Your buyer’s order of LEGO parts is missing some of the pieces. What do you do? Counting mistakes mainly result either from human error or errors in inventory quantities. Whatever the reason, once a seller learns about a quantity mistake, they should immediately dive into problem solving mode for the sake of the buyer and for the sake of seller’s reputation as well.
If the seller notices missing pieces, contact the buyer immediately
If you know you’re short a few pieces, contact your buyer right away and tell them their options. Alerting a buyer to a shortage quickly is good practice and also gives buyer more time to order the missing pieces from other sellers.
Give the Buyer Options
The two most common fixes for missing pieces are: offering a refund or offering to mail the missing pieces. If you don’t have the pieces in stock, research the item and consider purchasing more from another seller. If you still have some of the missing pieces in stock, ask the buyer if they’d prefer a refund or if they’d rather you mailed a second shipment to them with the missing pieces.
How much should you refund?
At minimum, refund the cost of the missing pieces. I strongly encourage refunding more than the minimum–how much more is up to you. Unfortunately, many sellers will only refund for the bare minimum, which often equates to $0.10 or $1 or so.
Don’t mail coins or concealed cash
Some Bricklink sellers think it’s a good idea to mail the buyer a quarter or a dime along with an order to compensate for missing parts. Don’t do it! Buyers don’t want coins or concealed cash. I’ve even heard stories of sellers mailing United States buyers other currencies like Canadian Dollars or Euros! Instead, send the buyer a partial refund on Paypal (if they paid with Paypal). A Paypal refund, even a partial one, will also refund you a portion of your Paypal fees.
Judgement Call: Minor vs Major Shortages
If a buyer gets 1014 black 1×2 plates, a shortage of 4 plates may not be that big of a deal to the buyer (unless their project demands EXACTLY 1014 black 1×2 plates). Maybe the buyer ordered extras and 4 missing plates wouldn’t be a big problem. If a buyer gets 50 minifig shortswords, then a shortage of 2 swords might deprive 2 minifig knights of a weapon. That could be a bigger problem for the buyer.
Precise quantities can be vital to a buyer’s MOC (My Own Creation). If the the order’s missing parts, then the buyer may need go out and buy the parts from another seller and they will NOT be happy with you! That’s why I strongly recommend offering to send replacement pieces or to refund the buyer beyond the cost of the missing pieces.
Missing Pieces in International Orders
Missing pieces are never fun for buyers or sellers, but missing pieces from international orders are by far the worst. Shipping replacement parts internationally is not only costly (the minimum USPS First Class International package rate is $6.55 retail) but also takes anywhere from a week to a month for delivery.
Consider offering a generous refund to international buyers, or at least one that’s a bit more than the minimum. If the missing piece quantity is large or high value–maybe you accidentally forgot to pack all 100 pearl gold minifig greatswords–consider offering to mail the replacement parts.
A few words about offering store credit
Some Bricklink sellers will offer store credit for missing items. If you were the buyer, would you prefer store credit or a refund? Refund. If you’re dead set on offering store credit try, at least offer a higher value than the value of the missing parts.
When in doubt, put yourself in the buyer’s shoes
If you were the buyer, how would you like the seller to handle a missing pieces problem in your order? Make a list of things you would like the seller to do if you were in the buyer’s shoes.
Always strive to fill accurate and complete orders. Accurate orders not only make buyers happy and more likely to return, but also save buyers and sellers the time and hassle of finding an acceptable solution. Accurate orders are a win win and who can say no to that?
Oh, I’m lookin’ for my missin’ piece
I’m lookin’ for my missin’ piece
Hi-dee-ho, here I go
lookin’ for my missin’ piece
— Shel Silverstein (from The Missing Piece, 1976)