Weekly Set Review: Black Falcon's Fortress

[KDog]

I can certainly afford the flag, although it is frustrating to have already spent $70 and now have to spend another $10-$15 on the missing parts. It really is more the point of the matter of not receiving what was described. The seller should at the least write back to say he is sorry but he doesn't have the parts, or offer a $10 refund, or something. But to not write back at all is being a poor seller. I don't think I'm being petty, since I personally like to have complete sets, especially of a classic like this. As I said before, I'm likely at this point to leave neutral feedback, but I'll give him a few more days to get back to me.

[Heir of Black Falcon]

KDog,

I agree. A deal is a deal. If someone offers something as complete that is not it is their fault for not being more detailed in the transaction and should make some show of this error. Its more a principle than price issue. Hope you get some notice of it by the seller.

R

[Robin Hood]

Call me crazy, but that's not really as much as I expected you'd say... sure, I wouldn't want to pay that much JUST for a fancy flag, but if I were in your situation and it was to complete a collector's item, then it's really not that much money compared to if you had a decent paying substantial salary, $8-10 isn't really that much to just throw away. I mean, it's not like you can't afford it.

Well just to put things in perspective, let us consider this. It costs $8-10 dollars, plus shipping, to purchase a piece of ABS plastic the size of a penny. Merely because of it's simple molding and a small paint job. Ten bucks for a piece of plastic one could accidentally swallow. Just to put things in perspective.

Dan

[KDog]

I know I'm always mistaking my Lego for gummy bears.

[CVfan13]

I know I'm always mistaking my Lego for gummy bears.

H-hunh?? You mean there's a difference? o_0 Oh boy, better get to the doctor!

Well, yeah, I guess you're right... it really is too much for that, but considering it's not a lot of money compared to the rest of the things in the world, I'd have no problem if was to to complete an awesome set. One thing you should know about me is that I am NOT cheap.

[Aliencat]

Being cheap has nothing to do with it. If a vintage set that is considered a collectors item, is advertised as complete, and a collector buys it, he can expect it to be complete. And even if the seller wasn't aware of it being incomplete, when pointed out a rare piece (the most rare piece in the set, in fact) is missing, he should get back to the buyer, and at the very least apologize.
What it looks like now, is the seller advertising it as complete and reasoning "I might as well not say the flag is missing, because this way I can get more money for it." which may not be the case, but by not responding he is making it seem that way.

And CVfan13, simply replacing it with a blue flag just doesn't cut it, and I would be very pissed off if I unexpectedly had to spend $10+shipping for a piece that should have been there in the first place.

Saying that $10 is cheap compared to other things in the world is also nonsense, a bag of jellybeans is cheap compared to a Lambourghini, a bycicle is cheap compared to a house, these are really things you can't compare, as Robin Hood also tried to point out, it's $10 for a piece of plastic the size of a penny, that is expensive, no matter how you compare it. You can get a new Lego set with 140 plastic pieces, most of them larger than the flag, for $10.

[draugaer]

I would leave bad feed back if the seller doesn't get back to you. The way I see it, he knew how expensive the blue flag was and probably wants to hoc it seperatly to make more money. If he adverstised the set as being complete then he's just trying to take advantage of you.

give him sometime to prove that hes not a scammer though

[CVfan13]

And CVfan13, simply replacing it with a blue flag just doesn't cut it, and I would be very pissed off if I unexpectedly had to spend $10+shipping for a piece that should have been there in the first place.

That wasn't really my point. The seller is at fault, you're right, and I was just trying to say that I wouldn't mind doing that to replace, though I would still be a bit annoyed at the seller for not including it, rather, not saying it wouldn't be included in the first place. Though, one question, KDog: Were the pieces in Ziploc, or otherwise, bags, or just loosely in the box? If option 2, it's more than likely the piece, as well as the others you said weren't there, probably fell out at some point. Did you thoroughly check the shippingbox and paking material? I've actually had that problem in the past.

[CastleLord]

I don't own it, but i would love to get it i would give it a 10/10.

CastleLord

[Aliencat]

i would give it a 10/10.

A good score and this set deserves it. If you ever have a chance to get it, don't hesitate, this still is one of the best classics ever made in my opinion, and no matter how you look at it, it's a very cool little fortress, and a set that has become an icon for the Black Falcons.
I wanted this one as a kid but didn't get to buy it until about a year ago, and it was even better in real than I had imagined.

[CastleLord]

i would give it a 10/10.

A good score and this set deserves it. If you ever have a chance to get it, don't hesitate, this still is one of the best classics ever made in my opinion, and no matter how you look at it, it's a very cool little fortress, and a set that has become an icon for the Black Falcons.
I wanted this one as a kid but didn't get to buy it until about a year ago, and it was even better in real than I had imagined.

Thanks for the tip maybe i could get it for christmas.

CastleLord.

[nanuck95]

I'm bummed I never had this as a kid and wasn't collecting Lego when it was re-released, it does look really cool. Unfortunately it's expensive if I want to get it now. I'll have to use some of my "allowance" on Legos and get it some day.

As for buying things on ebay, I had a similar experience recently where I bought 6066 Camouflaged Outpost off ebay. The set was advertised as 100% complete, and it came with the box, and all the extra plumes still attached to the plastic tree. Unfortunately it was missing a brown spear, and a brown 1x2 brick. I was a little annoyed that a set being advertised as 100% complete was in fact missing pieces, but being that they were pretty trivial pieces that I already had extras for, I let it go and didn't bother contacting the seller.

If, however, they were important pieces (like the black feather), I would certainly have contacted the seller and either requested a partial refund, or that the seller send the missing pieces. I guess my point is I would continue trying to contact the seller and if he does not respond or does not send you the pieces or some kind of refund, I would give negative feedback and complain to ebay. If you bought a brand new car and when you got home you found a big scratch on the hood, you wouldn't just let it go without getting it fixed.

[KDog]

I did check the box thoroughly for the pieces and did not find them. And the seller never responded. Maybe it was too harsh, but I gave him negative feedback. I explained why in the comment field, that the item arrived and was in great condition, but incomplete and the seller didn't respond to me. It would be interesting if he does get back quickly to me after that.

[KDog]

Well, he wrote back promptly and said I was "just mean." Now, I do feel bad. Kinda.

[davee123]

Well, he wrote back promptly and said I was "just mean." Now, I do feel bad. Kinda.

Here's the thing-- I believe leaving negative feedback is basically a mark of death for the seller, so it's generally an excellent motivator (and usually a last resort).

I don't know all the details, but if you warned him in advance that you would give him negative feedback if he didn't help to rectify the situation, then I'd say you were totally in the right. If you didn't, and just gave him negative feedback because he didn't respond to a single e-mail, that may be harsh. Especially if it was through normal e-mail and not BL's messaging system, where it might have gotten marked as spam or something. Anyway, as long as you gave him fair warning, he deserved it. Particularly if he screwed up by not only reporting the set was complete, but also by not replying and not looking to repair the damage.

DaveE