posted on March 1, 2001 07:27:00 PM new
I'm moving this back to the top in hopes that someone will come up with some ideas here. There were a couple in other threads but (dummy that I am) I neglected to write them down. Help!
posted on March 1, 2001 08:37:08 PM new
Hello! I use MyAuctionmate (I guess you are not allowed to use urls here, but with a little www. and a little .com, I think you should be able to find it), which is not perfect, but it is inexpensive (I got mine for $25.00 - and they actually auction it on eBay, so you could get it cheaper) and works pretty well for me. It handles End of Auction notices, listing, records payments, shipping labels, shipping notices, and feedback. It also generates sales reports. Like I said before, it is not perfect, it has a few glitches, but the customer service is good and with your purchase of the software, the upgrades are free - and they seem to be working out the problems. It is worth checking out....
posted on March 1, 2001 08:50:38 PM new
You could take a look at AuctionAmigo by invenna (a dotcom company). $40 until March 9th, then $70. It does listing and post-auction management, and has a 30 day free trial. Works with eBay only.
There's also AuctionTamer (another dotcom company). $20 or $30, depending on whether or not you want their ad on your emails, and a 14 day free trial period. I don't believe it does listing. Works with several auction sites.
posted on March 1, 2001 08:59:05 PM new
I just downloaded AuctionSubmit which is free. They don't do image hosting but alot of people on here seem to swear by Zing. I was also looking at baypal earlier. Honesty is free for basic services and limited image hosting. I saw AuctionWorks listed on here too but have looked at sooooo many today my head is spinning!!
posted on March 2, 2001 04:19:17 AM new
I love my Auction Trakker - I do all my posting and FTP of pictures (have to have your own web space for picts, they don't host). The after the sale management is the best I've ever seen. They have a 30 day free trial - it's definately worth looking into.
posted on March 2, 2001 05:25:11 AM new
AuctionTamer. A one-time fee of $19.95 with unlimited free upgrades and they're compatible with BidVille now as well as many other auction sites outside of the big 3.
posted on March 2, 2001 08:24:42 AM new
I'm just about to try auctionflow. I noticed several auctions using this one..anyone have any comments on this? Has it been good, bad, anything? I don't mind paying for image hosting, or even .05 per, but not a percentage.
posted on March 2, 2001 08:55:19 AM new
I also like AuctionTrakker. They have great support, the only down side is to use it to launch, you need your own space and a limited knowledge of HTML, and I don't have either.
I use them to manage my post-sale stuff and use AW (and probably will continue to use AW) to launch auctions and store pictures.
You should definitely look into AuctionTrakker.
posted on March 2, 2001 10:55:57 AM new
for posting I've used auctionsubmit for years. I like the way it seperates sold and unsold items into different tabs, so I don't have to sort through sold listings to see what needs to be dealt with as unsold. relisting is easy too. you work offline and then upload it all at once. downside compared to AW is they start when you start them, no 'start at this time' feature.
for accounts payable, I've been happy with Auction Information Database, which also is not free, but you buy it and that's it. it's put out by epigroove (dot com) Auction import, canned emails, etc. It's worth it just for dealing with feedback.
Note that I ususally have 60+ open listings, sell more than that in a month, and have over 1200 fb. I've often said I could not have gotten this far without good auction-specific AP software.
posted on March 2, 2001 12:26:09 PM new
moparmaniac:
The Online Auction Users Association completed reviews of the web-based auction management systems in January; they were published on our site. We're in the process of evaluating eleven client-side auction management software packages now; that report won't publish until May.
To my knowledge, there are no other independent reviews of these products.
posted on March 2, 2001 01:22:15 PM new
I swear I'm getting dizzy trying to look at all the different software. Is there anything out there that takes inventory--to--list --to post-auction in one place. And is there any inventory that picks up the final price and can add up month to month, year to year what we spent for inventory, and what we got for inventory. I could then easily add the peripheral costs ebay invoice, paypal statements, upic statement etc although it would be nice if there was a place for expenses too. Anywhere??? Am I in dreamland??
posted on March 2, 2001 03:42:33 PM new
ALL of them will start charging, eventually. Most already have; the others will charge, soon, or go out of business.
It makes little sense to me for sellers to go from service to service, looking for the "free" one that might stay that way forever. Find one that meets your needs, at a reasonable cost. If Flow fits the bill, great- but you can count on charges in coming months, and the charges will be comparable to what their competition charges. We'd all like free stuff-- but that's not reality.
All of these coompanies are in business to make a profit. At some point, they have to generate revenue sufficient to cover their (considerable) expenses, and show a profit. Or they go out of business.
As to asking them about future plans for fees, none of these companies will telegraph these sorts of business plans, with any specificity, to the public. They're intensely competitive, and by making premature announcements, they're giving business intelligence to their competitors. They will say things like: "We may charge for some of our enhanced services in the future.." or something like that.
And, at the risk of swimming against the tide here on the discussion boards, I think AW's pricing is reasonable for the service provided. The two tiered plan accomodates both the occasional seller and the full time seller. Pricing is well within the ballpark, considering what others charge.
And no, I don't work for AW! Not by a long shot....
