Scanners and their software
I have been using a Canon MF628C Printer and ThumbsPlus software to develop my images for HipStamp. Scanning and subsequent entry via Excel. I use Bulklist to build my items. This process seem to me to be rather slow. Is this a normal process? I would be interested in comments as my process is the only process I have used. For me to put up 100 items takes me approximatly 5 or 6 hours. What would it take timewise for you to put up 100 items? Any thoughts as to how I might reduce the time?
Comments
I haven't looked at your store, but does that include front and back images?
I did see one plate block FW that you have listed, that does have a back scan and demonstrates the gum condition of that block (nice work).
You have a beautiful store, and if only there were more like it.
Two small bits of feedback:
1. The exclamation points in all (that I saw) of your listings for me, has the opposite effect of what I think you're looking for. You're trying to bring excitement to the title, but I would say, this doesn't work. It even annoyed me after a while, especially on listings that are really common. I would suggest drop the ! (it will save you time too.
2. Your listing titles and follow on descriptions are a bit thin. For modern stamps that you are listing, I get it, the country, the Scott #, not much else, because you're trying to get 100 listings up in 5 or 6 hours. This *might not* be good for you in the long run, especially on your more high value (I noted a 153 in your US listings) where you just say something like "Note the red cancel". Your listing title is "US sct 153 used!". While your photos do show otherwise, the title still gives the buyer very little of interest, and a more robust title would likely serve you better. Something like "US Scott #153 VG Used - Winfield with Red NYFM Cancel -1870" gives the buyer something of interest to go and look at.
The red cancel actually adds $15 to the premium of the stamp. There is no back scan of this stamp, so we can't tell if it has faults or not. But a more detailed descriptions (and a back scan) could easily be the difference between it selling and not. On that note, one other small thing. You've listed the stamp at $140, which would seem reasonable against a CV of $210. However, the CV is based on a VF centered stamp without faults. The CV for a VG stamp in the Scott Specialized is $60. So you currently have this stamp overpriced in relation to Scott by more than double. I would suggest if you listed this stamp at closer to $50 with it's red cancel, you'd likely have it sell reasonably fast. (The 153 is a bit of a hard sell on the best of days, though for me, it's in my top 5 favorite US stamps of all time).
I hope this is helpful. A little beyond the scope of what you asked, but I would suggest, more time spent on listing titles and descriptions, and more back scans for items that are "classic" (pre-1940) would potentially give your store a bump. While your "listing speed" may go down, if your sales go up, wouldn't that be a good thing?
After editing the images, I fill in my Excel upload file, including descriptions, year, and a topic for each one (or the great majority, anyway).
Finally, I research market prices and fill in my Excel sheet, checking first against my current listings, then my closed listings (if I know I might have sold some of the same previously), then I check site-wide listings.
So, as Scott said, your 5 or 6 hours isn't bad, especially if you are including the extra details that many sellers don't bother to include. Unfortunately, this is a labor-intensive business, which is why, as Scott has also mentioned in the past, you need to sell only higher cost items, if you intend to make this your livelihood.
Seems like I kill a lot of time correcting for a small skew in a scan.
OP Tom, I didn't see these batch scan separation and deskew features when I looked at ThumbsPlus. Does it do those? If not, having them could help shave some time off your work process.
What do I include on my listing? I keep it pretty basic. Country, Scott #, MNH, MH, Used, any Faults, or strong points that might need mention, scan, and price. I have debated about Scott value but have not included it for some time. Based on what I have learned from this post, I need to include it. The software I use is ThumbsPlus for scanning and my Canon MF628C. I don't have to do anything to the scan itself. I may scan multiple sets, or singles. The software allows me to select the set or single item and then save the scan itself using the scan number and a number between 01 and the last number of the items for that specific scan. The scanning is a very quick process. I can do 100 items in less than 1 hour. The time to enter the Excel data is to me, the time consuming process. What I have learned is my scanning process is simple and quick. I need to add Scott catalog value, and it would be wise to add some meaningful data about the item itself. Most of my sales are modern stamps or sets. I was trying to get a feel to see how I stacked up on the time I spent entering data. Based on what I have heard, I am in the same ball park. Thanks again for the time you spent and I am walking away more knowledge than I had before.
ScanSpeed brings up many results for other products called ScanSpeed, and you won't find this one.
https://scanspeeder.com/