Question
I have been away from eBay for awhile. Things have changed a lot there, as well as here at here too!
I am looking at trying one of the eBay seller's tools out, but I am confused by the difference in them all. I found this page:
http://pages.ebay.com/selling_manager/comparison.html
I am just overwhelmed with the differences though. It seems like there are just too many choices. Why do they have to make it so confusing???
Has anyone here tried one of them and can they tell me what they think?
FWIW, I have used Turbo Lister before (and before that, Mr. Lister), so I am familiar with that. I guess I am looking for something that manages my sales, helps me send emails, etc.
Thanks in advance.
Answer
Just wanted to say "hi" and welcome back, syntheticforms!
Where's your alien avitar?
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I use SAB but started with the program when it was still a private company and many thought the best product in the field at the time.
After eBay purchased the company the quality went downhill and the cost went way, way up. I've just never made the effort to move everything and learn a new program.
I would say find an independent company but eBay changes so much, so often and breaks everything in sequence that the independent companies have a very difficult time staying current.
SAB is all you need for a light/moderate number of listings but I would wait for some suggestions about independent companies before making a choice.
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The Seller Manager products were fine for sending out emails. But they did an awful job of keeping a database. They omitted the customer information, so you'd have everything but who you sold the stuff to! I don't know if that's been changed, but a lot of people (including myself) told eBay how necessary this info was to proper recordkeeping, especially for state sales tax purposes.
The system that might work best for you will depend on the volume of business that you do.
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I don't use those tools, but I wanted to stop in and say "Welcome back"
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I tried SAP (Seller Assistant Pro) and found it to be the worst software I have ever used in my life! I have used s/w for pc's for over 20 years and obviously not a newbie. It is so poorly written and the user interface (what you see on the screen) is like someone took a bowl of spaghetti and threw it against the wall. It's poorly organized and totally non-intuitive.
Given all that, if it had done the job, I could have dealt with it. But it didn't do too well in that area either.
The obvious 1st step was to import my existing and completed auction. Well, it did, except it added many things to each item, like the free ad for SAP on the bottom, etc. It also "forgot" to inlcude my gallery images.
I asked the eBay SAP user's group for help and most of the people who used them told me that there's a loooong learning curve. Some mentioned that they have been using it for two years and still have not figured out how to use all of the "features". I told them that means they are paying $24.95/mo for something they are not fully using.
Anyway, to make a long story short, don't waste your time on this junk.
BTW, I forgot to say that there's a 30 day "free" trial. When the 30 days are over, they flood you with spam asking you to sign up. I didn't sign up, but they have billed my account $24.95 every month regardless. It took me almost 5 months to stop the biling and to get a refund.
Another example of an 800lb. gorilla at work.
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Thanks for the replies and thanks for the warm welcome back. I didn't even know anyone would remember me!
OK, SAP is Seller's Assistant Pro... Is SAB Seller's Assistant Basic? Just a guess.
Also, what about Seller's Manager? Some of these tools appear to be integrated into My eBay (i.e. not separate software).
Am I correct?
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I think, but with eBay who ever knows, that SAB (yes, Seller Ass't Basic) is mostly for those needing listing support and maybe other services.
Manager is a supplement for those who use the listing form (SYI), Turbo Lister or independent listers. These people are not looking for listing help but want other services.
SAB is a variation of the original program, does certain basic listing functions well, has a good user support base and might, at least, serve as a standard to measure other programs against.
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So is Selling Manager junk also? I have used Turbo Lister and don't really need the listing features of another tool (although I might use them if I had them). If Selling Manager would work, I will install it and try it out. $4.99 a month doesn't sound bad.
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It's not junk. It just didn't do what I needed it to do for my business.
The basic version is cheap and you get the first 30 days free. You'll know well enough if it's for you before you start getting charged for it.