Bricklink/BrickOwl - Discussion, questions, & answers

[BrickLegacy]

Another zero feedback buyer today.  Small set, under $50.  Asked for 2-3 day shipping.  Only one state away so the shipping is under $10.

 

I just now received two emails from BrickLink that two other accounts were merged into this account.  Should I be concerned by this?  Seems kind of suspicious for someone to be creating three different accounts and then merging them together.  Maybe they setup a selling account and decided to merge, but my spidey sense started to tingle.

[justafrog]

Another zero feedback buyer today.  Small set, under $50.  Asked for 2-3 day shipping.  Only one state away so the shipping is under $10.

 

I just now received two emails from BrickLink that two other accounts were merged into this account.  Should I be concerned by this?  Seems kind of suspicious for someone to be creating three different accounts and then merging them together.  Maybe they setup a selling account and decided to merge, but my spidey sense started to tingle.

 

Bricklink only permits one account per user and will merge the extra accounts as they find them, so it may be something as simple as the buyer didn't know this and set up the other accounts over a period of time without realizing it was a no-no, or even remembering that he had an old account if it had been awhile and he hadn't used it, etc.

 

It could be something weird and nefarious, but it might not be, too.

[BrickLegacy]

Bricklink only permits one account per user and will merge the extra accounts as they find them, so it may be something as simple as the buyer didn't know this and set up the other accounts over a period of time without realizing it was a no-no, or even remembering that he had an old account if it had been awhile and he hadn't used it, etc.

 

It could be something weird and nefarious, but it might not be, too.

 

As always, thank you.  We'll see if they pay.

[4cs]

I'm a little new as a seller on BL, with about 25 orders under my belt.   When I pack I usually use inexpensive fold-over sandwich bags.  If there are a lot of a single piece & color, sure I'll give them their own bag.  And if there are very tiny pieces that are easy to miss, I'll usually put them in a tiny ziploc (like when you get a new shirt and it has a spare button).   Now, most of my orders are a large variety (but low quantity) of smaller/medium pieces, I usually bag them in those sandwich bags in a way that they can be seperated from each other in a matter of a minute or two by the buyer. 

 

Ultimately, my goal is to strike a balance of keeping parts safe (not jostling around and scuffing each-other), plus not using a ton of bags (increasing my cost), while also not sending the buyer a mess of unsorted parts that are a hassle to sort.

 

The sandwich bags fit this role as they are cheap enough that I don't mind using a handful of them, and also not large capacity where each one will create a pile of parts for the buyer to sort.

 

We use the small ziploc bags from WalMart, you can get 2x3, 3x4, 4x6, and I think 5x7 bags there for 1 cent to 2 cents per bag.  They come in packs of 100.  Found in the Jewelry making aisle.  I buy $10-$20 worth whenever I'm there, that I'm always afraid some alarm will go off because they think I'm a drug dealer or something.  For larger lots, we just use the least expensive store brand sandwich or quart, or gallon bags from our local grocery store.

 

Hope that helps!

[BrickLegacy]

I am considering expanding to International sales. I currently am only selling sets (no parts).

Any tips or tricks to keep in mind? Countries to avoid? Things to look out for? Articles or threads to read?

[holleman67]

Skip Italy and Russia If you ask me. Too much fraud. UK, Taiwan, Australia, Germany, and a few others have been pleasant to deal with.

[minicoopers11]

There is a lot of paranoia about selling to Russia. This means it's a lucrative opportunity if you're willing to risk it. There's a reason Russia ranks #3 in sales, only behind USA and Canada for me.

[Deadfraggle]

I'm having an issue with a Buyer and need advice:

 

1. Buyer purchases item on Bricklink

2. PRIOR to sending invoice to the Buyer, I emailed him to confirm he wanted the item.

3. Buyer indicated he wanted the item, and needed it shipped ASAP.

4. I invoice the item to the seller and add shipping & handling charges in accordance with the terms listed on my Bricklink store page.

5. Seller ignores the invoice and doesn't pay for 2 days.

6. When I emailed the buyer he says "sorry, I'm not buying the item. I found the same item closer for  ALOT less" (item was a Santa's workshop).

 

Should I just cancel the sale and move on without making an issue?

Should I make a NPB claim against the buyer?

Should I leave negative feedback on the buyer's account?

 

I'm very reasonable. If he had contacted me, I would have most likely worked with him on the sales price or found a cheaper shipping alternative.

 

 

[DadsAFOL]

Cancel, stop list buyer, don't leave feedback and move on. Not worth the time to do anything else. NPB is a tool to use when the buyer won't respond. In this case you know the buyer doesn't want your set. NPB ties up your inventory for 2 weeks. Cancel allows you to re-sell immediately.

[Deadfraggle]

Sounds like solid advice. I've done a fair amount of selling on Ebay, for a variety of items, both Lego and otherwise, but this is only my 3rd Bricklink transaction.

[Alpinemaps]

I'm having an issue with a Buyer and need advice:

 

1. Buyer purchases item on Bricklink

2. PRIOR to sending invoice to the Buyer, I emailed him to confirm he wanted the item.

3. Buyer indicated he wanted the item, and needed it shipped ASAP.

4. I invoice the item to the seller and add shipping & handling charges in accordance with the terms listed on my Bricklink store page.

5. Seller ignores the invoice and doesn't pay for 2 days.

6. When I emailed the buyer he says "sorry, I'm not buying the item. I found the same item closer for  ALOT less" (item was a Santa's workshop).

 

Should I just cancel the sale and move on without making an issue?

Should I make a NPB claim against the buyer?

Should I leave negative feedback on the buyer's account?

 

I'm very reasonable. If he had contacted me, I would have most likely worked with him on the sales price or found a cheaper shipping alternative.

 

Mine is a similar, but different situation.

 

About a week ago, I had a buyer send me the funds for the order, immediately after he placed the order.  Within moments.  Clearly, before I had the chance to generate the invoice.

 

I immediately refunded him, and sent him notes that, while I appreciated his prompt payment, he needed to wait for invoicing, so I could get the correct shipping cost, ensure I had the parts in stock, etc.

 

No answer from him, but I figured, okay, he's going to wait no biggie.  So, then a day later, I generate the invoice.  Nothing.  Emailed him a couple days later, to remid him.  Nothing. 

 

My last email was on Friday. I think I'm going to have to go NPB route.  I'll drop him a note tonight and let him know.

 

Unfortunately, this was my first parts order (I've sold sets on BL previously), so I'm a bit bummed.  But, I did learn some thing, so, it's not a total loss.

[DadsAFOL]

Sorry you had that happen on your first parts order - it's actually pretty rare. Check your site settings to ensure that your order confirmation instructs buyers to wait for the invoice. Also, make sure your PayPal email isn't visible to the buyer until the invoice.

[Alpinemaps]

Thanks for those tips. I *thought* I had it set up as you suggested, but I'm guessing I don't. I'm going to recheck tonight and update those settings.

[Alpinemaps]

Sorry you had that happen on your first parts order - it's actually pretty rare. Check your site settings to ensure that your order confirmation instructs buyers to wait for the invoice. Also, make sure your PayPal email isn't visible to the buyer until the invoice.

 

Figured that you were right - in my order acknowledgement template, my email address was showing up.  I fixed that tonight.

 

Frustratingly, still no contact with this guy.  I sent him a note tonight.  I asked him to either go through with the order, or to let me know that he wanted to cancel.  But, that if I didn't hear from him at all, I'd file a NPB against him.

[BrickLegacy]

Another zero feedback buyer on BrickLink.  I wonder if BrickLink is doing some outside marketing to attract these folks?  There is a thread on the BL forums speculating this, so it might be true.

 

But anyways, this particular buyer wants me to ship to a different address (adjacent state).  They want to make sure it is there by 12/23.  It seems reasonable and safe but is there anything in the BL terms of service or common sense guide to selling online that should cause me to pause?  This isn't a hot set or anything but could be a drop shipper since my price is much lower than Amazon's (enough to make $15-20 on the drop ship, after shipping+fees).  I can't imagine that's worth the risk for people, but you never know.  Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but just wanted your take.  Process the order to the different address and call it a day or ask some clever follow-up questions, or cancel?

 

 

Edited for spelling/grammar.

Edited December 16, 2014 by BrickLegacy

[10230]

But anyways, this particular buyer wants me to ship to a different address (adjacent state).  They want to make sure it is there by 12/23.  It seems reasonable and safe but is there anything in the BL terms of service or common sense guide to selling online that should cause me to pause?  This isn't a hot set or anything but could be a drop shipper since my price is much lower than Amazon's (enough to make $15-20 on the drop ship, after shipping+fees).  I can't imagine that's worth the risk for people, but you never know.  Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but just wanted your take.  Process the order to the different address and call it a day or ask some clever follow-up questions, or cancel?

Drop-shipping itself is quite ok - especially this time of year. You simply order something as present for someone else, to their address. That's drop-shipping. It only is a problem when stolen credit cards ect. come into play. Now, of course legally not being a problem doesn't help here. Paypal won't protect you if you ship to something else than the address given at time of payment. Bricklink won't help if you don't ship to the address on Bricklink. Do you want to take that risk? Maybe - it depends. I would say - especially now, and if you had a good communication about the different address, and if the set isn't too expensive, I would probably go ahead, risking loosing the set, but quite probably just making someone happy.

[DadsAFOL]

You can request that the buyer adds the shipping address to their PayPal account, which will give you both additional protection. But 10230 is right, it's a pretty low risk transaction.

[Victorymike18]

We use the small ziploc bags from WalMart, you can get 2x3, 3x4, 4x6, and I think 5x7 bags there for 1 cent to 2 cents per bag.  They come in packs of 100.  Found in the Jewelry making aisle.  I buy $10-$20 worth whenever I'm there, that I'm always afraid some alarm will go off because they think I'm a drug dealer or something.  For larger lots, we just use the least expensive store brand sandwich or quart, or gallon bags from our local grocery store.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Awesome, Thank You for this tip.  I was at WalMart the other day and grabbed a couple packs.    They're doing the trick nicely, and have actually made my storing setup for smaller pieces a lot easier to manage.

 

Thanks!

[stackables]

Paypal will still cover you on bricklink correct?  I ordered some pieces and the seller said he shipped on the 19th. I asked for a tracking number since they were sent first class.  Apparently he doesn't print his labels online to get the free delivery and tracking.  That was an additional cost.  I just assumed all bricklink stores print labels online.  On his store page he says he is not responsible for lost packages.  I assume that doesn't fly if he has no proof that he sent the package.

[10230]

Paypal still covers you, but if it was really sent on Dec 19th, it could still be traveling. I had one seller actually send it a week after it was marked 'sent' in BL, and also without tracking (not online). It took a while, but I got it in the end.

[justafrog]

Paypal will still cover you on bricklink correct?  I ordered some pieces and the seller said he shipped on the 19th. I asked for a tracking number since they were sent first class.  Apparently he doesn't print his labels online to get the free delivery and tracking.  That was an additional cost.  I just assumed all bricklink stores print labels online.  On his store page he says he is not responsible for lost packages.  I assume that doesn't fly if he has no proof that he sent the package.

 

Yes, you're covered if it doesn't show up.

 

It's cheaper for him to print postage online, so if he's telling you it will cost him or you more, he's simply ignorant, or he knows it perfectly well but can't be bothered with a small learning curve to enter the 21st century.

 

Give it a bit more time as the poster above suggests, as first class packages do get put "back burner" behind priority and express the week or so before Christmas.

[stackables]

I am not having much luck with either of my bricklink orders I placed before Christmas.  I have the one mentioned before that was supposedly sent on the 19th and now I have another that has the status of "Delivery Status Not Updated".  What is going on!  The package that has "Delivery Status Not Updated" was said to be out for delivery in a city a hour away from me.  Of course it didn't get delivered.  Anyone else having problems with usps?  I figured the volume of packages should have slowed down since it is after Christmas.

[10230]

I am not having much luck with either of my bricklink orders I placed before Christmas.  I have the one mentioned before that was supposedly sent on the 19th and now I have another that has the status of "Delivery Status Not Updated".  What is going on!  The package that has "Delivery Status Not Updated" was said to be out for delivery in a city a hour away from me.  Of course it didn't get delivered.  Anyone else having problems with usps?  I figured the volume of packages should have slowed down since it is after Christmas.

Packages still are delayed I guess, also for me. I would give it into new year to normalize. When the status of something isn't changed for quite a while (week maybe?), then you can call USPS and ask for an inquiry.

[holleman67]

So how many parts did you have in your store before you started seeing eome consistent orders flowing in? I'm only at 4k in parts that I have separated, I'm just curious on how many xxl towers I'll need to open to get people coming in

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Brickpicker mobile app

[Stragus]

So how many parts did you have in your store before you started seeing eome consistent orders flowing in? I'm only at 4k in parts that I have separated, I'm just curious on how many xxl towers I'll need to open to get people coming in

I would say 4k parts is way too low. I didn't even bother opening the store before I had 70k parts, at which point I would receive about an order per day.

 

Now with 120k parts, in the past 30 days, I have received 37 orders on BrickLink and 51 orders on BrickOwl.