Question
I've read with interest the postings here about the various auction management applications for ebay. I spent the better part of yesterday looking at some different apps but really prefer this forums opinions.
I heard great things about AuctionSage. I really want to like this software package - I think it does everything I need. I had several hiccups with it but might be able to get it to work. Is it really worth it?
I registered at Andale. I've had cookie/firewall issues occassionally. They seem to have a very robust offering but boy, talk about expensive. By the time I added everything I think I needed up, it's practically $40/mo. Are they worth it?
I registered at AuctionHelper to try their solution. It appears a bit more reasonable over Andale price wise, but what about functionality?
InkFrog looks interesting, though I haven't tried an auction there yet.
And yes, I even downloaded the eBay staple of Sales Manager & Seller Assistant. Can't say I care for the interface. I'd imagine that they would have the tightest integration with PayPal though. However, from what I read here, others don't seem to have the highest opinion of the eBay tools.
I get the impression this is sort of everyone's love/hate topic. We're all sort of looking for something new and better. I haven't settled on any of 'em yet and would love to get some last minute advice.
Any takers? TIA
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Everyone's need and situation is so different that I think it is a waste of time to make a recommendation without knowing your specific needs. Unless you actively use all different auction managers available, its really just a plug for the software you happen to use at the time. And who actively uses all the different auction managers out there to be an accurate judge of each program's advantages and disadvantages.
For me, I did not choose AuctionSage because they used a proprietary database to run the program. For me, I needed an non-password protected open database so I could extend some of the capabilities of the auction manager.
No single program is right for everyone.
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I am a non-techie, so be advised that my opions are based on how easily the program is utilized at first-grade level. I only use the after auction management portion of auctionsage and I still think it is worth the price-just for that. I just can't seem to learn the auction poster part....so I stick with auctionsubmit for listing-unless it is behind because of ebay updates.
I use inkfrog for image hosting and have been very satisfied with them. I do use their lister-which I find easier than auction sage-when auctionsubmit is down. Auctionsage support is excellent and inkfrog's is also very good.
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You failed to define what you are looking for in auction management software. Also, helps to know what volume you are doing weekly. Makes a difference.
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BusinessSkills, where are my manners? Welcome to the board! Didn't mean to sound crabby - just was a rough day for me (and many of the customers I spoke with today) it seems.
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Welcome BuisnessSkills
As commentary stated, you need to help us with what your needs are.
There are a few of us here that use Sellers Assistant Pro, I like it, others do not. I am limited on the auction software available to me however, as I list primarily in EbayMotors. Many auction management systems do not have full functions there.
If you are going to give SAP a look see, give it some time as it is a complex program with many features, (some people give up before they have given it a chance) and visit the board with any questions. There are a few over there that will bend over backwards to help you. SAP is not the same as Sellers Assistant Manager. The manager sucks in my opinion. I have yet to see much good with it. Those that learn it, seem to really like it.
Good luck on your quest.
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I use auctionsage and love it. It took a couple of days to get used to it and I have found the posting portion to be the only thing around that works as fast as Vendios off line program did.
I now have my total listing page down to 14 lines and only have to enter new data into 3 lines most of the time.
John is great and stays on top of Ebay changes as fast as they throw them out.
I took a peak at inkfrog but found it too complicated. I guess it is what we are used to using I manage a total of over 1200 listings between the store and auctions on Auctionsage and have no problems with inventory or any other part of the program.
As an additional plus, you can mass edit format to easily switch between store and auctions as needed.
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I would like to see (and look forward to contributing in building) an all-inclusive list (and, more importantly, observations/reviews) of eBay-seller-related 'solutions' here in this here forum. During the past 6 mos, I've done a lot of wheel-spinning, looking into every 3rd party tool available.
As TekGems pointed out, it's hard to pin down a "best" app. Each app has features which will some sellers will find appealing and other sellers will have no use for... and yet other sellers will find those same 'features' annoying.
For starters, understand that every 3rd party app is 'brittle'. Overnight, you'll find that they often 'break' with each tweak/change implemented by eBay. The big players like Andale, Vendio, etc claim to have an established partnership with eBay (providing them advance notice of changes which will affect bulk listing). Their apps STILL 'break' often, but they seem consistently quicker to provide a fix than the smaller (lesser-known) auction management 'solution' providers.
Next, consider whether you need a tool to serve as (just) a "bulk lister"... or are already selling in volume, and are primarily interested in a tool which will facilitate (automate, arguably) the "post-auction" chores (shipping / tracking / email / feedback) you're currently swamped with... or are most interested in a tool which will ALSO do these other things but will provide its primary benefit via its "inventory management" features.
Wait! "or" needs to be and/or !!!
Yeah, I hear ya ~~ but hold that thought.
Now, decide whether you "can live with" a web-native application.
Do you require an "auction management solution" tool which resides on your PC?
(If you do, that prerequisite greatly narrows the field of available apps.)
Know thyself. Know thy prospective customers.
Finding the 'solution' which is most suitable to your needs
is best approached as a process of elimination.
When you're reviewing & comparing the touted benefits and whizbang features of various 'solutions', here are a few questions to consider:
Are you a seller hoping/expecting to garner repeat customers?
Do you want a 'solution' that provides a 3rd party cart/checkout?
Will your customers tolerate being redirected & re-typing their cc info ~~ handing it to yet another party? (My customers have shown that they don't tolerate this well.)
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Will your customers chafe at receiving post-auction form-letter correspondence "obviously from a robot" (mine did. Loudly!)
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Do you sell under multiple eBay accounts?
If you do, you'll need to cross off several otherwise 'dandy' applications/solutions (most notably, IMO, Andale's ListerPro) from your list.
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specific to images:
Do you already have (already paid for) an existing website / image hostsite?
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Are you comfortable using FTP to upload images, or do you require (or just prefer) a 'friendly' interface to do so, right within the flow of uploading your listings?
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Are your images critical, in the sense that they must be CRISP/clear to show fine product detail (as to condition, etc)?
If so, make sure the image hosting provided (bundled) by your listing app provider doesn't include renaming/resaving/recompressing your uploaded images {conserves space on their server(s), at the cost of degrading the quality of your images}.
Sigh. Several auction management 'solutions' accommodate sellers who host their own images by including a mini-ftp client... but fall short (for me) because they only accommodate a single product image per listing.
Prior to opening a store, I got real excited by the image-handling features provided by the desktop app AuctionWizard2000... but it has a couple design features (quirks/limitations) which were deal-breakers, in terms of my workflow needs. (More importantly, its 'support' is practically non-existent and future development/improvement seems unlikely).
Timbercreek software's Sold! seems to pick up where AW2000 left off. Their desktop app is well-designed, in terms of its interface (and its custom-reports module is excellent!)... but in my experience its bulk posting performance was inexplicably, unacceptably flaky. If one listing in a queued bulk batch failed to post, it held up the entire queue. I scan their support forums occasionally, hoping they've ironed out the bugs, but there's been negligible improvement the past 3 mos. They promised a whole new (new and improved) version back around the first of the year but STILL haven't delivered on that promise. Timbercreek has more than one iron in the fire & I suspect they're expending all their energy developing the Savoldi platform (see their site for the partnership details) rather than just (!) stabilizing/improving the existing desktop app, aka Sold!
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I can't guess whether Savoldi will become a viable competitor to Andale/Vendio, but one of its principals posted an excellent (compelling/inspiring/articulate) message describing his 'vision'.
Once you've looked at the 3 apps I've mentioned here (Andale's ListerPro, Timbercreeksoftware's Sold!, AW2000's AutionWizard2000) you'll have a good frame of reference to compare features of other apps/solutions down the road.
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I'm a diehard AuctionSage fan. Been with John all the way back when he did eBud. I love the program and most importantly, I love the service. AS is never down. John does not sleep. When eBay makes a change, no matter how large or small, John has the fix done, in minutes usually, sometimes it takes him an hour or so. I'm totally spoiled by AS.
I've heard that one of the best ways to judge a company is to read their support forums. Read the AS forums, you'll see the difference.
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I use Auctionsage for post management, and used ebud before that. I agree that the Auctionsage customer support is excellent.
However, like Cariad, I had not been able to figure out the listing process, and Auction Submit is so easy that I use that for listing. I admit I've never asked John for help, although I have looked (but never posted) at the AS discussion boards. I'm sure I could learn it if I took the time.
The one thing I like about Auction Submit is being able to preview the auction quickly, even if all of the fields are not yet complete. I seem to always make typos that I can't see until I am looking at the actual auction page. If anyone who uses Auctionsage can tell me how to do this on the fly, I would be a happy convert.
I have tried the post preview but it goes through the entire process every time, including the picture uploads. It takes a long time (less than a minute really, but it seems like forever). I also panicked the first time because even though I thought I was previewing, it said it was posting the auction. Maybe it is just the terminology that is throwing me off but the steps seem confusing.