As a collector myself, I've experienced various phases of collecting. Initially, I kept everything "in my head," but as my collection grew, it became impossible to keep up. I turned to Instagram to showcase my collection, which worked for a while. However, managing up to 900 posts became a nightmare. Finding specific cars or showing a model to a colleague took forever, often requiring me to scroll for several minutes while pictures loaded.
Using Excel was even more cumbersome. As a visual person, integrating photos into Excel was slow and labor-intensive. I had to sit at my laptop, send photos to myself, and manually crop them into the spreadsheet. It was far from efficient.
In December 2022, I started searching for an app that could track my collection. I needed an app where I could upload multiple photos of each model, add detailed information for easy sorting and filtering, maintain a wishlist, and track sales to customers. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any app that met all these requirements.
I also asked my colleagues how they tracked their collections, and their methods were similar to mine. I knew there had to be a better way. That's when I decided to create my own app. I reached out to various agencies to get quotes for developing the app. After much consideration, I decided to go ahead with the project. My entrepreneurial mindset and desire to create something of my own drove me forward. Unlike previous ventures in dropshipping and affiliate marketing, which I pursued solely for profit, this app was fueled by my passion for model cars and a vision to help the community.
I chose RedCode agency from Croatia, my home country, to build the app. We had several meetings to outline the app's key features and design. With input from my colleagues, we made numerous visual improvements. After extensive beta testing to iron out bugs, we finally launched Diecast Parking in April 2024. The app has been steadily growing, attracting more users each day.
Based on user feedback, we plan to add more manufacturers and brands and potentially introduce a feature to view the top collections. Future plans include adding a chat feature to facilitate communication without relying on Facebook or WhatsApp, and eventually incorporating a marketplace for easy buying and selling of cars. These are just a few of the steps we have planned, with many more features to come. Our vision is to create the best app and community for collectors, making Diecast Parking the go-to platform for all enthusiasts. We’re excited to see what the future holds.