Yes, one thing comes to mind to be careful of ... particularly if you "edit" your auction.
As I understand it, you plan to offer your books as BidSafe only offerings.
This means that you click, on payment types, just the box allowing BidSafe, making sure to leave all other payment options "unselected."
Auctions.com will add, to clarify for the buyer, the selection of "Mastercard/Visa" automatically as those are the "acceptable" credit cards through BidSafe.
However, if you edit the auction you'll see that the "mastercard/visa" alternative is now "selected."
You will now need to "deselect" (unselect?) the Mastercard/Visa box if you edit the auction or the software will think you allow that payment type "independently" from BidSafe.
Because it not interprets the second payment type (Mastercard/Visa), it will let people bid on your auction who are not Free BidSafe Buyers.
While we will fix this in a future version of the software and will credit you the commissions if it happens, it does cause a lot more paper work.
So the best IDEA is to "uncheck" MasterCard/Visa as a payment type everytime you edit (and only when you edit) an auction. Of course when you list it "don't select" Mastercard/Visa then either!
I hope I've communicated this effectively. If I haven't let me know and I'll try explaining it again.
posted on December 5, 1999 02:04:00 PM new
Yes, Pay! I believe I understand precisely what you describe, and I thank you for the heads up, particularly as I expect to have to use te EDIT function BIG TIME, at least for a while.
It has been quite some time since I listed any item for sale anywhere, and the last 2 times I took a break, I also had "cold feet" and the auctions I created were absolutely PATHETIC. LOL!!!
It takes me quite some time to get BACK into the ~~FLOW~~ of listing, and I was actually afraid to try anything out, as I suspected that perhaps there were some liddle idiosyncracies associated specifically with EDIT.
posted on December 5, 1999 02:28:50 PM new
Offhand, does anybody know if there is a character LIMIT to the Item Description?
At Amazon, it was 4000 - but it worked out FINE for me, except when I listed more than 1 title in the same auction. The system their always accepted a full 4000 characters from WebTV. NOT so, eBay, which when using WebTV to list invariable cuts off the description and the ONLY way to add-to-the-description was AFTER receiving a bid. LOL!
Later tonight, I hope to announce how Auctions.com interfaces with WebTV, but I still need to know the CHARACTER LIMIT here, just in case it becomes mandatory that I do editing of the auctions over at the public Internet access puters, which ALWAYS will work for the full character count.
I am personally unaware of any particular character limit for an auction on auctions.com.
We do have like a 45 character limit for our "title" (When ever I think about it I say we ought to increase it a bit!) but I am unaware of any "site" imposed limit on the auction description.
We are like eBay in that respect (My understanding is that the problem you have on WebTV on eBay would be caused by WebTV's limits.)
So, the same could be true on auctions.com. Bottom line, I can't say that webTV will let you list a long description, because of some internal caches unique to the WebTV operating system. I just don't know.
Do let me know if you run into a problem using webTV during listing.
A bit more about the webTV thing. Just because I don't know doesn't mean our service folks don't know.
In fact, I'm sure our service Department is aware any of those kinds of problems and if you experience any, I'll have to check with them.
Second, I can think of another work around which would work on eBay as well as auctions.com.
That trick would be to put your words into a "picture" but given my limited knowledge of WebTV, I don't even think that would work because you can make pictures that easily with that system.
posted on December 5, 1999 06:02:48 PM new
Hi again!
As far as I can determine thus far, with only ONE example, Auctions.com appears to be VERY WebTV-Friendly.
Amazing!
This is the FIRST auction site where cut-&-paste doesn't seem to go into any "frenzy", whatsoever, which elswhere occasionally requires repair.
QUESTION: Why am I asked while listing if I ship to home country only, or if I ship internationally -- uhm, I don't see any indication of that information on the actual auction, itself.
That's great news that webTV is working for you without a hitch.
I have no way of testing it but I think it will prevent an international buyer -- say one who registered from Singapore -- from bidding on your item. That at least is the intention. (I don't claim omnipotence as to all the features)
I will say that if you're offering your items via BidSafe only, the requirement for a credit card will prevent international buyers from bidding and winning unless they have a US or Canadian credit card.
If you want to open your market to buyers outside this area (and for the short term California if you are offering the BidSafe only payment option -- you know about that restriction already) you can state in your auction description that "international buyers (other than Canada) and buyers from California should make a specific offer. If that offer is acceptable and there are no other bidders, you may, at your discretion, close the auction and arrange a private sale.
You're right. It almost sounded like I'm encouraging fee avoidance. I'm not. Just trying to be practical (and get away from my reputation of writing long, long posts!!!
Let's me try again. Assume you're intention is to sell on the auctions using only BidSafe.
You list a book and an old customer from California -- someone you've done a lot of business with -- posts you and says, "I've got to have that book. I've been looking for it for the last 10 years and I'll give $100 for it but I can bid on it because I'm from California (or England) and can't do a BidSafe auction!"
Anyway, you know you'll get the money and you decided, because the person who really, really wants the book, you are going to sell it to them for the $100.
You have two options. First, you could certainly relist the book as a "for sale" item at the $100 agreed-to price so you'd have a record of it and allow payment by check, money order, what have you. You would avoid the credit card fees this way (3.5% of the total sale). You would pay the 2.5% on the "sale" amount and 0% on shipping fees.
You have a second option. If you had only one copy of that book, and it was currently listed as a BidSafe auction, you could edit it to allow other types of payment.
If you chose the first -- closing the auction; you would have to close the "BidSafe" auction before you listed the item as a regular for sale item -- assuming you have no bids.
The key is, if you want auctions.com to handle the sale or auction money for sure, you can specify BidSafe only and that means your buyers have to live in North America and have a valid credit card.
If a customer of your's insists on paying another way -- and YOU decide to sell to them with another payment form -- you will have to either edit the auction or close the BidSafe only sale/auction and do the for-sale item.
Certainly, I wasn't encouraging "fee avoidance" I would hope you would edit the auction to other payment types or at least relist the item as a regular forsale or auction item.
Still, I'm sure not going to fly where ever you are and put a gun to your head and make you.
posted on December 6, 1999 12:43:26 PM new
Is it possible to use an ampersand - & in the title field, (instead of "and" or does the "&" NOT work, and simply mess up the entire auction title?
First, let me correct something. The title lenght is 40 characters, not 45. I guess I was still hoping.
Regarding the use of the "&" my best guess is you can use it. I did a test and didn't see a problem.
About the only problem I see, and I think we "trap" it most of the time is the use of quotation marks.
BTW: It is not impossible for folks to try something like this.
Second, because our search does default to include both the title and description, it is not as critical to include every imaginable keyword in your title.
or does the "&" NOT work, and simply mess up the entire auction title?