quote:

Originally posted by H_Toser:

I am surprised that there is not at least some opposing opinion,

Well if you insist. Scrap the price guide alltogether and lower the price of the magazine.

Keep in mind that i voted A but if i had to change something this is what it would be.

Personally - if I was known as the main man I would leave it exactly the same as it is now, except I would bring out a Christmas special with a full price guide and a look back over the previous year (perhaps add a Paul Bines survey) and a look forward to the new year releases. Then we would get 7 releases instead of 6. Of course it would cost extra, but I would not be the one complaining. They would make really nice Christmas presents too!

One other idea for limiting the growth of price-guide size is to find a different way to deal with the long lists of individual high-end cards, especially when you aren't given card numbers and you have to make room for names and/or descriptions.

I'm not sure anybody *can* produce a realistic guide for sketch cards, with artists each producing a range of effort within a set, and the different popularity of the subject matter. Some now-defunct price guides even attempted to post a range for everything, and the ranges could sometimes be quite broad.

Maybe that's an area that could be tracked on a website with the support of volunteers, with the guide itself merely stating there were "sketch cards by 108 artists". Even if there aren't a lot of updates, there'd be more room to state insertion ratios, total #s made, variants, etc.

Another thing that takes space is all the words, if you have to devote a line to describe each for six items, instead of "1-6: $50 ea." Perhaps there should be a way to assign an index number that could be looked up on the web.

It's a struggle to come up with ideas that might require less pain and suffering by the NSU staff to keep it all maintained. Used to be a card set would have entries for base set, a couple of insert sets, unopened box, and promos. Today you could argue that a lot of sets are really dominated by 100+ different insert items.

Some people are interested in just the basics, while other people are most interested in the subsets of 1/1's. I wonder whether it's becoming impractical to serve both audiences at the same time.

I'm wondering, does anybody really use the current guide as their main way to price sketches and costumes/props?
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quote:

Originally posted by steve j:
Personally - if I was known as the main man I would leave it exactly the same as it is now, except I would bring out a Christmas special with a full price guide and a look back over the previous year (perhaps add a Paul Bines survey) and a look forward to the new year releases. Then we would get 7 releases instead of 6. Of course it would cost extra, but I would not be the one complaining. They would make really nice Christmas presents too!

There's a precedent there with special issues of comics etc.

Possibly one good thing about an end-of-year special is that most of its content could be built without the usual deadlines for articles and commentary, and the minions of Harrisburg might be able to work on layout during the (relatively) slow time between the mad rushes for the regular issues. Toser Sanity must be maintained!
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quote:

Originally posted by allender:
does anybody really use the current guide as their main way to price sketches and costumes/props?
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I do not use the price guide to price up anything. The market changes far too quickly for it to mean anything.
I do use it as a reference for what there is in a particular set but you could argue that this information is available online from someone who's name escapes me.

I'm happy with the new format.

The way I see it, the prices for older material have pretty well stabilized (though I suspect even then that many listings are probably out of date, and were left at the last amount they were entered). Certainly the new material gets most of the attention, hence the wise choice of having it available for each issue.

Don't take much stock in those who have no regard for the articles. This magazine y'all produce isn't just for a certain demographic of the hobby- it covers all aspects involved. Personally, I have a very limited interest in much of the new product being put out today. There's more than enough interest from the rest of the market to make up for that LOL

But to suggest that the readers of NSU don't appreciate the articles?

Poppycock.

Sure, there are some that don't read them, fine. But it would be in error to paint the rest of the readership with the same brush. Personally, I wish there were more articles to read, especially after waiting two months for the new issue!

As I've said before, you folks at NSU have carefully considered the options, and have made a novel approach to the issue of an expanded Price Guide, which we all appreciate you providing for us. In the end, it's simply a matter of convenience, but it's still just a supplement to the original mission of the magazine, which is to provide the collectors of non sport cards with information about the latest events, releases, opinions, and even a bit of history of the hobby.

You haven't deviated from that, yet. Kudos to the staff of NSU!

Why not put the entire price guide on the website and make it available only to those who have a valid current subscription to the magazine ? Passwords could be issued to those individuals allowing them access , if their subscription lapses , then they could be blocked from viewing the price guide . I'm not very good with computers but i know i've been on websites where you can't copy , print or download material so there must be a way to keep the guide from being pirated .
BTW , dump the set building forum [ waste of space IMO ] that would free up space for the guide which i'm sure more people would utilize .
sumo

I say: keep the price guide the way it is.
That my positive comment.

As my negtive one, could you go back to the old presentation with the top of page listing of what is on the page instead of 1879 - 2003 : M -L. I would prefer that.

In other words, keep the good work with very little modifications

I vote "A" I think you made a good choice with the split. and lets not make it anymore complicated than it needs to be.

I use an average of NSU,the encyclopedia, and ebay to price my cards for shows.

i have an idea for a "incentive" that could satisfy both type of subscribers:
A prize contest where redemption cards are randomly inserted into the promo envelope. They dont have to be huge prizes(but that would be nice) just fun things like a classic base set, a box of 9pocket pages, a wax box,one year subscription, ect...... you get the idea. Of course if you could get manufacturers to sponsor the contest that would be fantastic, imagine winning a case of cards! Oh happy day!! Some collectors might even buy multiple copies....then you could sell them by the gross.

I think the current choice works very well at the moment. But the average new set require more and more space. There are more items that don't have card numbers, so you can't even collapse the information for several cards onto one line.

If the trends continue, NSU might have to make some tough decisions over the next year or so. It's great that Harris is asking for feedback early.
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I voted "A".

quote:

Originally posted by sumozilla:
Why not put the entire price guide on the website and make it available only to those who have a valid current subscription to the magazine ? Passwords could be issued to those individuals allowing them access , if their subscription lapses , then they could be blocked from viewing the price guide . I'm not very good with computers but i know i've been on websites where you can't copy , print or download material so there must be a way to keep the guide from being pirated .
BTW , dump the set building forum [ waste of space IMO ] that would free up space for the guide which i'm sure more people would utilize .
sumo

It is an idea sure, but not everyone that reads the magazine subscribes- I buy my copies at retail, plus not everyone is computer savvy, plus if a dealer wanted to consult the price guide(and some do..), it's easier to have a physical copy than a laptop.

I also voted "A"- I read pretty much all of the articles in the magazine and would hate if those went away, which is apparently unanimous looking at the poll results.

Definitely think the split is a good option since the price guide has gotten so big.

Val

Looks like I'm one of the few "non-A" voters.

I voted D. I'd rather pay more per issue and get the whole price guide each time.

I sell NSU's at shows and I've had people come back and complain that they didn't get the price guide for cards they were looking for. The occasional buyer seems to like to look up their cards to see if they have anything of value. It should also be said that the occasional reader does not know about the change until they unwrap their new issue.

I carry an extra copy of the previous issue for just such a reason. I've given customers my copy so they have a "complete" price guide, but can't alway do it.

Most of my customers have told me they would rather have the whole guide in one place instead of having 2 issues floating around. But apparently we are the minority.

Ed

[QUOTE]Originally posted by CordeliaChase_Fan:

It is an idea sure, but not everyone that reads the magazine subscribes- I buy my copies at retail, plus not everyone is computer savvy, plus if a dealer wanted to consult the price guide(and some do..), it's easier to have a physical copy than a laptop.

I'm not saying to eliminate the price guide from the mag , a split is fine with me , just offer a complete on-line price guide for those who want it .
sumo

quote:

Originally posted by Scifi Cards:
Looks like I'm one of the few "non-A" voters.

I voted D. I'd rather pay more per issue and get the whole price guide each time.

I sell NSU's at shows and I've had people come back and complain that they didn't get the price guide for cards they were looking for. The occasional buyer seems to like to look up their cards to see if they have anything of value. It should also be said that the occasional reader does not know about the change until they unwrap their new issue.

I carry an extra copy of the previous issue for just such a reason. I've given customers my copy so they have a "complete" price guide, but can't alway do it.

Most of my customers have told me they would rather have the whole guide in one place instead of having 2 issues floating around. But apparently we are the minority.

Ed

I agree completely. I voted B this way everyone is happy. Being that the price guide is bi-monthly I wouldn't mind spending a couple dollars more every other month to get the whole price guide in undivided alphabetical order. It's much easier to look things up that way. I do love that the new sets get expanded pricing the first time around though. I would like to see that not change. I know I'm in the minority but I use NSU mainly as a price guide and I tend to just skim through the articles. The price guide is the most important part to me and I would like to keep it whole.

Since i'm usually off-the-wall on most topic discussions i'm proposing another off-the-wall alternative . Option E
Why not publish a complete comprehensive price guide twice a year ( including promos , really old stuff and off-beat stuff ) with ads and no articles . Prices really don't change that much in one or two months , especially older cards .
If need be , then have maybe one page for just currently issued cards ( those are the ones that people are looking for prices for anyway ) in the regular issues . That gives you two price guides per year and ten article issues per year . Buy what appeals to you .
sumo

quote:

Originally posted by sumozilla:
That gives you two price guides per year and ten article issues per year . Buy what appeals to you .
sumo

Only 6 article issues as the magazine is bi-monthly

I voted for A as well, although I am not against options B or D either. The only out-of- the-question option for me would be C.
NSU mag without Articles - NEVER!. Like Playboy I only buy it to read the articles.

I think , the price guide itself needs to be more accurate and updated. Some stuff has been very off for a lot of years, and it just makes for a better product when it strives to be more accurate. Thats the only real change i would like to see.

I do agree that the prices could be more accurate. I think most cards are priced right when the set is first released and the market isn't stable yet. Then the set values are almost forgotten about and the prices end up being way off. Take the X-Men 3 autographs. Listing Stewart, Grammer, and Paquin for $277, $257, and $160 is not even close. Right now they all sell for around $100 each. Maybe they were selling that high when they first came out but not now. That type of thing. I do submit corrections but honestly just from the few sets I keep track of there is too many corrections to list when having to submit one at a time with proof sales. I just submit the major ones I notice. I like when my suggestions are used. It makes me feel good to think I've contributed to the price guide in some small way.