angore
Member 
Posts: 5,361 
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Aug 5, 2023 10:44:39 GMT
I saw a letter to the editor in latest APS journal complaining that the image sizes in the 2024 editions has been reduced so the complaint was identification was more difficult.
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Andy Pastuszak
Member
Praying for my family and everyone in Ukraine.
Posts: 1,533
What I collect: United States, Ukraine, Ireland
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Post by Andy Pastuszak on Aug 5, 2023 15:16:03 GMT
One question is if there is a sustainable model for the company? I think the future is an onllne database you subscribe to that has some added value, like allowing you to catalog your collection and printing out a report of stamp valuations for your insurance company. But to do that, someone like Amos would need to start from scratch. They're current offering is simply a bunch of screenshots they feed you on a web page. And, if I had to guess, they're probably exporting from FrameMaker to PDF, and then their online catalog just ingests the PDF and breaks it up into individual pages to feed on the website.
I much prefer to use a site like Stampworld and Colnect. They offer what I want, except they can't use Scott numbers. I know Colnect uses "Stamp Number," which is the Scott Number without actually calling it a Scott number. And i like the fact that Colnect lists the stamp number for multiple catalog makers. So, I can got to Ukraine and see the Scott Number and the Michel Number for each Ukrainian stamp.
I once asked Amos why they don't partner with one of these websites, license them the Scott numbering system and do some kind of cross promotion where they get a small cut of each subscription. And true to form, Amos was thinking small. They told me they have licensing deals with StampManage and EZStamp and they think licensing to a website will (censored) off "existing licensing partners."
I really like Colnect. I only have 2 issues with it:
1. The images are low quality (at least for the countries I collect) 2. It's too expensive. $100/year is just too expensive for me. Colnect is a $5.00 a month price point for me.
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Andy Pastuszak
Member
Praying for my family and everyone in Ukraine.
Posts: 1,533
What I collect: United States, Ukraine, Ireland
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Post by Andy Pastuszak on Aug 5, 2023 15:21:58 GMT
I saw a letter to the editor in latest APS journal complaining that the image sizes in the 2024 editions has been reduced so the complaint was identification was more difficult. In the online catalog, the print catalog, or both?
I still think these catalog makers do too much work now. They need to cross license with each other. Scott should specialize in North America, Stanley Gibbons in Great Britian and the Commonwealth, MICHEL in Germany, Austria and Eastern Europe, and so on.
Then Scott sells their North American catalog, and an English translated version of the MICHEL catalogs. MICHEL sells a German translated version of the Scott catalog.
These companies are duplicating effort when they could be collaborating.
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,361
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Aug 5, 2023 18:11:23 GMT
For Amos, their goal is to make money so collaboration is not their business model if it reduces revenue/profit.
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madbaker
Member
Posts: 693
What I collect: (Mark) General worldwide collector (to 1975 or so) with a soft spot for Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia.
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Post by madbaker on Aug 5, 2023 23:58:17 GMT
I really like Colnect. I only have 2 issues with it:
1. The images are low quality (at least for the countries I collect) 2. It's too expensive. $100/year is just too expensive for me. Colnect is a $5.00 a month price point for me.
I agree. Plus
2.5 Sometimes I get into a variant wormhole, where I only want the main catalogue numbers and I get page after page of variants. The perfect world for me would be a general display like Stampworld then let me drill into more detail.
But I admit that my beef is likely user error. 
PS - my biggest issue is that I don't trust any of these catalogue makers to keep any subscription service alive. Not even whoever is running Colnect. (although I trust djcmh) I'm getting tired of renting everything and then it disappearing. A 10 year old paper catalogue is still usable. |
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djcmh
Member
Posts: 773
What I collect: Worldwide
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Post by djcmh on Aug 6, 2023 3:59:09 GMT
While I have no financial stake in Colnect I can say that the ownership is by people younger than 50 and that the site itself has been around for twenty years now, and continues to branch out into new collectibles to increase its userbase (stamps are only one of over 2 dozen collectibles that Colnect has catalogues for).
Also it is possible to download catalogue information from Colnect for permanent storage either via downloading csv files from the site itself, or using the Stampmates program by Catamatrs which directly draws from Colnects catalogue to populate its database for the individual user, and has the ability to update listings and add new listings from Colnect with the push of a button.
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Andy Pastuszak
Member
Praying for my family and everyone in Ukraine.
Posts: 1,533
What I collect: United States, Ukraine, Ireland
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Post by Andy Pastuszak on Aug 6, 2023 16:59:26 GMT
I don’t need an online app. I would be very happy with something local. But I don’t use Windows. Every app I find is Windows only. And the online apps an are too expensive or don’t use a good numbering system.
I know there have attempts to create a universal free numbering system. They’ve all kind of died on the vine. I know the Ukrainian post office has their own numbering system that they based off of Michel. But at some point it diverges.
One thing I want out of any catalog maker is to be able to see all stamps for a year grouped together. If a country reprints a previously issued stamp with a new micro print, then that should appear in the year it was issued. It almost never is. It’s listed as a variety under the old stamp listing. I think it should be in both.
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,361
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Aug 8, 2023 10:11:04 GMT
If I used Colnect on regularly and if it could provide values (like based on the collector to collector sales) then I feel $100 is not outrageous. I would not give up my printed catalog though. Since I collect worldwide and not experienced in many countries, Colnect cuts my stamp id time by at least 200% since it is almost 100% identified unlike my printed catalog. If you contribute back to Colnect you may qualify for free premium membership.
The cost of many activities (eating out, traveling, movies, golf fees, streaming channel costs, hotel prices, etc.) are expensive too so it is just where you spend discretionary money.
The new variants feature seems to be working well.
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