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Shipping Updates

10/1/2021

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Picture
Photo by Yannik Mika on Unsplash
(Updated with LOWER rates to some countries on October 5, 2021)

2021 has been quite the year for small companies like ours shipping to customers in countries all over the world: continued supply shortages due to Covid-19 and other issues, constantly-changing lists of countries that will or will not accept mail from the United States, and shipping regulations and rates for all of our carriers that seem to change weekly.

As we head into the holiday season, I wanted to post an update about shipping in general.  Every year, it seems our shipping carriers set their deadlines for holiday shipping earlier and earlier.  2021 is no different, so if you are planning to order a holiday gift from us, please make sure to get your order in by November 30.


Plan Ahead
As we have done in prior years, we will not be scheduling any batches for our Premium Kits in December, so the last chance to get a kit for your Ecto-1, Millennium Falcon, Disney Castle, Hogwarts Castle, Ferris Wheel, or Super Star Destroyer will be the November batch (which will close on or around November 15).


Covid Shipping Restrictions
There are many countries that have imposed import restrictions for packages because of Covid-19.  At the time of writing, the US Postal Service has published a list of more than 100 countries that are on the restricted list, and the list changes regularly.  Note that this does not mean we are unable to ship your package!  We are working hard to find alternate shipping carriers that will be able to deliver your package.  You should always feel comfortable placing an order with us-- if you are able to complete check-out, then we will be able to ship to where you live.  As usual, if there are any "remote delivery" fees imposed on your order based on your location, we will communicate with you directly after your order has been received so you are able to pay these before shipping.

Because of the Covid restrictions, we have had to change shipping carriers for some countries.  For example, at present the only way for us to ship to Australia is via Express (UPS or DHL), so for now, those will be the only options available to select when placing an order for Australia.  We are continuing to monitor the situation and will adjust our shipping rates and rules as conditions change.



Shipping Rate Changes
We've seen more changes in shipping rates in 2021 than at any other time in our 10-year history, and the changes are almost always in the direction of a rate increase.  As just the latest example, on the day of this writing (October 1, 2021), the US Postal Service (USPS) has just raised its rates again for the third time since January.  This represents the same rate of increases dating back to 2017, so it truly is unprecedented.  At the same time rates are going up, delivery times as increasing as well for some items.  Customers living in the U.S. can read more about these changes here.  For customers living outside the U.S., we have found several alternate options for shipping that do not require using an Express service, so international customers are less likely to be impacted by the new USPS  changes.

We last updated our shipping rates at the beginning of 2021, based on 2020 rates, so we will be changing some rates today and others will be adjusted over time as our costs change.  We're always working to find the most cost-effective shipping solutions for you, and if you ever have a question about a shipping rate, address, or anticipated customs or duty you will have to pay to receive your package, please send us an e-mail and we'll be happy to help.

As of October 5, 2021, we're happy to be able to say we've LOWERED rates for non-express shipping to most places in the world.  As an example, non-express shipping to Canada decreased from $21.50 to $14, and non-express shipping to the rest of the world (except for Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and China) decreased from $32.45 to $24!

Thank you as always for being a Brickstuff customer, and I want to extend a special note of thanks for continuing to support our efforts during these stressful times.

Sincerely,

Rob Klingberg
Brickstuff Chief Enthusiast
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Living with COVID-19

4/13/2020

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As the coronavirus (COVD-19) continues to spread around the world, we wanted to provide an update on our business.  Because of a stay-at-home order issued by our state governor, our office is operating with minimal staff until the first week of May.  Businesses around our country have been ordered closed, so we are doing the best we can to keep stock in place, keep up with customer e-mails, and keep up with orders while working from home and having one person at a time in the office.

So, we are still open for business, and we are still ready to help with your lighting projects in any way we can.  It may take us a little longer than normal to ship your order, though, so we thank you for your patience and support.

Please stay safe, and hopefully you can enjoy this time to break into those LEGO sets you've had on the shelf for months!
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"What Lights Do I Need For..."

3/25/2014

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2021 Update: Since this post was originally published, we have launched our online User Forum.  Many customers have shared their approaches for lighting their models-- you can check them out and contribute to the conversation by clicking here.

Here at Brickstuff, we often get questions along the lines of, "I just bought <x> LEGO set, and I'm wondering what lights I need to go with it.  Can you help?"

OF COURSE we can help-- we love connecting with our customers and hearing about all the awesome things they are creating!  So if you have a question about any of our products, don't hesitate to reach out and ask.

Since we often do get the same question, however, we thought it might be helpful to publish this blog post with some of the most common advice we provide.

When considering which lights you need for a given model, the most important factor to consider is: what overall effect are you hoping to achieve?  By this we don't mean lighting effect, but rather the approach you plan to take to the lighting process as a whole.  Here it is important to decide whether your goal is to add basic lighting (for example, adding general, broad light to one or more buildings), or whether you're aiming for something more detailed (for example, lighting each individual lamp in a house, headlight on a vehicle, or laser on a space ship).

If your goal is to add a large amount of general light to relatively large spaces (such as the interior of a building), your best bet is to use our Light Strips.  We offer these in packs of 2 and also in a 9-pack starter kit.  As a general rule of thumb, you'll need three Light Strips per floor of a Modular Building-sized structure (use fewer per floor if you have a smaller building, more if you have a larger building).  You can connect the Light Strips end to end, so you can expand your lighting installation or add more light at any time.  We have published an online guide that provides more ideas for using our Light Strips to light Modular Buildings (you can use these same techniques to light non-buildings as well).

If your goal is to create detail lighting (lighting individual lamps, engines, headlights, laser cannons, etc.), then our Pico Light Boards are the right solution.  As with the Light Strips, we offer these in packs of 2 and also in a starter kit.

So, to summarize: there is no one "right" way to light your creations.  Depending on the type of effect you are seeking, you will benefit from using either our Light Strips or our Pico Light Boards (or both, if you want to light both general areas and detailed spaces).  For models like Technic models, space ships, and the like, you will probably want to use the Pico Light Boards.

No matter your approach or what you're hoping to light up, the easiest way to get started is to use one of our starter kits-- these include everything you'll need to be up and running quickly, and since everything in the Brickstuff system is modular, you can easily expand or adjust your installation (or your approach) at any time.

We hope this information has been helpful.  If you have additional specific questions, we'd be happy to help!  Just send us a note via our Contact page and we'll be in touch.



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