As the release of the Brick Classifieds feature nears, we wanted to add a new forum dedicated to it.  This will be the place that we will make announcements and updates regarding Brick Classifieds. One of the first announcements I am going to make is that I am looking for some members that have the time and really want to post on Brick Classifieds.  Overall we are looking for an initial group of people that devote time to help populate the site with real listings.  When we open the site to the rest of group, we want you to be able to see instantly how it will look and feel. I would really like to invite members who have no less than 30-50 sets and/or minifigures that they will be willing to take new photos and put in solid details.  Remember, the #1 rule of this site is that you need to upload at least one real photo of the actual set(s) you will be selling.  No stock photos will be allowed unless accompanied by an actual photo of the item being sold.  We will go over these rules more as I create a Brick Classifieds (Beta) forum to discuss and issues or concerns.

 

The first phase of the release of Brick Classifieds will be mostly about loading the site with listings.  That without a doubt is key to getting the site recognition.  As we have mentioned before all listings will be FREE during a beta period which will probably be a few months long.  Ed and I have had many discussions about what our goal is with this site.  Our overall feelings have been that it should be an extremely easy to use system for posting sets.  Those of you that are familiar with eBay should feel right at home here.  Much of the concept of adding/buying items and posting feedback is almost the same.  It's simple.  Nothing here will blow your mind as far as features go. It's meant to be simple but effective. As time goes on, more features will be added when we feel that they will make the most impact.

 

If you have 30 or more items that you would like to post and have the time to put in solid effort in creating good listings so that everyone can get an idea for what the site will be like, please send me a PM or post in here.  Sometime in the next week or so I will invite you into a Private Beta forum.

 

One special note that we would like to put out there is that we have decided to allow everyone to create a new account.  It will not initially be tied to your Brickpicker account in anyway.  So for those of you that are concerned about all the BS that has been going on, you can start fresh here.  For those of you that don't care about all this, you can use your BP username so that people will know who you are and feel confident.  For many of you I think this can be a huge benefit.   As I open up new features for sales with the Brickfolio, there will be a hook that will tie accounts together privately if you wish.  We will get into this more later, but just wanted to put it out there.

 

Over the next few days, we will talk more about features, show screenshots, etc.  We appreciate you being patient, but hopefully by getting it going now, I can start to get marketing going and help everyone have a great holiday season this year

If you still need more people to list items then please consider me as well. eBay ID is scoob222000 with 610 100% positive feedback. Vast majority of my transactions are lego related. I normally have around 40-50 items listed, but currently only have about 15. I have been letting them expire until I decide what I want to do about the new seller fees and lack of free listings they no longer offer.

We would like to get as many serious people as possible.

I would like to be considered for this. I have quite  few sets that I would like to offer........

I'm in too, thanks guys.

I would like to participate. And I have plenty to post, we're downsized for 6 months while a house is being built so I have some inventory to move. Top Rated Seller on eBay, I can share my user name in PM if needed. 

 

Question for clarification as I might have missed it (just scanned to end of thread). Do the items need to be on here exclusively, or can they be listed on multiple sites at once? Guessing the former. 

If there are any openings, I would like to participate.

Jeff/Ed -- you can count me in as a beta tester as well.

Sign me up for the beta test. :)

Please consider me in

I would like to participate. And I have plenty to post, we're downsized for 6 months while a house is being built so I have some inventory to move. Top Rated Seller on eBay, I can share my user name in PM if needed.

Question for clarification as I might have missed it (just scanned to end of thread). Do the items need to be on here exclusively, or can they be listed on multiple sites at once? Guessing the former.

People have to keep track of their inventory. We cannot police where they post items for sale, nor will we try. But if an item sells on this site, we expect the seller to complete the deal, without any issues or excuses.

Sent from my iPad using Brickpicker

I presume fee structures will be posted when the beta portion becomes live?

Please count me in if possible, I have over 30 items to list. Thank you.

Yeah if you want to be allowed to sell here I would venture to say that the item(s) you list here should not be listed anywhere else.

I presume fee structures will be posted when the beta portion becomes live?

The basic startup fees, after the initial free Beta, will be posted. A lot really depends on the community and their interest and involvement in the Classifieds. Listen, we all want to make money, but to be quite honest, we have to actually see how much work Jeff and I have to put into this to make it work. The community can help by getting involved and posting their sets correctly and making the deals happen. We want to charge very cost effective fees...basically dirt cheap, but in order to advertise these listings properly, it will cost us money, so it can't be free.

Jeff has some really great ideas he will share as we mature and develop the Classifieds, but we have to crawl before we walk, so exact numbers and structure/features of the site will be in flux. You will be impressed with what we have in the way a simple and usable interface. The Classifieds can be the answer to high fees on eBay/Amazon and possible future fee increases on Bricklink. If people price their sets properly, list their sets properly and ship their sets properly, the Classifieds will work and everyone will be happy. Abuse the system and it will damage the entire community and it's reputation. We want people to save money by using the Classifieds, but we also want members to pass on some of those savings to buyers as well.

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First off, thanks for all the hard work that has been put into this, I'm looking forward to seeing it. However, I'm curious what the target audience is for this. Though many of us on here are collectors, most are investors first and will obviously be trying to sell sets for profit. It seems like it would be difficult to sell to other investors who will be looking to pick up sets cheaper. Will the site be attempting to draw in a new audience to purchase these sets?

First off, thanks for all the hard work that has been put into this, I'm looking forward to seeing it. However, I'm curious what the target audience is for this. Though many of us on here are collectors, most are investors first and will obviously be trying to sell sets for profit. It seems like it would be difficult to sell to other investors who will be looking to pick up sets cheaper. Will the site be attempting to draw in a new audience to purchase these sets?

I think having a dirt cheap fee here will offset on how we sell our item compare to selling at ebay or amazon?

Are you looking for 30-40 different sets/items or a total listing of 30-40 that might include multiples of one item ?

Basic question for whoever is willing to answer:

 

Is this classified feature geared toward secondary market to secondary market (brickpicker to brickpicker) or is it aimed at the primary market (ebay alternative)? There is a huge difference which is why I ask. If it's the latter, is the feature going to be independent of brickpicker (standalone site) or connected? 

Agreed there is a difference but I think it can function in both capacities. I could be wrong but that's how I see it working. Also from what I know it will be integrated and will not stand alone.

Agreed there is a difference but I think it can function in both capacities. I could be wrong but that's how I see it working. Also from what I know it will be integrated and will not stand alone.

 

Thanks for the answer, I appreciate it. Here is why I ask:

 

I am very curious if the owners of this site thought this feature through and I'd like to hear their strategy with this. Not saying that as an insult but out of honest curiosity. At a very basic conceptual level I see problems with such a feature if it is aimed at the primary market and if it's linked to BP. 

 

To me if it is geared toward the primary market it would be very prudent to branch off and be independent from brickpicker. Why? Simply because the sole purpose of this site is for secondary market players to strategize and communicate Lego deals so that we can profit off primary market consumers. That is the sole purpose of this site. Collecting is a very remote second purpose overall. It is undoubtedly about maximizing $$$. You see it in nearly every post. One can sugarcoat it in a ton of different ways but it is what it is. If the classifieds feature is left attached to this site people will find out the purpose of the community and the type of people that are selling on the classifieds. Amazon and Ebay without a doubt have scalpers as well, sure. Of course they do. But their classifieds feature is a mix of scalpers and what I will call "legitimate sellers." They did not spawn from a $$$-driven community like us (we are almost 100% scalpers). Again, feel free to disagree on my description but it is what it is.

 

If it's hard to understand why this is an issue I encourage you to think about it: 

 

Say you are interested in widget xyz. A site opens up that sells xyz products at largely inflated prices (this is what BPers do by nature, myself included). However, after creating an account and browsing the forum you see that the community is built on profiting on people like yourself. That is the sole purpose of the community. For me, I will do everything in my power to NOT buy it from this community unless I absolutely had to. Step back and think about this for a bit. It's not the same as Ebay or Amazon--there is a distinction.

 

At the basic conceptual level I see issues. What's the strategy for this? Again, I am curious not trying to be rude. 

Ready to join this new feature

The basic startup fees, after the initial free Beta, will be posted. A lot really depends on the community and their interest and involvement in the Classifieds. Listen, we all want to make money, but to be quite honest, we have to actually see how much work Jeff and I have to put into this to make it work. The community can help by getting involved and posting their sets correctly and making the deals happen. We want to charge very cost effective fees...basically dirt cheap, but in order to advertise these listings properly, it will cost us money, so it can't be free.

Jeff has some really great ideas he will share as we mature and develop the Classifieds, but we have to crawl before we walk, so exact numbers and structure/features of the site will be in flux. You will be impressed with what we have in the way a simple and usable interface. The Classifieds can be the answer to high fees on eBay/Amazon and possible future fee increases on Bricklink. If people price their sets properly, list their sets properly and ship their sets properly, the Classifieds will work and everyone will be happy. Abuse the system and it will damage the entire community and it's reputation. We want people to save money by using the Classifieds, but we also want members to pass on some of those savings to buyers as well.

Sent from my iPad using Brickpicker

Ok that works for me, I dont believe you will see an issue from some of the group that.has stepped for the testing. Im sure I can soeak.for the majority of us when I saw we appreciate a system like this being implemented especially seeing how crazy some other sites are getting. Not too mention what may be coming down the pipeline

Ready to join this new feature

Representing European Customers :-)

 

Don't forget EU

Are you looking for 30-40 different sets/items or a total listing of 30-40 that might include multiples of one item ?

 

Overall I am looking to start with people that have no less than 30 separate items to list.  If you have 300 great. The more the merrier. 

Thanks for the answer, I appreciate it. Here is why I ask:

I am very curious if the owners of this site thought this feature through and I'd like to hear their strategy with this. Not saying that as an insult but out of honest curiosity. At a very basic conceptual level I see problems with such a feature if it is aimed at the primary market and if it's linked to BP.

To me if it is geared toward the primary market it would be very prudent to branch off and be independent from brickpicker. Why? Simply because the sole purpose of this site is for secondary market players to strategize and communicate Lego deals so that we can profit off primary market consumers. That is the sole purpose of this site. Collecting is a very remote second purpose overall. It is undoubtedly about maximizing $$$. You see it in nearly every post. One can sugarcoat it in a ton of different ways but it is what it is. If the classifieds feature is left attached to this site people will find out the purpose of the community and the type of people that are selling on the classifieds. Amazon and Ebay without a doubt have scalpers as well, sure. Of course they do. But their classifieds feature is a mix of scalpers and what I will call "legitimate sellers." They did not spawn from a $$$-driven community like us (we are almost 100% scalpers). Again, feel free to disagree on my description but it is what it is.

If it's hard to understand why this is an issue I encourage you to think about it:

Say you are interested in widget xyz. A site opens up that sells xyz products at largely inflated prices (this is what BPers do by nature, myself included). However, after creating an account and browsing the forum you see that the community is built on profiting on people like yourself. That is the sole purpose of the community. For me, I will do everything in my power to NOT buy it from this community unless I absolutely had to. Step back and think about this for a bit. It's not the same as Ebay or Amazon--there is a distinction.

At the basic conceptual level I see issues. What's the strategy for this? Again, I am curious not trying to be rude.

How hard do you think it is for people to find this site the way it is? It shows up when you search for sets all the time. Bricklink has a price guide and billions of resellers it doesn't look like that has hurt them at all? They do no marketing what so ever, but yet people find them and buy from them. eBay has the tools for searching for what the set has recently sold for. Is there really any mystery left.

The goal here is to give super low fees so that you as a seller can offer good pricing that will offset the high fees and move inventory. Of course we are going to market it, but whether its attached to this site or not is irrelevant. If I don't attach it to the site, I think that would be bonehead move #1. Thousands of visitors come here a day already from Google and other search engines. If I don't start to market it on the home page with new listings so that people can find it and take a look, I am already hurting business. If I start all over at a new domain, well, I am starting over. People at least can learn the history here at Brickpicker. It has an established member base of almost 30,000 people. That sounds pretty good to me to start looking, no? Are you going to inflate all your prices, if so, don't expect many sales no matter where you go. People are not that dumb.

If you see too many issues for you, then I understand you don't want to try it and that is ok. Ed and I are going to give it our best shot. What do you really have to lose?

Thanks for the answer, I appreciate it. Here is why I ask:

 

I am very curious if the owners of this site thought this feature through and I'd like to hear their strategy with this. Not saying that as an insult but out of honest curiosity. At a very basic conceptual level I see problems with such a feature if it is aimed at the primary market and if it's linked to BP. 

 

To me if it is geared toward the primary market it would be very prudent to branch off and be independent from brickpicker. Why? Simply because the sole purpose of this site is for secondary market players to strategize and communicate Lego deals so that we can profit off primary market consumers. That is the sole purpose of this site. Collecting is a very remote second purpose overall. It is undoubtedly about maximizing $$$. You see it in nearly every post. One can sugarcoat it in a ton of different ways but it is what it is. If the classifieds feature is left attached to this site people will find out the purpose of the community and the type of people that are selling on the classifieds. Amazon and Ebay without a doubt have scalpers as well, sure. Of course they do. But their classifieds feature is a mix of scalpers and what I will call "legitimate sellers." They did not spawn from a $$$-driven community like us (we are almost 100% scalpers). Again, feel free to disagree on my description but it is what it is.

 

If it's hard to understand why this is an issue I encourage you to think about it: 

 

Say you are interested in widget xyz. A site opens up that sells xyz products at largely inflated prices (this is what BPers do by nature, myself included). However, after creating an account and browsing the forum you see that the community is built on profiting on people like yourself. That is the sole purpose of the community. For me, I will do everything in my power to NOT buy it from this community unless I absolutely had to. Step back and think about this for a bit. It's not the same as Ebay or Amazon--there is a distinction.

 

At the basic conceptual level I see issues. What's the strategy for this? Again, I am curious not trying to be rude.

We definitely appreciate your politeness. All the naysayers have had their voice and like Jeff said if if doesn't look it's your style or won't help you simply don't use it. Non harm no foul. There was definitely many discussions in the past year leading up to this roll out. You can use the search engine to read through those discussions.