posted on February 4, 2002 12:04:08 PM new
I put a fairly long reply to your questio on Page 2 of the Free Listing Day Thread, but I'll copy it here too. It probably should have been a thread by itself anyway...
Concerning the 14 day Yahoo Auctions:
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Dev- It's not really a secret, but there is a catch. To get the 14 day option, you have to use Yahoo's bulk loader to upload a formatted spreadsheet containing your listings.
Since all my stuff is in a database, it only took me about an hour once to make a script that exports all listings into the format they need. Next time, I can list everything I have and it'll only take a second to create formatted listings. I can also tinker with my script for a few minutes to allow bulk uploads to Amazon if I ever wanted to try it.
I'm REALLY hoping they have another FLD next month. I'm hoping to top 3000 auctions next time!
14 Day/Bulk Loader Auctions
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Advantages:
1. You get an extra 4 days that you can't get any other way.
2. If your stuff is in a database, it's very easy to use.
3. The 'thumbnail' images work correctly. Auctionwatch and their competitors ALL seem to have problems with Yahoo thumbnails due to complications on Yahoo's end.
Disadvantages:
1. 14 days is kind of long. People who bid early on may actually forget about the item by the time they win.
2. Since you upload the spreadsheet into Yahoo yourself, you can't use a service like AW to launch your auctions. However, you CAN import listings into AW for post-sale emails and tracking.
3. Depending on your level of Excel/Access expertise, it's more complicated than some other methods. Especially if you have lots of html tags in your listings.
I've never understood why eBay doesn't allow simple spreadsheet uploads. A simple spreadsheet or tab-delimited file is MUCH easier to work with than the complicated Mister Lister formats.
