TCDB has been around since 2008 and is now quickly approaching 16 years of serving the trading card community. Here are some things you should know about the site.
1 - The FAQ is massive and is crucial to what and how we do things. Please read as much of this as you can. Especially before posting questions. Admin and the rest of us who do a lot of the behind the scenes work have attempted to cover as much ground there as we could. And when we've missed stuff, we try to get it added as soon as we can. Please read the FAQ. (We do know when you haven't.
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2 - Card Images vs. Forum Images - This seems to be a sticking point for many. Card images can only be scans* (one exception, explained later) using an actual scanner, not a scanning app on a phone. Phones take photos, and phone photos, frankly, are garbage, when compared to flatbed scanned cards (especially when the card is directly on the glass of the scanner, not in a sleeve, not in a top loader, not in a slab).
* - There was a lone exception made for a single insert set a while back. The member had a light box with a professional camera set up and the photos were actually square and looked 10 times better than any scans could. If you don't own or even know what a light box is, you cannot upload photos for cards - plain and simple. :)
Forum images can be whatever. Those are for getting an idea of what we're talking about and not for the site's perpetuity. Light boxes not required for photos in the forums. (Side note: Packaging Images can be scans or photos. Scans are not required for Packaging like they are for cards.)
3 - Forums - Please post your questions in the forums. I know some people sign on and go right to submitting forum posts while others (like me) wait a while. I had nothing to add, so I stayed quiet. Once I had something to say though, I found extreme value in using the forums (and I enjoy helping others as well). But, please do read the FAQ before asking "Do you list this card with a wrong back?" (For the record, no hobby site does, and we're no exception.)
4 - Adding Sets - We love to add the sets that aren't listed here. Primarily, we love adding sets of trading cards. Sets of items that come in packs of trading cards (or their boxes) and items made by card manufacturers are allowed to be listed. In the FAQ, it is explained what "other collectibles" are allowed to be listed here. Here is the key thing to keep in mind here - although trading cards are dominated by sports (especially in this era), there is a HUGE non-sport and gaming presence in the hobby. There is a TON of sports memorabilia that if the subject was flowers or birds (etc.), you wouldn't ever think to ask to add it here. If that's the case, then the sports version of the same said item does not belong here. Please keep that in mind.
5 - Crowd-sourcing pros and cons - As you saw on the home page the very first time you came to the site, the site is 100% crowd-sourced, meaning EVERY member of the site can contribute to the content. Card images, packaging images, checklists, trivia, pricing, tc. is all fair game for everyone. The only caveat behind that is that you are expected to understand what you are doing when you do contribute to the site. It's not hard, and there are tutorials and guidance. And there are plenty of folks on here who enjoy helping out the newer membership. if you ask for help, you will get it (maybe even more than you expected). By allowing the entire membership to work on the site, it allows information to get on the site quicker. (Big pro.) Unfortunately, not everyone thinks the same way, so things get listed differently. We do have guidelines (and some rules) to doing certain things, but there is a little leeway given the circumstances. This can lead to inconsistencies on the site, and even actual mistakes. You can report them (next point) in both cases (inconsistent or incorrect). There are "permission levels" on the site, as a precaution for limiting these cases. In some circumstances, you may have the level needed to make the change yourself. If that's the case, and you feel comfortable making the edit, go for it! If you don't, that also leads us to the next point - reporting inaccuracies.
6 - Reporting Inaccuracies - In July 2017, Admin was finally so overloaded with the reports/requests that were coming in, that he opened up an area on the site where all the reports go (kind of like a ticketing system), and it because my home on the site. :) (So this area is near and dear to me.) I have written several posts on "dos and don'ts" as well as "help us help you". I'm going to get into that level of detail this time. If you are unsure if it's an error in the database or not, take the question to the forums (more eyes in the forums). Once you know it's an actual error in the way something has been added, then report it using the "See any inaccuracies?" link.
7 - "I can't find this card, help me" - Honestly, about 99.9% of these posts are answered with "Card is here, I used the Card Number filter on the person's profile page to find it". Please use the filters. It will save you time, and it will save the people who help others their time. (The others are usually unlicensed bootleg-style stuff from 1988-1992. We can list some of those, but there are rules on what can and can't be added.) Also, please be sure to read the Release Notes for the set you are looking in. Many times continuations of sets were released in other products, and because we list the cards within the product they were released, one can find themselves saying "I have card #308, but this set only goes to 300". We've been adding a lot of information into the Release Notes. Please utilize them.
8 - Trading / Buying/Selling - The best way to Buy, Sell or Trade on here is get your collection listed in the database. By adding what you have as a "collection" and adding what you have available for others ("for sale/trade"), and then adding in the cards you want ("want list"), you will find it VERY easy to use the trade matching tools on here to make that part of the site worthwhile.
-- Dan --
Note: Please see my profile for more info regarding trading (section updated 10/25/2023). I have added a large portion of my inventory to the site, and currently have trading turned off (details are in my profile). I have (finally) unearthed my 2 very large boxes of Star Company minor league sets and they are available (email for details).