Welcome to the Brick Classifieds Open Roundtable

[asharerin]

I am really excited for you guys launching this new lego marketplace. One thing I don't want to see is just a generic clone of bricklink/brickowl or ebay/amazon. It seems you are interested in making it different enough to give it a fighting chance. I love the idea of each seller uploading a photo of the actual item so buyers know exactly what they are going to get.

 

I would love to see a layout where each seller has his/her own store and a live chat feature. This way a buyer can see who is actually at their store and available to discuss the product or haggle in real time chat. Maybe put a cute icon with a lit neon open sign so the buyers know the seller is available to chat. 

 

Also will there be a built in checkout feature or do the buyers and sellers work out payments on their own? I would prefer stripe over paypal to avoid buyer scams.

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

I am definitely in favor of deactivating listings, etc. to clear up waste. Thats the problem with Ebay. When you don't have a cataloug of items like Bricklink, things can get really crazy and there isn't a good way to sort of filter out crap.

 

Also I would suggest advanced search functions if possible to be implemented. Boolean logic, etc. with AND and OR (with symbols) so its easier to find what you need (Ebay has this, Amazon doesn't which is awful).

[jaisonline]

I am looking to see any of your medium to large sellers out there would be willing to share with me your BrickOwl and BrickLink Set (not parts) exports.    I have templates with some minor garbage that I entered in, but would like to see some meaningful listings to see what can be accomplished with imports.  Just PM them to me or send to [email protected]

What file format do you prefer? XML, CSV or, Tab-Delimited?

[Jeff Mack]

I personally think that requiring real photos showing a picture of the person's inventory is a good thing.

I think relying on ebay and amazon feedback for fast tracking seller status on brickpicker is a good thing.

 

However, I am very much like NMM says BA is, I use ebay as an inventory system (or sorts, not my real one but my what I want to sell right now one) and I set target appreciation levels and then run sales on some sets at times.  Some may sell in a week, some in a year.  I would hate to have classifieds deactivating for lack of sales.

 

 

I think "fair" pricing is very much in the eyes of the beholder.

 

For instance I paid $400 for the SDCC Azog and I think it was fair.

I have sold a vintage video game (paper, styrofoam insert and a floppy disk) for $2,000  (single game) and I think it was fair.

I've sold a Lego 3367 Shuttle for $67 bucks with free priority mail shipping and it was fair, I made a little not a lot.

I've sold TMNT Poly's for $5.95 shipped and it was fair.

 

I would second the reactivate button to help us out in posting listings and give some leniency.

 

I do not know how one can determine what is fair, and when someone buys a Jabba's palace at $87 and someone buys one at $150 both for sale what is fair from the sellers point of view and the buyers?

 

That being said, I love Brickpicker, and whether the classified is how each of us would want it to be, brickpicker is a wonderful place, and the owners want input and use our input, but they are the ultimate deciders for their policies on how to implement of what is well should I say it "fair".  

 

The deactivation feature I am thinking of would really just be to help clean out deadbeats. People who posted stuff to try out the site, not in the game anymore, etc.  You would have like a week to reply to the email and notifications in your vendor dashboard.  If you don't answer them to say you are still active and want to make changes or even keep them the way they are, then they will get deactivated (not deleted, well not yet anyhow).

 

If you are on the site and doing business, it would just be more of a notification to take a look at what is going on with that set.  Maybe something is missing or an adjustment should be made in shipping feeds or price.  Like I have mentioned before, we want engaged sellers.

 

 

 

I really like the idea of a dropdown menu when you can select the classification of the set, but I was wondering if there were some more used categories. For example:

 

Used | 100% Complete

Used | Set complete, no minifigures

 

I think these types of classifications would help for all those members who buy bulk lots and sell the complete/incomplete sets. Just a couple of thoughts.

 

These were just examples, there will be more options to choose from and more can be added at any time if members feel it would benefit the masses.

 

From a collectors perspective, I am very curious to see what the sellers plan on charging for their items.  A seller orientated site is a good thing but without buyers, I don't see the feature doing well.  I do like to be able to directly communicate with the seller and buying from familiar faces from the site. 

 

I believe you have voiced your opinion on this a few times, but we just ask that you wait and see what happens.  

 

I am really excited for you guys launching this new lego marketplace. One thing I don't want to see is just a generic clone of bricklink/brickowl or ebay/amazon. It seems you are interested in making it different enough to give it a fighting chance. I love the idea of each seller uploading a photo of the actual item so buyers know exactly what they are going to get.

 

I would love to see a layout where each seller has his/her own store and a live chat feature. This way a buyer can see who is actually at their store and available to discuss the product or haggle in real time chat. Maybe put a cute icon with a lit neon open sign so the buyers know the seller is available to chat. 

 

Also will there be a built in checkout feature or do the buyers and sellers work out payments on their own? I would prefer stripe over paypal to avoid buyer scams.

 

I do like your idea of giving the ability to chat with people, but I would honestly need to create something that logs everything, not just push notifications.  It would need to be there for the sake of people claiming that the other person is ripping them off.  It's something for consideration at a later time.

 

As mentioned in one of my opening posts with the bullet points, there will be a regular checkout feature.  Sellers can opt to use Paypal or Credit Card via Authorize.net if they have a merchant account (if you have both types of accounts setup, you can offer that to your customers as well)

 

I am definitely in favor of deactivating listings, etc. to clear up waste. Thats the problem with Ebay. When you don't have a cataloug of items like Bricklink, things can get really crazy and there isn't a good way to sort of filter out crap.

 

Also I would suggest advanced search functions if possible to be implemented. Boolean logic, etc. with AND and OR (with symbols) so its easier to find what you need (Ebay has this, Amazon doesn't which is awful).

 

There will be normal search features, but one thing that will be a little different is the use of Tags.  I really like tags and systems like Stack Exchange.  The use of tags will allow people to list things and group as well as drill down.  It willl also allow for odd items more easily if no category really exists.  For those odd minifigs or different Comic Con sets, things can be tagged properly and search for with ajax searching,

 

What file format do you prefer? XML, CSV or, Tab-Delimited?

 

CSV or Tab would be easier for now.  I would just like to compare information to see what can be mapped an how much detail is there in their options.

[No More Monkeys]

You can't realistically expect Taj Mahals or 10179s to be finding any buyers for weeks, even if they are priced below BP values. Especially if there are multiple listings. Sure, eventually a buyer will come. But listing will be deactivated by then.

[Jeff Mack]

You can't realistically expect Taj Mahals or 10179s to be finding any buyers for weeks, even if they are priced below BP values. Especially if there are multiple listings. Sure, eventually a buyer will come. But listing will be deactivated by then.

 

If they get the notifications or check in on their listings, it shouldn't be a problem.  I guess you are worried about yourself that you will not be paying attention to listings after like 6 months?  If the person truly cares about the LEGO business they will be engaged with it and should never miss a beat. 

[trekgate502]

Jeff thanks for taking all feedback positively.

Looking forward to the new features.

It is like you have 10 dinner guests at your house, you ask each for their own personal order and you get 50 different responses.

Cheers!

[BrickLegacy]

Would you ever consider offering an "Endorsed By _____" feature?  Trusted sellers would have the option to endorse smaller sellers to help them get started.  This might be a good way for those that have helped others or made successful trades in Brick Trader to build up a reputation without the sales volume.  Just something I thought of.  Endorsements go along way in the real world so it might work in the Classifieds marketplace too.

[trekgate502]

Would you ever consider offering an "Endorsed By _____" feature?  Trusted sellers would have the option to endorse smaller sellers to help them get started.  This might be a good way for those that have helped others or made successful trades in Brick Trader to build up a reputation without the sales volume.  Just something I thought of.  Endorsements go along way in the real world so it might work in the Classifieds marketplace too.

 

 

If only the real world were this way.  Could you see Amazon or Walmart endorsing Best Buy?

Sort of like Miracle on 34th with Macy's and Gimballs.

 

I actually like your idea though for bp.

[Mos_Eisley]

The classifieds are going to be a dreamy place with established sellers helping the competition gain some ground.

[trekgate502]

The classifieds are going to be a dreamy place with established sellers helping the competition gain some ground.

 

Hi ME hope your doing well.

I like your sentiment. hehe

[Bold-Arrow]

I would invite everyone to read the following threads if you havent already done so :

 

• http://community.brickpicker.com/topic/10061-new-brick-classifieds-forum/
• http://community.brickpicker.com/topic/10717-brick-classifieds-shipping/
• http://community.brickpicker.com/topic/10132-brick-classifieds-its-your-store/

[No More Monkeys]

<p>

I would invite everyone to read the following threads if you havent already done so :

• http://community.brickpicker.com/topic/10061-new-brick-classifieds-forum/
• http://community.brickpicker.com/topic/10717-brick-classifieds-shipping/
• http://community.brickpicker.com/topic/10132-brick-classifieds-its-your-store/

Put that in the main post...

[Sparkesy43]

One feature of BrickLink I like is the ability to quickly determine sellers in my home country - it not only helps determine who will have lower shipping costs, but keeps expectations in check regarding price.

 

With the "Australia Tax" being in play, the ability for Australian sellers to find Australian buyers will be important.

[10230]

We appreciate you wanting to take part in helping shape the future of Brick Classifieds

That is great. One question I have after reading this whole thread is still: since this sounds so much like BrickOwl or Bricklink: how do you want to be different? Their fees are already quite low, it would be hard to beat that by so much that you attract a lot of existing sellers, and you need them. How do you want to attract buyers on the other hand? "Selling" the site as "reseller-friendly" doesn't sound like the best plan to me, from a buyers perspective. I would hate to see all that talent of yours being used for something that already exists, just to have yet another Lego marketplace that isn't really all that much different from the others. Sorry for sounding so pessimistic, but the best way to test some new idea is to try to break it and see what happens.

[Jeff Mack]

That is great. One question I have after reading this whole thread is still: since this sounds so much like BrickOwl or Bricklink: how do you want to be different? Their fees are already quite low, it would be hard to beat that by so much that you attract a lot of existing sellers, and you need them. How do you want to attract buyers on the other hand? "Selling" the site as "reseller-friendly" doesn't sound like the best plan to me, from a buyers perspective. I would hate to see all that talent of yours being used for something that already exists, just to have yet another Lego marketplace that isn't really all that much different from the others. Sorry for sounding so pessimistic, but the best way to test some new idea is to try to break it and see what happens.

 

Sorry for sounding so pessimistic, but the best way to test some new idea is to try to break it and see what happens.

 

Believe me, we have every intention of doing that and we agree.  Who knows, maybe this will be a huge turd and a waste of my time for the past year or so. We all don't know yet, but we will give it a shot.  

 

Almost three years ago, Ed and I opened this site to not much fanfare.  People hated us and said we would be done in 6 months.  Fast forward to today and we had the most traffic we ever had in August of all months... AUGUST!!!!  The point I am trying to make is that this site is a little different than the other LEGO sites and it is still here today and growing.

 

Over the past 2 days that we brought up the classifieds, I received over 60 PMs from people talking about their love or hatred of the other sites.  From what I read, there is room for someone to try something different.  If I do my job right and sellers do their job right, the buyers will come.

[jharrison]

One feature of BrickLink I like is the ability to quickly determine sellers in my home country - it not only helps determine who will have lower shipping costs, but keeps expectations in check regarding price.

 

With the "Australia Tax" being in play, the ability for Australian sellers to find Australian buyers will be important.

 

And the flip side of this is as a seller I may only be interested in selling within my own country.

Especially as a new seller I may want to limit my exposure initially until I've shipped a few sets without having to worry about customs declarations etc.

[sroster]

I have a specific idea of what would be a really cool option as a seller.  It kind of ties into the stock photo discussion.  I assume many sellers will have a great deal of multiples of some sets probably 20+ up to in the hundreds in many cases.  Could there be an option where it is basically a stock photo or photo of "the stash" or a photo of 3 examples from your inventory with different pricing structure?  Say you are selling power armor lex for example and your price for a "nice box but not mint" is $50.  That would be the vast majority of the inventory and the typical price.  You could also have an option "damaged box but new/100% complete sealed" and price that at $40 or whatever and have "close to mint box" option for $60.  Then the buyer can decide if they are the type who want a mint box or don't really care about box condition.

[speedsausage]

First thing I'd like to say is congrats and thanks (I know there is a thank you thread but I'm a rebel like that) to the Mack's on doing what you guys believe in, we have all benefited from this website in some shape or form. I know I wouldn't be trying out this new LEGO venture if I didn't have the brickpicker info as a guideline.

With that said, most of the people on here know I'm one of the new guys at this so I'm curious if the BC's are going to be friendly to the casual seller like myself? Or more geared to high volume movers?

Another immediate concern of mine is since this site will be in its infancy, the traffic will be minimal out of the gate. I'm curious how you guys are going to get the word out there that there is a new marketplace for LEGO? I will be listing product when she gets fired up and see how it goes but I just don't know if the small time guy like myself will be able to drum up much business at the early stages of the BC's.

[Ed Mack]

That is great. One question I have after reading this whole thread is still: since this sounds so much like BrickOwl or Bricklink: how do you want to be different? Their fees are already quite low, it would be hard to beat that by so much that you attract a lot of existing sellers, and you need them. How do you want to attract buyers on the other hand? "Selling" the site as "reseller-friendly" doesn't sound like the best plan to me, from a buyers perspective. I would hate to see all that talent of yours being used for something that already exists, just to have yet another Lego marketplace that isn't really all that much different from the others. Sorry for sounding so pessimistic, but the best way to test some new idea is to try to break it and see what happens.

A couple of points. As someone who has seen the almost finished product, I'd have to say from a style point of view, it blows away the current version of Bricklink and Brickowl. It is pleasing on the eyes and user friendly. I am not knocking the backend of Bricklink or Brickowl, because they both seem to do the job. Honestly though...Brickowl is a terrible name and has an awful homepage and navigation system. As a person not familiar with it, I would leave the site and never come back.

I know Bricklink is getting a facelift and the MOC site looks much better than the previous and current version of the site. But here's the thing. The new owners spent a ton of money buying Bricklink and have droves of developers working on it. This costs money. A lot of money. How long can they keep their commissions low? We will be lower than both in fees. So that is a start and it will matter to people.

Another point is that it will be its own site....www.BrickClassifieds.com. It will have its own forum as well. The name of the site actually indicates something that relates to "sales." That's more than I can say about the other two sites. Marketing is a huge weak point of the other two sites. Sorry, but what is a Brickowl...and for that matter, what does Bricklink connote? We have many other ideas when it comes to promoting the site, but until we put the product out, there is no way to implement those. Give it a chance. It will look and work well(fingers crossed), be cost effective, be seller friendly and will have owners that are engaged with their product.

[Ed Mack]

I have a specific idea of what would be a really cool option as a seller. It kind of ties into the stock photo discussion. I assume many sellers will have a great deal of multiples of some sets probably 20+ up to in the hundreds in many cases. Could there be an option where it is basically a stock photo or photo of "the stash" or a photo of 3 examples from your inventory with different pricing structure? Say you are selling power armor lex for example and your price for a "nice box but not mint" is $50. That would be the vast majority of the inventory and the typical price. You could also have an option "damaged box but new/100% complete sealed" and price that at $40 or whatever and have "close to mint box" option for $60. Then the buyer can decide if they are the type who want a mint box or don't really care about box condition.

Yes. In a situation of multiple sets, just show a picture of the multiple sets that indicate you have them. Sellers have to realize that photos help protect them. If they show a picture of an item, it takes away many possible issues later on in case of fraudulent buyers or claims. Experienced sellers will eventually be able to circumvent the photo requirement.

Another idea would be to require a photo on items over a certain price threshold. If people are selling $10 poly bags, that might not warrant a photo., just a generic image. Here's the thing though, the listing page is very attractive IMO and a quality photo goes a long way in selling that item. Just my 2 cents as a buyer of THOUSANDS of LEGO sets.

[Ed Mack]

First thing I'd like to say is congrats and thanks (I know there is a thank you thread but I'm a rebel like that) to the Mack's on doing what you guys believe in, we have all benefited from this website in some shape or form. I know I wouldn't be trying out this new LEGO venture if I didn't have the brickpicker info as a guideline.

With that said, most of the people on here know I'm one of the new guys at this so I'm curious if the BC's are going to be friendly to the casual seller like myself? Or more geared to high volume movers?

Another immediate concern of mine is since this site will be in its infancy, the traffic will be minimal out of the gate. I'm curious how you guys are going to get the word out there that there is a new marketplace for LEGO? I will be listing product when she gets fired up and see how it goes but I just don't know if the small time guy like myself will be able to drum up much business at the early stages of the BC's.

If you read my earlier posts, I stated that we are about the "small guy/gal." Our setup will let the small seller shine. Price you product properly. List the item correctly and creatively and it stands a good chance. Plus there will be other options about highlighting sets going forward. We will deal with big sellers as they come and work with them as well. As for the advertising, see my above posts. We have some solid ideas and will advertise heavily.

[Alcarin]

A couple of points. As someone who has seen the almost finished product, I'd have to say from a style point of view, it blows away the current version of Bricklink and Brickowl. It is pleasing on the eyes and user friendly. I am not knocking the backend of Bricklink or Brickowl, because they both seem to do the job. Honestly though...Brickowl is a terrible name and has an awful homepage and navigation system. As a person not familiar with it, I would leave the site and never come back.

I know Bricklink is getting a facelift and the MOC site looks much better than the previous and current version of the site. But here's the thing. The new owners spent a ton of money buying Bricklink and have droves of developers working on it. This costs money. A lot of money. How long can they keep their commissions low? We will be lower than both in fees. So that is a start and it will matter to people.

Another point is that it will be its own site....www.BrickClassifieds.com. It will have its own forum as well. The name of the site actually indicates something that relates to "sales." That's more than I can say about the other two sites. Marketing is a huge weak point of the other two sites. Sorry, but what is a Brickowl...and for that matter, what does Bricklink connote? We have many other ideas when it comes to promoting the site, but until we put the product out, there is no way to implement those. Give it a chance. It will look and work well(fingers crossed), be cost effective, be seller friendly and will have owners that are engaged with their product.

 

 

I am highly anticipating the classifieds arrival, and as a part time small seller I would just like to point out, I love and use Bricklink the most:

 

Pros of Bricklink for me:

 

- personal ''easy'' created shop

- no time limit on how long you keep something for sale (looking on you Ebay)

- no entry fee

- easy declaration of all shipping costs on your own main page

- low selling fees

 

The only thing I really dislike with Bricklink is the fact that its probably having less traffic than it would if they would ''upgrade'' the GUI of the page

Oh and there are some things that could be improved (adding sets etc.)

 

I think you guys will do great with it, I am just worried how someone like me for example who usually buys set, picks out some stuff he wants and sells the rest will have use of Classifieds.... or someone like me who sells only 5-10 sets a year...........

 

We shall see!

[Ed Mack]

Jeff and it want to get into the doll business. Maybe we can discuss this with some knowledgeable members.

[No More Monkeys]

Yes, we will have a Chinese Knockoff section. I hear it's an emerging market.

I am stocked!

 

Speaking of which - will you be giving away ban hammers for free? I mean you and Jeff will be the only authorities or you will delegate to Bold Arrow and such? Will there be "report seller"/"report buyer" buttons?