jayadiaz
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posted on July 14, 2001 08:40:04 AM
I just received this e-mail. It figures since I paid for it a couple of months ago, any opinions on the options given?Dear Invenna Customers,
It is with great regret that Invenna announces it will cease most operations
on September 1, 2001. Many reasons have combined to force this difficult
decision: an unforeseen revenue drop, continued losses, an increasing amount
of resources required to keep up with eBay changes, the resulting support,
and an inability to retain unpaid employees. Consequently, Invenna simply
doesn't have the resources to continue.
If you have further questions please visit our FAQ page regarding the
shutdown.
http://www.invenna.com/support/transition_faq.htm
Email support for AuctionAmigo paid users will continue through August 1st,
2001. We will strive to keep updating to eBay's ongoing changes until
September 1st. After this point, AuctionAmigo may or may not continue to
synch properly with eBay.
To ease the transition from AuctionAmigo, Invenna has made special
arrangements for all paid users. Two companies have made the gracious offer
to provide a deep discount or extended trial of their auction management
systems for an extended period of time. You have the choice of a either
ChannelFusion Pro--a comprehensive suite of web based auction management
tools, or Auctiva--a full set of off-line auction management tools. You will
be receiving emails from us regarding both of these companies very soon
regarding their services and specifics about their offers. We highly
recommend that you consider these special offers to help you as you continue
selling.
We very much encourage you to make the transition to one of these services
as quickly as possible. We have tried to give as much notice as possible for
you to make this transition.
Thanks to everyone for a great experience and for supporting us during our
efforts to provide you with the best auction management experience possible.
We have the warmest regard for all our users and hope you continue to
prosper selling on eBay, and that your business has benefited from
AuctionAmigo. This decision was a very difficult one because we did not want
to stop doing what we've enjoyed over the past two years. Many of you were
responsible for our enjoyment and have kept our spirits up with your praise
and understanding, and we thank you for this. We hope you can all understand
that we simply can't continue given our circumstances. Thanks again.
Sincerely,
Invenna Software
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kidsfeet
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posted on July 14, 2001 08:45:06 AM
I may attempt a chargeback with my card, since they SHOULD have warned us this was coming. I have not been able to use their software for a long time, since they have not been creating fixes for it.
Pisses me off.
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jadejim
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posted on July 14, 2001 08:45:33 AM
Just got my notice as well. I am about to cry! I only used it for listing but it worked better than the others I've tried.
Any ideas as to how channel fusion works?
I have auctiva and cant make the eposter part work for pictures hosted eanywhere but with auctiva.
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Empires
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posted on July 14, 2001 08:45:33 AM
Sucks They were one of the good ones!
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magazine_guy
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posted on July 14, 2001 09:02:50 AM
Well, I give Invenna a lot of credit. They have to make the announcement at some point-- and unlike most dot.coms that are calling it quits, they make arrangements with competitors to transition their customers, and offer continuing support for their product for several weeks (and state an attempt to continue updates to the software longer than that).
That's a class act in my book. They didn't have to do any of that.
This is a tough market. More and more companies going to recurring fees of some sort (as opposed to single purchase software), due to the cost of support and upgrades caused by eBay's changes. The one-time purchase software for auction management may not be a valid business model, although a few companies with good products are still making a go of it.
Auctiva and Channel Fusion are both good products. Both have multi-site support-- something Invenna didn't have. The big difference, IMO, is that Channel Fusion is web-based, and Auctiva Pro is software you download on your computer. Pros and cons to both.
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nefish
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posted on July 14, 2001 09:05:19 AM
I feel just sick, too. My favorite company - my favorite auction product to use. 
I have NO IDEA what I will do now. Not to mention all the money I paid them - gone.....
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rnrgroup
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posted on July 14, 2001 09:15:47 AM
A real shame, they WERE a good company with a good product. This business environment is really tough as even really good products can't get the necessary funding to continue. We expect to see many more closings, not because the companies weren't doing the right things with a good product, but just because of the reaction to the dot com boom going bust. Sad.... Rosalinda
TAGnotes - daily email synopsis about the Online Auction Industry
http://www.topica.com/lists/tagnotes
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mrpotatoheadd
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posted on July 14, 2001 09:23:35 AM
Auctiva and Channel Fusion are both good products. Both have multi-site support-- something Invenna didn't have.
Auctiva has multi-site listing support, but does not have multi-site auction management support.
edited... typo
[ edited by mrpotatoheadd on Jul 14, 2001 09:24 AM ]
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magazine_guy
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posted on July 14, 2001 09:31:12 AM
Yep- I shoulda been more clear. Multi-site listing support for Auctiva.
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paintpower
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posted on July 14, 2001 09:39:30 AM
I've been using Auctiva for some time now and have been very happy with them. They do have glitches, but tell me what software program doesn't. I like the fact that I don't have to be online to work on my auctions and they've got a lot of stuff in the works that looks very good. I have a lot of extra free time because I use them for auction posting and management. I didn't have a minute of a problem setting it up to host my photos on my ISP web space. They have a nice forum where things like this can be discussed.
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vidpro2
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posted on July 14, 2001 10:15:58 AM
Add my regrets too. I thought Amigo Pro was a superior product. Unfortunately, Invenna was down to 2 people working basically around the clock trying to keep up with the changes to eBay's API.
vidpro2
http://www.auctionbytes.com
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debbielennon
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posted on July 14, 2001 10:36:33 AM
Any suggestions out there for a similar program?
I would prefer a non-web-based program that has listing and post-sale features like AA.
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dina9
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posted on July 14, 2001 10:56:51 AM
I use ChannelFusion, been using it since it was GOTO. Got in under the $120 per year flat fee for all services. NO final value fees and you can pick and choose what you want to use from the site. Have had NO problems.
If you can't get a refund on your fees paid then they would be a good choice.
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debbielennon
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posted on July 14, 2001 11:02:03 AM
Oh-----I should add that I also prefer a one-time fee.
Anyone use AuctionTrakker??
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magazine_guy
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posted on July 14, 2001 11:07:53 AM
Debbie:
Similar one-time-fee software products include AuctionTamer, AuctionTrakker, Shooting Star, and AuctionWizard2000. OAUA is about to publish a review of these (and several less-full-featured listing software products)-- should be out in a week or so.
Steve
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debbielennon
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posted on July 14, 2001 11:11:00 AM
Thanks Steve!
Much appreciated! I will look for it 
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vidpro2
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posted on July 14, 2001 11:15:10 AM
I have a little more information:
ChannelFusion and Auctiva will be giving 4 and 6 months, respectively, of free service to Invenna users who have paid for Auction Amigo Pro. My understanding is that there is no obligation to continue with either of these services once the grace period has ended.
Here's a transition FAQ on the Invenna Site http://www.invenna.com/support/transition_faq.htm
vidpro2
http://www.auctionbytes.com
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johnbuddyboy
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posted on July 14, 2001 11:35:02 AM
i totally agree with magazine_guy, Invenna has done a LOT more than they had to, and have clearly tried to do the right thing, unlike PhotoPoint who just shut down and didn't even post anything!
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mrpotatoheadd
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posted on July 14, 2001 12:40:43 PM
Oh-----I should add that I also prefer a one-time fee.
I don't know if I'd count on any company's claim of a "one-time fee" anymore.
eBud? One-time fee.... wrong! Now, it's pay as you go.
AuctionAmigo? One-time fee... wrong! Out of business.
Next!
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stranqe
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posted on July 14, 2001 12:50:49 PM
Couple of other auction management programs to try:
Auction Trakker(www.timbercreeksoftware.com)
Auction Tamer(www.auctiontamer.com)
Shooting Star(www.foodogsoftware.com)
I use Auction Trakker personally, but I have tried out the others extensively and can recommend them. It just boils down to personal tastes as to which one you like, they do pretty much the same things.
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araindrop5
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posted on July 14, 2001 02:54:30 PM
BOO HOO HOO!
I hate having to relearn another auction management software all over again.
Channel Fusion seems attractive with its unlimited photo hosting & one time yearly fee (with the discount for AA users)
I just may try them as I liked auction rover before they started charging a monthly fee. Oh well, I really need a software management system for my auctions so its inevitable that I will have to pay.
This is sad...Thank God I never used photopoint as thats dead too!!!
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keciaarm
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posted on July 14, 2001 06:29:31 PM
What are the pros and cons of web-based vs. software on your harddrive? Thanks!
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mrpotatoheadd
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posted on July 14, 2001 06:45:38 PM
cons to web-based:
1. One more link to fail- if myauctionmanager.com is down, so are you. With your hard drive, it's just you, your ISP and eBay (and considering eBay's track record, that's more than enough opportunity for trouble as it is).
2. As a buyer, I hate online checkout forms, and will not bid on items offered by sellers who use them unless I just absolutely have to have the item (and that hasn't happened yet).
That's two, anyway...
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stranqe
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posted on July 15, 2001 01:13:59 PM
I don't use web based tools just because I don't like my user name and password floating around on someone else's "secure" website. Just another thing to worry about.
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magazine_guy
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posted on July 15, 2001 01:22:24 PM
On the other hand, with PC based management software, if your computer crashes, you're out of business (at least for a while). With web-based, you can just use another PC to access your web-based systems.
Also, web-based services typically offer (for a fee) pic hosting, storefronts, shopping carts, and web-based checkout systems. These features are generally not offered with the PC based software packages.
On yet another hand, PC based software packages give you more control of your operation and your data. They are generally cheaper, and some don't have any recurring fees. The customer service is often (but not always) better at the smaller companies that offer PC-based software.
There's no "Best" solution for everyone, in my view.
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sun818
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posted on July 15, 2001 01:41:23 PM
FYI, password to auctionamigo.mdb Access database is "bobby" If the company is going bust, you can at least access the data for your purposes.
> AuctionTrakker??
I used AuctionAmigo a long time ago and made the transition AuctionTrakker after looking at the software features. Their support is excellent and the staff monitors their support site constantly.
The interface is definitely different, but you will see its automation power once you adjust.
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Joanne
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posted on July 15, 2001 01:54:02 PM
I switched to Shooting Star when I could not get AuctionAmigo to post auctions to eBay. I really like SS, and the support so far is amazing. I'm just afraid they'll end up going the way of AA because of all the changes ePay keeps making.
I'd be more than willing to pay a *reasonable* yearly fee to keep a PC-based program going, for example paying the original fee ($40-50) every year. But no, I am not paying $15 a month or $120-180 a year. The prices that ChannelFusion and Auctiva charge seem outrageous to me.
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celticmuse
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posted on July 15, 2001 02:24:06 PM
Well ebay's plan to drive out the competition for it's own Blackthorne software seems to be right on target.
Personally for the amount of time that Auctiva saves me 15 dollars a month is CHEAP. Time spent on separte uploading of picks and manually filling out the listing forms is time that could be spent listing more which translates into MUCH GREATER PROFITS. When you add in the free photo hosting you've got a combo that's hard to beat.
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Joanne
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posted on July 15, 2001 03:49:26 PM
celticmuse... for a full-time seller I'm sure that $15 is cheap. However, I'm a part-time "hobby" seller, I usually only list a dozen or fewer items per week, so that is much too much for me.
I survived on eBay before the listing/auction management programs came along (using spreadsheets and saved templates) and I'm sure I could again. And I have plenty of space on my ISP as well as on my domain for picture storage.
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debbielennon
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posted on July 15, 2001 06:54:47 PM
Does anyone know if there's a PC-based program that will let me import my AuctionAmigo database into it?
Right now I am considering the Auctiva trial or possibly Shooting Star as a replacement...
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