equinux iSale 5.9.7 User Manual
Version 5.9
equinux AG and equinux USA, Inc.
© 2013 equinux USA, Inc. All rights reserved.
Under the copyright laws, this manual may not be copied, in whole or in part, without the
written consent of equinux AG or equinux USA, Inc. Your rights to the software are governed by the accompanying software license agreement.
The equinux logo is a trademark of equinux AG and equinux USA, Inc., registered in the
U.S. and other countries.
Apple, the Apple logo, MacBook, iMovie, iTunes, Mac, Mac OS, and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Finder, iPhoto, iWork, Pages, and Safari are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. AppleCare
is a service mark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
eBay, the eBay logo are trademarks of eBay, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Other company and product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective
companies. Mention of third-party products is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.
This software uses images from photocase.com.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate.
equinux is not responsible for printing or clerical errors.
Manual Revision 5.9
Created using Apple Pages.
www.equinux.com
equinux assumes no responsibility with regard to the performance or use of these products.
equinux assumes no responsibility for related costs, including costs for listing auctions on
eBay.
2
Welcome to iSale! 5
....................................................................You’ve Come to the Right Place 5
.........................................The Premier Auctioning Solution for the Mac 5
......................................................................................Legendary Ease of Use 5
...........................................................Apple Design Award 2005 and 2006 5
Introduction 6
Installation 8
..........................................................................................................Install iSale 5 8
........................................................................Upgrade From Older Versions 8
..........................................................................................................Activate iSale 9
Overview 11
.................................................................................................................Libraries 11
....................................................................................................................Groups 12
..........................................................................................................Auction List 13
.......................................................................................................Auction View 15
Getting Started 17
....................................................................................................Authorize iSale 17
...................................................................................................Configure iSale 18
Setting Up an Auction 19
.........................................................................................Creating an Auction 19
..........................................................................................Enabling Edit Mode 19
........................................................................................................Auction Title 20
................................................................................................................Quantity 20
...................................................................................................Private Auction 20
................................................................................................................eBay Site 21
......................................................................................................Item Location 21
................................................................................................................Category 21
.................................................................................................Product Catalog 23
.......................................................................................................Return Policy 25
.............................................................................................................eBay Store 25
...............................................................................................................Facebook 25
....................................................................................................................Pricing 25
...............................................................................Duration and Smart Date 27
................................................................................................................Payment 29
................................................................................................................Shipping 29
...................................................................................................Visitor Counter 31
....................................................................................................Picture Service 32
Creating your Description 34
.............................................................................................................Templates 34
......................................................................................Modifying the Layout 36
..............................................................................Saving Custom Templates 37
............................................................................Edit Your Item Description 38
.........................................................................Auctions Without Templates 39
..........................................................................................................Create Links 40
Adding Pictures 41
.......................................................................................................Picture Zones 41
.................................................................................................Inserting Photos 41
.................................................................Taking Pictures With Your iSight 42
..................................................................................................Moving Pictures 43
......................................................................................Scaling and Cropping 44
............................................................................................Removing Pictures 44
....................................................................................................Gallery Images 44
..............................................................................................Supersize Pictures 45
........................................................................................................Picture Hints 46
Adding Videos 47
.............................................................................................Example: YouTube 47
Research Assistant 50
..........................................................Filling Textboxes and Picture Zones 51
.........................................................................................Creating an Auction 51
.........................................................................................................................Clips 51
Review and Submit 54
...............................................................................................................eBay Fees 54
3
............................................................................................Preview Your Draft 54
.......................................................................................Submit Your Auction 55
....................................................Import and Export Using Auction Files 78
.................................................Import and Export Data From a CSV File 78
Running Auctions 57
......................................................View Your Running Auctions on eBay 57
..............................................................................Editing Running Auctions 57
............................................................................Group: “Running Auctions” 57
.....................................................................................Get the Current Status 57
......................................................................Observe Your Auctions in iCal 58
...........................................................Watch Your Auctions in Dashboard 59
Finished Auctions 61
......................................................Auction Status Changes to “Finished” 61
......................................................................................................Status Update 61
After Sales Features 63
...........................................................................................Relist Unsold Items 63
...............................................Find Out Where Your Buyers Are Located 63
.........................................................................Integration With Apple Mail 64
..................................................................................................................Printing 64
.........................................................................................................“Next Steps“ 65
Appendix: Preferences 67
...................................................................................................................General 67
....................................................................................................eBay Accounts 67
................................................................................................................Auctions 69
............................................................................................................Boilerplate 69
...................................................................................................................Pictures 70
................................................................................................................Research 73
...............................................................................................................Facebook 74
...........................................................................................................Scheduling 75
......................................................................................................Address Book 77
..................................................................................................................Printing 77
Appendix: Create Your Own Templates 81
...........................................................................................Step 1: Preparation 81
......................................................................................Step 2: Create Images 82
........................................................................Step 3: Modify the HTML File 83
......................................................................Step 4: Upload Your Template 87
................................................................................................Step 5: Test Drive 87
Appendix: Create Your Own Print Templates 88
...........................................................................................Step 1: Preparation 88
..............................................................................Step 2: Specify Meta Data 89
...........................................................................Step 3: Create an HTML File 89
.........................................................................Step 4: Install Your Template 91
................................................................................................Step 5: Test Drive 92
Appendix: Import/Export 78
...............................................Importing Your Auctions From “My eBay“ 78
4
Welcome to iSale!
iSale lets you auction items on eBay from an easy to
use virtual podium. With iSale, the wonderful world
of eBay auctioning lays at your fingertips. Trust the
two time Apple Design Award winning and eBay
certified application for your Mac.
You’ve Come to the Right Place
Thank you for using iSale, the premier auctioning solution for the
Mac! Whether you’re just testing the software or bought a license
already – you’ll notice that iSale makes selling items at eBay easier
and more profitable than ever!
The Premier Auctioning Solution
for the Mac
eBay became one of the web’s most impressive success stories by
letting users buy items with a few simple clicks. Selling at eBay,
however, can be a time-consuming process if you want to get
things right. iSale was designed to integrate the leading platform
for online auctioning with the most innovative operating system,
Mac OS X.
have been carefully evaluated and placed exactly where you
would expect them. When setting up your auctions, you can fol-
low the natural workflow provided by iSale or implement your
own. iSale’s interface does not impose anything: It offers every-
thing you need without overwhelming you with a vast amount of
settings.
Apple Design Award 2005 and 2006
equinux closely followed Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines to
create a true iApp. If you ever worked with iLife, you’ll feel at
home immediately. Apple ac-
claimed our efforts by awarding
iSale with the Apple Design
Award in 2005 and 2006. Few
apps have ever managed to win
the most important awards in
the Mac world two times – iSale
is simply one of the most well-
designed applications for your
Macintosh.
Legendary Ease of Use
iSale bundles the huge set of eBay options in a convenient and
highly organized interface. All settings, down to to their ordering,
5
Introduction
iSale provides a unique set of features to make
selling at eBay easier and more successful than ever.
Beautify Your Auctions With iSale Templates
iSale has integrated visually stunning template layouts that will
distinguish your auctions from all others on eBay.
Simply select your desired layout and create your
description. Then just drag and drop your photos
into your selected template. Your auctions have
never looked so good!
Relist Unsold Items
eBay offers a free relist option for unsold items under certain conditions. iSale natively supports this option, so auctions can be eas-
ily improved to give them another try. If the item is sold during
the second auction, eBay refunds all fees for the original auction.
Mail Integration via Spotlight
iSale searches all e-mails related to a specific auction and displays
them in the Sales Status and Memo (In Touch/Bulletin Board)
window. Stay current and correspond with bidders more efficiently. iSale’s Mail feature is brought to you by Spotlight for
Mac!OS!X Leopard.
eBay Stores – Use Your Own Virtual Store
Now with iSale, you can use your eBay Store to sell
your items. Benefit from your own business channel
and start selling at a higher level.
Manage Multiple Accounts
iSale lets you manage multiple eBay accounts at once. Just choose
the current account from a convenient pop-up list, and a single
status update will bring all running auctions in all accounts up to
date!
6
Keep in Touch With Your Buyers
Once an auction has been successfully completed, iSale
retrieves the winning bidders’ details from eBay and
adds these details to the iSale group in your Address
Book. With iSale’s Address Book integration, you can easily view
your previous buyers, launch e-mail campaigns or do any other
aftersales marketing.
Know Your Numbers
As part of your auction library, iSale displays the number of auctions in each group, subgroup and folder. As a bo-
nus, the current price for running auctions is displayed both in iSale and in the iSale Widget.
View Your Live Auction
Organize Your Auctions
Visit your live auction directly within iSale. Get all the information
you need right now, without accessing the eBay website. With one
click, you can easily update all information for both running and finished auctions. Highest bid, name, address, e-mail and selling price –
everything you need, a t the touch of a button.
Rich Text Formatting
Now making attractive auctions is easy, and you don’t
even need to know HTML! Simply use the Rich Text
formatting and compose your product description
with a variety of fonts, colors and sizes. iSale takes care
of the rest.
Save Money with Picture Services
Use Macbay or Picasa Web Albums to host your photos! With iSale
you can upload photos of your eBay items to your Macbay disk,
Picasa Web Albums or your own FTP account. By storing your auc-
tion pictures with either of these services you can avoid the fees
for eBay’s photo service. This saves you money on every auction
and every photo you submit, helping you to optimize your earnings.
Use “Smart Groups” to quickly view finished auctions, running auctions and the auctions you have
yet to submit to eBay. Additional “Smart Groups”
can be created (just as you would create “Smart
Playlists” in iTunes) that will make managing your
actions a piece of cake.
Organize Your Sales
Built-in features allow you to keep an overview of the current
status of running and finished auctions. iSale’s
“Next Steps” groups will guide you through the Af-
ter Sales process. Mark the appropriate check box
in the “Sales Status & Memo” tab to easily track the
after-sales status of your auction.
International
With iSale, you can submit auctions worldwide on
eBay. iSale supports eBay USA, Canada, Australia, UK,
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium (French), Belgium (Dutch), Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Poland –
which means you can sell all over the world and still see all the
information in one convenient window.
7
Installation
Install iSale 5
Before you can start auctioning, iSale must be installed on your
hard drive.
If you bought the retail version of iSale:
‣
Insert the iSale CD into your computer
‣
Double-click the iSale CD icon that appears on your desktop
‣
Drag the file “iSale 5” to your applications folder
If you downloaded iSale from equinux.com:
‣
Double-click the downloaded .zip file
‣
Double click the “iSale 5” icon
How to Install the iSale Widget
To install the iSale Widget:
‣
Open ”iSale”
‣
Choose ”iSale 5 > Download Dashboard Widget…” from the top
menu bar
‣
Double click the downloaded iSale 5 widget
‣
Click ”Install”
Upgrade From Older Versions
‣
Click ”Move” to move iSale 5 to your Mac‘s Applications folder
8
Upgrading from an older version of iSale is very similar to installing the software for the first time.
To upgrade to iSale 5, please complete the following steps:
‣
Make sure that you have a valid internet connection
‣
Download iSale 5 at http://www.equinux.com/isale/download
‣
Quit your old version of iSale (if it‘s running)
‣
Install iSale 5 (s. above)
Migrate Auctions to iSale 5
Buy a License
When iSale 5 is started for the first time, your iSale 3/4 auction
files will be automatically migrated into the new iSale 5 format. All
auctions will be copied to a new folder, so you can still use iSale
3/4 to access your auctions if something goes wrong.
Should the automatic migration of auctions not work for you, you
can also migrate your auction files manually.
To migrate your auctions manually, please do the following:
‣
Quit iSale
‣
Double-click your hard drive
‣
Double-click your user home
‣
Navigate to the following location: Library/Application Support
in your home folder
‣
Move the folder “iSale 5” into the trash, if it already exists.
‣
Duplicate the folder “iSale” (e.g. with Command+D) and re-name
the copy “iSale 5” (including the space but without the quotes)
Activate iSale
Activating iSale is a simple and straightforward process. Described
below are three different scenarios: Buy a new license online, acti-
vate a retail version and transfer a license.
Obtaining a license for iSale and activating it on your Mac is a
simple process.
To buy a license, please complete the following steps:
‣
Choose iSale 5 > Buy iSale…
‣
Click Buy iSale
‣
If you are a new customer, choose your country and click Next.
or
‣
If you already registered with equinux, login with your equinux
ID
‣
Choose the desired license
‣
Click Check Out
‣
Continue shopping for other equinux products
or
‣
Click Continue Check Out
‣
If you are a new customer, register a new equinux ID
‣
Select either Bank Transfer, PayPal or Credit Card as your preferred payment option
‣
Enter your credit card data, if necessary
‣
Review your order and click Complete Order
Note Your equinux ID will be used to store and manage all of
your licenses. Whenever you purchase additional licenses or other products, please specify your equinux ID.
9
If you paid by credit card, iSale will automatically be activated as
soon as the order process is completed. Your license will be stored
on your Mac.
If you paid via bank transfer or PayPal, we will send you an email
as soon as we receive your payment. Afterwards, you’ll be able to
activate iSale using the equinux ID and password you created in
our Online Store..
Activate a Retail Version
If you bought iSale at a retailer, you should have received an “Activation Code”. Using this code you can activate iSale on your com-
puter.
To transfer a license, please complete the following steps:
‣
On your old Mac, choose iSale 5 > Deactivate iSale
The license will now be available for activating the software on
your new Mac.
‣
Install iSale on your new Mac
‣
On your new Mac, choose iSale 5 > Activate iSale
iSale will automatically fetch the free license.
To activate a retail version, please complete the following steps:
‣
Choose iSale 5 > Buy iSale…
‣
Click Activate iSale
‣
Register a new equinux ID (if this is your first equinux product)
or
‣
Login with your equinux ID
‣
Enter your Activation Code
Your license will be created and stored on your Mac automatically.
Transfer a License
All licenses for equinux products are hardware-bound. When registering our software on your computer, the license is created for
this machine. This means that a license can only be used on a single computer.
However, transferring a license to a different computer is easy.
10
Note From now on, the software cannot be used on the old
machine. To transfer the license back, just reverse the
process described above.
Overview
Libraries and groups Auction list Auction view
The “Libraries and groups“ and “Auction list“!areas can be resized
easily.
In this chapter, we will give you a broad overview of
iSale’s user interface. After reading this, you’ll be
familiar with concepts such as the Auction Pinboard, Groups and the Auction Details.
iSale’s interface was designed using Apple’s Human Interface
Guidelines and resembles the look and feel of iLife applications.
The main window consists of three areas:
To change the width of a column:
‣
Place the mouse pointer over the column’s right edge
‣
Drag the column to your preferred size
Libraries
iSale 5 introduces libraries – allowing you to separate current auctions from your auction archive, or to separate auctions from dif-
ferent areas of your eBay selling activities.
By default, iSale provides two libraries, “My Auctions” and “Archive”.
To move auctions between libraries:
‣
Select the source library in the left column.
‣
Drag the desired auction to the target library.
In our example, an auction is moved from the archive to the “My
Auctions“ library.
11
To create a new library:
‣
Select File > New Library
‣
Click the new library’s name
‣
Enter a name for the library
‣
Hit Return
TIP We recommend storing your old auctions in a separate
library, in order to improve iSale’s responsiveness and
overall speed.
Groups
iSale allows you to group auctions either manually or based on
certain criteria (like starting price, eBay category etc.). Certain
“Smart Groups“ like “Running Auctions“ or “Unsold Auctions“ are
predefined. Groups are subdivisions of your currently selected
library.
To create a new group and store auctions in it:
‣
Click the “+“ symbol at the bottom left of the main window
‣
Enter a name for the new group appearing in the Groups area
‣
Drag & Drop auctions to the new group
or
‣
Hold down the Command key to select multiple auctions and
then Drag & Drop them to the new group.
To create a “Smart Group“:
‣
Click the cogwheel symbol at the bottom left of the main window
‣
Select either “any“!or “all“ as match mode
‣
Choose the desired criteria for the new group
‣
Choose a sort order
iSale will automatically add auctions fulfilling the chosen criteria
to the new group.
To delete auctions from within groups:
‣
Select the auction you wish to delete
or
‣
Hold down the Command key to select multiple auctions
‣
Press the Delete key
‣
In the dialog box that appears, click Remove from Group to only
remove your auctions from this particular group
or
12
‣
Click Delete to completely delete them from iSale
Themes
TIP You can create Smart Groups to find specific types of
auctions you would like to move to your archive library
(e.g. finished auctions older than six months).
Auction List
The auction list will display all auctions contained in the group
currently selected in the group area. You can choose between a
basic list style and several beautiful themes.
Use the icons to switch
between a list view and
a Polaroid view.
iSale 5 comes with 11 beautiful list themes:
✦
Blue Board
✦
Dark Blue Board
✦
Pinboard –!Cork
✦
Pinboard –!Fabric
✦
Cubicle
✦
Wood
✦
Chalkboard – Green
✦
Chalkboard – Black
✦
Fridge
✦
Brushed Metal
✦
Black Wood
13
All themes display your auctions as virtual Polaroids containing
Status
List style
Pinboard style
Draft
Running
Finished
Sold
Unsold
the primary picture of each auction. You can change the style by
clicking the pin symbol above the auction list.
Click to change the style
of the Polaroid view.
Additionally, you can also resize the Polaroids by dragging the
slider below the auction list.
Drag the slider below the auction list
to resize the Polaroids.
Note Finished auctions switch to either sold or unsold after
the next status update.
Click the icons on the left and
right to use the minimum or
maximum size.
Auction Status
Regardless of the chosen style and theme, the status is displayed
for all auctions.
14
For running and sold auctions, iSale will also display the (current)
price, either as a separate column in the list, or as a little price tag:
Deleting Auctions
Auctions can be removed from a group or deleted completely.
To delete a single auction from iSale:
‣
Select the auction to delete
‣
Click the “–” button below the auction list
or
‣
Press the Delete key
To delete multiple auctions
‣
Hold down the Command key and click each auction you wish
to delete
or
‣
Hold down the Shift key and click the first and last auctions you
wish to delete, to select a range of auctions
or
‣
Select Edit > Select All to select all of your auctions
‣
Press the Delete key
To remove an auction from a group:
‣
Choose the desired group in the group column
‣
Select the auction you want to delete
or
‣
Hold down the Command key to select multiple auctions
or
‣
Press the Delete key
‣
Choose whether you wish to remove the auction from the currently selected group, or delete it from iSale entirely
Auction View
The Auction View consists of four tabs:
✦
Auction
✦
Details
✦
eBay / eBay Preview
✦
Sales Status & Memo
Auction
The “Auction“ tab has the actual item description along with pictures of the item to be sold.
Details
The “Details“ tab displays all the key information about your auction, such as price, shipping options etc.
‣
Click the “–” button below the auction list
15
eBay / eBay Preview
The “eBay Preview“ tab shows the auction as it will appear on
eBay. As soon as your auction is submitted to eBay, iSale will dis-
play the actual auction page at eBay. The tab title will then switch
to “eBay“.
Sales Status & Memo
The “Sales Status & Memo“ tab provides status information such
as the current highest bid, the view and watch count, etc. After an
item is sold, it will also display a link for contacting the buyer as
well as some checkboxes to indicate the current status. For a more
detailed description of this tab, please refer to “After Sales Fea-
tures“ in this manual.
16
Getting Started
Before you can go ahead and create your first auction, iSale needs to know which eBay account to
use. You may also want to set some defaults for
new auctions.
Authorize iSale
Before you can start using iSale, you have to authorize the software to use an eBay account when submitting auctions and fetch-
ing your running auctions’ status.
If you don’t have an active eBay account yet, you will need to register on eBay.
To create a new eBay account, please do the following:
‣
Visit http://www.ebay.com (or some other local eBay website)
‣
Follow the instructions for creating a new account
A browser window will open, displaying the standard eBay login
dialog.
Once you have a valid eBay account, you can open iSale for
authorization.
To authorize iSale:
‣
Click the Account button (“Authorize“) at the bottom right of
the main window
or
‣
Choose iSale 5 > Preferences… > Accounts and click the “+”
symbol
17
‣
Enter a valid eBay username and password
‣
Click “Sign In“
‣
Click “Agree and Continue“
eBay will now issue an Authentication Token allowing iSale to use
this account for listing items.
Note eBay’s Authentication Token is valid for a limited time, so
you’ll need to request a new one from time to time.
Once a token expires, iSale will display an eBay error
message when trying to upload an auction. In order to
request a new token, please follow the instructions
above.
After iSale has been authorized, the Account!button will change
to display the account currently used by iSale.
Multiple Accounts
You can always authorize additional accounts while using iSale.
To authorize additional accounts:
‣
Click the account menu at the bottom right of the main window
‣
Select Add Account…
To switch between multiple accounts:
‣
Click the eBay Acount menu at the bottom right of the main
window
‣
Select the desired account
Configure iSale
If you would like to set default parameters for all new auctions,
the iSale preferences are a great place to store these defaults.
Please see “Appendix: Preferences“ for details.
or
‣
Choose iSale 5 > Preferences… > Accounts
‣
Click the “+“ symbol at the lower left
‣
Follow the instructions for authorizing iSale (s. above)
18
Setting Up an Auction
In this chapter, you will learn how to set up an auction with iSale using templates, smart date and
various shipping options. Read on to see how iSale
implements these features to simplify the task of
creating an auction.
Creating an Auction
Before submitting an auction to eBay, you can create a draft in
iSale. While working with a draft, you can choose options like
starting price and shipping options. You can even add an item
description, as well as your pictures.
There are two options for new auctions in iSale:
✦
Standard auction (using a template)
✦
Empty auction (no template)
The template chooser will open automatically so you can choose
the best design for your item (please see “Item Description“ in this
manual for details).
iSale comes with many professional template designs. However, it
is not required to use a template. Instead, you can apply your own
style to your listing by creating an auction without a template (or
by creating your own templates, s. “Create Your Own Templates“).
To create an auction without a template:
‣
From the File menu, select New Auction > Without Template.
or
‣
Click the gear symbol below the auction list and choose ”New
Auction Without Template“.
Details on formatting your item description without a template
can be found in “Item Description“.
iSale files all new auctions automatically in the Drafts group. All
auctions which have not been sent to eBay are filed here.
To create a new standard auction, please complete the following:
‣
Select the desired library to store your auction (if you work with
multiple libraries)
‣
From the File menu, select New Auction > With Template.
or
‣
Click the “+” button at the bottom of the Auction list.
19
Most of the steps described below do not require an active Internet connection. There are two exceptions to this general rule: the
Category Browser and Item Specifics need to communicate with
the eBay servers. When setting your auction’s category or item
specifics, iSale will require an active Internet connection.
Enabling Edit Mode
New auctions appear in edit mode. For other draft auctions, you
can switch to this mode manually.
To turn edit mode on or off:
Click and type a title
for the auction.
The title in the auctions list can differ
from the auction title used on eBay.
Click and enter a the number of
items you wish to sell.
‣
Click the auction you want to edit to select it.
‣
Click the Edit button in the bottom part of the window.
Note When contemplating a title, you should always put your-
self in the position of the customer and ask yourself how
you would search for this item. This is a good way to
come up with the most appropriate title.
Auction Title
After creating a new auction, iSale switches to edit mode and
highlights the Auction Title placeholder at the top of the Details
tab.
iSale will use the auction title in the auction list by default, but
you can manually change the list title without affecting the auc-
tion title (see below). This can lead to confusion, especially when
using “Smart Groups“.
Below your auction title, there are two checkboxes for marking
the title as bold, highlighting its background and adding a subti-
tle. These options apply to the auction as it is displayed on eBay,
and eBay charges additional fees for them.
To format your auction title or to add a subtitle:
‣
Select the appropriate options for a bold and/or a highlighted
title.
‣
Add a subtitle for the auction object if you wish.
Quantity
If you intend to sell more than one item of a kind, you can use the
“Quantity“ field to specify the quantity. For example, if you had 10
DVDs of “Finding Nemo”, you would enter “10” into this field. By
default, iSale assumes a quantity of “1“.
Private Auction
20
With this option, you can hide the eBay user name of your bidders
and buyers to keep their anonymity. This can be useful for expen-
sive items or items which may embarrass buyers.
To mark your auction as private:
Choose the eBay site
to list your item on.
Choose a country.
Enter the location’s
ZIP code and common name
(e.g. San Mateo, CA).
‣
Select the “Private Auction” option next to the Quantity field.
eBay Site
With the “eBay Site” option, you can choose the region and the
target market to which you would like to sell your item. In this
way you can sell your item in a different target market. eBay has
many local websites worldwide.
Note eBay Motors is listed among the national sites.
Category
Next you need to choose the category in which you would like to
list your item. These categories are determined by eBay. To keep
these current, iSale downloads the categories automatically from
eBay and saves them on your hard drive.
TIP Don’t forget to use the correct customs and native lan-
guage of the chosen eBay site. If you list an item on the
French website, your description should also be written
in French.
Item Location
To set the location of the item:
‣
Click the small grey arrow next to “Location”. A dialog appears.
Make the appropriate changes and click OK.
21
To choose a category, please complete the following:
‣
Click the grey arrow next to “Main Category”.
New categories are automatically downloaded to your hard drive.
‣
From the appearing dialog, select the category which best suits
your item.
‣
Select the appropriate subcategories as they appear.
‣
Click OK to confirm.
Note eBay Motors is a separate eBay site, not a category. To
sell at eBay Motors, please select the appropriate site
first (see instructions above).
Second Category
eBay lets you offer your item in more than one category. This option is fully supported by iSale.
To choose a second category:
‣
Click the green “+“ symbol next to “Main Category“.
‣
Repeat the instructions for choosing the main category (s.
above).
To save a category, please complete the following:
‣
Choose the category which best suits your item
‣
Click the grey “+“ icon on the left side of the category path
‣
You r chosen ca tego ry is now sa ved
To recall a saved category, please complete the following:
‣
Choose “Favorite Categories”
‣
Click the saved category you would like to use
Search for Categories
Instead of selecting your category, you can also search for it.
To search for a category:
‣
Enter its name in the search bar
TIP If you place the mouse over a category, the category
number will be displayed as a tool tip.
Save Your Favorite Category
Sometimes more items are sold from the same category. iSale offers you the opportunity to save time by saving categories you
use regularly.
22
View Current Listings in the Chosen Category
For setting your starting price it may be helpful to know the
prices of similar items of the same category. iSale offers you a direct link to the real-time listings of your chosen category.
To view current listings, please complete the following:
‣
Choose the category which best suits your item
‣
From the category path, choose the level to which you would
like to be linked
The eBay site with the actual listings of this category will open.
Product Catalog
Now details about your product will be shown above your auction on the eBay website, making it easier for potential customers
to compare specs and find your item.
For certain item categories, you can look up product specs and
other details in eBay’s Product Catalog. Once you have found your
product in the Product Catalog, those details will automatically be
displayed alongside your auction.
To look up a product in the catalog:
‣
If your category supports eBay’s Product Catalog, you should
see the corresponding checkbox appear
‣
Check the box “Use Product Catalog”
‣
Click the arrow to bring up the catalog search field
‣
Search for your product
‣
Choose “Select Product”
Note: The Product Catalog search is category-specific, so only
search for products that are likely to be found in your category
(e.g. search for “iPod” in the “MP3 Player” category).
TIP If you haven’t entered an auction title, iSale will auto-
matically suggest a title based on the product catalog
entry.
23
Item Specifics
Item Condition
eBay offers a way to assign item-specific attributes to your auction
listing. These attributes vary from category to category and are
assigned based on a preconceived list developed by eBay.
Specifying Item Specifics will improve your chance of making the
sale by giving your potential buyers an easier way to find your
item.
Complete the following to set your Item Specifics:
‣
Check the box next to “Use Item Specifics” (if unchecked)
‣
Click the grey arrow next to “Item Specifics”
‣
Provide all the known information about your item. All starred (*)
Item Specifics are required and must be specified
Depending on your category, you may also need to specify the
condition of your item in a separate field.
Choose your category and then select the condition from your
item. This helps your buyers know what to expect before placing
their bids.
To set the item condition:
‣
Choose a category
‣
Select the condition of your item from the Item Condition list
24
Note that the item condition options depend on the category, so
you may not have all of the options shown above.
Return Policy
Select this option to use
your eBay store.
Select this option if
you would like to list
your item as an
inventory item.
Click and choose a
store category.
Select this option to
display auctions in
your Facebook
account.
You may also want to specify your return conditions (and some
eBay sites & categories may even require a return policy).
Specifying a return policy is recommended, as it helps to avoid
possible disputes with your buyers.
To specify your Return Policy:
‣
Check the box marked “Specify Return Policy”
‣
Select your return options
‣
Optionally click the grey arrow to add additional information
eBay Store
If you configured iSale to use your eBay store (see “Appendix:
Preferences“), you can enable the store for your auction.
Note Currently, iSale cannot display the complete category
hierarchy for your eBay Store. Only “terminal” categories
(i.e., categories that can be selected for your item) will
be shown.
Facebook
iSale can display auctions in your Facebook account, so your
friends will see what you’re currently selling. For more details on
Facebook, please see “Appendix: Preferences”.
Pricing
First of all, you will want to determine your desired starting price,
i.e. the minimum price for your item. The currency will be auto-
matically set according to the eBay site chosen.
Note eBay Canada supports both Canadian and US dollars.
25
Click and enter the starting price.
Select this option to
allow potential
buyers to suggest a
price they are
willing to pay.
iSale will automatically decline offers
below this price. Setting an decline
price is optional.
iSale will automatically accept
offers above this price. Setting
an accept price is optional.
When setting your price, please keep in mind that eBay fees are
calculated based on the starting price of your auction. Most eBay
auctions start at $1, even if the item has a higher value. Through
the huge number of bidders on eBay, the item often reaches the
market price very quickly.
Fixed-Price Auctions
Instead of specifying a minimum price, you can also set a fixed
price for your item. Fixed-price auctions are not really auctions:
Buyers can only purchase your item at the set price, but cannot
bid.
Select this option to sell
your item at a fixed price.
The availability of the pricing options presented below depends
on the user profile. Additional information can be found on the
eBay websites.
26
Click and type in the price for your item.
When you set a fixed price for your auction, you can also choose
to use eBay’s “Best Offer” feature, which gives buyers and sellers a
quick, easy and safe way to negotiate prices online. With Best Offer, potential sellers can suggest a price which they are willing to
pay, and you can decide whether to accept or reject the price.
iSale also offers options to automatically reject all offers below a
certain threshold, and to accept all offers above a certain thresh-
old. Of course, these thresholds are not disclosed to potential
buyers.
In the above example, potential buyers could suggest any price
below 100!US-$. If the suggested price is 60!$ or less, the offer will
be automatically rejected. If the suggested price is 85!$ or more, it
will be accepted. If the suggested price is between 60 and 85!$,
you will receive a notification e-mail from eBay in which you can
choose to accept or reject the offer.
Note A fixed price cannot be combined with the following
pricing options.
Buy It Now
If you would like to auction an item, but are also prepared to sell
it immediately for a pre-determined price, eBay allows you to
specify a ”Buy It Now“ price in addition to the starting price.
To set the “Buy It Now” price, please complete the following:
‣
Select the field next to “Buy It Now” and enter your price
As long as no one has bid on the item, it can be purchased for the
“Buy It Now“ price. However, as soon as someone bids on the
item, “Buy It Now” is no longer possible. Additional information
about this pricing option can be found on the eBay website.
Reserve Price
A “Reserve Price“ is the lowest price at which you are willing to sell
your item. If a bidder does not meet that price, you’re not obli-
gated to sell your item. You set this option, together with a starting price, when you list your item.
To set a “Reserve Price“ for your auction, please complete the
following:
‣
Click in the field “Reserve price” and enter the price.
The “Reserve Price“ is not disclosed to bidders, but they will be
told that your auction has a “Reserve Price“ and whether or not
this price has been met.
Duration and Smart Date
After you’re done with the pricing, you should decide upon the
auction’s duration as well as the starting date.
To choose a duration, please do the following:
‣
Click the desired duration in the Duration menu
Note Fixed and “Buy It Now“ prices may look like attractive
options, but if you over- or underestimate the market
value of your item, you might not be able to sell it –!or,
worse still, make less money than possible.
27
iSale also allows you to plan your auctions around your schedule.
Select the exact date you want your auction to end and iSale will
calculate the appropriate start date.
For example, define Saturday 10 p.m., as your preferred end date
and iSale will automatically show you the day and time your auc-
tion should be started.
With iSale’s “Smart Date“ feature, iSale offers you one more
method to keep yourself organized.
To use “Smart Date“, please complete the following:
‣
Check the box adjacent to “Smart Date“
‣
Click the arrow below the check box
‣
A calendar will appear allowing you to define the auction
schedule by auction start or end date
TIP For details on how to predefine “Smart Dates“, please
see “Appendix: Preferences“.
‣
Click the calendar to set an end date
‣
When clicking on “End Dates,“ a list of all predefined end dates
appears. If you choose one, your auction schedule will be auto-
matically set to that date.
28
‣
You can also manually configure the start or end date by clicking on the day in the calendar
When you decide to submit your auction to eBay, it will be stored
at eBay and launched on the exact day and at the exact time you
specify.
TIP Don’t forget to consider the target group when setting
the start and length of an auction. Buyers of baby clothing rarely sit at the computer at 3 AM on Saturday morning. Potential buyers of video games perhaps do.
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