Artscapy - Built by Collectors for Collectors

[artlike]

I have a few bits for sale as well but need to dig out the last bits to ensure authentication. They'll be up by the new year. Good that you can put offers in for pieces but it would be a shame if it became like Ebay where people just list items for silly prices. Some nice Pejac and Shrigley available among quite a bit more

[lollo88]

If anyone wants to connect, my username is ScreenThePrint

[Alex Artscapy]

Hello everyone,

Happy new year!

During the days between Christmas and new year I received a few emails of appreciation for the platform from users that flagged that have been aware of Artscapy from this forum. I wanted to thank you all for the support and the kind words.
In a few of these email someone was asking if it would have been possible to extend the promotional period to get the free premium lifetime membership.
After having discussed this internally, I’m happy to confirm that we will extend the promo until the end of January.
Same terms applies: 1. Sign up; 2. Upload 5 or more artworks on your collection; 3. The membership will be granted.

As usual, your feedback are very welcome and appreciated to improve the platform.

Best,
Alex

[New Wave Dave]

Tried to sign up. UI is a little wonky. Do I need to wait until it gets approved?

[Alex Artscapy]

Hi Newwavedave, thanks for the trial and the feedback.
I appreciate that at the moment the UI has some improvement area, but we decided to focus first on the functionalities of the platform and the technology itself. You will see that each component is linked and Artscapy is an ecosystem where you can of course manage your collection but also trade it.

About your issue, you need to confirm you email address in order to get access to the full functionalities of the platform.
After the sign up you should have received a confirmation email.

Please do let me know the problem still persist, and feel free to msg me in pm.

Best,
Alex

[New Wave Dave]

Jan 4, 2022 19:39:57 GMT 1 Alex Artscapy said:

Hi Newwavedave, thanks for the trial and the feedback.
I appreciate that at the moment the UI has some improvement area, but we decided to focus first on the functionalities of the platform and the technology itself. You will see that each component is linked and Artscapy is an ecosystem where you can of course manage your collection but also trade it.

About your issue, you need to confirm you email address in order to get access to the full functionalities of the platform.
After the sign up you should have received a confirmation email.

Please do let me know the problem still persist, and feel free to msg me in pm.

Best,
Alex

Thanks, Alex. Would just suggest after the user goes through the sign-in process, leave them at a screen explaining the need to validate the email. I was left at a screen that had a button or something to request an invite (which I think was already done at this point). So I was left confused about if my process was even done and then confused as to whether I could sign in right away. A minor tweak to the acknowledgment screen would fix all that. Excited about the product nonetheless!

[soupy]

premium membership is limited to 150 artworks in a collection? the site is useless as a collection management system if that is the case.  how do you handle collections >150 pieces?

[danny2400]

Jan 4, 2022 22:56:52 GMT 1 soupy said:

premium membership is limited to 150 artworks in a collection? the site is useless as a collection management system if that is the case.

how do you handle collections >150 pieces?

No, premium is unlimited, go through memberships,  you just gotta pay for it.  at least a couple more years of collecting before I’m gonna worry about that…

[soupy]

Jan 4, 2022 23:23:49 GMT 1 danny2400 said:

No, premium is unlimited, go through memberships,  you just gotta pay for it.  at least a couple more years of collecting before I’m gonna worry about that…

the premium (rising star) membership offered in this UAA "promotion" is limited to 150 pieces.  the blue chip membership (£59.99/month) is unlimited.

To celebrate our launch, we are offering new collectors the chance to join on our premium membership (usually £29.99/month) free forever - yes, forever! This membership allows you to add up to 150 artworks, so you will be able to keep logging your collection with us as it grows and develops over time!

[soupy]

is there any way to view the database of added artworks so that you can add them to your collection? or does every collector need to upload their own entries? seems duplicative and a waste of time. if someone already uploaded the piece, most sites just allow you to add it to your collection as well.  see expressobeans or artcollectorz as examples.

[Alex Artscapy]

All super valid points.
New Wave Dave: note taken, and will ask to team to implement the screen. Thank you so much for the suggestion, it was the typical case that fell between the cracks in our tests.

soupy: Thank you for the inputs, there are a few points I need to internally discuss to see the feasibility. However, for fields such as Artist and Title there is already the auto-suggest, but the database do not pull also other info such as medium, and sizes. I think there is something there we can try to improve, but it will depends from the info we have in our DB. We do also have a ‘bulk upload’ feature that should save you to having to enter information one by one, especially if you have a large collection. We do offer also a concierge type service which is not advertised, to help big collectors organise and classify their collections.

Just a clarification on the memberships and the rationale behind the way they are built: from the stats we have, the median of artworks within a collection is 27, which means that already with our free membership we should be able to cater to the majority of collectors. With this said, our promotion on the Rising Star membership includes not only the 150 artworks in the inventory but also discounted rate on the marketplace plus all the future features that will be rolled out and included in the membership (no spoiler but we have an ambitious roadmap for the 2022).
I would invite you and whoever on the forum that has a larger collection than 150 artwork to contact me via DM to see how we could accomodate and support this kind of collections size better.

As always thanks again for your feedback and support, it is really appreciated and very constructive!

Cheers,
Alex

[Reader]

Hey Alex. Uploaded the first 5, simple enough. I think with the "hierarchy", I'd have what you call "extras" much higher up, medium and size etc directly under "title/year" etc. I imagine most of us log works this way. Having it at the very bottom seems to put the focus on $ and then scrolling down to input the basics seems a little odd. I'd also add the term "multiples", I'm sure I'm not the only one here with a growing collection. I think I'd tighten up this key area, the collectors archive, before moving on to forums, sales or other developments. Otherwise, good job and good luck.

[soupy]

here are a couple of possible suggestions / questions / observations after giving it a spin....

(1) currency should be able to be set by collection / default. while i purchase in other currencies, i track in USD.

(2) the bulk upload feature should list the options for each field (or have the excel spreadsheet have dropdowns) so people know what to input. for example, CATEGORY should only have the options in the dropdown.

(3) using bulk upload... is there a way to do a bulk PUBLISH? or do you have to do it individually once the excel template is loaded?

(4) what is MEDIUM? paper type? seems free form with people using it differently.

(5) new field suggestions
(a) technique (silkscreen, giclee, offset lithograph, linocut, etc)
(b) manufacturer / printer
(c) publisher

(6) there should be a way to copy an entry from your collection to create a new variation but without having to enter all the information over again.

[sandworm]

Some points of feedback having uploaded around 20 pieces to the site:

1. The database seems to have rather a lot of duplicate entries, for example my Banksy GDP Welcome Mat that many hold in their collection. When I type in “welcome mat” into the title field to catalogue this it comes up with loads of different permutations where users have typed in the name of the artwork slightly differently, same with the artist field. These would need to be merged into a single entry, normally this would be performed manually but could also be automated.

Foursquare use to allow members to apply to be “super users” this gave them access to moderate snippets of the database and merge duplicate entries etc. for some free perks. Potentially this could be a model you’d consider adopting to get users to cleanse your data for free.

Essentially I assume the end goal is that each individual piece only has a single entry within your database with all the fields correctly populated so that latest value figures etc can be automatically updated after new auction results etc.

2. Having gone through and added the purchase price of each of my works I then went through and added the approximate current market value. This now results in the graph of collection value over time having a large spike where I’ve added the current values. This doesn’t reflect reality as the collection didn’t just double in value overnight but gradually since purchasing has appreciated.

Without getting too technical you would need to put in a linear function to interpolate between the purchase price and the current market value. This would prevent large spikes in portfolio value which of course rarely represent reality.

3. The market place: this will improve over time as more users offer items for sale but I do fear that it could be distorted with those putting ‘silly’ prices on pieces that they don’t really want to sell but just list anyway because it costs them nothing to do so. The more pieces that are added the more this market will regulate itself with users offering improved prices to ensure a sale but for now it appears small with some somewhat overpriced pieces. (Virtues for £13.5k this can be purchased far cheaper in multiple alternate locations).

[Alex Artscapy]

Reader: I agree with you on the hierarchy, so I asked to move the fields as suggested and has now been implemented. Function for "multiple" is actually already in place, under the field "edition". By clicking "yes" more fields appear, custom for the edition and multiple cases.

@soundysoup: Thank you so much for the inputs, below some notes.

Wish you all a good weekend,
Alex


(1) currency
--> yes, agree with you. Indeed this requirement it's somewhere in the roadmap already (I requested this feature a couple of moths ago), but is not as straightforward as it may seems so we are prioritising some other features. Aw I'll check with the team next week the ETA.

(2) the bulk upload feature should list the options for each field (or have the excel spreadsheet have dropdowns) so people know what to input. for example, CATEGORY should only have the options in the dropdown.
--> great idea. I think should not be an issue to amend it (I really hope our CTO won't read this thread )

(3) using bulk upload:
--> at the moment you have to publish one by one. The rationale is that you may want to add more fields and/or add pictures.

(4) what is MEDIUM? paper type? seems free form with people using it differently.
--> medium is a free field cuz there are too many discordancies between websites. So for us is basically the mix of support and technique. Probably we can fork this into 2 fields.

(5) new field suggestions
(a) technique (silkscreen, giclee, offset lithograph, linocut, etc) --> need to discuss this internally cuz we consider this part of the medium
(b) manufacturer / printer --> can add this in the edition section
(c) publisher --> can add this in the edition section

(6) there should be a way to copy an entry from your collection to create a new variation but without having to enter all the information over again.Regarding the bulk upload

[Alex Artscapy]

Hi sandworm , thank you for the feedback, below are some observations from my end.

1. Yes, there is some work to do around the DB, and I will ask to look into it, in particular for the cases you mentioned. Indeed, the end goal is to try to have a clean repository of info. I’ll pass on to the team the idea of the super user with perks, let’s see if we come with some nice idea.

2. I see the potential chart problem, and it materialises basically only at the beginning, when you import the collection. In the end, by adding more appraisals at different points in time the curve will be smoother. You could also add appraisals retroactively by selecting a past date - eg. around some key past auction.
I personally did like this as I like to track my collection over time and I find it useful to see when artworks have some major market movement and compare this to the rest of the collection. By adding older data points you will have a more dynamic, natural progression of the value over time.

3. I agree that with the time, with more collectors willing to turnover part of their collections and list them on Artscapy the prices should be quite competitive, but on the other hand we do also advice collectors when the price is +/- 20% vs market value in order to help to stay competitive.
With this said, Politeness is actually listed by me and before listing it I did a brief research and I haven’t found much inventory cheaper then £13.5k (which btw is also open to offers ). On the other hand, I think there are a few artworks on the very competitive side like the Thierry Noir, Tracey Emin and the Banksy Laugh Now.

Thanks once again for the observations, these are invaluable to us as we improve the platform.

Wishing you all a good weekend,
Alex

[artlike]

Some really great suggestions! Still uploading all my COAs...

[soupy]

all database entries need to be searchable and viewable... ownership, etc can remain private... that way people can search and add something to their collection. otherwise, the database will be a mess with duplicates as mentioned. and admin/mods/super users need to clean up entries, merge duplicates, etc.....

but not sure super users are appealing for a site they pay for.

[Alex Artscapy]

Hi guys, things have been quite hectic, but thanks for pointing out these issues and we are working on it.

It is worth to clarify that our aim is not to be an 'art database', and for this reason the responsive/suggestive fields are just meant to help the entry when/where possible... hope this helps to manage the expectations on this DB area.

Best,
Alex

[sandworm]

Jan 13, 2022 18:35:57 GMT 1 Alex Artscapy said:

Hi guys, things have been quite hectic, but thanks for pointing out these issues and we are working on it.

It is worth to clarify that our aim is not to be an 'art database', and for this reason the responsive/suggestive fields are just meant to help the entry when/where possible... hope this helps to manage the expectations on this DB area.

Best,
Alex

Understood, I’d politely suggest that this is rather an oversight as data is probably the most valuable and crucial asset a company has. Given collection information, current market values and movements and a strong back end art database to root the whole thing you’d be in a very interesting and strong position.

From experience these things are far easier to integrate from the offset than trying to historically cleanse data. It’s your business and I don’t want to over step the mark but you’re closing the door to a huge potential revenue source by just focusing on the collection management aspect and not considering the bigger data aspect.

[Alex Artscapy]

Hi guys, I saw that there are several discussions around NFTs, with different point of views, ideas and outcomes.
Well, we are going to launch on Artscapy an NFT section.
This will be staged in a few milestones and we will handpick projects that we believe have a rounded narrative as well as a strong underlying research.

The first project will be launched in 3 days, so stay tuned!

Best,
Alex

[artlike]

Anybody else pick up the NFT today? Very moving and worth the £25. My first fine art NFT! Happy to add it to my collection

[ecudat]

Hi Alex,

I signed up a couple of weeks ago. I saw (I think here, maybe somewhere else) that you extended the deadline to upload 5 works to get a free forever premium account to 29th Jan or end of this month?

I've now done that, so how do I get the larger account usage and with valuation tracking etc unlocked?


In terms of feedback, the weirdest/worst two things are:
1. It's all in USD and I have to change every single item separately to GBP, which is a giant time-sink, so that needs to be an option at the start. (Apologies if it is and I can't find it!)

2. After doing a bulk upload, you still have to select one by one to confirm and publish works. I wouldn't mind that once I'm set up, but that is a big barrier to entry to people starting to use the platform, particularly if they already have established collections, as it takes a long time to do it properly.

Thanks in advance for your help and guidance and nice work on the platform in the first place!

[Alex Artscapy]

Hi ecudat and magman, thank you so much for your msgs.

The extension of the promo is correct, until the end of January.

If you guys have already uploaded 5 or more artwork there is really nothing else you have to do but if you want to have a confirmation you can drop an email at info [at] artscapy.com

With this said, we are aware of the issue with the currency and it slightly more challenging than we thought, yet should be fixed in the near future (up to 30 days)

While for the bulk upload, I do have better news, this should be fixed in the next 2 weeks

Finally, if you guys didn't had a chance to look at the project we delivered with the NFT, I would personally recommend to at least read what is about.
Most probably it's very different from what the perception of NFT is, but we are very proud of the outcome and the way we implemented is absolutely seamless, with no needs of crypto wallets nor of any cryptocurrency. Opinions and feedback on this are very much appreciated.
Here the link to see the project: artscapy.com/page/view-viewing-room?id=39

Have a great weekend everyone!

Alex

[Happy Shopper]

Is it just me that every time this thread pops up reads it as "Arts crapy" ?

[Alex Artscapy]

Hahaha fair enough..!

I guess that it depends from what you buy in the end

[Cyborgs]

 Interesting  interview with the co- founder of Artscapy, Emilia de Stasio on a podcast called All about Art.

[artlike]

Jan 28, 2022 19:26:50 GMT 1 Happy Shopper said:

Is it just me that every time this thread pops up reads it as "Arts crapy" ?

It's a trompe l'oeil

[ecudat]

Jan 28, 2022 18:57:47 GMT 1 Alex Artscapy said:

Hi ecudat and magman, thank you so much for your msgs.

The extension of the promo is correct, until the end of January.

If you guys have already uploaded 5 or more artwork there is really nothing else you have to do but if you want to have a confirmation you can drop an email at info [at] artscapy.com

With this said, we are aware of the issue with the currency and it slightly more challenging than we thought, yet should be fixed in the near future (up to 30 days)

While for the bulk upload, I do have better news, this should be fixed in the next 2 weeks

Finally, if you guys didn't had a chance to look at the project we delivered with the NFT, I would personally recommend to at least read what is about.
Most probably it's very different from what the perception of NFT is, but we are very proud of the outcome and the way we implemented is absolutely seamless, with no needs of crypto wallets nor of any cryptocurrency. Opinions and feedback on this are very much appreciated.
Here the link to see the project: artscapy.com/page/view-viewing-room?id=39

Have a great weekend everyone!

Alex

Thanks Alex, I'll have a look today. I was just asking before because the platform had me on the basic account and was still offering me the others as paid-for upgrades. If that hasn't been resolved I'll email.

[Alex Artscapy]

Hi everyone, hope you are getting ready for the weekend!
As the platform is evolving, I wanted to give you some updates:

1. We updated form of the inventory. Thanks to your feedback I think we achieved some great improvements

2. We added a forex exchange function that allow the set change currency of the display of the collection. Again, this was something that came from your feedback, and thanks to the ones of you that actively contributed with inputs.

Hopefully you will find now the platform even easier to use.

As always, please get in touch with me for further questions, feedback and ideas!

Wishing you all a great weekend ahead,
Alex