Wait for the code, Sofirn are sending the codes manually , it will take some time to get the code, also I believe the code is good for one unit. You may not be able to buy more than one with given code at the group buy price, this is my observations based on what I read.
>> READ Post #7717 >>> *BLF LT1 Lantern Project) (updated Nov,17,2020) - #7707 by Sofirn
>> AND Post #7718 >>> *BLF LT1 Lantern Project) (updated Nov,17,2020) - #7708 by Sofirn
I hope this helps prevent further melt downs
Great questions. It’s not very clear. It sounds like you can just submit an offer on eBay.com with your BLF name and get one for $49.99 (USD) regardless of your position on the list. It also seems like you can only buy one for now.
CPF?
Except the posts you refer him to don’t say what your summary says. He doesn’t need to wait for a code.
Unless they’re not accepting offers from people who are over 500 on the list it seems like anyone can get one via eBay if they’re on the list.
Brain fart, fixed.
What I understand is that you need a code for buying via Amazon, but not for buying via Ebay or aliexpress.
For Ebay and aliexpress, you need to wait with paying, notify Sofirn your BLF username, then Sofirn checks your name on the list, then the price is adjusted. Apparently Sofirn is ok with any place on the list, not just with positions in the first 500.
Yes, I wrote in circles. :person_facepalming:
Thank you Paul321
My order got updated to shipped
I think this hasn’t been answered directly yet, this is what I understand. Sofirn built up a first run of 500 units. Sofirn is limiting the purchase quantity to 1 per person for those first 500 units to allow as many different people as possible to get the lantern. Sometime after the next batch is made (or maybe even the third batch?) I expect those who are on the list for multiple lanterns will be able to purchase more than one at a time.
Other than possible ethical issues, there is no reason that an individual can not purchase one from Amazon (assuming they got the code), one from ebay, and one from Ali in the first 500 units. I won’t, as I would like to stick with Sofirn’s desire to get more people’s hands on this gem.
If I speculate on Sofirn’s perspective:
For a small company as they are, they invested a lot of time, labour and money in the lantern, and perhaps they may even go bancrupt over the lantern if it fails. But given that they went with almost everything that Den and BLF wanted from it, they really must have trusted BLF that this lantern is worth developing the way it is made now. Mind that Sofirn is not build around flashlight fanatics, like Foursevens or Emisar or Convoy, they can not beforehand judge new developments on their value like those other companies can.
But now that the Lantern is ready and they have also invested in 500 pieces, I can imagine that despite the trust they feel uneasy about the investment, so I can understand if they are not 100% concerned about selling in the precise order and right timing desired by BLF, but also a bit concerned about getting the 500 sold at all whichever way, getting them already part of their investment back. Later with batches 2 and 3, having some money back in their account and having found that the sales go well they will relax a bit more.
I think that also they are simply trying their best to do it the best way that they think BLF wants it. But perhaps people in the lantern team are actually informed while I am just speculating.
The second quote is of me a few posts above. It is also my paraphrase of Barry’s statement in the team chat as to why they wanted to limit the purchase of the first 500 to 1 per person.
There are way more than 500 people interested in purchasing this lantern. Some want to wait until colors are available. Some (me) wanted to wait until colors are available, but bought one anyway.
The precise details of what Sofirn’s factory can do and how they project-plan their capacity are commercially sensitive information. I would be very surprised if any company ever discloses information like that on BLF for their competitors to see.
As I understand it, Sofirn already have 500 units of the LT1 in stock right now, with manufacturing of the second batch currently in progress.
So what’s to stop someone from buying one on eBay or aliexpress using someone else’s BLF ID? There’s no way for Sofirn to know that the eBay or AE account is owned by the same person as the BLF ID from the interest list that’s being used for the transaction. I’m not advocating anyone do that, and I think it would be pretty crappy, but several of the current sales methods could be abused (once the interest list hits 3000).
it is one per person from what is reported, also it looks like eBay circumvents the order of the list. Also eBay hit me with added tax all of a sudden on my two razors this week I bought.
Maybe they have a spreadsheet that tracks your blf handle. Like for me, they send me a code and logged it under my blf handle, then when I try on eBay, they ask for me blf handle and if I give them dealgrabber2002, they can see the code already been given out via Amazon.
It is not a foolproof system, and that is not essential either in my opinion, if things do not go seriously wrong everyone on the list will eventually get their lantern for the discounted price. This is no different from the other BLF projects, lots of irregularities in the sales process but in the end all the people got their lights and the manufacturer got their money.
(one exception and it was me organising it 
: the double UV Romisen project from years ago went wrong, only 50 lights were produced for a list of 200, it was completely random who got their lights and who did not)
I forgot about that aspect of the UV Romisen project...
I was one of the lucky few that got one of the flashlights! 
.#256 chinooker ordered at Amazon w/code from PM
edit (corrected my order #803 which was my 2nd request which I haven’t received yet)