Frequently Asked Questions

Viewers can browse all public content, leave comments, and vote — all for free. Collectors (trial or paid) can do everything a Viewer can, plus create and manage their own collections. You choose your account type when you register. You can later upgrade from Viewer to Collector if you decide you want to start your own collection.

During the trial you get access to all Collector features: create one collection with up to 15 items, upload photos, define custom attributes, and set privacy controls. No credit card is required to start. At the end of the 30 days you can subscribe for $12/year to keep your collection active. If you do not subscribe, your collection becomes read-only — it remains visible on the public site but can no longer be edited or have new items added. Your data is never deleted.

The platform ships with pre-built templates for: stamps, coins, books, action figures, diecast vehicles, sports cards, toys, movies, banknotes, and more. Each template gives you a sensible starting set of attributes tailored to that collecting field. You can also start completely from scratch and build your own attribute set — The Collecting Site works for any type of collectible, however niche.

Yes. You must be at least 16 years old to create an account, in compliance with GDPR Article 8 and COPPA guidelines. We collect your date of birth at registration to verify this. We do not use your date of birth for any other purpose.

There is no item limit. You can add as many items as your collection requires. Whether you catalogue 10 rare stamps or 10,000 sports cards, the platform handles it without any per-item charges.

Custom attributes are the fields that describe your items. You define them at the collection level and they apply to every item in that collection. Attribute types include: text, number, date, location, dropdown, checkbox, multi-checkbox, colour, and image URL. For each attribute you can control whether it is visible publicly, whether it is searchable (which activates a filter on your public page), and whether it is required when adding new items. You can reorder, rename, or remove attributes at any time.

There is no hard limit on photos per item. You can upload as many shots as you need — front, back, close-ups of details, provenance documentation, and so on. Images are stored on the server and served from your own domain. Supported formats are JPEG, PNG, GIF, and WebP.

Yes. Privacy can be set at both the collection level and the individual item level. A public collection can contain private items — those items will not appear to visitors. This is useful when you want to showcase most of your collection publicly but keep high-value, sensitive, or in-progress entries hidden until you're ready.

The location attribute type lets you record the country (and optionally the state or province) associated with an item. This is especially useful for geographic collecting fields like stamps, coins, and banknotes where country of origin is a primary identifer. Location fields are searchable, so visitors to your collection can filter by country.

Yes. Both collections and items support freeform tags. Tags help with discovery — other collectors browsing the site can find your collection via tag searches. Tags are shown publicly on your collection and item pages. You can add, edit, or remove tags at any time from your dashboard.

Yes to both. You can export your collection data directly from your dashboard at any time — your data is always yours to take with you. You can also import an existing collection into the platform, making it easy to migrate from a spreadsheet or another tool without starting from scratch.

A subscription costs $12 per collection per year. If you have three collections you pay $36/year total. There are no tiers, no item limits, and no hidden fees. Payment is processed securely by Stripe.

When a subscription expires, your collection becomes read-only — editing and adding new items are disabled, but the collection remains visible on the public site exactly as it was. Your data is never deleted. You can renew at any time to restore full editing access, and everything will be exactly as you left it. We send reminder emails before expiration so you have time to renew without interruption.

Yes. Subscriptions are annual and can be cancelled at any time from your dashboard. You will retain access until the end of the period you've already paid for. We do not offer pro-rated refunds for partial years, but you can contact support if you have a specific circumstance that warrants discussion.

No. All payment processing is handled entirely by Stripe. We never see, store, or have access to your credit or debit card details. Stripe is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant — the highest level of payment security certification.

No. Logged-in subscribers and registered users browse the site completely ad-free as a thank-you for their support. Ads are only shown to non-logged-in visitors (guests). Keeping logged-in members ad-free is important to us — it's one of the direct benefits of subscribing.

Absolutely not. We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes. The only third-party services we use are Stripe (payment processing), Google Analytics (anonymous traffic analysis), and Google AdSense (advertising shown to guest visitors). See our full Privacy Policy for details.

Passwords are hashed using bcrypt with a secure cost factor before being stored in the database. We never store passwords in plain text or reversible form. Even in the event of a database breach, your actual password cannot be recovered from what is stored.

Yes. You can enable two-factor authentication (2FA) from your account settings. When enabled, a 6-digit verification code is sent to your registered email address each time you log in. The code expires after 10 minutes. We strongly recommend enabling 2FA, especially if your collection contains high-value items.

Yes. You have the right to request deletion of your account and all associated data. Contact us at [email protected] with a deletion request from your registered email address. We will process the request within 30 days as required by applicable data protection law. Note that deletion is irreversible — all collections (including any in read-only or expired state) will be permanently removed.

Experienced philatelists typically track: country of issue, year of issue, denomination, perforation gauge, watermark, centering grade, gum condition (mint/hinged/no gum), catalogue number (Scott, Stanley Gibbons, Michel), face value, thematic category, and whether the stamp is hinged, mounted, or in a glassine. Using the location attribute for country allows visitors to filter your collection by country — very useful for world collections spanning hundreds of countries.

Serious numismatists typically track: country, denomination, year, mint mark, metal composition, diameter and weight, grading scale (Sheldon scale 1–70 for US coins), professional grading service (PCGS, NGC, ANACS), slab certificate number, obverse and reverse design descriptions, variety / die variety, edge type, and acquisition source and date. Tracking acquisition price separately from current estimated value also helps you understand your collection's appreciation over time.

Good collection photography doesn't require professional equipment. The most important factors are: consistent lighting (diffused natural light or a lightbox eliminates harsh shadows), a clean neutral background (plain white or grey card), sharp focus (use your phone's portrait or macro mode for small items), and multiple angles (front, back, edges, and any important details). For coins and stamps, a flatbed scanner often produces cleaner results than a camera. Always photograph items before storing or selling them — the photographs become part of the item's permanent record.

Provenance is the documented history of ownership and origin for a collectible. For valuable items, record: where and when you acquired it (auction house, dealer name, date), the price paid, any prior ownership history you know of, any certificates of authenticity or appraisal documents, and any auction catalogue references. You can store much of this in a dedicated text attribute (e.g. "Provenance Notes") and upload scans of certificates as images. Strong provenance documentation significantly increases buyer confidence if you ever sell the item.

For large collections (hundreds or thousands of items), several strategies work well: use descriptive item names that include the key identifier up front (e.g. "1902 King Edward VII 1d Red — SG215"); use tags to group items thematically across your collection; mark key attributes as searchable so visitors (and you) can filter down quickly; and use group header attributes to visually separate sections within each item's detail page. For very large collections spanning multiple categories (e.g. stamps from many different countries), consider creating separate collections rather than one monolithic one — each with its own tailored attribute set.