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Read the below instructions to learn how to use the Auction ListerLister.
Download:
Download the above linked zip file to your computer. Once downloaded, unzip the contents to your desktop. Now open the auction Lister folder to view the contents.
Installation:
Note: Do not execute the install file while it is still in the zip file, as the auction Lister will not install properly. You MUST extract all contents before installing.
There will be two setup files. Execute either of the two setup files, which will start the install process. Read the information page that describes the Auction Lister, then click the next button. You will now be prompted about where to install the software. Just click the next button, unless you want the software installed in a specific location. If so, please choose a location then click the next button to proceed. You will now be informed that you are about to install the auction Lister. Click the next button and the install will go through the process of unpacking and installing needed components. It will now tell you that install is complete and prompt you to click the close button to exit. The auction Lister program is now installed on your computer.
Updates:
When we provide updates for the auction Lister program, your version should automatically inform you that there are updates when starting the program. We recommend that you always perform these updates immediately, when you are prompted to do so. This may be an inconvenience waiting for updates to download and install, but it could cause you issues if you do not complete. When updates complete, the program will close after everything is done. You will need to start the program again to proceed.
Preferences and master data:
After installation, a shortcut to the Auction Lister will be placed on your desktop. Double click the icon on your desktop (this is how you will access the Auction Lister in the future). A window will pop up, stating that you are running the program for the first time, and that you need to set up your preferences. Click the OK button and the user preferences page will appear. This page contains your user info, as well as your pre-defined preferences for your auctions. Only enter your username and password for now (see image below), then click the save button.
From the file menu, choose download master data. Now click the download button to populate your auction Lister program with all the necessary categories, payment options, currencies, etc. Click the finish button once this is completed. (see image below)
From the tools menu, choose preferences (this is the screen that you initially entered your username and password). Fill in all the remaining entries with the info that you want to automatically be included when creating new auctions.
NOTE: If you select any online payments (direct pay), you must set up these options up in your members area on the site first. Otherwise this will not work properly for you.
Import current inventory from site:
To import your inventory (active auctions) into the auction Lister click the file button on the main toolbar, then select "update inventory" from the drop down list. You will receive a prompt, telling you what you are about to do. Select start from this prompt. A download screen will appear, telling you how many items you are about to download. Click the start button to proceed with the download. (see image below)
The software will download/update all auctions, including items that have been auto relisted and are not showing in your inventory page. The download window will show the progress of the download. Once the download is complete, you will need to click the finish button. (see image below)
CSV/Excel import of auctions:
You should be able to import any csv/excel file into the auction Lister, regardless of structure or format.
Click the "import items from csv/excel" option from the file menu, or the button located on the lower right portion of the program. You will receive a prompt to locate the file you wish to import. Click the folder icon to browse your computer for this file. If you are importing a csv/text file that is tab delimited (most common), you will not have to change the delimiter. If you have custom delimiter, you will need to enter these variables here. Click the next button to proceed to the next step.(see image below)
The next screen will ask you options you may want applied to all items you import. Like auto-relist, how many relists, etc. If you are importing over 100 auctions, we recommend you start the auctions at least a couple hours in the future, and choose to have the items spaced out at least a couple minutes apart. Click the next button once you complete this page.(see image below)
The next screen is the columns mapping page. The Left column is the auction Lister entries, and the right column is your import file options. Match your option with the auction managers options. Example: Your import may have a "item name" column for the auction titles... so you would match "item name"(your column), with "item title"(auction Lister column). There are many of these entries that you may want to use info you entered on your preferences page, like auction duration, auction currency, item list type, etc. Just select "use default settings" for options you want to be filled in from your preferences page. Do this for each entry, then click the next button.(see image below)
Any auctions in your import that the program does not recognize the category from your import file, the auction Lister will prompt you to choose an alternate category. So if you have an auction for "thomas the tank childrens book", which has a category of "xoxoxo"... The program would say "choose an alternate category for (Thomas the tank childrens book)". The auction Lister will then remember your alternate category you chose for "xoxoxo", and apply this change to all other auctions in your import file that have a category of "xoxoxo". So if you are importing 1000 auctions which are listed in 15 different categories, you would be prompted to select an alternate category 15 times.(see image below)
When the import process is done, you will get the import complete screen. Click the finish button to close this window. We recommend checking some of your auctions before uploading, to ensure accuracy of your import. If there were any mismatched columns in the columns mapping section, or any other issues, your actions may have errors. (see image below)
Create and upload new auctions:
To create a new auction you would click the "create new auction" button at the bottom left of the program, or click the "new auction" option from the file menu. When creating a new auction, all the data you have saved on your preferences page will be automatically filled in.
If you have custom categories for your store, we recommend listing the first category from the site list of categories, then choose one of your custom store categories for your second category. You will need to ensure you have the option "item list type" set as "both". This way it will display in your store and in the auctions.(see image below)
For the description section, you can enter custom html or use our text editor to customize your text. Click the + logo to the right of the description section, to open the editor. Click the "source" tab if you already have your own html, and paste it on that screen. You can now click the "preview" tab to see what your auction will look like when uploaded. On the preview screen you can change the font, color, alignment, etc. Just highlight the text you want to change, then click the appropriate buttons on the menu bar to make these changes. When you are finished, click the save button at the bottom of the screen.
Note: Our system does not allow Javascript, iframes or dynamic content. When these types of code are present, our system will strip all html when uploaded.(see images below)
NOTE: If you select any online payments (direct pay), you must set up these options up in your members area on the site first. Otherwise your buyers will receive an error when trying to pay you.
Once you have all your info entered click the save button at the bottom of the screen. You will now see your auction you just created on the inventory page. Highlight the auction you created, then click the "add selected items to upload" button. You can select multiple items by holding down your "ctrl" key on your keyboard while making selections.
An easy way to upload multiple new auctions: Choose to have only the new auction display on this page, by choosing "new items" from the drop down menu at the bottom of the inventory page. Now choose "select all" from the edit menu. Now click the "add selected items to upload" button at the bottom of the screen. All your new items would now be on your uploads page.
Click the waiting for upload tab to view all auctions ready for upload. (see image below)
Click the upload now button, then click the start button once the next screen is ready to upload your items. You will see the status of your upload at the top of this screen, as "uploaded xxx items out of xxx". When the upload is complete, click the finish button. Your items are now on the site. If you chose to list your items in the future, your items will start when you designated them to. (see images below)
Sales tracking and invoicing:
To view the sale page, click the sales tab. (see images below)
Click the "import sales" button that is located on the bottom of the sales page, to import sales from the site. After your sales are imported, click the ok button. Once your sales are imported, double click the title for any of your sales to open that invoice. The invoice will show all items from that buyer that have not been marked as paid or shipped. Each purchase item will have a check box. Select each item you would like included on the invoice. The totals for each item will automatically calculate in the totals section. You can edit any of these, add tax, add discounts, etc., and the total will adjust automatically as you make these changes. Select the "include paypal button in invoice" if you want to include a paypal button in your invoice. Fill in any other info you want included in your invoice, then click the "send invoice" button at the bottom of the page. (see images below)
Note: Your invoice has not been sent yet, please read "Export Changes" section below.
Feedback:
When you are ready to leave feedback for an item, double click that item on the sales page. Scroll down to the feedback section and select the leave feedback box. Enter the rating from the drop down box, and enter a feedback comment in the comment box. Now click the "submit" button for the "update status" section.
Note: Your feedback rating has not been left yet, please read "Export Changes" section below.
Item Status:
Your buyer has paid you or you have shipped the item, you can update the status withing your auction Lister. Just click the auction title you wish to update, choose the appropriate entry from the status drop down menu. Now click the update page status at the bottom of the screen.
Export Changes:
**Your invoices have not been sent yet, and the feedback has not been entered yet... It has only been generated within your software module. When you get done generating invoices and leaving feedback, click the export changes button that is located on the bottom of the sales page. Your invoices will all be sent now, and feedback left for those entered. (see images below)
Sample Invoice:
See below picture to see how your invoice will look that is sent to your customer via email, and also copied to your email. If you chose to include a paypal button, there would be a clickable "pay now" link at the bottom of the invoice (as pictured below).
Create Templates:
To create a template you would click the "new auction" button from the file menu, then fill in all the details you would like included for this template. The name you enter for the item title is what your template will be saved as. Click the "save as template" button, and this item will be added to your templates list. (see images below)
Use a Template:
From the tools menu, choose "items from template". You will now see a list of your templates (see images below). Double click the template you wish to use. Make neccessary changes and click the "save as item" button at the bottom of the page. You will now have a new auction with the changes you just made, and your template will not have changed. If you click the "save" button, your template will be updated with the changes you just made, and no new auction will be created.
Compact Database:
If you are adding and removing many auction, your local database could become quite large and your auction Lister could start to slow down. If you notice your program slowing down, you may want to compact the database to speed things up. From the "tools" menu choose "compact database". You will see a confirm action screen (see image below), which is basically telling you that this action may take a while and there is no progress bar. So if you do not need to use the auction Lister for 5-15 minutes, click the yes option. Once the process is completed, a screen will show you that the process has been completed.
Backup Auctions & Profile:
Although we pride ourselves on not loosing any auction data, there is always the possibility that issues could arise. Or possibly you spend hours or days editing auctions, to find you made a bunch of errors... Either way, having a backup of everything and being able to restore all with a simple click can be very nice.
From the "file" menu choose "backup auctions". When the backup screen appears, click the folder icon. Browse your pc to a folder you want the backup to be stored, then enter a name for your backup in the "file name" spot. We recommend using some sort of date formatted name, so you can easily know when the backup was created. Click the "save" button to close out this browse screen. We recommend selecting to backup the profile and auctions, then click the "backup" button. When the backup is completed you will receive a "backup completed" prompt. Click OK and you are done. (see images below)
Restore Auctions & Profile from Backup:
From the "file" menu choose "restore auctions". When the restore screen appears (see image below), click the fiolder icon.
Browse your pc to find your backup file that you created previously. Select your backup file, then click the open button. (see image below)
Check the appropriate boxes to restore auctions, profile, or both. Click the restore button to start the process. When the restore is completed, you will receive an "operation completed" prompt. Click the ok button and you are done. (see image below)
We hope this software makes selling on our site a pleasurable process. Should you have any questions or issues, please feel free to contact us.
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