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 shagmidmod
 
posted on March 31, 2013 10:05:41 AM new
Curious to know if anyone is using Vendio's E-Commerce Software Solutions to sell through their site, Facebook, and eBay/Amazon?

If so, what has been your experience?

I remember when they started it that the cost was $100 a month, now they have a tiered system, but they are limited and the two entry levels will give you limited listings (100 or 250) and either eBay or Amazon, but not both. You don't get both until you hit $80 a month and then you still have to pay eBay/Amazon fees.

Just doesn't seem economical no matter how "convenient" Vendio makes managing inventory between cross platforms.

I'd be interested in trying it if I had access to the full system for a 6 month trial to see how it works, but I am not willing to pay $480 to experiment with Vendio without some solid proof that their system is worth it.

 
 lostmymojo
 
posted on March 31, 2013 01:42:43 PM new
How are you going to list your items on AMZN,do you need to have a pro merchant account?
I mean with books and appliances ,you dont need an account,just key in the ISBN or manufacturing number and list them as the template already exists on AMZN ,but with your furniture and fixtures or collectibles,there is no ISBN or manufacturing serial number,you need a pro merchant account to list them,and will anyone find and buy it?
Also jewelry and electronics and toys are restricted categories,check the requriements first

 
 lostmymojo
 
posted on March 31, 2013 01:45:34 PM new
I sell books and movies (VHS AND dvd) on AMZN,HALF.COM and BARNES and Noble.
When it is sold on one venue,I just manually remove it on the other two.
I sold so few,it is not a big effort to remove them manually.

 
 shagmidmod
 
posted on March 31, 2013 08:15:30 PM new
We actually offer some new items as well and look to add to our current stock over the next few years.

That is exactly my point though. Vendio expects you to pay $80-100 a month to sell on both eBay and Amazon. Then you have to pay $40-50 in monthly Amazon subscription fees, add on the $50 a month for a mid level subscription to eBay and you are now in about $200 a month just to be subscribed, let alone the eBay FVF fees/ Paypal payment processing for items that sold.

Yes, Vendio incorporates an inventory system that manages across all channels... but I just don't see where $80-100 a month attracts sellers to willing to give it time to make it work. This likely explains why I see many Vendio websites not functioning properly. Sellers likely gave up after a few months getting hit with these fees without results. That is a steep price to pay to have inventory management, especially if smaller independent websites don't cut it alone.



 
 momseller
 
posted on March 31, 2013 08:46:25 PM new
whats the alternative service that does the same thing as all of that for less? thanks!
 
 merrie
 
posted on April 1, 2013 06:15:55 AM new
I tried listing some new items on Amazon a few years ago. They were high quality art glass items. Macy's was my only competitor & my items were priced considerably less. I never sold one item.


 
 shagmidmod
 
posted on April 1, 2013 07:13:28 AM new
I listed some items on Amazon as a test run about 8 months ago. I pulled them this week.

The problem is that without a Pro Merchant account, I can't be competitive. Amazon requires a Pro Merchant account to offer "free shipping". The items are sold at the MAP set by the manufacturer, but we can offer free shipping. We can't lower the price and charge the difference in shipping.

It seems ridiculous that Amazon doesn't allow all sellers to charge what they want for shipping.

 
 lostmymojo
 
posted on April 1, 2013 07:40:22 AM new
You may consider this -
say you have ordered quantity=10 for each item from your supplier.
You list 5 on AMZN and 5 on Ebay,when 5 are sold out on AMZN,you take some from Ebay and relist the item on AMZN ,AND VICE VERSA.
I dont know of any service which would do what Vendio does,may be Rubylane ??

 
 shagmidmod
 
posted on April 1, 2013 07:42:47 AM new
I used to use Vendio to manage my auctions on eBay, but quit doing so about 3 years ago. I didn't sell from a website.

Now, Vendio offers a full e-commerce solution that allows you to control your inventory from one location for your website + eBay + Amazon + Facebook.

I am curious to know if anyone is using this system - including a website. How is it working and whether they find this system worth the money. I am interested in changing our website to a full on marketplace.

3D Cart offers website creation/inventory management, but I do not believe it includes cross-platform inventory management. What I like about 3D Cart is its user interface and it offers something that no other cart service does... Make An Offer, which for collectibles is great!

3 years ago I switched to Mac because I was fed up with Windows and found that it was less expensive to operate Applications on a Mac vs. the software and subscription costs for Windows.

My iMac cost $1000
Garage Sale App $35 flat fee
CheckBook Pro $29 flat fee
Total Cost: $1064

Windows based computer $650
Vendio subscription: $920 a year (two accounts @ $80 month)
Quickbooks: $200
* Total Cost after one year: $1770

Over the course of the 3 years I had this iMac, I saved over $2500. I sell off my computer every three years to make sure to get maximum value out of it. I sold my iMac for $800 last December. I can't get that resale value out of a Windows computer.

I bring this up because I found Vendio to be expensive when comparing services when I switched platforms. I am looking for an online system to manage our website, and just want to know how their new system works.
[ edited by shagmidmod on Apr 1, 2013 07:45 AM ]
 
 lostmymojo
 
posted on April 1, 2013 07:43:24 AM new
There are some complaints about AMZN from the small stores selling on AMZN Marketplace.
They claim that AMZN watches what is hot and what sells best,AMZN will start selling and offer lower price and free shipping and these stores cannot compete as they dont order enough to get price discount.

 
 lostmymojo
 
posted on April 1, 2013 07:44:15 AM new
Shag,
you forget to mention,there is also AMZN fee of 15% and you must use AMZN One Click to accept payment.

 
 shagmidmod
 
posted on April 1, 2013 07:55:37 AM new
Yes, and I discussed this with one of our wholesalers. Amazon was offering their product below their MAP pricing. The wholesaler said he sent a letter to Amazon telling them they would no longer be selling their product to Amazon because Amazon violated their policies.

Obviously, most businesses could care less. They will sell their goods if Satan himself was buying it.



 
 shagmidmod
 
posted on April 1, 2013 08:00:41 AM new
SolidCommerce.com is a site that provides cross-platform inventory management - no website. They charge a percentage.

They have a minimum of $200 in fees (which is $18,000 monthly sales). In addition, they offer image hosting: 5GB for $25.

I laughed so hard at these rates.



 
 shagmidmod
 
posted on April 1, 2013 08:08:45 AM new
AutoMCF offers cross platform inventory service for $24 a month, but doesn't provide this for websites which is what I would prefer.



 
 lostmymojo
 
posted on April 1, 2013 08:46:22 AM new
you also have to keep in mind,price is not everything,some service providers may be cheap but go out of business,then you have to spend hours starting all over with another provider or live with none.
With AMZN Pro mechant account,you dont have to pay the 99 cents transaction fee per sale,so if you sell 40 per month,you pretty much get it free.
What sells on AMzn are mostly things people can consume or use in their daily life-read a book,watch a movie or operate it like dvd player,tv set,grill,cooker etc while Ebay is more for collectibles,do you want to list everything you have on both sites?
I dont sell books on EBAY,they are on AMZN,1/2COM and B&N,and none of my Ebay stuff is on other sites.

 
 lostmymojo
 
posted on April 1, 2013 08:53:40 AM new
I dont know what you are going to sell on AMZN,things that you order from your supplier?
If you can order from your US suppliers,so can everyone else,so you may not sell much unless you want to make peanuts.
In some cases,your suppliers could be selling on AMZN as well,if not the supplier,then their employees and their relatives.

 
 shagmidmod
 
posted on April 1, 2013 09:06:05 AM new
we would be researching what sells and who sells it before buying into those companies.

we are not looking for items that "everybody" can sell.

we want products that are more exclusive, not mass produced in China or other countries that have poor manufacturing, socio-economic, and environmental standards.

many products will be made locally. Portland is much different than most cities across the USA. We have a strong, thriving economy based on small businesses that care about its manufacturing process, how it pays employees, and its impact on the environment. These are real products, made in the USA for market, not micro crafted items with no UPC codes.

I could care less about how "everybody" else does it. It just won't fly with us if it doesn't meet these guidelines. We won't sell out on our values.

 
 otteropp
 
posted on April 2, 2013 09:07:18 AM new
Have a look at Volusion. I haven't researched it thoroughly but they do advertise eBay integration.

 
 momseller
 
posted on April 2, 2013 09:43:52 AM new
i thought volusion was just a store thing only???
 
 lostmymojo
 
posted on April 2, 2013 10:02:57 AM new
No,Volusion offers more,facebook and Ebay
But to have ebay integration ,it is 125,195 a month and no mention of AMZN.

 
 lostmymojo
 
posted on April 2, 2013 10:08:45 AM new
If you want to sell on multiple venues,be careful with AMZN-
if you cant fill an order whether it is lost or sold elsewhere,do it a few times and AMZN get pissed,it would ask you for a better inventory management plan ,and may close your account.

 
 alldings
 
posted on April 3, 2013 12:24:18 PM new
I have been reading your posts for how ever long you have been posting. You paint a picture of being a skilled business person. We would all like to make a few more bucks even a lot more bucks. Not sure how Ecommerce works but shag Commerce seems to be working very well!
 
 shagmidmod
 
posted on April 3, 2013 04:27:27 PM new
lol. thanks alldings. there is always room for improvement though.

About 4 months ago I started using an eBay app called, "webstore". Basically, it allows me to display my eBay items directly on my website. It works as it states, but it is quite limited. I can't control the layout or much at all other than including our business logo in the header and adding a contact page. It features one item from your items, but I don't have any control over the item. It could be a $15 widget or a $3000 piece of furniture. There are many other things I would prefer to control with this as well, but I can't.

So, I am looking at a means of listing items on our website and eBay account with the possibility of controlling inventory through both... but I don't want to fork out a ton of cash on an experiment. I am done with all that.

Our current website and eBay names handles everything, but I don't want it to. I want to create a new identity that offers higher end products, both new and some vintage. The Make An Offer feature from 3D Carts would be perfect for our vintage items, and wouldn't be used for our new product lines.

Oddly, nobody from Vendio has chimed in on this discussion to "sell" me on their new programs and nobody else has mentioned whether they operate a website through Vendio. Sounds like it isn't a popular program.

 
 lostmymojo
 
posted on April 3, 2013 07:46:40 PM new
Bill has his own website,not sure if he is using Vendio.
When Yahoo has its auctions,you can drop items from your Yahoo shop to Yahoo Auction.
AMZN shop can drop items to AMZN auction,but I think AMZN phases out its auction site long ago.
Rubylane is the only one where you can drop items to Ebay and at one time AMZN auction as well.
So,if this Ebay app you are using shows only one item at a time,what good is it?
[ edited by lostmymojo on Apr 3, 2013 07:47 PM ]
 
 shagmidmod
 
posted on April 4, 2013 08:28:40 AM new
It features one item at the top in a large 1/3 page banner, but shows all of the listings. I have no control over which item is featured in the banner or what order the other items are seen.

 
 lostmymojo
 
posted on April 4, 2013 08:45:09 AM new
The only way I found Vendio store is thru Ebay,recently I bought some small items from an Ebay seller and the invoice takes me to his website and it is a vendio store.

 
 
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