Easy eBay Search Tools

[Sph1nx]

This is something I've been meaning to do for my own purposes, but I finally forced myself to get them done to add to gameSniped.

Basically, it's a tool that shows all R6+ games for a given system listed on eBay, broken down by rarity level.

For myself, I find it makes it it easy to look for under priced games, or rare complete games.

I've completed them for two systems, NES and SNES.

I'm just announcing them to see if anyone else will find them useful. Also, If you'd like to see me add a certain system, just let me know and I'll bump it to the top of the priority list. Feedback is definitely appreciated.

[Gorez]

im really interested. id love to see every system though. but as for right now im focusing on sega saturn, cd, 32x. soo.... yeah. great idea though.

[JustRob]

Dreamcast would be nice...hell, any of the Sega systems.

[Griking]

It doesn't seem to work with Firefox browsers for some reason. I just get a blank page.

It's also just one more tool for mass buyers and re-sellers to use and will just make it more difficult for the average Joe to find a overlooked gem.

[Sph1nx]

What version are you using? I have Firefox and it shows fine.

[Virtualogik]

Been checking the boards a bit lately and I noticed you started to aggressively promote your affiliate website (t-shirt contest if people put a link in their signature, irrelevant posts like this to "promote" your links)

I was curious how much you really make with eBay's affiliated program when you tweak it up like this? I know they give you 40% of what they make from the bid of people clicking in from your website to place a bid (and you're covering up a lot of ground by tweaking their tools like that and displaying it this way on your site), but do you easily reach their other plateau of 50-60 and 70%?

This tool is totally destroying our chance to find an overlooked gem, and I find it a bit misleading that you present this to the community as a "useful" tool with good intentions when in reality it's probably only something you made to make money in the end from the eBay affiliate program, while kind of destroying the thrill of the hunt for gems on eBay for most of us...

I know the community is a bit divided about letting other collectors know of a hidden gem to prevent bidding wars... but I have a strange feeling about someone like you taking a side like this, but for his own profit in the end?

So.. just come clean.. is it really worth it? and isn't it against the CJ rules to build a website as a side mirror to the sponsor?

Just curious if it's really worth it.. let us know.. thanks!

[Sph1nx]

Virtualogik,
Nicola has been doing searches via this forum for two years. (See the stickied topic in this forum). He puts at least 30 minutes into a search nearly every day, and quite often will log several hours.

I noticed him in #vbender asking about if he could add a "Donate" button to his thread. He can add his own two cents, but I can only imagine how burnt out he was getting. I would never be able to do what he does. I approached him and asked him if he would be interested in switching to a Blog, so his time would be made more worthwhile.

With all the time he puts into a free service, I don't think it's going to hurt if he receives some compensation. You should also notice that he STILL continues to update his thread on the forum, sans affiliate links. He's not doing this for a profit, not by any means. If he had been, why would he have been doing what he continues to do for over two years?

I'll freely admit that we are making a small profit from the site, but by no means are we going to retire. Maybe have the spare cash to pick up the a game or two a month. In fact, every penny we make is going back into the site, that why we're holding a T-Shirt contest. As it is now, some of the money for prizes is going to come straight out of our own pockets.

As for the two other issues you raised? How is this post irrelevent? If a mod feel that I'm spamming the forums, they are more than free to delete my threads and give me a warning regarding a ban. I espically don't see how you can refer to this post.

Those tools are useful. What I said is true, it's something I've been meaning to do for some time, and I decided to make it public. I find it great for when you're working on a complete system, like I was with NES.

I disagree with your statment about destroying the "thrill of the hunt". I know several collectors who I would consider "hardcore" checking the site very day. I also know casual collectors who are throughly enjoying the site as it is exposing them to items they would never notice otherwise.

It's true however that we have received some flack. I know some people who collect primarily DEV and Protos aren't too pleased. Two things about it though, most likely those people who are now exposed to those auctions, won't buy them anyways. Those who are in the market for such items will most likely find them anyways. One again, once they decide to sell something, I'm sure they will have quite a differnt opinion.

Anyways, you're totally welcome to your opinion and if you feel so strongly, then I suggest you avoid the site.

[Griking]

What version are you using? I have Firefox and it shows fine.

2.0.0.2

I wonder if it has something to do with my Adblock add-on or an add-on that I haven't installed.

[Nicola]

Sph1nx told you exactly what was the problem. The search was taking up to 1
hour and half every day. I'm doing it for passion, since I like how we can
find informations and discover new items by doing so.
It's called information sharing. Everyone is free to do what he wants, but
leaking infos is a great way to build the community and make everyone love
more the world of vg collecting.

I know that my posts weren't so "harmful" when posted only over this board
and now may prevent from finding deals...(thanks, this means that my
searches are very well done!)
I know that someone wo collects, as Sph1nx said, DEV & protos may hate us.
There is people who hate proto hoarders & people who hate proto leakers...We
leak infos, free for all.
My current searches are 3-5 hours long. Every day. My strings have more than
500 words.
Money it's just a really really small bonus: you can't even imagine how many
great feedbacks we're receiveing for the site. It's called satisfaction and
passion. And that's why I search.
As for the DP topic, I'll continue to update it but with things that are
worth it. No more GBA demos. Only really interesting items, as stated in the
title.

So, you may love or hate our site.
Someone told me: "I love and hate your site"

Well, the site is there, free for everyone. Beginners from hardcore.
Everyone is able to see, to learn and to decide what it's really rare and
what is not. To discover new items and to hate/love us.

Nicola

[Virtualogik]

Guys, don't get me wrong... It's a free world out there and everyone is allowed to do as they please... I check your site every once in a while and actually like it in the format it is right now (blog entries presenting some interesting eBay auctions)... it's just that the part about the "tools" that is now up, it looks like pure eBay affiliate pack tweaking (adding research on the touch of a button by making the correct search strings in) and I felt kind of ticked off a bit that this is now an evident way of bringing in money through the own affiliate tools of eBay, yet you kind of presented it to the community as a "hey we do this for you".. when you know you're gonna pocket some pretty money in a few months down the road if you're advertising through big VG Collector sites like here and the cookies will drop in those collectors computers who will eventually use your site for at least clicking a few links here and there, giving you 40% to 70% of the eBay money will collect from those buyers on their site. It adds up pretty quickly since on a, let's say, $50 item, ebay is picking up around $3.75/$4 from listing fees and percentage, and that's on this amount that they give you 40-70%... so that's a $2 on approximately every purchase made by someone who will have clicked "one" link from your site to get to eBay during the week... he only need to click once on a link from your site to eBay every week and you will pocket money on everything he win...

It's just that this is pretty good money in the long run and by "aggressively" promoting your website through a contest where you ask people to put a link in their signature... I can hardly believe that this wasn't your prime intention when putting this site up... otherwise, like you say, Nicolas was doing a good job of doing it for the love of the hobby in a thread over here?

So again, don't get me wrong, you have all the rights to do what you do right now and I don't doubt this will be a useful site for the VG fans around here who buy on eBay... it's just that I feel you should come clean about the fact that you are indeed making money from this (and soon, pretty good money), and stop getting everyone to spam your site by having them believe it's a non-profit site made for the community... heck you could probably contact Joe for an affiliate link or something, help him pay some bandwidth.. it's just that at one point it becomes "commercial" advertising and I think it's pretty sneaky to lure some collectors into promoting your "commercial" website through their signature on videogame forum... most of those guys have big bandwith bills to pay for their forum/site, and many of them get the cash from advertising.. sneaking commercial advertising on these forum via signature link you get from unsuspecting fans entering a "contest" is really something I didn't feel right..

That's all...

But.. good job on the site.. honestly...

[Nicola]

You know what?
You gave us an idea: as soon as we start doing some "pretty good money", we will create some sort of "charity fund": as I've told, I would never search so much without a small money profit, but I think that if we go well, we may start giving to sites that must pay bandwith, like DP, or that handle community dumps.

[MachineGex]

I for one have found Nicola's searches very helpful. Who cares if someone makes some change on it or not? I never thought anyone tried to make it look like they didn't. I look at it like Nicola has been doing these searches for a long time and has found a way to make it easier and maybe one day make a little money. I never thought anyone was trying to hide that fact, it is pretty apparent. Sounds like someone doesn't want other people bidding on auctions he may be intereseted in.
No good deed goes unpunished.
Nice job on the site!

[jajaja]

Great concept and site!

[Nicola]

Thanks everyone!

[Sph1nx]

I'd added tools for Genesis, Saturn and Sega Cd. I'll be adding 32x shortly.
Any other system requests, let me know and I'll do them next.