5 Benefits of Getting a Post Office Box for Your Online eBay Business

Posted on July 30, 2015 by BrickingTips

As your eBay business grows, you might consider getting a post office box through the United States Postal Service (USPS). Post office boxes provide a cost effective way to boost privacy, security and convenience. Here are five benefits of renting a post office box for your online business.

1. Post office boxes add a layer of privacy
Did you know that all of your transaction history on Paypal is saved forever? That means your buyers can search through the Paypal transaction history and find your address whenever they feel like it. Can buyers always find your address? Yes. Will they bother to look up your address? Probably not. Still, using a post office box address on Paypal and with any of your online transactions adds an extra layer of privacy.

2. Post office boxes increase the security of your incoming packages
If you buy any of your inventory online, your postal carrier might leave your packages in an exposed and insecure area like on your doorstep or inside an unlocked mailbox. Exposed packages are vulnerable to theft and poor weather conditions (i.e. rain, snow, extreme heat, wind, flooding, etc). If you get a post office box, your packages will either be placed inside your box or held for you to pick up.

3. Never miss a delivery again
A big downside of shipping items to your home address is missing deliveries when you’re out and about. When you have a post office box you’ll never miss a delivery again! The post office will accept the package for you and you’ll be able pick it up later.

4. Post office boxes now can use a street address and accept Fedex, UPS and DHL packages
In the past post office boxes could only receive mail from the USPS since the boxes did not use a street address. In 2012 the USPS unveiled a street address format for post office boxes. That means now customers can receive packages from private carriers like Fedex, UPS and DHL. Ask your local post office for more information on their policies on the street address format.

5. Post office boxes are cheaper than you may think
Pricing and availability for post office boxes vary from post office to post office. A 3 by 5 inch box ranges in price from $50-$132 per year depending on the post office. Boxes are priced competitively and are often cheaper than mailboxes through private companies like The UPS Store (formerly Mail Boxes Etc.), Pak Mail, Postal Annex, etc. The USPS offers five mailbox sizes from small (3 in by 5.5 in) to large (22.5 in by 12 in). Even if you pay for the smallest (and cheapest) box, the post office will still hold larger packages for you. The downside of paying for the small box is you may need to wait in line to pick up your packages.

How to get a P.O. box
You can either go to the post office in person or fill out an online application on the USPS website. Choose an available mailbox size (from 3×5 inches to 22.5×12 inches) and contract length (from 3-12 months) and pay for the box. After you’ve filled out the application, bring two forms of acceptable ID to the post office. Now you’ve got yourself your own post office box!

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Just for Fun: A List of Common Brick Cliches for LEGO Fans

Posted on July 27, 2015 by BrickingTips

Hey LEGO fans, if you’re looking for a cute brick related cliche or idiom, look no further! Here’s a list of some common brick phrases and idioms that you can pepper into blog posts, message board threads or conversations with fellow LEGO fans.

brick by brick: to build something gradually, step-by-step or piece by piece
hit the bricks: to start walking on a long journey; to go on strike
like a ton of bricks: a heavy burden
like talking to a brick wall: talking to someone who doesn’t listen
thick as a brick; one brick shy of a load: a derogatory term for someone who is not very smart
brick and mortar (store): a store with a physical location rather than an online only store
be up against a brick wall: not being able to continue or advance in an activity or endeavor
drop like a hot brick: to abruptly stop or get rid of something or someone
“You can’t make bricks without straw”: a task cannot be complete without essential materials or elements
like a cat on hot bricks: an expression used when someone is nervous or jumpy about
yellow brick road: the road that Dorothy follows in The Wizard of Oz

Some Inspirations Quotations with Bricks:
“Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.” — Steve Jobs

“A career is like a house: it’s made of many bricks, and each brick has the same value, because without any one of them, the house would collapse.” — Andrea Bocelli

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A Little ‘Thank You’ Goes a Long Way with Your International Buyers on eBay

Posted on July 23, 2015 by BrickingTips

There’s a super easy way to add a memorable and personal touch to your international eBay orders–writing thank you their native language. In the age of Google and the internet figuring out how to write ‘thank you’ in nearly any language has become easier than ever. Adding a simple written ‘thank you’ to a buyer’s packing slip not only makes your buyer’s day, but also sets you and your store apart from other sellers on eBay.

Some languages (i.e. Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Korean, Greek, etc.) don’t use the Latin alphabet, but rather their own alphabet or characters. If you’re comfortable, try your hand at writing out non-Latin alphabet languages. Otherwise use a phonetic translation. Either way, your buyers will appreciate your effort to use their native language.

How to write thank you in common languages of eBay buyers:
Chinese Xie xie (谢谢)
Czech Děkuji
Danish Tak
Dutch Dank je
Finnish Kiitos
French Merci
German Danke
Greek Efharistó (Ευχαριστώ)
Hungarian Köszönöm
Icelandic þakka þér
Italian Grazie
Japanese Arigatou (ありがとう)
Javanese Matur nuwun
Korean Kamsahamnida (감사합니다)
Malay Terima kasih
Norwegian Takk
Polish Dziękuję
Portuguese men should write “Obrigado” and women should write “Obrigada”
Russian Spasibo (спасибо)
Slovak D‘akujem
Slovenian Hvala
Spanish Gracias
Swedish Tack
Tagalog Salamat
Ukranian Dyakuyu (дякую)

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Email Etiquette 101: How to Communicate with Your eBay, Bricklink and Brickowl Buyers

Posted on July 16, 2015 by BrickingTips
LEGO white keyboard tiles

Professional email contact boosts buyer loyalty and encourages repeat customers.

Email etiquette is one of the pillars of good customer service for eBay sellers. Good customer boosts buyer loyalty, encouraging repeat customers. Here are three easy ways to hone your email communication with buyers.

1. Make the email message all about your buyer
As an online seller, your world revolves around your buyers NOT the other way around. Tailor email messages to the buyers needs first before your own. Read through your messages and count the number of times you write “I”. Try to change “I” statements to “you” statements or “we” statements.

2. Keep emails short and to the point
Some sellers will write needlessly lengthy messages to buyers. As Olivia Fox Cabane, author of The Charisma Myth states, “watch the return on investment of your sentences: measure the length of your e-mail against the value it was delivering…perfection is not when there is no more to add, but when there is no more to subtract” (Cabane 185).

3. Acknowledge your mistakes and apologize
Whenever you screw up, own up to your buyer. Your buyer will appreciate your honesty. NEVER imply or accuse your buyer of lying to you. Let’s say a buyer tells you that the order is missing some pieces. Even if you’d swear on your grandma’s grave that you counted accurately, offer to fix the problem anyway. The vast majority of buyers are honest so you generally want to give them the benefit of the doubt. You could dig in your heels and be “right”…or you could build trust and goodwill with your buyers, ultimately encouraging repeat customers. Choose wisely.

Work Cited:
Cabane, Olivia Fox. The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism: New York: Penguin, 2012. Print.

Related BrickingTips.com articles:
The Missing Piece: How to Fix Incomplete LEGO Piece Orders on eBay, Bricklink, BrickOwl and Beyond

Dealing with Problem Orders: An eBay Buyer’s Guide in 4 Steps

What Buyers Want: 7 Vital Qualities eBay Buyers Crave

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LEGO Imagination Center and Brickmania in Mall of America (Bloomington, Minnesota, USA)

Posted on July 12, 2015 by BrickingTips

Here’s a look at some of the cool LEGO creations and displays in the LEGO Imagination Center and the newly opened Brickmania store in Mall of America. If you or any LEGO fans that you know find yourself in the Twin Cities area, be sure to check out the LEGO Imagination Center. The store features tons of cool LEGO sculptures, exclusive sets, and the always popular Pick-A-Brick Wall.

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Missing LEGO Parts Misery: Why Sellers Should NOT offer Store Credit for a parts shortage

Posted on July 9, 2015 by BrickingTips
The Lone Ranger Frank minifig

Store credit holds a buyer’s money hostage, requiring them to make an additional purchase whether they want to or not.

Some Bricklink sellers only offer store credit as compensation for LEGO pieces missing from an order. But store credit for missing LEGO pieces creates several problems and inconveniences for buyers.

Store credit holds the buyer’s money hostage, requiring them to make another order
Requiring the buyer to make another purchase is great for a seller, but not so great for a buyer. What if the seller isn’t offering any other items that the buyer wants? What if the store closes? What if the store credit coupon expires? (Bricklink coupons can only be issued for up to one year.) What if, due to order inaccuracy and poor customer service, the buyer never wants to make a purchase in the store again? In any of these scenarios, the buyer loses money through store credit and the seller potentially loses the trust of the buyer.

LEGO Sellers: Give the buyer options
Giving the buyer options makes the buyer feel empowered. Offer both to send a partial refund or to mail the buyer the missing piece(s), if the pieces are available in your inventory. If you really want to go the extra mile for the customer, offer to buy the parts from another source and then ship the replacement parts. Some buyers need a specific quantity of parts to complete a set or finish a My Own Creation (MOC). An incomplete order leaves their project likewise incomplete. Yes, shipping the replacement parts costs the seller money in the short term, but can pay major dividends in the future with repeat business.

The One Store Credit Exception
The only time offering store credit could be mutually beneficial to a buyer and seller is if the seller offers a store credit amount HIGHER than the cost of the missing parts. Consider adding a dollar or two in value beyond the cost of the missing parts. A higher amount of store credit can tempt the buyer away from requesting a refund or replacement. Still, keep the options of a refund or replacement on the table for the buyer to decide.

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BrickingTips.com Celebrates One Year Anniversary

Posted on July 6, 2015 by BrickingTips

BrickingTips.com officially launched exactly one year ago, July 6, 2014. Time sure flies when you’re bricking around. A big thank you to all of our lovely readers. BrickingTips.com wouldn’t exist without you. Here’s to many more years of LEGO related tips and tricks. Happy Bricking!

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4 Simple Mailing Security Tips for eBay Sellers

Posted on July 2, 2015 by BrickingTips

Mail theft happens. Here are four easy mailing precautions you can take to decrease the chance of your outgoing packages getting stolen.

1. If you schedule free USPS pickup, put your shipments out of sight
Whenever you put packages outside, there’s a risk that the packages could be stolen. Putting shipments strategically out of view helps minimize the risk of theft. You can put packages behind a screen door (be sure to include a note like “packages are behind the screen door” when you request pickup online). If you’re only shipping out a few items you could place the shipments inside of your mailbox. Remember, the USPS is not liable for packages stolen form your doorstep or mailboxes.

2. Drop off items in blue mailboxes close to the pickup time
If you mail items in a blue mailbox, mail the items as close to the pickup time as possible. To paraphrase a supply chain management saying, “shipments at rest are shipments at risk.” In other words, packages are generally safest when they are moving rather than sitting in one place. Avoid mailing items the night before pickup. Choose mailboxes in high traffic and highly visible areas.

3. Always take high value items to the post office
If you’re purchasing third-party insurance for a high value item, read the fine print. Some third-party insurers require at least one tracking scan or a receipt from the post office as “proof of mailing”. So if you pop your insured package in the mailbox, it never gets scanned and your buyer doesn’t get the package, then you could lose both the value of the shipment AND whatever money you paid for the insurance. For piece of mind and proof of mailing, take high value packages into the post office and ask to have the package scanned at the counter.

4. THE SAFEST OPTION: Take the packages inside the post office
When in doubt, take packages inside the post office. Taking your packages to the counter or mailing the packages inside the post office is your safest, most secure option.

Resources:
Schedule a Pickup on USPS.com (on USPS.com)

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Brick Selling Bootcamp: How to Leverage the BrickLink Forums for LEGO Selling Advice

Posted on June 25, 2015 by BrickingTips

Want an instant boost of insight into selling LEGO pieces? Check out the Bricklink.com Discussion Forums. Whether you sell your LEGO pieces on Bricklink or not, the Bricklink.com Discussion Forums provide invaluable tips on the selling and buying experience.

Peruse or participate in “What would you do?” posts
The Bricklink forums feature many helpful “What would you do?” posts. Some topics addressed include: lost package etiquette, domestic and international shipping questions, who’s at fault during a variety of problem orders, and more! There are many solutions to the same problem and different members weigh in with different opinions.

Create “What piece is this?” posts to identify unknown pieces
As you’re sorting out mixed LEGO lots, you might discover LEGO pieces that you can’t identify. If you’re having trouble finding a piece in the Bricklink catalogue, post a photo of your mystery item in the Bricklink forums. The friendly and knowledgeable Bricklink community often responds to “What piece is this?” inquiries within minutes, linking you to the catalogue entry for the piece.

Stay ahead of the curve on LEGO related news stories
The Bricklink community does an excellent job of keeping up with all news LEGO, both of the positive and negative variety. You’ll find members discussing newly released sets, promotional and exclusive LEGO items, sales at stores like Target, or even busted LEGO theft rings (!!).

Grab the popcorn and witness member feuds and arguments
Every now and then arguments between Bricklink members flare up in front of everyone in forums. Entertainment value aside, childish language and petty arguments provide an excellent example of what NOT to do. Learn from the mistakes of others and you’ll be better off for it.

Bricklink.com Discussion Forums
http://www.bricklink.com/messageList.asp

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Summer Sales Slump: Boostings Sales and Business Efficiency During the Off Season

Posted on June 18, 2015 by BrickingTips
summerly LEGO minifig

Consider taking a vacation to recharge your batteries before the busier sales seasons in fall and winter.

If you find your eBay or Bricklink sales dropping off during summer months, you’re not alone. According to Bricklink statistics, May and June 2013 had some of the lowest sales numbers in terms of dollars. Here are some ideas on combating a lull in business.

Work on your inventory
Working on inventory may not sound glamorous, but improving organization and tweaking the pricing of your items based on demand can improve the efficiency of your business.

Create a summer sale
Keep your inventory moving by putting some or all of your inventory on sale. Attractive prices and a sense of urgency can drive new and returning customers to buy now rather than later.

Sell other non-LEGO items on eBay
Most people have some random items lying around the house that they don’t use anymore. Cash in on that old iPhone or jacket that you haven’t worn in two years.

Explore other selling platforms
If you only sell LEGO pieces on eBay, consider adding items to other sites like: Bricklink, Brickowl, Bonanza or Amazon. Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of each platform.

Enroll in a free online business class
Learn new strategies and hone your business savvy by taking a class or two on Coursera.org or edx.org. You can audit classes or work toward a certificate of completion. For more information about free business resources, see the article Coursera, edX, ALISON and more: FREE Business Resources and Classes for Online Sellers.

Take a vacation
Some of your buyers are on vacation during the summer–that’s one reason that your sales might be slower than other months. A slow sales season is the perfect time for you to take a vacation as well! If you close your store during a slower sales season, you’re not missing out on as many sales as if you close your store during a busier time, like in January. Taking a vacation also helps clear your head so you can return to your business with a renewed enthusiasm.

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