BrickSync - some questions for users

BrickHunters.be

Hello fellow BrickOwlers,

I have had some trouble with keeping my inventories in check lately. (double orders etc.)

So I decided to look for a tool that is cheap and easy to use. I came across BrickSync but I have some questions. While the usage is relatively clear, I can't help but ponder what is to happen to my prices and product description?

On BrickLink, we charge around 4% fee to our customers for handling.

On BrickOwl this is a fixed cost of 4%. This creates a difference between the 2 platforms and we would really like to keep it that way. However, when BrickSync syncs up the 2 inventories, will it also sync the prices?

What is your opinion on this matter?

Graham

Hopefully the more sellers that come to BrickOwl the more will find it prudent to stop the practice of artificially/deceptively low prices over there ~~ my opinion

budgetkids

@BrickHunters

Syncing your inventory between both sites WILL update the BrickOwl prices to match prices on the other website.

Chris

Hoddie

BL = part cost + 4% + shipping.

BO = part cost + shipping/handling.

You cannot add a % fee here, all you can do is increase your part cost (which makes syncing difficult) or increase your shipping costs here to include a charge for handling.

BrickHunters.be

What you call deceipt, we call justice.

It has no use to higher all our prices by 4% just to cover our fee. Because our neighbouring country might only be charged for 3,4% while another is charged for 6. We want to provide the most beneficiary price to our customers and not overcharge them.

Anyhow, thank you for your feedback Chris & Hoddie, we'll see a solution to this.

Stragus

@BrickHunters Not only any extra fee that isn't included in the prices shown can appear deceptive, it also tends to mess up the price history/guide.

BrickOwl doesn't allow such practices and I fully agree with this, so for these reasons and more, BrickSync synchronizes the actual prices.

brickfeverparts

When you add a certain fee % over any (total) order, Always, it is deceptive.

Your prices are then actually that % higher but hidden in fees, no matter how you sell it to yourselve.

As a buyer i truly believe they will buy even more (often) if your prices are actually that % higher but NO fees whats so ever. Perhaps maybe the fee for very low value orders to cover some shipping materials and such.

Why not try that for a month or two and see what happens

We all have falling for the pricing part of business, but in the end price is a maximum of 50% dessicion maker for a buyer, seriously.....

Anyhow, since we came to BO we changed our entire routing on BL and also the prices, fees etc etc.

This is an instant *webshop* what you see is what you get

Cheers

brickfeverparts

My apologies for my English writing though......
As i read my post(s) back i think mmmmm looked better in my head

Hoddie

Completely agree, BL's pricing is incredibly deceptive so much so that it makes trying to compare prices between sellers a painful experience.

Teup

@BrickHunters Not only any extra fee that isn't included in the prices shown can appear deceptive, it also tends to mess up the price history/guide.

BrickOwl doesn't allow such practices and I fully agree with this, so for these reasons and more, BrickSync synchronizes the actual prices.

Fully agree, can't think of a single argument to charge a fixed percentage fee for any reason that is legitimate.

However, I'm surprised to read that BrickSync, which is a million times more advanced than the software that I wrote does not feature mass price mutation, is that correct? It is exactly because percentage fees are undesirable that it would be nice if BrickSync would allow for different prices on both platforms that would include any price discrepancies so that they don't have to be charged with obsucure fees.

I run a different type of "business model" on BL and BO (my prices are USD on BL for starters, and also different tax settings) so in my software I have a general exchange factor and a couple of remark field linked exchange factors to balance certain types of items differently. Shouldn't BrickSync have something similar or did I misunderstand?

BrickHunters.be

That is a great suggestion. We will try adjusting the prices for a month, and if all is well... And most of all less time consuming we will keep it that way. I will make dure to report back.

Stragus

However, I'm surprised to read that BrickSync, which is a million times more advanced than the software that I wrote does not feature mass price mutation, is that correct? It is exactly because percentage fees are undesirable that it would be nice if BrickSync would allow for different prices on both platforms that would include any price discrepancies so that they don't have to be charged with obsucure fees.

You are correct that BrickSync does not feature different prices for each platform, but it is so very much on purpose. I believe people should include all their fees in the prices shown to the customer.

As for running a "different business model" on each marketplace, I can see why some sellers may want to do that... but hopefully, the desire to do so will wane as BrickOwl keeps growing.

Hoddie

Currency is one of the reasons I've stayed away from BrickSync, well that and the fact that I only sell on BO

I like to use Brickstock when parting out sets because it allows me to save halfway through and return later if I need to. However, the software exports prices in $ regardless how it displays them on the GUI, which causes an issue when importing the file to BO - which expects prices to be in the currency you're using in your store.

So you can get BS to display a price as €0.11 but it converts it to $ in the saved file (by using the exchange rate you provide), presumably because this is what BL expects. When you import that file to BO however, it assumes that the $ price is intended to be €0.07. I've worked out a way of converting the prices in the file to the prices I actually want to import to BO, but it takes a few minutes and is an additional step where errors could creep in.

Teup

However, I'm surprised to read that BrickSync, which is a million times more advanced than the software that I wrote does not feature mass price mutation, is that correct? It is exactly because percentage fees are undesirable that it would be nice if BrickSync would allow for different prices on both platforms that would include any price discrepancies so that they don't have to be charged with obsucure fees.

You are correct that BrickSync does not feature different prices for each platform, but it is so very much on purpose. I believe people should include all their fees in the prices shown to the customer.

I agree with you, but I could argue it the other way around; BrickSync not allowing mass price adjustments is an incentive for me to do it artifically by creating a percentage fee in my terms.. :P

As for running a "different business model" on each marketplace, I can see why some sellers may want to do that... but hopefully, the desire to do so will wane as BrickOwl keeps growing.

I think it will always be there. It's just a different market place, and that's what it'll always be. My motivation to have different prices / price structure is part rational, part crazy, part intuition.. :P For example, I don't have a tax profile on BL while I do on BO. Why? Because BL is a more price guide driven place, and I like to balance my prices on the edge of supply/demand. If I set up a tax profile it'll make items too expensive for the EU and too cheap for buyers outside the EU, so they buy me out. Here it's less of an issue. Also my BL prices are in USD, which is totally weird, but I have a bit of an "if it ain't broke don't fix it" protocol.. And my BO is admittingly slightly more expensive, as it just draws more orders. You don't have to agree with this setup, but at least it's an example of how a seller could want BO and BL to be priced differently. Another reason I can think of is the fact that BO features the minimum average lot price restriction, so a seller could do less laborious orders over here and therefore ask a lower price.
So I'd see it is a neat addition to your software package, and I don't believe it will really encourage percentage fees, since it could just as well prevent them. But that's up to you. For now I'm using my own low tech software, I might make the switch to BrickSync someday

Hoddie

Doesn't pricing in $ cause you massive headaches when it comes to filing tax returns? Not to mention being subject to volatile exchange rates?

bluedragon

Well, the EUR/USD parity is almost upon us. If we could freeze that moment in time all would be easier ;-)

Teup

Doesn't pricing in $ cause you massive headaches when it comes to filing tax returns? Not to mention being subject to volatile exchange rates?

Yeah that's true, well, I invoice in € for my administration, just taking the currency exchange of the moment of invoicing (which is messy, I agree, but I've had the discussion a lot and in the end any possible way is messy, so the best thing to do is to just at least be consistent.. :P ). Anyone who accepts payments in foreign currencies is subject to this issue, no matter what your prices are listed in, and I do like to accomodate for other currencies.

Actually we're always subject to volatile exchange rates to some extend, but I do of course sell more within the EU. But actually I like the waves of the exchange rates, it keeps the shop flowing nicely. If you want to clean out a glass it's more efficient to do it with erratic water flow than with a steady flow, and I feel it's the same for shop inventory I like prices to be moving around a little. And it's not really that much money we're talking.. what PayPal eats in currency exchange is more.. :P

Well, the EUR/USD parity is almost upon us. If we could freeze that moment in time all would be easier ;-)

That'd be great.... Maybe we'll live to see that. Not a Euro but a... Worldo?

Hoddie

If you convert for each sale then that's easy enough, and yeah PayPal's exchange rates are diabolical. I accept GBP and EUR but I only use the GBP balance to pay BrickOwl and to buy things on eBay UK. I never EVER move it to the EUR balance.