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  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    I keep getting close to 100,000 items - but sell some before I get to listing more. Good problem to have. Currently at 85K and change. Also I've been a bit over $10K and 5000 lots for awhile. (though nearly 2 thousand lots are empty stockroom, which I retain as a placeholder for listing more)

    Already reached over $1000 profit this year, more than all of 2019 or 2017, proportionally more than 2018. 2016 I took a loss buying initial inventory

    -

    I don't do estimated tax payments; extra withholding from my regular paycheck either more than covers what I owe on BL income or covers enough that I don't face the underpayment penalty (that generally applies only if you owe more than $1000, paid less than 90% of the current tax year's bill, and paid an amount less than last tax year's bill - I think I'd have to make several thousand dollars more to worry about that which would be a good problem to have)

    -

    One customer mentioned there was additional quantity of a couple lots she ordered, and offered to send me a few bucks for them. I didn't expect that but didn't complain. :)
    Also, even without the $ it's good to know - one I'd already noticed but the other I might not have realized til someone else tried to buy them.
    In one case I counted out too many (maybe seeing groups of 10 as groups of 5?), for the other she ordered part of the lot and I sent all of it (maybe I put the remainder in her pile rather than back in the storage bin)

    If I'm a bit short, a refund with a bit extra is generally acceptable (proportion of S&H equivalent to proportion of order value is my starting point), and if I notice before mailing, the buyer often chooses some other pieces of similar value. Sometimes I make up at least part of the shortfall from stuff I hadn't listed yet.

    I do my best to avoid this but stuff happens managing such a big pile of inventory myself. The mixup I mentioned was on a 100+ lot order


  • rbozarthrbozarth Member Posts: 94
    Added a few more Series 20 CMF minifigures to the store today if anyone is looking to complete the series.

    https://store.bricklink.com/Bozbricks
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,556
    Bricklink has released it's new XP interface. And blimey, it's utter crap. Well done LEGO. Take an almost working site and make it crap.
    KingAlanIlegomental
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    CCC said:
    Bricklink has released it's new XP interface. And blimey, it's utter crap. Well done LEGO. Take an almost working site and make it crap.
    LEGO IT? Screw up?
    My favorite part is not all order statuses being available for all orders, especially not being able to mark something shipped after putting it in the mailbox
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,556
    Don't look at what they have done to the minfigures section. They have removed them from themes at put them in generic groups, or no group at all.

    AC figures are now in Classic Space for the humans, Aliens for the aliens.

    PQ are in Mythical > Mummies for the mummy figures and Vintage > Pharaoh's Quest for the humans, with two in no category at all. Not even in the new Historical> Egyptian.
    KingAlanI
  • rbozarthrbozarth Member Posts: 94
    edited April 2020
    Let's hope this stays as a "Beta" release after they read all the bad press.  I couldn't even figure out how to get into my own store but I only looked briefly.
    KingAlanI
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    they added a note that invoices can be sent only for orders in status pending, processing, updated or NRS [non-responding seller]. so at least that's explained.

    also, I noticed that while orders marked Packed can't be changed right to Shipped, then can be changed to Paid and then to Shipped.
  • MytybizarMytybizar Member Posts: 13
    Question for sellers, how long will you wait after someone ordered without payment before you cancel the order? It's been a little over a week so I'm not looking to jump the gun but i am curious about how other sellers typically react. 
  • DB361DB361 Member Posts: 299
    I tend to go a week of no contact from the buyer until starting the NPB process. I'll send a courtosey reminder e-mail 2 days after the order has been placed, a final reminder message after 6 days, and a notice of the NPB process being started at 7 days. Of course if the buyer does message asking to delay for whatever reason, so long as it's reasonable then I'm always more than happy to help out.
    Mytybizar
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    I try to submit an NPB right after the BL minimum of 7 days (just did one at 7 days 5 1/2 hours). I may or may not send a reminder beforehand. Sometimes the NPB works as a payment reminder. But if it doesn't I cancel right after the next 7 days.

    If the buyer contacts me I do ease off, my NPB notes generally specify *no payment no contact*.

    Today I finished a midsize order I'd already taken a couple days to get to. I raced for a bus that got me to a mailbox right around its pickup time. Someone in the area shook his head no when I asked if he'd seen a mailman pick it up, so presumably I didn't just miss it. The tracking information hasn't been updated but sometimes it isn't anyway. Working around the bus schedule and walking speed or lack thereof is the big annoyance of my bike being broken down. Had some other stuff to mail and nother stop to make anyway.

    With an evening order, while finding the parts for it I got some other stuff sorted.
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    Back to sorting the 70827's
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    buyer got 2 copies of a fig he'd ordered 1 of, offered to pay for the 2nd which I wasn't going to complain about. :) [implemented as placing another order for just that fig]
    even without the $, good to know where the inventory went before someone else ordered it.

    did a bit more 70827 sorting, but nowhere near done yet. gonna list everything then. tried listing lot by lot before but that seems to take more overall time and risks more mistakes
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    new issue with the site update
    sometimes postage and charges are grayed out with the note "you cannot change prices after an order has been paid for)". That's come up even when the order hasn't actually been paid for, specifically as part of with a 2nd batch on the same order. The additions weren't enough to change postage but that could have happened.
    maybe it happens when marked paid on the buyer's end whether or not that's actually the case
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    edited May 2020
    118 lots about $30. not bad for value, but daunting. warned buyer it might take a few days
    also a few small orders this weekend
    moved more rarely used parts bins to basement.
    needed to clear path to window to put in AC anyway
  • AleyditaAleydita Member Posts: 955
    2783 items in 272 lots - took about an hour to pick and pack. I don't think my storage system is so different to everyone else's, but nobody believes me when I say it takes about 10 seconds per lot to pick an order - unless things aren't where they should be in which case I'm in trouble.
    KingAlanI
  • rbozarthrbozarth Member Posts: 94
    Aleydita said:
    2783 items in 272 lots - took about an hour to pick and pack. I don't think my storage system is so different to everyone else's, but nobody believes me when I say it takes about 10 seconds per lot to pick an order - unless things aren't where they should be in which case I'm in trouble.
    I too, had an order over 2,000 pieces this past week.  It definitely takes some time to pick big orders.  However, I enjoy it to see all the different parts people are selecting.

    store.bricklink.com/bozbricks
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    that's an amazing average for such a big order. I'm at about a minute each.
    Sometimes several similar items are quicker to pack because I don't have to look all over, say different sizes of the same color and type.

    items out of place? been there done that. the big problem is when I used to list part outs before sorting them. I stopped doing that and put most of the stuff away properly but there's still a bit of it left, and it's one more thing to check when something's out of place for another reason.

    making grand progress on sorting 70827, but dropped a bin of small pieces. some of them went down the furnace grate (the bins I used to block the grate did catch most of it), not a huge financial loss but a inventorying pain in the butt
    sorting and bagging some parts before putting them in the right storage bin. gets a lot of the work done without digging that bin out and separates smooth and/or transparent pieces to avoid scratches.

    working on that concurrent with picking the 118 lot order while I have the same color bins out.
    saved both webpages to my hard drive since I'll be referencing them a lot and so technical difficulties are less likely to get in the way of working on them.
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    finished that 118 lot order last night and got another big one. buyer messaged back he understands it takes awhile when he goes nuts

    some buyers expect payment links but don't seem to understand that they need to expect "PayPal (onsite)" and not just "PayPal" to get that. That seems to be the source of most payment delays I encounter with need for reminders and explanations.
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    Finished sorting the 70827's a couple days ago, just listed them now
    For the time inbetween when I was working on my store I was busy with current orders

    I check prices for all/most lots, and adjust bulk discounts as quantity changes, so it's not just a few clicks for me.

    Part out ratio 2.26, okay. 2.65 when I bought the set last year - a significant drop to be sure but not as much as I've seen some sets fall.
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    I'll do 4 #10756 next for another small part out

    In my state the unemployment benefits calculation meshes badly with my BrickLink business model.
    Each day worked prorates benefits by 1/4 (not 1/5 or 1/7) and any time worked in a day counts. Not so good when taking small orders on a regular basis.
    However, if working on a day anyway I may as well get a lot done. Similarly, if I already reach 4 workdays, 5th, 6th or 7th wouldn't hurt.
    I could rush to do something before midnight (which I sometimes do anyway for simpler accounting) or leave it til after, similar for the weekend, without delaying shipment.
    I don't want to suspend operations, even if that doesn't lose benefits as quitting/refusing work, in case that hurts business longterm. One of my flaws as a businessman is being too focused on making money on a particular deal when that could hurt my business overall, and I don't want to do that here.
  • rbozarthrbozarth Member Posts: 94
    First month over 100 orders!  Thank you all if you have found my store from my posts here and ordered.  I have been able to keep my inventory up above 75,000 parts during the high demand.  Most recent part out was the Hidden Side Lighthouse if you're looking for those items.

    Bozbricks
    store.bricklink.com/bozbricks
    KingAlanI
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    10756 was a really easy sort - not only a small quantity of a small set but Juniors is simple (but since Juniors MSRP is particularly high per piece I need to wait for very large discounts - these were 65% off, a lot of regular sets are good part out deals around 40%)

    Small order midafternoon that I just barely was able to mail on time

    Huge simple order late afternoon ready for the mail carrier to pick up tomorrow:
    Most of the minifigures I had left from #40161 (S@H had that on sale for the longest time, and allowed repeat orders, so I got dozens), also all my transparent part 15303 (spring shooter dart).

    @rbozarth I keep financial stats by month but not number of orders
    My inventory is just above 80K items (and 5K lots, though 2K are empty stockroom lots)

  • DB361DB361 Member Posts: 299
    KingAlanI said:
    10756 was a really easy sort - not only a small quantity of a small set but Juniors is simple (but since Juniors MSRP is particularly high per piece I need to wait for very large discounts - these were 65% off, a lot of regular sets are good part out deals around 40%)

    Is Juniors ever really worth it to part out, though? The huge specialised parts I find are nigh on impossible to sell, even if you do it's for pennies at best, and are a pain in the backside to store. Only ever done one or two, and probably won't be going near any more 4+ sets, at least not for a part out.
    KingAlanI
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,556
    DB361 said:
    KingAlanI said:
    10756 was a really easy sort - not only a small quantity of a small set but Juniors is simple (but since Juniors MSRP is particularly high per piece I need to wait for very large discounts - these were 65% off, a lot of regular sets are good part out deals around 40%)

    Is Juniors ever really worth it to part out, though? The huge specialised parts I find are nigh on impossible to sell, even if you do it's for pennies at best, and are a pain in the backside to store. Only ever done one or two, and probably won't be going near any more 4+ sets, at least not for a part out.
    For Juniors sets it is all about the minifigures. If they have popular characters that are unique at the time, they can be worth it. The Batman and Robin in the Defend the Batcave set, for example, only appeared in that set and the SDCC set at the time and it was possible to sell just the two figures for more than the value of the set.
    KingAlanI
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    With #10756 a lot of the value is in the pteranodon figure. Like any set with a few high value lots, there's a risk even if the total is a good number
    I've done well with #10742, #10722, #10723 and #10728 before

    Parted out much of 1 #70144 - got several figless sets cheap/free from @SumoLego a couple years ago and finally doing something with them. sorting and listing lot by lot in case something's missing; I sometimes used those piles as a backup if my inventory was short. Includes 2 black part 44809 which go for nearly $4

    I've even parted out DUPLO - bulky to store and ship and can be even slower moving so I look for higher part out ratios - but even easier to sort. Sorted and listed 3 #10862 today.

    PS
    BL does something irritating that a lot of websites do - an incorrect URL redirects to another page so I can't simply fix a typo and try again. but with BL it often happens filling in a template URL with part/color numbers

  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    Sorted and listed much of the rest of that #70144
    Starting a big part out next, 5 #70838
    in addition to adding to inventory and price cuts on old inventory, I'm happy about all the packaging I got out for this week's garbage pickup.
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    Only just started sorting those 70838's.

    So many magenta plates! Separated my bin for those into Plain Rectangle and Not Plain Rectangle, the first time I've split a bin's contents in awhile. I avoid condensing lightly filled bins in case I just get more parts of those categories later

    That's a division I've used for many other colors I have a lot of. Sometimes I use not modified/modified, perhaps further splitting not modified by rectangle or not. A rectangle being 4 sides and 4 90 degree angles technically includes squares (when all sides are the same length, versus opposite sides being different length from adjacent sides) so I can use that label with sorting those separately.

    Sometimes current orders keep me from sorting pieces for future sales, but business hasn't been crazy. Mainly I was preoccupied reading the news.

  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    Slow but steady on sorting 70838's

    The set inventory (http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemInv.asp?S= followed by the set number, like http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemInv.asp?S=70838-1) is a key reference. For instance, even if I know the part's technical name and number it's good to know how many to look for (if a few are in one bag I might get out too small a container not knowing there are more in another bag)

    I dump a bag into an appropriately sized storage bin and dump small bag(s) into smaller bin(s). 1 quart food containers of the kind often seen with Chinese takeout are good for the latter, compared to 6 quart and larger Sterilite tubs. They're thoroughly washed and dried of course; since I only need a few, I feel no need to buy them in bulk new.

    If the bag has minifigs, I sort those first - so any ordinary parts that go with the fig don't get mixed in with the other ordinary parts.

    I generally start with larger parts as they're easier to find. I also prioritize transparent parts - the plastic can be scratched by the plastic used for regular parts. Similarly, I focus on parts with smooth surfaces (tiles, curved slopes, etc) whatever their color.

    To make sure I find everything, I look for a multiple of the number of sets I'm parting out. Even if nothing's missing this saves me a second pass when sorting.

  • rbozarthrbozarth Member Posts: 94
    Four more Darth Maul with Crimson Dawn Medal Minifigs added today as well as 3 White Boba Fetts to my inventory.

    store.bricklink.com/bozbricks
  • rbozarthrbozarth Member Posts: 94
    Now over 80,000 parts in my store thanks to the recent part out of four copies of 75551 Brick Built Minions sets.  

    store.bricklink.com/bozbricks
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    besides saving money on smaller packaging, if something fits snugly in a small package I don't want it sliding around in larger packaging

    Thought I was nearly out of tiny bubblemailers (smaller than number 0), eBay fantasybuy2 had a deal on 500 number 000, soon after that I found where I put several dozen 000. not perishable and the cashflow hit wasn't too bad, but still unnecessary, and I'm already having trouble finding places to put all my inventory

    eBay supplyhut seems to have the best deals on size 0 and larger
    I use a relatively large amount of 0's, small amount of 2's and very few 6's and 7's. The Priority Mail padded flatrate envelope is as wide as 4 (though not as long) so I don't feel a need to carry anything else in that size range
  • rbozarthrbozarth Member Posts: 94
    76165 Ironman Bust set on hand and listed in store.  Only have one left for sale online.

    store.bricklink.com/bozbricks
  • rbozarthrbozarth Member Posts: 94
    76108 Sanctum Santorum X 2 part out announcement.  Looking to make a modular out of this great set?  Parts and all figures for 2 full sets now in stock in my store.

    Thank You,
    Bozbricks

    store.bricklink.com/bozbricks
  • rbozarthrbozarth Member Posts: 94
    76896 Nissan GTR X 5 part out announcement.  All parts listed at 6 month average sales price and I ship within 1 day of confirmed payment.

    Thank You,
    Bozbricks

    store.bricklink.com/bozbricks
  • Speedman29Speedman29 Member Posts: 2,338
    Had a very strange BL experience this week. I had a number of orders to place, all around the £5-10 mark, nothing huge. Four sellers had instant payment via PP as soon as I ordered as is usual. One sent a message the next morning with the invoice again with a PP link. The final seller though....
    1. Order placed
    2. Next morning I get a weird message saying I'd asked for seller shipping options. (no other options available)
    3. Then I get a message with a flow chart detailing all the steps in the BL shopping experience!
    4. Another day I get a message asking to choose a shipping method.
    5. Replied quickly asking for standard shipping (Its a dozen lots, 30 pieces total)
    6. Another day and I I finally get an invoice with the sellers PP details to paste manually into PP.
    7. Four days after placing the order I get confirmation they'll be packing it. The other five orders, all placed at the same time have all arrived before this one has even shipped!
    I can't fault the sellers communication, it just seems they've taken a fairly simple system and made it far more complicated than they need to be. 
    Mr_CrossKingAlanI
  • rbozarthrbozarth Member Posts: 94
    The Sith
    Sculptures: Mosaic: Star Wars : 31200-1

    X3 part out announcement.  Looking to make the large version?  Parts for 3 full sets now in stock in my store.

    Thank You,
    Bozbricks

    store.bricklink.com/bozbricks
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    @Speedman29 it does sound overly complicated - for your order, maybe it makes sense for larger orders. maybe it's to be clear for newbies but painfully obvious for an expert
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    Got my 2nd neutral a few days ago, couldn't find an item in inventory so I admit I kinda deserved that one. My 1st was one time where it took me several days to ship, had been dealing with a ton of orders that week, that was fair as well.
    no negatives. got one removed for (mild) bad language after I canceled an order for a buyer who whined about the minimum S&H

    my store's been quiet, just filling orders of existing inventory
    been occupied with work and non-LEGO hobbies

    Finally listed the #40407 from the S&H order I got a couple weeks ago
  • Speedman29Speedman29 Member Posts: 2,338
    I have one neg as a buyer. The seller made a big deal on their shipping page about orders being processed in 24hrs and shipped within two days. Ordered about £5 worth of parts, nothing too tricky. Took eight days to finally ship and then said I was impatient!
    KingAlanI
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    Later in September, BrickLink will be automatically collecting sales tax for buyers in some states. https://www.thebrickfan.com/bricklink-to-start-charging-sales-tax-and-vat/ mentions CA,CT and more to be named later. Whether NY is one of those is the pertinent question.

    https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=2501 is the BL FAQ for this "feature".
    says onsite Paypal or Stripe will be required for it.

    16. Is this another effort by BrickLink to get everybody to use onsite payment methods only?

    No, this is about our obligation to collect sales tax directly from buyers. Due to the flexibility required to be a worldwide marketplace, we will likely be offering offsite payment methods for a long time to come.

    implies I could still handle sales tax manually for other payment methods.



  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    I don't do well on selling CMFs - even waiting for them to go on sale and being picky about which ones I buy, I have a lot of unsold inventory and when I sell them it can take awhile, I about break even or even lost slightly.
  • rbozarthrbozarth Member Posts: 94
    KingAlanI said:
    I don't do well on selling CMFs - even waiting for them to go on sale and being picky about which ones I buy, I have a lot of unsold inventory and when I sell them it can take awhile, I about break even or even lost slightly.
    I agree on this 100%.  I often only buy them to make my own set and sell off the doubles for a very small profit.

    store.bricklink.com/bozbricks

    KingAlanI
  • DB361DB361 Member Posts: 299
    Do you sell them as complete 'Sets' or part them out/sell the figures separately from the accessories? I used to sell as full sets, therefore they were listed in the 'Sets' category on Bricklink, and like you guys had terrible sales from them. But about 6 months ago I reorganised them so most of the figures are sold under the 'Minifigures' category, with some others parted the figures out completely, and in both cases with the accessories parted out. Sales of CMF's since I've done that have been very good. I wouldn't say astronomical, and I still will only buy at rock bottom clearance prices, but it's something worth thinking about to turn unsold and unwanted stock into desirable listings.
    KingAlanI
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,556
    I don't think new series of CMFs are attracting as many new collectors these days, so fewer people are going back to older but recent series to buy them. Plus it is now almost impossible to catch up on 20 series, so people may well not bother even buying past ones. If you buy at 50% off you can usually make a little profit after a year. Of course if you can get some of the few popular ones you are in luck. Sometimes it is worth parting them out completely. I've recently finished selling off parts to the heroic knight. I wanted the legs and torsos for Gondor soldiers (x20). His helmet sells for about $6, more than I paid for the figures! The fright knight also has decent parts when sold separately.
    KingAlanI
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354

    I sell figure with stand and accessories but no packaging, basically a complete set. I'd open anyway so confirm identification, less reason to keep the bag then. I can recycle the insert. Less space to store and less weight to ship.

    I have sold figure-only or parts when I happened to want something from it myself, but not as a matter of course. I have occasionally gotten stuck with CMFs from misidentification and figure I may as well sell those even if at a loss.

    About 50% off is good. around full price, even what look like hot figures might not turn a profit.

    Recently sold a figure I got about 25% off for a slight profit
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    BL pet peeve - buyers who respond to a reminder message or an NPB with something like "I don't know how to pay". my invoices have very clear payment instructions. Okay, no onsite so no payment link but the invoice even specifically says how to go right to the PayPal website and take care of it there. And why didn't they say something earlier if they were confused?
  • flordflord Member Posts: 797
    Why doesn’t every seller use the Onsite payment method if they take PayPal? Is their cut bigger if you do?
    steinbrique
  • KingAlanIKingAlanI Member Posts: 2,354
    I understanding using paypal onsite now requires connecting through paypal marketplace which gives them control like taking money for refunds. probably wouldn't be a problem in practice but being cautious.
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,556
    KingAlanI said:
    I understanding using paypal onsite now requires connecting through paypal marketplace which gives them control like taking money for refunds. probably wouldn't be a problem in practice but being cautious.
    It has been like this for a year or so, and they have confirmed that they are not using the management type processes (giving buyers refunds) through bricklink. There is no need to when buyers can do their own claims. I offer both paypal onsite and manual paypal payment, I reckon 95% of my orders go through onsite. It makes paying so much simpler, you press on a button and you know the right amount goes to the right paypal account.
    KingAlanI
  • rbozarthrbozarth Member Posts: 94
    100,000 parts!!! It only took a few years but I've finally reached a goal I've had for awhile now.  Thank you all who have visited.

    Bozbricks
    store.bricklink.com/bozbricks
    Aleydita
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