Site Improvements & General FAQs

[Blackjack]

A small suggestion to add to the bottom of the list of enhancements:

Would it be possible when putting in a set number to search for, to have the result page bypassed and go straight to the set's individual detail page if there is only 1 result from your search?

+1

[metsrock507]

lot's of times when i unsubscribe from a forum i continue to receive email notification's that "someone replied to your post on brickpicker". when i try to unsubscribe again it says that "you have already unsubscribed from this forum" is anyone else experiencing this?

[Ed Mack]

I just noticed that your picture for set (8949-1 Kirop) is incorrect.

Corrected...Thanks

[Ed Mack]

lot's of times when i unsubscribe from a forum i continue to receive email notification's that "someone replied to your post on brickpicker". when i try to unsubscribe again it says that "you have already unsubscribed from this forum" is anyone else experiencing this?

I have Jeff look into it.

[MantuaCollector]

Maybe I'm just missing it but is it possible to enter individual minifigures like the May the 4th exclusive into our Portfolio?

[Mos_Eisley]

Yes, as long as it's some sort of a set with a number on it. I haven't checked this one yet but since it's brand new, it may not be in the database yet.

[rcdb1984]

you can, and it will show up as worth of 0.00 till it has been out for a month when the data updates. if it doesn't work yet, give it a little time

[Huskers1236]

His set number is 5001621. He won't show up in the brickfolio until the June update at the earliest as far as a value is concerned.

[MantuaCollector]

Great, thanks! He isn't showing up as of yet then, I'll just have to remember to try again in a few weeks.

[Jeff Mack]

Here you go: http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=5001621-1 It is now available!

[Guest AnnexBrett]

I seen recently almost all new questions, concerns, opinions, etc are showing up as a new topic instead of being in an already existing one regarding the set/matter. Reading this thread back its been an ongoing issue. As we see mostly new BP members are tend to use the forum that way. However everybody welcome to share comments on the forum, is there any way to restrict the topic opening privileges until user "learn" how to use the site? For example a new member would be able to post a comment, reply on any topic, however they would not be able to open a new topic until X comments, therefore they would be "forced" to search an existing topic for their opinion. For members who are using the site for longer time, upon opening a new topic, based on the name of the thread a search engine could offer already existing ones that the member could merge the comment automatically.

[jaisonline]

Here you go:

http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/set.cfm?set=5001621-1

It is now available!

Hi Jeff,

I listed a Hoth Solo about 50 mins ago. How long does it usually take for auctions to appear on the Brickpicker page for that item?

[Jeff Mack]

I see it there now, looks like its on page 5

[Jeff Mack]

I seen recently almost all new questions, concerns, opinions, etc are showing up as a new topic instead of being in an already existing one regarding the set/matter. Reading this thread back its been an ongoing issue. As we see mostly new BP members are tend to use the forum that way. However everybody welcome to share comments on the forum, is there any way to restrict the topic opening privileges until user "learn" how to use the site? For example a new member would be able to post a comment, reply on any topic, however they would not be able to open a new topic until X comments, therefore they would be "forced" to search an existing topic for their opinion.

For members who are using the site for longer time, upon opening a new topic, based on the name of the thread a search engine could offer already existing ones that the member could merge the comment automatically.

There will be a massive change to the forum that will be happening in the very near future that will open up a ton a possibilites. Stay tuned for more information.

[MantuaCollector]

Thanks for the update. I'm all caught up now.

[Strytlr]

Why do the Series 9 minifigures still show up as having a value of zero? They've been out a while...

[Jeff Mack]

Why do the Series 9 minifigures still show up as having a value of zero? They've been out a while...

To be honest, all of the minifigures are a nightmare. The data just stinks and it will be more of a manual process. This will be something I tackle once the Brick Classifieds are done. I showed Ed some filtering features I built just for the minifigs, but this means we will have to go through each one manual to tune for each. We will get them right soon, just need to finish some of these other things first.

[Strytlr]

To be honest, all of the minifigures are a nightmare. The data just stinks and it will be more of a manual process. This will be something I tackle once the Brick Classifieds are done. I showed Ed some filtering features I built just for the minifigs, but this means we will have to go through each one manual to tune for each. We will get them right soon, just need to finish some of these other things first.

No worries. I was just curious. The Classifieds are more important and useful right now (at least I think so).

[Fcbarcelona101]

I know this was discussed a couple months ago, but I have a question about the THEME Average CAGR. I know that figure is probably not on the priorities of the site as of now since there are more important things going on, but I was checking some of the numbers and they may sometime be a little misleading if someone is not paying much attention on what they are reading. I will use Monster Fighter's as an example: In the theme CAGR list, you are using only a simple average to come up with the final number of around 41%, putting it in spot # 2. However, the data is skewed A LOT by the smaller sets that present CAGRs of almost 200% and are counted as if they were as important as the larger ones in the final number. If you do a weighted average instead, you end up with an average CAGR of around 7% for the whole theme right now. A substantially lower number. Now, it is a lot easier to do this with a theme with such a small amount of different sets, I can't even imagine doing that with SW or City, but I was wondering if that is something you are considering changing in the long term.

[Ed Mack]

I know this was discussed a couple months ago, but I have a question about the THEME Average CAGR.

I know that figure is probably not on the priorities of the site as of now since there are more important things going on, but I was checking some of the numbers and they may sometime be a little misleading if someone is not paying much attention on what they are reading. I will use Monster Fighter's as an example:

In the theme CAGR list, you are using only a simple average to come up with the final number of around 41%, putting it in spot # 2. However, the data is skewed A LOT by the smaller sets that present CAGRs of almost 200% and are counted as if they were as important as the larger ones in the final number. If you do a weighted average instead, you end up with an average CAGR of around 7% for the whole theme right now. A substantially lower number.

Now, it is a lot easier to do this with a theme with such a small amount of different sets, I can't even imagine doing that with SW or City, but I was wondering if that is something you are considering changing in the long term.

This was brought up months ago and we toyed around with it, but here is my main issue with it...It distorts the truth. Who says large sets are more important than smaller sets? Who makes those rules up? Maybe there are large factions of investors who invest in polybags and $10 LEGO sets. Monster Fighters are discussed all the time because some of the smaller sets kick butt...OK. It is what it is. Maybe a person should invest in those smaller sets. They shouldn't be discounted as an investment.

Why doesn't anyone cry foul when smaller themes like Prince of Persia or Pharaoh's Quest stink up the joint? They have similar ratios of small to large sets as Monster Fighters, yet nobody cares about their theme CAGR. The Racers theme is one of the worst performers of all LEGO themes and it is primarily a small set theme, but the weighted issue is not brought up. Most themes have a large mix of set types or only one type, so people don't notice. Monster Fighters attracts attention because there are a few smaller sets that are really popular, but should they be discriminated against because of that?

Let me relate it to sports. I am a huge baseball fan. When the stats come out for batting average, do they account for a position one plays? No. I mean, catching in baseball is very difficult and wears your body down, shouldn't the catchers get some extra consideration? No. The sportscasters will say you are a .300 hitter, whether you have 100 or 500 at bats. It doesn't matter what position you play or money you make or your physical makeup. You are what you hit. Same thing in LEGO sets. You rank where you rank.

How about basketball? Say you are a 30 point a night player on average, does it really matter if you score by shooting foul shots one by one or three pointers? See my point? Set size shouldn't matter. If anything, taking a closer look at a theme because of its high CAGR can maybe give a person an insight as to why it does have a high CAGR. In the case of Monster Fighters, maybe the smaller sets are the better investment.

I understand where people can think the weighted CAGR would be useful and fair. After a lot of though about it, I think it would undervalue small sets and put too much emphasis on larger ones. I think Brickpicker members have to sift through the data and see what works for them. I can make an opposite case against weighted CAGR. Let's say that all the Monster Fighter sets besides the Vampyre's Castle and Haunted Mansion were poor performers, well below average. But say the VC and HH were huge gainers, enough to skew the numbers for the rest of the theme. Out of 13 sets, only 2 were well above average and the remaining 11 sets were below average. But because it was a weighted total, the theme still looked above average because the most valuable two sets were also big gainers. In fact, the VC and HH totaled more than the combined other 11 sets when looking at retail prices. Would the theme be considered a viable investment? Not really. 85% of the sets under-perform.

So, all in all, I think we will keep it a simple average and let things shake out on their own.

[Fcbarcelona101]

Fair enough. I understand your reasoning and think it makes sense that everyone should just decide the best way to categorize each theme. Just for the record, I did not select Monster Fighters over any other theme for any particular reason other than I had just written a review and wanted to go a little more in detail about the theme's performance. Also, as I said before, the fact that it has a small quantity of sets released made it easier to calculate than going after some other themes. What you say makes sense in this case though, so thanks for clarifying that for me!

[Ed Mack]

Fair enough. I understand your reasoning and think it makes sense that everyone should just decide the best way to categorize each theme. Just for the record, I did not select Monster Fighters over any other theme for any particular reason other than I had just written a review and wanted to go a little more in detail about the theme's performance. Also, as I said before, the fact that it has a small quantity of sets released made it easier to calculate than going after some other themes.

What you say makes sense in this case though, so thanks for clarifying that for me!

Small themes can have skewed numbers, either weighted or not. But over time, these sorts of anomalies work themselves out and the data improves. The Monster Fighters are mentioned a lot because of their strong growth and they aren't even retired yet.

[Jimking23]

I gotta give you guys credit. You work very hard on this site. It's hard to believe you have full time jobs too. I don't post much,but I do enjoy the site.

[Grolim]

I'd just like to chime in on the theme average CAGR discussion. Both the straight average and the "weighted" average have their uses. I'd like to see both, but it could be confusing for some members or not fit the structure of the website that well, so I really don't mind having just the average. Here's that discussion on it we've already had: http://www.brickpicker.com/index.php/forums/viewthread/1540/ Also on the topic of theme CAGR, another thing to consider when trying to compare themes is that those themes with sets still available at retail almost always have a negative CAGR on those sets, which drags the average down. So when you compare it to a retired theme it looks worse. Even comparing two current themes is hard as they will have a different ratio of retired vs EOL sets. This is probably why Star Wars looks lower than you would intuitively think. I'm currently in the early stages of putting together a possible EC article that examines the "true" investment return rate of the Star Wars theme.

[Polar_Beast]

Hello all. Sorry in advance if this question has been asked before, but I just found this thread and I can't read through all 32 pages lol! Anyways, I was wondering if it was possible to have "forward and back" buttons in terms of set numbers in the Price Guide... For example, if you're looking at set #75001 for instance, that there would be a small area (maybe next to the name of the set) that shows the set number you're on, as well as the preceding and following set numbers. I've attached a mock up picture which demonstrates it much more clearly than my fumbling words. I don't know much about website administration, but I think I would be fairly easy to implement. I have used another site (Brickipedia.com) which uses this and I found it to be incredibly useful. Thanks for a great site, you guys rock!!! -PB