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donnahaley2002
(stranger )
04/17/08 11:26 PM
New to AW new  

Hello, My name is Donna and I am trying AW during the trial period. I am looking for a program that can meet my selling needs and hope someone out there has some good ideas that may be able to help. =o)

I usually have hundreds of items in my eBay store at once and am currently using Turbo Lister. I am trying out AW since it has more features I need - I am also planning to use other auction sites as eBay is crazy with their fees! =o) However, I am having difficulty learning to use all of AW's features! (smile)

Here are a few questions:

1.) I liked Turbo Lister because I could create a main template and just change the picture and title to list Multiple Items. Can you do this in AW?
It seems I can create a template to use again by duplicating, but I still have to manually put in the shipping for international and many more clicks until just one item can be listed from Inventory to Store/Auction. Seems like there should be an easier way that I am missing...

2.) IF you CAN just use one template to create several listings (having domestic & international shipping, Etc. included), How does it work for the Inventory AND Auctions Tabs? It seems to me that you have to fill out more stuff when you move the Inventory over into the auction section. Is there a way they both work together? (Am I doing this the hard way? ...I first list in the inventory, then I click to move to auctions, then I click to que for listing...)

3.) Can you REVISE SEVERAL Listings at ONCE after they are online im my eBay store? Can you revise at all, without having to do it through eBay - one at a time?

4.) I really need to inventory ALL of my items, I have THOUSANDS to inventory. ---- Is it better to have my entire eBay Store and listings EMPTY and take the time to inventory everything and then reload to eBay?
- OR - Keep the listings I have on eBay and inventory them as I go? (If yes, how do I keep things in order?)

--> Any ideas on an easier way to do this?

5.) I am having a hard time learning AW, are there any tricks anyone may have for shortcuts?
- OR - any advise on the difference between AW and other listing programs out there?

Thank you for your time & help in advance.

It's a pleasure to meet everyone. :)

Donna



bluepennylady
(Pooh-Bah)
04/18/08 04:55 AM
Re: New to AW new [re: donnahaley2002]  

Donna,

Welcome! It is certainly a pleasure to meet you! And welcome the AW2K boards. You will be very pleased with AW2000. MUCH better program than Turbo Lister. And you can manage lots more stuff with it. Aw2k far surpasses Turbo lister in features, functionality and managment. Plus the Invoice management system allows you to create invoices for anyone at anytime and add whatever you want to the invoice.

I'll be happy to help you. Let me see if I can unravel the "mystery" for you

#1. Yes you can create a single Listing template, Or hundreds of Listing templates. Whatever suits your needs. I'll explain that here in a second. But in short, you fix a listing template the way you want it, select that listing template as the "default" on the Auction profile. Whenever you create an Auction lot for a particular Auction profile, the listing template is automatically selected for you.

You will find the Listing templates by going on the menu to "Tools | HTML template manager". The template manager will open with the list of templates. I would strongly recommend using the "duplicate" feature (which is located right on the bottom of the template manager) before editing a template. If you make a mistake on a template and just can't fix it, you can always delete a duplicated copy and start over as long as the original is still there. You can name your Listing templates anything you want as there is a "rename" feature as well.

Listing templates are where you put all the static information. Terms of sale, warranty information, policies, etc. you also define where you want the images to appear. "Along top, down right side, left side, at bottom,
You can change the color of a template so if you like the layout but the color stinks, there is a color pallette which allows you to change the color. You can also change the Font face.

You don't have to duplicate the listing template over and over again to use it. Once it is edited and assigned as the default to the Auction profile, everytime you create an Auction lot, AW2000 will know to choose that template for you. You can, however, manually override the default if you want at any time.

Although, you can manually add shipping information to any Auction lot or Inventory Item at any time, you can also define shipping defaults on the Auction profile. So let's say most of the goodies you sell are 1 lb. On the auction profile, you define the default shipping as
Domestic 1 to 2 lb
handling charge $1.00
insurance as optional
Offer services of Priority and Parcel
international you offer First class international and Priority International with no insurance offered and a $2.00 handling charge

The next time you create an Auction Lot for that Auction Profile, Aw20000 will automatically fill in the shipping information based on the Auction profile defaults. You can manually override the default at anytime but completing the shipping options for a particular item. Or you can edit the shipping options after the Auction lot is created if needed.

I hope that helps a bit.

#2. You can create multiple Auction lots in the Grid view. Just highlight all the Inventory Items you want to create an Auction lot for by clicking on the first record, hold down the Shift key, and clicking on the last record you want. Everything in between will turn blue.

Right click of the mouse and choose, "Create auction lot". You choose which Auction profile, click ok and boom you have x auction lots created for you. If you only have one Auction profile, then you don't have to choose which profile to use. But I suspect you will be like the rest of us and after you get the hang of it, you will have Auction profiles for different things. I can tell you how that works later.

You can Queue the Auction lots for listing at one time too in the Gird View. Just highlight all the Auction lot records you want to queue for listing by selecting one record, hold down the Shift key, and select the last record

on the far left side of the Grid view you will see an arrow stacked on top of a plus sign "+".. When you put your mouse on them, the tooltip tells you "Queue for listing" hit that button and boom all the Auction lots are Queued for listing.

There are actually three tools on the far left, An "unqueue" tool, a "Queue" tool and a "Show/Hide" records tool. The Queue button is on the right side of the little yellow hands Show/Hide records tool.

Are you creating an Auction lot from the Inventory item? After you fill in everything on the Inventory Item, title, category, description, start price, all you do is hit the little red hammer on the toolbar. Click OK and you have an Auction lot created. AW2000 moves the information from Inventory to Auction lots for you. The whole program is all linked together. Meaning you can move from an Invoice to the actual auction lot the buyer won and to the Inventory item by just clicking the appropriate tool on the toolbar. So if I need to see the Auction lot, I can just click the hammer on the invoice items and I am taken to the Sold auction lot. If I need to see the Inventory Item,I just click the blue price tags and I am taken directly to the correct Inventory item. which we use all of the time. So I am not sure what you mean by fill out and move to Auction lot but it sounds like to me you are not creating Auction lots from the related Inventory Item. Once you type in the title and description and add the images, you don't have to do that again, you can modify or change it on the auction lot but everything you entered into the Inventory Item is copied to the Auction lot if you create an Auction lot...

#3. Revisions have to be done online if you want the revisions to go into effect while the listing is live. And that is the way all the software has to work. Regardless of what they tell you, information posted to eBay is static not dynamic. And if it is revised it has to be done online. You can revise listings in bulk at eBay using the bulk editor. Now you can't revise title lines or descriptions using it, but you can revise in bulk many things.

To access the Bulk editor, just click the boxes next to the listings you wish to revise, at the bottom of the page click "Edit"
On the next page, choose edit in bulk and the Bulk editor will open.

4. You'll have to determine if you want to empty your store. Me, personally, I wouldn't. You can import all your Listings into AW2000 and start management right now. I have a tutorial in a PDF file I can send to you on how to change imported listings to Inventory items so you can track everything. If you are interested, shoot me off an email. I'll be happy to send it to you.

As long as your store listings are not all GTC, everything you have online will import. You can clean up the imported auctions, create the Inventory Items etc so when the auctions end you can start listing again. There isn't a need to end listings, at least in my opinion. Not when it is possible to import, clean up the descriptions, add the images and start management now. You can get everything to list as it ends.

I have thousands of items in the Inventory. The Inventory management of AW2000 is one of the things that sold me on the software. At the time I found AW2000 I was evaluating auction management software not only for me but three other companies. I had tried over 20 programs, everything from Seller's pro to the big guys. The eBay tools are frankly limited, error ridden, tech support is poor at best and extremely limited funcationality. I am not a web-based software fan at all. So the web based software is out of the question as far as I am concerned.

The AW2000 tech support is far far superior. They are quick to respond and will stay with it until an issue is resolved. I keep abreast (or try to anyway) of the other software emerging and as they evolve. There just isn't anything out there that can compare to AW2000 in scalability, funcationality, features, management capability and stability.

You might consider making all your Inventory items "Stock" inventory items as opposed to "Non-stock"--while we are talking about Inventory You will find using Stock Inventory Items has more flexibility than using non stock. It only takes the checkmark in the "Stock" box to make the Inventory ITem a Stock instead of a Non stock. But you have to do it BEFORE you create an Auction lot because once the item is Non stock, there isn't any undoing it.

You can use the sequential numbering system in AW2000 for keeping track of your Inventory items. Plus there is a field for entering in where you put that goody until it sells so you don't lose it


I hope I have overwhelmed you. If you need more help, please don't hesitate to ask. I don't mind trying to give you a hand.



Judy/blue

Visit my eBay store!
http://stores.ebay.com/bluepennylady?refid=store
Visit our website too!
http://www.pennyworthsales.com

donnahaley2002
(stranger )
04/18/08 09:35 AM
Re: New to AW [re: bluepennylady]  

Thank you so very much for taking the time to help! I will go over this and try it! =o) Can't wait to see how it works! I'll let you know as soon as I do!

Best & Warmest Regards,

Donna
Mommy_of_Eight_07

PS - I have no listings in my eBay right now. Would you say it's best to not list them until I have all of them done?

Can AW import unsold items?

I am not sure how to e-mail you for that tutorial, but my e-mail is LittlestPetShop1Stop@yahoo.com.

I really can't thank you enough for all your help! You are a true God-send. :o)

Edited by donnahaley2002 on 04/18/08 02:30 PM (server time).



bluepennylady
(Pooh-Bah)
04/18/08 09:42 AM
Re: New to AW new [re: donnahaley2002]  

Donna,

MOmmy of 8! For real??

Learning any new piece of software can be trying usually just because one is not use to the terms and workflow.

The workflow in AW2000 is very intuitive. Create Inventory Item, Create Auction lot from Inventory Item, Queue for listing, list auction, update and generate Invoices.

Everything in AW2K is all linked together. And if you use AW2K as it is designed and intended, Status' of Auction lots and Invoices change automatically as you proceed through the process. So you always know what the next step is.

Recording income/payments will automatically generate a payment received notice for you. And shipping will generate a shipping notice for you. Leaving feedback does the same thing.

You will want to take a minute and look through the Email Templates as well. They will most likely need to be edited to suit your needs. If you want to see how the email looks to your buyers, create a fake Invoice for the kitty or the dog . Then you can open each email template and see what it looks like without all the field tags appearing in the editor.

If you want the particulars of creating an invoice, let me know and I'll be happy to help you



Judy/blue

Visit my eBay store!
http://stores.ebay.com/bluepennylady?refid=store
Visit our website too!
http://www.pennyworthsales.com

donnahaley2002
(stranger )
04/19/08 09:08 AM
Re: New to AW new [re: bluepennylady]  

Yes, 8 for real. LOL!

I still can't get over how knowledgable & helpful you are are! Thank you so very much! =o)

heres a quick question for you - I had a back ground in my template & deleted it, but it STILL shows in new auctions, etc - I can't remove it although I deleted it and it is not showing.

What do I do?



bluepennylady
(Pooh-Bah)
04/19/08 09:19 AM
Re: New to AW new [re: donnahaley2002]  

Donna,

Oh I think that is totally having 8 kids. I know, I know, some say I need my head examined. But we wanted at least 6. However, ours seemed to come in sets of two. The first were twins. And the second time around doctors thought it was another set of twins. We decided maybe having 6 wasn't such a good idea So we waited and they got married.. Now I have we have a total of 6 kids with 7 grandkids. Looks like Congress is taking up session when everyone comes for dinner!!

The background images was uploaded to your webspace. And the reference to that image is still on all the current live auctions.

There are two things you can do. If you wait until the auctions end, when you relist, the background image will not upload on all newly listed auction.

Or you can go to your webspace and delete the background image file.

Everything that is on the Listing template is posted to eBay. If you edit the Listing template off-site (eBay) the changes are not going to show up. I hope that makes sense.

You are most welcome. I don't mind helping at all.

Judy/blue

Visit my eBay store!
http://stores.ebay.com/bluepennylady?refid=store
Visit our website too!
http://www.pennyworthsales.com

bluepennylady
(Pooh-Bah)
04/19/08 09:25 AM
Re: New to AW new [re: donnahaley2002]  

Donaa,

Sorry!! I didn't see you had edited the post. I did'nt get a notification of a new post. Or I would have replied..

My email address is on my profile. Or you can drop me a line at

info@pennyworthsales.com

If you don't have anything listed, you might consider just start working on a template, and list a couple of auctions. Just to see if everything is the way you want it. If not, you don't have a whole pile of stuff to edit.

If you like the way it everything looks, you can go ahead and start entering in Inventory.

You can import "Import online and listings that have closed within x days" The limit is 14 days. So if the listings have ended recently, you might want to consider getting them imported before the time frame expires.

The images do not import but the auction descriptions and title lines do. If you have the images on your hard drive you can easily add the images into AW2K. If you do not, just don't delete them from your web space as you can go to each auction at eBay, (or open the image files on your webspace) right click and "save picture as". Save it to My Pictures on yoru computer and add the image into AW2K.

It doesn't take long to do. And once you get the hang of it, you will be flying through the process...

Judy/blue

Visit my eBay store!
http://stores.ebay.com/bluepennylady?refid=store
Visit our website too!
http://www.pennyworthsales.com


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