posted on January 23, 2001 05:12:23 AM
Has anybody tried this? Seems like it might be good for those of us who are computer challenged. If anybody uses it, I would like to see your results. If you don't want your address here, e-mail me at [email protected]. Thanks.
posted on January 23, 2001 09:01:53 PM
One of the largest downsides I see with Auctiva, is that when you click on one of the gallery images, once you go into that auction you can't use the "back" button to get out.
No biggie to experienced users, but not too good for new users.
It also takes approx 15 seconds for the pages to load, and I have cable.
I'm not sure how long someone on a 56 K modem would have to wait for the gallery page to load?
If I read the Honesty info correctly, they only give you 4 gallery images per page, which is a joke IMO.
posted on January 24, 2001 01:09:35 AM
Thanks for the input. I'll check out auctiva and it looks like I make just have to learn to do my own web page and links finally.
posted on January 24, 2001 05:27:43 AM
You might want to check "my auction gallery". It's relatively new and had been free but now they're talking about 'contributions'based on volume so I don't know how that'll turn out. What I like about it is that it puts all your items on one page, I also like that it does NOT list the price next to the picture. It gets people to look at it, read the description and find out why it's more than $.99. I don't have much out there right now, just enough to keep things open but my userid on ebay = [email protected]. Take a look, you can go into 'my auction gallery from any of the listings and click on the palette at the top, that will take you into their site for more info.
posted on January 24, 2001 05:40:42 AM
Hello,
I like the Honesty gallery page. I use to create my own by putting everything in gallery at .25c each and putting the link in my auction.
This is much cheaper and sometimes I have so many listings that it is nice that bidders can browse my page with its own search.
Plus they let you feature and customize.
I don't think they will let me put my link here to it but my user id is lanetzliving
and all my auctions have a "view my gallery" link on them.
Thanks for taking the time to look at my honesty gallery. I am not sure why it did not show up for you. I went to check to see if there was a problem and they all showed up for me. here is the url http://www.andale.com/[email protected]&mid=1&channelId=honesty"
ARe you redeer on ebay so I can see your gallery? I am always interested in how others do it.
Not sure if this is permissable and please remove it moderater if it is not allow and accept my apologies,
Blessings from Kansas,
Janet @ lanetzliving
[ edited by lanetzliving on Jan 24, 2001 08:03 AM ]
Just checked out your gallery, and it is lovely as are your auction ads, you are to be congratulated. I see so many half done, poorly worded ads, that I really appreciate an ad that is so engaging.
I personally feel that the more attractive, and carefully created an ad is, tells me a great deal about the seller. I have seen ads for very unique items, for instance an antique sewing machine, is photographed either in someone’s back yard, or on a garage floor with junk all around, and even if the item is unique I am very suspect about the condition of the item if the seller cares so little for it, and the buyer’s impression that they don’t clean the machine and at least photograph it in a clean setting.
I wanted to see how you were handling your gallery, but when I checked under reddeer on eBay I found no auctions and a user with only 1 feedback, so guess you aren't reddeer on eBay....
Would love to see how you are doing your gallery, like others, I do like to view new and unique ideas for auctions.
On the other hand, I don't see how a private gallery, replaces the eBay or Yahoo galleries. I am strictly a seller, but when I go in to check various auctions, I click on the gallery to that section - since I feel many folks do searches this way, I don't see how the private gallery can replace this function.
I do like the extra promotion a gallery within any given ad gives your other auction exposure, but I don't see it replaces the eBay Gallery. If you disagree, I'll be very happy to understand you view.
posted on January 24, 2001 08:31:16 AM
lanetzliving
I just checked out your gallery page also, and you too have very attractive ads.
BUT when you compare the size and clarity of the pictures on "My Auction Gallery," and the Honesty Gallery that lanetzliving
is using, the pictures by [email protected] in "My Auction Gallery" are much larger, and clearer for the browser to see.
IF I were using the Honesty Gallery, I’d find a flashy icon to put in to link to the gallery as I feel just the written link can easily be overlooked, compared to the flashing icon of “My Auction Gallery.”
On the other hand, the information which is on the Honesty Gallery of price, etc., is also a nice feature. But since I feel buyers look more than they read, I think "My Auction Gallery, " if justus22 is a standard example, then My Auction Gallery" has much better picture quality.
I have never used either of these systems, do they work with anything but eBay?
[ edited by jwpc on Jan 24, 2001 09:02 AM ]
I still use the gallery on ebay for many auctions especially collectibles and high end items.
I like the honesty gallery because I no longer need to spend a quarter on the small ticket auctions that I may start for a dollar or two.
Good luck on your auctions!
Blessings from Kansas,
Janet
posted on January 24, 2001 08:47:26 AM
Just took a peek at jayadiaz gallery.
It was very nice !!!!!!! Great Job!
and I am going to check into them further.
thanks jwpc for your excellent comparison of the two.
This is a great thread and I am enjoying what I am learning here!
posted on January 24, 2001 08:51:21 AM
I just reviewed a number of the galleries on Auctiva and found their picture quality extremely low. I don't know what type of optimizer they are using but the picture quality doesn't compare to "My Auction Gallery" or the Honesty Gallery.
I looked at about 10 galleries on Auctive to make sure the photography problem wasn't the seller providing poor pictures, but after 10 and only 1 with any acceptable quality, I can't see using this particular service, since picture quality is so poor, often I had no idea what I was viewing!
To get pictures to load at the speed all the galleries do, it is obvious they have to be optimized, but the optimizing on Auctive is clearly evident.
We optimize our own pictures before posting them on our web site or auctions, and you can easily see in the Auctive galleries the evidence of an over optimized picture. BUT the picture quality is also a problem there.
I think we will do a test via "My Auction Gallery" and perhaps "Honesty."
I really appreciate this thread as I hadn't bothered with this promotional idea as we left eBay almost a year ago and moved to Yahoo and were selling so fast that we didn't need any additional exposure, but since the fee enactment at Yahoo the bottom has dropped out of their market and we are reverting to eBay and some of the newer, smaller auctions.
Thanks for your thought and insight on why to use the "personal" gallery to replace lower cost items, instead of the eBay Gallery. I am sure you are right when dealing with items in that very moderate price range.
As far as pic quality, yes, I agree, auctiva stinks. My Auction Gallery is VERY easy for a buyer who wants to do a quick scan of your items [which is all MOST buyers want to do], plus, unlike Auctiva you don't have to close the window to get out of the auction page once you click into it. With My Auction Gallery you simply hit the back button, which for new users is VERY important.
Also, I find the loading time for Auctiva Gallery pages to be veeeeeeeery slow, and I have cable.
lanetzliving ........ I'll go try your Gallery page again.
posted on January 24, 2001 09:52:08 AM
Reddeer,
Just took a peek at your gallery and was very impressed!
Loved your me page too by the way, it was so interesting.
I am going to the honesty forum and let them know the problems some are having with viewing my items.
Thanks for letting me know this,
Blessings from Kansas,
JAnet
posted on January 24, 2001 10:02:54 AM
Glad to help, and thanks.
BTW - I think another thing many sellers are missing with the Gallery, is having the link at the end of the ad.
IMO it's much better to have that link up near the top of your ad, so at least if they aren't interested in bidding on that particular item, they may go have a peek at some of the other items you're selling.
posted on January 24, 2001 10:04:25 AM
Thank you all for your compliments on my gallery. You make me blush (smile). As far as I know you can only use it with eBay right now. There's a pretty long wish list that he's working on as sellers make suggestions for improvements so it's still a work in progress. He's added a lot of things since I first signed up.
I have to tell you that the number of hits has grown tremendously, especially since I moved the link up to the description.
I also find that if I pepper my listings with more popular items in Ebay's Gallery I can skip it on some of the smaller items and still move them. I've been getting more multiple purchase buyers and they often comment that they love the gallery.
I know when I'm shopping and I find a seller with more than 2-3 pages of listings I rarely look at more than a page or two, it takes too long and doesn't hold my interest. But most people love 'show and tell'.
posted on January 24, 2001 10:08:50 AM
jayadiaz ..... I agree 100% with your last post.
BTW - I just had a look at your Gallery, and if I might suggest something to you, lose the red font. I have SUPER eyesight, and I have a VERY difficult time reading the red font in your gallery.
I've noticed this with other sellers using My Auction Gallery as well. Most of them use that ultra flourescent glowing font, and on a dark background, it makes my eyes go buggy.
They have numerous color combos that you can use that are much easier to read for the average person.
posted on January 24, 2001 10:11:55 AM
Jay,
I thought you were working! **grin**
After looking at both yours and reddeers auvtiond I am moving my link up. I so agree with you!
Thanks for pointing that out.
posted on January 24, 2001 11:25:48 AM
Well , yes. It only works if you have your items on the gallery.
Sooo... you have to keep giving those quarters to eBay
I still use it, altough I have both the Auctiva showcase and My Auction Gallery on all my listings.
posted on January 24, 2001 03:45:01 PM
Hmm, interesting. Yes the pictures do seem clearer at the my gallery place so I looked a little and found out why.
They are bigger images. They are about twice the size of the ones at Auctiva or Honesty.
So my page of 25 gallery listings at Auctiva is about 25 times about 2k. So 50k. The ones at my gallery would be about 25 auctions times 5k. I looked at lantzliving ebay and see his thumbnails are only 80 pixels wide or tall but are about the same size as auctiva. They didn't look any clearer to me and to be honest, no pun intended. You can check for yourslef. I went to www.auctiva.com/buyer and created a buyer showcase to see. The images are the same blurriness on Auctiva and Honesty, but the Honesty images are smaller so it's harder to notice. Here is the best example. Check out the "Roman Soldier Sterling Silver Gold Mans Ring" in both. To get the image size I just clicked my right mouse button in Internet Explorer over the images and went to properties
It works out where someone on a 28.8k modem would wait about two and half times longer at my gallery than Auctiva or Honesty. A little over a minute. Like I said thats too long when you have multiple pages.
Also my gallery wouldn't even work for me. They put all items on one page. So if you have more than 25 items the page becomes huge and would take years to download! I'd be screwed. I guess if you have less than 25 then maybe it's ok. But that 1 minute load time when you have multiple pages is not an option.
The other problem with both "my gallery" and honesty is that neither really helps you market yourself.
The great thing about my Auctiva showcase is that I use it like crazy in my EOA emails and every other place I can think of to get customers to bookmark it or go there to look for my auctions. So it's more of a full fledge deal with all the tabs there. More buyer confidense = more buyers for me I think.
I can see the merits of all 3. Depends on the type of seller you are. If you want big slow images that look better and you dont do a lot of auctions then my gallery, if you want to pay $6 for something that is free at 2 other places and has the smallest images use Honesty. If you want something in the middle that can help you market yourself Auctiva.
Just like why we use AuctionWatch and not andale or goto. There are tradeoffs for each. For me the current gallery of choice is still Auctiva.
posted on January 24, 2001 03:55:09 PM
Am I missing something here??
Some of you are paying 25 cents for an outside gallery? Why not list your items in eBay's gallery and create your own gallery page using the search feature?
If you don't use eBay's gallery, you don't get images on the search pages!
posted on January 24, 2001 03:57:21 PM
If you look at my other thread from yesterday "A question for TwinSoft," there is some pretty good Gallery info there...
