BrickLink is going to stop distinguishing between various item mold types starting February 15, 2024. To do this, they will be merging various part numbers, essentially removing the mold types from the catalog. In this blog post, we'll discuss what this means for sellers, and how Bricqer will help you during this transition.
Starting on February 15th, BrickLink will start to merge part numbers, essentially removing the mold types from the catalog. Other marketplaces, such as BrickOwl and BrickScout, have not announced such a merge. BrickOwl, for example, has historically given its sellers a configuration option to indicate whether they even distinguish mold types. Lots of sellers are concerned as to how this change will affect their inventories.
What part numbers will be merged
BrickLink has listed over 4000 part numbers that they will be merging. In the coming days, Bricqer will start adding public comments to these items if you've listed them on BrickLink. The comment will be describing the mold variant, as listed in BrickLink's help article.
By adding a public comment to the listed parts, BrickLink will still change part numbers, but customers can still distinguish the mold variant by looking at the comments.
What this will look like
Let's say you have two lots of the same item, but with a different mold type. BrickLink will change the part number, but will keep the two separate lots intact. Because Bricqer will be adding a comment describing the mold variant, customers will essentially still see two different lots, each describing the mold variant. Customers can then decide for themselves whether they care about the mold type, and which one of the lots they will be buying.
How other marketplaces will handle this change
Other marketplaces have not announced a similar merge. We will keep your inventory on those marketplaces as-is. This change only affects your BrickLink inventory.
How the items will show up in Bricqer
Bricqer will still show the old part number when an order comes in and will retain the correct inventory location. Whether an order comes in through BrickLink or any other marketplace -- nothing will change for you, and there is nothing you need to do. We'll simply show the item the way you added it to your inventory originally.
I'd prefer merging my inventory
Some sellers may prefer merging the mold variants they are currently listing on BrickLink. That may even be beneficial. For example, we know that BrickLink's Wanted List feature prefers single lots instead of multiple. By merging multiple lots into a single one, removing the mold distinction, you may have higher chances of showing up in customer's Wanted Lists.
Bricqer will automatically be adding a comment to your existing lots. However, if you'd rather merge lots, please contact us. We'll make sure to remove the comment and merge the lots for you.
Where can I find more information
Please refer to the following thread on the BrickLink forums: Variants Thread - January 26.
