A Serious Discussion about Brick Classifieds

[MartinP]

Thanks for all the hard work Jeff. Looking forward to it!

Same here. I can't wait until it's live.

[Ed Mack]

One of the best features will be the ability to post your current eBay listings for free.  It's free advertising and might drive many new people in your direction.  

[MartinP]

One of the best features will be the ability to post your current eBay listings for free.  It's free advertising and might drive many new people in your direction.  

That sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing.

[Darth_Raichu]

We are getting real close. Sometime over the next week we will probably release an update as to how it will work/cost for posting listings, rules of the site, a feature list of what you will be able to do with it and thoughts on how we think it will help your business. I am really looking to release it to the mods shortly to start using it and then may ask a few known eBay sellers to help try out a few features to make sure its working. The feature will definitely be live in October. I have a business trip to the UK at the end of this month and will want to take feedback I get from the mods/etc to make changes. We will then release to everyone else.

While this has taken longer to do, I am actually very happy that it did. I personally like what I have done now much more than where it was quite a few months back. Hopefully everyone else will think so.

 

Jeff, I am available if you are still looking for more "beta testers" for BC

[Blackjack]

Are you and Ed expecting to get a lot of revenue from BC in the future, and if not, what is the reason for BC?

[Jeff Mack]

Jeff, I am available if you are still looking for more "beta testers" for BC

 

Sure, I will call on you when I am ready to add more people.  Make sure you have some eBay listings available.

 

Are you and Ed expecting to get a lot of revenue from BC in the future, and if not, what is the reason for BC?

 

Yes, Ed and I will become instant millionaires and retire to piles of plastic bricks  At the prices we are charging, we hope to be able to buy a few Happy Meals.

 

Honestly though, I think Ed and I have shown that it's not all about the money.  We are not even close to breaking even if you include the time invested in programming the site and everything else.  There are many steps we want to take with the site. The site is close to turning 2 years old and has grown nicely.   The classifieds will be a nice feature that will hopefully add more value and use to the community and grow.  Once that happens and once we get where we need to go with that, new things will open because of it.  Most people that start a project like this have a vision of what they ultimately would like it to become.  We are not there yet.  This has never been about becoming wealthy from it.

[Blackjack]

Ok, I'm not trying to bug you, just wondering why you do it? 

 

If you've put so much time and money into the site you must be expecting something out of it?

[boxofcorey]

Ok, I'm not trying to bug you, just wondering why you do it?

 

To provide and add to the site that you are using.

[Blackjack]

To provide and add to the site that you are using.

 

I'm just looking at it from my perspective if I ran this site:  What's in it for me?  (besides bringing joy to Lego collectors around the world)

 

(Not trying to be confrontational here either)

[Fcbarcelona101]

Plus, what you guys don't know is that the actual owners of the site are the mods. We hold 51% of BP stock.

[Blackjack]

Plus, what you guys don't know is that the actual owners of the site are the mods. We hold 51% of BP stock.

 

Nice    

[Jeff Mack]

I'm just looking at it from my perspective if I ran this site:  What's in it for me?  (besides bringing joy to Lego collectors around the world)

 

(Not trying to be confrontational here either)

 

Blackjack, just use the site for what it is.  Don't worry about all this other stuff that honestly really shouldn't concern you. 

[Blackjack]

Blackjack, just use the site for what it is.  Don't worry about all this other stuff that honestly really shouldn't concern you. 

 

Okiday

[Quacs]

I'm just looking at it from my perspective if I ran this site:  What's in it for me?  (besides bringing joy to Lego collectors around the world)

 

(Not trying to be confrontational here either)

 

Why does anyone build Lego?  People derive satisfaction from knowing they built something.  I'm sure Ed and Jeff feel this same fulfillment on a much larger scale through building Brickpicker.  In my opinion, there's nothing more satisfying than knowing something you've built is being used and has had an impact on society, regardless of what niche it may fill.

[comicblast]

I'm not an investor and wouldn't use BC, but I agree with some others who say that it would be hard to turn a good profit, because everyone here is in the know with prices and so on.

I think one of the nice functions of BC will be connecting members from all over the globe sharing deals and sets. For example, during the May the Fourth 50% B-WIng promotion, I only bought 1 B-Wing, because that is what my capital allowed. If BC had been up at the time, I would have definitely been willing to buy a set or two for an international member who didn't have access to such a nice price, in exchange for the VIP points or something.

 

Jeff, I am available if you are still looking for more "beta testers" for BC

<Raises hand>

 

Are you and Ed expecting to get a lot of revenue from BC in the future, and if not, what is the reason for BC?

I don't think that they have ever been in BrickPicker business for money. More of their love of LEGO. Sure they might break even (finally) after investing a lot of money into different updates and features, but they have also sacrificed something that money cannot buy, and that is time. One does not simply spend days on end writing lines of code for a website they don't care about. Sure, it might help them expand BrickPicker, and that's partially what I hope. Ed and Jeff have so far tried to keep the site as free and ad free as the can, but they have to make a little money somehow.

 

I'm just looking at it from my perspective if I ran this site:  What's in it for me?  (besides bringing joy to Lego collectors around the world)

 

(Not trying to be confrontational here either)

If you as Huw from Brickset, Tormentalous from the Brick Fan, Grogall from EuroBricks why they are in the LEGO business, I'm sure you will get an answer very similar, or identical to that which you would get from Ed and Jeff. 

[matt1147]

I don't know if I qualify as a beta tester but I'm ready and willing to jump in in BC as soon as I can!

[justafrog]

Ditto here, if I can be of any use during the testing process please let me know.

 

I apologize because I'm sure it gets very tiring for Jeff and Ed, but I confess it makes me chuckle when I see some posters acting   that the owners of an incredibly useful site set up to put money in all our pockets might actually, you know, be interested in POSSIBLY making some money of their own for their work, time, risk, and costs. I don't always understand people, but they sure amuse the heck out of me from time to time.

[Fcbarcelona101]

Ditto here, if I can be of any use during the testing process please let me know.

I apologize because I'm sure it gets very tiring for Jeff and Ed, but I confess it makes me chuckle when I see some posters acting that the owners of an incredibly useful site set up to put money in all our pockets might actually, you know, be interested in POSSIBLY making some money of their own for their work, time, risk, and costs. I don't always understand people, but they sure amuse the heck out of me from time to time.

Then again, you are just a frog :p

[Diabolos80]

Yeah the fact that you can type complete sentences is already pretty amazing for a frog. Human psychology should be well beyond your expertise. Especially human Lego investor psychology lol.

[justafrog]

It's not the complete sentences that are the problem, you know - it's hitting the right keys hopping all over this keyboard!

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

It's not the complete sentences that are the problem, you know - it's hitting the right keys hopping all over this keyboard!

 

<insert frog joke>

 

<lol>

[brickmaster]

@Jeff,

 

Reading some of your comments here, I am wondering if you have ever tracked the amount of time you have put into the site

[Jeff Mack]

@Jeff,

 

Reading some of your comments here, I am wondering if you have ever tracked the amount of time you have put into the site

 

 

Hmm, that is a tough one.  No I never sit here and jot down 2 hours here, 5 hours there.  I think I can easily say that I hit 20-30 hours a week if average over the course of the year.  This is actual time spent working on the site and not actual time on the site. So it adds up to a few thousand hours over the past 3-4 years since I started developing it.  Then there is Ed's time as well.  But like some have said, I guess we know that going into it.

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

Hmm, that is a tough one.  No I never sit here and jot down 2 hours here, 5 hours there.  I think I can easily say that I hit 20-30 hours a week if average over the course of the year.  This is actual time spent working on the site and not actual time on the site. So it adds up to a few thousand hours over the past 3-4 years since I started developing it.  Then there is Ed's time as well.  But like some have said, I guess we know that going into it.

 

I would venture to say product is more important than the cost and the money. Money can be spent, Brickpicker never dies.

[CelesAurivern]

I'm just looking at it from my perspective if I ran this site:  What's in it for me?  (besides bringing joy to Lego collectors around the world)

 

(Not trying to be confrontational here either)

Besides personal satisfaction that you own one of the most active Lego related sites on the planet?

I would say datamining. Information can be very valuable to oneself and sold to others for moolah.

Administrators can pretty much look into everyone's brickfolio and see who has invested in what, among other stuff.

Also, a successful privately owned site can be sold for big money, pretty much like how they sold Bricklink.

 

Just saying, you know, there are lots of possibilities.

Personally, I have faith in Ed and Jeff. Been here for a bit on and off, and I'd say the site is going in the right direction.