Question
Hi,
What auction management software do you use and reccomend for selling.
I list about 200 auctions a month plus I have an eBay store. I need some sort of software to automate things in order to increase my sales. I currently manually enter data into an Excel spreadsheet but it's taking too much time.
The features I'm looking for are:
Inventory tracking
Automated relisting/reposting (as long as inventory is shown in system)
Automated feedback when positive feedback is left.
Automated emails when payment recieved, item shipped.
Works with auctions, BIN, second chance and store listings
Keeps track of Sold, Unsold, Paid, UnPaid auctions
Accurate invoices, ability to combine invoices
Printable packing slips
I've tried a few systems; AcutionSage never seemed to get the correct fees from eBay and the interface was not intuitive. AuctionWizard2000 didn't find my second chance sales. Spare Dollar says Inventory is "Comming Soon". Channel Advisor is pricey and limits the number of auctions per month. Vendio charge fees for each auction (I think I'm paying eBay enough as it is).
Sad to say but Ebay's Selling Manager Pro seems to be the easiest to use and has all the features I need. I just would rather not use it as it seems like I'm putting all my eggs in eBays basket. I think I'd be better off with independent software so there is no conflict of interest. Maybe I'm thinking too much.
I know there are more programs out there ( I just heard about Ink Frog) so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction.
Thanks,
-y
Answer
Auctionbytes has a listing comparing the various auction management offerings. I use a Mac, so my options are more limited and I can't really recommend any of these but periodically I read through it to see whats up. http://auctionbytes.com/cab/pages/ams
Answer
Channeladvisor is pricey but I have never had any of the problems other people complain about. I have been with them about 4 years now and been more than satisfied. There is a limit and you pay extra for going over it but it sounds like you would be under the limit.
Answer
I agree, I've been using ChannelAdvisor for years now and their downtime is extremely minimal compared to any other service I've ever used. When they do have a problem (rare) they're very quick to fix it. A couple of months ago (I think) they had a temporary image hosting problem that wasn't really their fault, but they gave everyone with auctions listed a refund, amount depended on how many auctions you had that were affected by the outage. I was completely impressed by that. They do a good job of keeping up with the constant changes eBay is making as well.
Answer
Thanks for the feedback Jojisube and DMH,
I have heard good things about Channel Advisor and I'm sure the extra efficiency would make up for the cost but it did seem expensive.
On the other hand I saw that MarketWorks charges a minimum $0.20 final value fee per transaction which means that 500 succesful auctions would cost a minimum of $100 which makes Channel Advisor seem cheap.
I'll definitely check it out now.
Thanks,
-y
Answer
Seller Assistant Pro will do all that and more.
Well worth the learning curve, and the buzz is that the upcoming new version release will be full of improvements.
$24.99 a month, I think. PC based, not web based.
Answer
www.AuctionWorks.com
--- not too shabby!