I trying to figure out which accounting program is better for handling auctions. I've gone to the websites and read the features, but I am still confused on which one to get. I am looking for one that doesn't have a steep learning curve, just a simple one for now. Any suggestions or opinions?
posted on July 21, 2003 05:43:08 PM new
I use QuickBooks for my other business and I'm very pleased with it. But for just a very basic accounting system to use for your auction business, you may want to consider Quicken. You can also download information from Vendio into Quicken and not the others...at least that's my understanding. But if you're just looking for basic stuff, Quicken is fine and much less expensive than the others mentioned. Hope this helps!
posted on July 21, 2003 06:17:24 PM new
Hello
Depends on what you want to accomplish?
For consigning etc. Excel is great. You have to learn something but what is new on that issue.
For plain money management quicken is great. However if you are planning to upgrade from say Windows 98 to something else Quicken may not work so look into that
Back to Excel you can install formulas and will be amazed at the results (Though not necessarily pleased with the bottom line) Excel has convinced me that certain efforts are just a waste of time, while others are worthwhile.
Another tool I use with good results is Hammertap's "Fee Finder". I have used other tools but by and large have thrown them out.
Regards
David
posted on July 21, 2003 08:27:00 PM new
Not sure how involved you need a program to be, but I've been pretty happy with eBud.
Print labels, invoices etc.
Retrieve ebay fees
if you use their auction submitting software, your shipping amount is automatically entered.
Relist from there.
Spreadsheet type setup with formulas entered already, and with slots for all types of fees, commission, type of shipping, auction status, original cost of item etc.
Send form emails.
Generate reports to give you a bottom line.
Shows auction status, you just hit refresh and it retrieves everything.
Probably a lot more stuff I haven't learned how to do yet.
posted on July 21, 2003 08:53:03 PM new
I have used Excel for th past 5 yrs. & really have no problems with it. I set the columns with what I want & just fill in the figures. any time I want a toatal on any column its there for me. It doesn't make ant diierence which one you use, You need to takw a course in it to really be able to use it. I learned mine at Tech School put mon by Santa Barbara County, CA. I think the cost was $25.00 for a 8 week course. Well worth it.
posted on July 21, 2003 09:52:06 PM new
I have both Peachtree and Quicken and I personally don't see any way they can help me. The Ebay system just doesn't lend itself to normal accounting systems without a lot of tweaking. I'm inclined to make an attempt to get Excel working for me. The biggest advantage I can see is the ability to put all the data on a few floppies and dump them on my accountants desk at the end of the year. Excel is the only program I can think of that is used by virtually every accountant in the country.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on July 21, 2003 10:04:20 PM new
I just hate having to manually enter the shipping and ebay fees. I guess the formula could be put in an excel spreadsheet for ebay fees though. But then you'd still have to manually put in the closing amount in order for that to work. I like hitting refresh and having it all filled in
I invoice my long term consignment clients (4 previous ebay sellers who got bored/too busy before running out of stuff to sell) once every two weeks. I just go through my list of auctions and highlight the ones that belong to them, click "generate report" and it prints it out for me, all pertinent figures figured up. I'd imagine it will be about the same for tax time.
posted on July 22, 2003 11:38:13 AM new
I do have Excel, I just need to learn how to use it. I thought since so many sellers use Ebay as their main or extra income, someone would have created an accounting program specifically for that. Or at least, the well known accounting programs would have integrated or offered an add on product for auctions.
I think I'll just spend the money and time on an Excel class, instead of on something that might be more work in the end.
posted on July 22, 2003 11:59:28 AM new
Well, I don't use any of them for eBay accounting. Not even Excel. None of them fit my business model.
I've been using spreadsheets for other things since the Lotus 1-2-3 days on the original IBM PC. One thing I have learned is that a spreadsheet inspires false confidence. You tend to believe those numbers, unaware that a formula or a range is slightly off.
A traditional retail business receives a merchandise shipment and assigns SKUs or uses predetermined ones. We get big bulk shipments of basically raw materials, some of which is saleable immediately, some of which needs some work and the rest of which is scrapped. Programs like Quickbooks assume you are following a traditional business model of one sort or another, but mine can't be categorized that way.
I am not a bathtub full of brightly-colored machine tools on Vendio.
posted on July 22, 2003 08:03:07 PM new
Fluffy, you remember when Lotus was King? I was thinking of that he other day...how I used to know how to write an arguement (they didnt call it formula back then, did they?)
I am wondering if Access is better to use than Excel.
[ edited by neroter12 on Jul 22, 2003 08:03 PM ]
posted on July 23, 2003 02:37:40 AM new
Many years ago the was a wonderful little program by a company called Great Plains called Profit. It did everything you could every want - any report you could dream of was three clicks away, inventory tracking, trends, reorder notices, customers files, you name - all in one happy simple little program. (and yes - it would have worked perfectly for ebay as you could always adjust actual sales amount on each invoice) Then one day Bill Gates bought Great Plains, took some of the best aspects and added it to the monstrosity that is Peachtree and made it three times harder to operate. Then he took all the various aspects of the perfect program (which retailed for under $200) and turned them into the various indivual modules which are now Microsofts Great Plains accounting and made it absurdly expensive. I used to have the original product - we bought it when we started our tiny little mail order comapny and found it equality effective for dealing with the first years 1000 customers as our 5th years 200,000. Unfortunately somewhere along the way I copies of the install disks I made before I left. If you ever find this program I promise you will love it. I've searched high and low can't find one anywhere.
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If it's really Common Sense, why do so few people actually have it?
