pretty impressive Tanja, thanks for sharing this and for coordinating
these efforts!

Just a bit of input on this one:

On-site payment and why some sellers choose not to use this option.

One obvious reason (which I have been stressing and repeating more times than
I could count ) is.... Bricklink better payment methods!! PayPal has just become
too expensive. Catch up with BrickOwl here. A year ago I had a call with the
team and raised this point, they said they were working on it, but sadly still
no results. The Netherlands, and I think a bunch of other countries, have onsite
interfaces for bank transfers. Once that is implemented I can guarantee Dutch
domestic offsite payments are gonna drop by at least 90%.

Also I would add, fix the bugs! Very good to hear there was some space for
people to share their frustrations and that they are taken seriously now. IMO
the best thing BL could possibly do is prioritise a good bug report&fixing infrastructure.
I myself have reported a bunch of bugs over time, through the report system,
through email, and through the forum, and even when I got affirmative response
through those channels, most are still unfixed. I feel like Bricklink has bug
reports scattered all over the place and there is just no structure. Only once
bugs are dealt with efficiently, the next step is to think about improvements
and new features - that's my opinion at least. Bricklink needs to respect
its own core functionality. I don't need a store with fancy storefront features
as long as I can't even list my stock because it's impossible to part
out large sets due to site timeouts!

To be honest I pretty much gave up on Bricklink and sell elsewhere now, but I'm
still available to give input or be in a panel (I owe Bricklink that much) and
will definitely come back if Bricklink becomes a convenient option for me again.
 Author: CE_Tanja View Messages Posted By CE_Tanja
 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 07:36
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 110 times
 Topic: Administrative
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CE_Tanja

Location:  USA, California
Member Since Contact Type Status
Feb 17, 2021 Contact Member Admin
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
BrickLink Administrator
In Administrative, Teup writes:
  In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear BrickLink members,

Please find the minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting.


Minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting May 20th. 2021



Agenda

- Panel member introductions

- Marketplace panel program presentation

- Workshop

- BrickLink vision

- Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

- Next steps



Ad. 1 Panel member introductions

We have selected the initial panel members based on criteria such as: Having
both buyers and sellers represented, BrickLink experience, ability to engage
in constructive dialogues about the future of BrickLink and ability to consider
the greater good for the BrickLink sellers and buyers.

The initial panel members are:

Constructibles, SimplyBricks, Dcarmine, Calsbricks, Erkiles, Legoman77, Faro,
BrickCoast

During this first part, all panel members introduced themselves and it is clear
that this is a diverse, multitalented group that are all passionate about BrickLink.

No doubt that this select group will be a fantastic first Marketplace panel.



Ad 2. Marketplace panel program presentation

The structure of the program had been shared with the panel ahead of the meeting,
so in this session, we mainly dug into the basics of the program and collaboration
principles:

4 annual meetings with an opportunity to impact the future development of the
BrickLink Marketplace

Between the meetings we will collaborate through a Teams channel, making it possible
for us to engage outside the meetings as well.

We aim to increase the number of members in the panel to a max of 14 people throughout
the next 1-2 years.

We will invite new members to the Panel annually, to ensure fresh perspectives
by shifting 50% of the panel members with new members meeting above criteria.
We will be promoting the opportunity to sign up for the panel in Q1 2022.

In our collaboration, we will be looking to the future as opposed to the past.

We will be mindful of one another in the dialogues we have, remembering that
we are all in this with the best of intentions.



This panel is focused on the Marketplace specifically. There will be other initiatives
similar to this one, that focus on e.g. Studio, The Catalog, etc.



Ad 3. Workshop

This being the first Panel meeting, we felt a need to make sure we got the frustrations
out of every one’s system, in order to be able to focus on the future of BrickLink,
as opposed to being stuck in the past. This was done in a workshop where everyone
was able to share frustrations but also the things, they love about BrickLink.



Ad 4. BrickLink vision

Marvin Park shared thoughts related to the vision and mission of BrickLink as
a platform through which LEGO fans can also realize their dream designs. As for
the long-term roadmap, it was highlighted how BrickLink marketplace and Studio
can evolve to meet diverse needs of the AFOL community and become an integral
part of the entire LEGO ecosystem.



Ad 5. Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

BrickLink’s new Senior Product Manager Stephen Wilhelm presented the current
Marketplace roadmap. This roadmap is now mainly focused on development related
to VAT compliance rules (initiatives that we are bound to by law and that we
are not able to de-prioritize) and initiatives intended to support e.g., the
ability to lower response rate for new seller verifications, etc. There are several
user experience related initiatives the BrickLink Marketplace team plans to work
on, but we are looking to the Marketplace Panel members to help us prioritize
what enhancements would provide the most value.

Aside from above, several focus areas that we have picked up based on input from
the BrickLink members in general were presented with the intention to prioritize
them. We were not able to finish the prioritization discussions completely at
this meeting, but a couple of things were highlighted as being critical to prioritize:

Seller tools (e.g., Inventory management, store management, seller page updates)

Continue modernization of the BrickLink platform. This is already ongoing, but
we aim to apply more resources later this year.

A few less critical but still impactful areas were introduced:

Telephone support and the ability to have expert engagers to reach out to

Order Item Refund Request (OIRR) & Refund enhancement

Rewriting storefront pages to support mobile / native.

Provide BrickLink shipping methods (preferably one shipping cost per customer)

Overhaul/update payment processes

The above list varies greatly in level of complexity, and we will need to take
all input in to consideration in upcoming plans. Status on above and long-term
plans will be shared in minutes from the next Panel meeting.

A few other things we will be looking in to due to the input from the panel:

Ability for Sellers to make use of BrickLink’s access to Google Analytics.

On-site payment and why some sellers choose not to use this option.

Shipping price calculations based on zones instead of weight (US specific)



Ad 6. Next steps

It was decided to disclose the BrickLink panel members to the general BrickLink
membership base, this is not to be seen as an invitation to reach out to the
panel members directly with input for the Panel
, but a way to be transparent
about who is in the panel as per the request of many members. Any ill manor
targeted directly at the Panel members may result in abandonment from BrickLink.



We need everyone’s input!

We have recently taken input from all BrickLink members in the survey, and we
take input regularly in the NPS survey, this input has already played a huge
part in shaping the focus for BrickLink in general and will be part of shaping
the future of BrickLink also.

During the upcoming Panel meetings, we might come across items to prioritize
that are not straight forward, in terms of defining what is best for the majority
of BrickLink members, in these cases, we will have a poll among the members in
general in order to ensure solid facts to back the decisions.



Upcoming meetings

The next meetings are planned for August and November.



Reflections

No doubt that we are blessed to have members on BrickLink that are prepared to
spend hours in their busy lives, participating in dialogue to make sure that
we have the best outside-in perspective we can when deciding how to prioritize
our efforts on BrickLink going forward. This is not something we have been able
to prioritize to the same extent in the past (hence numerous understandable frustrations),
but it is something that we are committed to prioritizing going forward!

BrickLink members, you can be proud of your Panel members, they did an amazing
job in representing you. Everyone spoke freely about critical issues to be addressed,
this is highly appreciated because then we won't have to waste time (mis)interpreting
this and we can get moving on the things that matter.

We hope that you will read this and share any feedback you might have, in this
topic or directly to ce_tanja. We have just started this journey and we are happy
to take your input to the process and adjust along the way.



Thank you!

The BrickLink Team


This is pretty impressive Tanja, thanks for sharing this and for coordinating
these efforts!

Just a bit of input on this one:

On-site payment and why some sellers choose not to use this option.

One obvious reason (which I have been stressing and repeating more times than
I could count ) is.... Bricklink better payment methods!! PayPal has just become
too expensive. Catch up with BrickOwl here. A year ago I had a call with the
team and raised this point, they said they were working on it, but sadly still
no results. The Netherlands, and I think a bunch of other countries, have onsite
interfaces for bank transfers. Once that is implemented I can guarantee Dutch
domestic offsite payments are gonna drop by at least 90%.

Also I would add, fix the bugs! Very good to hear there was some space for
people to share their frustrations and that they are taken seriously now. IMO
the best thing BL could possibly do is prioritise a good bug report&fixing infrastructure.
I myself have reported a bunch of bugs over time, through the report system,
through email, and through the forum, and even when I got affirmative response
through those channels, most are still unfixed. I feel like Bricklink has bug
reports scattered all over the place and there is just no structure. Only once
bugs are dealt with efficiently, the next step is to think about improvements
and new features - that's my opinion at least. Bricklink needs to respect
its own core functionality. I don't need a store with fancy storefront features
as long as I can't even list my stock because it's impossible to part
out large sets due to site timeouts!

To be honest I pretty much gave up on Bricklink and sell elsewhere now, but I'm
still available to give input or be in a panel (I owe Bricklink that much) and
will definitely come back if Bricklink becomes a convenient option for me again.

Hi Teup,

Thank you for taking the time to share this input! Yours and everyone else's
input will be taken in to account and I agree, it is not new input, it is something
that we are aware of and that we are making an effort to solve. I am sorry to
hear that you have given up on BrickLink. Hopefully we will be able to apply
the needed changes and once again welcome you back on BrickLink as a Seller,
perhaps as a Panel member in the near future.

/Tanja
 Author: Teup View Messages Posted By Teup
 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 07:49
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 73 times
 Topic: Administrative
Cancel Message
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BrickLink
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Teup (6591)

Location:  Netherlands, Utrecht
Member Since Contact Type Status
May 6, 2004 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: BLOKJESKONING
In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  In Administrative, Teup writes:
  In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear BrickLink members,

Please find the minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting.


Minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting May 20th. 2021



Agenda

- Panel member introductions

- Marketplace panel program presentation

- Workshop

- BrickLink vision

- Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

- Next steps



Ad. 1 Panel member introductions

We have selected the initial panel members based on criteria such as: Having
both buyers and sellers represented, BrickLink experience, ability to engage
in constructive dialogues about the future of BrickLink and ability to consider
the greater good for the BrickLink sellers and buyers.

The initial panel members are:

Constructibles, SimplyBricks, Dcarmine, Calsbricks, Erkiles, Legoman77, Faro,
BrickCoast

During this first part, all panel members introduced themselves and it is clear
that this is a diverse, multitalented group that are all passionate about BrickLink.

No doubt that this select group will be a fantastic first Marketplace panel.



Ad 2. Marketplace panel program presentation

The structure of the program had been shared with the panel ahead of the meeting,
so in this session, we mainly dug into the basics of the program and collaboration
principles:

4 annual meetings with an opportunity to impact the future development of the
BrickLink Marketplace

Between the meetings we will collaborate through a Teams channel, making it possible
for us to engage outside the meetings as well.

We aim to increase the number of members in the panel to a max of 14 people throughout
the next 1-2 years.

We will invite new members to the Panel annually, to ensure fresh perspectives
by shifting 50% of the panel members with new members meeting above criteria.
We will be promoting the opportunity to sign up for the panel in Q1 2022.

In our collaboration, we will be looking to the future as opposed to the past.

We will be mindful of one another in the dialogues we have, remembering that
we are all in this with the best of intentions.



This panel is focused on the Marketplace specifically. There will be other initiatives
similar to this one, that focus on e.g. Studio, The Catalog, etc.



Ad 3. Workshop

This being the first Panel meeting, we felt a need to make sure we got the frustrations
out of every one’s system, in order to be able to focus on the future of BrickLink,
as opposed to being stuck in the past. This was done in a workshop where everyone
was able to share frustrations but also the things, they love about BrickLink.



Ad 4. BrickLink vision

Marvin Park shared thoughts related to the vision and mission of BrickLink as
a platform through which LEGO fans can also realize their dream designs. As for
the long-term roadmap, it was highlighted how BrickLink marketplace and Studio
can evolve to meet diverse needs of the AFOL community and become an integral
part of the entire LEGO ecosystem.



Ad 5. Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

BrickLink’s new Senior Product Manager Stephen Wilhelm presented the current
Marketplace roadmap. This roadmap is now mainly focused on development related
to VAT compliance rules (initiatives that we are bound to by law and that we
are not able to de-prioritize) and initiatives intended to support e.g., the
ability to lower response rate for new seller verifications, etc. There are several
user experience related initiatives the BrickLink Marketplace team plans to work
on, but we are looking to the Marketplace Panel members to help us prioritize
what enhancements would provide the most value.

Aside from above, several focus areas that we have picked up based on input from
the BrickLink members in general were presented with the intention to prioritize
them. We were not able to finish the prioritization discussions completely at
this meeting, but a couple of things were highlighted as being critical to prioritize:

Seller tools (e.g., Inventory management, store management, seller page updates)

Continue modernization of the BrickLink platform. This is already ongoing, but
we aim to apply more resources later this year.

A few less critical but still impactful areas were introduced:

Telephone support and the ability to have expert engagers to reach out to

Order Item Refund Request (OIRR) & Refund enhancement

Rewriting storefront pages to support mobile / native.

Provide BrickLink shipping methods (preferably one shipping cost per customer)

Overhaul/update payment processes

The above list varies greatly in level of complexity, and we will need to take
all input in to consideration in upcoming plans. Status on above and long-term
plans will be shared in minutes from the next Panel meeting.

A few other things we will be looking in to due to the input from the panel:

Ability for Sellers to make use of BrickLink’s access to Google Analytics.

On-site payment and why some sellers choose not to use this option.

Shipping price calculations based on zones instead of weight (US specific)



Ad 6. Next steps

It was decided to disclose the BrickLink panel members to the general BrickLink
membership base, this is not to be seen as an invitation to reach out to the
panel members directly with input for the Panel
, but a way to be transparent
about who is in the panel as per the request of many members. Any ill manor
targeted directly at the Panel members may result in abandonment from BrickLink.



We need everyone’s input!

We have recently taken input from all BrickLink members in the survey, and we
take input regularly in the NPS survey, this input has already played a huge
part in shaping the focus for BrickLink in general and will be part of shaping
the future of BrickLink also.

During the upcoming Panel meetings, we might come across items to prioritize
that are not straight forward, in terms of defining what is best for the majority
of BrickLink members, in these cases, we will have a poll among the members in
general in order to ensure solid facts to back the decisions.



Upcoming meetings

The next meetings are planned for August and November.



Reflections

No doubt that we are blessed to have members on BrickLink that are prepared to
spend hours in their busy lives, participating in dialogue to make sure that
we have the best outside-in perspective we can when deciding how to prioritize
our efforts on BrickLink going forward. This is not something we have been able
to prioritize to the same extent in the past (hence numerous understandable frustrations),
but it is something that we are committed to prioritizing going forward!

BrickLink members, you can be proud of your Panel members, they did an amazing
job in representing you. Everyone spoke freely about critical issues to be addressed,
this is highly appreciated because then we won't have to waste time (mis)interpreting
this and we can get moving on the things that matter.

We hope that you will read this and share any feedback you might have, in this
topic or directly to ce_tanja. We have just started this journey and we are happy
to take your input to the process and adjust along the way.



Thank you!

The BrickLink Team


This is pretty impressive Tanja, thanks for sharing this and for coordinating
these efforts!

Just a bit of input on this one:

On-site payment and why some sellers choose not to use this option.

One obvious reason (which I have been stressing and repeating more times than
I could count ) is.... Bricklink better payment methods!! PayPal has just become
too expensive. Catch up with BrickOwl here. A year ago I had a call with the
team and raised this point, they said they were working on it, but sadly still
no results. The Netherlands, and I think a bunch of other countries, have onsite
interfaces for bank transfers. Once that is implemented I can guarantee Dutch
domestic offsite payments are gonna drop by at least 90%.

Also I would add, fix the bugs! Very good to hear there was some space for
people to share their frustrations and that they are taken seriously now. IMO
the best thing BL could possibly do is prioritise a good bug report&fixing infrastructure.
I myself have reported a bunch of bugs over time, through the report system,
through email, and through the forum, and even when I got affirmative response
through those channels, most are still unfixed. I feel like Bricklink has bug
reports scattered all over the place and there is just no structure. Only once
bugs are dealt with efficiently, the next step is to think about improvements
and new features - that's my opinion at least. Bricklink needs to respect
its own core functionality. I don't need a store with fancy storefront features
as long as I can't even list my stock because it's impossible to part
out large sets due to site timeouts!

To be honest I pretty much gave up on Bricklink and sell elsewhere now, but I'm
still available to give input or be in a panel (I owe Bricklink that much) and
will definitely come back if Bricklink becomes a convenient option for me again.

Hi Teup,

Thank you for taking the time to share this input! Yours and everyone else's
input will be taken in to account and I agree, it is not new input, it is something
that we are aware of and that we are making an effort to solve. I am sorry to
hear that you have given up on BrickLink. Hopefully we will be able to apply
the needed changes and once again welcome you back on BrickLink as a Seller,
perhaps as a Panel member in the near future.

/Tanja

Thank you for your feedback Tanja, I'm available for a panel anytime. Good
luck!
 Author: CE_Tanja View Messages Posted By CE_Tanja
 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 07:51
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 101 times
 Topic: Administrative
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CE_Tanja

Location:  USA, California
Member Since Contact Type Status
Feb 17, 2021 Contact Member Admin
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
BrickLink Administrator
In Administrative, Teup writes:
  In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  In Administrative, Teup writes:
  In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear BrickLink members,

Please find the minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting.


Minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting May 20th. 2021



Agenda

- Panel member introductions

- Marketplace panel program presentation

- Workshop

- BrickLink vision

- Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

- Next steps



Ad. 1 Panel member introductions

We have selected the initial panel members based on criteria such as: Having
both buyers and sellers represented, BrickLink experience, ability to engage
in constructive dialogues about the future of BrickLink and ability to consider
the greater good for the BrickLink sellers and buyers.

The initial panel members are:

Constructibles, SimplyBricks, Dcarmine, Calsbricks, Erkiles, Legoman77, Faro,
BrickCoast

During this first part, all panel members introduced themselves and it is clear
that this is a diverse, multitalented group that are all passionate about BrickLink.

No doubt that this select group will be a fantastic first Marketplace panel.



Ad 2. Marketplace panel program presentation

The structure of the program had been shared with the panel ahead of the meeting,
so in this session, we mainly dug into the basics of the program and collaboration
principles:

4 annual meetings with an opportunity to impact the future development of the
BrickLink Marketplace

Between the meetings we will collaborate through a Teams channel, making it possible
for us to engage outside the meetings as well.

We aim to increase the number of members in the panel to a max of 14 people throughout
the next 1-2 years.

We will invite new members to the Panel annually, to ensure fresh perspectives
by shifting 50% of the panel members with new members meeting above criteria.
We will be promoting the opportunity to sign up for the panel in Q1 2022.

In our collaboration, we will be looking to the future as opposed to the past.

We will be mindful of one another in the dialogues we have, remembering that
we are all in this with the best of intentions.



This panel is focused on the Marketplace specifically. There will be other initiatives
similar to this one, that focus on e.g. Studio, The Catalog, etc.



Ad 3. Workshop

This being the first Panel meeting, we felt a need to make sure we got the frustrations
out of every one’s system, in order to be able to focus on the future of BrickLink,
as opposed to being stuck in the past. This was done in a workshop where everyone
was able to share frustrations but also the things, they love about BrickLink.



Ad 4. BrickLink vision

Marvin Park shared thoughts related to the vision and mission of BrickLink as
a platform through which LEGO fans can also realize their dream designs. As for
the long-term roadmap, it was highlighted how BrickLink marketplace and Studio
can evolve to meet diverse needs of the AFOL community and become an integral
part of the entire LEGO ecosystem.



Ad 5. Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

BrickLink’s new Senior Product Manager Stephen Wilhelm presented the current
Marketplace roadmap. This roadmap is now mainly focused on development related
to VAT compliance rules (initiatives that we are bound to by law and that we
are not able to de-prioritize) and initiatives intended to support e.g., the
ability to lower response rate for new seller verifications, etc. There are several
user experience related initiatives the BrickLink Marketplace team plans to work
on, but we are looking to the Marketplace Panel members to help us prioritize
what enhancements would provide the most value.

Aside from above, several focus areas that we have picked up based on input from
the BrickLink members in general were presented with the intention to prioritize
them. We were not able to finish the prioritization discussions completely at
this meeting, but a couple of things were highlighted as being critical to prioritize:

Seller tools (e.g., Inventory management, store management, seller page updates)

Continue modernization of the BrickLink platform. This is already ongoing, but
we aim to apply more resources later this year.

A few less critical but still impactful areas were introduced:

Telephone support and the ability to have expert engagers to reach out to

Order Item Refund Request (OIRR) & Refund enhancement

Rewriting storefront pages to support mobile / native.

Provide BrickLink shipping methods (preferably one shipping cost per customer)

Overhaul/update payment processes

The above list varies greatly in level of complexity, and we will need to take
all input in to consideration in upcoming plans. Status on above and long-term
plans will be shared in minutes from the next Panel meeting.

A few other things we will be looking in to due to the input from the panel:

Ability for Sellers to make use of BrickLink’s access to Google Analytics.

On-site payment and why some sellers choose not to use this option.

Shipping price calculations based on zones instead of weight (US specific)



Ad 6. Next steps

It was decided to disclose the BrickLink panel members to the general BrickLink
membership base, this is not to be seen as an invitation to reach out to the
panel members directly with input for the Panel
, but a way to be transparent
about who is in the panel as per the request of many members. Any ill manor
targeted directly at the Panel members may result in abandonment from BrickLink.



We need everyone’s input!

We have recently taken input from all BrickLink members in the survey, and we
take input regularly in the NPS survey, this input has already played a huge
part in shaping the focus for BrickLink in general and will be part of shaping
the future of BrickLink also.

During the upcoming Panel meetings, we might come across items to prioritize
that are not straight forward, in terms of defining what is best for the majority
of BrickLink members, in these cases, we will have a poll among the members in
general in order to ensure solid facts to back the decisions.



Upcoming meetings

The next meetings are planned for August and November.



Reflections

No doubt that we are blessed to have members on BrickLink that are prepared to
spend hours in their busy lives, participating in dialogue to make sure that
we have the best outside-in perspective we can when deciding how to prioritize
our efforts on BrickLink going forward. This is not something we have been able
to prioritize to the same extent in the past (hence numerous understandable frustrations),
but it is something that we are committed to prioritizing going forward!

BrickLink members, you can be proud of your Panel members, they did an amazing
job in representing you. Everyone spoke freely about critical issues to be addressed,
this is highly appreciated because then we won't have to waste time (mis)interpreting
this and we can get moving on the things that matter.

We hope that you will read this and share any feedback you might have, in this
topic or directly to ce_tanja. We have just started this journey and we are happy
to take your input to the process and adjust along the way.



Thank you!

The BrickLink Team


This is pretty impressive Tanja, thanks for sharing this and for coordinating
these efforts!

Just a bit of input on this one:

On-site payment and why some sellers choose not to use this option.

One obvious reason (which I have been stressing and repeating more times than
I could count ) is.... Bricklink better payment methods!! PayPal has just become
too expensive. Catch up with BrickOwl here. A year ago I had a call with the
team and raised this point, they said they were working on it, but sadly still
no results. The Netherlands, and I think a bunch of other countries, have onsite
interfaces for bank transfers. Once that is implemented I can guarantee Dutch
domestic offsite payments are gonna drop by at least 90%.

Also I would add, fix the bugs! Very good to hear there was some space for
people to share their frustrations and that they are taken seriously now. IMO
the best thing BL could possibly do is prioritise a good bug report&fixing infrastructure.
I myself have reported a bunch of bugs over time, through the report system,
through email, and through the forum, and even when I got affirmative response
through those channels, most are still unfixed. I feel like Bricklink has bug
reports scattered all over the place and there is just no structure. Only once
bugs are dealt with efficiently, the next step is to think about improvements
and new features - that's my opinion at least. Bricklink needs to respect
its own core functionality. I don't need a store with fancy storefront features
as long as I can't even list my stock because it's impossible to part
out large sets due to site timeouts!

To be honest I pretty much gave up on Bricklink and sell elsewhere now, but I'm
still available to give input or be in a panel (I owe Bricklink that much) and
will definitely come back if Bricklink becomes a convenient option for me again.

Hi Teup,

Thank you for taking the time to share this input! Yours and everyone else's
input will be taken in to account and I agree, it is not new input, it is something
that we are aware of and that we are making an effort to solve. I am sorry to
hear that you have given up on BrickLink. Hopefully we will be able to apply
the needed changes and once again welcome you back on BrickLink as a Seller,
perhaps as a Panel member in the near future.

/Tanja

Thank you for your feedback Tanja, I'm available for a panel anytime. Good
luck!

Great to hear! Thank you!
 Author: akr2355 View Messages Posted By akr2355
 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 09:48
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 99 times
 Topic: Administrative
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akr2355 (2997)

Location:  USA, New Hampshire
Member Since Contact Type Status
Mar 1, 2009 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - RevokedSelling Privileges - Revoked
Store Closed Store: Brick Commissary
I also hate to be a "party pooper" but Bricklink is still striking out on the
easy stuff.

Any update on tax exemptions that should have been available 6 months ago?
 Author: swilhelm View Messages Posted By swilhelm
 Posted: Jun 3, 2021 16:04
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 124 times
 Topic: Administrative
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swilhelm (1)

Location:  USA, California
Member Since Contact Type Status
Mar 1, 2021 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store Closed Store: swilhelm
In Administrative, akr2355 writes:
  I also hate to be a "party pooper" but Bricklink is still striking out on the
easy stuff.

Any update on tax exemptions that should have been available 6 months ago?

Hello akr2355, we are looking into the tax exemption issue, but will be prioritizing
the EU Marketplace facilitator rules and US state tax updates that are set to
go into effect July 1st.
 Author: VOTB View Messages Posted By VOTB
 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 14:59
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 77 times
 Topic: Administrative
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VOTB (143)

Location:  USA, Oregon
Member Since Contact Type Status
Mar 22, 2016 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: Valley Of The Bricks
Thank you Tanja for summarizing the new panel and a brief look at what transpired.
I know in the past that attempts like these have fallen flat, and disappointed
those that have been around much longer than I have.

I am excited about the life that TLG is breathing back into BL. I know it all
takes time and a metered approach is going to be the most beneficial long term.
I have appreciated this update as well as the catalog newsletter, and look forward
to other updates and ways we can help participate in this platform.

I have had personal conversations in the past, with a few of the panelists and
feel that some great choices were made for the first round.
 Author: CE_Tanja View Messages Posted By CE_Tanja
 Posted: Jun 1, 2021 17:08
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 114 times
 Topic: Administrative
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CE_Tanja

Location:  USA, California
Member Since Contact Type Status
Feb 17, 2021 Contact Member Admin
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
BrickLink Administrator
In Administrative, VOTB writes:
  Thank you Tanja for summarizing the new panel and a brief look at what transpired.
I know in the past that attempts like these have fallen flat, and disappointed
those that have been around much longer than I have.

I am excited about the life that TLG is breathing back into BL. I know it all
takes time and a metered approach is going to be the most beneficial long term.
I have appreciated this update as well as the catalog newsletter, and look forward
to other updates and ways we can help participate in this platform.

I have had personal conversations in the past, with a few of the panelists and
feel that some great choices were made for the first round.

Thank you VOTB I appreciate the input and your offer to participate!

/Tanja
 Author: ABCollectables View Messages Posted By ABCollectables
 Posted: Jun 2, 2021 01:25
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 102 times
 Topic: Administrative
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ABCollectables (8874)

Location:  Australia, Victoria
Member Since Contact Type Status
Sep 21, 2014 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: AussieBrickstrCollectables
Great selection of users, hope in the future be able to participate. Thanks for
the info and looking forward to the enhancements and fixes.
 Author: ErwinNL View Messages Posted By ErwinNL
 Posted: Jul 16, 2021 09:54
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 53 times
 Topic: Administrative
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ErwinNL (621)

Location:  Netherlands, Overijssel
Member Since Contact Type Status
Oct 27, 2019 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: TheBug
In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear BrickLink members,

Please find the minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting.


Minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting May 20th. 2021



Agenda

- Panel member introductions

- Marketplace panel program presentation

- Workshop

- BrickLink vision

- Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

- Next steps



Ad. 1 Panel member introductions

We have selected the initial panel members based on criteria such as: Having
both buyers and sellers represented, BrickLink experience, ability to engage
in constructive dialogues about the future of BrickLink and ability to consider
the greater good for the BrickLink sellers and buyers.

The initial panel members are:

Constructibles, SimplyBricks, Dcarmine, Calsbricks, Erkiles, Legoman77, Faro,
BrickCoast

During this first part, all panel members introduced themselves and it is clear
that this is a diverse, multitalented group that are all passionate about BrickLink.

No doubt that this select group will be a fantastic first Marketplace panel.



Ad 2. Marketplace panel program presentation

The structure of the program had been shared with the panel ahead of the meeting,
so in this session, we mainly dug into the basics of the program and collaboration
principles:

4 annual meetings with an opportunity to impact the future development of the
BrickLink Marketplace

Between the meetings we will collaborate through a Teams channel, making it possible
for us to engage outside the meetings as well.

We aim to increase the number of members in the panel to a max of 14 people throughout
the next 1-2 years.

We will invite new members to the Panel annually, to ensure fresh perspectives
by shifting 50% of the panel members with new members meeting above criteria.
We will be promoting the opportunity to sign up for the panel in Q1 2022.

In our collaboration, we will be looking to the future as opposed to the past.

We will be mindful of one another in the dialogues we have, remembering that
we are all in this with the best of intentions.



This panel is focused on the Marketplace specifically. There will be other initiatives
similar to this one, that focus on e.g. Studio, The Catalog, etc.



Ad 3. Workshop

This being the first Panel meeting, we felt a need to make sure we got the frustrations
out of every one’s system, in order to be able to focus on the future of BrickLink,
as opposed to being stuck in the past. This was done in a workshop where everyone
was able to share frustrations but also the things, they love about BrickLink.



Ad 4. BrickLink vision

Marvin Park shared thoughts related to the vision and mission of BrickLink as
a platform through which LEGO fans can also realize their dream designs. As for
the long-term roadmap, it was highlighted how BrickLink marketplace and Studio
can evolve to meet diverse needs of the AFOL community and become an integral
part of the entire LEGO ecosystem.



Ad 5. Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

BrickLink’s new Senior Product Manager Stephen Wilhelm presented the current
Marketplace roadmap. This roadmap is now mainly focused on development related
to VAT compliance rules (initiatives that we are bound to by law and that we
are not able to de-prioritize) and initiatives intended to support e.g., the
ability to lower response rate for new seller verifications, etc. There are several
user experience related initiatives the BrickLink Marketplace team plans to work
on, but we are looking to the Marketplace Panel members to help us prioritize
what enhancements would provide the most value.

Aside from above, several focus areas that we have picked up based on input from
the BrickLink members in general were presented with the intention to prioritize
them. We were not able to finish the prioritization discussions completely at
this meeting, but a couple of things were highlighted as being critical to prioritize:

Seller tools (e.g., Inventory management, store management, seller page updates)

Continue modernization of the BrickLink platform. This is already ongoing, but
we aim to apply more resources later this year.

A few less critical but still impactful areas were introduced:

Telephone support and the ability to have expert engagers to reach out to

Order Item Refund Request (OIRR) & Refund enhancement

Rewriting storefront pages to support mobile / native.

Provide BrickLink shipping methods (preferably one shipping cost per customer)

Overhaul/update payment processes

The above list varies greatly in level of complexity, and we will need to take
all input in to consideration in upcoming plans. Status on above and long-term
plans will be shared in minutes from the next Panel meeting.

A few other things we will be looking in to due to the input from the panel:

Ability for Sellers to make use of BrickLink’s access to Google Analytics.

On-site payment and why some sellers choose not to use this option.

Shipping price calculations based on zones instead of weight (US specific)



Ad 6. Next steps

It was decided to disclose the BrickLink panel members to the general BrickLink
membership base, this is not to be seen as an invitation to reach out to the
panel members directly with input for the Panel
, but a way to be transparent
about who is in the panel as per the request of many members. Any ill manor
targeted directly at the Panel members may result in abandonment from BrickLink.



We need everyone’s input!

We have recently taken input from all BrickLink members in the survey, and we
take input regularly in the NPS survey, this input has already played a huge
part in shaping the focus for BrickLink in general and will be part of shaping
the future of BrickLink also.

During the upcoming Panel meetings, we might come across items to prioritize
that are not straight forward, in terms of defining what is best for the majority
of BrickLink members, in these cases, we will have a poll among the members in
general in order to ensure solid facts to back the decisions.



Upcoming meetings

The next meetings are planned for August and November.



Reflections

No doubt that we are blessed to have members on BrickLink that are prepared to
spend hours in their busy lives, participating in dialogue to make sure that
we have the best outside-in perspective we can when deciding how to prioritize
our efforts on BrickLink going forward. This is not something we have been able
to prioritize to the same extent in the past (hence numerous understandable frustrations),
but it is something that we are committed to prioritizing going forward!

BrickLink members, you can be proud of your Panel members, they did an amazing
job in representing you. Everyone spoke freely about critical issues to be addressed,
this is highly appreciated because then we won't have to waste time (mis)interpreting
this and we can get moving on the things that matter.

We hope that you will read this and share any feedback you might have, in this
topic or directly to ce_tanja. We have just started this journey and we are happy
to take your input to the process and adjust along the way.



Thank you!

The BrickLink Team

This was a good read (full thread), thank you for doing this!

I am with Teup, fix the bugs, I am so frustrated about reported bugs not being
fixed, or even being acknowledged that I stopped reporting them.
 Author: calsbricks View Messages Posted By calsbricks
 Posted: Jul 16, 2021 10:06
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 70 times
 Topic: Administrative
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calsbricks (8501)

Location:  United Kingdom, England
Member Since Contact Type Status
Aug 12, 2008 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: CalsBricks
In Administrative, ErwinNL writes:
  In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear BrickLink members,

Please find the minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting.


Minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting May 20th. 2021



Agenda

- Panel member introductions

- Marketplace panel program presentation

- Workshop

- BrickLink vision

- Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

- Next steps



Ad. 1 Panel member introductions

We have selected the initial panel members based on criteria such as: Having
both buyers and sellers represented, BrickLink experience, ability to engage
in constructive dialogues about the future of BrickLink and ability to consider
the greater good for the BrickLink sellers and buyers.

The initial panel members are:

Constructibles, SimplyBricks, Dcarmine, Calsbricks, Erkiles, Legoman77, Faro,
BrickCoast

During this first part, all panel members introduced themselves and it is clear
that this is a diverse, multitalented group that are all passionate about BrickLink.

No doubt that this select group will be a fantastic first Marketplace panel.



Ad 2. Marketplace panel program presentation

The structure of the program had been shared with the panel ahead of the meeting,
so in this session, we mainly dug into the basics of the program and collaboration
principles:

4 annual meetings with an opportunity to impact the future development of the
BrickLink Marketplace

Between the meetings we will collaborate through a Teams channel, making it possible
for us to engage outside the meetings as well.

We aim to increase the number of members in the panel to a max of 14 people throughout
the next 1-2 years.

We will invite new members to the Panel annually, to ensure fresh perspectives
by shifting 50% of the panel members with new members meeting above criteria.
We will be promoting the opportunity to sign up for the panel in Q1 2022.

In our collaboration, we will be looking to the future as opposed to the past.

We will be mindful of one another in the dialogues we have, remembering that
we are all in this with the best of intentions.



This panel is focused on the Marketplace specifically. There will be other initiatives
similar to this one, that focus on e.g. Studio, The Catalog, etc.



Ad 3. Workshop

This being the first Panel meeting, we felt a need to make sure we got the frustrations
out of every one’s system, in order to be able to focus on the future of BrickLink,
as opposed to being stuck in the past. This was done in a workshop where everyone
was able to share frustrations but also the things, they love about BrickLink.



Ad 4. BrickLink vision

Marvin Park shared thoughts related to the vision and mission of BrickLink as
a platform through which LEGO fans can also realize their dream designs. As for
the long-term roadmap, it was highlighted how BrickLink marketplace and Studio
can evolve to meet diverse needs of the AFOL community and become an integral
part of the entire LEGO ecosystem.



Ad 5. Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

BrickLink’s new Senior Product Manager Stephen Wilhelm presented the current
Marketplace roadmap. This roadmap is now mainly focused on development related
to VAT compliance rules (initiatives that we are bound to by law and that we
are not able to de-prioritize) and initiatives intended to support e.g., the
ability to lower response rate for new seller verifications, etc. There are several
user experience related initiatives the BrickLink Marketplace team plans to work
on, but we are looking to the Marketplace Panel members to help us prioritize
what enhancements would provide the most value.

Aside from above, several focus areas that we have picked up based on input from
the BrickLink members in general were presented with the intention to prioritize
them. We were not able to finish the prioritization discussions completely at
this meeting, but a couple of things were highlighted as being critical to prioritize:

Seller tools (e.g., Inventory management, store management, seller page updates)

Continue modernization of the BrickLink platform. This is already ongoing, but
we aim to apply more resources later this year.

A few less critical but still impactful areas were introduced:

Telephone support and the ability to have expert engagers to reach out to

Order Item Refund Request (OIRR) & Refund enhancement

Rewriting storefront pages to support mobile / native.

Provide BrickLink shipping methods (preferably one shipping cost per customer)

Overhaul/update payment processes

The above list varies greatly in level of complexity, and we will need to take
all input in to consideration in upcoming plans. Status on above and long-term
plans will be shared in minutes from the next Panel meeting.

A few other things we will be looking in to due to the input from the panel:

Ability for Sellers to make use of BrickLink’s access to Google Analytics.

On-site payment and why some sellers choose not to use this option.

Shipping price calculations based on zones instead of weight (US specific)



Ad 6. Next steps

It was decided to disclose the BrickLink panel members to the general BrickLink
membership base, this is not to be seen as an invitation to reach out to the
panel members directly with input for the Panel
, but a way to be transparent
about who is in the panel as per the request of many members. Any ill manor
targeted directly at the Panel members may result in abandonment from BrickLink.



We need everyone’s input!

We have recently taken input from all BrickLink members in the survey, and we
take input regularly in the NPS survey, this input has already played a huge
part in shaping the focus for BrickLink in general and will be part of shaping
the future of BrickLink also.

During the upcoming Panel meetings, we might come across items to prioritize
that are not straight forward, in terms of defining what is best for the majority
of BrickLink members, in these cases, we will have a poll among the members in
general in order to ensure solid facts to back the decisions.



Upcoming meetings

The next meetings are planned for August and November.



Reflections

No doubt that we are blessed to have members on BrickLink that are prepared to
spend hours in their busy lives, participating in dialogue to make sure that
we have the best outside-in perspective we can when deciding how to prioritize
our efforts on BrickLink going forward. This is not something we have been able
to prioritize to the same extent in the past (hence numerous understandable frustrations),
but it is something that we are committed to prioritizing going forward!

BrickLink members, you can be proud of your Panel members, they did an amazing
job in representing you. Everyone spoke freely about critical issues to be addressed,
this is highly appreciated because then we won't have to waste time (mis)interpreting
this and we can get moving on the things that matter.

We hope that you will read this and share any feedback you might have, in this
topic or directly to ce_tanja. We have just started this journey and we are happy
to take your input to the process and adjust along the way.



Thank you!

The BrickLink Team

This was a good read (full thread), thank you for doing this!

I am with Teup, fix the bugs, I am so frustrated about reported bugs not being
fixed, or even being acknowledged that I stopped reporting them.

Hi there

If you send us a pm I can provide further informationwhich may interest you and
Teup
 Author: axaday View Messages Posted By axaday
 Posted: Feb 17, 2022 09:58
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 56 times
 Topic: Administrative
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axaday (7301)

Location:  USA, Oklahoma
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jun 28, 2005 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store Closed Store: Axaday
In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:
  Dear BrickLink members,

Please find the minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting.


Minutes from the first Marketplace Panel meeting May 20th. 2021



Agenda

- Panel member introductions

- Marketplace panel program presentation

- Workshop

- BrickLink vision

- Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

- Next steps



Ad. 1 Panel member introductions

We have selected the initial panel members based on criteria such as: Having
both buyers and sellers represented, BrickLink experience, ability to engage
in constructive dialogues about the future of BrickLink and ability to consider
the greater good for the BrickLink sellers and buyers.

The initial panel members are:

Constructibles, SimplyBricks, Dcarmine, Calsbricks, Erkiles, Legoman77, Faro,
BrickCoast

During this first part, all panel members introduced themselves and it is clear
that this is a diverse, multitalented group that are all passionate about BrickLink.

No doubt that this select group will be a fantastic first Marketplace panel.



Ad 2. Marketplace panel program presentation

The structure of the program had been shared with the panel ahead of the meeting,
so in this session, we mainly dug into the basics of the program and collaboration
principles:

4 annual meetings with an opportunity to impact the future development of the
BrickLink Marketplace

Between the meetings we will collaborate through a Teams channel, making it possible
for us to engage outside the meetings as well.

We aim to increase the number of members in the panel to a max of 14 people throughout
the next 1-2 years.

We will invite new members to the Panel annually, to ensure fresh perspectives
by shifting 50% of the panel members with new members meeting above criteria.
We will be promoting the opportunity to sign up for the panel in Q1 2022.

In our collaboration, we will be looking to the future as opposed to the past.

We will be mindful of one another in the dialogues we have, remembering that
we are all in this with the best of intentions.



This panel is focused on the Marketplace specifically. There will be other initiatives
similar to this one, that focus on e.g. Studio, The Catalog, etc.



Ad 3. Workshop

This being the first Panel meeting, we felt a need to make sure we got the frustrations
out of every one’s system, in order to be able to focus on the future of BrickLink,
as opposed to being stuck in the past. This was done in a workshop where everyone
was able to share frustrations but also the things, they love about BrickLink.



Ad 4. BrickLink vision

Marvin Park shared thoughts related to the vision and mission of BrickLink as
a platform through which LEGO fans can also realize their dream designs. As for
the long-term roadmap, it was highlighted how BrickLink marketplace and Studio
can evolve to meet diverse needs of the AFOL community and become an integral
part of the entire LEGO ecosystem.



Ad 5. Marketplace plan 2021 & Prioritization discussion

BrickLink’s new Senior Product Manager Stephen Wilhelm presented the current
Marketplace roadmap. This roadmap is now mainly focused on development related
to VAT compliance rules (initiatives that we are bound to by law and that we
are not able to de-prioritize) and initiatives intended to support e.g., the
ability to lower response rate for new seller verifications, etc. There are several
user experience related initiatives the BrickLink Marketplace team plans to work
on, but we are looking to the Marketplace Panel members to help us prioritize
what enhancements would provide the most value.

Aside from above, several focus areas that we have picked up based on input from
the BrickLink members in general were presented with the intention to prioritize
them. We were not able to finish the prioritization discussions completely at
this meeting, but a couple of things were highlighted as being critical to prioritize:

Seller tools (e.g., Inventory management, store management, seller page updates)

Continue modernization of the BrickLink platform. This is already ongoing, but
we aim to apply more resources later this year.

A few less critical but still impactful areas were introduced:

Telephone support and the ability to have expert engagers to reach out to

Order Item Refund Request (OIRR) & Refund enhancement

Rewriting storefront pages to support mobile / native.

Provide BrickLink shipping methods (preferably one shipping cost per customer)

Overhaul/update payment processes

The above list varies greatly in level of complexity, and we will need to take
all input in to consideration in upcoming plans. Status on above and long-term
plans will be shared in minutes from the next Panel meeting.

A few other things we will be looking in to due to the input from the panel:

Ability for Sellers to make use of BrickLink’s access to Google Analytics.

On-site payment and why some sellers choose not to use this option.

Shipping price calculations based on zones instead of weight (US specific)



Ad 6. Next steps

It was decided to disclose the BrickLink panel members to the general BrickLink
membership base, this is not to be seen as an invitation to reach out to the
panel members directly with input for the Panel
, but a way to be transparent
about who is in the panel as per the request of many members. Any ill manor
targeted directly at the Panel members may result in abandonment from BrickLink.



We need everyone’s input!

We have recently taken input from all BrickLink members in the survey, and we
take input regularly in the NPS survey, this input has already played a huge
part in shaping the focus for BrickLink in general and will be part of shaping
the future of BrickLink also.

During the upcoming Panel meetings, we might come across items to prioritize
that are not straight forward, in terms of defining what is best for the majority
of BrickLink members, in these cases, we will have a poll among the members in
general in order to ensure solid facts to back the decisions.



Upcoming meetings

The next meetings are planned for August and November.



Reflections

No doubt that we are blessed to have members on BrickLink that are prepared to
spend hours in their busy lives, participating in dialogue to make sure that
we have the best outside-in perspective we can when deciding how to prioritize
our efforts on BrickLink going forward. This is not something we have been able
to prioritize to the same extent in the past (hence numerous understandable frustrations),
but it is something that we are committed to prioritizing going forward!

BrickLink members, you can be proud of your Panel members, they did an amazing
job in representing you. Everyone spoke freely about critical issues to be addressed,
this is highly appreciated because then we won't have to waste time (mis)interpreting
this and we can get moving on the things that matter.

We hope that you will read this and share any feedback you might have, in this
topic or directly to ce_tanja. We have just started this journey and we are happy
to take your input to the process and adjust along the way.



Thank you!

The BrickLink Team

I hope one of the tools being talked about is infinite (or way more) stockrooms.
I would love to part each set out to its own stockroom. And be able to name
the stockrooms.
 Author: 1001bricks View Messages Posted By 1001bricks
 Posted: Feb 17, 2022 10:23
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 36 times
 Topic: Administrative
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1001bricks (52259)

Location:  France, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Member Since Contact Type Status
Sep 6, 2005 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store: 1001bricks
  I hope one of the tools being talked about is infinite (or way more) stockrooms.
I would love to part each set out to its own stockroom. And be able to name
the stockrooms.

You don't fear BrickLink to explose, you

Anyway - Suggestion Topic?
 Author: axaday View Messages Posted By axaday
 Posted: Feb 17, 2022 10:28
 Subject: Re: Marketplace Panel meeting minutes
 Viewed: 49 times
 Topic: Administrative
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axaday (7301)

Location:  USA, Oklahoma
Member Since Contact Type Status
Jun 28, 2005 Contact Member Seller
Buying Privileges - OKSelling Privileges - OK
Store Closed Store: Axaday
In Administrative, 1001bricks writes:
  
  I hope one of the tools being talked about is infinite (or way more) stockrooms.
I would love to part each set out to its own stockroom. And be able to name
the stockrooms.

You don't fear BrickLink to explose, you

Anyway - Suggestion Topic?

It has been a suggestion topic lots of times. I just wanted to put it where
a panel member might see it again if it isn't already being discussed.