BrickLink Designer Program Ongoing Discussion Thread

[JohnTPT17]

1 hour ago, MAB said:

No, I haven't built it yet. I've looked through the instructions online but was planning on building it when the evenings get dark. Although if it is selling well at that time, I'd sell it. I already have a lot of grey LEGO!

Thanks! I suppose I can also just wait to decide what to do with it/wait for other people to build it and give their opinions on it. 

[Gkaiser100]

On 7/3/2024 at 12:29 PM, JohnTPT17 said:

Thanks! I suppose I can also just wait to decide what to do with it/wait for other people to build it and give their opinions on it. 

I know I rushed my decision on ominous isle so I didn't miss out, only to rethink once the fomo wore off. Yes, I could integrate it into my cliff face on my table, but I want that to be more custom, and the changes required mean I may as well just bricklink what little of the set remains. 

[Wimmer]

Just got the email from Lego that my set is on the way ? Supposed to arrive this Friday, the 12th… 😮

Out of nowhere, suddenly very fast. I had the temporary hold on the card, but that’s gone now;… but no charge showing yet either ? 🤞

I’ll update as it goes…

[and_ampersand_and]

In the US - one of my sets has shipped and the other is now 'in Warehouse'. Both charges are still pending on my CC.

[RichardGoring]

Had both of my sets ship yesterday. Mountain Fortress and Snack Shack. Should be arriving on Saturday. Hurrah!

[JohnTPT17]

I got a charge to my card at the beginning of the month for both of these sets, which is no longer there. Both of my sets are still "In Warehouse." I even called yesterday to make sure there wasn't any issues with the charges being dropped, but they said it should be fine and that they should ship by the end of the week...

What's funny is that those same sets got sent to someone else who lives relatively close to me, and they've listed them on Facebook Marketplace for sale already. So, I guess it's not location-based? I also ordered early, so I don't think they're sending them out in that order. I do wonder what the logic is...

[Artanis I]

Mine is still saying backordered.

[Mikdun]

Mine are delivered.

Sadly one box is damaged during shipping.

Even more sadly Lego does not have possibility to replace it - out of stock. 

[and_ampersand_and]

6 hours ago, Mikdun said:

Even more sadly Lego does not have possibility to replace it - out of stock. 

Lego surely has some extra stock for replacements - what if a package is lost or destroyed during shipping? However, hopefully they're just saving those for more serious issues than box damage.

[Murdoch17]

1 hour ago, and_ampersand_and said:

Lego surely has some extra stock for replacements - what if a package is lost or destroyed during shipping? However, hopefully they're just saving those for more serious issues than box damage.

They only made as many as were ordered - if yours gets lost, stolen, or damaged, you out of luck.

[and_ampersand_and]

1 hour ago, Murdoch17 said:

They only made as many as were ordered - if yours gets lost, stolen, or damaged, you out of luck.

I mean that's not correct, at the very least the review copies sent out early and display copies shown off at conventions were made. Even then from a logistics standpoint any company has to expect some items to need replacing, even from limited run products.

[Murdoch17]

Just now, and_ampersand_and said:

I mean that's not correct, at the very least the review copies sent out early and display copies shown off at conventions were made. Even then from a logistics standpoint any company has to expect some items to need replacing, even from limited run products.

I am fairly confident what I said is what has happened with past programs. I remember reading in years past that people have had packages lost and then then never receiving the sets because LEGO had no more to send.

[and_ampersand_and]

1 minute ago, Murdoch17 said:

I am fairly confident what I said is what has happened with past programs. I remember reading in years past that people have had packages lost and then then never receiving the sets because LEGO had no more to send.

Interesting. Seems like a massive oversight from Lego considering how good their customer service usually is. Kickstarters I've backed from small companies have had extra of their limited run products on hand for this exact purpose.

[Murdoch17]

Just now, and_ampersand_and said:

Interesting. Seems like a massive oversight from Lego considering how good their customer service usually is. Kickstarters I've backed from small companies have had extra of their limited run products on hand for this exact purpose.

LEGO is a massive company with parts from all over the world coming together for one set - Kickstarter things aren't like that. The LEGO brick making / printing / instructions machines are running a maximum capacity, day and night non-stop with no room for more unless something is removed from the lineup. They makes these special sets several months in advance of them shipping when they can schedule it in, while Lego sets proper are 6+ months ahead. of street date. They only make as much as needed for BL sets (no more - no less), while LEGO sets are a different story altogether.

[JohnTPT17]

11 minutes ago, and_ampersand_and said:

at the very least the review copies sent out early and display copies shown off at conventions were made

They send the bricks, but they don't send out boxes for those early reviews. Most of the time, the instructions aren't finalized either. They did have come box art for some of the Series 1 wave at Brickworld, but I don't know if those count towards the total number produced or not.

[and_ampersand_and]

7 minutes ago, Murdoch17 said:

LEGO is a massive company with parts from all over the world coming together for one set - Kickstarter things aren't like that. The LEGO brick making / printing / instructions machines are running a maximum capacity, day and night non-stop with no room for more unless something is removed from the lineup. They makes these special sets several months in advance of them shipping when they can schedule it in, while Lego sets proper are 6+ months ahead. of street date. They only make as much as needed for BL sets (no more - no less), while LEGO sets are a different story altogether.

I'm not saying they would print on-demand replacement sets, if that's what you think I'm suggesting. I'm saying that it's pretty standard practice for large companies to assume they'll need X number of products extra and to manufacturer those extra during the production run, and that Lego may or may not do this.

Making the exact number needed at this scale isn't really feasible. What if while in Lego's possession one of the sets gets destroyed? It gets run over by a forklift or a whole palette is in a truck accident. Does Lego just randomly pick someone's order to cancel? Maybe, or maybe they've planned ahead. Planning for damaged freight is a part of the field of logistics.

[Wimmer]

50 minutes ago, and_ampersand_and said:

I'm not saying they would print on-demand replacement sets, if that's what you think I'm suggesting. I'm saying that it's pretty standard practice for large companies to assume they'll need X number of products extra and to manufacturer those extra during the production run, and that Lego may or may not do this.

Making the exact number needed at this scale isn't really feasible. What if while in Lego's possession one of the sets gets destroyed? It gets run over by a forklift or a whole palette is in a truck accident. Does Lego just randomly pick someone's order to cancel? Maybe, or maybe they've planned ahead. Planning for damaged freight is a part of the field of logistics.

I think they might. I know from earlier years that people got there set orders randomly cancelled it seemed ?

I just got charged for my Mountain Fortress. Until this one, I don’t have it yet 🤞,… none of these Bricklink sets were (heavily) damaged when they got to me. 
But if one arrives crushed, etc. I will make sure the set goes back and I’ll get my money back ?

I rather not have the set at all, than have a completely damaged/destroyed box ?!… Part of the exclusivity is the fact that it comes in these different boxes; without that it might as well be a “Brickpicker order” 🤷‍♂️ 

[RichardGoring]

In past rounds there have been people with sets lost in the mail who got a refund and not a replacement set, with LEGO saying they had no more stock and only made sufficient quantities to fulfill orders.

I had a friend who was away during delivery and the set got returned to LEGO. He asked if it could be resent and they said they had no more in stock.

They may possibly overproduce sets in a small quantity, but the major thing here is likely logistics and having access to any spare sets so that they can go through the order fulfillment process. For such small volumes for these edge cases, it's not worth it to them to create a system to cope.

4 minutes ago, Wimmer said:

...I rather not have the set at all, than have a completely damaged/destroyed box ?!… Part of the exclusivity is the fact that it comes in these different boxes; without that it might as well be a “Brickpicker order” 🤷‍♂️ 

If that's what you value, then that's great, but it's also worth noting that the cost of buying the individual pieces is generally a lot higher than the cost of the set (at RRP). The box doesn't add any value to me, although it may if you're trying to resell it. An open box likely far less than a sealed set. I hope yours arrived unscathed though!

[JohnTPT17]

I got my tracking info yesterday - and it looks like my sets should be arriving tomorrow! That's pretty quick turnaround for me. Very excited to get them!

[Wimmer]

29 minutes ago, JohnTPT17 said:

I got my tracking info yesterday - and it looks like my sets should be arriving tomorrow! That's pretty quick turnaround for me. Very excited to get them!

Yes, turnaround after notifications is fast this time. My set should arrive today. 
Hope it arrives in decent enough shape ?…

That always worries me with every wave…

21 hours ago, RichardGoring said:

If that's what you value, then that's great, but it's also worth noting that the cost of buying the individual pieces is generally a lot higher than the cost of the set (at RRP). The box doesn't add any value to me, although it may if you're trying to resell it. An open box likely far less than a sealed set. I hope yours arrived unscathed though!

Im just saying; the thing that makes these sets different is the box itself, and the fact they’re not designed by Lego. 
So missing out on a decent box is a disappointment to me. I’m a collector of sets; and these boxes make these sets stand out. 
was not saying anything about the pieces, you’re right that buying the pieces loose would be way more expensive. 
But to me, it’s literally a “package deal” 😜 

[RichardGoring]

5 hours ago, Wimmer said:

But to me, it’s literally a “package deal” 😜 

love it!

[Wimmer]

Ok. First impression. Set got delivered yesterday as promised, in the right time window as well.
Shipping box looks very good and undamaged, which is an improvement. 
Btw, my shipping company was UPS, and I have the idea that they might be slightly more careful than FedEx is ?

I didn’t open the box yet, but any damage to the set (if there is at all) is not coming from shipping I think, but from packing it damaged into the shipping box. 
 

I’ll update later today on the set condition itself. 
 

Oh, in case you’re wondering, I just ordered the Mountain Fortress.

(Sometimes when you buy more than one set, they combine them into one box and then shipping damage is much more likely ?)

[Nokturn]

Got my Snack Shack yesterday, unfortunately it was missing the entire sticker sheet. Very disappointed. Thankfully TLG was able to send out a replacement but I'm overall very annoyed that it was even necessary. One of the only reasons to even order these sets is because they have exclusive stickers. If they didn't, I'd just buy the parts separately at a later date. Their quality control seems to be slipping more and more recently and now I have to wait even longer to have a complete set. Has anyone else experienced this with the Snack Shack or any of the other sets?

Edited July 13, 2024 by Nokturn

[JohnTPT17]

18 hours ago, Nokturn said:

Got my Snack Shack yesterday, unfortunately it was missing the entire sticker sheet. Very disappointed. Thankfully TLG was able to send out a replacement but I'm overall very annoyed that it was even necessary. One of the only reasons to even order these sets is because they have exclusive stickers. If they didn't, I'd just buy the parts separately at a later date. Their quality control seems to be slipping more and more recently and now I have to wait even longer to have a complete set. Has anyone else experienced this with the Snack Shack or any of the other sets?

I got my Snack Shack and Mountain Fortress yesterday. I opened the Snack Shack to check for stickers, and mine were there (Mountain Fortress is still sealed, though, since it won't have any stickers). And in all of the previous iterations of the programs, I haven't had any issues with missing parts or stickers.

23 hours ago, Wimmer said:

(Sometimes when you buy more than one set, they combine them into one box and then shipping damage is much more likely ?)

I've noticed that happen with most of my regular lego.com orders, but I've noticed that they often ship my BDP sets in separate boxes. My two sets from this wave were in different boxes, for example: the Mountain Fortress in a tight, fitted box, and the Snack Shack loose in a bigger box. One corner was dented, but I'm honestly not too concerned about my box quality. As long as it doesn't look like it's been through a wood chipper, I mostly just care about the bricks.

[RichardGoring]

I've just opened mine to check and found the stickers on the outside of the inner flaps, which could very easily have slipped out if I had held the box the other way around (when still sealed). I suspect that this may be the cause of missing stickers, if they've just dropped them in at the end.

Edited July 15, 2024 by RichardGoring