Has hipstamp.com changed hands

In the not too distant past, if I had a question I clicked on the help button and filled in the form with my question. In less than three days I had a very good response to my question and things kept running smoothly. Since the beginning of this year I have noticed that putting my stamps on sale was not going as it was supposed to so I filled out the help form. So far I have waited more than a week and have not heard anything back on what I was doing wrong. Now I notice that listings are going under the wrong category and when I try to edit them, they don't get edited. Can anyone shed some light on what is going on here?
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Comments

  • 36 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • I'm with you, Dave. While I have found a few bothersome glitches (search bar does not activate; on mobile, if I click through a search result and then go back to the previous page, the search bar is cleared, so I cannot simply change the catalog number for my next search; I have to retype the country and condition, too.)
    The new navigation layout? No problem. I have a HipStamp folder on my browser bookmark bar with all of my frequently visited pages. That works quicker than even the old navigation layout.
    And you know how long I've been a member, according to HipStamp? Registered Since 03/09/2008
    Oh, and I am experiencing my normal volume of sales.
    As a wise man once said, "Adapt and thrive."
  • "The site recently changed substantially - and ALL of the changes are bad - ALL. "

    That's your OPINION, Flynn, and you should say so.

    "Everyone is upset about the issues."

    I'm not . . . I'm able to adapt. Like most Homo Sapiens.
  • edited January 2022 5 LikesVote Down
    To preface, I am in my mid 30s and work in tech for a living. I started my Hip Stamps adventure in December. It was way more user friendly before the switch. With a website this size, with this amount of commerce, they should not have switched without months testing and working these things out. Especially with expected age of their current clients. Having said that, I did great on an auction today as a buyer and I think that the switch and people's frustrations from it may have played a role. Micky, for everyone's sake I hope it gets better and you/we get better at using it in it's new form.

    Disclaimer: These are my opinions.
    (All opinions, given on all forums, on all of the internet, must now have this disclaimer due to the Bennett rule of 2022)

    Dave let me give you my opinion of how forums work. People log on and give their opinions. That's what they do. In fact every time a homo sapien discusses anything, anything at all, that is their opinion. 30 years of the internet and you are the first person I have ever seen tell someone, no, actually direct someone to call out their opinions in their posts. There are a few ways to be a jerk. Quoting, bolding, snarkyness, and lack of understanding of others issues is your way. This is mine. Unless Micky slept with your Mom or Wife, in that case I apologize Dave. Otherwise dont treat people like that off the break, it's not a good look.
  • edited February 2022 4 LikesVote Down
    Brett I wish you success on your new site. I took a look at your suggestion, but to me it looked more like HipStamp's Forums with the ability to also sell and buy stamps. I couldn't find any search capabilities. Scrolling isn't for me. I don't have the time. Maybe it's because I'm not a Facebook user. That site is not one I would recommend to anyone serious about selling or buying stamps. Also I had trouble finding the site in the first place. I did a search and was first directed to sites selling rubber stamps. Not postage stamps.
  • Stampwants, and pre-Gibbons Bidstart were very well done, and easy to use.
  • "adapt and thrive". Since day one of the "New" HipStamp I have been using the new format and never go on the "Classic" because yes' I want to adapt. But in the last week or so its impossible to adapt. And this is not my opinion its facts. For instance after writing this note, I will go back to make revisions...and has soon I will press on "Save Listing" and will be switched back to the forum page. WHY? And I'm not asking an opinion, just facts! Another one, after making a revision, before last week, the item would be easy to go back to, just by typing the first letters of its name and it would auto-complete the info wit the last Scott number used. Now? You have to retype the whole g..... name of the country and finally a Scott number would pop up...except this number has NOTHING to do with the one you just worked on. Not an opinion, a fact! Another one, after completing and having gone back to the listing field and reenter all the info plus a new SKU number and also Save it, WHAM! I get the previous item pop up...so I don't know if the last item has actually been saved or worse I got a duplicate listing! That is not an opinion! If you want my opinion, the operating team has been changed and the new team doesn't know f.... a....! THAT is my opinion!
  • To me, it all comes down to the old adage....if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
  • You may want to check out the New Hip Stamp chatter forum. The site recently changed substantially - and ALL of the changes are bad - ALL. I also put in a trouble "ticket" when this changed, because the search box at the top of the page works either very poorly or not at all. I got a generic email back saying they will check it, but that's been two days. Everyone is upset about the issues. I've been on HS since before Bidstart, when it was called Stamp Wants. The only time this site was near as bad as now is when Stanley Gibbons took over Bidstart. It was a fiasco. HipStamp was a fantastic replacement, but I'm logging off every day now, cursing at the problems. I buy only. The sellers are even more angry. Not sure yet what's going on however. Good luck.
  • You're right, Jack. If it just plain won't work on iPad, the only way to adapt is to buy elsewhere. As for dealers selling elsewhere, I wonder where they have decided 2GO (wink wink nudge nudge Know what I mean?)
  • Agree on the adapt and thrive sentiment, however, this is an important lesson that Hip needs to understand. Are we adapting, yes. Are we finding it workable, yes. Is it GOOD for users (both buyers and sellers) NO.
    Any system that is "overly clicky" is a bad implementation. There is such a thing as intuitive, and the site is anything but. I have to click 2 or 3 times now where I used to need to only click once, and this is something that users expect now (not to have to click click click to get to the things they need need need).

    So I hope they listen to this, take some time to understand what the most used features for both buyers and sellers are and make those easily accessible (i.e. one click away for the majority of thing).

    What we have now is what you get when you let engineers make design usability decisions. It suits their needs, not the actual end users.

    But we're going to bear with it. Look and feel are one thing, but it has to be intuitive and functional too.
    Don't sacrifice function for form.
  • Dave Bennett. Why are you going there?! I said my piece. That's my opinion. It's not incumbent on me to clarity that it's something other than an opinion. I presume your comments are just YOUR opinions. They were at the very least impolite, and it was unnecessary to call me out for my opinion I'll just leave it at that. Not worth getting all hot and bothered about. Have a nice day.
  • edited January 2022 2 LikesVote Down
    Everyone is entitled to my opinion.
  • Or, "If you don't know how to fix it, smile and try to appear confident." That has worked for me in innumerable situations.
  • edited January 2022 2 LikesVote Down
    It is NOT just a speed issue. It has MAJOR flaws, that forces you to reinput again and again. For example, in a search, it is not possible to just write over for the next search..you have to do it twice, or more. If returning to a page or a spot, it NEVER executes properly. Chronological searches seem some times to not know the alphabet, or to insert crazy out of place items for who knows what reason. When searching, you never know if it searched for all items. Often I can find more by modifying the search, when it should have been found at first. The sorts which I aIlway set to either by cat number of by price, (low to high) or newest item first, always revert back to "default" forcing you to reinput.... (this has been an issue from day one, but it is compounding the rest of the problems and tipping my tolerance level).
    I figure, I will give Hipstamp a good rest for a few weeks and hope someone will rewrite the software for all the new bugs. But are the programmers who wrote the new code using it? Does anyone know why the changes caused so many bugs? And why the changes?
  • Well I just shut down my store this site has gown down hill Since Last Year of October the settings now are junk overly clicky feels like the 90's back when you had to click 10 times to get to the part you want sadly facebook marketing is way easier then this new crap setting features here so gonna find me on Facebook marketing for stamps, Coins, maybe even some odds n ends tired of this low down app site makes me think someone from over seas with a Indian accent took over from 711 ello ow mi I elp u give me Texan speaking fluently American cheers I hate telemarketing speeches might as well give me a robot to talk to instead!
  • I am sure there will be others that follow you to another site. This is what you get when a company hires cheap programmers to do the work on the one thing that keeps a site being a good.
  • I also was with hipstamp when it was called bidstart. That is why I was inquiring if possibly the site changed hands. I both buy and sell here, but maybe it is time to once again seek other venues that may be available.
  • I very rarely turn my computer on and use my iPad for almost everything. With these new changes, I can no longer make purchases on my iPad and, if it isn’t rectified soon, I’m gone for good. There’s no need for me to try to adapt, because there are too many other online venues that I can use. I tried to buy some Canadian stamps on here yesterday with no luck, so I went to eBay and, within minutes, had purchased my stamps with no problems.
  • I have found it very frustrating that the change to the website meant that your entry for a particular issue goes away and you have to re-enter it. I do a lot of research and comparison when I buy my stamps and that just slows everything down. This is especially true of Plate Number Coils with numerous plate numbers and Plate/Zip blocks. I also find that even after clicking on United States, I get many foreign issues once I select on the sort button. Then I have to enter U. S. again.
  • James Shand. I agree. In my opinion, the changes have made the site difficult to use. Change is fine, but change that actually works, and/or improves things is certainly preferable. I've been frustrated enough the last few days, I've just cursed, kvetched and logged off. I think the universe is telling me I spend too much time here (I do - I'm a little OCD about HipStamp, sort of like being a little bit pregnant!). Think I'll watch all the movies I haven't gotten to over the last 10 years LOL!
  • edited January 2022 1 LikesVote Down
    :-) interesting thread.. LOL
    I agree , it is always best to be polite - in a small forums this goes even more.... this is my opinion

    this is not good that ipads have issues here.
  • edited January 2022 1 LikesVote Down
    The old 3am stamp forum post. My apologies to all parties involved. But I did wake up by 10am and I feel great. So I got that going for me.

  • I have opinions. Lots of them. If you don't like them, no worries. I've got more.
    I've had no trouble shopping and buying this weekend. Have other buyers?
  • Christmas card from Hipstamp staff
    men-fixing-mainframe-5711573-orig_orig
  • I belive they are mistakenly going down the same path ebay is. change for the sake of change an introducing numerous bugs and usability issues. in my opinion ebay is a conglomeration of crappy addons and patches, making it almost unsuable for me. I have been with them since the begining when Pierre was a programmer and believe me, this is the worst it has ever been. Plus nothing sells anymore.
  • edited January 2022 1 LikesVote Down
    The site is now slow and clumsy. I used to like searching for many different stamps just to compare prices and just for the pleasure of looking at stamps. The site is still good for buying but not as much fun anymore. I find myself spending less time on it.
  • There is some kind of problem with images - they are very slow loading. Starting to remind me of AOL dial up back in the 90's. This has to be a priority fix item .. time is money. .. ....
  • This site has gotten to be so slow that I am seriously thinking about closing my store.
    To many bugs.
    Views are dropping like a lead balloon.
    Search is all messed up because of the slow load times.
    Our customers are getting fed up and will not wait for a page to load.
    Pages should load instantly especially since I have 200MBS download but they don't
    Constant refreshes that drive a person crazy.

    I used to have regular customers that were always buying but they have pretty much disappeared.

    Lazy programmers that do not know the right way to do CSS.

    Very, very bad.
  • edited January 2022 1 LikesVote Down
    As a buyer, the glitches have become so annoying that I am suspending purchases for a while, until the system works properly. Too many to list. But for better or worse, go back to your prior version.
    rrr....
  • Apparently it must be a blessing that I only have 4MPS download speed. I don't seem to notice the problems others are sharing. Perhaps many others are also not knowingly experiencing these problems. My current problem is keeping up with filling my orders which totaled 20 over the weekend with the sale of nearly 600 listings.
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