Proposed Merger Of The APS And Asda

Now that the APS has stepped out into the "real world" of online selling, they're going to need to do better than this quality of imaging. Do any of these images make you want to buy? They're lazy, shoddy and, it could be argued, disrespectful to the buyer.

As a Director of the Internet Philatelic Dealers Association, I can assure you that if the APS applied for membership, they would be rejected until the images and descriptions were reviewed and improved.

I wish I'd known before I renewed my IPDA membership for the fourth straight year just two days ago.

I could be wrong (it's been quite a while since I submitted material to the APS store), but I believe the presentations in those images are already against APS's existing listing requirements. I believe that sets are to be mounted such that all stamps are completely visible.

I realize that this is difficult to enforce after the fact when submissions are being processed, but even beyond APS's shoddy image quality, they need to start enforcing their own rules and kick back incorrectly-mounted lots rather than processing them as is.

I wonder how much of the planning for the transition to Hipstamp also included reworking their internal processing workflows to optimize for modern online standards.

Admittedly, even if changes were implemented today moving forward, there are probably several years worth of legacy submissions that need to work their way through the system... lots where the images are several years old. There presumably isn't the employee/volunteer bandwidth to reimage all of the existing submissions.

Of course some of us have been requesting increased image quality and consistency at the APS for years, that had changes and improvements actually been made leading up to this transisition, it would be far less of an issue... another example of poor long-term planning and implementation.

The Committee reviews each application, checking the applicants online store for image quality and sales descriptions. We're trying very hard to raise the standard.

No stacking of stamps, straight scans, no colour enhancements, descriptions that make sense....... The basics of good online selling.

I don't disagree with the proposition; I disagree with trying to step on StampStore to promote IPDA membership here. We've provided space for the IPDA in our journal, and I believe we have common objectives, something that's earned me criticism. I realize that means absolutely nothing for the purposes of critiquing the APS, a more common objective on this forum.

I am hoping to include IPDA in our dealer discussions going forward. Fortunately, my ongoing conversations with other members of the IPDA Board are more constructive.

Scott

I'm not trying to promote the IPDA, that's why we pay for a banner at the top of the page. I'm criticising StampStore and the APS for the quality of it's listings, which cannot be disputed.

I commented on the very topic of sloppy images in the Hipstamp/APS thread a short while ago.

https://goscf.com/t/81728&whichpage...s%2Chipstamp

I admit I don't patrol these threads and read every post. I'll pass on the comments regarding imaging to our team.

Of course, folks are free to share their input with the APS staff directly at

***Email removed, contact link added - Staff***
See 'Stamp Sales' section of this webpage
https://stamps.org/departments

Seriously, Scott, nobody is stepping on StampStore, they are posting about a very legitimate problem and you're taking it emotionally. If you saw those images in an online sale, what would you think, entirely separately from the APS perspective? Would you buy those, based on the images alone? I know I wouldn't. Yet, instead of recognizing that there is a problem, and there is, you chose to get personally upset. Nobody is saying that the APS is bad, only that it has issues to correct, which clearly it does. This is a learning opportunity to improve, not a place to get upset because someone dared to point it out.

There is a self serving overreach of hyperbolic tripe. If anything the images are disrespectful to the seller unless of course, the seller is who made the image.

Pointedly I will suggest that many, or most internet buyers do not wish to pay for the time of the seller to list the item up to the buyer's standards. What the buyers want is a race to the bottom where they can purchase the best at the lowest price no matter the true cost of the listing as long as they are the ones who reap the bargain. That is in my opinion the height of predatory disrespect by a buyer.


I wonder if Cephus was including the IPDA in the scope of his comment?

It includes all *PDA organizations. No offense, but I have no reason to trust any of them, or to distrust any of them, except where the ASDA has proven itself to be untrustworthy. The same goes for any independent group that claims to oversee an industry or group. The only thing you can say is that they haven't been caught in misdeeds yet. Nobody can say they're innocent.

If you've been more than a casual reader of this forum, I pretty regularly take criticism of the APS and try to improve upon it. I don't mind it because I believe most of it is well intended. I am and will remain a promoter of the IPDA, but no one has ever come to me and said, "Hey, your StampStore images need some work." That's the level of engagement implied by the statement I was responding to. The incoming Chair has been communicating with me recently, and I believe he and the IPDA will be partnering with us on several fronts.

That said, I also posted a way for APS members to share that feedback directly with our staff in the future if they were inclined to help out. Some great members provide valuable feedback for StampStore - typically flagging a problematic posting or description. For those on this forum who provide that assistance, thank you.

Scott

I am glad they are doing this in the right order. Propose a plan then implement the solution rather than the other way around.

I have it on good word that the International Society of Worldwide Stamp Collectors is not going to merge with ASDA either (grin). I am not sure about Elon Musk.

As a some what frequent user of Stamp Store over many years, I would say the jumbled images shown (taking into account there were usually a quarter million items on stamps store) would not have made it on to the website, some one at APS probably would have observed them and dealt with the matter without any of us being aware. I have seen images of large sets where not all of the stamp was visible, but the material was at least straight in the mounting. This is not surprising since it was usually a matter of space to be preserved. With APS, if you bought such an item and found it wanting on arrival, you simply sent it back. No problem.

The other side of this is the quality of the mounting sent by the seller. At times, I am surprised at how much human attention we seem to wish others to provide on our behalf, but then flock to internet based sales channels that are by their nature a trade between cost/ convenience and other important aspects of the sales process that are costly.

If Jubilee had reflected on this and mentioned it to APS rather than boasting that an APS membership application would be rejected based on such photos, then our on line experience would be improved, the hobby would be better off.

Umm..... what? I could be mistaken, but those images are from live APS listings. All of the imaging is still done inhouse at the APS; none of that has changed. So those images were made by the APS, not Hipstamp.




But since the APS is the de facto seller at Hipstamp acting as an agent for the APS member, the APS bears the responsibility. If the mounting is at issue, it is incumbent upon the APS to enforce its own requirements and rules with submittors before the lots make their way online.

Again, all of the order imaging and process is still done by the APS; none of that has changed.