All I want to do is talk about Sportlots

[Westlake]

Originally Posted by gopherfan

I'm pretty sure that I helped with that.

Yes you did. Greatly appreciated. When you order from me make sure you put in 75% offers on the $5 and over cards.

[gopherfan]

Originally Posted by Westlake

Send it to

Sportlots Marlew
101 s Military Ave 260
Green Bay Wi 54303-2409

Include a note explaining what happened. It will end up in the right place. Ask them to credit you the $ for postage.

Sportlots gave me the rightful card owners address. They are already in the mailbox. Thanks.

[jbnve9]

Quick question-when you make a sale, is the BIN field included in the listing report to the seller detailing the sale from Sportlots? Just trying to figure out the best way to use this field. Thanks in advance!

[nam812]

First you get the order, then once you are sure you have the cards in that order you hit the "fill order" button. After you do that the now filled order moves over to your "order filled" tab which looks like this:

[jbnve9]

Originally Posted by nam812

First you get the order, then once you are sure you have the cards in that order you hit the "fill order" button. After you do that the now filled order moves over to your "order filled" tab which looks like this:

Thank you for the information-this thread has been very helpful for me as I get set up to sell. So, when you first get notification of the order from Sportlots, in the list of cards ordered, is the BIN field included as part of that list? Would it look odd or impact sales if I used BIN in such a way that I had multiple listings for the same card?

[nam812]

Originally Posted by jbnve9

Thank you for the information-this thread has been very helpful for me as I get set up to sell. So, when you first get notification of the order from Sportlots, in the list of cards ordered, is the BIN field included as part of that list? Would it look odd or impact sales if I used BIN in such a way that I had multiple listings for the same card?

I don't currently have an unfilled order to show you so I'm going by memory. When you first get notification from Sportlots that you have an order to fill (before you hit the fill order button) you see the cards ordered and the amount each card sold for, which is obviously the price you set it for.

When you say BIN, if you mean the box I have highlighted with an arrow in the diagram below, in all my 35,000 listings I have never entered an amount in that box before.

[katanabm]

Bin is your inventory location/box number etc. It does show up on the packing slip. Its for you to locate the cards when you get an order. It does not show up on the customer card screen but is there on all your screens behind the scenes.

[ga5150]

I believe it's exactly as posted above by katanabm. The "Bin" is the location of where you have the card stored yourself. I have multiple shelves labeled 1-5. On each shelf, I have boxes labeled A-F. So, when entering cards for sale, if I enter 3B, then I know the card is located on shelf 3 inside box B. It's for your own organization usage. It will appear on the packing slip also if you print those out. I usually print out my packing slips, then walk down to my basement and all the info I need to pull the card is right there on the packing slip, including the exact location (Bin number).

Is this what the original question was, or am I totally off to the side here?

It's sort of like Bin locations in a warehousing operation- just a place to put the location of your inventory to make it easier to pull when you need it.

[jbnve9]

Thanks guys! This is very helpful and exactly what I was looking for. So, if I have multiples of the same card that were purchased in different lots (and stored in different boxes in my inventory) so I assign different BIN values for each, they will have separate entries when my store goes live (rather than being consolidated into one entry with a drop-down box for buyers to select how many of the specific card they want to purchase)? Would this look odd to buyers, or is this a fairly common practice on Sportlots? I just don't want to enter my inventory in a way where buyers say "What the heck was he doing here?" However, I'd also like to maximize efficiency as much as possible. Thanks guys-I appreciate the advice/help!

[katanabm]

Originally Posted by jbnve9

Thanks guys! This is very helpful and exactly what I was looking for. So, if I have multiples of the same card that were purchased in different lots (and stored in different boxes in my inventory) so I assign different BIN values for each, they will have separate entries when my store goes live (rather than being consolidated into one entry with a drop-down box for buyers to select how many of the specific card they want to purchase)? Would this look odd to buyers, or is this a fairly common practice on Sportlots? I just don't want to enter my inventory in a way where buyers say "What the heck was he doing here?" However, I'd also like to maximize efficiency as much as possible. Thanks guys-I appreciate the advice/help!

New Bin will equal a new line on the purchase screen. If you have multiples in the same Bin then there will be a drop down box. The best way is to have them in the same Bin but thats not always possible.

[nam812]

I had no idea why that column was there so I just learned something. Good to know.

[ga5150]

It's funny....such a small little box and column to enter information into, but makes it so that you can pull any card out of millions as long as you entered the storage location correctly.

Multiples of the same card in various conditions can be listed and you know exactly which one to pull because the BIN location points you right to it.

Originally Posted by nam812

I had no idea why that column was there so I just learned something. Good to know.

[gopherfan]

Originally Posted by nam812

First you get the order, then once you are sure you have the cards in that order you hit the "fill order" button. After you do that the now filled order moves over to your "order filled" tab which looks like this:

If only people made sure they had all the cards. I've had orders for over 500 different cards "filled" within 5 minutes of placing the order. Then 20 or more cards are missing and I don't find out until they arrive. Sometimes I am filling orders for customers to complete sets. Then I have 5 sets incomplete and I can't order from someone else in time. That gets a little frustrating.

[jbnve9]

Thanks everyone for the help so far! One more questions for the experienced Sportlots sellers on here. How do you track inventory, as far as what you originally paid for your cards, etc.? Do you maintain a separate Access database for this? I know one person previously told me to avoid this if I can, because they maintain a separate database and it is a lot of work (which I can certainly see that it would be!). I was thinking of ways to use the BIN field as a way to document what I originally paid for the card, but this would result in many situations where I bought, say, three different versions of the same card (all in NM condition) in three different lots, and they would have three separate entries in my inventory on Sportlots (because they would have three separate BIN values). Is it better to suck it up and maintain a separate Access database so all of my inventory on Sportlots can have a single entry for each card? Or, is it not problematic to have many cards in my Sportlots inventory that have multiple entries for the same card in the same condition?

[nam812]

I put some of my tiny profits back into the "business."

[Budler]

Originally Posted by nam812

I put some of my tiny profits back into the "business."

Attachment 487294

When people bring up non-machinable I bring up this:

I received a card in a clear zip-lock bag. The bag had the card (not damaged) in a top loader with painters tape on the top to keep the card from coming out. (good). The PWE was ripped into 3 pieces. It was marked non-machinable on front and back. (non-machinable stamp). Along with that there was a note from the PO. "Sorry it got catch up in the machines" So there is no gaurante that they will not go through the machines. It may help some.

This happened only once out of 100s of PWEs.

[nam812]

Originally Posted by Budler

When people bring up non-machinable I bring up this:

I received a card in a clear zip-lock bag. The bag had the card (not damaged) in a top loader with painters tape on the top to keep the card from coming out. (good). The PWE was ripped into 3 pieces. It was marked non-machinable on front and back. (non-machinable stamp). Along with that there was a note from the PO. "Sorry it got catch up in the machines" So there is no gaurante that they will not go through the machines. It may help some.

This happened only once out of 100s of PWEs.

All a seller can do is protect the card well (your seller did not with his sandwich baggie), pay the proper non machinable price, and alert the USPS that the mail-piece should not be machined.

Every card I mail in a PWE gets put in a penny sleeve, then put into a top loader, then sandwiched between two thin but sturdy pieces of cardboard, then taped to the inside of the envelope to avoid any shifting during transit.

[tribefan26]

Originally Posted by gopherfan

One thing I wish was that if a seller didn't have one of the cards in an order, that you would be contacted. Some sellers have the same price for shipping (let's say $3.75) for 1-4 cards. I might want a $10 card that I am willing to pay that $3.75 shipping to get, and I add in 3 base commons just to get to 4 cards and to fill sets. The seller doesn't have the $10 card, and I get shipped 3 commons for $3.75 shipping. Obviously I would have cancelled the entire order if I wasn't getting the one card I really wanted.

As a seller, if this happens I now message buyers and offer a full refund.

[timber09]

I only use the non-machinable stamps - I know they are not perfect however I haven't had any issues with PWE damage along the way. A couple have gone missing but it's well under a tenth of a percent.

I know there is likely little to no recourse but it makes me feel better to know that I at least have a gripe with the post office if I use the non-machinable stamps they make and then they end up shredding something along the way.

Knock on wood that I continue to be lucky.

[Budler]

Originally Posted by nam812

All a seller can do is protect the card well (your seller did not with his sandwich baggie), pay the proper non machinable price, and alert the USPS that the mail-piece should not be machined.

Every card I mail in a PWE gets put in a penny sleeve, then put into a top loader, then sandwiched between two thin but sturdy pieces of cardboard, then taped to the inside of the envelope to avoid any shifting during transit.

NO it was not the seller who put it in the sandwich bag. It was the PO after it was ripped up going through the machines. I was lucky that I even to get it in that condition. The seller marked it (non-machinable) in 2 places and paid the proper price. It was in a top loader with painters tape so the card would not fall out of the top loader. Could not tell if he taped it to the PWE. Only thing he did not do was put in the cardboard.

I was just letting people know that Non-Machinable Markings and price do not always insure it will not go through the machines. I have been told by several of the person at the PO here in Longmont, CO. You have a 50-50 chance it will go through a machine some where. Even marked non-machinable.

The way you do it is the way I do it. That is the risk that we take. I have had bubble packages ripped up also. So no gaurante when you give it to the PO.

[nam812]

I understand you are giving a cautionary tale that just because you mark the package and pay the proper fee that stuff can still happen, but once i package properly, mark the PWE and pay the proper amount it's out of my hands.

It took too many years, but for a while now I've stopped worrying about the things I can not control.

[Cliffroach]

Why are there sellers that have the budget option filled in on the shipping grid but they don't actually offer the budget option? Does Sportlots require sellers to fill it in? It's always a pain when you go to your cart and the shipping isn't what you thought it was.

[TwoBrosCards]

Originally Posted by Cliffroach

Why are there sellers that have the budget option filled in on the shipping grid but they don't actually offer the budget option? Does Sportlots require sellers to fill it in? It's always a pain when you go to your cart and the shipping isn't what you thought it was.

There is a threshold setting for what sellers will require the premium shipping charge for. Example, if I have my Premium Rate Threshold set at $5.00, any card that I have listed for $5.00 or more will require the premium freight option and not have the budget rate available. That could be what is happening.

EDIT: Correction. I believe the threshold is set for your total order amount, not per individual card

[Cliffroach]

Originally Posted by TwoBrosCards

There is a threshold setting for what sellers will require the premium shipping charge for. Example, if I have my Premium Rate Threshold set at $5.00, any card that I have listed for $5.00 or more will require the premium freight option and not have the budget rate available. That could be what is happening.

EDIT: Correction. I believe the threshold is set for your total order amount, not per individual card

Thanks. I see now what you're referring to at the bottom of shipping grid. I guess some are just set low so they automatically trigger the premium rates.

[nam812]

July started out so good, but now sales have pretty much come to a halt since the 15th. It's crazy how cyclical it is.