alfalfadog
|
posted on February 16, 2002 08:02:35 AM new
"As I have found Auction Watch users to be some of the more intelligent and savvy ebay users, I have decided this is the best place to post this message."
[with thanks to midwestmagazines for the inspired prose]
Please see my clarification - I was a bit unclear in the below. Thanks
I am curious. I presently list my auctions through this service and utilize the checkout feature. I find this is great for the 20-30/week regular auctions I run. Occasionally I auction off a big-ticket item and, to be honest, I want to keep as much in my pocket as I can. Is there some tracking or management I can do for free? If I list the auction myself then import it into the auction manager can I keep an eye on it without incurring fees? Can I add a counter for free? Send WBN for free?
Thanks
John
alfadog on ebay
[ edited by alfalfadog on Feb 16, 2002 08:03 AM ]
[ edited by alfalfadog on Feb 16, 2002 09:51 AM ]
|
replaymedia
|
posted on February 16, 2002 08:21:58 AM new
You can always list the item directly on eBay's own pages, then use the import/tracking feature at AW to track and handle the post-sale stuff.
It's a pain in the rear-end to list manually on eBay, but just once in a while it's not so bad.
|
stockticker
|
posted on February 16, 2002 08:26:47 AM new
I'm not sure what tools you want.
You can keep an eye on your auctions by using "My eBay".
If you use PayPal, you can have them automatically sent your WBN's for free.
Vrane has some free tools. eBay's MisterLister is free.
I've never really understood the attraction for counters. I don't care how many people look at my auctions - only how many actually bid.
Irene
|
Nanasturtles
|
posted on February 16, 2002 09:03:19 AM new
stockticker.......I use counters in my auctions to let me know if I'm listing my items in the right catagories.....once in a while I list an item and if it doesn't sell and I look at the counter that has hardly any views, it could be a "heads up" that it's not listed in the right catagory.....
|
alfalfadog
|
posted on February 16, 2002 09:47:31 AM new
Sorry, I was unclear.
I meant what can I do in *AW* for free.
I was using CommerceFlow but they shut down on 2/15. Before I used honesty.com and manual listing.
I like counters to fine tune my auctions' categories and titles to maximize hits and final price.
I don't want to manually manage the cheaper stuff that sells for $10 or so but for my laptops that sell for $300 I can't see paying AW 1% at checkout when I am already paying ebay and usually PayPal.
I would like to know if I import after manually listing it will I get hit for the 1%. Can I avoid that, perhaps by not including a link to the checkout in the WBN or not sending it at all (I would prefer to send it)?
Thanks!
John
alfadog
[ edited by alfalfadog on Feb 16, 2002 09:48 AM ]
[ edited by alfalfadog on Feb 16, 2002 10:11 AM ]
|
Libra63
|
posted on February 16, 2002 10:01:03 AM new
I hate to tell you this but there is no free lunches any more. I think the more professional you are the more you will make. You need to build into your price the price that you pay all the help you get. I use AW for everything and I don't find it that expensive. It is easy to use and also to keep track of your auctions. I like the way the pictures load and show and I don't know how to do that myself. So I pay AW so that I can be professional.
|
mballai
|
posted on February 16, 2002 11:45:16 AM new
There is nothing that is really free, but you should not be using a service if your profit margins are so dramatically affected by the costs. If you even have to think about the price of doing something on a big ticket item, then something is wrong from the getgo.
If something saves you time and money, do it. If you want to forego the niceties for extra profit, then do that. This is a no brainer.
|
alfalfadog
|
posted on February 16, 2002 12:20:19 PM new
What does it matter about my profit margins (they are just fine thank you BTW)?
Most buyers of more expensive items pay promptly and with PayPal with very little urging. I don't need a service for them and I may as well put that 1% in my pocket.
I code all my own listings anyway and host my pics myself so all I am really looking for from a service is the tracking.
John
|
pelorus
|
posted on February 16, 2002 02:51:00 PM new
alphadog, you are one cheap ---.
|
alfalfadog
|
posted on February 16, 2002 03:06:45 PM new
Thanks!
John
ps ALFAdog not ALPHAdog
Alfa as in Alfa Romeo
Dog as in dog.
|
Libra63
|
posted on February 16, 2002 05:05:21 PM new
Why are you asking our advice on a question that you can answer yourself? I bet the reason you really came here was to talk with the great people on this discussion board. If you like the way you are doing things great. Keep it up. Don't come and ask for help and then frown on it.
|
dadofstickboy
|
posted on February 16, 2002 09:35:12 PM new
[ edited by dadofstickboy on Feb 16, 2002 09:43 PM ]
|
twinsoft
|
posted on February 17, 2002 12:08:59 AM new
I don't get it.
Alfa, alfalfa, or alpha-alpha?
The dog part I get.
|
alfalfadog
|
posted on February 17, 2002 04:34:52 AM new
Thanks for the replies.
replaymedia: Thanks. Do you think that that would avoid the 1% fee?
stockticker: Thanks. I use many of those or have in the past. I do want a full service system like AW for posting, tracking and checkout and don't mind paying for it. I also want the option to not use it occasionally.
Libra63: I agree with you about being professional. Take a look at my auctions and feedback (alfadog). I also think that personal contact is VERY professional too and I don't mind managing an auction or two a week manually (Heck, I started on ebay doing 40-60 per week all manually, so I appreciate a service).
I also enjoy talking to people on boards. I can't answer my basic question myself (about AW fees). I am an ebay old-timer but new to AW (I opened this account years ago but never used it).
I sorry if I frowned on anyone's advice. I meant to only frown on the invalidation of my question and the attitude that there was something wrong with trying to save a buck.
dadofstickboy: Thanks for trying to post that link - please try again.
twinsoft: It is alfadog, that is my ebay name too. I own that account on AW too but couldn't access it a while back so I opened
alfalfadog. Then recently AW reset the password on alfadog for me. I will be switching to that one eventually.
Thanks again
John
alfadog
|
dadofstickboy
|
posted on February 17, 2002 07:45:45 AM new
This is it! But it's not much!
http://www.auctionwatch.com/help/pmt/faq.html#100
|
drbrownauctions
|
posted on February 17, 2002 09:30:09 AM new
I run large dutch auctions with 50-100 bidders on each, and I really don't want to manage them. That's why I came to Auctionwatch. So I do the 20 cents per listing (shoot a listing costs me $130-$150 on ebay by the time I feature)... and no FVF on AW. But when I list an individual item, I just go to ebay and list it. It's so easy to take care of.
|
rgrem
|
posted on February 17, 2002 01:04:19 PM new
Right on, Libra63. OP- what tracking do you want? If you want no advanced AW functions (not functionality, AW), track with ebay sell list or put them in your watch list.
|
