Frequently Asked Stuff

1. How do I add stuff to my collection?

Make sure you're logged in, then just do searches or browse by product normally. When you find an item that you own, click the 'Add to my collection' link for that item, and it will automatically be added to your collection. You can then click on the collection row that appears, and edit the fine details.

2. How do I remove items from my collection?

Expand the collection row for the item you want to remove, then click the 'remove' link in the upper right area of the expanded row.

3. How does Search Work?

The search feature on shmax is incredibly powerful. You can search for any piece of information that the database could conceivably know about a toy or toyline you have in mind and get back the results you expect. We don't limit the search to the name of an item--you can search for anything you can think of, such as color, manufacturer, year of release, alternate form, exclusive store, UPC, assortment number, anything. Want to see all toys released in 1984 in Japan? Search for 1984 Japan. Interested only in blue and black jets? Search for blue black jets. Want to see all toys that were sold exclusively at Wal-Mart? Search for exclusive wal-mart. Curious to know what toys Kenner made during the beast wars era? Search for kenner beast wars. Got a bar code reader? You can even search by UPC.

1. Advanced Search

Use the "Advanced Search" link to be taken to a page that lets you craft a very specialized search. Interested only in Autobots? Select it from the drop-down list. Looking for all blue and gold jets? Choose "jets" from the form selector, and the colors from the color picker. Trying to identify a part? Choose "Accessories" from the "Part Type" selector.

2. Special Search Syntax

Want more power? The shmax database also understands special operators that will let you apply boolean logic to the results you get back. Don't worry, it's easy, and we use the same syntax that eBay does. Here's a quick rundown:

For these results	Enter this	Examples
Results that use every word you entered	A list of terms in any order	red blue optimus exclusive jets
Results that use a particular phrase or exact spelling of a word	A word or words enclosed in double quotes	"optimus primal" "side swipe"
Results that use at least one of the words or phrases you entered	A list of terms or phrases enclosed in parentheses	(optimus,convoy) silver (ferrari,audi) ("autobot ratchet",ironhide)
Results that don't contain a particular word or phrase	A term or phrase preceded by a minus sign	g1 cars -reissue jets -"gold plastic syndrome"
Results that don't contain one of a list of words or phrases	An "or" list preceded by a minus sign	red missile -(blue,green,yellow) optimus -(primal,optimal)
Results that contain part of a word	A word with an asterisk on the end	optim* prim*

4. How does bbcode work?

bbcode is a simple markup language for easily creating html. You can use bbcode in a number of the text fields when editing product and part records, and in the forums. Use the guide below to help you get the effect you want.

1. Regular bbcodes

For these results	Enter something like this...	...to get this
bold text	puppies are [b]cute[/b]	puppies are cute
italic text	can you [i]believe[/i] Michael Bay gets to keep making movies?	can you believe Michael Bay gets to keep making movies?
a url	if you visit one site today, make it [url]http://www.shmax.com[/url] if you visit one site today, make it [url=http://www.shmax.com]this one[/url]	if you visit one site today, make it http://www.shmax.com if you visit one site today, make it this one
an image	[img]https://cdn.shmax.com/photos/s/56963.jpg[/img]

2. custom shmax.com bbcodes

For these results	Enter something like this...	...to get this
a product id link	hey, did you know that [product]275[/product] is a retool of [product=219]this[/product]?	hey, did you know that Ramjet is a retool of this?
a part id link	of all the parts that come with [part]327[/part], my favorite is his [part=7581]gun[/part]	of all the parts that come with Ramjet, my favorite is his gun
a list of part ids	these are my favorite figures: [part]1,5,9[/part]	these are my favorite figures: Error: Invalid part id [1,5,9]. A part id is always numeric, eg [part]7[/part].
Language tabs	[translate] [language=日本語] 朝飯前 [/language] [language=English] Piece of cake [/language] [/translate]	日本語 English 朝飯前 Piece of cake
Tabs	[tabs] [tab=Starscream]The leader of the Seekers[/tab] [tab=Ramjet]One of the other Seekers[/tab] [/tabs]	Starscream Ramjet The leader of the Seekers One of the other Seekers
a sic note	[sic]their[/sic] never going to be able to park [sic]there[/sic] car over [sic]they're[/sic]	their [sic] never going to be able to park there [sic] car over they're [sic]
a shmax.com photo	omg this is my favorite POTD: [photo]50173[/photo]	omg this is my favorite POTD:
a shmax.com photo (with caption)	but this one ain't bad, either: [photo="notice the absence of thumbs and lens caps"]28970[/photo]	but this one ain't bad, either: