  
| Author: | NicksVintage  | | Posted: | Jan 24, 2024 17:13 | | Subject: | Re: Important proposal regarding catalog variants | | Viewed: | 60 times | | Topic: | Catalog | |
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| I have long wondered why the wanted list and magic buy features don't include
some kind of auto-check to help buyers make sure they are ordering the mold that
they are looking for. For example, if a buyer is building a MOC that included
a part list with some errors, such as including 3068a (2x2 tile without groove)
when the common 3068b was intended, the user's wanted list could have some
pop-up that says "Are you sure you wanted this uncommon mold variant?"
And offer an option to switch to the common variant with a single click.
You could offer another feature during Magic Buy: run a background magic buy
with all the common variants fixed and show the buyer that they would save X
amount of dollars by switching to the common part variant.
Such a feature would help buyers out with category items that are not being proposed
for merging. One BIG example I have noticed in my store is that buyers are building
something that is obviously a MOC and not a vintage technic set, but they are
ordering the uncommon 4459 technic pin with Long Friction Ridges instead of the
common 2780 version of the pin. I know this isn't one of the items proposed
for merging (nor should it be because those vintage pins are MUCH stronger and
thicker) but If you built such a feature you would save Bricklink buyers money,
and save those pins from the 1980s and 90s for the buyers who are actually looking
for them. It would probably keep the price down on the vintage variants because
they would not be purchased by mistake, dwindling the supply.
I agree with the principle of this proposed merge but, as a seller who has spent
a lot of time and money getting these variants right, I disagree with the heavy-handed
way it is being implemented. I think the merge is not solving this bigger issue
that would give buyers a lot more satisfaction on your site.
In Catalog, Admin_Russell writes:
| | Hello everyone,
As a platform, we have decided to take a hard look at some of the mold variants
that we are currently asking you to recognize. For sellers, more variants means
extra sorting and extra work while pulling orders, plus the issues that arise
from variant misunderstandings.
For buyers, excess variants mean that it's harder to assemble a wanted list,
find stores, and ultimately obtain the parts you are looking for.
I have put together a quick Help page to outline these proposed changes:
https://www.bricklink.com/help.asp?helpID=2625
Notice the date on this is coming up quickly (Feb 1), so I'm not giving a
lot of time for discussion. I'm aiming for about 1 week of discussion and
then we'll give sellers 2 weeks to adjust the descriptions on affected items
if they wish to retain the distinctions.
I plan to construct a full FAQ page with answers to all your questions. This
will serve to inform users about what was done here in February 2024, and also
help point the catalog in the right direction in the future.
To get started, I'll list a few here:
1. This sounds like you're dumbing down the BrickLink catalog to make
it easier for new users. Is that what is going on?
Not really. There are many, many other variants we expect people to sort and
care about. These ones don't really seem to matter much, and some of them
(e.g., the minifigure heads) actually cause problems for the catalog that cannot
be corrected otherwise.
2. What if I really care about a certain variant that is going away? Can I
still buy and sell that variant?
Absolutely! You can add notes to your listings to make them as "determined"
as you wish. Buyers can still search within notes for extra details, or they
can simply observe them as they browse listings.
3. How do I know which exact variants will be merged? I only see one example
in each category.
Please ask in this thread and I can be very specific. Usually we are talking
about a handful of parts and the printed versions.
4. Has a merge like this ever been done before?
Yes, there was a precedent - the Headlight Brick with Slot:
https://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=1016584
It was marked for deletion a few years ago and was finally merged last August.
5. Are these the only parts up for consideration, or are there other variants
that will be merged as well?
This is all for now. Based on how well this goes, we may elect to remove other
entries later. However, we will keep all functional variants and important cosmetic
variants.
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Message is in Reply To:  Important proposal regarding catalog variants - Admin_Russell | Hello everyone, As a platform, we have decided to take a hard look at some of the mold variants that we are currently asking you to recognize. For sellers, more variants means [...]
(5 months ago, Jan 9, 2024, to Catalog) |
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USA, Washington
