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Analytics Deep Dive

RTC Collector provides comprehensive analytics to help you understand and optimize your retro technology collection. Get insights into value, trends, completion rates, and receive AI-powered recommendations.

Overview​

Analytics gives you a complete picture of your collection through:

  • Overview Stats - Total items, total value, average value, completion rate
  • Category Analysis - Breakdown by category (Computer, Console, Handheld, Game, Accessory, Other)
  • Value Tracking - Total value, purchase prices, potential profit, value distributions
  • Completion Metrics - Ownership status, category completion rates, wishlist tracking
  • Trend Analysis - Monthly acquisition trends, value growth, category trends
  • AI Insights - Strengths, opportunities, recommendations, and alerts
Analytics InterfaceAnalytics Interface

Accessing Analytics​

Subscription Requirements​

Analytics Features by Tier:

  • HOBBYIST (Free) - ❌ Analytics locked (upgrade required)
  • COLLECTOR (£5/month) - ✅ Full analytics access
  • ENTHUSIAST (£15/month) - ✅ Full analytics access

If Locked:

  • Analytics page shows a blurred preview
  • Upgrade prompt displays over the analytics
  • Upgrade to COLLECTOR or ENTHUSIAST to unlock

Three Ways:

  1. Click Analytics in the main navigation menu
  2. Use Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl+K) → Type "analytics"
  3. Direct URL: /analytics

Overview Stats​

The top of the analytics page displays 4 key metrics:

Total Items​

What It Shows:

  • Count of all items in your collection
  • Includes all ownership statuses (Owned, Wishlist, Sold, Loaned)
  • Formatted with commas (e.g., "1,234")

Use Cases:

  • Track collection size growth
  • Set collection goals
  • Compare across categories

Total Value​

What It Shows:

  • Sum of estimated values for all items
  • Formatted in your preferred currency
  • Updates when you change item values

Calculation:

Total Value = Sum of all item.estimatedValue

Use Cases:

  • Insurance documentation
  • Investment tracking
  • Collection worth assessment

Active Categories​

What It Shows:

  • Number of categories with at least 1 item
  • Shown as "X out of 6 types" (6 total categories)

Use Cases:

  • Measure collection diversity
  • Identify expansion opportunities
  • Set diversification goals

Average Value​

What It Shows:

  • Mean value per item across your entire collection
  • Formatted in your preferred currency

Calculation:

Average Value = Total Value ÷ Total Items

Use Cases:

  • Quality assessment (high average = premium collection)
  • Budget planning for new acquisitions
  • Compare with similar collectors

Chart Visualizations​

Analytics includes 4 main chart types:

Items by Category (Donut Chart)​

What It Shows:

  • Distribution of items across categories
  • Each category gets a colored segment
  • Center displays total item count
  • Legend shows count and percentage per category

Colors:

  • Blue (#3B82F6) - Computer
  • Red (#EF4444) - Console
  • Green (#10B981) - Handheld
  • Amber (#F59E0B) - Game
  • Purple (#8B5CF6) - Accessory
  • Orange (#F97316) - Other

Interactions:

  • Hover over segments to highlight
  • View exact counts and percentages
  • Only shows categories with items

Use Cases:

  • Identify dominant categories
  • Spot under-represented categories
  • Balance collection across types

Value by Condition (Donut Chart)​

What It Shows:

  • Distribution of total value by item condition
  • Center displays total collection value
  • Legend shows value and percentage per condition

Conditions Tracked:

  • NEW (Green) - Mint/sealed condition
  • EXCELLENT (Blue) - Near-perfect condition
  • GOOD (Amber) - Normal wear
  • FAIR (Red) - Noticeable wear
  • POOR (Purple) - Significant wear/damage
  • UNKNOWN (Gray) - Condition not specified

Insights:

  • High percentage of NEW items = well-preserved collection
  • Dominance of FAIR/POOR = restoration opportunities
  • Balanced distribution = realistic condition assessment

Top Manufacturers (Bar Chart)​

What It Shows:

  • Top 10 manufacturers by item count
  • Horizontal bars sized proportionally
  • Exact item count displayed for each

Aggregation:

  • Combines data from all categories
  • Prefers masterItem.manufacturer over direct manufacturer
  • Falls back to "Unknown" if no manufacturer assigned

Use Cases:

  • Identify brand preferences
  • Spot manufacturer specialization
  • Discover collection focus

Example:

Nintendo       15 items ████████████████
Sega          12 items █████████████
Sony          10 items ███████████
Commodore      8 items █████████
Apple          7 items ████████

Acquisition Trend (Line Chart)​

What It Shows:

  • Number of items added per month
  • Last 12 months displayed
  • Line connects monthly data points
  • X-axis shows month numbers (01-12)

Data Points:

  • Each circle represents one month
  • Y-axis auto-scales to data range
  • Tracks item creation dates (createdAt)

Trend Interpretation:

  • Upward trend - Actively growing collection
  • Downward trend - Slowing acquisition rate
  • Flat trend - Steady acquisition pace
  • Spikes - Bulk acquisitions or collection bursts

Use Cases:

  • Monitor collecting activity
  • Identify seasonal patterns
  • Set acquisition goals
  • Budget planning

Category Analysis Table​

Detailed table showing per-category breakdowns:

Columns​

Category:

  • Name of the category
  • Sorted by total value (highest first)

Items:

  • Number of items in that category
  • All ownership statuses included

Total Value:

  • Sum of estimated values for category
  • Formatted in your currency

Avg Value:

  • Average estimated value per item
  • Formula: Total Value ÷ Item Count

Completion:

  • Progress bar + percentage
  • Shows ratio of OWNED items to total items
  • Formula: Owned Items ÷ Total Items × 100%
  • Higher percentage = more complete collection

Year Range:

  • Earliest to latest release year in category
  • Example: "1980-1995"
  • Shows "N/A" if no release years entered

Sorting and Filtering​

Default Sort: By total value (descending)

What's Displayed:

  • Only categories with at least 1 item
  • Empty categories hidden
  • Maximum 6 rows (one per category)

AI-Powered Insights​

The most valuable part of analytics: personalized insights about your collection.

Collection Strengths​

What It Identifies:

  1. Strong Category Collections

    • Categories with >10 items and >70% completion rate
    • Example: "Strong collection in Console, Handheld with 25 items"

  2. Well-Rounded Collection

    • 4+ categories with 5+ items each
    • Example: "Well-rounded collection spanning 5 different categories"

  3. High Value Collection

    • Total value >$10,000: "High-value collection worth $15,432 with significant investment"
    • Total value >$5,000: "Solid mid-range collection valued at $7,250"

  4. Excellent Completion Rate - >80%: "Excellent 85% completion rate - most items are owned" - >50%: "Good 65% completion rate across categories"

  5. Mint Condition Preservation - >5 items in NEW condition

    • Example: "12 items in new condition - excellent preservation"

  6. Diverse Manufacturers - >10 different manufacturers

    • Example: "Diverse collection featuring 15 different manufacturers"

  7. Active Collector - >5 items acquired in last 6 months

    • Example: "Active collector with 8 items acquired in the last 6 months"

  8. Vintage Focus - >10 items from before 1990

    • Example: "15 vintage items from before 1990 - strong retro focus"

  9. Item Relationships - >10 items with accessories/relationships

    • Example: "18 items with accessories/relationships (42 connections)"

Opportunities​

What It Identifies:

  1. Incomplete Categories

    • Categories with >0 items but <30% completion rate
    • Example: "Complete Console, Game collections (15 items wanted)"

  2. Wishlist Items

    • >5 items: "10 items on wishlist ready for acquisition"
    • 1-5 items: "3 items remaining on wishlist"

  3. Undeveloped Categories

    • Categories with 0 or <3 items
    • Example: "Expand into Accessory, Other categories"

  4. Items Needing Value Research

    • >5 items with <$50 estimated value, owned, no purchase price
    • Example: "8 items could benefit from value research"

  5. Items in Poor Condition

    • >5 items in FAIR or POOR condition
    • Example: "7 items in fair/poor condition could benefit from restoration"

  6. Single-Item Categories

    • Categories with exactly 1 item
    • Example: "Build out single-item categories: Other, Accessory"

Recommendations​

What It Suggests:

  1. Most Active Category Focus

    • If completion <50%: "Focus on completing your Console collection (45% complete)"
    • If completion ≥50%: "Your Console collection is thriving - consider adding rare or high-value items"

  2. Profit Potential

    • Positive profit >$1,000: "Potential profit of $2,500 - consider selling appreciated items"
    • Negative profit: "Collection value below purchase price - focus on acquiring items with appreciation potential"

  3. Acquisition Rate Guidance

    • 0 recent: "No recent acquisitions - consider adding new items to keep your collection growing" - >10 recent: "High acquisition rate - ensure you have adequate storage and documentation"

  4. Value Diversification

    • One category >30% of total value
    • Example: "Console represents most of your collection value - consider diversifying"

  5. Missing Images - >5 items without masterItem.images

    • Example: "8 items missing images - add photos to improve documentation"

  6. Missing Storage Locations - >5 owned items without storage assignments

    • Example: "Assign storage locations to 12 items for better organization"

  7. Trending Categories

    • Categories with "up" trend
    • Example: "Continue momentum in trending categories: Console, Handheld, Game"

  8. Potential Duplicates

    • Multiple items with same name and category
    • Example: "6 potential duplicate items across 2 groups - consider consolidation"

Alerts​

What It Warns About:

  1. Missing Estimated Values - >10 owned items: "15 owned items missing estimated values - update for accurate analytics"

    • 1-10 owned items: "5 items need estimated values"

  2. Outdated Items - >20 items not updated in 1+ year: "25 items haven't been updated in over a year - review for accuracy"

    • 10-20 items: "15 items need updating after 1+ year"

  3. Missing Purchase Prices - >5 owned items with no purchase price

    • Example: "8 owned items missing purchase prices - affects profit calculations"

  4. Poor Condition Items - >3 items in POOR condition

    • Example: "5 items in poor condition may need restoration or documentation"

  5. Long-Standing Wishlist Items - >5 items on wishlist for 2+ years

    • Example: "7 items have been on wishlist for 2+ years - consider priority review"

  6. High Turnover - >5 items sold in last 3 months

    • Example: "6 items sold in last 3 months - high turnover detected"

  7. Missing Tags - >15 items without tags

    • Example: "20 items without tags - add tags for better organization"

  8. Exact Duplicates

    • Multiple items with same masterItem.id and status
    • Example: "4 potential duplicate entries detected - review for accuracy"

  9. Missing Serial Numbers - >3 valuable items (>$100, Computer/Console/Handheld) without serial numbers

    • Example: "5 valuable items missing serial numbers - add for insurance/theft protection"

Value Analytics​

Deep dive into your collection's financial aspects:

Total Value vs Purchase Price​

Metrics:

  • Total Value - Sum of all estimatedValue fields
  • Total Purchase Price - Sum of all purchasePrice fields
  • Potential Profit - Difference between total value and purchase price

Interpretation:

  • Positive profit - Your collection has appreciated
  • Negative profit - Collection valued below what you paid
  • Zero profit - Breakeven or missing data

Use Cases:

  • Investment tracking
  • Selling decisions
  • Insurance claims
  • Tax documentation

Value by Category​

Breakdown:

  • Shows which categories hold the most value
  • Helps identify value concentration
  • Useful for insurance allocation

Example Distribution:

Console     $5,000 (50%)
Computer    $3,000 (30%)
Handheld    $1,500 (15%)
Game          $500 ( 5%)

Value by Condition​

Why It Matters:

  • NEW/EXCELLENT items = premium value
  • FAIR/POOR items = restoration opportunities
  • Helps prioritize preservation efforts

Value by Year​

Insights:

  • Identifies which decades are most valuable
  • Spots vintage premiums
  • Helps date collection focus

Example:

1985-1989   $4,000 (peak retro value)
1990-1994   $2,500
1980-1984   $2,000 (vintage premium)

Most Valuable Items​

What It Shows:

  • Top 10 items by estimatedValue
  • Sorted descending (highest first)
  • Displays item name, category, value

Use Cases:

  • Priority insurance coverage
  • Storage security planning
  • Selling decisions
  • Collection highlights

Least Valuable Items​

What It Shows:

  • Bottom 10 items by estimatedValue
  • Sorted ascending (lowest first)
  • May indicate items needing value research

Use Cases:

  • Identify undervalued items
  • Research potential gems
  • Decluttering decisions

Completion Analytics​

Track your progress toward owning vs wanting items:

Ownership Status Breakdown​

Counts:

  • Owned - Items you currently possess
  • Wishlist - Items you want to acquire
  • Sold - Items you've sold
  • Loaned - Items loaned to others
  • Borrowed - Items borrowed from others (not currently used)

Total Items: Sum of all statuses

Overall Completion Rate​

Formula:

Completion Rate = Owned Items ÷ Total Items × 100%

Interpretation:

  • >80% - Excellent completion (most items owned)
  • 50-80% - Good completion (balanced owned/wanted)
  • <50% - Growing collection (many wishlist items)

Category Completion​

Per-Category Metrics:

  • Owned - Count of owned items in category
  • Total - Total items in category (all statuses)
  • Rate - Owned ÷ Total

Use Cases:

  • Identify complete categories
  • Find categories needing focus
  • Set category-specific goals

Recently Acquired Items​

What It Shows:

  • Items acquired in last 6 months
  • Only includes items with status = OWNED
  • Sorted by createdAt (newest first)
  • Top 10 displayed

Use Cases:

  • Track recent progress
  • Identify acquisition patterns
  • Celebrate new additions

Missing from Wishlist​

What It Shows:

  • All items with status = WISHLIST
  • Complete list (not limited to 10)

Use Cases:

  • Buying priority list
  • Marketplace searching
  • Collection planning

Trend Analytics​

Understand how your collection evolves over time:

Acquisition by Month​

Data:

  • Count of items added per month
  • Keys formatted as "YYYY-MM" (e.g., "2024-01")
  • Based on createdAt timestamp

Visualization:

  • Line chart shows last 12 months
  • X-axis: Month numbers (01-12)
  • Y-axis: Item count

Use Cases:

  • Monitor collecting velocity
  • Identify seasonal patterns
  • Budget planning

Value Growth by Month​

Data:

  • Sum of estimatedValue for items added each month
  • Same format as acquisition by month

Insights:

  • Months with high-value acquisitions
  • Spending patterns
  • Value accumulation rate

Metrics per Category:

  • Growth - Proportion of items acquired in last 6 months
  • Trend - "up" ((>30% growth), "down" ((<10% growth), "stable" (10-30%)

Formula:

Growth = Recent Items (last 6 months) ÷ Total Category Items

Interpretation:

  • Up trend - Actively expanding this category
  • Down trend - Category stagnant
  • Stable trend - Steady category growth

Metrics:

  • Name - Manufacturer name
  • Count - Total items from this manufacturer
  • Growth - Proportion of items acquired in last 6 months

Top 10 Displayed:

  • Sorted by count (descending)
  • Shows manufacturer momentum

Use Cases:

  • Identify brand preferences
  • Spot collecting focus
  • Discover specialization

Data:

  • Count of items per condition
  • All conditions tracked (NEW, EXCELLENT, GOOD, FAIR, POOR, UNKNOWN)

Insights:

  • Collection quality trends
  • Preservation priorities
  • Restoration opportunities

Custom Reports​

While the platform doesn't currently support custom reports, you can:

Export Analytics Data​

Available Exports:

  1. CSV Export (via Items page)

    • All item details
    • Can open in Excel/Google Sheets
    • Pivot tables for custom analysis

  2. JSON Export (via Items page)

    • Complete data with relationships
    • Programmatic analysis
    • Import into other tools

See: Import & Export Guide for details

Manual Analysis​

Techniques:

  1. Filter items in main collection view
  2. Export filtered results
  3. Use spreadsheet pivot tables
  4. Create custom charts in Excel/Google Sheets

Best Practices​

Maximize Analytics Value​

1. Keep Data Complete:

  • Add estimated values to all items
  • Enter purchase prices for owned items
  • Set release years accurately
  • Assign conditions honestly

2. Update Regularly:

  • Review values annually
  • Update conditions as items age
  • Add new acquisitions promptly
  • Remove sold items

3. Use Insights:

  • Act on recommendations
  • Fix alerts promptly
  • Leverage strengths
  • Pursue opportunities

4. Track Trends:

  • Monitor acquisition rate
  • Watch value growth
  • Review completion progress
  • Adjust collecting strategy

Data Quality Tips​

Accurate Values:

  • Research current market prices
  • Use sold listings (not asking prices)
  • Update for market changes
  • Consider condition honestly

Complete Information:

  • Fill all fields when adding items
  • Use master item database for autofill
  • Add photos for documentation
  • Set storage locations

Consistent Data Entry:

  • Use standard naming conventions
  • Select correct categories
  • Pick appropriate conditions
  • Add relevant tags

Troubleshooting​

Analytics Not Loading​

Causes:

  • Slow internet connection
  • Large collection (many items)
  • Browser compatibility issue

Fix:

  • Wait for analytics to calculate (may take 10-30 seconds)
  • Refresh page if stuck loading
  • Try different browser (Chrome/Firefox recommended)
  • Check console for errors (F12 → Console)

Missing or Incorrect Data​

Causes:

  • Items missing estimated values
  • No purchase prices entered
  • Release years not set
  • Conditions not selected

Fix:

  • Review items page
  • Add missing values
  • Bulk edit if needed
  • Wait for analytics to recalculate (automatic)

Analytics Locked​

Cause:

  • HOBBYIST subscription tier

Fix:

  • Upgrade to COLLECTOR (£5/month) or ENTHUSIAST (£15/month)
  • Click upgrade prompt on analytics page
  • Or go to Settings → Subscription → Upgrade

Charts Not Displaying​

Causes:

  • No items in collection
  • All items have zero values
  • Browser blocking SVG rendering

Fix:

  • Add items to your collection
  • Set estimated values
  • Update browser to latest version
  • Disable browser extensions temporarily

Insights Not Appearing​

Causes:

  • Not enough data (need >5-10 items)
  • Missing key data fields
  • Recent collection (no historical data)

Fix:

  • Add more items to collection
  • Complete missing data fields
  • Wait for trends to develop (6+ months)
  • Analytics becomes richer over time

FAQ​

How often does analytics update?​

Analytics calculate in real-time when you load the analytics page. Changes to your collection reflect immediately on next page load.

Can I export analytics charts?​

Not directly. Use browser screenshot tools or export raw data (CSV/JSON) for custom charting in Excel/Google Sheets.

What if my collection is very large (1000+ items)?​

Analytics may take 10-30 seconds to calculate. The platform handles large collections efficiently, but complex calculations require time.

Do deleted items affect analytics?​

No. Analytics only include active items in your collection. Deleted items are excluded completely.

Can I see historical analytics?​

Not currently. Analytics show current snapshot only. Historical trends visible in acquisition/value growth charts (last 12 months).

Why are my insights different from last time?​

Insights are dynamic and recalculate based on current data. Changes to your collection change the insights generated.

Do wishlist items count in total value?​

Yes. Total value includes ALL items regardless of ownership status. This helps track "dream collection" value.

Can I customize which insights appear?​

No. Insights are AI-generated based on your collection data. They adapt automatically to what's most relevant.

How accurate is potential profit calculation?​

Only as accurate as your estimated values and purchase prices. Review and update values regularly for accuracy.

What if I don't know an item's value?​

Leave estimated value at 0 or enter a conservative estimate. Analytics will alert you to items needing value research.

Can I compare my collection to others?​

Not currently. Analytics are private to your collection. Future features may include anonymous benchmarking.

"Up" = actively growing ((>30% recent), "Down" = stagnant ((<10% recent), "Stable" = steady growth (10-30% recent).