Classic-Castle.com

Hello, Castlers!!

[url=https://flic.kr/p/FQwXWS][img]https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1639/26147147 ... 8187_n.jpg[/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/FQwXWS]https://flic.kr/p/FQwXWS[/url]
(shop link in signature!)

.. Just putting the word out that yesterday I opened my Bricklink Shop up for the first time in close to two years! I've been sitting on a whole tote full of Lego here at my apartment for a LONG time and finally sorted it! (wellllll.. about 95% of it anyway!)

The shop is up and running and I still have to get myself a bit re-adjusted to things there. Does anyone know how shipping works on Bricklink? One trouble I always have when selling Lego parts is determining a shipping price that isn't way over-estimated OR way under-estimated! So any tips would be awesome, especially for international shipping from the USA. Previously I mostly just sold my custom capes, but they're so light-weight that it was never a problem for me.

Anyway, thanks for checking the place out if you do! I'm not in a good position these days to be building and all that but it's nice dipping my hand in the Lego in this way!

PS- Custom capes, Etc. WILL be returning!! Gotta get me a new printer, dig up my designs, make more, and get to work!!

Peace,
~Amanda

Lamanda2 wrote:One trouble I always have when selling Lego parts is determining a shipping price that isn't way over-estimated OR way under-estimated!

I bought a small scale for maybe $15. It only measures from 1-16 oz, but it is sufficient for LEGO parts orders, minifigures, and smaller LEGO sets. I use that to determine the weight of a packed order, and then look up the shipping price on the postal service web site. If it's over 16oz, I have to weigh portions of the order and add them up, but it still works. For big items weighing more than 1 lb, I look up the weight on BrickLink and then guess what the box will weigh and add that amount.

I charge exact cost for shipping, insurance, etc, but I add a $1 handling fee to every order to cover materials, payment fees, etc.

If I over-estimate on shipping, I refund the difference. If I under-estimate on shipping, I eat the cost and say nothing to the customer.

That's worked for me over the past 12+ years, but there are certainly more sophisticated approaches for people who want to spend more setting up.

Thanks, that sounds like a worthy investment! I think my confusion was that when setting up my shop, I had to select different shipping options for customers to choose from, but they all seemed sort of vague to me! (flat rates, maybe?) Does a generic shipping rate get tacked onto received orders, or do I calculate the shipping myself and include it via invoice? It's terrible, I haven't used Bricklink in so long I forgot the procedure!

~Amanda

I never set up any shipping methods. On the Orders Received page, I manually fill in the "Ship.", "Insur.", and "Add Chrg." boxes after an order comes in, submit changes, and then send the invoice.

rogue27 wrote:I never set up any shipping methods. On the Orders Received page, I manually fill in the "Ship.", "Insur.", and "Add Chrg." boxes after an order comes in, submit changes, and then send the invoice.

Wow, it's been so long, I forgot about the whole process! Okay, awesome. Thanks for your info, it really helped me out/jogged my memory, too!

~Amanda