Auction Submit Guide - Getting Started

Auction Submit ^tm User Guide
Quick Start

Note: This page is designed to give you a quick introduction to the features of Auction Submit ^tm. For more detailed information be sure to see the Auction Submit^tm Reference Guide . Also, there are numerous links on this page that will take you to interactive screenshots that are contained in the manual, so feel free to click them and then return to this page. You might also want to print this page out for easy reference while you are getting started.

The software that you have installed is the core of a very flexible system. Since the software was created we have issued various updates and the first thing that you should do is make sure that you have all of the latest updates in your copy. To do this, get online, close all other applications, click on the Modules dropdown menu at the top of your Auction Submit screen, and select Update Modules. You will see a few status screens and then get an Update Complete window. Just close this window and within 30 seconds Auction Submit should reappear with all updates installed.
One other quick note -- If you are located outside of the United States, you will need to ensure that the "Regional Settings" on your computer are set to "English(United States)". Other Regional Settings can cause currency and date format problems which will affect the operation of Auction Submit. You can check your "Regional Settings" by clicking on the START button on your toolbar, go up to SETTINGS and select CONTROL PANEL. When the Control Panel screen opens click on the REGIONAL SETTINGS icon (looks like a globe). This will open the "Regional Settings Properties" screen. Your main setting is under the "Regional Settings" tab. You should change this setting to "English(United States)" (Note this is NOT the same as English(British) )- you will have to reboot your computer after you do this. (You can always change this back at another time if you wish.)
Now it is best to set up your defaults. This will only take a minute and will save you a lot of time submitting auctions. It is also necessary to set required information for the sites that you will be submitting listings to. Click on the Options Menu dropdown at the top left of your screen, select the Edit Defaults option. This will open a screen with several choices.

The General choice is used to input the information that you want to appear on every auction listing, however the use of any of these fields is optional. If you use a single site for hosting pictures, you can enter the base address of your picture server in the "URL of your picture" field. If you always want some particular text in the title, or a particular tag in your auction description (like shipping policies), you can set that up here. When you list your item these defaults will be visible and you can always add to them or change them if you want. This will save you the trouble of having to type repetitive information every time you create an item. The checkbox at the bottom of this screen gives the option to preview the picture that you enter on the Create a New Listing screen. Note: Since your pictures are on the web, you will need to be online to see them. If you intend to use Auction Submit while you are offline, it is better not to check this box.

Edit Defaults for Specific Sites
These are used to setup site specific information. Depending on the auction site, this may include your user ID, your preference for a default category, or your preference for auction length. Note:Auction Submit does not store passwords.
- eBay : You must fill in your User Name and Country. The other settings are optional. Note: you can designate here a Region to be used with eBay's Shop Local feature. Don't forget to also click on the Payment/Shipping tab and select your default options for these. You must be a registered user of eBay to submit items to their site using Auction Submit. To go to their website click on the GO TO SITE dropdown at the top of the main Auction Submit screen, then select "eBay".
- Amazon tab: You must fill in your registered email address - NOT user name -, Country, and Postal Code. The other settings are optional. Don't forget to also click on the Payment/Shipping tab and select your default options for these. You must be a registered user of Amazon to submit items to their site using Auction Submit. To go to their website click on the GO TO SITE dropdown at the top of the main Auction Submit screen, then select "Amazon".
- Shoporium tab: This is a great place to host a fixed shop on the web. Auction Submit gives you the capability to easily rotate inventory from your shop to auction or vice versa. You must fill in your registered email address. The other settings are optional. Auction Submit also gives you the capability to automatically add a link to your shop from every auction listing that you post. You can set this up from this screen. You must be a registered user of Shoporium to submit items to their site using Auction Submit. To go to this website click on the GO TO SITE dropdown at the top of the main Auction Submit screen, then select "Shoporium".
- Yahoo tab: You must fill in your Yahoo ID and select your preferred auction closing time. The other settings are optional. Don't forget to also click on the Payment/Shipping tab and select your default options for these. You must be a registered user of Yahoo to submit items to their site using Auction Submit. To go to their website click on the GO TO SITE dropdown at the top of the main Auction Submit screen, then select "Yahoo".
The Templates choice is used to select the option to use a customized look for your listings. Various templates are available. When you click on the Edit Defaults - Templates choice, a window will open that will give you the capability to explore the different options and select one as a default. You don't need to do this now. You can also access the templates from the Create a New Listing screen. To view the available templates, click the down arrow in the Templates box, select a template and click the "Template Description" button. To select background color and font color choices click on the square box to the right of desired choice. A color picker will appear. Click on the color you want (note that there are also controls for customizing your color at the top of the window)and then click OK.
Once you have finished setting up your defaults be sure to click the "OK" button at the bottom of the screen. This saves your settings. Remember - you can always come back to these settings by clicking the "Options Menu" dropdown.
Now lets take a quick look at the other options on the Options Menu dropdown at the top left of your screen. It is not necessary to set these at this time, but this will familiarize you with them. The Order By menu option is used to select how to sort the listings in the current screen.
The final option on the Options Menu dropdown at the top left of your screen is the Time Zone option. This is used to choose how the closing times of the auctions will be displayed. Because the online auction sites are in different time zones, Auction Submit allows you to choose a single time zone to convert the closing times to. Currently, you can choose either Eastern or Pacific Time.
Now you are ready to create a new listing. Select the New Listings tab on the main screen. Select the Create a New Listing button at the bottom left of this screen. This will open a Add New Listing Screen with your default values filled in. Finish filling out the form. Note - be sure to select the site you want to submit to and (on the auction sites) the type of auction you want (i.e. standard, reserve price, dutch) by clicking on the appropriate dropdown boxes. Try out the buttons at the bottom of this screen. Preview Listing will launch your browser and show you what your listing will look like. Be sure to close this browser after you have previewed your auction. Select Template allows you to select or deselect a custom template or change your background and font colors. When you get your listing the way that you want it, click the Add Listing button. A new entry should appear in the New Listings screen.
Another very useful tool is the Import From eBay function. You can use this to import listings that are already on eBay^tm directly into Auction Submit^tm. This function is accessed from the "File" dropdown at the top of your Auction Submit ^tm screen. Please review the File Menu section of the User Reference Guide, before using this function.
Once you are done creating new items, connect to the web and select the Submit All Listings button at the bottom of the New Listings screen. If you only want to select one or more of these listings to be submitted, hold down the "CTRL" key on your keyboard and left click on the grey square to the left of the listings that you want to select. Then click the Submit Selected button. This will start the process of submitting your listings. You will be prompted for the password to your account for each site you submit to. Once an item is submitted, it will disappear from the New Listings screen and appear on the Current Listings screen.
To view the status of your current auctions, select the Current Auctions tab on the main screen. You will see all of your current auctions. To update the status of your current auctions, select the Update Auctions button at the bottom of the screen. This feature will examine all of your current items and determine if you have any bids, who the high bidder is, and if the auction has closed. If an item has closed it will be moved to either the Sold or Unsold screens.
To see a list of the inventory in your shop on Shoporium click on the Current Shop Items tab on the main screen. You will see all of your current shop inventory. You can use this screen to transfer listings from your shop to an auction site or to transfer sold items to the Sold screen.
If you would like to relist a closed auction, select the auction in either the Sold or Unsold screen and press the Relist button at the bottom of the screen. This will open a screen where you can make changes to the auction before you relist. You can change all of the auction information including which online auction site to send the auction to. Once you have completed editing the auction it will be moved to the New Auctions screen. At this point the process starts all over again.
If you need to go to one of the sites accessed by Auction Submit, click on the Go To Site dropdown menu. If you are online, selecting one of these sites will take you there.
One final thing to check out -- Click the Categories dropdown at the top of the screen and you will see the update options for each site. This takes into account the fact that online auctions are constantly changing their categories. Clicking on these options will allow you to update the category lists in Auction Submit^tm. Note: Depending on which site and how many changes, this could take a few minutes.

Note: This is just a brief overview of Auction Submit. Please click on the link below to see the entire Reference Guide.

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