Broken Bionicle joints from Bricklink

[fieldbricks]

Hello everyone,

It has been a while since I've been on Eurobricks, but I do want to hear your thoughts about this topic.

I recently received an order of Bionicle parts on Bricklink, only to discover that about 80% of Bionicle joints I ordered were broken at the socket (yes, the were broken before I assembled them to anything)! Although these parts were marked as "used" (the store only had used versions), the seller by no means made any remarks about the sockets being broken. I find this quite ironic because the reason why I had bought those parts were precisely to replace parts I already owned which were broken.

Most of the parts I brought were from 2008 (which were already prone to breakage) and included

Bionicle Foot Claw with Ball Socket

Bionicle Arm / Leg Upper Section (Solek)

and Bionicle Head Connector Block (Av-Matoran)

What are your thoughts about this?

Would you consider it unreasonable to ask the seller for a partial refund of these parts?

Should sellers on Bricklink sell broken Bionicle joints without making a remark about those parts?

For those who are curious, the store I brought from had 1000+ positive feedback from selling, and did not have any history of negative feedback.

[KamalMYafi]

Would you consider it unreasonable to ask the seller for a partial refund of these parts?

that's reasonable if not because of the packaging or shipping, i think. And i see a stores that will offer the replacement (if the stock is still available), gives a discount coupon, or refund for the part.

Should sellers on Bricklink sell broken Bionicle joints without making a remark about those parts?

the seller must make a remark of all broken pieces!

[xboxtravis7992]

Ouch! That era was known for quality control issues,so there is no surprise the parts broke; but the fact the seller didn't inform you of the broken parts is ridiculous! Contact the seller demanding a refund, and if he doesn't respond or refuses to refund money or replace the parts; then rate the seller in the feedback thread to indicate the bad experience and warn future buyers.

[The Sarge]

If you paid though PayPal you may be able to get your money back as well even if the buyer won't cooperate.

[fieldbricks]

Hmm, thanks for your thoughts. I already asked the seller for a partial refund. It seems like people agree that parts with broken sockets should not be sold without remarks.

[geezerman402]

That's really strange... were the parts packed well? I could understand accidentally selling a few broken parts, but not 80% of an order, unless the seller has zero knowledge of constraction and just got it in a lot, or something.

[fieldbricks]

That's really strange... were the parts packed well? I could understand accidentally selling a few broken parts, but not 80% of an order, unless the seller has zero knowledge of constraction and just got it in a lot, or something.

The parts were properly packed and shipped. I do understand that most parts that broke were from an era where sockets breaking was a huge issue, but the seller literally shipped me broken parts, not parts that broke after I assembled them (even afterwards, a few of the non-broken pieces broke after I assembled them). This does feel strange because the seller had a 1000+ positive feedback score from buyers and literally no negative feedback.

[VintageLegoEra]

The parts were properly packed and shipped. I do understand that most parts that broke were from an era where sockets breaking was a huge issue, but the seller literally shipped me broken parts, not parts that broke after I assembled them (even afterwards, a few of the non-broken pieces broke after I assembled them). This does feel strange because the seller had a 1000+ positive feedback score from buyers and literally no negative feedback.

Then it could be someone else with no lego expert packed them in hurry and not the seller him self which explain this situation

[Brickadier General]

Hello everyone,

It has been a while since I've been on Eurobricks, but I do want to hear your thoughts about this topic.

I recently received an order of Bionicle parts on Bricklink, only to discover that about 80% of Bionicle joints I ordered were broken at the socket (yes, the were broken before I assembled them to anything)! Although these parts were marked as "used" (the store only had used versions), the seller by no means made any remarks about the sockets being broken. I find this quite ironic because the reason why I had bought those parts were precisely to replace parts I already owned which were broken.

Most of the parts I brought were from 2008 (which were already prone to breakage) and included

Bionicle Foot Claw with Ball Socket

Bionicle Arm / Leg Upper Section (Solek)

and Bionicle Head Connector Block (Av-Matoran)

What are your thoughts about this?

Would you consider it unreasonable to ask the seller for a partial refund of these parts?

Should sellers on Bricklink sell broken Bionicle joints without making a remark about those parts?

For those who are curious, the store I brought from had 1000+ positive feedback from selling, and did not have any history of negative feedback.

Sorry to hear you had a negative shopping experience with a BL seller.

If the parts were noticeably broken, this seller should have listed them as such. If they did so knowingly, they were being misleading. You are in the right here. They either intentionally left out information or missed the damages unintentionally (with a high volume of work, this can happen).

It's best if you can see if you can resolve things before having to resort to filing a PayPal claim. Just send him a message about what you found, including the part numbers/names and the value of the damaged parts. If it was an error and they are a reputable seller, they will work with you to fix the problem. If they aren't willing to make things right, then you can file a PayPal claim.

[fieldbricks]

Then it could be someone else with no lego expert packed them in hurry and not the seller him self which explain this situation

Huh, that's pretty interesting. I always assumed sellers always had some knowledge of what pieces were to be shipped. Shouldn't those broken pieces have been discarded in the first place if the seller had no intentions of selling them?

It's best if you can see if you can resolve things before having to resort to filing a PayPal claim. Just send him a message about what you found, including the part numbers/names and the value of the damaged parts. If it was an error and they are a reputable seller, they will work with you to fix the problem. If they aren't willing to make things right, then you can file a PayPal claim.

Thank you for your suggestion. I'm still waiting for a reply from the seller.

[VintageLegoEra]

Huh, that's pretty interesting. I always assumed sellers always had some knowledge of what pieces were to be shipped. Shouldn't those broken pieces have been discarded in the first place if the seller had no intentions of selling them?

Here what you have to do. Before judging on the seller, try to find out the following:

1)- The seller might be aware of this defect but during your order, he might be not there and someone else took care of your order?!

2)- Contact him and see. Like you said, he has 10000+ positive feedback, so i am sure something wrong had happened beyond his acknowledge

regards

Huh, that's pretty interesting. I always assumed sellers always had some knowledge of what pieces were to be shipped. Shouldn't those broken pieces have been discarded in the first place if the seller had no intentions of selling them?

Here what you have to do. Before judging on the seller, try to find out the following:

1)- The seller might be aware of this defect but during your order, he might be not there and someone else took care of your order?!

2)- Contact him and see. Like you said, he has 10000+ positive feedback, so i am sure something wrong had happened beyond his acknowledge

regards

[zux]

I find most of my recent orders with used parts have one or two pieces that are broken (cracked). This is not something you can see until you actually use the piece. I think there was an issue once, where seller didn't cooperate. Most of the time seller can ship a good part (if it is essential in your order) or you can agree to with a partial refund for the broken piece (in case ordered part is minor). All happened within the EU.

[anothergol]

From experience with BL (in the EU): broken or really nasty parts are common, BUT BL sellers are generally very cooperative. In the best case he will send new new parts, in the worst case, refund or give you a coupon (generally of a higher value).

If he doesn't do any of that, of course give him bad feedback.

But yeah, get used to it, I'd say more than half of my BL orders had problems, whether it was missing/wrong parts, or broken crap (which is why I generally don't buy used, plus used parts are often more expensive than new, even sometimes in the same shop).

It could also be region-dependant. I avoid buying from sellers in eastern europe, they're generally the kind of bulk sellers with crazy rules (like, min 5eur per lot, min 200eur) and often have bad feedback.

I've had minifig heads with teeth marks right on the face. I don't know who to blame, the kind of kid who removes heads with his mouth, or the seller who lets this pass.

That's really strange... were the parts packed well?

it's obvious that ball-jointed parts broke during use (as it seems common), not transport

Edited March 26, 2016 by anothergol

[geezerman402]

^ I don't know about obvious... a weak old part can be broken in other ways.

Either way, the seller needs to make things right.