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!


In most cases it's easy to determine whether a sale should be added as a Price Point based on our Price Point Quality Standards, but sometimes there are  cases where it may be appropriate to make exceptions to those rules. This article describes some of those exceptions and how we handle them. 


If there is a question about a specific Price Point that isn't addressed by the Price Point Quality Standards or this article, Squad members can post in the Squad Facebook Group to discuss it.



TABLE OF CONTENTS



Outliers: The 2-2-200 Rule


This rule is designed to address situations when an item sells well above its current Estimated Value but doesn't show any immediate signs of shill bidding or other fraudulent activity. For more background, see the announcement of this rule published on the Pop Price Guide blog.


If these three conditions are met, that sale maybe be excluded from the Price Guide:


  • The sale is over $200,

  • The sale is at least two times Database Item's current Estimated Value,

  • And there are at least two other examples of the item available for purchase on the same marketplace (eBay, Mercari, etc.) that are in similar or better condition and being offered at around the current Estimated Value.


An Example



For the 2-2-200 Rule to be applied to a new eBay sale of the pink chrome Batman Pop shown above,


  1. The new sale must be above $200,

  2. The new sale must be above $820 (2x $410)

  3. There is only one or no other active listings on eBay around $410 at this point in time.


If those conditions are met, the sale would be considered an invalid Price Point.




$1 eBay Auctions for items with an Estimated Value of $10


It is often hard to tell if an eBay auction that ended at $0.99 or $1 with only one bid had too high shipping or was missing keywords and thus was not seen by a sufficient number of potential buyers to constitute a market transaction.



To make it easier for Squad Members we will not enter Price Points that are  -

  1. Sold at eBay auction for $1 or less,

  2. Have an Estimated Value of $10 or more.




Items Without Recent Price Points


If an exceptionally rare item is sold in a condition that wouldn't typically qualify under our Price Point Quality Standards, we may decide to make an exception and add it to the Price Guide under these conditions:


  • The sale price is at least two times the item's current Estimated Value, and

  • There have been no sales to record as Price Points for the past 12 months or more.