This article helps our Volunteer Squad keep the database clean and consistent! It pertains to members who have Contributor access and above. If you're interested in getting involved, read more about joining the Squad here. We'd love to have you aboard!

It is extremely important to us to keep the hobbyDB Price Guide as accurate as possible. We have developed some rules for which potential Price Points should be added.


This article focuses on the quality of Price Points. To learn what types of Price Points we can use, click here.


TABLE OF CONTENTS



Always...

  • Look closely at the original sale listing—be sure to inspect each photo and read the item description.

  • Verify that the sale was legitimate and that the transaction took place.

  • Make sure that the item sold is mint or near-mint. This includes the packaging (minor shelf wear is usually acceptable) and all original accessories.

  • Consider "buyer's intent" — if the item is described as mint, the price the buyer is willing to pay is based on the expectation that they will receive it as advertised.

  • Remain neutral. Approach price guide work without bias towards raising, lowering, or maintaining the Estimated Value of the item, and without an opinion on what the value of an item "should" be. Our goal is to accurately document the sales history of each item regardless of what direction the value is heading.

  • Add as many Price Points as possible for each Database Item (within reason—if there are hundreds of recent sales, it's probably enough to add only the ones completed in the past month).

  • Add all available completed sales from the source you're using, going back at least one month or more, as long as the sales meet our standards as described in this article. We want a solid history of sales both to smooth the curve and avoid drastic up and down spikes and to show trends over time.

  • Make sure you add each Price Point to the correct Database item, including the correct Variant and Subvariant.



Never add...

  • Sales of items that are not mint or near-mint and/or have missing or damaged packaging.

    • EXCEPTION: If a sale of a non-mint item is higher than our current Estimated Value and there are no recent near-mint sales to add as Price Points, the non-mint sale may be added.

      For example, if an item with an Estimated Value of $100 hasn't seen any sales in the past several months, then one in good, but not quite near-mint, condition sells for $200, we would want to add that sale to the Price Guide.

      If you do add a non-mint item under this exception, add a note saying why you decided to add it (add text in brackets [ ] after the item number).

  • Sales of lots or bundles (more than one item included in the sale, whether duplicates of the same item or different items).

  • Sales of fake or counterfeit items.

  • Any sale that can't be verified by a third party (such as sales on Facebook, Amazon, buy/sell forums, etc.).

  • Items sold by anyone on our Bad eBay Sellers list.

  • Listings where the seller was clearly trying to hide the real cost of an item by selling the item for a very low price with exorbitant shipping/postage costs. Shipping costs aren't included in our Price Guide because they can vary widely depending on where in the world the buyer and seller are located.

  • Listings that sold for $1 if the item currently has an Estimated Value of $10 or more.

  • Listings with obvious shill bidding (external link).



What about Photos?


Price Points with stock photos are acceptable if the item is advertised by the seller as brand new and mint. The price buyers are willing to pay for items listed with stock photos is based on their expectation that they will receive the item as advertised.


Photos of the actual item sold are not required as long as the seller adequately describes the item's condition. If photos are included, consider them part of the item description and make sure they don't show damage. Photos do not need to show all sides of the item, and there is no minimum number of photos required. Low-quality photos also do not disqualify a price point—if the condition can't be discerned from the photos provided, refer to the listing description to determine if the seller is advertising the item as mint or near-mint.



Vetting Price Points


We rely on our Squad members to check each other's work, watching for mistakes and suspicious behavior. All members are encouraged to verify Price Points and flag any that don't meet our quality standards.


  • If you find a Price Point that doesn't meet the standards described above, please flag it. All flags are reviewed by our staff or an experienced Volunteer Squad member. If the flagged Price Point is determined to be invalid it will be removed.

  • StockX Price Points are not removed unless they have been added to the wrong Database Item. Sellers at StockX send their items in to be inspected by experienced staff who verify the quality and legitimacy of every item sold on their site.

  • hobbyDB Marketplace sales are automatically added as Price Points. Sales of items that don't meet our quality standards are added to the Price Guide as reference points, but they are not used in the Estimated Value calculation. hobbyDB Marketplace Price Points may be flagged if it appears the seller improperly marked the condition of the item as Mint or Excellent (near-mint).

  • Be aware that eBay removes listings from their site 90 days after they have expired. An error page when clicking an eBay link in the Price Guide does not mean the Price Point needs to be removed.

  • Feeling like the Estimated Value of the item is higher or lower than it should be is not an acceptable reason to flag a Price Point. Repeatedly flagging items with the intent to "correct" the Estimated Value may result in your ability to submit flags being suspended.

  • Please do not flag items to request that Price Points be added. We are a small team and can't respond to these requests, but we would love to invite you to join the Volunteer Squad so you can add new Price Points yourself! Contact us if you'd like to give it a try and we'll set you up!