Research on Transparent Pricing on Bricklink

[Gerjan]

Within the course International Business Development in the bachelor of Business Administration at University of Twente I'm with a group of fellow students conducting a small research on transparent pricing on Bricklink.com.

We focus on the difference between transparent listed prices and prices where several costs and fees are charged (packaging costs, payment fees, other fees).

Do you buy Lego at Bricklink.com? We love to hear your opinion through our questionnaire. Participating only takes a few minutes and we hope it will bring us more insight on the preferences of Bricklink.com buyers with regard to pricing.

Thank you very much!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1dVEEyIkaiNTHABme2ulyZq_b1t8SjFoyofhyJO9UTKw/viewform

[jesse66058]

Done. Always nice to see such experiments. Good luck with it!

[Vee]

Done.

[jodawill]

Obviously, on the first question, product B is the superior option. After all, it's 0.00075 euros cheaper. For question #2, product A is 0.00425 euros cheaper.

For this question: "Is a higher than advertised total price a reason for you to discontinue your purchase?" I would say that it depends on what the final price is. I never expect the advertised price to be the amount I pay. I check the splash page and the store terms before I start shopping in a store so I don't waste time filling a cart just to see that they charge too much for shipping or something.

That said, I think percentage fees are stupid. They shouldn't be allowed on Bricklink. If you want to charge a percentage for something, just increase the price of the parts. If you have a flat fee, that's completely different. If I find a store that has something I want but they have a large flat fee, I'll just buy more from them so I feel like I get my money's worth after paying that fee.

[Artanis I]

All these fees sometimes. Paypal fee even though most of the time I have no option but to use Paypal. Lot limit fees for wanting an order that takes slightly longer to pull. What about customer service, huh?

I agree that a flat fee isn't so bad if it's necessary, it's easier to calculate the total. But all these percentage fees are a sneaky way to advertise a lower price in the search area than you actually charge, and also when calculations get to be more than you can just do in your head it gets annoying.

[AFOLguy1970]

It can certainly be a chore to try and figure out which is the better deal. Being from the States and sometimes visiting Europe, I do appreciate how the prices in the stores include everything, even tax. I completed the survey and noted that if option A and option B led to basically the same price, I would prefer the one which states the total up front.

US sellers do not typically charge Paypal fees, but I noticed that many European stores do. It is my guess that offering Paypal does present an extra cost to them. It would be nice if somehow shipping, fees, and handling charges, if applicable, are somehow included in the cart as you add items so that you would know right then and there how much the order is going to be.

[TheLegoDr]

Done. Interesting idea.

I hadn't considered that before. I think more than likely I would skip one with multiple fees (especially percentage fees) only because it is more legwork on my end. It isn't that I can't do the math, it's more I don't want to have to think when I'm trying to enjoy my hobby. Some fees are understandable. Flat fees make more sense than percentage fees. I'd rather be able to know what I'll pay sooner than later. Thankfully you can usually estimate how much shipping will be, so the end result isn't too far off from the estimate I have in my head. But with percentage fees I would probably avoid that seller and find someone else that has it also for a reasonable price.

I feel, as long as I get it for what I perceive as good value (even if it was more expensive than normal), I call it a win. And the seller should call it a win since they made a sale.