Collection Wishlist and Price Watch Tracker

Who this is for

What you are hunting for, and what it is going for. Each wanted item has a priority and the most you are willing to pay, and every time you spot one for sale you note the price, the seller and the condition. The sheet shows how far each sighting is from your target, so you can tell a bargain from a wait.

Collectors of anything, from records and stamps to figures and first editions, who keep a wanted list and would rather buy at their own price than on impulse.

What this helps you track

• Every item still wanted, with its priority
• The most you have decided to pay for each
• Where and when each one was seen for sale, and in what condition
• How far each price seen was above or below your target
• What you have bought, what it cost and what is still wanted

How to use it

1. Write the collection, your name and the date you started the list at the top.
2. List each wanted item with a priority and your own target price — the most you are prepared to pay.
3. Each time you see one for sale, write the seller or source, the price, the date and the condition offered; a later sighting of the same item goes on a new line.
4. The gap to target, the totals and the summary are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, subtract the target from the price seen.
5. When you buy, tick bought and enter what you actually paid, including postage if that is how you count it.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How should I set a target price?

From your own budget and what you have seen similar items sell for. The sheet does not suggest prices; it simply measures each sighting against the figure you chose, so you can revise the target as you learn the market.

What does the gap column mean?

Price seen minus your target. A minus figure means the item was offered below your target, a positive one means it was above. Scan the column for minus figures to find the sightings worth acting on.

How do I track the lowest price seen for an item?

Give each sighting its own line with the same item name. Sort by item in the workbook or browser version and the lowest price for each item sits together with the others, dated.

Should postage go in the price?

Decide once and stick to it. Including postage in both the price seen and the price paid gives the truest comparison, especially when sellers split the cost differently.