Coinarchives.com now a pay site

[Mark Z]

Hello All!

Has anyone else noticed that "coinarchives.com" has now become a pay site?

Moreover, the cost is $600 PER YEAR?! 

Who is going to spend that kind of dough, I wonder?

And who was the genius who thought that one up?

I sent them an email asking why so much. No answer yet...

mz

[Potator II]

Hi mark,

I think others noticed yet :
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=54880.0

Welcome to the angry team 
Potator

[Mark Z]

Hi mark,

I think others noticed yet :
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=54880.0

Welcome to the angry team 
Potator

Potator,

I figured someone had already gotten on to that but I didn't see a thread.

Thanks for the link and the sympathetic shoulder to cry on 

mz

[Mark Z]

You know what? I got a really nice letter from the person who runs Coinarchives. com.

If it's allowed, I would like to publish it here.

Joe?

mz

[CzarMike]

If it truly is a "nice" letter then it wouldn't be bad if you shared from what I think.

[Joe Sermarini]

Yes, of course you can publish it here.

[Bamba123]

I also got a thoughtful reply that may help someone to understand the situation.  I will never be able personally to afford that subscription but here is the explanation he offered.

Hi Jim,
 
No "people" here. Just me.
 
Thanks for your thoughts.
 
I do understand that the changes can be difficult for many users. However, they weren't made quickly or without thinking things through. They also weren't made with only profit in mind.
 
Unfortunately, the data in the CoinArchives database is not owned by me; the copyrights are held by the auction firms. Therefore, the use of this data is not simply a matter of my own choice. Great pressure has been put on me for several years by some of the data contributors, and the site model you see today is, essentially, a compromise position.
 
I knew the consequences of changing the site structure, but I believe I made a decision that preserves more of the free data than some other alternatives.
 
I know this may not be a satisfactory answer, but I hope it helps you to understand my position a little better.
 
Perhaps things will change in the future, and a different model can be found. I hope to be doing this for a long time, and I'm always looking for new ways of doing things.
 
Thanks again for your note.
 
Best regards,
 
A.J. Gatlin
CoinArchives, LLC

[Mark Z]

Bamba,

I got much the same reply, so I will instead publish my response:

Dr. Mr. Gatlin,

First, I'd like to tell you how grateful I am that you took the time to reply to my email. I'm sure that you have been fielding a myriad of similar emails over the past few days.

I, and literally thousands, if not millions, are sorry that your fantastic site had to go this route. We realize that there is no such thing as a "free lunch," but I think people get used to the internet being a "free" service, when you and I know that that is just not the case.

It's too bad that the auction houses who supply your site do not seem to understand the economics of chasing away so many potential buyers, but maybe they have fooled themselves into believing that they have enough potential bidders for their auctions, otherwise they would be thrilled to send you all the business they can in return for advertising on your site. Surely you've shown them your "hit" numbers in the past? They must be astronomical.

Apparently, they believe that the only people that use your site are the "big guns," but nothing could be further from the truth, I'll wager.

I believe most coin collectors, me included, would be willing to pay a reasonable fee to your site, such as $50 a year, but I'm sure that you've already thought that through, so no need to respond to that particular point.

Or maybe that's part of the plan, and you will eventually drop it to that, and I can't argue with that kind of business maneuver.

In closing, please allow me to say "thank you" for past services rendered from your great site.

Regards,
Mark Zema

mz

[Robert_Brenchley]

It's a pity he didn't at least allow a limited number of full searches for a free subscription, as that would at least allow us to use it when we really needed!

[Mark Z]

It's a pity he didn't at least allow a limited number of full searches for a free subscription, as that would at least allow us to use it when we really needed!

Mr. B,

That's a great idea.

It's probable that Mr. Gatlin is reading every single response on these boards right now and is incorporating them into his thoughts regarding the future of his website. Hopefully, he will rightly assume that for every 1 response he reads here, there are 10, 100, or maybe even 1000 coin collectors who agree with us bigmouths, but who choose to remain silent on the subject, and will instead take their studies (and their PayPal bucks) elsewhere.

mz

[commodus]

I don't like the new concept but what can I do? I will grant that coinarchives has still preserved enough free data to remain very useful to me. However, it is not so useful as it used to be and I find I use the site much less.
Economically, this is a bad time to do this. Many non-dealers cannot afford $600 per year for this service since it is not deductible as a business expense for the non-dealer collector. Even for those who can afford it, we still must choose judiciously what we CAN afford and what we WILL. Personally, I will buy a $600 coin before I will spend that on a web subscription -- no matter how useful -- and I don't think I am alone.