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Xvipah73 Posts: 269
6/9/2022
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Hi,
I've noticed there's been a massive lag in adding/approving new variants for various titles. Is there something more we could be doing to help that process go faster?
I have a few variants in for SiKtC from Feb that still haven't been approved, which is why I'm asking.
Along those same lines, it would be awesome to have an easier way of tracking variant submissions than having to remember every one we've put in and then going to look them up separately (I'm mostly bringing this up for collection purposes. If you approve my variant submissions and I don't even know it, I may never even add it). 
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glarimer Posts: 54
6/9/2022
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I feel ya, I've got dozens dating back to December. I know what you mean about tracking. I've been tracking mine by bookmarking each issue in a separate waiting folder. Then every couple of days I can open all those bookmarks at once and check if the variants been approved yet. Not an ideal solution.
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Casper0312 Posts: 438
6/9/2022
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I hesitate to put this out there:: if you let me know the publishers you have issues under I can shift a bit more time to variants with that publisher. Currently, I am working on Marvel and Coffin. The number of variants is a bit crazy, but many are duplicative and I take quite a bit of time to make sure the additions are appropriate. Plus, often there is other work on the titles that can be distracting.
My suggestion for a speedier turnaround is a clear description of the variant. While there are some great submissions, many just say "variant" or "description of the cover", If the official variant name is provided It makes tracking down the issue easier. Additionally, a nice cover scan (bright and cropped) is very helpful. Finding appropriate covers is very time-consuming.
There are quite a few folks who work on variants and they seem to ebb and flow.
Thanks for raising this concern. -David
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Xvipah73 Posts: 269
6/10/2022
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I've got stuff in from Boom (Grim & SiKtC), DC (Harley Quinn), and Dynamite (Various Vampirella and at least 1 Red Sonja) that I can think of off the top of my head. I think there may be others (I prolly should have done what glarimer was saying and bookmarked them all) but I've forgotten. There are so many modern variants that come around it's super hard to keep track, I just put them in when I see them and move on .
edited by xvipah73 on 6/10/2022
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BasementComics Posts: 783
6/10/2022
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There are a ton of variants for Twig #1 (Image). I added a couple but there are way more out there.
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Xvipah73 Posts: 269
7/1/2022
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So did someone just go in and delete all of the variant submissions? Because now all the ones I listed above that I had variant submission in for are gone. But they have not been approved (or at least they aren't listed with the various titles). I know all these variants exist, I own them.
Do I really have to go in and resubmit?
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glarimer Posts: 54
7/1/2022
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Xvipah73 wrote:
So did someone just go in and delete all of the variant submissions? Because now all the ones I listed above that I had variant submission in for are gone. But they have not been approved (or at least they aren't listed with the various titles). I know all these variants exist, I own them.
Do I really have to go in and resubmit?
Yea, all of mine disappeared as well. 5 months worth of submissions awaiting approval.
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Ronbatman Administrator Posts: 2370
7/1/2022
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I can assure you no one is going in and deleting them randomly. I see some Boom submissions for you Xvipah73, several SiKTC, and one Grim. Something could get deleted if it was already submitted by someone else or if it's wrong or has a horrible cover scan.
We entered roughly 400 to 500 books each week with new comics alone. Variants can be in the same range depending on what's released. Store variants are not on lists from Diamond or other distributors. This takes time and effort. We will get to them and I'll contact a few admins to help cut the flood of variants down.
Ron
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glarimer Posts: 54
7/2/2022
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I had 54 variants submitted across 15 or so titles. I check them every day or two. Yesterday or the day before, every one of them disappeared. Not approved, just no longer there.
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Xvipah73 Posts: 269
7/2/2022
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Yea, same here, I didn't have 54 mind you.
Maybe we're just not seeing them anymore for some reason (Since Ron just listed a few of mine that I know I have out there). But none of my variant submissions are showing in the variant screen as awaiting approval anymore either.
glarimer wrote:
I had 54 variants submitted across 15 or so titles. I check them every day or two. Yesterday or the day before, every one of them disappeared. Not approved, just no longer there.
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Casper0312 Posts: 438
7/3/2022
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I think something is up with the views of the pending variants.
The counters I can see on my side are far less than the actual issues I can see and work on.
Also, new variant submissions I've added today are not showing in the pending queue.
I'm summarizing and sending a message to Ron
-David
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Xvipah73 Posts: 269
7/6/2022
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Looks like they're back now. That was weird.
Thanks for sorting it out!
I still think some sort of "Your variant submissions" page we could use to track them in 1 place would be pretty epic
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+1
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Ronbatman Administrator Posts: 2370
7/11/2022
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Over the weekend, our admins knocked 120+ variants off the list. Thank you for all your hard work admins!
Ron
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+5
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Xvipah73 Posts: 269
2/20/2023
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I just wanted to revive this with the question of how we can help make this go faster.
I now have variant submissions in for SiKtC from a year ago that still have not been approved. This is not complaining, just a genuine question on how this process can be improved for everyone.
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Ronbatman Administrator Posts: 2370
2/20/2023
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This is how we currently run our business.
Employees work on critical items as we have determined them.
Price Updates - Programming - New Books - Social Media - Forum
Admins work on things that members cannot do and employees don't have time to do.
Approving Variants - Approving Creators - Approving Stories - Forums
Members work on
Approving Missing scans - Publishing dates - cover prices - UPC - missing issues
I say this not to place blame on the admins but to show roles. Our admins do all sorts of other things that are often overlooked. We need to do a better job engaging our admins and helping them. Related to your request, I will knock out every submitted SIKTC variant tomorrow.
Ron
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+2
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kds_comics Posts: 652
3/2/2023
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Xvipah73 wrote:
Hi,
I've noticed there's been a massive lag in adding/approving new variants for various titles. Is there something more we could be doing to help that process go faster?
I have a few variants in for SiKtC from Feb that still haven't been approved, which is why I'm asking.
Along those same lines, it would be awesome to have an easier way of tracking variant submissions than having to remember every one we've put in and then going to look them up separately (I'm mostly bringing this up for collection purposes. If you approve my variant submissions and I don't even know it, I may never even add it).
You just need the publishing companies to stop coming out with fifty variants for every issues #1 that is rebooted ever two year. Yikes!
CPG says fast way is to submit "new variant" in title issue.
I think they are looking for volunteers/free labor to come into their office 50 hours a week or so and help them out. You can always volunteer if you are in the home office area!
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Ronbatman Administrator Posts: 2370
3/2/2023
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Just 50 hours?
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Xvipah73 Posts: 269
3/2/2023
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I can give you 49 hours, but that's my limit!!
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+1
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rgtichy Posts: 124
3/5/2023
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Ronbatman wrote:
Just 50 hours?
Okay, so here's an idea:
Create a functionality that allows the users to add variants, along with a process for multi-party verification of the variant. Basically get the entire entry entered by the users, along with the image, and since it is a variant there's (probably) a limited amount of fields that can differ from the "base" book, (which needs to already exist in CPG).
The only slightly difficult part would be to prevent duplicate variants from reaching the CPG. Voting systems that depend on your most involved customers probably will work well, though, imo. From what I see, you have those customers, and you already have a mechanism that ranks their participation.
This is a fair amount of development work, no doubt. But the problem is getting kind of monstrous, right? Variant covers has become a huge gimmick used by so many publishers to get advance orders "up" and in-the-grand-scheme-of-it-all, the variants represent less value-added by the CPG staff when compared to adding actual new books.
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Memn0ch Posts: 1
12/19/2023
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I am having trouble adding the Canadian Price Variant of Cloak and Dagger Vol 2 #7. The link to adding cover variants does not seem to be working.
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