GPAnalysis rant!

[fantastic_four]

The ability to look up page quality for a single book isn't a replacement for the usefulness of GPA containing that information, because if GPA had it, data could be grouped by page quality, which isn't possible just by looking up individual books. It's also just a pain to have to do take the time to look up data points, and it's prohibitively time-consuming for high-population books...there's no way I'm looking up hundreds of price points for say a Spidey 121/122/129 just to find the average price for White versus Off-White paged copies. Nobody would, it doesn't work.

 

However, I do understand the precise technology challenge George faces as I've coded many screen-scraping and direct data interface systems like his in the past, and for CGC data, I agree that he's not going to be able to get that data for E-Bay auctions in any automatic way. He'd have to have someone manually review most auctions, which is more expensive, and even then he wouldn't always get them because not every seller puts page quality or serial number in their auctions.

 

I'm not sure I understand the problem with having page quality for some items but not for others. Some data is better than none in this case; I'm confused how not having it across the board is any kind of disadvantage at all, except that customers will complain because they don't understand why some prices don't have page quality. I don't really accept that as a valid reason against it though...making the customers who DO understand that suffer due to the impatient dips out there is rather irritating.

 

Having said that, it's important to understand that the real work in reporting page quality is not really on the shoulders of GPA--for him it's a very straightforward change to his database table schema and interface code--it's more of a challenge for the submitters, i.e. Heritage, Pedigree, etc, because they're the ones who have to actually provide that data. Maybe that, too, is just a challenge that does fall back onto GPA...a competitor could pay the dealers some low monthly cost for their data to offset the time required for submission of the data. Or does GPA already compensate dealers? I was under the impression they didn't, but I could be wrong. If they don't, I've long wondered if that's one of Josh's main beefs with submitting GPA data, not being compensated for submission.

[THE_BEYONDER]

I've long wondered if that's one of Josh's main beefs with submitting GPA data, not being compensated for submission.

 

I was under the impression that Josh doesn't submit data to GPA because GPA won't allow him to pick & choose what data he submits.

[Flaming_Telepath]

I've long wondered if that's one of Josh's main beefs with submitting GPA data, not being compensated for submission.

 

I was under the impression that Josh doesn't submit data to GPA because GPA won't allow him to pick & choose what data he submits.

 

As I understand it, that was one of his beefs.

[VintageComics]

Additionally, when this was discussed in the past

 

It still hurts every time I sit.

 

[Flaming_Telepath]

Additionally, when this was discussed in the past

 

It still hurts every time I sit.

 

 

So it should do.

[seanfingh]

Additionally, when this was discussed in the past

 

It still hurts every time I sit.

 

 

You were so much older then, you're younger than that now.

[VintageComics]

Additionally, when this was discussed in the past

 

It still hurts every time I sit.

 

 

So it should do.

 

No good deed goes unpunished.

 

[fantastic_four]

I've long wondered if that's one of Josh's main beefs with submitting GPA data, not being compensated for submission.

 

I was under the impression that Josh doesn't submit data to GPA because GPA won't allow him to pick & choose what data he submits.

 

As I understand it, that was one of his beefs.

 

Adult humans rarely make any decision for only one reason. My decision on when to go to the bathroom usually involves anywhere from three to ten different variables.

[G.A.tor]

I think they should make a notation for all books sold at auction on a Holiday.

 

I just set a bunch of GPA lows on books that ended on the 4th of July.

 

me too or

[chrisco37]

My decision on when to go to the bathroom usually involves anywhere from three to ten different variables.

 

I could only come up with 5:

 

 

1. Can anybody see me?

Yes = hold it until I find secluded spot or restroom

No = fire away

 

2. In reference to #2, do I have toilet paper (or leaves) handy?

Yes = OK

No = Don't go #2

 

3. Am I wearing my diapers?

Yes = forget #2 & 3 above, go for it

No = refer back to #2 and #3 above

 

4. Do I require a magazine for this trip?

 

5. What type of magazine do I need?

[G.A.tor]

I subscribe, and I'd love to have all our boardie to boardie sales of GA slabs included....I know we probably have more transactions than most sites.

I am working on a huge file to send to george of all the GA transactions I have recorded (going back a few years too)... just a big undertaking for me, so I have been a bit slow to get the info to george

[fantastic_four]

My decision on when to go to the bathroom usually involves anywhere from three to ten different variables.

 

I could only come up with 5:

 

 

1. Can anybody see me?

Yes = hold it until I find secluded spot or restroom

No = fire away

 

2. In reference to #2, do I have toilet paper (or leaves) handy?

Yes = OK

No = Don't go #2

 

3. Am I wearing my diapers?

Yes = forget #2 & 3 above, go for it

No = refer back to #2 and #3 above

 

4. Do I require a magazine for this trip?

 

5. What type of magazine do I need?

 

Don't forget:

• Did I clog it last time I went and left it for the next person, but nobody else has used it yet? If so, wait a bit longer.
• Am I reading the forums and someone's having a meltdown? If so, delay trip until done reading.
• Are there boobs on TV? If so and the girlfriend's unavailable, it changes the timing and scope of the trip.

 

[fantastic_four]

I am working on a huge file to send to george of all the GA transactions I have recorded (going back a few years too)... just a big undertaking for me, so I have been a bit slow to get the info to george

 

This thread aims to make your job a little harder.

[Bruno_s4]

It would be nice to have PQ listed but, at the moment, serial numbers are available on most books (as George noted).

 

All it takes is a simple 2 minute, free, phone call to CGC for that info. Heck, for that info, you don't even need to be put all the way thru to a grader. You call, say you want notes, give them the serial number, they say "Book X, 9.4, white?" to confirm your request. And then you get put thru to grader.

 

Yeah, but that's not quite so handy if you don't live in the US.

 

Move.

 

Yeah, I didn't really think about that. I guess you could always PM one of us to check for you (I know that isn't the preferred way, but it's a way for now).

 

I'm typing a list for you as we speak.

 

Send it. I'll get to it when I get to it.

 

You can only do one request per call, so it may take awhile.

 

Actually you can get graders notes for 3 books/day.

 

[G.A.tor]

I am working on a huge file to send to george of all the GA transactions I have recorded (going back a few years too)... just a big undertaking for me, so I have been a bit slow to get the info to george

 

This thread aims to make your job a little harder.

it is actually getting all the cgc bar codes that is time consuming for me... I generally kept scans of every book, but finding the scans to match up with the book etc, just takes time

 

all sales moving forward, I record all info up front !

[decepticon]

I've been collecting sales data on my own and have recorded date (month / year) sold, PQ, Restorations, SS, a few auction sites (no ebay data though). I've been recording it for X-Men 1-201 plus the GS1-2 and Annuals 1-9. Yeah, I know.. I'm It's taking a lot of my own time and it's not even half way completed. Hopefully, I'll finish what I can gather up by the end of the year. I have to say that it's a pretty well done and nice looking spreadsheet. It also has total number of books according to CGC Census and only have the number of books in the highest grade. Crazy huh?

[comicwiz]

I'm not sure I understand the problem with having page quality for some items but not for others. Some data is better than none in this case; I'm confused how not having it across the board is any kind of disadvantage at all, except that customers will complain because they don't understand why some prices don't have page quality. I don't really accept that as a valid reason against it though...making the customers who DO understand that suffer due to the impatient dips out there is rather irritating.

 

You said you understood the data aspects. So with respect to your "some data is better than none" comment, why would you view holes in PQ metrics any differently than a dealer selecting which sales to report?

[AGGIEZ]

I am working on a huge file to send to george of all the GA transactions I have recorded (going back a few years too)... just a big undertaking for me, so I have been a bit slow to get the info to george

 

This thread aims to make your job a little harder.

it is actually getting all the cgc bar codes that is time consuming for me... I generally kept scans of every book, but finding the scans to match up with the book etc, just takes time

 

all sales moving forward, I record all info up front !

 

 

So what individual collectors is George giving 'recording rights' to for GPA sales data?....besides you GAtor

[comicwiz]

All in all, I'm a little taken aback, not at the way the thread started to develop from a "wish" to a "fantasy" list, but the tone and manner in which some of the thoughtless requests were bandied about. I'm not going to get into the technical reasons informing my opinion; suffice it to say that the "specialized" nature of the requests lose relevancy for 99% of the subscribers.

 

In my day to day dealings with analysts who dream, and dream big, the abstract analysis and fortune telling is something I always find arresting when it arises in a discussion. There are just too many unknown variables in commerce to really be able to pin down why a book sells with two different prices a few minutes, hours, days, weeks or years apart. It's one thing to suggest that bar codes could allow us to have a more detail oriented analysis to back up our hunches on PQ or QP's role in the final sale price, but we also must be prepared to account for the margin of error and unknowns that exist with people's choices for paying what they do.

 

The idea of automating CGC sales is meant to give us a quick, and more dynamic glance at pricing than any other sales reporting tool currently available. To expect it as the be all and end all of all your collecting and analysis pursuits is both impractical and unrealistic.

 

If you disagree, then I say build it out and see if they come. If they don't, then you'll know whether what you're proposing has merit, and even if it has merit, there is never any ironclad guarantee it will be commercially viable.

[bounty_coder]

I'm not sure I understand the problem with having page quality for some items but not for others. Some data is better than none in this case; I'm confused how not having it across the board is any kind of disadvantage at all, except that customers will complain because they don't understand why some prices don't have page quality. I don't really accept that as a valid reason against it though...making the customers who DO understand that suffer due to the impatient dips out there is rather irritating.

 

You said you understood the data aspects. So with respect to your "some data is better than none" comment, why would you view holes in PQ metrics any differently than a dealer selecting which sales to report?

 

In my oppinion, a "dealer selecting which sales to report" is blatantly choosing to withold data.

 

On the other hand, "holes in PQ metrics" simply mean not all sales have verifiable PQ.

 

Say we have a mess like below:

 

CGC 9.6 Sales for Amazing Spider-man #101 (made up sales figures)

 

Sale Date: 6/1/10 $150 PQ = Unknown

Sale Date: 5/9/10 $120 PQ = OWW

Sale Date: 2/4/10 $100 PQ = OW

Sale Date: 2/6/10 $90 PQ = Unknown

 

And there is a BIN on a 9.6 White for $120, then heck you know that in comparitive sales that this is a "good deal" The "Unknown" $150 sale above could of had Cream pages, WHO KNOWS. But the data that is available DOES HELP. I think that's a start (thumbs u

 

- bounty