[dba-one]

I've got nearly 1000 Hot Wheels, Johnny Lightning and Matchbox cars. I've been collecting for about 7 years now. I know some are valuable but I'm not exactly sure of what all I have and what it's worth. I've got so many I sometimes forget and buy another one. I've been meaning to compile a database of what I've got but there is something more important that I need.

I want to store an estimated value at a given time from a good source along with a picture and other details. I know EBay can show me some things but that is hit and miss. The problem with it is that there can be one person who really wants something and will pay anything. Once that demand is filled (and usually after I start my auction) prices fall.

Does anyone know of a good source for value? I’ve been to ewheelbase but it wasn’t much use.

 

[PWSchuh]

You're not going to find a much better value guide for HW and JL than e-bay. There are printed price guides but they are outdated as soon as they are printed. Something is only worth what people are willing to pay and for JL and HW, e-bay is the biggest market place and it tells you what people are willing to pay. All of this book value stuff is fine for insurance, but you won't sell stuff for book value.

 

[dba-one]

Insurance is kind of what I have in mind. I've got some money in this stuff and would need proof of value for content coverage with my home owners insurance.

 

[oldpole]

Like PWschuh said.................however, if your premium rates are based on value, you might want to check ebay a year later on your hot ones. A lot of the prices drop by 1/2 to 2/3 after the fever has worn off. WL's do seem to hold their value better than TH's and brand X 'club cars.'

 

[dba-one]

I would need agreed value and that value to be revised with the annual renewal so what you describe sounds right. I'm very much aware that something is only worth what someone else will pay for it but that would do me any good in the event of a fire, theft, etc.

 

[jshogo]

If you will check the magazine "Toy cars and models" there are ads for companys that insure "collections"...another magazine to check is "Diecast Digest"....available at Wal Mart sometimes.Hope this helps you...JIM

 

[dba-one]

Thanks. I'll check it out.

 

[wlpaul]

Thanks, I've been thinking the same thing about my collection.

...Need to do something about all this stuff!!

 

[VWowner]

This smacks of a great business idea. Create a web site with up to date values of JL's, Th, etc.. and charge to enter. I know I would pay for the ability to a value on my collection for insurance purposes...

 

[Joe Falco]

VWowner, as prices are pretty dynamic, you'd have to update the entire site almost daily. Scanning every WL, TH, etc. on every sale and trade board, every auction house, in the local hobby stores, etc. would get tiresome. But to be accurate for a paid site, you'd need to do all that.

Not sure how much you'd have to charge folks for all that effort, but I'm pretty sure none could afford it!!

Joe
www.joesdiecastshack.com

 

[modsquad]

I've got nearly 1000 Hot Wheels, Johnny Lightning and Matchbox cars..

Can you tell me if these are vintage (Hot Wheels, Johnny Lightning and Matchbox: Redlines, Toppers and Lesneys) or recent China made stuff?

 

[dba-one]

Sorry, If I could do that I would not have started this thread.

 

[dba-one]

This smacks of a great business idea. Create a web site with up to date values of JL's, Th, etc.. and charge to enter. I know I would pay for the ability to a value on my collection for insurance purposes...

Actually this is a good idea. While it could never truly say what the value of something is it could list prices paid and condition of the vehicle. Also by location, region, state, county, whatever!

Say I bought some Mopar W/L on Ebay. I report the purchase to this listing site along with some mandatory particulars. I'm a database administrator so I would have 0 problem designing the database and possibly the front end. I've written some web apps but I'm not so experience in that.

By doing something like this we could let the entire "brotherhood" know what we are paying, what we are getting, and where we are getting it.

I say we start talking about what these required items would be like Mopar or no car, release 2, etc. Then we need to gather detail on variations in a series like white interior and white wheels, rare color, etc. Finally, a good way to upload quality pictures. Also, we would track date and method of purchase. By knowing where it was bought may help in determining a meaningful value. Example: I bout it from a sucker at a garage sale for 2 dollars, but I knew it was worth 50.

 

[dba-one]

Also, Remember that I'm just talking about people reporting what they bought and what was paid. Sellers too, what you sold and what for. This wouldn't set an exact value and the honor system would apply.

 

[tinywheels]

That sure sounds like a lot of work. Being a dba myself ( somewhat - more front end ) and maintaining the db for my website, I know how much work is involved, tons. I've been entering in all pertinent information about JLs for years on a weekly basis and still don't have it all entered. I haven't even touched WLs in the db, just regular items and there are thousands. I could add a field that would give a range of values and conditions of regulars and WLs. Right now all items that don't have in stock, don't show a price ( well of course for retail reasons ) but the last selling price is still in the db and easily shown. But alas a day only has 24 hrs.

For values of WLs I use ebay and lightinglane.

 

[dba-one]

That sure sounds like a lot of work. Being a dba myself ( somewhat - more front end ) and maintaining the db for my website, I know how much work is involved, tons. I've been entering in all pertinent information about JLs for years on a weekly basis and still don't have it all entered. I haven't even touched WLs in the db, just regular items and there are thousands. I could add a field that would give a range of values and conditions of regulars and WLs. Right now all items that don't have in stock, don't show a price ( well of course for retail reasons ) but the last selling price is still in the db and easily shown. But alas a day only has 24 hrs.

For values of WLs I use ebay and lightinglane.

I was actually thinking that the user would enter a lot of the data and select some from drop downs. The hard work is the front end and maintaining codes Like J/L, WL, series, release, make, model, color.

Another way, and this kind of gets to your point, a small client application. It could export the users entry(s). They could send a CSV to the server and it would import incoming files on a scheduled basis. I'm thinking in a SQL Server kind of way where the agent would control these jobs. Dealing with the pictures (read nightmare) is also a difficulty with this. MySQL might do good too. Isn't it free?

I do Oracle (7.3 - 9.2) and SQL server (6.5 - 2k) with some Access (97 - 2k).
I deal with this kind of stuff daily so I will offer any services I can to this idea.

Remember, I'm not saying that this site would contain all cars ever to leave the factory. This site would track current values for important cars. I like to think the people that would be members don't care about the value of the V.I.P series or Clue and wouldn't take the time to enter data about them. More than likely it would be heavy mopar (my personal favorite), 'Vettes, Camaro, T/A, Super 70's, and the like.

 

[dba-one]

From looking at it lightninglane is pretty bad ass. The problem is that they have no entries as far as prices for a lot of the cars. It also seems that they are not tracking any of the more main line cars like hemi cudas with normal wheels and such. Maybe I'm thinking the concern for cars other than W/L or "freak" is bigger than it is?

 

[tinywheels]

I was thinking something a little more simplier than a client app but that could be an option.

Why not just have a simple webform whose values would be saved to a temp table. The administrator would need to preview the entries to make sure they are legit before the public can see them. If it's OK send it to live table that has a publically available web interface. Done. The web interface would need usable for both admin and public just with different log-ins and use different tables.Oh ya you would need to develop a search algorithm, much like what I have done already. Access would do just fine here since it's not a huge amount of data we are talking about and I'm more partial to ASP and ASPX. I think MySQL since it's still too immature for my likings, all that DOS, yuk.

Showing of my images is one the simplier things to do I find. Creating a good quality image is the harder part or rather just time consuming. My images are not in the DB but rather sit on a server in a folder somewhere. Not even a link in the db. The web interface calls a image from the folder with the same name as the item # but with the extention.jpg. Works slick. Recieving the image is another story but a common api like that used here on HT would work just fine I'd imagine. Again the work falls on the admin.

Well I'm sure we can go one and one with cool ideas. So much that could be done.

 

[dba-one]

We are thinking alike though. I've considered a lot of what you've just mentioned. Very true there are so many possibilities. I would favor SQL Server. I've already written some search SP's that can do just about every kind of search for our application. It's as simple as having a mode parameter. Access I would not like because I've seen it corrupt one time too many. Besides with SQL Server using a combination of stored procedures and the Agent a lot of work could be automated.

 

[dba-one]

Also, the only reason I suggest a client app is that it can work stand alone. The user can take all the time they like entering the data and send it when it's good for them. Since I've done a ton of these imports and exports I guess I just get stuck on the idea. When I break it down I can think of many reasons to not do this though like two sets of source, how will the data be stored on the client? text, access, why bother with a diffent storage method when the one on the server is the only one that really counts, the list goes on and on and on.