Bricklink/BrickOwl - Discussion, questions, & answers

[newbie77]

2 minutes ago, longshot said:

Does anyone know how to modify an exiting order on BL to change the quantity of a specific part, say from 20 to 5 and have it update the total. This is prior to invoicing........

Thanx guys

https://www.bricklink.com/retractOrderItem.asp 

enter order number and follow... 

[longshot]

17 hours ago, newbie77 said:

https://www.bricklink.com/retractOrderItem.asp 

enter order number and follow... 

Worked like a charm............Thanx

Figured there had to be a way but couldnt find it on the site.

[gregpj]

Cause you don't want to be taken advantage of or because you're too busy?  
Ok... back to the topic  Bricklink Rules!  I'm slowly trying to learn how to best ship to Canada to open up the store to more customers.   Any advice on best places to look to figure out shipping costs from USA to Canada?  I'm hoping USPS still but this is why we cal it research. 

I didn't see anyone answer your question about shipping to Canada so... USPS should be your only option here. Even if they were a bit more than UPS or FedEx, USPS sends parcels to Canada Post for domestic delivery and they don't charge brokerage fees for customs processing. On bigger parcels it can add in excess of $50 to the cost for a buyer.

[Thumper]

11 minutes ago, gregpj said:

...
I didn't see anyone answer your question about shipping to Canada so... USPS should be your only option here. Even if they were a bit more than UPS or FedEx, USPS sends parcels to Canada Post for domestic delivery and they don't charge brokerage fees for customs processing. On bigger parcels it can add in excess of $50 to the cost for a buyer.

 

 

The Canada Post brokerage fee, called a "Handling fee" is about $11 ($9.95 +tax)  but it's vary rare that you will encounter it as 80% of packages from the US escape Customs Duties and Taxes entirely...  (even when over $25)

section 2.2.1 of the customs agreement: "A handling fee of $9.95CAD per dutiable or taxable mail item is applied"

as mentioned far far better than the couriers charge, once had a $90 item with $80 in tacked on fees - thanks UPS ("Brown" stinks!)

[longshot]

I recently had an order from Italy that the seller decided the shipping was too high.......$14. The weight was minimal. 4oz or so and the price I quoted was through the USPS. Is there any other options to mail to Europe for a lower shipping rate? I know Ive gotten things abroad and paid $6 US before.

Thanx guys

[gregpj]

33 minutes ago, Thumper said:

The Canada Post brokerage fee, called a "Handling fee" is about $11 ($9.95 +tax)  but it's vary rare that you will encounter it as 80% of packages from the US escape Customs Duties and Taxes entirely...  (even when over $25)

section 2.2.1 of the customs agreement: "A handling fee of $9.95CAD per dutiable or taxable mail item is applied"

as mentioned far far better than the couriers charge, once had a $90 item with $80 in tacked on fees - thanks UPS ("Brown" stinks!)

Oh yeah, they so rarely charge it I forgot about it.

In my experience, it gets applied more commonly (but still not always) when the parcels are from a country other than the US.

[minicoopers11]

12 minutes ago, longshot said:

I recently had an order from Italy that the seller decided the shipping was too high.......$14. The weight was minimal. 4oz or so and the price I quoted was through the USPS. Is there any other options to mail to Europe for a lower shipping rate? I know Ive gotten things abroad and paid $6 US before.

Thanx guys

Shipping rates can be unfair, at least for very small items. The most obvious case is shipping from Hong Kong or mainland China compared to vice versa.

That said, you may be able to protect your item in cardboard, put it in a manila envelope, and ship it as a letter, rather than a package (someone else detailed how to do that at some point here). That assumes you're not dealing with a bulky piece.

[randrace]

3 hours ago, longshot said:

I recently had an order from Italy that the seller decided the shipping was too high.......$14. The weight was minimal. 4oz or so and the price I quoted was through the USPS. Is there any other options to mail to Europe for a lower shipping rate? I know Ive gotten things abroad and paid $6 US before.

Thanx guys

I have recently updated my store terms, adding the following message:

 

***INTERNATIONAL TORSO BUYERS***

The United State Postal Service has recently changed it's rates for small packages. Bubble envelopes, which used to be inexpensive to send overseas, are now considered "packages" and cost the more expensive package rate. This means even small (30 gram) shippments start at around $13 to ship. However, I have been experimenting with shipping small parts orders in a reinfonced envelope with great success. The Envelope rate is much cheaper, and I can send some small orders for $5. If you have a small order (20 parts or so) of parts in the following catagories, ask me if I can ship them envelope rate:

-torsos

-heads

-hips/legs

-minifigure weapons

Most helmets and hair pieces are too wide and fragile to ship via envelope.

 

So @longshot, the deal is, you can send some small parts orders envelope rate. I posted pictures of the "cardboard sandwhich" technique I use for sending via envelope in the Packaging  Thread* (I forget the actual name of the thread.) Let me know if you can't find it; I'll post it here. 

UPDATE: I found that post. It is HERE.

Sending a 2oz envelope is around 3 1/2 bucks. I have gotten a noticeable uptick in international orders since adding the above note in my terms; I sent a $15 order to Denmark yesterday and a $50 order to Hong Kong today. 

Edited August 1, 2017 by randrace
Updated with link.

[Pebble&Park]

6 minutes ago, randrace said:

I have recently updated my store terms, adding the following message:

 

***INTERNATIONAL TORSO BUYERS***

The United State Postal Service has recently changed it's rates for small packages. Bubble envelopes, which used to be inexpensive to send overseas, are now considered "packages" and cost the more expensive package rate. This means even small (30 gram) shippments start at around $13 to ship. However, I have been experimenting with shipping small parts orders in a reinfonced envelope with great success. The Envelope rate is much cheaper, and I can send some small orders for $5. If you have a small order (20 parts or so) of parts in the following catagories, ask me if I can ship them envelope rate:

-torsos

-heads

-hips/legs

-minifigure weapons

Most helmets and hair pieces are too wide and fragile to ship via envelope.

 

So @longshot, the deal is, you can send some small parts orders envelope rate. I posted pictures of the "cardboard sandwhich" technique I use for sending via envelope in the Packaging  Thread* (I forget the actual name of the thread.) Let me know if you can't find it; I'll post it here. 

Sending a 2oz envelope is around 3 1/2 bucks. I have gotten a noticeable uptick in international orders since adding the above note in my terms; I sent a $15 order to Denmark yesterday and a $50 order to Hong Kong today. 

How do you keep the envelope under 1/4 an inch?

[randrace]

2 minutes ago, Pebble&Park said:

How do you keep the envelope under 1/4 an inch?

I use PayPal to print the label. There are two options for envelopes. Select 'large envelope.' The width limit for a large envelope is 3/4".

[LegoMan1212]

Is it just me??

I don't order many times from other sellers on BL, but at least 50% of them have had the orders wrong.  Some vastly incorrect (100's of errors), others just wrong (wrong color, wrong amount, missing things, etc...)  I don't get it, is this the actual standard of sellers on this platform?  These come from people with numerous orders too, not just your seller with less than 10 feedback.

I have had 1 error after shipment where I sent Red 1x1 plates instead of Dark Red 1 x 1 plates.  I simply misread the order and was pulling from a set that had nearly 100% all Dark Red and didn't know Red even existed in it (nether fortress).  I shipped them out the next day to correct that mistake on my dime which was the correct thing to do other than simply issuing a credit.  Obviously this is a "side-job" but I take a very professional approach to it with an example of if there is an error in my inventory (which again has happened one time as I entered something as Black when it was in fact Dark Blue), but I told the customer in advance before they even paid to verify they wanted to go through with the rather large order on top of crediting them well above just the cost of that item (covering half shipping or something like that).  

In both the cases I mentioned above, I took the hit and took care of it.  One more example, an order was stuck in shipping at a distribution center, a first class mailer took between 3-4 weeks to get delivered as it was hung up (shipping from and to an USA location).  That was too long for me and I issued a full refund during the end of week 2.  I saw the tracking and saw it arrived eventually which was fantastic to have the mail be found but again, another case where I took care of the customer.  I never asked for repayment or anything else as I chalked it up to an anomaly with USPS.

I know this is pretty much a rant, but I'm tired of receiving orders with so many mistakes in them when some of those mistakes could be taken care of BEFORE I pay.  1 error in an order, ok things happen, but 5, 10, 20, or more.... come on now.  I, and I'm sure many others here, deal with enough BS on CL and other local reseller markets that I really don't want to deal with it through BL where sellers should know their product and fill the orders correctly.

I guess overall, what type of errors change your mind from praise, to neutral, or negative, assuming that of course you are credited for the errors.  Or simply leaving no feedback at all.

 

Edit:  nearly 60% of my orders received had errors to them.  Lowest feedback is over 100 from any seller that had errors.

Edited August 2, 2017 by LegoMan1212

[lego rules]

I get an error here and there.  Sometimes they credit, sometimes they ship.  Once I left negative because I actually needed the part and they didn't want to ship it.  They changed the positive they left me to a negative.

It's not really fair for buyers when people do this as they need to pay for shipping elsewhere for a part worth pennies.

 

[newbie77]

14 minutes ago, LegoMan1212 said:

Is it just me??

I don't order many times from other sellers on BL, but at least 50% of them have had the orders wrong.  Some vastly incorrect (100's of errors), others just wrong (wrong color, wrong amount, missing things, etc...)  I don't get it, is this the actual standard of sellers on this platform?  These come from people with numerous orders too, not just your seller with less than 10 feedback.

I have had 1 error after shipment where I sent Red 1x1 plates instead of Dark Red 1 x 1 plates.  I simply misread the order and was pulling from a set that had nearly 100% all Dark Red and didn't know Red even existed in it (nether fortress).  I shipped them out the next day to correct that mistake on my dime which was the correct thing to do other than simply issuing a credit.  Obviously this is a "side-job" but I take a very professional approach to it with an example of if there is an error in my inventory (which again has happened one time as I entered something as Black when it was in fact Dark Blue), but I told the customer in advance before they even paid to verify they wanted to go through with the rather large order on top of crediting them well above just the cost of that item (covering half shipping or something like that).  

In both the cases I mentioned above, I took the hit and took care of it.  One more example, an order was stuck in shipping at a distribution center, a first class mailer took between 3-4 weeks to get delivered as it was hung up (shipping from and to an USA location).  That was too long for me and I issued a full refund during the end of week 2.  I saw the tracking and saw it arrived eventually which was fantastic to have the mail be found but again, another case where I took care of the customer.  I never asked for repayment or anything else as I chalked it up to an anomaly with USPS.

I know this is pretty much a rant, but I'm tired of receiving orders with so many mistakes in them when some of those mistakes could be taken care of BEFORE I pay.  1 error in an order, ok things happen, but 5, 10, 20, or more.... come on now.  I, and I'm sure many others here, deal with enough BS on CL and other local reseller markets that I really don't want to deal with it through BL where sellers should know their product and fill the orders correctly.

I guess overall, what type of errors change your mind from praise, to neutral, or negative, assuming that of course you are credited for the errors.  Or simply leaving no feedback at all.

 

Edit:  nearly 60% of my orders received had errors to them.  Lowest feedback is over 100 from any seller that had errors.

a. price [ cheap parts means some of the seller really cut on parts quality and shipment; if its too good to be true ... it is]

b. seller's feedback. [ higher number; plus over 98% means its probability .. i.e. 98% chance your order will be correct ]

most of errors i have had are 

i. mold variations. like 3794; 3794b and 15573 etc.. and this is widespread among US sellers. may be its because i have only placed most of my orders with foreign sellers with 10000+ feedback hence it has been accurate to "T". 

ii. most of the problem are/have been due to lack of packaging material for large bulky parts.

iii. avoid korean sellers. 

iv. avoid italian sellers. 

v. if one is ordering "TAN" part then be extra careful. some people don't know the difference between tan and faded white. they list their cheap crap under tan and ... you know the rest.

but there are people who take this very very seriously hence find a store and stick with it if they have been good. cheaper is not always accurate in either type; color or quantity

 

[LegoMan1212]

12 minutes ago, lego rules said:

I get an error here and there.  Sometimes they credit, sometimes they ship.  Once I left negative because I actually needed the part and they didn't want to ship it.  They changed the positive they left me to a negative.

It's not really fair for buyers when people do this as they need to pay for shipping elsewhere for a part worth pennies.

 

What terrible service you got there.  I would rather have the customer's trust and have them potentially be the next order recipient than take any type of hit to my reputation.

[LegoMan1212]

1 minute ago, newbie77 said:

v. if one is ordering "TAN" part then be extra careful. some people don't know the difference between tan and faded white. they list their cheap crap under tan and ... you know the rest.

Unreal, if I have any piece that is faded "way" more than others and many times just a little, I toss it out.  Examples are old Blue, Reds, Yellows, and Whites.  Off the top of my head those are the biggest culprits (Grays I guess too).  I'm pretty sure I have tossed out A lot of White due to the fact that if I question it, than or course someone else will too.  I can't say absolutely all faded pieces get tossed, but I feel confident I catch the bulk of them.  Impossible to be perfect cause last I checked, I'm not a robot yet.

[longshot]

Quick question.........Called Lego to put in a part order and on a few of the pieces the reply was "coming soon" and couldnt be ordered. Yet I see some sellers on BL with hundreds of these parts which shouldnt be available yet. Just curious if some of these stores have a way of getting parts en mass before the sets are even released. And I was also told today that a piece was franchised...........and it wasnt a  minifigure piece. That was certainly a first...........

Any thoughts?

Thanx

[minicoopers11]

11 minutes ago, longshot said:

Quick question.........Called Lego to put in a part order and on a few of the pieces the reply was "coming soon" and couldnt be ordered. Yet I see some sellers on BL with hundreds of these parts which shouldnt be available yet. Just curious if some of these stores have a way of getting parts en mass before the sets are even released. And I was also told today that a piece was franchised...........and it wasnt a  minifigure piece. That was certainly a first...........

Any thoughts?

Thanx

Yes. LEGO back doors parts into BL stores, particularly German BL stores. This is known.

[randrace]

Yes. LEGO back doors parts into BL stores, particularly German BL stores. This is known.

Thanks for posting this info. I have long wondered what the deal is with those big German sellers.

[newbie77]

On August 16, 2017 at 1:30 PM, minicoopers11 said:

Yes. LEGO back doors parts into BL stores, particularly German BL stores. This is known.

i had to prove that in this forum long time ago ....

now there are some US sellers also who are getting some items.

[minicoopers11]

3 minutes ago, newbie77 said:

i had to prove that in this forum long time ago ....

now there are some US sellers also who are getting some items.

I believe you are my source for this statement!

It is pretty obvious due to what types of pieces they are getting and in what quantities.

[ichiroll]

I've googled this and found a couple older threads across various forms, but I was hoping to get a newer opinion.

 

What is the best option to send one or two minifigures?

Obviously no one wants to pay $2.67 shipping first class parcel rate for a $1 minifig.

Recently, I've put them in an envelope (double-bagging the figure but without increasing the thickness of the envelope since that's what causes it to be a parcel I guess?) marked it as non-machine and shipped it for $0.98.

I was just curious what every one else does.

[Guest betsy805]

8 minutes ago, ichiroll said:

I've googled this and found a couple older threads across various forms, but I was hoping to get a newer opinion.

 

What is the best option to send one or two minifigures?

Obviously no one wants to pay $2.67 shipping first class parcel rate for a $1 minifig.

Recently, I've put them in an envelope (double-bagging the figure but without increasing the thickness of the envelope since that's what causes it to be a parcel I guess?) marked it as non-machine and shipped it for $0.98.

I was just curious what every one else does.

Nope, I absolutely send it in a bubble mailer and charge them the parcel rate.

[randrace]

I've googled this and found a couple older threads across various forms, but I was hoping to get a newer opinion.
 
What is the best option to send one or two minifigures?
Obviously no one wants to pay $2.67 shipping first class parcel rate for a $1 minifig.
Recently, I've put them in an envelope (double-bagging the figure but without increasing the thickness of the envelope since that's what causes it to be a parcel I guess?) marked it as non-machine and shipped it for $0.98.
I was just curious what every one else does.

Great question. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else is shipping small parts in envelopes for domestic orders.

My take:
I'm a big fan of using envelopes for international shipments, saving the buyer around $8. For domestic, it doesn't seem worth the extra effort.

I have the impression that people accept $2.61 as the minimum to ship anything. Today, someone on eBay paid $3 shippining for one White Neck Ruff.

I don't think a Bricklink buyer will bat an eye paying $2.61 in shipping for a couple $1 figs.



Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Brickpicker Forum mobile app

[ichiroll]

5 minutes ago, betsy805 said:

Nope, I absolutely send it in a bubble mailer and charge them the parcel rate.

Thanks for your reply.

Honestly, if the fig is worth a few bucks or more, it would be a no-brainer...

We just started the store a couple months ago and have 9 actual orders and like 6 canceled.

Just trying to salvage every order I guess... too bad Bricklink can't let the buyer select the shipping method they want, or can you set it up that way, more like a traditional online store?

Just now, randrace said:

I don't think a Bricklink buyer will bat an eye paying $2.61 in shipping for a couple $1 figs.

 

Thanks for your reply.

I agree, but I've actually had orders canceled because a buyer didn't want to pay the parcel rate to ship the single $1 fig they bought...

[randrace]

Thanks for your reply.
I agree, but I've actually had orders canceled because a buyer didn't want to pay the parcel rate to ship the single $1 fig they bought...

Huh, that's odd. If you haven't already spell out your shipping rates in your 'terms' section. My minimum shipping rate is $3.50 on Bricklink and $4 on Brickowl.