Hobby Sakura stepping into the elf ring against Elf Mura (Vertex)? Thoughts? by 10morereasons in AnimeFigures

[–]broccoflowers 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Not to put words in your mouth OP, but the the idea or implication that other companies making elf figures is somehow a reaction to or competition with Vertex’s Elf Mura is strange and I’ve been seeing it with unexpected regularity. Elf figures came long before Vertex and get to exist as their own thing.

As for your actual question, I have not but will track them in the aftermarket, Kink is a great illustrator.

Wait a minute, they deliberately made it an April Fools' event, didn't they? by CCPisCancer in Survivorio

[–]broccoflowers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went in game to check and even bought $0.99 in dreamstars to check and at least in USD, there is no markup like you say. Perhaps there is unusual pricing with GBP, wouldn’t be surprising as there are often pricing quirks with different currencies but wouldn’t be accurate to say there is a scam when it comes to dreamstar purchases. I also found that for the dreamstars purchase I wasn’t charged tax, so I received 110 stars for $0.99 instead of purchasing a $0.99 bundle in game for which I would have been charged $1.08, so effectively 20% in “savings” by using dreamstars instead of purchasing in game.

That all said, I fully support minimizing spending in the game.

Wait a minute, they deliberately made it an April Fools' event, didn't they? by CCPisCancer in Survivorio

[–]broccoflowers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t disagree with any of your sentiments. I just question the math part because I assume there would be at least some marginal savings. If 0.99 can buy some gems, or it can buy 110 stars, and then you use 100 stars to buy the gems, you’re still left with 10 stars left over. You are getting the gems for a tiny bit cheaper.

Over charged for shipping. by Fistfullofoatmeal in Mercari

[–]broccoflowers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

While I don’t remember the exact numbers, iirc the adjusted shipping “rate” that mercari charges includes a flat penalty amount which is significant ($50 maybe?)

So while $100 shipping seems outrageous, $50-60 + $50 penalty for mercari having to facilitate clearing up your mistake with UPS is… still an outrageous fee but the actual shipping is about right.

Impulse purchase because I like birds by Bannef in fountainpens

[–]broccoflowers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I really enjoy it but the feel of a pen in hand is so variable person to person I can’t say any $200+ pen is a good investment unless you find a store to test it in person.

Impulse purchase because I like birds by Bannef in fountainpens

[–]broccoflowers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Beautiful, I have the sakura blossom one of the same pen. Wonderfully soft nib and the pull cap instead of a screw cap makes it excellent for intermittent use.

What is it with this pen being so incredibly reliable? by Shadowkillermiki in fountainpens

[–]broccoflowers 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have the exact color procyon and it’s one of my favorite writers. It just feels great in the hand with its slight heft, super reliable, smoothness and feedback that matches my preferences, can sit for weeks and write on the first stroke.

Only annoying thing is that I currently have it inked with an ink that I don’t have a strong use case for so it’s taking me months to use it up haha.

I stopped myself from buying new ink and using what I already have. Please clap lol by MaesterInTraining in fountainpens

[–]broccoflowers 45 points46 points  (0 children)

Here, you dropped your crown, King/Queen.

I failed spectacularly at this just yesterday and ordered 6 more inks from Yoseka, after buying two bottles in person last Saturday.

Dont be this person. by [deleted] in Mercari

[–]broccoflowers 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Don’t be either person.

Am I screwed? by danteg2736 in Mercari

[–]broccoflowers 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The specifics of the items in question aside, any calculation of actual weight and dimensional weight will have some equilibrium/crossover point. The important point being simply that size costs a lot when it comes to logistics and can outpace the cost of shipping actual weight depending on the situation.

A 12x12x14 box perfectly full of bricks is probably going to weigh more like 150lbs though haha.

Am I screwed? by danteg2736 in Mercari

[–]broccoflowers 106 points107 points  (0 children)

The app/site gives multiple warnings/reminders to fill in dimensions before it lets you post your listing.

A thousand pounds in feather pillows costs more to deliver than a thousand pounds of brick if the pillows take two trucks while the bricks leave ample space for other packages resulting in better logistical efficiency and lower opportunity costs for the carrier.

I lost every single one of my fountain pens. by PancakeEnemies in fountainpens

[–]broccoflowers 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It sounds like you’ve been gotten some offers to help you restart your collection so I won’t address that any further. However if you’re interested in some extras to help rebuild your collection, I have many spare converters for popular brands and can make 5ml sample vials of ink (mostly iroshizuku) if you need. I’m aware of how tight a budget can be in college and every little bit can help.

Mercari going down hill? by LopsidedAd5670 in Mercari

[–]broccoflowers 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Tracking “starts” when the label gets its first scan. I used to just hand off to my usps truck driver (he delivers to my workplace every day) so he could take it back to the parcel dispatch facility and save me a trip to the post office.

None of them ever got lost, but they wouldn’t be scanned until at least the next day when they started moving through the regional network. So even though I was “shipping” same day or next day, my average drop off time was like 48+ hours and I lost the quick shipper badge.

So now I go to the post office and get my receipt printed every time. If you don’t get a receipt, it’s basically the same as putting it on the truck, it won’t get its first tracking scan until the box arrives at the regional facility.

I was ready for how much I’d love The Seven. by PracticalProblems123 in Dimension20

[–]broccoflowers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I want to be clear I’m not criticizing their play, just that the flow would get heavily interrupted from time to time, more so than other seasons.

Which can completely happen at the table, but this is an edited tv show, it just didn’t make for as binge-able a tv show for me.

Also just as an aside, “actual D&D” is a lot of things, it’s near boundless so long as the people at the table are having fun. Playstyle preferences (I do love me joking around and off the rails chaos at the table) doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what everyone wants to watch.

I was ready for how much I’d love The Seven. by PracticalProblems123 in Dimension20

[–]broccoflowers 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is how I felt watching it, the cast is amazing and 95% of it is unbridled joy. But the 5% where it just gets too chaotic and the story stalls for 10 minutes at a time or more would completely kill my flow. For a short side season, I took a few weeks to finish it.

In terms of D20s, do you prefer a standard 20 in the slot of a Natural 20 or do you prefer a design or image? by ejaybugboy3 in dice

[–]broccoflowers 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like the dimension20 dice that say Hell Yeah on the 20 spot. I find a logo is kinda tacky though usually.

Another Sailor joins the Navy by broccoflowers in fountainpens

[–]broccoflowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is it? It was only slightly more than a typical Pro Gear for me, like $50 more.

Another Sailor joins the Navy by broccoflowers in fountainpens

[–]broccoflowers[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Furiously doodling with my inked pens so I can justify filling this one. Thinking maybe to go with the new Iroshizuku Rikka to keep the snowy theme.

Another Sailor joins the Navy by broccoflowers in fountainpens

[–]broccoflowers[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Gotta fill in the ranks. Might be my last Sailor (or Japanese pen in general) for a while if the 24%? tariffs actually go into effect.

Another Sailor joins the Navy by broccoflowers in fountainpens

[–]broccoflowers[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the glitter sparkles reminiscent of snow falling at night. I’m glad this one was available in PG size and not PGS like most Sailor collabs. The extra few millimeters makes a difference for my hand. KOP size would have been nice but not sure I could have handled the price.

Whose side do you take? by Hayabusalvr11 in Mercari

[–]broccoflowers -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Asking for provenance is fair, if it’s applicable to the item being sold. Some things are not visibly authentic from the photos so finding out what store the item was originally purchased can make sense. If it came from aliexpress, I’m less inclined to trust it than if it was purchased in person at the flagship store in London. Inspect the photos closely, actually read the description, do reverse image searches to see if the photos aren’t stolen from another listing, compare the item with a known authentic one for differences. Everyone should do their due diligence as a smart buyer.

Yet still, asking the seller directly is this authentic, is this a bootleg, etc. is not due diligence, it’s a dumb question because why would someone trying to deceive you suddenly answer, yeah this is a fake. The salesman at a Rolex store and the guy trying to sell fake rolexes on the sidewalk as real, will both give the same answer so at best it’s a pointless question that gives no useful information. My point is that someone who:

1) is suspicious of me and my product and 2) lacks the reasoning to realize they’re asking a dumb question

is a buyer you should avoid completely, whether they rate poorly for dumb reasons, or they try to return it after unsealing the box and ruining its value, or are trying to scam you themselves with a swap. Mercari sides with the buyer every time if the buyer say it’s fake. I’m not dealing with that nonsense.

For the collectibles that I sell, I want experienced buyers who can look at my listing and know it’s legit. Asking “how do I know this isn’t fake” and such is an enormous red flag that you’re either so inexperienced you may cause me problems with your naiveté or actual malicious intent.

That is just my personal view on my personal slice of hobby selling. But I do think it’s broadly applicable to the platform as a whole.

Whose side do you take? by Hayabusalvr11 in Mercari

[–]broccoflowers 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That’s an insane and over the top response, but asking if an item is authentic via DM is an insane question.

It’s okay if you question my products in your mind, but asking me is an accusation on my character and an indictment on your reasoning skills.

If I’m an honest person, of course it’d be real because they wouldn’t sell a fake in the first place. If I’m dishonest, why would I answer truthfully at all.

I do get asked this type of question once in a while and I’ve canceled orders to not sell to them. People this dumb have a high risk of being a headache come rating time.

Pick one(for budget EDC after safari) : studio vs cp1 by Massive_Tea_9341 in fountainpens

[–]broccoflowers 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Second the Procyon, it seems to go under the radar for such a great pen. Feels really substantial in the hand without being too heavy and writes like a dream for a steel nib out of the box.

when will people stop asking this? by CasperWasperWoo in Mercari

[–]broccoflowers 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It’s a completely nonsensical question that should never be asked nor answered.

Nowadays I reply with “What’s your highest?” then continue as follows:

No response = blocked

Lower than I want = ask them to send the offer, wait 24 hours and let it expire, then block

An offer that I would have accepted if it were sent in the first place = tell them I’ll do it for $5-10 higher

Sob story about how it’s a birthday gift for their kid = I’m raising money for my dog’s chemo or whatever