Hi. Gargesale used to be relatively easy to use but quite frankly I think its just easier to use ebay itself.
I cannot start listings because:
I need to specify a postage service (I have done so, it does not seem to accept it)
Because I have set a shipping profile (I have not) I then have to specify a ‘return profile’
If I try and select a return profile, I then have to opt into ‘Business policies’, I am not a business! and have no idea what this is banging on about.
I can find my specific model in product information, yet the attributes section is just tonnes of generic rubbish relating to something entirely different and its always the same, am I supposed to be filling out the attribute section manually, apparently so because without it the listing wont start, whats the point of the product finder, if it does not fill out the attributes?
Why is this getting harder and harder the interface at this stage is just a mess, sorry.
Please note that these errors are returned and generated by the eBay server (not by GaragSale).
It seems that you have selected a “profile” for payments/shipping/returns but you haven’t opted-in for that eBay feature on the eBay website yet. That might be why eBay doesn’t recognize your profiles and returns these errors.
In addition it also might be that the selected profiles use out-dated settings. In this case please edit them, or better create new ones, on the eBay website directly.
Afterwards, please download them in GarageSale by selecting “Update Profiles” from the “Profile” menu in e.g. the Shipping options.
If you want to continue using “profiles” you need to opt-in first OR you don’t use profiles at all. If latter you need to make sure that you select “Don’t Use” from the profile menu in the options panel for payments/shipping/returns.
If you want to learn more about these profiles, please check this help section:
All item specifics are provided by eBay. Please note that you only need to fill-out item specifics that are “required” by eBay. You can remove all other attributes.
Also, in GarageSale if you click on the “Add Detail” button in the attributes popover you can select “Add all required Details”, “Add all suggested details” and so on.
In the GarageSale preferences > eBay > Advanced you might want to select “Insert required attributes”. I marked it in the attached screenshot:
Is it possible ebay was borked yesterday I have never had so many challenges just starting a listing? In the end I just went through ebay and had three listings up in minutes.
I simply could not get past the postage one. I set it as other courier and it simply would not accept I had set postage, I tried combinations of all items in there, why is there options to not set profiles if listings wont start without them?
I don’t know what you mean about doing stuff in ebay before coming back to garagesale, this has never been a requirement before?
Thank you for your detailed answer I’ll try and absorb it.
You can create a Applescript to insert and set commonly shared ones into a listing with a doubleclick of the AppleScript.
Example:
tellapplication “GarageSale”
repeatwith theListing in (get selected ebay listings)
tell theListing
set theSpecific toadd item specific specific name “Brand” values {“Unbranded”}
set theSpecific toadd item specific specific name “MPN” values {“Does Not Apply”}
set theSpecific toadd item specific specific name “Type” values {“Does Not Apply”}
endtell
endrepeat
endtell
For categories with additional attributes above the commonly shared ones I have a another Applescript that copies “Not Applicable” to the clipboard so it can be pasted into any additional attributes.
If you are regularly selling in a category then it would best to create a master template just for that category so all you have to do is duplicate it over and over again and the attributes will be set. The only time you would have to change them is if eBay alters the attributes for the category in which case you just edit your master template.
Using eBay’s selling form is like trying to cut a tree down with a pocket knife. A chainsaw will be must faster but you have to learn how to properly use one first.
I get that, but if you only periodically want to cut some weeds down, you dont need a chainsaw. The reality for me is, as an occasional user, garagesale is no longer easier to use than ebay. I remember back when I got garagesale, v5 I think, ebay was a pain to use, the reverse is now true because I seem to need a degree in ebay understanding to make it work
Its been a good ride, but for my needs ebay is easier. Thanks for everyones help. I am not flouncing, just being realistic for a light user.
These “profiles” from eBay’s “Business Policies” can get very confusing, you are right. Maybe we need to better explain how to handle them in the GarageSale help.
Please note that you don’t have to use these profiles at all. You just have to make sure that “Don’t Use” is selected in the “Profile” menu in the shipping/payment/return options.
If you can post a screenshot of the error you get and of your shipping settings, maybe we can figure out what’s causing the error.
Taking screenshots is done easily:
Press Command-Shift-4 on your keyboard simultaneously, then select an area with the cursor. It will be saved as an image file on your desktop.
You likely got the Business Options from using the “Sell Now” button on a listing in eBay that you want to copy and then making a new copy from that one on GS. To get past the Business Options roadblock, you need to change to Don’t Use on three settings in GS: Payments, Shipping and Returns. If one of them is still set, you will not be able to launch. If you change one, the other two will show red exclamation marks letting you know that you nee to change them too.
BTW: I Opted Out of eBay’s Business Policies because eBay creates a new one every time I make a listing with a different package size, weight or shipper choices. I have hundreds of them and I spend too much time to manage and use the hundreds that eBay has created for me.
To get rid of the hundreds that ebay made for you, you need to make your own and pick from them every time or else they will continue making new ones. I made 9 different shipping options to cover everything 2 years ago and after that they made no new ones. You then have to go to business practices and move or delete all the ones they created. It took me several hours to clean up but once done no new ones have been created by ebay. And it has worked great since.
Hi. I spent hours cleaning up my BOs only to realize that, because I have over a thousand mostly uniquely sized and weighted collectibles, glass, pottery and antiques with different shippers and levels of service including international options, eBay keeps creating new ones for me and it is not worth the effort to manage and use them. eBay made a lot of new ones when I removed SmartPost and when I added UPS and International Standard shipping or changed the default shipping choice from Parcel Post to Priority Mail or vice versa. I have literally hundreds and I have to hunt through them and then look at prospective ones to see what sizes and weights they cover as the display titles are useless. I am sure that it works fine for folks selling only a few sizes and weights, but not for me.
The weights don’t change the ebay profiles. My weight changes on every single listing. Every one of my items is a unique size and weight. I have 1,100 listings. I numbered profiles from 1-6 to track the ones I wanted. And in 2 years I added 3 more to get all I need. Yes, it is intimidating and takes time to set up and is a pain, you are right. But once set it works seamless because I pick from one of the 9 profiles I set up.
Hi. Thank you for your interest and responses. I suppose if I used only a few and manipulated them, it might work, but I change things a lot and it just keeps making new ones. Here is a small sample of the ones that eBay has made for me. I do not want to manage them. Too much hassle. I don’t see that it saves me any time. LOL.
Yes, that is exactly what mine looked like. Until ebay forces the change which I suspect the time will be coming to clean it up because the profiles must be a horrendous mess on the ebay system.
You would go with a gas powered or battery powered weed eater unless you run into a woody weed in which case the bypass pruners are the way go unless you want to sit there for quite awhile and let the trimmer line slowly eat through it or make the weed bounce back and forth Using a chainsaw on small weeds can be very ineffective as they may simply bounce off the chain and whip back and forth or worse yet get thrown back at you by the chain.
Really does not matter what size of seller you are. What you are after is taking the least amount of time, but that requires a little upfront learning about the tool in question.
Don’t use any profiles in GarageSale!
Create a master listing template.
Consider using a text snippet at the bottom or your listing for inserting your your terms of service. If you want to more easily edit your TOS snippet using WYSIWYG then create it using a blank template and copy its HTML to the TOS text snippet. If you don’t want to bother with using the Design Utility to insert such a snippet then perhaps ask someone at iwascoding to send you a blank template with a snippet reference inserted at the bottom - you simply need to add a snippet with the same name to GS.
Create a bunch of listing templates based on the master that centered around shipping scenarios.
If you sell in a category frequently create a template with the shipping, categories and attributes already set.
Duplicate one of your templates and insert title, description and pictures.
I use a Applescript to automatically insert commonly shared attributes in listings using the term “Does Not Apply”. I may have to manually add a couple others but I use another Applescript to copy “Does Not Apply” onto the computer’s clipboard so this can be immediately pasted into the additional attributes.
Desktop software has been the fastest method for more than 20 years. Back in day (2000) we had A.I.D. for Apple computers and TurboLister for Windows. Also much safer than eBay as everything is maintained on my hard drives and not temporary stored on eBay servers. Also much data to other marketplaces such as Facebook marketplace by creating Applescripts which copy the title and description to the computer’s clipboard with just a doubleclick.
I look at everything from the point of mass production regardless if I need to create 1 or 100 listings.
eBay is like the government - they screw up everything they touch.
Create a series of template inside GarageSale based on shipping scenarios.
So if I am going to sell a fixed price antique via USPS Retail Ground & Priority Mail that weighs 5 pounds I’ll immediately go to that template, duplicate it, move it to another folder and start entering data.
The same applies to a more detailed template with the category and attributes already set.
Its basically muscle memory at this point. I only have to alter the weight if its above 10 pounds. I only have to enter a size if its more than a cubic foot (for dimensional weight) or exceeds one of USPS’s length surcharges.
Well you guys are all hardcore, consider for a moment someone like me who opens garagesale once every 6 months. When I went through ebay I literally had none of this hassle, put in a title, put in a description selected the product set a price, hit list. Garagesale used to be like this!
I am curious as to why you would be entering sizes if you are using USPS?
Unless it more than cubic foot or exceeds one of the USPS’s length surcharges eBay will bill the customer as if its below a cubic foot and below any length surcharge.
“Well you guys are all hardcore, consider for a moment someone like me who opens garagesale once every 6 months.”
I’ve stopped selling on eBay several times and came back months later.
“When I went through ebay I literally had none of this hassle, put in a title, put in a description selected the product set a price, hit list.”
Selected the product?
You mean you are trying to list from eBay’s catalog whereas you select a product already in the catalog.
Sorry, I don’t use eBay catalog because I don’t generally don’t sell mass market items.
When I do, I don’t use eBay’s catalog because it would take me far more time to go through dozens of item attributes and other eBay garbage to verify if my item exactly matches what is in the catalog. Also a very bad idea as this information not always correct. Remember, you are providing a guarantee to the buyer that the item you have EXACTLY matches the item form the catalog - one mistake and you can have a chargeback.
A lot of items that I am currently selling for a family member whose spouse died has UPC bar codes on each item. So far I’ve found two example where the manufacturer reused the same UPC for different versions of the same item. So if you were going to use eBay’s catalog for these you might end up sending the wrong item to the buyer because both versions use the same UPC but are different.
“Garagesale used to be like this!”
Still is here. Duplicate a existing template I have been using for years and enter the data. Schedule the listing with other listings to be listed at optimum time so I need not sit there and babysit the process like eBay’s listing form or sell similar.
Funny, I’ve yet to have anyone on YouTube touting eBay’s new listing form take me up on the request to post a video showing how its faster. The fact that you have to sit there and wait for eBay’s webpage based system for every listing as opposed to uploading items when you are not even home will tell you just how much time you are wasting using eBay’s listing form. Why do think eBay hired a 3rd party company to create their API circa the year 2000.
