BrickLink Discussion Forum

In Administrative, CE_Anastasia writes:

Dear BrickLink sellers,

Please kindly note I opened a ticket about this years ago (not resolved), so
we still do NOT receive e-mails sent though mailchimp or whoever you use to send
Announcements.

But if sent from @bricklink or @lego, no problem of course.

So, please inform sellers from bricklink and not through the mass e-mail
provider.

Thank you!

Author:

CE_Anastasia

Posted:

Apr 29, 2024 13:16

Subject:

Changes for EU Sellers in 2024

Viewed:

947 times

Topic:

Dear BrickLink sellers,

As the next step in making sure that we are in compliance with the EU DAC-7 regulations,
we will start collecting additional information from BrickLink Sellers shortly.
To see if you qualify as a Business Seller, please check with Article 8ac of
the EU Council Directive: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32021L0514

Information that we will be collecting includes the following:
 - Name of business, 
- Business registration number, including a supporting document. As different  rules
apply for each EU member state, refer to your local authority for directions,
 - Tax Identification Number (TIN), including a supporting document: https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/tin/#/check-tin 
- OSS Number and/ or VAT ID for each country of registration:  https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/online-sellers_en

You may be aware that we already started requesting this from new Business Sellers
last year. For more details, go to our previous forum post regarding DAC-7: https://www.bricklink.com/messageThread.asp?ID=332298.
We are now starting the process of collecting this information for all of our
existing Business Sellers.

Existing Business Sellers should add this information to their accounts by December
31, 2024. After submission, documents will be reviewed by BrickLink.

To ensure that everyone’s requests are handled in a consistent and timely manner,
we will be requesting account updates in waves, by country. We strongly advise
our members to add information to their accounts by the deadline for their corresponding
countries. We will be sending out emails with further details and instructions
for each country in accordance with a schedule. We recommend that you start collecting
the required documentation as soon as possible and await further instructions
for how to add this to your account.

Kind Regards,
The BrickLink Team

Author:

cosmicray

Posted:

Apr 29, 2024 07:26

Subject:

Re: US sellers: Shipping methods update

Viewed:

47 times

Topic:

In Administrative, dcarmine writes:

I changed to the new API last Wednesday and all orders stopped. I don't
think it's working yet? No way for me to tell exactly, I changed mine back
to a my manual chart. Maybe you can test it on your side.

Thanks
Donna

An observation, is that orders (without any shipping method changes) went into
a very slow patch for a several days. Do you have a test account ? Might be worth
putting a few things into a shopping cart and see if they calculate correctly,
and based upon the correct zone.

What is not clear (from the announcement) is ... how is BL arriving at the zone
(and the correct postage). The old API method pre-dated when USPS switched to
zone based PM and FCPS. With the new system, you can do it via a API call to
USPS or by loading your own tables and doing a 2-step table lookup (one lookup
for the ZIP-code to zone calculation and one lookup for the actual postage values).

More recently USPS has applied a need for package dimensions, because larger
packages get surcharges. Presumably the API calls also have to supply package
dimensions, else then will generate incorrect results (or possibly refuse to
generate any result). Any table lookup methodology should also need to be sensitive
to package size (because large packages have surcharges).

If BL is using the API calls, then the package dimensions would be a requirement
(just like they are on Pirate Ship). I hope someone from BL can enlighten us
about how this was implemented.

Nita Rae

Author:

dcarmine

Posted:

Apr 27, 2024 22:11

Subject:

Re: US sellers: Shipping methods update

Viewed:

67 times

Topic:

Dear BrickLink sellers in the United States,

We have removed these outdated API-based shipping methods:
• Domestic USPS First-Class Packages (retail),
• Domestic USPS First-Class Packages (commercial).

Starting from today, you will be seeing the following shipping methods in your
Store Settings instead:
• USPS Ground Advantage (commercial),
• USPS Ground Advantage (retail),
• USPS Priority Mail (commercial),
• USPS Priority Mail (retail).

As usual, you can access the new USPS rates for Courier API methods upon selecting
each method in the Rate Chart.

Thank you,
The BrickLink Team

Author:

popsicle

Posted:

Apr 25, 2024 14:07

Subject:

Re: Direct Seller Fee Payments

Viewed:

122 times

Topic:

In Administrative, CE_Anastasia writes:

So you're still offering "3 as before" payment methods, only on a
case-by-case basis? How about rephrasing your announcement to "Please submit
your fee payments via these 2 methods, the third is no longer desired - Thank
you, Your BrickLink Team"

Usually, this happens when
a) Sellers are closing their stores temporarily or permanently,
b) Sellers have an outstanding balance that is below the annual threshold for
collection. Accounts like that are billed on December 5th every year, more about
this here: https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=38 in the Minimum Bill Requirement
section.

Please reach out to us or comment here if you have any questions.

Just my (hopefully helpful

) comment.

Thank you,
The BrickLink Team

Author:

CE_Anastasia

Posted:

Apr 25, 2024 13:08

Subject:

Direct Seller Fee Payments

Viewed:

869 times

Topic:

Dear BrickLink sellers,

Starting from today, we will be accepting monthly seller fee payments made in
2 ways, instead of 3 as before:
1. Paid with your PayPal account by using the 'Pay with PayPal' button
on your Fees page,
2. Paid with a debit or credit card by using the 'Pay with Card' link
on your Fees page.

Seller fee payments that are sent to our PayPal account at billing@bricklink.com
will not be accepted anymore except for cases when sellers need to pay off their
remaining balance immediately.

Usually, this happens when
a) Sellers are closing their stores temporarily or permanently,
b) Sellers have an outstanding balance that is below the annual threshold for
collection. Accounts like that are billed on December 5th every year, more about
this here: https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=38 in the Minimum Bill Requirement
section.

Please reach out to us or comment here if you have any questions.

Thank you,
The BrickLink Team

Author:

cosmicray

Posted:

Apr 24, 2024 17:50

Subject:

Re: US sellers: Shipping methods update

Viewed:

45 times

Topic:

In Administrative, CE_Anastasia writes:

This is great news ! Now, will they (the new and improved methods) correctly
identify and select the zone (as determined by the first 3 digits of the seller's
zip and the first 3 digits of the buyer's zip) ? All of the Priority Mail
methods (ignoring flat rate) and all of the Ground Advantage require knowledge
of the zone.

The old API methods did not identify/use the zones.

Nita Rae

Author:

Stellar

Posted:

Apr 24, 2024 05:44

Subject:

Re: US sellers: Shipping methods update

Viewed:

54 times

Topic:

In Administrative, CE_Anastasia writes:

Seems a good change, hope it gets emailed to all USA sellers.

Author:

AlternatePieces

Posted:

Apr 24, 2024 01:25

Subject:

Re: US sellers: Shipping methods update

Viewed:

59 times

Topic:

In Administrative, AlternatePieces writes:

In Administrative, CE_Anastasia writes:

Looks like this change removed the method I was using to do automatic invoicing
for packages under 16 oz (since First-Class were restricted to 16 oz or less)
and manual invoicing for all others. I've poked around on the shipping methods
page and can't figure out how to get that working again. Any suggestions?

Note that the First Class shipping method I was using also automatically changed
to USPS Ground Advantage, which let an order I would have manually invoiced through
and cost me ~$4 in shipping fees beyond what the customer paid. At least I know
why it happened now.

Author:

AlternatePieces

Posted:

Apr 24, 2024 01:19

Subject:

Re: US sellers: Shipping methods update

Viewed:

53 times

Topic:

In Administrative, CE_Anastasia writes:

Author:

popsicle

Posted:

Apr 23, 2024 14:11

Subject:

Re: US sellers: Shipping methods update

Viewed:

74 times

Topic:

In Administrative, CE_Anastasia writes:

+1

Makes sense, though maybe sign-off as "Your BrickLink Team"

A matter of perspective, still

Author:

CE_Anastasia

Posted:

Apr 23, 2024 14:02

Subject:

US sellers: Shipping methods update

Viewed:

249 times

Topic:

Author:

Tuffduck

Posted:

Apr 14, 2024 08:08

Subject:

Re: New policy on Forum sales posts

Viewed:

100 times

Topic:

Thanks

In Administrative, Admin_Russell writes:

Hello everyone,

We are implementing a change of policy in regard to Sales posts in the Forum.
As the number of sellers has grown and as our site becomes more and more of a
premium marketplace, there is more incentive to advertise in the Forum and this
has led to an overabundance of posts under the Sales topic.

To be sure, there are a few members who have abused the Sales post feature, running
what seem to be constant deep discounts on everything in their store or in certain
categories. Most members who post in Sales, however, are not currently abusing
the feature, but we want to reduce the overall prominence of Sales posts.

The policy has been changed from a maximum of one per day to a maximum of one
per month. Please see the screenshot below.

Sellers posting more frequently may incur a friendly flooding ban for one month.
These are non-cumulative bans and will not go on your record. Bans will be lifted
immediately if the member contacts us and lets us know they agree to the new
policy.

Only the initial post in a thread counts toward the total Sales posts. Replies
will not count unless it is obvious that someone is posting to circumvent the
new policy.

This policy will be in place for the next 6 months after which we will assess
the situation.

**************

A word about "good" sales posts

On the BrickLink platform, visual presentation is a big part of our success.
This is why nice images are so critical to the catalog. When we see the same
one-line-of-text Sales posts cut and pasted over and over, it doesn't really
engage buyers. In fact, you may turn people off with such posts, especially if
they are done with frequency.

We're thinking of running a little contest over the next 6 months to reward
the best and most creative sales posts. More details on that later.

Author:

yorbrick

Posted:

Mar 21, 2024 06:11

Subject:

Re: Phishing email

Viewed:

104 times

Topic:

The OTP codes are going to be useless to combat scammers.

The current phishing scam is asking people to sign in with their user name and
password. Once those are entered, on the next page they are asking for the OTP
code that bricklink has sent.

No doubt they are automating logins so the user enters their username and password
on the fake site and then the scammers attempt a login at the real bricklink,
generating the real OTP email and the user then enters this on the fake site.
The scammer then has the username, password and real (and unused) OTP code which
they can use on the real bricklink.

Author:

chriselliottart

Posted:

Mar 20, 2024 23:25

Subject:

Re: Phishing email

Viewed:

74 times

Topic:

In Administrative, CE_Tanja writes:

Dear all,

We have been made aware that phishing emails have been sent to some of our members,
asking them to log in to "Bricklinks.net" (note the s in the name)

This is an attempt to get people to share their BrickLink login information.
Please do not try to log on as there is a risk that the information will be
used to illegally access your BrickLink account.

We would like to remind you that we have implemented OTP (One-Time PIN) which
is an additional security that even if they have gotten access to your username
and password, they will not be able to access your account if you have turned
on OTP.

If you have not chosen to use OTP, we advise that you consider doing so in the
future. You can read more about how to turn on OTP here:
https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=2615&q=OTP

Please update your BrickLink password regularly and make sure to use different
passwords for different platforms.

The BrickLink Team

I also got one of these today from policyking dot net. Besides that, the links
go to a wix site. But the email at a glance without hovering the links or checking
the sender looks pretty legit. Bricklink logo and all.

Author:

yhagger

Posted:

Mar 16, 2024 16:34

Subject:

Re: Norway Tax Implementation

Viewed:

82 times

Topic:

Anastasia has just updated the info page. Hopefully it will get better

https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=2616

"Sellers are required to ensure that VOEC number issued by BrickLink is provided
to Norwegian Customs authorities for each order that contains only low-value
items.

Failure to provide a VOEC number from BrickLink may result in errors and delays
because an order’s value would have to be identified at the border.

How to provide the VOEC number digitally:

Freight by postal service:
Provide the VOEC number (7 digits) via «electronic advance data» (M33/ITMATT
V1.) when booking the freight from your local postal service. Enter your 7-digit
VOEC number in the ITMATT field «sender.identification.reference».

Freight by other transporters, for example couriers, express delivery services:
Enter your VOEC number (7 digits) in the EDI message or via API as directed by
the carrier when booking the freight.

You can find up-to-date information on how to sell goods within the VOEC scheme
to Norwegian consumers here. If you have questions about how to provide your
VOEC number digitally, please contact the carrier of your goods"

Author:

Shanes_Bricks

Posted:

Mar 15, 2024 23:19

Subject:

Re: Introducing One-Time Pin

Viewed:

84 times

Topic:

In Administrative, CE_Anastasia writes:

Dear BrickLink members,

Following the examples of other online marketplaces with regards to security
features such as OTP, we have decided to change the current OTP opt-in feature
to an opt-out feature. This means that sellers will have this feature enabled
automatically in their store settings and will be able to opt-out if they so
desire.
We highly encourage sellers to keep OTP enabled for added account protection.

Additional safety measures may include changing your passwords regularly and
having separate passwords for all your online accounts.

Thank you.
The BrickLink Team

Locked out of my account. I don't receive emails from you. I have orders
to go out. this was a bad idea!!!!!

Author:

Posted:

Mar 15, 2024 17:56

Subject:

Re: Introducing One-Time Pin

Viewed:

80 times

Topic:

It was like a pager system. It got a few orders processed and scanned by the
post office under ten minutes... so it was working. Any offsite emails were ignored
so everything was logged on bricklink email system. Besides average email lengths
have been trending down in size.

In Administrative, 1001bricks writes:

In Administrative, Ra writes:

My email address has a limit of 160 characters

160 chars limit ??? Your're searching for trouble?

There are tons of free plans with no limitations.

I don't recommend the major ones (privacy reasons) like gmail...

But gmx.com for example (I've an address there for 10 yrs no problem), or
any other.

Or for professional use, I recommend subscribing a paid serious service with
no ads etc.
It's worth the $20 or such per year you'll pay for.

Author:

ErwinNL

Posted:

Mar 15, 2024 16:58

Subject:

Re: Introducing One-Time Pin

Viewed:

88 times

Topic:

In Administrative, Brick_Basher writes:

HOLY CRUD you have locked me out of my bricklink with this OTP suddenly.
PLEASE HELP I CAN'T GET IN.
I CAN NOT RECEIVE THE PIN CODE IN MY EMAIL.

For some reason this code is expired by the time the Email is available in my
inbox!!

PLEASE HELP OR TURN THIS OFF FOR ME!!
I CAN'T GET IN TO PROCESS MY ORDERS!!

Dont press the send button when you see the screen, it already mailed you, clicking
it again invalidates the code.

Maybe that helps, it did for me the first time.

Author:

Brick_Basher

Posted:

Mar 15, 2024 16:53

Subject:

Re: Introducing One-Time Pin

Viewed:

81 times

Topic:

Author:

1001bricks

Posted:

Mar 15, 2024 16:33

Subject:

Re: Introducing One-Time Pin

Viewed:

73 times

Topic:

In Administrative, Ra writes:

My email address has a limit of 160 characters

Author:

Posted:

Mar 15, 2024 16:23

Subject:

Re: Introducing One-Time Pin

Viewed:

110 times

Topic:

My email address has a limit of 160 characters and the pin is all the way at
the bottom of a much too long and wordy message and the pin is missing from the
email. Also tried changing email address and that message for pin is also too
long.

So I am locked out

In Administrative, CE_Anastasia writes:

Author:

Tracyd

Posted:

Mar 15, 2024 16:06

Subject:

Re: Introducing One-Time Pin

Viewed:

71 times

Topic: