A manual eBay listing involves: photographing the item, identifying it, writing a description, researching comparable sold prices, and filling out the eBay form. That process takes roughly 10 to 15 minutes per item. There is currently no system to track status, condition, or pricing across the collection.
| Factor | Detail |
|---|---|
| Collection size | 16,000 miniatures |
| Time per item (manual) | 10 to 15 minutes (photography, research, description, pricing, upload) |
| Total estimated hours (manual) | approx. 3,200 hours |
| Existing tracking system | None |
Each item follows a status pipeline from capture to live eBay listing. Capture is phone-based. Review, manual entry, and posting are desktop-based. No item posts to eBay without explicit approval.
Photographer takes 3 photos on phone. Item saved to the database with status: draft. Processing begins immediately.
Gemini Vision reads the ID from the bottom photo. That ID is looked up in a local miniatures database, built prior to launch by aggregating all available public set checklists and fan databases. If found, name, set, rarity, and description are filled from the database. If not found, Gemini generates a description from the photos as a fallback.
eBay Browse API fetches recent completed sales. The app calculates an average and sets it as the suggested listing price.
Reviewer edits any field inline on desktop. Marks as approved or flags as needs manual entry if the AI could not identify the item.
Flagged items are queued one at a time. Reviewer fills in the fields, saves, and the next unidentified item loads automatically.
Approved items are selected in any quantity and posted via the eBay Sell API. Each successful post returns a live listing link.
Representative layouts. Not final designs.
| Item | Set | Price | Status | Action | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IMG |
Lich, Undead | Unhallowed #12 | $8.50 | Approved | Edit |
IMG |
Goblin Warrior | Harbinger #4 | $3.00 | Needs Review | Review |
IMG |
Unknown Figure | Unidentified | -- | Manual Entry | Enter |
IMG |
Beholder | Giants of Legend #31 | $22.00 | Approved | Edit |
Each manual listing involves four distinct tasks. The application automates three of them. Photography takes the same amount of time either way.
| Task (per item) | Manual | With app | Hours saved (16k) | Labor cost saved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photography | 3-5 min | 3-5 min | No change | -- |
| Identify item + research description | 3-5 min | 0 min (AI) | 800-1,333 hrs | $20,000-$33,300 |
| Write listing description | 2-3 min | 0 min (AI) | 533-800 hrs | $13,300-$20,000 |
| Research comparable prices | 2-3 min | 0 min (API) | 533-800 hrs | $13,300-$20,000 |
| Upload photos + fill eBay form | 2-3 min | 1-2 min (review + batch) | 267-533 hrs | $6,700-$13,300 |
| Total per item | 12-19 min | 4-7 min | 2,133-3,200 hrs | $53,300-$80,000 |
Labor cost calculated at $25/hr. Ranges reflect variation in item complexity and condition.
| Manual | With App | |
|---|---|---|
| Total hours | 3,200 hrs | 530 hrs |
| Labor cost (at $25/hr) | $80,000 | $13,250 |
| App build + running costs | -- | ~$496 |
| Total cost | $80,000 | ~$13,746 |
| Savings | ~$66,254 |
| Item | Detail | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| App build | 15 hours at $30/hr | $450 |
| Server storage | 2 months at $10/month | $20 |
| Gemini API | All 16,000 items | ~$26 |
| eBay API | Free with developer account | $0 |
| Total upfront | ~$496 |
Break-even at approximately 100 items listed (out of 16,000). Optional data export to external drive available for $50 to $100 if needed later.