equinux iSale express 1.2.9 User Manual

Version 1.2
Installation 3
...............................................................................................Install iSale express 3
...................................................Upgrading from a previous iSale version 3
.....................................................................................................Purchasing iSale 3
....................................................................................Activating your software 4
.....................................................................................To activate a CD version 4
..........................................................Moving iSale to a different computer 4
Getting to know iSale 6
...............................................................................................................Auction list 7
Creating your first auction 9
.......................................................................................Authorize iSale express 9
..........................................................................................Creating an auction 10
..........................................................................................Enabling Edit Mode 10
........................................................................................................Auction Title 10
................................................................................................................Quantity 11
...................................................................................................Private Auction 11
................................................................................................................eBay Site 12
......................................................................................................Item Location 12
................................................................................................................Category 12
.................................................................................................Product Catalog 13
......................................................................................................Item Specifics 14
...................................................................................................Item Condition 14
...............................................................................................................Facebook 15
....................................................................................................................Pricing 15
...............................................................................Duration and Smart Date 17
................................................................................................................Payment 18
................................................................................................................Shipping 19
Writing your auction 22
.............................................................................................................Templates 22
......................................................................................Modifying the Layout 24
......................................................................Editing Your Item Description 25
......................................................................................................Creating Links 26
Adding Pictures 27
.......................................................................................................Picture Zones 27
.................................................................................................Inserting Photos 27
......................................................................................Scaling and Cropping 28
............................................................................................Removing Pictures 29
....................................................................................................Gallery Images 29
..............................................................................................Supersize Pictures 29
Review and Submit 30
...............................................................................................................eBay Fees 30
............................................................................................Preview Your Draft 30
.......................................................................................Submit Your Auction 31
Running Auctions 33
......................................................View Your Running Auctions on eBay 33
..............................................................................Editing Running Auctions 33
............................................................................Group: “Running Auctions” 33
.....................................................................................Get the Current Status 33
......................................................................Observe Your Auctions in iCal 34
Finished Auctions 36
......................................................Auction Status Changes to “Finished” 36
......................................................................................................Status Update 36
Appendix: Preferences 38
...................................................................................................................General 38
................................................................................................................Auctions 38
...................................................................................................................Pictures 39
...............................................................................................................Facebook 39
...........................................................................................................Scheduling 39
Appendix: Import/Export 41
...............................................Importing Your Auctions From “My eBay“ 41
....................................................Import and Export Using Auction Files 41
.................................................Import and Export Data From a CSV File 41
Installation
Install iSale express
Before you can start auctioning, iSale express must be installed on your hard drive.
If you have received iSale express on CD:
Insert the iSale express CD into your computer
Double-click the iSale express CD icon that appears on your desktop
Drag the file “iSale express ” to your applications folder
If you downloaded iSale express from equinux.com:
Double-click the downloaded .dmg file
Drag the file “iSale express” to your applications folder
Upgrading from a previous iSale version
Upgrading from an older version of iSale express is very similar to installing the software for the first time.
To upgrade to iSale express, please complete the following steps:
Make sure that you have a valid internet connection
Download iSale express at
http://www.equinux.com/isale/download
Install iSale express
Purchasing iSale
If you have not already done so, you can buy iSale express directly within the application. All you need is a connection to the Inter-
net and your payment details to hand.
To purchase iSale express 1 Open iSale express, and choose iSale express > Buy iSale ex-
press… from the menu bar.
2 A window will appear showing our online store. Add the iSale
express Edition of your choice to the cart and proceed to checkout.
If you paid by credit card your license will be added to your equinux ID as soon as your card details have been verified.
If you paid via bank transfer or PayPal, we will send you an email as soon as we receive your payment. You’ll then be able to acti­vate iSale express using the very same equinux ID and password
you created at our Online Store.
Activating your software
If you bought iSale express at our Online Store, you can activate it using just your equinux ID and password. You will have created an
equinux ID during the checkout process.
To activate using your equinux ID
1 Open iSale express, and choose iSale express > Activate iSale
express… from the menu bar.
Your equinux ID
Store all your software licenses under one roof with a handy equinux ID and stop worrying about keeping those long, un­sightly activation codes safe. Create your very own free equinux ID during the checkout process or, if you are a first­time retail box buyer, during the software activation process and start reaping the benefits today.
2 Enter your equinux ID and password and press Login.
To activate a CD version
If you received iSale express on CD, you should find an accompa­nying “Activation Code”. Using this code you can activate iSale
express on your computer.
To activate using an Activation Code
1 Open iSale express, and choose iSale express > Activate iSale
express… from the menu bar.
2 If you already have an equinux ID, please log in using this ID.
Otherwise, create a new ID and enter the required informa­tion.
3 Finally, enter your Activation Code in the field provided.
The next time you need to install iSale express you can simply do so with your equinux ID and password – you won‘t need the Acti-
vation Code any longer. Please store your equinux ID and pass­word in a safe place.
Moving iSale to a different computer
In order to activate iSale express on another Mac, you’ll first need to deactivate your license on the previous computer. As equinux
licenses are bound to your hardware, they first need to be reset.
To transfer a license to another computer
1 Open iSale express on your old computer, and select iSale ex-
press > Deactivate iSale express… from the menu bar. The li-
cense is now available and you can activate the software on another Mac.
2 Install iSale express on your new Mac.
3 Choose iSale express > Activate iSale express… on your new
Mac and hey presto!
(If you no longer have access to your old Mac, you can also visit http://my.equinux.com to reset your license.)
Getting to know iSale
In this chapter, we will give you a broad overview of iSale express’s user interface. After reading this, you’ll be familiar with concepts such as the Auction Pinboard, Groups and the Auction Details.
iSale express’s interface was designed using Apple’s Human Inter­face Guidelines and resembles the look and feel of iLife applica-
tions.
The main window consists of three areas:
The “Libraries and groups“ and “Auction list“" areas can be resized easily.
To change the width of a column:
Place the mouse pointer over the column’s right edge
Drag the column to your preferred size
Groups
iSale express 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.
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 express 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
Click Delete to completely delete them from iSale express
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.
Auction Status
Regardless of the chosen style and theme, the status is displayed for all auctions.
Status
List style
Pinboard style
Draft
Running
Finished
Sold
Unsold
Note Finished auctions switch to either sold or unsold after
the next status update.
For running and sold auctions, iSale express 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 express:
Select the auction to delete
Click the “–” button below the auction list
To delete multiple auctions
Hold down the Command key and click each auction you wish to delete
To remove an auction from a group:
Hold down the Command key to select multiple auctions
Click the “–” button below the auction list
Creating your first auction
In this chapter, you will learn how to set up an auc­tion with iSale express using templates, smart date and various shipping options. Read on to see how iSale express implements these features to simplify the task of creating an auction.
Authorize iSale express
Before you can start using iSale express, you have to authorize the software to use an eBay account when submitting auctions and
fetching 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
Once you have a valid eBay account, you can open iSale express for authorization.
To authorize iSale express:
Click the Account button (“Authorize“) at the bottom right of the main window
or
Choose iSale express > Preferences… > Accounts and click the “+” symbol
A browser window will open, displaying the standard eBay login dialog.
Enter a valid eBay username and password
Click “Sign In Securely“
Click “Agree and Continue“
eBay will now issue an Authentication Token allowing iSale ex­press 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 express will display an eBay
error message when trying to upload an auction. In or­der to request a new token, please follow the instruc-
tions above.
After iSale express has been authorized, the Account"button will change to display the account currently used by iSale express.
Creating an auction
Before submitting an auction to eBay, you can create a draft in iSale express. 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.
To create a new 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.
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 express files all new auctions automatically in the Drafts group. All auctions which have not been sent to eBay are filed
here.
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 express 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 the auction you want to edit to select it.
Click the Edit button in the bottom part of the window.
Auction Title
After creating a new auction, iSale express switches to edit mode and highlights the Auction Title placeholder at the top of the De­tails tab.
Click and type a title for the auction.
iSale express will use the auction title in the auction list by de­fault, but you can manually change the list title without affecting
the auction title (see below). This can lead to confusion, especially when using “Smart Groups“.
The title in the auctions list can differ from the auction title used on eBay.
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.
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 express assumes a quantity of “1“.
Click and enter a the number of items you wish to sell.
Private Auction
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:
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.
Choose the eBay site to list your item on.
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.
Choose a country.
Enter the location’s ZIP code and com­mon name (e.g. San Mateo, CA).
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 express downloads the categories automati­cally from eBay and saves them on your hard drive.
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.
Second Category
eBay lets you offer your item in more than one category. This op­tion is fully supported by iSale express.
To choose a second category:
Click the green “+“ symbol next to “Main Category“.
Repeat the instructions for choosing the main category
Product Catalog
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”
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.
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.
Item Specifics
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
Item Condition
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
Note that the item condition options depend on the category, so you may not have all of the options shown above.
Facebook
iSale express 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”.
Select this option to display auctions in your Facebook account.
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 auto­matically set according to the eBay site chosen.
Note eBay Canada supports both Canadian and US dollars.
Click and enter the starting price.
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 $1, even if the item has a higher value. Through the huge number of bidders on eBay, the item often reaches the
market price very quickly.
The availability of the pricing options presented below depends on the user profile. Additional information can be found on the
eBay websites.
Fixed-Price Auctions
Instead of specifying a minimum price, you can also set a fixed price for your item. Fixed-price auctions are not really auctions:
Buyers can only purchase your item at the set price, but cannot bid.
Click and type in the price for your item.
Select this option to sell your item at a fixed price.
When you set a fixed price for your auction, you can also choose to use eBay’s “Best Offer” feature, which gives buyers and sellers a
quick, easy and safe way to negotiate prices online. With Best Of­fer, potential sellers can suggest a price which they are willing to
pay, and you can decide whether to accept or reject the price.
iSale express also offers options to automatically reject all offers below a certain threshold, and to accept all offers above a certain
threshold. Of course, these thresholds are not disclosed to poten­tial buyers.
Select this option to allow potential buyers to suggest a price they are willing to pay.
iSale express will automatically decline offers below this price. Setting an decli­ne price is optional.
iSale express will automatically
accept offers above this price.
Setting an accept price is opti-
In the above example, potential buyers could suggest any price below 100"US-$. If the suggested price is 60"$ or less, the offer will
be automatically rejected. If the suggested price is 8"$ or more, it will be accepted. If the suggested price is between 60 and 8"$,
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.
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.
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
iSale express also allows you to plan your auctions around your schedule. Select the exact date you want your auction to end and
iSale express will calculate the appropriate start date.
For example, define Saturday 10 p.m., as your preferred end date and iSale express will automatically show you the day and time
your auction should be started.
With iSale express’s “Smart Date“ feature, iSale express 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
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.
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.
Payment
When determining the payment options, you should only offer what you are ready to accept.
To specify the payment options, please complete the following:
Click the small grey arrow next to “Payment Options”
Check the desired payment options from the list
To provide more detailed information, use the field “Payment Instructions“ (optional)
If you are using PayPal, enter the e-mail address associated with your PayPal account.
Founded in 1998, PayPal, an eBay Company, enables any individual or business with an e-mail address to securely, easily and quickly
send and receive payments online. PayPal’s service builds on the existing financial infrastructure of bank accounts and credit cards and utilizes the world’s most advanced proprietary fraud preven-
tion systems to create a safe, global, real-time payment solution. For more information, please visit PayPal’s website.
Most private users offer bank transfer, check and payment upon pick-up. You can also choose nothing from this list and explain the payment details in the item description (see below).
Shipping
Another important point is shipping. You can choose not to offer shipping, to provide the shipping options or to include shipping
details in the item description.
Professional eBayers indicate the shipping costs in their auctions. Without this information, potential buyers will be unsure about
the complete transaction costs.
To offer local pickup only:
Select the option “Will Not Ship – Local Pickup Only“ next to the “Shipping“ parameter
To determine the shipping options:
Choose additional shipping regions by clicking the small grey arrow next to “Shipping Regions“
Note The home country of the eBay site chosen is always
added to the list of shipping regions automatically, i.e. items offered on ebay.de will always ship to Germany (if
shipping is offered at all).
Click the small grey arrow next to “National Shipping Options”
Choose the desired shipping service
Set the shipping cost for your item
If you specify a quantity greater than 1 (s. above), you can also provide shipping costs for additional items (if someone buys
more than one of your items)
Click OK
If you offer international shipping, please click the small grey arrow next to “International Shipping Options”
Set the international shipping options
Note When shipping to more than one international destina-
tion, you can specify different shipping options for each destination.
Calculated Shipping (eBay US)
eBay supports a calculated shipping option via UPS. With calcu­lated shipping you can offer a detailed shipping price based on the dimensions and weight of the item.
To determine the calculated shipping options, please complete the following:
Check the calculated shipping option
Click the small grey arrow next to “Calculated Shipping Details”
Insert the appropriate information.
Shipping Insurance
Decide whether you would like to insure your shipment. This is recommended for high value items.
To designate shipping insurance, please complete the follow­ing:
Open the menu next to “Shipping Insurance”.
Choose the desired option.
Writing your auction
Now that you’re done with all the eBay options, let’s create a shiny description of your item and style it with one of iSale express’s professionally designed templates.
When composing a description, think like an advertiser: What is important to your potential customers, and which details should
be mentioned?
Provide all relevant information about your item, including its characteristics and condition.
If you did not enter payment and shipping options in your auc­tion details, you can also provide this information as part of the
item description.
TIP Be truthful! Do not make up any false information and
do not keep anything a secret. From a hole in the pants to a scratch on the record, your customers need to know
what they are bidding on. Leaving out information can lead to a dispute and even bad feedback.
Templates
iSale express comes with visually stunning templates that will dis­tinguish your auctions from all others on eBay. Simply select your
desired layout, create your description, then just drag and drop your photos into your selected template. Your auctions have never
looked so good!
iSale express templates are a package of graphics, layout and style directives, i.e. they are complete with preloaded background
graphics, borders and text formatting.
A selection of formatting options (like Bold, Italics and Underline) is available. These options, in addition to the preloaded format-
ting, will make your auction really stand out.
What You See Is What You Get
Just start typing your text into your chosen iSale express template and the text will appear exactly as it will on eBay. The same goes
for images; just drag and drop them into the pre-designated “Pic­ture Zones“ and preview your final auction as you create it.
Select a Template
Templates can be applied to any auction.
To select a template for an auction:
Choose one of your draft auctions
Click the Templates icon located at the top of the iSale express window
Click to show or hide the
template chooser.
iSale express will hide the groups pane and display a template chooser instead.
Choose a category or keyword to filter the list (if desired).
Click a template to select it.
The selected template “pulsates” to indicate your selection.
Close the template chooser by clicking the “Templates“"icon again
Collect Your Favorite Templates
If you have templates that you particularly like, you can add them to your list of favorite templates.
To add a template to “My Favorites”:
Right-click (or CTRL-click) the template you would like to add
Select “Add to Favorite Templates”
You can now choose to view only your favorite templates by selecting the “My Favorites” category in the keyword browser.
To remove a template from “My Favorites”:
Right-click (or CTRL-click) the template to remove
Select “Remove from Favorite Templates”
Modifying the Layout
Each template provides a number of textboxes and picture zones forming the layout of the template. This layout can be modified,
either for a specific auction or permanently.
To start modifying the template layout:
Click the Layout icon at the top of the iSale express window
Click to show or hide the layout panel.
or
Select Layout > Open Layout Panel from the menu bar
A layout panel will open, displaying a number of different layout elements, i.e. textboxes, picture zones, and combinations of both.
To add new layout elements to your auction:
Drag the element from the layout panel to the existing layout
While dragging, a black bar will show where the new element is going to appear.
A black bar indicates where the layout element will be inserted.
Drag an element from the layout panel to the template.
To remove an element from the layout:
Click a layout element to select it
Click the „X“ in the upper-left corner of the selected element
Click to remove the
layout element.
To move an element within the layout:
Place the pointer over a layout block (but not over a picture zone), press the mouse button, and move the mouse up or
down. While dragging, a black bar indicates the element’s new position.
Changes applied to a layout will not affect new auctions created with the same template, unless you change the template perma-
nently.
Editing Your Item Description
After applying a template, you can start editing your item descrip­tion.
To edit an item description:
Click the Edit button located at the bottom of the window
Click in any of the textboxes (s. below) to add, edit or replace text
Insert your images. Detailed instructions on placing images can be found in “Adding Pictures“
To leave edit mode, click the Edit button again
Textboxes
Each template contains a number of pre-defined textboxes. These boxes are perfectly suited for developing a structure for your item
description. There are added benefits for both you, the seller, and your buyers: You can easily develop new auctions, while your buy-
ers are presented with a clear, understandable and consistent structure.
Most templates provide the following textboxes:
Title: This title does not have to be identical to the title used in the eBay listing. It can be longer and more descriptive.
Intro: Insert a friendly greeting or welcome message
Item description: Provide a detailed description of your item.
Payment: Give details about your Terms and Conditions in this section. For example, explain your exchange or refund policy.
Shipping: Enter shipping details, if not specified in the auction details above
Footer: Insert a closing message (“Happy Bidding!“).
All sections are optional – if you do not specify text, the section will be hidden in the final auction. You can also define boilerplate
text (s. “Appendix: Preferences“"for details), so new auctions will be prefilled with your standard terms and conditions, intro, etc.
Note You can always add additional textboxes, as explained in
“Modifying the Layout”.
Picture zones, the other type of layout elements, are described in the next chapter (“Adding Pictures”).
Creating Links
eBay recently adopted a more liberal approach to links, and iSale express now fully supports hypertext links in item descriptions.
To add links to your item description:
Select one or more words
Right-click (or CTRL-click) the selected words
Select Create Link
To remove a link:
Right-click (or CTRL-click) some linked text
Select Create Link
Remove the URL and click OK
Adding Pictures
eBay is no different than any catalog or market­place: Potential buyers want to see what they are buying. When a picture is worth a thousand words, iSale express offers you many options to bring your auction to life.
Picture Zones
Each auction contains picture zones (aka “Drop Zones“) where pictures can be dropped or imported.
A picture zone in an auction with template.
A picture zone in an auction without template.
In template auctions, you can add additional picture zones, as de­scribed in “Modifying the Layout“"in the preceding chapter. How-
ever, you cannot add more than 12 picture zones.
Inserting Photos
iSale express introduces a new media dialog which lets you select pictures from your hard drive, iPhoto, Aperture, or the web.
To insert photos from the web:
Drag a picture from the web browser window to a picture zone
To insert local photos:
Click a picture zone to select it
Click the leftmost icon below the picture zone. (Alternatively, you can double-click the picture zone.)
Click to insert a picture from your iPhoto or Aperture library or a picture document.
A media selection dialog will appear.
To insert photos from your hard drive:
Navigate to the right folder
Select the desired photo
Click Open
or (when not using the media selection dialog)
Locate the image or file on your computer
Drag and drop the picture to a picture zone
To insert photos from either iPhoto or Aperture:
Click the “Photos” category
Select either iPhoto or Aperture in the application list
Select the correct album or collection in your photo application
Choose the best photo of your item
Click Open
Scaling and Cropping
iSale express automatically optimizes your images before they are transferred to eBay or your desired picture service. These images
are scaled and saved to your hard drive, as soon as they are im­ported, to optimize memory usage and system performance.
iSale express scales your images to the standard eBay photo size (400 × 300 pixels) or the “Supersize“ format (880 × 660 pixels) if
this option is chosen (see below for details). iSale express’s image scaling will work with all supported picture services (eBay Picture
Service, .Mac, Picasa Web Albums, and FTP).
When using a template, you can scale images manually to fit them in the picture zones.
To scale and crop images manually:
Click an image to select it
Drag the size slider to choose the desired size
Place the mouse over the image and drag it to change the visi­ble clipping
Move the slider to adjust the image size.
Removing Pictures
Pictures can be removed from a picture zone at any time.
To remove a picture from a template auction:
Click in the picture you would like to remove
Hit the Delete key on your keyboard
Gallery Images
eBay offers a so-called gallery option. If this option is chosen, one of the auction’s pictures is displayed in the regular auction list
view on eBay. This feature can attract more attention on eBay.
Note eBay will charge additional fees for gallery pictures.
To set an image as a gallery picture in a template auction:
In a template auction, click a picture, then select the “Use as gal­lery image” option
Note Only one picture per auction can serve as a gallery pic-
ture.
Once you choose the gallery picture option for a picture, iSale express will display the gallery picture next to the auction title.
The icon indicates that
the picture will be used
as gallery image on eBay.
Tip You can use the first picture of your auction as a gallery
image by default. Please see “Appendix: Preferences” for details.
Supersize Pictures
Supersize pictures are extra large photos suited for detailed ob­jects. Displaying these images in such detail can support your
auction. With Supersize pictures, be sure that the resolution is high enough as not to cause distortion when the image is en­larged.
Note eBay will charge additional fees for Supersize pictures.
The Supersize option can be enabled in the auction details. See “Setting Up an Auction“"for more information.
Review and Submit
Now that your draft auction is completed, it just has to be sent to eBay. iSale express offers many fea­tures to ease this process and keep you up to date.
eBay Fees
Before submitting your auction to eBay, it is recommended to re­call some facts about eBay auctions. eBay will charge a listing fee
for every auction which is based on the starting (or fixed) price for your item. Only the most basic options are covered by this fee. Options like gallery pictures, bold title, etc. will be charged sepa-
rately.
Note There are no additional fees charged by eBay for using
iSale express. iSale express will display all regular fees for an individual auction prior to submitting it (see below
for details).
To check the fees charged by eBay:
Go to: http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/fees.html
This page lists the fees for ebay.com. Please direct your browser to the corresponding page on the preferred ebay site.
Preview Your Draft
Before submitting your auction to eBay, you can check your draft auction. Whenever you leave the edit mode, the “Details“ tab will
display a rendering of your item description. After you’re satisfied with the description, you can also check the final appearance.
To preview your draft auction:
Select the draft auction you would like to preview
Switch to the preview by clicking the “eBay Preview“ tab
Inspect all your auction details and the item description
This view will show all aspects of your auction just as if it was cur-
rently live on eBay.
Note The eBay preview is currently only available in one of the
three interface languages (English, German, or French).
Submit Your Auction
If you’re satisfied with your auction’s appearance, you can put it online. Submitting an auction involves two reviews by iSale ex-
press and eBay.
At the moment, you can submit one auction at a time, i.e. bulk processing of items is not supported. While we are convinced iS­ale express is a great application for home users, we do not rec-
ommend it for eBay PowerSellers selling thousands of items per month – they would probably miss the option to upload dozens
of auctions in bulk. We might release a PowerSeller version of iS­ale express in the future.
Note iSale express adds a small logo “Created by iSale ex-
press” to every auction. This badge is an integral part of each iSale express auction which cannot be removed.
To submit your auction:
Select your draft
Click Submit at the top right of the iSale express window
Mistakes can happen, even with careful scrutiny. After clicking submit, iSale express will check if all required information has
been specified. If something is missing or incorrect (e.g. a starting price or category), a yellow “glow” will appear around the missing or invalid parameter.
The draft will switch to edit mode to allow you to make the re­quired changes.
TIP iSale express can check your auction at any time before
submitting to eBay. Just choose “Validate Draft” from the “Auction” menu.
If iSale express did not find any problems, the listing is sent to eBay. eBay will do another verification check to ensure that the
auction conforms to all eBay policies. If there are any problems, they will be displayed in an error message.
If eBay does not throw any errors or warnings, iSale express will display the listing fees charged for listing your item.
To accept the fees:
Click Submit
Now iSale express will upload the auction to eBay and all your pictures to the picture service chosen (see “Adding Pictures“ for details).
As soon as your auction has been sent to eBay, the auction status changes to “Running”. This has multiple effects in the program:
Banderole: The grey banderole with the word “Draft” turns green and is replaced with the word “Running”.
Auction list: The icons in the auction list change to reflect the new status
Group membership: iSale express moves your auction from the group “Drafts” into the group “Running Auctions”.
Preview: The tab “eBay Preview“ changes to “eBay“ and iSale ex­press will display the actual eBay page in this tab.
Running Auctions
Now that your auction is up and running, you will want to track its status. This chapter tells you how to keep an overview of your sales.
View Your Running Auctions on eBay
iSale express gives you the option of viewing your running auc­tions directly on eBay (or eBay Express) so that you can monitor
their progress.
To view your running auctions on eBay (eBay Express), please complete the following:
Select your running auction
Switch to the eBay view by clicking the “eBay“ tab
iSale express will display a rendering of your actual auction. If your auction is listed on both the regular eBay website and on eBay
Express, you can toggle the view.
To switch between eBay and eBay Express:
Click the title of the “eBay“ (“eBay Express“) area
Note iSale express will only track auctions created and sub-
mitted via iSale express.
Editing Running Auctions
Editing running auctions is not yet supported by iSale express. However, due to the great demand for this feature it might be
implemented in one of the next releases.
Group: “Running Auctions”
iSale express files all your running auctions automatically into the group “Running Auctions”. This allows you the perfect overview to
see which auctions are active on eBay.
Subgroup: “Ending Soon”
In this group, iSale express files all your auctions which will be ending within the next 48 hours. This group is actually a Smart
Group, and you can edit its criteria by double-clicking the group name. Please see “Overview” for more information on Smart
Groups.
Get the Current Status
iSale express will automatically update the auction status every minutes by default. iSale express displays the following informa-
tion about running auctions:
The current price
The bid count (how many people have bid on your item)
The highest bidder
The hit count (how many people have visited your auction since it was published on eBay)
The watch count (how many people are watching your auction permanently through eBay’s “Watch this auction“ feature)
The current price is also displayed as a little price tag in the auc­tion’s title bar and on the pinboard.
To manually update the status:
Click Status in the upper right-hand corner of the iSale express window
This will update the status of all running and ended auctions (the latter are updated exactly once to arrive at their final status – sold
or unsold).
For privacy reasons, iSale express can update auction information only for the currently registered eBay user within iSale express. If
you have multiple auctions submitted with different accounts, you need to switch the account first. Please see “Getting start­ed“"for details.
When an auction ends, iSale express automatically retrieve the buyer’s details. See “Finished Auctions“ for more information.
Observe Your Auctions in iCal
With iSale express you can follow your auctions in iCal. Once iCal is activated in the iSale express’s preferences, you will see the end date of your running auction. iCal will also notify you when your
auction finally ends. You can jump directly from iCal to your auc­tion.
To create an iCal event from an auction, please complete the following:
Activate the iCal option in the iSale express’s preferences before you send an auction to eBay (see “Appendix Preferences“)
Submit your auctions to eBay
Open iCal
You will see the end date of your auction as an event now
To jump from iCal back to your auction, please complete the following:
In iCal, click the auction you want to jump to
Right-click (or CTRL-click) “url” and choose “Open Link”
TIP For more information about iCal, please refer to “iCal
Help” in the iCal Help menu.
Finished Auctions
When an auction is finished, iSale express will re­trieve additional sales details from eBay, such as the final selling price, buyer’s name and e-mail.
Auction Status Changes to “Finished”
As soon as your auction has ended, iSale express automatically changes the status of your auction to “Finished”. This causes a few
things in your auction to change:
Banderole: The green banderole with the word “Running” is re­placed with a blue one with the word “Finished”.
Auction list: The auction icon changes from “Running” to “Fin­ished”
Group membership: iSale express moves your auction from the group “Running Auctions” into the group “Finished Auctions”.
This is a practical way to keep track of all your completed auc­tions in one glance.
Note When an auction ends abruptly because a buyer used
the “Buy It Now“ option, you will have to click the “Status“ button at the top right of the main window to
make iSale express aware of the change.
Status Update
To update the status of finished auctions from eBay, please complete the following:
Select the finished auction
Click the “Status” button in the upper right-hand corner of the iSale express window
Note By clicking the “Status“ button, the status of all running
and finished auctions will be updated.
Sold or Unsold
As soon as the current status of a finished auction is retrieved from eBay, iSale express changes the status to sold or unsold. The
view of the auction will then change:
If the item was purchased:
Banderole: The blue banderole with the word “Finished” will be replaced with the word “Sold”.
Auction list: The auction icon changes from “Finished” to “Sold”.
Group membership: iSale express files your auction into the group “Recently Sold”.
If the item was not purchased:
Banderole: The blue banderole with the word “Finished” will be replaced with the word “Unsold”.
Auction list: The auction icon changes from “Finished” to “Un­sold”.
Group membership: iSale express files your auction into the group “Recently Unsold”.
Note The subgroups “Recently Sold” and “Recently Unsold”
display are useful to watch only the most recently fin­ished auctions. Double-click them to change their op-
tions.
Sales Details
At the end of an auction, iSale express can fetch the details of the sale from eBay. Without having to visit the eBay site, iSale express
can provide you with this information at the click of a button. The following details are retrieved from eBay:
Final selling price
The buyer’s eBay username
The buyer’s e-mail address
Note Depending on the privacy legislation of the respective
country, iSale express might also retrieve additional in­formation such as the buyer’s address and country.
Appendix: Preferences
The preferences can be used to configure the default options for new auctions as well as some general settings.
To access the preferences:
Choose Preferences from the iSale express menu
Note All changes to auction-specific settings will be used for
new auctions only.
General
The “General“ tab allows you to set the default eBay site, and to set some general options for the iSale express Widget.
To change your default eBay site:
Choose the desired site from the pop-up list
To change the status update interval:
Enter the desired interval in the appropriate field
To change the Widget settings:
Check the boxes for all types of auctions you would like to see displayed in the Widget
Auctions
The “Auctions“"tab packages all auction-specific settings. It fea­tures the following sub-tabs:
Details
Location
Payment
Shipping
All parameters available here are explained in detail in “Setup an auction“. Whenever a new auction is created, the auction details
will reflect the settings made in “Auctions“.
Note Changes made here will not affect existing drafts
Pictures
Here you can specify your default picture actions. You can choose to always supersize pictures (additional eBay fees may apply) and
to use the first picture in your auction as the Gallery Image by default.
Facebook
iSale express is integrated with the popular networking site, Face­book.
Follow the authorization instructions to get iSale express set up with your Facebook account. Once completed, you can start post­ing all new auctions, right on your Facebook wall.
Scheduling
The “Scheduling“ tab provides settings to integrate iSale express with iCal and to predefine “Smart Dates“ for scheduled auctions.
To integrate iSale express with iCal:
Select a calendar to add iSale express events to
Check the box “Create iCal Events for Running Auctions“
and/or
Check the box “Create iCal Tasks for Finished Auctions”
If you would like the created events to span the full auction dura­tion:
Check the appropriate box
Smart Dates are dates which can be used for starting auctions at a certain time (e.g. at 11pm), regardless of when the auction is sub-
mitted.
To predefine “Smart Dates“:
Select iSale express > Preferences…, and click Scheduling
Click the “+“ symbol to create a new “Smart Date“
or
Double-click an existing “Smart Date“ to edit it
Specify a title for your “Smart Date“ (“High Noon“)
Select a weekday from the list of days (e.g. Wednesday)
Select a time for your “Smart Date“ (e.g. 12pm)
From now on, you’ll be able to schedule every new auction to end on “High Noon“, i.e. on a Wednesday at 12pm, by choosing the
new “Smart Date“.
When setting a smart date for an individual auction, the displayed calendar always starts on a certain weekday.
To set the day on which your weeks shall start:
Select the desired day from the pop-up list at the bottom of the preferences window
For more information on using “Smart Dates“, please see “Creating an auction“.
Appendix: Import/Export
iSale express offers users the ability to export their auctions for backup or transferral to another com­puter. Complete auction files or CSV index files can be exported and imported into iSale express.
Importing Your Auctions From “My eBay“
iSale express was designed to create, submit and track auctions. The current version of the software does not support “synchroni-
zation“ with your eBay account to track auctions you created manually through the eBay website.
Import and Export Using Auction Files
Single auctions can be imported and exported in iSale express’s own format. This is especially handy when you need to send an
auction to a friend.
To export a single auction, please complete the following:
Select File > Export > Auction…
Create a name for the file, select your desired save location, and click Save.
The file can be sent to someone else or stored as a backup.
To import an iSale auction file:
Locate the auction file in the Finder
Double-click the auction file
The auction will appear as a new draft in iSale express.
Import and Export Data From a CSV File
iSale express can export any of your auctions into a spreadsheet granting you the ability to create individual statistics, when using
external databases like FileMaker, or to track sales information in Excel. You can also use this as a text backup of your auction and easily re-import it at a later time.
To export an auction as a CSV file, please complete the follow­ing:
Select “File“ > “Export“ > “iSale express CSV…“
Create a name for the file, select your desired save location, and click Save
To import a CSV file created with iSale express:
Select File > Import > iSale express CSV…
Locate your file and click Open
Turbo Lister is a Windows application provided by eBay. When you want to migrate from Turbo Lister, you can now import Turbo
Lister CSV files containing auction information into iSale express.
To import a CSV file created with Turbo Lister:
“File“ > “Import“ > “Turbo Lister CSV“
Locate your CSV file and open it
CSV Field Description
The following table contains all keys iSale express imports and exports when choosing CSV as a file format. To import iSale ex-
press CSVs into your FileMaker database, just create a layout re­flecting the keys.
eBaySite
Number
eBay Site
quantity
Number
no. of items for sale
title
Tex t
title of auction
titleBold
Number
0=bold title
1=not bold
titleHigh­lighted
Number
0=highlighted Title
1= not highlighted
subtitle
Tex t
subtitle of auction
pageCounter
Number
0=No Counter
1=Andale Style
2=Green LED Style
3=Hidden Style
privateAuc­tion
Number
0=NO
1=YES
startPrice
Number
in the form ###,##
fixedPrice
Number
in the form ###,##
buyNowPrice
Number
in the form ###,##
reservePrice
Number
in the form ###,##
durationDays
Number
no. of days
locationLoca­tion
Tex t
your location (e.g. Bos­ton)
payPa­lAddress
Tex t
your paypal e-mail ad­dress
checkoutIn­structions
Tex t
signature from the pref­erences
imageCount
Number
no. of images
gal­leryImageIn-
dex
Number
which image is used as gallery image
supersizePic­tures
Number
0=NO
1=YES
quantitySold
Number
no. of items sold
equinux AG and equinux USA, Inc.
© 2011 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.
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 1.0
Created using Apple Pages.
www.equinux.com
Apple, the Apple logo, AppleWorks, iBook, iMovie, iTunes, .Mac, Mac, Mac OS, PowerBook, 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 third­party products is for informational purposes only and constitutes nei­ther an endorsement nor a recommendation.
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.
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