Eric (Admin) Leaving Bricklink

[justafrog]

It is sad to see Eric go. My own concern is whether there's anyone at BL who really understands enough of the coding at this point to fix the problems that Eric could handle very well after all those years. BL is like a fussy old clunker of a classic car. Eric knew just where to hit it with the wrench. 

 

Brick Owl is a nice site - some things better, some things not as good, ownership is very responsive to user needs and questions. The problem is it's simply not feasible to sell on two venues for most people (especially most businesses), and Owl doesn't have the traffic. It'd be like leaving eBay to sell on JoesMegaShoppingMall.com. If someone clever comes up with sync software across both sites, look out, I'm the first frog in line.

 

BL's fees will go up, and at the risk of being run out of town by the mob, that's just business. Whether they'll go up now or when/if the new platform finally rolls out, we'll see. They did put the MOC shop fees higher (I think 5% but my memory could be faulty - not intending to use the MOC shop so didn't pay strict attention), so I'd expect that's a good indication of what the "norm" will be once BL-main is moved onto the MOC shop style platform.

 

Now, with the MOC shop overdue and no new estimate, I don't think any of us need hold our breath for BL 3.0 (old BL on new platform). 

[BrickLegacy]

I'm tempted to just roll up my sleeves and develop the next generation software to supplant Bricklink and Brickowl. It wouldn't take millions of dollars, and it wouldn't take this much time.

.

[Alcarin]

The most important thing about Bricklink fee structure that they absolutely MUST NOT change is that they go down the route of insertion fees or even limiting invetories or inventories that stop being listed and have to be relisted....

 

As long as Bricklink keeps its core its fine.

 

And by core for me the most important thing is that I can go there list an item for sale, leave it there for 6 months, then it sells and when it does I pay X% of the final value of the item(s) fee to BL.....

 

As soon as they change anything in that area (except for X) i am saying good bye.

 

Oh and X  should not be more than 50% of Ebay fees preferably, after selling, if you have no store or Best seller rating..........

 

For the rest I could not care less really...

[Ed Mack]

I'm tempted to just roll up my sleeves and develop the next generation software to supplant Bricklink and Brickowl. It wouldn't take millions of dollars, and it wouldn't take this much time.

.

Problem is, many people think that it is easy.  I used to think it was easy until I got more involved with this site.  My head would literally explode if I had to deal with Jeff's job.  Bricklink 3.0 or 4.0 or whatever is a huge undertaking, but I really doubt the new programmers will care as much as Eric did...or Dan Jezek for that matter.  Guys like Jeff, Eric and Huw from Brickset are rare.  They actually respond to members and take constructive criticism.  I get the feeling the new Bricklink developers will not.

[Darth_Raichu]

It is sad to see Eric go. My own concern is whether there's anyone at BL who really understands enough of the coding at this point to fix the problems that Eric could handle very well after all those years. BL is like a fussy old clunker of a classic car. Eric knew just where to hit it with the wrench. 

 

Brick Owl is a nice site - some things better, some things not as good, ownership is very responsive to user needs and questions. The problem is it's simply not feasible to sell on two venues for most people (especially most businesses), and Owl doesn't have the traffic. It'd be like leaving eBay to sell on JoesMegaShoppingMall.com. If someone clever comes up with sync software across both sites, look out, I'm the first frog in line.

 

BL's fees will go up, and at the risk of being run out of town by the mob, that's just business. Whether they'll go up now or when/if the new platform finally rolls out, we'll see. They did put the MOC shop fees higher (I think 5% but my memory could be faulty - not intending to use the MOC shop so didn't pay strict attention), so I'd expect that's a good indication of what the "norm" will be once BL-main is moved onto the MOC shop style platform.

 

Now, with the MOC shop overdue and no new estimate, I don't think any of us need hold our breath for BL 3.0 (old BL on new platform). 

It is business, I could not agree more.  Bottom line is if they can deliver, the increase in fees is justifiable.  Take a look at eBay.  All of the b*tchings and moanings on every fees increase and yet eBay brings the foot traffics so the sellers adapt to the increased fees.

As long as the new BL can justify the new fees, they should be fine.

 

To me, this time of uncertainty is the best time to introduce new competitions.  So, if one of the Macks' goals is to compete as a LEGO selling platform, this seems to be a prime time to roll out the feature Jeff has been working on. 

[Alcarin]

It is business, I could not agree more.  Bottom line is if they can deliver, the increase in fees is justifiable.  Take a look at eBay.  All of the b*tching and moaning on every fees increase and yet eBay brings the foot traffics and the sellers adapt to the fees.

As long as the new BL can justify the new fees, they should be fine.

 

To me, this time of uncertainty is the best time to introduce new competitions.  So, if one of the Macks' goals is to compete as a LEGO selling platform, this seems to be a prime time to roll out the feature Jeff has been working on. 

 

Its totally different platforms and ways of selling.... As far as i remember Brickpickers platform wil lbe way different than Bricklink

[djim]

To me, this time of uncertainty is the best time to introduce new competitions.  

 

this.

[Gooker1]

In response to Eric's comment:

http://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=821087

 

Hi everyone.

There are a few things that need to be addressed here and while I

[Darth_Raichu]

Problem is, many people think that it is easy.  I used to think it was easy until I got more involved with this site.  My head would literally explode if I had to deal with Jeff's job.  Bricklink 3.0 or 4.0 or whatever is a huge undertaking, but I really doubt the new programmers will care as much as Eric did...or Dan Jezek for that matter.  Guys like Jeff, Eric and Huw from Brickset are rare.  They actually respond to members and take constructive criticism.  I get the feeling the new Bricklink developers will not.

I obviously do not know Eric from Adam or Steve, but I have worked in the software industry for a while.  When you roll out a brand new system to replace the old one, sometime it is easier to utilize brand new team with fresh ideas to do the work.  This is because the developers of the old system have developed such attachement to the legacy system they often refuse to see any new ways to do things that are completely different than what they have now. 

Of course this is just an observation and all we have is the story from one side, but a lot can be speculated given how outdated current BL in terms of looks and functionality.

 

ETA: given the responds from the new BL team (posted as I wrote this post), I stand by my post

[BrickLegacy]

Problem is, many people think that it is easy.  I used to think it was easy until I got more involved with this site.  My head would literally explode if I had to deal with Jeff's job.  Bricklink 3.0 or 4.0 or whatever is a huge undertaking, but I really doubt the new programmers will care as much as Eric did...or Dan Jezek for that matter.  Guys like Jeff, Eric and Huw from Brickset are rare.  They actually respond to members and take constructive criticism.  I get the feeling the new Bricklink developers will not.

 

I hear ya' and you're right.  The guys that have a raw passion for what they do are the ones that stand out and make a difference.  They father the creation and make sure that it's cared for.  They are also humble enough to realize that they don't have all the great ideas, that the user community is ultimately the most important decision maker  You're right, it's a rare breed and we are fortunate to have guys like Jeff driving the development and evolution of Brickpicker.

 

I'm not convinced that it takes millions of dollars and years to replace a platform like Bricklink. We should have seen something by now. As a software developer I know what it takes to launch something of this scale.

 

Competition is healthy.  The users are thirsty.  Maybe it's time.

[justafrog]

I hear ya' and you're right.  The guys that have a raw passion for what they do are the ones that stand out and make a difference.  They father the creation and make sure that it's cared for.  They are also humble enough to realize that they don't have all the great ideas, that the user community is ultimately the most important decision maker  You're right, it's a rare breed and we are fortunate to have guys like Jeff driving the development and evolution of Brickpicker.

 

I'm not convinced that it takes millions of dollars and years to replace a platform like Bricklink. We should have seen something by now. As a software developer I know what it takes to launch something of this scale.

 

Competition is healthy.  The users are thirsty.  Maybe it's time.

 

The new owner bought BL last July, so his team has been working on the new platform for less than a year. The millions of dollars was for purchasing the site from the previous owners - we don't know what he's spent in development of that site since then.

 

The first iteration of the new platform is "almost done" (the Bricklink MOC shop will be the launch of the new platform when it happens, was supposed to be May 1). The MOC shop will serve the dual purpose of selling and featuring MOCs plus allowing the developers to see what the platform does and doesn't do in a live setting.

 

The developers have been concurrently working on the main BL site's launch on the new platform, and once the MOC shop is up and running they will use data and problems and solutions from that to continue to finalize the main site's relaunch.

 

Just clearing up some misconceptions from my own understanding. I keep up on BL news pretty regularly.

[BrickLegacy]

The new owner bought BL last July, so his team has been working on the new platform for less than a year. The millions of dollars was for purchasing the site from the previous owners - we don't know what he's spent in development of that site since then.

 

The first iteration of the new platform is "almost done" (the Bricklink MOC shop will be the launch of the new platform when it happens, was supposed to be May 1). The MOC shop will serve the dual purpose of selling and featuring MOCs plus allowing the developers to see what the platform does and doesn't do in a live setting.

 

The developers have been concurrently working on the main BL site's launch on the new platform, and once the MOC shop is up and running they will use data and problems and solutions from that to continue to finalize the main site's relaunch.

 

Just clearing up some misconceptions from my own understanding. I keep up on BL news pretty regularly.

 

That is helpful, thank you for clarifying the timing and their rollout plans.  I hope the new site is easier to use and is friendly to both buyers and sellers.

 

I guess my point is this. The current site leaves much to be desired and sellers/buyers are holding out hope that the new site will be available soon.  There is also a lot of anxiety over increased fees.  History has shown us that situations like this can be very risky for the market leader. As time goes on, their is more opportunity for competition.  There is also a chance the new platform isn't received well by the user community.

 

If the market is receptive to competition, I will be tempted.

[grackleflint]

This happens all the time with companies that are bought and/or with systems that are being upgraded. With new (and foreign) owners developing a brand new system, the writing on the wall was that at some point, the old staff (unfortunately) would be replaced and/or have their roles severely reduced. Different technologies require different skills. 

 

The demands of a modern, secure, ecommerce site with the amount of business/traffic that Bricklink does and keeping it that way (especially secure) require a dedicated, full time staff. This was hinted at by the family as one of the main reasons why the site was sold. It has simply grown too big and complicated for a handful of people to do part-time, regardless of their good intentions and history.

 

Eric was rightly and necessarily kept on to help with the transition and it appears that they are far along enough that they don't "need" him, especially if this wasn't his full time job.

[Darth_Raichu]

In response to Eric's comment:

http://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=821087

 

...

The thing Eric fails to mention here is that the three of us on the CS Team are

not just doing the same job as one man. There are projects and other aspects

that never fit into his work as a solo site admin all intended to make the site

better now and in the future. Eric

[naf]

I obviously do not know Eric from Adam or Steve, but I have worked in the software industry for a while.  When you roll out a brand new system to replace the old one, sometime it is easier to utilize brand new team with fresh ideas to do the work.  This is because the developers of the old system have developed such attachement to the legacy system they often refuse to see any new ways to do things that are completely different than what they have now. 

Of course this is just an observation and all we have is the story from one side, but a lot can be speculated given how outdated current BL in terms of looks and functionality.

 

ETA: given the responds from the new BL team (posted as I wrote this post), I stand by my post

 

The new owners wanted to use their own team of developers, which does make business sense.  It's safer to have a few dedicated full time developers instead of one guy working part time.  If something happened to Eric where he wasn't able to perform his job duties, they'd be SOL since he was the only one who really knew the system - it's a risk and that's bad for business.  That being said, offering 10% of what he was making to be a consultant is indeed insulting.  He is the expert, and he should be paid well for his services.  Not only does he know the system, but at this point it's a labor of love and you're not going to have anyone more dedicated to BL's success than Eric.

 

In terms of BL's outdated look, I've actually grown fond of it.  It's simple, a bit clunky, but it works and works well.  I think the only issue is that it is indimidating to new users, specifically buyers, so a more user friendly interface might give us all more sales in the long run.

[justafrog]

In terms of BL's outdated look, I've actually grown fond of it.  It's simple, a bit clunky, but it works and works well.  I think the only issue is that it is indimidating to new users, specifically buyers, so a more user friendly interface might give us all more sales in the long run.

 

That's pretty much how I feel as well - once you get used to the old dear, it works quite well and has some pretty neat functions.

 

But, it is off-putting to new people and doesn't look like what a "real" ecommerce site looks like. I think new parts buyers slog their way through because there's no other viable option for them, but once there's a facelift I wouldn't be surprised to see a nice jump in sales for those selling minifigs and sets (i.e, items that aren't bought just by pros and AFOLs).

[Jeff Mack]

If the market is receptive to competition, I will be tempted.

 

Good luck.  Then once you create your masterpiece, you need to get traffic, then you will get all the feedback on how there is no traffic or its still not as good as bricklink or now brickowl, then you will hate yourself for even trying because you just spent more than a year of your life writing hundreds of pages of code, etc.  As good as brickowl is and only getting better, Lawerence has a long way to go and I know the issues he has been dealing with which is similar to what I just wrote

 

This paragraph tells me the new BL team (which I assume are all full time) handles the BL overhaul as a professional IT team handling a big project. Often time, tasks get delegated to multiple individuals in the interest of bigger common goal. Perhaps there is / was a lack of communication, but that is not unique problem in IT world. Or maybe since Eric was doing this part time, the new leadership did not feel it was appropriate to give Eric as many tasks as the full time employees.  Again, so many things behind the scene we do not know about.

 

Its great that we got a response from the other side. Each side will have their own opinions.  Once day they will release 2.0/3.0 or whatever and I am sure it will be great.  I think they have a team of something like 20 people working on this.  The company I work for has less than 10 developers and we do a boat load of projects.  To be honest, I expect to be blown away. 

[BrickLegacy]

Good luck.  Then once you create your masterpiece, you need to get traffic, then you will get all the feedback on how there is no traffic or its still not as good as bricklink or now brickowl

 

Excellent points.  Earning the loyalty of dedicated Bricklink buyers and sellers will be a difficult job for any new competitor, not to mention the new Bricklink team.

[Darth_Raichu]

That being said, offering 10% of what he was making to be a consultant is indeed insulting.  He is the expert, and he should be paid well for his services.  Not only does he know the system, but at this point it's a labor of love and you're not going to have anyone more dedicated to BL's success than Eric.

 

To each their own, but my impression is in the new system Eric gets 10% pay increase as a part-timer with fewer responsibilities (compared to his current responsibilities).  If I were him and felt so strongly for a brand/product and wanted to have more impact, I would join them full time.

[mcortez]

To each their own, but my impression is in the new system Eric gets 10% pay increase as a part-timer with fewer responsibilities (compared to his current responsibilities).  

 

You may have read that wrong, I read it that if he was being paid $1,000 before they offered him only $100  (90% cut in pay, not a 10% increase.)

 

I've got no real feeling in the matter one way or another, I know no one involved and am not a part of that community.  But as a software developer myself, if someone told me that they wanted to reduce my compensation by 90% but they would like me to still continue with a project/job -- I too would likely feel insulted.  If they can't afford me any more, or would like to go in a different direction -- that's fine, tell it to me straight.  If they want to offer me a retainer to be on-call as it were, if something goes wrong with the current system before the new one is live -- that would probably be okay, but I'd certainly want a very thorough discussion of what my obligations would be under that scenario.

[Darth_Raichu]

You may have read that wrong, I read it that if he was being paid $1,000 before they offered him only $100  (90% cut in pay, not a 10% increase)

I stand corrected.  Upon re-read (of Eric's post and the new team's response), he was offered 90% reduction of payment for a reduction in role. 

 

But my 2nd sentence still hold.

[legodad]

...quite an interesting topic... very interesting... thanks for all your input... a great read hearing from all of you...

[mcortez]

We can only guess.  Maybe he wasn't offered a full time opportunity, or maybe they would have wanted him to relocate to the other side of the world (didn't someone say the new owners are in S. Korea and using local developers now?), or maybe everyone involved knew they couldn't afford to make him a reasonable offer for full time employment.  

 

A number of people have been able to afford me over the years, part time on projects and I'm more than willing to offer rates well below my day job's "hourly rate" for a project I would like to see succeed -- but Mortgage, car payments, groceries, grand kids and a whole host of other things would prevent me from working full time at those reduced rates, no matter how much I loved a given project.

 

We'll never know the full story 

[naf]

I stand corrected.  Upon re-read (of Eric's post and the new team's response), he was offered 90% reduction of payment for a reduction in role. 

 

But my 2nd sentence still hold.

 

Given what Eric wrote, I get the impression that a full time position was off the table.

[@rtisan]

Way of the world, but it always makes me twitch uncomfortably when someone who has very clearly spent/investment time and (from what I assume) emotional connections. It`s obvious he`s spent 13 years with Bricklink, and to have the new owners basically slap him in the face with an offer of 10% is nuts. I don`t know what he`s been paid, and that`s irrelevant, but to hear that a long time contributor and in many ways co-founder is treated like that is disgusting. Thanks for sharing Jeff, but the news in and of itself wasn`t very good!