oracle20001
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posted on February 15, 2006 03:41:46 PM
This morning I posted a question regarding use of Vendio WBN and Checkout. I received all answers that individuals were not using checkout. SO I WONDERED Why Do You Use Vendio and pay for the extra charges/commissions/listing fees etc?
I'm interested in becoming the best Seller I can be so don't hesitate to share your advice and opinions. Thanks. TIA Chris
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cashinyourcloset
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posted on February 15, 2006 03:44:45 PM
Chris,
Since I don't want the hassle of doing my own photo hosting, Vendio pays for itself if I subtract eBay's $0.15 fee per additional photo (I happen to use many photos, as my items usually require them).
Everything else is gravy.
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deur1
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posted on February 15, 2006 03:49:17 PM
I use VD for Hosting only -- do not use any post auction service
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mikes4x4andtruckrepair
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posted on February 15, 2006 03:55:21 PM
First what I use. Vendio Sales Manager and Sales Manager Pro, Gallery, Image Hosting.
Why I like them.
1) Keeps everything I need to do for ebay in one place. In fact if I didn't buy stuff on ebay I would never have to go there. I never have to go to ebay's site to sell a item. I do everything here.
2) Easy to use Image Hosting plan which for me is free every month. As long as my SM sales fee's exceed the monthly minimum I am not charged.
3) I just like the way their Gallery looks in my listing's.
4) Offline creation of listing's using SMPro is a real time saver and very easy to use (this should have probably been my #1).
5) I myself use the Vendio checkout system. I think I have only ever received 1 complaint about their checkout system and I have multiple repeat customers. It makes post sale managment very easy and I have easy access to a full list of previous customer email address's which is nice for doing promotion emails.
6) When I have a question about Vendio I just ask here in the community board and get answers and suggestions very quickly.
7) It's very easy to create a professional looking listing using their system.
I'm probably forgetting a couple of thing's but these are the major + points.
edited to add: When I first started selling on ebay I used their system. As sales increased I started using hosting services. I think I tried 4 other listing services and I finally ended up with Vendio. It was easier to use than any of the others and was also the cheapest for me. The time I save and increased final sale prices I realize far exceed the cost of Vendio's services.
They say your memory's the second thing to go, I just can't remember what the first thing is. 
[ edited by mikes4x4andtruckrepair on Feb 15, 2006 04:00 PM ]
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oracle20001
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posted on February 15, 2006 03:55:53 PM
Yes, I like the image hosting and it was the reason I first came to Vendio. For a while while Vendio was still Aucton Watch, I had excellent Checkout response. And it was a cinch just clicking the appropriate boxes and leaving all the follow-up data quickly.
I also subscribed to Sales Manager via eBay but they kept changing it around and messed it up.
I use both eBay directly and Vendio when I need extra pictures but wish there was a successful way to enjoy taking advantage of their other services. Chris
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roadsmith
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posted on February 15, 2006 03:59:28 PM
I LOVE Vendio, for all the reasons people give, above. To see all my auctions in a simple-to-read listing, watching them get bids over the week they're up, is such a pleasure, instead of the rather clunky My Ebay listings. And the one-page listing form for Ebay auctions, through Vendio's simple to use system. Love the gallery and I don't mind paying a tiny bit extra each month for all the good stuff Vendio gives me.
I think that once people have tried it, they just don't want to go back to old eBay.
______________________________
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ladyjewels2000
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posted on February 15, 2006 04:42:06 PM
I use the Imaging, Sales Manager Pro & Post Sales. I find I follow up with My Ebay page more and more but the auto WIN with Vendio is great as we sometime travel where I don't have an Internet connection. In addition, when we are away I can still do listing offline with SMP and just launch when I get home.
The images are the best and I even have some personal photos stored so that even a Hurricane can't take them away. (We live in Florida).
Last but not least - I love the help I get from this forum.
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fenix03
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posted on February 15, 2006 04:44:24 PM
I don't use Vendio anymore but I do use another auction management program. I still have my membership here for posting only because I enjoy the boards.
As for why I use my other program....
Image hosting - Just makes life easier - I have in the range of 1000 images currently in use and their system just makes life easier.
Ease of listing - I love the fact that I can set up all of my daily auction listings in advance. I launch every day but I only schedule them once a week. Allows me to have days where I can completely flake out and know that everything is still being listed and the money flow does not stop.
Inventory management & reporting. I have about 600 different items that I keep in stock so veing able to manage my inventory levels is important. I can also track sell thru rates of each individual item and know if it is worth reordering a specific item when I run out or if I need to order more of them than I normally would.
I think that if you are listing one off individual items you may not need a full service management program but if you have a consistant inventory stock where you sell the same items over and over, management programs make life much easier and lessen the workload significantly. For me, it's absolutely worth the price of admission.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
Never ask what sort if computer a guy drives. If he's a Mac user, he'll tell you. If he's not, why embarrass him? - Tom Clancy
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classicrock000
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posted on February 16, 2006 02:22:27 AM
" I use VD for Hosting only -- do not use any post auction service"
I usually stay away from VD....I use a condom
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beauty is only a light switch away
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tOMWiii
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posted on February 16, 2006 02:29:18 AM
AND...
Being CHEAP, ole CLASSIC saves ooodles of mooola by buying FINGER COTS in the LARGE ECONOMY 1000ct BOX at TALLFAHT!
 "And then that little jerk Ralphie convinced all the sheep-herders to build a roller-skating rink!"
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oracle20001
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posted on February 16, 2006 04:25:48 AM
mikes4x4truckrepair THAT IS EXACTLY HOW I looked at Vendio; as a complete compact efficient way to handle my business and it is what I am striving to accomplish. MY PROBLEM is that less than 10% will use Checkout even with my notation at top and bottom of listing that states "FOR FASTEST SHIPPING Please Use Preferred Checkout. Do Not use eBay Checkout. We will contact you immediately upon end-of-auction. Thank you."
What do you do to get those great Checkout results?
The thing that has changed most in the past year is the ease and immediate eBay and PayPal invoicing to the customer just prior to Vendio's Seller Checkout. Ebay is always first. Any help or example of how to get better Checkout results is appreciate.
WITHOUT the customer using Checkout, the whole system doesn't work. Thanks. Chris
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oracle20001
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posted on February 16, 2006 04:29:50 AM
I agree ROADSMITH. But do you also use Checkout Winning-Bidder-Notification page? How do you get customers to fill in Checkout? I love all the features you mention, but I used to have an 80% Checkout ratio and it was a cinch to click 4 #6 Your item has been shipped, or a #3 Your payment has been received, instead of manually doing each seperately. AGAIN, what do you put in your listing to get Checkout? Thanks for your answers.
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oracle20001
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posted on February 16, 2006 04:38:13 AM
classicrock000
WHY EVEN BOTHER WITH a "c" You're probably as sterile as your post.
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neglus
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posted on February 16, 2006 05:10:43 AM
OP - If you want 100% of your customers to use Vendio checkout, why not use checkout redirect? Doesn't that guarantee 100% participation?
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http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards?refid=store
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oracle20001
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posted on February 16, 2006 05:13:57 AM
NEGLUS Thank you very much. I don't know about checkout redirect. I knew there had to be something that I was missing. How do I use redirect? TIA, Chris
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oracle20001
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posted on February 16, 2006 05:34:22 AM
NEGLUS THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSE. Your link to Store/Me Page is absolutely fabulous. Congratulations on a truly unique and professional graphic design in image and content. I am barely computer literate - the reason I signed up for Auction Watch in the first place. MY GOAL is not 100% but a healthy 50% to begin with... and your "link" advice is great. How do I place the link in my listing? Any help you can offer is greatly appreciated. Thank you again. Chris
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neglus
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posted on February 16, 2006 05:38:40 AM
To enable it you check a box My Account->sales manager -> post sales management.
"Use eBay Checkout Redirect
eBay Checkout Redirect drives buyers clicking the top eBay Pay Now> button through your Vendio Checkout after two pages of eBay confirmation, so fewer buyers will bypass your Vendio Checkout. Please note that eBay does not support Checkout Redirect for Live Auctions, Real Estate, ebay Motors (except for Parts and Accessories) or items requiring Immediate Payment.
Note: When using eBay Checkout Redirect, WBNs will be sent approximately 30 minutes after the item closes. No WBN will be sent if the buyer completes payment before that time"
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http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards?refid=store
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cashinyourcloset
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posted on February 16, 2006 05:52:10 AM
oracle,
Checkout redirect will help increase your percentage, but I disagree that it's all useless if they don't use your checkout. For PayPal payers, it all still works, and for others, you can always set things manually.
I get around 5% non-checkouts, and they're not a problem (except for the nimrods who don't check out, mail payment, and don't include an indication of what item they're paying for, but there's no hope in any system for them).
Claude
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neglus
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posted on February 16, 2006 06:35:41 AM
I should add that I don't use Vendio checkout at all and get by quite nicely. I use Vendio to list, host my images and am faithful to post-sale to manage my shipping and payments. As an alternative to Vendio checkout you can also elect to "feed" your payment data to Vendio from PayPal - then as cashinyour suggested, you only have to manually manage the mailed in payments. I can't remember how to do this but maybe someone else can fill you in on this step.
One of the advantages of Vendio checkout is the upsell opportunity (with shopping cart) to a Vendio store. My Vendio store so far mirrors my ebay store, but if ever I decide to stock it, I will use Vendio checkout.
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http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards?refid=store
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roadsmith
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posted on February 16, 2006 08:30:59 AM
Oracle: You asked overnight how I get my buyers to use Checkout. I don't. Some of them stumble into the eBay Checkout, but generally my end of auction messages ask them to get in touch with me to verify address and method of payment they'll be using. With my 20-40 items per week, I can do that. As I've said before, if I were a big-time seller I'd have to change my ways, but this works beautifully for me.
______________________________
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fluffythewondercat
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posted on February 16, 2006 08:48:55 AM
If I order a dress out of the Coldwater Creek catalogue, I call their 800 number. The order is processed CC's way, not mine, following CC's script or it won't be processed at all.
However, when it comes to making payment and completing the transaction, the eBay buyer has all the power.
To a large degree, buyers determine how post-sale work is managed. Not sellers.
The best a seller can do is come up with a system that is agreeable to a good percentage of his buyers.
fLufF
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mikes4x4andtruckrepair
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posted on February 16, 2006 10:21:49 AM
One note on checkout redirect, it does NOT work with ebay motors. I sell both on ebay and ebay motors. I would say that on average 85-90% of the people who buy items from me on ebay motors use the vendio checkout as they are instructed to do in my listing's. The other 10-15% that can't seem to read use the ebay system and are no real problem. After they complete the checkout in ebay motors all the checkout information is sent to vendio and captured for my vendio post sale functions. The only thing it never seems to import is the shipping method the buyer selected. No big problem though since I can figure out what shipping method they chose by looking at how much they paid.
They say your memory's the second thing to go, I just can't remember what the first thing is.
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sanmar
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posted on February 16, 2006 11:24:17 AM
I have used Vendio since was started as Auction Watch & was free! I like the photo hosting & the templates. I do not use the checkout service. I do like the part where I can relist an item so easily. I nave bewen here so llong that I would be lost anywhere else.
Life Is Too Short To Drink Bad Wine
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oracle20001
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posted on February 16, 2006 12:28:54 PM
You all are so responsive. And helpful. Thank You.
I THINK I'LL JUST KEEP LISTING AND IMAGING and ENJOY IT! Chris
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mikes4x4andtruckrepair
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posted on February 16, 2006 01:41:47 PM
The best advise would be to just try it for a while, get accustomed with their system and little quirks and how to work around them. What works great for one seller and their business may not be the answer all for the next. You may find that all of Vendio's services are not for you and that some of their features fit your business plan while the competitor may have other features you like. Mix and match what works best for you.
One thing to spend a little time calculating is which Vendio plan is best for you. As your business grows you may want to switch plans which after all the fee's are paid will save you money. I myself switched to their Variable Power plan a few months ago and it has lowered my monthly Vendio bill a noticeable amount.
They say your memory's the second thing to go, I just can't remember what the first thing is.
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ladyjewels2000
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posted on February 20, 2006 07:59:16 AM
Last night I was looking for an email address for a winner of a much older (6 months ago) auction. I went to my Vendio post sales and searched it by title and within seconds I found the auction with the winner's email address.
I don't know of a way to do that on without Vendio.
Also I have all of my past sells with Vendio for tax time.
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fluffythewondercat
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posted on February 20, 2006 09:13:50 AM
I don't know of a way to do that on without Vendio.
That's easy to do.
We keep all incoming correspondence and a copy of everything that goes out.
Even if the winner had never sent us any email, we would still have the EOA from eBay and the EOA we sent to the winner.
I can find information on someone who won an auction five years ago. (Not that I ever need to.)
fLufF
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