SmartCollector's new online services help buyers and sellers of collectible items better assess what items are worth, learn key market trends and give the collector the ability to manage a complete collection portfolio online. Storing information about a collection has never been easier as collectors can store photos, assign item grades and categorize their collection. Collectors can now also value every item in their portfolio with SmartCollector's daily value reports, based on three years of historical eBay auction data, rather than having to rely on outdated price reference guides.

"Through our eBay relationship we are able to capture the latest sales figures and pricing trends, as eBay is recognized as the marketplace where real collectible prices are determined," said Christopher Cameron, SmartCollector CEO and Co-founder. "Unlike price catalogs and books on collectibles, we provide information that's easily portable, is all in one location and offers up-to-the-minute accuracy."

SmartCollector offers subscribers the following services and key features:

• Value It™ -- Enables customers to analyze their collectible item's value and acquire specific prices and price trends for each item. Value It drives the user to find highly-relevant and timely data on the collectible item, pictures, grading and other item attributes to help ensure accurate comparisons.
• Trend It™ -- Analyzes market trends through eBay categories or other item attributes. Market trends follow prices, volume and other leading indicators of market velocity.
• Manage It™ -- The "smart" way to manage a collection portfolio. This one-stop dashboard captures every item bought and sold. A portfolio value is calculated daily and updated against costs and market trends, which can help plan the right time to sell or upgrade items. Integrated into eBay, users can download their eBay purchase history over the last year and keep it up to date going forward.

"The eBay Market Data Program enables third-party companies to gain access to historical transaction data on eBay and create innovative solutions that will help individuals be more informed," said Lily Shen, who manages the program for eBay. "Through this relationship with SmartCollector, collectors will now have a powerful resource for understanding the value of their collectibles based on actual eBay transactions."

SmartCollector is the brainchild of Jeffrey Sloan, business owner, venture capitalist and inventor. An avid collector and frequent visitor to eBay, Sloan collects many collectibles including pre-1970 Matchbox cars, which brings him a feeling of nostalgia from his childhood. As Sloan immersed himself into the hobby of collecting, several issues prompted him to realize that buyers and sellers needed a website to streamline the process.

"As I was buying via the Internet, I had trouble recalling what I purchased, which items were keepers and fillers, what was an item's value and what I should pay for it," Sloan said. "Also, when traveling for business without my records, I had no easy way of knowing what I already owned in my collection, when I found a new item to purchase. I realized it would be great to access all of this information electronically."

SmartCollector will provide guides to collectors with information on a wide variety of collectible merchandise and markets including: Dolls, Glass, Militaria, Ceramics, Jewelry, Books and Manuscripts, Historical Memorabilia, Holiday, Disneyana, Clocks, Die-Cast Toys, Animated Art and Cartoon Characters, Rocks, Fossils, Minerals, Collectible Plates, Chinaware, Posters, Trains and many more.

Customers can elect to pay a monthly service fee for SmartCollector's premium services. Certain basic services can be used by SmartCollector users for free, including item value research on 15 days of eBay sales data and downloading your purchase history into your personal collection portfolio from eBay, or setting it up manually.

Collecting today may be the single most significant hobby in the world, touching households throughout the United States and around the world. According to a 2003 report published by United Marketing of Pennsylvania, entitled, "Why People Buy Collectibles: Analysis of collector behavior and their drive to collect," collecting as a pastime continues to grow rapidly as more Baby Boomers, reaching their prime spending years, participate. eBay's consistent growth has contributed to this trend. Of 102 million households in the US, more than 40% indicate that a member of their household collects a collectible item.

For more information, contact 888-762-7890 (888-SMART-90) or [email protected].