Your collection, access, storage and insurance

I was just thinking about the time when I got back into the hobby around 2010 and how the common thing to do was store your cards digitally on Photobucket. Does anyone still use this anymore? Or, more to the point, does anyone track their collection online anymore?

It used to be; I'm keen on XXX card, check out my Photobucket to see if there is anything there to trade!

I may be biased (because I built it), but MERQARY is a super easy way to keep track of your collection online and find/suggest trades.

Do you think we are heading back to the pre-investor days of the collector being the dominant force in the hobby?

Definitely used to be a Photobucket guy until they started charging the world for it... I switched to Flickr and use that currently. The free version works pretty well for my needs of keeping track and also sharing bbcodes etc. on places like ozct etc.
I keep meaning to check out Merqary in more detail but I also hate change ... insert boomer reference here

I really hope we are headed back to a collector dominant market though
 
Definitely used to be a Photobucket guy until they started charging the world for it... I switched to Flickr and use that currently. The free version works pretty well for my needs of keeping track and also sharing bbcodes etc. on places like ozct etc.
I keep meaning to check out Merqary in more detail but I also hate change ... insert boomer reference here

I really hope we are headed back to a collector dominant market though
Getting back into collecting around 2010 saw me miss out on the Photobucket thing. I still remember when they went from a free site to a paid site and everyone was jumping up and down about it.

At MERQARY, we struggled with the idea of charging members a monthly fee for quite a long time until I was made aware that if we are going to offer a free site then we would need to gather and sell our members data to advertisers. I just couldn't do it. There is a line in the documentary 'The Social Dilemma' which states that if 'you're not paying for the product then you are the product'.

I can see why Photobucket has to charge though. I'm not a tech guy but have learned a lot along the MERQARY process. I didn't realise that in hosting a website you are not only charged for the storage of data (which I expected) but also a charge for data transfer. This is basically every time someone loads your webpage you're charged for the data to be transferred. So if you go onto a website and keep refreshing images it will cost the website owner $$$ to reupload the same images over and over.

No problems re: not checking out the site yet. I completely understand. As the market moves back to being collector driven, we will hopefully get more and more members onto our site and see it be the preferred way to show off your cards! When this happens, let me know if you need any help or have any questions. I'd also be happy to transfer collections across.

I'll add a video of my latest collection upload. Starting to add my Pokemon collection. Makes it super easy to identify what cards I've got and what cards I need!

https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=1255049621740224
 
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Definitely used to be a Photobucket guy until they started charging the world for it... I switched to Flickr and use that currently. The free version works pretty well for my needs of keeping track and also sharing bbcodes etc. on places like ozct etc.
I keep meaning to check out Merqary in more detail but I also hate change ... insert boomer reference here

I really hope we are headed back to a collector dominant market though

Holy crap. I totally forgot about Flickr.

Not sure I can look at it though for fear of what I've sold.. 😬
 
Anyone got any useful info for people on insurance of their collection or how they store it to prevent any issues if they are in a humid climate or anything else to add?
 
I store all my inserts and cards that aren't too thick in a thick card penny sleeve (its wider so easier to slide the card in without jagging a corner) then in a grading sleeve and then in a graded card bag to seal it sort of. The thicker cards are in a one touch but with penny sleeves each side to protect from scratching and graded bag to seal again. Yes i am pedantic. However they are all just in a shoe box somewhere safe in the house. Never really though about damp.

If you want to properly insure them you have to work with an insurer, someone like Chubb, Allianz etc not the sausage factory Coles / AAMI. Get them on the phone and send them an inventory of all your cards and values and get them to quote a home and contents policy covering them. Be prepared to pay $ though.
 
I've been looking at Chubb for a seperate Collectibles insurance policy - anyone use them (or similar)? Can you get a collectibles-only policy, or does it need to be a H&C inclusive?
 
I've got a 2hr 300kg commercial fireproof safe, the same ones that I supply to hospitals and major commercial projects. It's also about 1m tall, so could fit my entire collection if I wanted to.

Down the track after I've Reno'd my next house, a 2hr fireproof filing cabinet will be going in, with some custom inserts.

I'm a little different, as all my NM non graded cards live in semi-rigid cardsavers as opposed to top loaders or one touches.

I've been playing around with the best way to store them in bulk. Someone posted the Montgomery 8 compartment plastic storage container from Bunnings a few months ago for their top loaders. Well these fit a cardsaver too snuggly, you cant get them out when laying flat, they are basically the exact size of a Cardsaver II.

But they by extension also fit a cardsaver perfectly on it's side and holds it pefectly standing up, but you can't close the lid when standing up

So I use one of these for sorting out my grading submissions where I've removed the lid, and the others I have all my card savers on their sides in them. They fit a pretty big quantity each when like this and they are about $10.

All graded cards live in the safe and in protective foam cases when out of them.
 
Yeah I'll have to end up getting a bigger safe - the way I store the graded cards in there is not ideal for getting out to look through, multiple smaller boxes, I'd rather have the upright bigger boxes that hold like 100 graded cards. that box can't fit in my current safe though.
 
Yeah I'll have to end up getting a bigger safe - the way I store the graded cards in there is not ideal for getting out to look through, multiple smaller boxes, I'd rather have the upright bigger boxes that hold like 100 graded cards. that box can't fit in my current safe though.

Mines a document safe, so it has a drawer as well as multiple shelves that fit A4 binders.

Down the track I think I will put most of my PC into those black PSA size binder sleeve pockets to go in folders and top loaders/one touches into the toploader binder sleeves to also go in folders.

I'll never store cards in just penny sleeves and 9 card folder sleeves again. Top loader minimum.

All these folders fit perfectly into document safes, i.e:

1686724363212.png
 
Mines a document safe, so it has a drawer as well as multiple shelves that fit A4 binders.

Down the track I think I will put most of my PC into those black PSA size binder sleeve pockets to go in folders and top loaders/one touches into the toploader binder sleeves to also go in folders.

I'll never store cards in just penny sleeves and 9 card folder sleeves again. Top loader minimum.

All these folders fit perfectly into document safes, i.e:

1686724363212.png

that looks awesome
 
I've got a 2hr 300kg commercial fireproof safe, the same ones that I supply to hospitals and major commercial projects. It's also about 1m tall, so could fit my entire collection if I wanted to.

Down the track after I've Reno'd my next house, a 2hr fireproof filing cabinet will be going in, with some custom inserts.

I'm a little different, as all my NM non graded cards live in semi-rigid cardsavers as opposed to top loaders or one touches.

I've been playing around with the best way to store them in bulk. Someone posted the Montgomery 8 compartment plastic storage container from Bunnings a few months ago for their top loaders. Well these fit a cardsaver too snuggly, you cant get them out when laying flat, they are basically the exact size of a Cardsaver II.

But they by extension also fit a cardsaver perfectly on it's side and holds it pefectly standing up, but you can't close the lid when standing up

So I use one of these for sorting out my grading submissions where I've removed the lid, and the others I have all my card savers on their sides in them. They fit a pretty big quantity each when like this and they are about $10.

All graded cards live in the safe and in protective foam cases when out of them.
AF04DB00-11B3-44E4-A25D-B5F052FA5C61.jpeg



Photo of the Montgomery 8 section containers that was suggested on here for top loaders, works great for the sideways semi rigid as I mentioned above.

Above is my “to grade” Pokemon box.
 
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