Title of Product: PriceMiner
URL being reviewed: www.priceminer.com/login/library_login.jsp?libraryUrl=cml
Date of Review: March – April 2006
Product Description: An online Art, Antiques, and Collectibles pricing tool. Sources for pricing are the GoAntiques, eBay and TIAS databases.
Review Team Participating Libraries:
Belvedere Tiburon Library
Harrison Memorial Library
Monrovia Public Library
Moreno Valley Public Library
Oxnard Public Library
Pasadena Public Library
Pomona Public Library
Santa Monica Public Library
Summary: In general, the testers thought the interface was fairly easy to use and understand. Reviews were mixed on the usefulness of the keyword search with some saying that it was excellent and user-friendly while others thought that it was clumsy and did not produce the desired results. Sample comments follow:
The Search interface is pretty straightforward and easy to use; however because it is matching terms in both the item and description fields, a straight keyword search (a la Google) produces results that would confuse many users since at first glance it looks like the results don’t have much to do with the search terms. The ability to limit by Data Channels, Categories, etc. is helpful.
This site is very easy to use with keyword ability and the possibility of narrowing by different categories – although often it is not easy to figure out the appropriate category. There is some difficulty in the lack of a controlled vocabulary. Ability to truncate terms in a search would help if one wasn’t sure of spelling.
Interface is intuitive and it’s easy to choose menu items and date ranges.
Quality of Information and Sources Provided: Rating 2.5; 3; 1; 2.5; 3; 2; 3; 1 AVERAGE: 2.25
Summary: Content was seen as only adequate. The websites included were not considered the most authoritative, and are seen as an adjunct to the print sources, but are not seen as a replacement. Not all searches (results?) include pictures, which is seen as crucial to people researching their antiques. There are also no additional sources given that would provide further reading materials. Sample comments follow:
Ebay, though ubiquitous and certainly a large presence in the market, is not always the best source. You have to take the word of a seller who may know nothing of the significance of the item or the price of a buyer who is the exception and not the rule. Even the GoAntiques and Tias references are sparse to the point of uselessness. There are no other sources given that would provide further reading or information.
While it gives the actual price the item was sold for on Ebay, for the other sites it only lists how much it is being offered by Antique dealers, and not what an individual is likely to get for taking his item to an antique dealer. The “Analyses feature” was not available in the trial run.
The responses seemed heavily weighted toward auction prices, which are not always an accurate indication of value, particularly for Ebay prices. Auction prices can provide results at one location and time, but if several people want the same item, the prices realized can be unrealistic for similar items. Sellers always wonder why they did not get the same result if they try to sell something similar. A database that included auction estimates, as well as prices realized and retail prices might give more accurate figure. Many collectors tend to distrust the descriptions of the sellers on Ebay. Many sellers don’t know much about the item they are attempting to sell on Ebay while more specialized auctions will usually have experts describing the items.
Help and User Support: Rating 2.5; 2; 2; 3; 4; 2; 3; 2 AVERAGE: 2.56
Summary: In general, the “help” was seen as sufficient, but the bare minimum. FAQ’s are useful, as is the email address, but there is no telephone support, which would make the section much better. Sample comments follow:
It would be helpful to enlarge the font of the “help” link and add more description to the link – something along the lines of “click here to find out how to search PriceMiner” so that inexperienced searchers can use the product more effectively. Users can email a support desk for help, but it would also be nice to have some telephone support. People can’t / don’t want to wait a day or so for online support to get back to them.
This site included some of the more common FAQs which seemed very limited and could use some expansion.
Help has standard FAQs and follows a familiar Ebay format. No telephone number (again Ebay format) and no sign as to whether the vendor provides support. It doesn’t feel friendly.
Summary: The website seems stable and the response time was adequate on both DSL and T-1 lines. Sample comments to follow:
The website seems to be reliable and stable. The response time is actually better than that of the TIAS website (from which PriceMiner takes information). The database is necessarily graphics heavy, which could result in slow response times for dial-up users.
Appears to be reliable. Every attempt to go on the site we were successful. Even when trying an extended (multi-hour) session. Results of searches returned quickly on both a T-1 and DSL line.
Cost: Rating 4, 2; 2; 3; 1 AVERAGE: 2.40
Summary: Pricing for in-house use was judged fair and reasonable; however, remote pricing was seen to be high and out of the range of most public library budgets. Several reviewers also pointed out that the information was freely available on the internet, and there was very little added value for a subscription price. Sample comments follow:
The remote access version of this product is very expensive and cost-prohibitive for a public library that may only get occasional questions on antique prices. The in-library version seemed much more affordable and more in line with our usage. Unless someone is running a business, I cannot imagine getting value for the dollar on remote access. As much of this information is taken from other sources, it does seem costly.
Have not compared to other products. Unlimited remote access costs even at Califa price break seems high. However the price for having 1-2 simultaneous users accessing the database in-house (assuming that we can make it available to our patrons when they are using computers from within the library) might be worth considering.
Why pay anything if information is free on the net?
Summary: The overall evaluation of PriceMiner is that it’s adequate – nothing particularly special or interesting. There were one or two reviewers who had strong feelings on either side, but in general, most reviewers saw the resource as an interesting idea, an average start, with many areas that can be improved. Sample comments follow:
Priceminer is a very good product, although it could use a little tweaking in terms of price and adding more photos and web links. It is a good start and is recommended as a useful tool for public libraries.
While this site might be useful for a small minority, it appears to be a shill for strictly commercial sites. It offers no education, no additional resources, and no particular integrity. If a person in business wanted to subscribe to this, by all means that person should do so, but public libraries do not need to be assisting commercial enterprises that already make a lot of money by paying for this service. Much of this information is accessible with a little digging by going to the individual sites. Even the fancy pie charts don’t make up for iffy content.
The cost for in-house use seems very reasonable. The cost for remote access might be too expensive for many small or medium libraries, unless there is a large demand. With the popularity of “Antiques Roadshow” many patrons might try it out once or twice, but may not use it regularly.
