MinusWorlds.com debuts Tuesday- Thank You!

[a3quit4s | 4,090]

Sonic the Hedgehog $920,000 well that’s enough of that lol

edit: I did it better!

https://imgflip.com/gif/5vdc0c

Edited November 24, 2021 by a3quit4s

[tidaldreams | 654]

This website looks incredibly unprofessional in its current state. This entire page is completely broken:

I'm guessing there is supposed to be a graphic on the LHS and not sure why there is a random play button that doesn't do anything.

This question and answer are complete nonsense.

Some grammar errors.

This button is completely broken.

[Dan64 | 66]

8 hours ago, acidjaguar said:

Looking great Dan!  Congrats on the launch!  

 

Can we get some CIB breakdowns on the main load page of the particular game for sale?  That would be spectacular.  Things like the Gradius 5 screw 7.5 CIB are a mystery as to what the subs are given there aren't additional pictures.

 

I agree 110% with this, I will make make sure that when a cib is entered the subs are listed out. Also if any major maps etc. It probably will take a week or two but consider it on the schedule. much appreciate the feedback 

[the_wizard_666 | 1,325]

Looks good @Dan64.  I'll go through later in more detail, but I noticed a small issue with this listing:

https://minusworlds.com/prod-details?id=184

Basically, it's listed as NES but should be under Genesis.  There may be a way to flag the error, but I didn't see it, and I'm sure the seller would appreciate it being listed properly.  Aside from that though, the site looks good. Hope the venture works out well for you!

[tidaldreams | 654]

On 11/19/2021 at 4:54 AM, the_wizard_666 said:

If he's willing to ship internationally, he's opening up a viable option for me to buy shit online without having to use eBay's GSP scam.  I'd be willing to give it a go on that basis alone.

Essentially though, what he's doing is an alternative to eBay, where you can price things how you want and get every cent of your asking price when the listing sells.  He'll mark it up to pay the fees, rather than take a cut of the price you sold it for.  The result is more or less identical on the buyer's end, as the markup pays the shipping costs and fees, so they are only paying the price shown on the site.  So if the buyer wants $100, and the markup is $20, the listing will show $120.  The buyer pays $120, the seller receives $100, both are happy and aren't hit with extra charges at checkout.  It definitely has a place, but it remains to be seen whether the idea is as sound in practice as the theory seems.  I'd be willing to check it out regardless though, as y'all Yanks don't seem to like sending shit to the rest of the planet.

This is a great point. I get a ton of international sales, all of which are through GSP. And I actually prefer them because once the item reaches the ebay warehouse, whatever happens after ain't my problem.

Cutting off international customers would be a huge detriment IMO.

[the_wizard_666 | 1,325]

Just now, tidaldreams said:

This is a great point. I get a ton of international sales, all of which are through GSP. And I actually prefer them because once the item reaches the ebay warehouse, whatever happens after ain't my problem.

Cutting off international customers would be a huge detriment IMO.

While I see where it's awesome from the seller's perspective, the GSP is absolute trash from the buyer's perspective, to the point that I actively avoid any listing that uses it.  I'm also far from the only one, so if you're making a ton of sales internationally, think of how many more you'd be making if you took care of it yourself.  In the 15 or so years I've been buying/selling/trading online, I can count on one hand with fingers left over the number of issues I've had with the postal service, and only a couple more times where I had any sort of issue at all.  Based on my personal experiences, I feel the "risks" are massively overblown.  Especially when every problem I've ever had came from the US...

[tidaldreams | 654]

2 minutes ago, the_wizard_666 said:

While I see where it's awesome from the seller's perspective, the GSP is absolute trash from the buyer's perspective, to the point that I actively avoid any listing that uses it.  I'm also far from the only one, so if you're making a ton of sales internationally, think of how many more you'd be making if you took care of it yourself.  In the 15 or so years I've been buying/selling/trading online, I can count on one hand with fingers left over the number of issues I've had with the postal service, and only a couple more times where I had any sort of issue at all.  Based on my personal experiences, I feel the "risks" are massively overblown.  Especially when every problem I've ever had came from the US...

Yeah, as a buyer there is virtually no risk because the seller takes on all the risk, which is why most sellers would only ship internationally through GSP. Ebay takes on all the risk for whatever happens to the item after it reaches their warehouse.

There's tons of stuff that can go wrong - customs can f with your package, crappy postal service in the destination country, etc.

I totally buy stuff internationally as well (well mostly from Canada since it's NTSC), because there is no risk as a buyer.

[Dan64 | 66]

8 hours ago, the_wizard_666 said:

While I see where it's awesome from the seller's perspective, the GSP is absolute trash from the buyer's perspective, to the point that I actively avoid any listing that uses it.  I'm also far from the only one, so if you're making a ton of sales internationally, think of how many more you'd be making if you took care of it yourself.  In the 15 or so years I've been buying/selling/trading online, I can count on one hand with fingers left over the number of issues I've had with the postal service, and only a couple more times where I had any sort of issue at all.  Based on my personal experiences, I feel the "risks" are massively overblown.  Especially when every problem I've ever had came from the US...

We do work with international buyers. We had two orders yesterday that the buyers reached out and we made sure we could make it happen. Of course with the seller, we are taking that risk rather than our seller. Really for us it is getting these processes right so we can ensure a seamless transaction. That takes trial and error. We were able to book 18 sales in 12 hours. We are ecstatic that people used the platform. We worked hard to ensure all shipping labels were sent out and I believe nearly all orders are heading to our headquarters or if a seller had the games here they are on way to buyer. Some buyers will be receiving their orders within 72 hours of purchase.

side note: International sellers we have them ship their games to us so we can ensure the turnaround times for our buyers are adequate. We do accept raw games that we send to the grading companies on their behalf. In time we hope to be able to list the raw games directly to the site for our clients but again have to get the process seamless before opening that up.

in total:

Thank you to everyone that has checked out the site, reached out, called, emailed, etc. We could not ask for a better launch. Was there issues on website, of course. But at end of the day people were able to use the platform. We are not perfect, but we will whole heartily listen and act on feedback. Thank you for the first 24 hours community -Dan

[Code Monkey | 2,005]

22 hours ago, tidaldreams said:

What happens if the game (i.e. the WATA or VGA case) gets damaged on it's way to you or the buyer or you or the buyer claim it's not what we shipped?

Also, how would we get paid?

Can you also describe exactly how you would be packing the package to the buyer (if you are repackaging it)? Don't want no 45k of 1st edition pokemon cards being shipped in sandwich bags kind of situation to go on here.

I would be willing to post 50+ WATA and VGA games on your website, but I don't know you or ever dealt with you before. My ebay feedback speaks for itself (never received a neg, and most of my feedback is from selling), so I have no intention of getting scammed. 

And you trust Pittney Bowes?I would trust a random collector way more than I would trust anyone at Pittney Bowes.

[Code Monkey | 2,005]

What does the site use? Is it completely custom or does it use some sort of platform like Shopify on the back end?

[tidaldreams | 654]

21 minutes ago, Code Monkey said:

And you trust Pittney Bowes?I would trust a random collector way more than I would trust anyone at Pittney Bowes.

Well, Pitney Bowes and Ebay are large corporations that can cover $$$ in case anything goes wrong. I would certainly trust the person if I've dealt with them before, or they have a lot to lose in case anything goes wrong (e.g., I've sent Z&G hundreds of cards, but he has a large youtube channel, literally shittons of customers, etc.)

This is just some random guy with no public presence who decided to make a (super buggy) website.

Also, I find it kind of strange that he's posted multiple times in this thread since yesterday, but hasn't addressed any of these questions 

Edited November 24, 2021 by tidaldreams

[Dan64 | 66]

5 hours ago, tidaldreams said:

Well, Pitney Bowes and Ebay are large corporations that can cover $$$ in case anything goes wrong. I would certainly trust the person if I've dealt with them before, or they have a lot to lose in case anything goes wrong (e.g., I've sent Z&G hundreds of cards, but he has a large youtube channel, literally shittons of customers, etc.)

This is just some random guy with no public presence who decided to make a (super buggy) website.

Also, I find it kind of strange that he's posted multiple times in this thread since yesterday, but hasn't addressed any of these questions 

Happy to answer the questions you think I missed, please let me know and here to address such. While I thought I addressed many of them, do write the questions and happy to answer.

 

To who am I: 

My name is Dan Allegra, I hosted the Video Game collecting Podcast for last 18 months. I like walks on the beach, daisys, candle lit dinners  

But in all seriousness, I thank Wayde, Tom Curtin and others who have chimed in and gave their support. I have been heavily in the community outside of VGS for last 2 years. I collected for over 10 years but as I like to say, I never found the yellow brick road which was nintendo age and now this.

If you do not know me, thats okay. Watch the site and if I and our company are doing anything less than amazing- you will hear about it I am sure. Do not take my word, let us prove it in time. We will be a company that is in thick of it and I will come back here time and time again to address any concerns because I can be completely transparent. 

 

Please do list any questions you think I miss. It has been a crazy few days so looking through I am unsure what I missed but will answer the exact questions if you want to list them out. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!

[ThePhleo | 2,184]

@tidaldreams He has a presence in the high end community and is a really good guy. He's earned my trust and I have no business relations with him at all.

I did give him permission to distribute my known NWC number list, but that's only because I actually like him.

I know him for about a year now, and he's more of a high end sealed guy and a guy with big project ambitions. He's sort of like me, but with a better beard, and actually achieves his goals (Also, I like to open my sealed games)

[tidaldreams | 654]

1 hour ago, Dan64 said:

Happy to answer the questions you think I missed, please let me know and here to address such. While I thought I addressed many of them, do write the questions and happy to answer.

 

To who am I: 

My name is Dan Allegra, I hosted the Video Game collecting Podcast for last 18 months. I like walks on the beach, daisys, candle lit dinners  

But in all seriousness, I thank Wayde, Tom Curtin and others who have chimed in and gave their support. I have been heavily in the community outside of VGS for last 2 years. I collected for over 10 years but as I like to say, I never found the yellow brick road which was nintendo age and now this.

If you do not know me, thats okay. Watch the site and if I and our company are doing anything less than amazing- you will hear about it I am sure. Do not take my word, let us prove it in time. We will be a company that is in thick of it and I will come back here time and time again to address any concerns because I can be completely transparent. 

 

Please do list any questions you think I miss. It has been a crazy few days so looking through I am unsure what I missed but will answer the exact questions if you want to list them out. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll paste them back here.

What happens if the game (i.e. the WATA or VGA case) gets damaged on it's way to you or the buyer or you or the buyer claim it's not what we shipped?

- here I'm mainly concerned about the product getting from you to the buyer and any buyer claims. I'm 99.99% sure the way I package it will never get damaged on it's way to you.

Also, how would we get paid?

Can you also describe exactly how you would be packing the package to the buyer (if you are repackaging it)? Don't want no 45k of 1st edition pokemon cards being shipped in sandwich bags kind of situation to go on here.

- I think you mentioned your facilities will be under video surveillance when you open the package. Will the video of opening up the package be available to the seller? I think this will alleviate a lot of concerns that I and perhaps other potential sellers have if you send us a copy of the video (of our own games ofc).

I would be willing to post 50+ WATA and VGA games on your website, but I don't know you or ever dealt with you before. My ebay feedback speaks for itself (never received a neg, and most of my feedback is from selling), so I have no intention of getting scammed.

- I think you want references or something for the seller application. Can I just use my ebay feedback or do you need one of your buddies in those FB groups to act as a reference? I literally have hundreds as a seller with zero neutrals and zero negatives: https://www.ebay.com/fdbk/feedback_profile/tidaldreams_1?filter=feedback_page:All

BTW, the 50+ graded games is just a start. I still have tons more coming back. I should single-handedly be able to increase your number of available listings by a good 5-10%+

Oh, and have a happy thanksgiving yourself

Oh sorry, one more thing: please get this damn button working.

Edited November 25, 2021 by tidaldreams

[tidaldreams | 654]

1 hour ago, ThePhleo said:

I know him for about a year now, and he's more of a high end sealed guy and a guy with big project ambitions. He's sort of like me, but with a better beard, and actually achieves his goals (Also, I like to open my sealed games)

Well, thats unfortunate. I always thought sealed games were not supposed to be opened 

[ThePhleo | 2,184]

24 minutes ago, tidaldreams said:

Well, thats unfortunate. I always thought sealed games were not supposed to be opened 

Games are meant to be opened, documented, and put on a shelf still never to be played because who in their right mind wants to play Fisher Price: Firehouse Rescue…

[Dan64 | 66]

What happens if the game (i.e. the WATA or VGA case) gets damaged on it's way to you or the buyer or you or the buyer claim it's not what we shipped?

All items are opened under camera surveillance in our office. If we receive game and we ship to buyer, they say its empty- thats our problem and not the seller. We wouldn't even tell the seller the problem, they delivered the game to us and we pay out the seller. If game is damaged we have an insurance policy for such. 

 

Also, how would we get paid?

14 days after delivery the payment is cleared for payment, currently we are mailing checks on that Friday (with tracking.) We will have an ach type payment within 4-8 weeks but we are swamped and want to take time to pick the best method for our sellers. 

Can you also describe exactly how you would be packing the package to the buyer (if you are repackaging it)?

 

We re-package the game for the buyer. I see each opportunity to satisfy the buyer as extremely important, I know getting games myself is like opening a Christmas gift. Sucks when is smells like smoke or re-used trash to package.

We have created custom end caps and boxes specifically for graded games. This is also double boxed. I posted a video of our custom boxes on Facebook groups. I believe High End and Wata games group. 

 

I think you mentioned your facilities will be under video surveillance when you open the package. Will the video of opening up the package be available to the seller? I think this will alleviate a lot of concerns that I and perhaps other potential sellers have if you send us a copy of the video (of our own games ofc).

While we like the be as open and transparent as possible, having constant videos uploaded for orders with no problems reported would not be productive for our time or bandwidth. 

 

Can I just use my ebay feedback or do you need one of your buddies in those FB groups to act as a reference? I literally have hundreds as a seller with zero neutrals and zero negatives

You can apply and we will look at this at a case by case basis. More references the better. Once you apply to be seller, we send an application and we review the applications daily. We try to be as accommodating as possible. 

 

In total

I hope this answers some of your questions. 

If you are very concerned with the site, I will be the first person to say wait till comfortable.  We are here for the long haul and will look to prove our intention of being an amazing platform for buyers and sellers to transact for years to come.

 

Thank you and hope you have a great Thanksgiving as well. Take care

 

 

[the_wizard_666 | 1,325]

On 11/23/2021 at 10:38 PM, tidaldreams said:

Yeah, as a buyer there is virtually no risk because the seller takes on all the risk, which is why most sellers would only ship internationally through GSP. Ebay takes on all the risk for whatever happens to the item after it reaches their warehouse.

There's tons of stuff that can go wrong - customs can f with your package, crappy postal service in the destination country, etc.

I totally buy stuff internationally as well (well mostly from Canada since it's NTSC), because there is no risk as a buyer.

I was talking as a seller too.  I've never had a buyer that was a problem unless they were American.  Just throwing that out there.

[the_wizard_666 | 1,325]

3 hours ago, ThePhleo said:

Games are meant to be opened, documented, and put on a shelf still never to be played because who in their right mind wants to play Fisher Price: Firehouse Rescue…

I played through it.  It's surprisingly well done for a game for 5 year olds

[Dan64 | 66]

 I am currently playing/enjoying Doom II nightly, surprising how great the Doom series is to play still 25+ years later

5 hours ago, the_wizard_666 said:

I played through it.  It's surprisingly well done for a game for 5 year olds

 

[Code Monkey | 2,005]

13 hours ago, ThePhleo said:

@tidaldreams He has a presence in the high end community and is a really good guy. He's earned my trust and I have no business relations with him at all.

I'll echo this as well, I've seen this guy around for a while on other high end collecting mediums, he's legitimate.

I have a lot of criticism to offer about the website but he seems like a genuine guy.

[ThePhleo | 2,184]

8 hours ago, the_wizard_666 said:

I played through it.  It's surprisingly well done for a game for 5 year olds

I’ve played it as well. But again, who in their RIGHT MIND would want to actually play it. We’re weirdos, so we get a pass.

[tidaldreams | 654]

When you go to advanced search -> sold, does that show all the solds or just the recent ones? Think this might be one of the most valuable things about this website if you are showing all solds and the actual sold price (not like the listed price when a best offer was accepted).

Interesting how a 9.8 A+ and 9.2 A+ Shinobi 3 sold for the exact same price... sucks to be the 9.2 A+ buyer...

The website is glitchy as hell lol

[Dan64 | 66]

59 minutes ago, tidaldreams said:

When you go to advanced search -> sold, does that show all the solds or just the recent ones? Think this might be one of the most valuable things about this website if you are showing all solds and the actual sold price (not like the listed price when a best offer was accepted).

Interesting how a 9.8 A+ and 9.2 A+ Shinobi 3 sold for the exact same price... sucks to be the 9.2 A+ buyer...

The website is glitchy as hell lol

To be honest, we had some issues the first day where the items were not marking "sold" so some games were marked up to avoid double sales. Those sales are legitimate, 9.8 was full price at $5750 and Shinobi 9.2 sold for $2200 I believe. We just fixed a bug that shows the sales, it was not working last 36 hours or so where there were many sales but they are not showing in that section. We will make sure they get represented and accessible asap.

Sales Data The reason why there isn't a bigger category for it is that I am working with all the auction houses to bring all sales data onto Minus Worlds. That way users can look at all sales data easily for FREE. This project has been in the works  for months and we are a few months out for completion but wanted to mention why we had not done a better shop making sold sales more a category. Also we got to figure out the format better to make the information digestible. 

 The developers are working daily to bring this site to a higher standard, we are not there yet but we will get there. The backend functionality is quite amazing. This is a site literally made from scratch. I am very pleased with the developers, First day the site was bogged down due to 1100 new photos uploaded. The problem we have with images is that I have asked them not to cap the seller's size of images. I do not like anything the inconvenience users from using the site, or having a hurdle. But with that you will notice how it bogs down the home page on loading. We are working to some automation compression techniques and we will get there. 

Last note, we are expediating the start of creating an App. We originally were going to wait to create it  6-12 months till we started but we will begin that process in the next 6 weeks. It will take 5-6 months but we are starting now to be able to bring a better experience for the mobile. 

 

[tidaldreams | 654]

5 minutes ago, Dan64 said:

 

Sales Data The reason why there isn't a bigger category for it is that I am working with all the auction houses to bring all sales data onto Minus Worlds. That way users can look at all sales data easily for FREE. This project has been in the works  for months and we are a few months out for completion but wanted to mention why we had not done a better shop making sold sales more a category. Also we got to figure out the format better to make the information digestible. 

 

Have you seen this? 

 

Someone created a website that shows all of the HA sales data up to Aug. 31, 2021. I think it might be missing some sales, but this could help get you started. I saved the raw sales data file if you want it.