kAuction
Help
kAuction,
eBay
Auction Management Software by Kinem
Help file prepared
11/01/04
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Click
the subject links below to see help on that subject.
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You
can also press Ctrl & F at the same time to bring up a Find box to
search this page. (You may have to click somewhere on this page first to
make sure this Help file has the 'focus')
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Check
our web site OFTEN for updates and
new help.
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Read
this help file and the FAQs
before emailing questions (most all questions will be
answered here)
Introduction
to kAuction:
kAuction is
your all-in-one eBay
auction management solution. Designed from the
ground-up for eBay by an
eBay
Power
Seller. It contains all the tools you need to make your auction tasks
easy. kAuction can
kAuction uses a unique design that splits the
screen in half. The left half contains the
The right half contains a
integrated web browser
AND a print/email preview container. You can adjust the size of either half
by simply setting the mouse over the red line that separates the two
halves. When the cursor turns into a double arrow, click and drag the
separator bar while holding the mouse button down.
In addition to this
'Help' file that you are now viewing, kAuction has built in
help. Most every button and text box has 'Tips' associated with
them. Simply place the mouse over what you are curious about and a tip
will pop up. Also, as you perform many activities some assistance will be
offered in the
bottom left corner.
You will no doubt
notice a lot of blue text boxes. This indicates that the fields are
locked. kAuction takes good care of your database and other information
and one of the ways it does this is by keeping the information locked whenever
possible.
Before starting any
auctions, take a look around. Open and close
everything. Read all the forms. Put the mouse pointer over all the
buttons and text boxes and labels to see the tips. Don't worry, I have built stability
into this program, you won't hurt anything.
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Getting Started:
You've got some stuff to fill in! First, all of
the information you enter can be changed by you at any time, so don't worry if
you make a mistake. Just make sure it is filled out correctly before
starting auctions.
Getting Started - User
Settings/Options
- Open the 'User Info' form by clicking the 'User Info'
button on the 'QuickStuff' tab or by clicking Tools -> Settings/Options on
the menu. (or press 'F2')
- On the 'User Information' tab you must enter your
eBay
username, password, and email
address on file with eBay. Accuracy is very important, as kAuction uses
this information to automate most of your auction tasks.
- Then fill in your name and address as it will be used for preparing
invoices, etc.
- Next, on the 'FTP Settings' tab, fill
in your FTP settings if you know them. If you are not sure, you can
enter them when you find out what they are. See more
FTP help.
- On the 'eMail' tab, fill in your email preference and
if you are using SMTP, fill in the server information.
MAPI information is
handled by your email software, like Outlook or Netscape. AOL users choose the SMTP
setting unless you have a Hotmail account and Outlook Express set up for
MAPI.
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Server settings are on the next tab. These may need modified from time to
time by eBay, but rarely.
Leave them alone unless there is a specific reason to modify them.
- There are a number of Options on the 'Options'
tab. Read them over, they are self-explanatory. If you do not
understand an option, you will after using the software for a while.
- You can close the Settings/Options
form.
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Getting Started - Auction
Defaults:
- You can check
all the defaults for your listings by clicking View->Auction Defaults on the
menu. These will be used for all auction listings, but can be
changed when you like. You MUST enter a Location (ex
- Los Angeles, CA) on the 'Listing Defaults' tab. eBay
will not start an auction without a location specified. Note:
the location can no longer contain HTML. It must simply be the
location.
- The picture information section on the 'Listing
Defaults' tab is to ensure that you always get the little picture icon with
your eBay auctions. This generates more page views for your
auctions. You can choose one of three options. The default picture
option is a small picture
that will be used for all of your listings. When you first start
kAuction, it is set to a
small ad for the software. If you have a standard picture you like to use,
enter the URL here. Some people put a little
image or something similar. Others may use a company or web site gif
or jpg. If you do
not have a default picture you would like to include with all auctions, you
have two other options to ensure that you get the photo icon with your
listings. You can choose to have the first picture from the item as
your default picture (note: this means you will have two of the same picture
with your listing) or you can choose to have kAuction 'inform' eBay
that you have a picture, and it's in the item description already.
- If you take PayPal you can check the PayPal
box and enter the email address that is on file with PayPal.
- kAuction allows for background sounds
and patterns, any combination of text colors and sizes, etc.
There is a preview of your auction layout on the last tab of this 'Auction
Defaults' form
- Pick your Hit Counter preference on the 'Hit Counter'
tab. If you choose the free Andale counters, there is a button on the 'QuickStuff'
tab to view
all your hit counters and total bids on your items.
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Getting Started - Other
info to fill in:
- You will need to enter your default
emails and tax information before emailing any
bidders.
- You should also check your system time
and date. Set the time if necessary, because
kAuction uses the time and date for many processes.
- You can now learn about how to start
an auction!
- Sign-in to eBay and check the box that
makes you STAY signed in. This is necessary as eBay now requires a
cookie on your computer so it recognizes you when you perform tasks.
Make sure to check the box that tells eBay to keep you signed in EVERY TIME
they ask for the information. Even though you are signed-in
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Getting Started -
Adjusting your Internet Explorer
Settings:
The following is
important, as sometimes information from a previous auction may get
resubmitted. To correct this problem, follow these instructions:
- Open Internet Explorer
- Click Tools->Internet Options on the menu
- On the general tab, in the 'Temporary Internet Files' section, click
'Settings'
- Choose 'Every visit to page' as how often you'd like to check for
newer versions of stored pages
Also, you will need to turn
off the Internet Explorer Script Debugger to avoid pesky script error messages
that may pop up on occasion. Do this:
- On the Tools menu of Internet Explorer,
click Internet Options
- On the Advanced tab, select the Disable script
debugging check box, and then click OK
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'QuickStuff' tab:
One of the three tabs on the main screen, this tab contains numerous quick links to often used
eBay
sites and some user definable links. It also contains buttons to
quickly open your user information and settings form and your 'To Do'
list. You can change the user links by clicking the 'User Info' button on
the 'QuickStuff' tab or by clicking Tools -> Settings/Options on the
menu. Once you have the 'User Information' form open, you can enter
web sites of your choice. You can also set the button caption, so you will
know what that button is linked to. You can then jump to those web sites
with just one click! When first shipped kAuction has all four extra links
set to our web site. You can use the built-in browser for viewing quick
stuff links, or you have the option to use your full-size default browser.
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'StartAuction' tab:
One of the three tabs on the
main screen, this is where all of your auctions will be started
from. After picking an item and entering the starting bid, category, etc,
a 'quick start' auction form is generated for you, with HTML already built, and
placed directly in the web browser. More on starting an
auction.
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'Auctions' tab:
One of the three tabs on the main screen, this is where you will be spending most of your
time. It may look overwhelming at first, but it is all necessary, useful,
and easy-to-learn stuff. From this tab you; can modify an auction, view an
auction, automatically retrieve high bidder and final fee information., email
winning bidders, send reminder emails, leave feedback, etc, etc, etc!
The auction information on the 'Auctions' tab is divided into three sections; auction listing information at the top, bidder
information and bidder tasks in the middle, and auction tasks and auction record
navigation at the bottom.
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Web
Browser:
The
right-hand side of the screen contains a web browser and an email/print preview
box. You can easily switch between the fully functional web browser and
the print and email preview box by clicking 'Switch' above the box.
The
web browser will be used for starting auctions, viewing auctions, 'QuickStuff'
links, handling many
eBay
auction tasks, My
eBay
page, Hit Counter page,
etc. In fact, the browser uses Internet Explorer technology and can be
used to navigate to any web site - just enter the URL in the box above the
browser and hit the 'Enter' key on your keyboard. It can also be used to
open local files (files on your hard drive), save web pages, and even print web
pages!
You
can also use your full-size default web browser if you like for some tasks by
checking the 'Full-Size Browser' check box. It's slightly
less convenient, as you will have to remember to close the browser windows after
using them.
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Print
and Email Preview Box:
The
right-hand side of the screen contains a web browser and an email/print preview
box. You can easily switch between the fully functional web browser and
the print and email preview box by clicking 'Switch' above the box.
The
print and email preview box is used for just what it's name implies.
Invoices, mailing labels, outgoing emails, shipping lists, etc will all be
displayed in this box for review before printing or emailing. To print the
contents of this preview box, select the printer you want to use from the dropdown
list box (upper right corner) and click the 'Print' button. If you need to
set up your printer or need more options for printing, click File->Printer
Setup from the menu. All printers that you have installed software for on
your computer will be displayed in the dropdown box, but choose a printer that
your computer is connected to at the time of printing. The font size
can be adjusted by clicking the little font size buttons. Note that the
font size buttons will resize any text that is 'highlighted' (if
no text is highlighted, the font size will be the new size for any text entered
after the size was changed.) More font options are available by clicking
Edit->Font on the menu. Fun to experiment with, but you'll probably
find that all of your work can best be done with the default, plain font and the
regular size.
To
email directly from kAuction (after filling in your email settings) just type
the message in the box, enter the email address in the 'Send To:' box below and
enter the subject for the email. Click 'Send To' and the email is
sent...that simple! Most emails you will need for auction management will
be created for you automatically by kAuction. When the emails are
generated by kAuction, they will be placed directly in this box (for SMTP email)
or will be sent directly to your email software (for MAPI.)
The
integrated web browser and text preview box is an amazing tool. The design
is so simple and useful, no other software can match it's versatility.
Experiment with it, you can't hurt anything. Switch back and forth between
the two views (browser and text preview.) Try printing something.
Try opening something in the preview box, then in the web browser. Try
saving something from each view. You'll grow to love it.
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Email
Set Up:
Email settings can be found on the 'User Info' form. Click
the 'User Info' button on the 'QuickStuff' tab or click Tools ->
Settings/Options on the menu. You have two choices for email, MAPI or SMTP. After
filling in the email settings, you should test the email.
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MAPI
uses your default email software. If you have Outlook, Outlook
Express, or Netscape email, choose this option. You can specify a Carbon
Copy if you like. A copy of all outgoing emails will be sent to this email
address (must be a valid email address.) kAuction does not actually send
the email if MAPI is chosen as an option. It simply sends all the information
to your computer's email software and then that software is used to send the
email. When you email using MAPI, your software should open a new
email form with the email address, subject and email text already in the
appropriate fields!
- If you have SMTP service from your internet provider,
or if you have SMTP email through another web site, choose SMTP. All
fields must be filled in except Carbon Copy (it's optional.) If you are
unsure of your mail host name or other SMTP information, please contact your
internet provider and they will be able to provide you with the information. Also,
a few web based email providers now require authentification. There is a checkbox for authentification, it's the
ESMTP checkbox. Most DO NOT require this and will not forward email
when you have this option checked.
- AOL users should
choose SMTP (until they set up a MAPI account!)
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Default Emails:
Click View->Emails on the menu.
There are a number of automatic emails that kAuction will generate for
you. Simply click the email message you want to fill in and then click
'Edit' to open the boxes for editing. Help is provided on the 'Emails' form. There is an extra email for you to
use for any email you find yourself writing often. The extra email
also has a subject line. It will be the used to fill in the subject line
for the extra email. You can use it if you like or leave it blank. There
are a few 'tags' that you can use to add certain custom lines to the
email. Read more about them on the 'Emails' form.
Note: you can also open a
blank email for a bidder from the bidder
dropdown list, or for customers from the sale form or customer record. That's
very convenient when you just need to write a few quick lines to someone and the
default emails aren't needed. The
blank email is not much use to AOL users, because all it does is put the
person's email address in the 'Send To:' box. AOL users should
consider using alternate email software.
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Test email:
BEFORE emailing any customers, test your email settings
and defaults on
yourself.
To test to see if your email
settings work, follow these steps:
- Switch to the Preview
box if it is not already opened by clicking the 'Switch' button.
- Type a short message in the Preview
box.
- Enter an email address (preferably your own, so it comes back to
you!)
in the 'Send To:' box
- Type a subject in the 'Subj:' box.
- Click 'Send To:'
and it will be sent
- If you have MAPI email, your email software should
open with the information in the appropriate fields.
- If you have SMTP email, kAuction
will attempt to contact your provider and send the email.
- Check to see if the test email made it
back to you
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Modify your email settings and default emails as needed to make them work to
your satisfaction.
If you also want to
check how your default emails will look and sound to your bidders/customers follow these steps:
- First, make sure you have filled in
your default emails.
- After starting some auctions with
kAuction, click 'Edit' on the
'Auctions' tab for any auction that has not ended.
- Put some fake bidder
information in the bidder fields (don't worry, it won't mess up your
database.) For test purposes, enter your eBay
username
and your email address and a bid amount.
- Try all the emails
to see how they will 'sound' to your bidders/customers. Make sure they are
clearly written and accurate. Choose 'Winning Bid' email and click 'Do
It', choose 'Payment Rcvd' email and click 'Do It', etc.
- If you have SMTP
email the message should open in the preview box with the email address and
subject filled in. Click the 'Send To:' button to test your SMTP. Verify that
the email shows up in your inbox and see how it would look to the
customer.
- If you have MAPI email as your preference, your email software
should open with all the fields filled in. Send the emails. Make
sure they get back to you and make sure they are accurate.
- When
finished testing, you can clear all the bidder fields back to blank.
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Modify your email settings and default emails as needed to make them work to
your satisfaction.
This set-up and testing is CRUCIAL. It will give
you great confidence in the accuracy of your emails and make
your email tasks much easier.
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AOL email:
AOL users, you have two
choices:
You can use the SMTP setting and
the automatic emails will be generated for you and placed in the preview box.
Then you simply click 'Copy' above the box and it will be copied to the
clipboard for pasting (pressing Ctrl & V at the same time is the shortcut
for pasting) into the AOL email form. You can then copy and paste the email
address of the bidder into the appropriate box on the AOL email form and type in
a subject. Blank emails (from the bidder drop down list and customer
forms) will offer no assistance to you because all it will do is copy the email
address of the bidder/customer to the 'Send To:' box.
The second, MUCH BETTER, option is to set your computer up to
use MAPI and send emails with Microsoft Outlook Express through www.hotmail.com.
This involves a few steps, but is worth every minute of your time. Go to www.kinem.com/aolemail.html
for complete instructions. Yes, it'll take a bit of time (especially if
you need to download Internet Explorer 5.0 or above) but it will save you so much time from then on. Once you have it set up,
you can then choose MAPI
email as your email preference. It will use your EXISTING AOL EMAIL
address as the return address for your outgoing emails. All emails you
send through hotmail (by following the instructions at the web site) will appear
to the receiver as though you sent them from your AOL account!
(You actually have three choices...sort of. You can also use an
SMTP account that you have set up outside of AOL. Be warned that AOL likes
to intercept your outgoing SMTP emails and many times, destroy them. Not
sure why they do that...you'll have to ask them.)
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FTP:
File Transfer Protocol. Despite what you've heard, FTP is not
impossible.
It is simply how your computer talks to other
computers in an attempt to transfer information. You can upload (put) files at a
remote FTP site, delete files, download files, etc.
Once your FTP settings
are entered and tested, kAuction will upload all your item pictures for you and
delete them when needed.
To set up your FTP you need the following
information from your internet service provider:
- Username for logging in to FTP site
- Password for logging in to FTP site
- Host name (FTP server)
- Directory of your space at the FTP site (and, if you have a directory
name, ask if you must create the directory first. If you must create
the directory first, ask them how to do it ...or ask them to do it for you)
- URL (www) prefix that must be added to image name in order to view the picture
once it is at the FTP site.
Once you get that information, simply enter the settings. Click
Tools->Settings/Options from the menu or click 'User Info' button on the 'QuickStuff'
tab to view the FTP settings. Test the FTP.
kAuction does NOT FTP
in passive mode. I am working on including that in a future update.
If you have a firewall, it will have to be lowered in order to FTP with
kAuction.
These settings are very
particular. That is, they do not work if they are in any way incorrect!
That's the problem most people run into...minor mistakes. Request the
EXACT information as listed above from your service provider and enter it into
the FTP setting fields. If you get frustrated, I will add additional
picture/FTP help at the web site (www.kinem.com/picturehelp.html)
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Sample
FTP Settings:
Some samples follow (Note: information
below that is in italics
is to be REPLACED with the actual
information. For example, where it says username
you will NOT type 'username' into the FTP settings. Type your ACTUAL username, not the word
'username')
AOL FTP settings (must
be logged onto AOL with the same screen name that you are using for FTP
in order to upload or delete pictures. You may have to 'activate' your
space. Go to keyword 'My Space' Also, they only allow 2MB which you
will find inadequate. You may want to get FTP space
elsewhere. See FTP Tips.)
| FTP Username |
FTP |
| FTP Password |
username@aol.com |
| FTP Host |
members.aol.com |
| Directory |
leave blank |
| URL prefix |
http://members.aol.com/username/ |
You must be logged onto AOL with the screen name you have
specified in the options settings for uploading to work.
If you have multiple screen names, and want to swap
between them, you must change the FTP Password and Web Images URL settings, and
then log on AOL with the different screen name.
Also, if you haven't used your AOL ftp space, you may have
to activate it by going to keyword "My Space"
I have removed other samples, as
the internet providers are changing the settings too often and the information
becomes incorrect. Please contact your ISP to see if they provide
space! Nobody wants to spend more money, but I highly recommend
purchasing space from a third party site, as it is MUCH more reliable and they
offer much more space and it's easier. See www.kinem.com/picturehelp.html
for more info.
Also, see 'How
do I get my FTP settings from my internet provider?'
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FTP
Tips:
Some
tips to help you have trouble free FTP:
- Always name your
pictures consistently. 'MyPicture.jpg' is different then 'mypicture.jpg'
to many servers because they are case sensitive. Develop a naming
style and stick with it. I use all lower case names, then there's
never a doubt in my mind of the case.
- I recommend naming
your pictures with the date first so you will not overwrite existing
pictures. For example: if your are selling a clock you might
want to name it '1031clock.jpg' where 1031 indicates the date October
31st. That way if you go to sell another clock a few days later on the
2nd of November, you can name it '1102clock.jpg' If you simply
use 'clock.jpg' you will probably forget and then name the second one 'clock.jpg'
also. What will happen is the second one will overwrite the first one
when you transfer it. Both auctions will have the same picture!
- You should only use
letters and numbers in the picture names. Many FTP servers will not
accept spaces in the picture name and special characters can confuse some
servers also.
- First, contact your
Internet Service Provider and see if they give you free space.
- If your FTP service
provider only gives you a small space to work with (AOL only gives you 2MB,
a ridiculous low amount which you will use rather quickly. Just 40 or so
pictures at 50K each will put you over the limit.) you should set up an
account with a provider that offers more space. I use space
at www.pair.com. It's
affordable (pennies a day) and sign-up is simple.
- If you can not get
your FTP to work from kAuction with your present provider, don't spend all
day trying to figure it out. Set up an account elsewhere and get busy
making money. Again, www.pair.com
is very affordable an reliable.
- Set up more than one
account if you can. I have two because, they are WEB BASED and servers can go down, etc. Be sure to
record all the information as you join other FTP sites, so if you need to
switch, you can do so quickly. (You need to write down and save your
username, password, directory, FTP server name, and the URL (www) prefix for
each account.)
- If you've tested your
FTP and it passed the test, but you do not see the image in the auction ad
you may have an incorrect URL prefix for the image. kAuction uses the
prefix you have entered in the FTP settings to give the image a WWW address,
so that it can be viewed. For example, if you have 'http://www.MySpace.com/'
as the prefix, kAuction will name the picture 'http://www.MySpace.com/picturename.jpg'
kAuction simply adds the filename of your picture to the end of the URL
prefix. Make sure the prefix is correct by checking with your FTP
provider.
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Start
an Auction:
Here's
the steps to starting an auction. We are assuming you have filled in the listing
defaults and other information. You may also want to read the listing
tips.
- Click the 'StartAuction'
tab on the main form.
- Click 'Pick Item',
this will open the item records. If you have no items entered, the
item records form will open with the fields open, ready for your first
item's information.
- If it is your first
item, enter the item information. Click 'Save' when you are done
entering the new item. Make sure all the item information is correct
and any pictures are uploaded before continuing.
- If it is an existing
Item, find the item you wish to start an auction with. The items
are stored (by default) in the order you entered them. Make sure all
the item information is correct and any pictures are uploaded before
continuing. Click 'Edit' if you need to modify an existing item
that is locked.
- If it is a new item,
click 'Add' and then enter the item's information. Click 'Save' when
you are done entering the new item. Make sure all the item information is
correct and any pictures are uploaded before continuing.
- You can enter the
item's auction information in the item record (or enter it when you go to
start the auction, on the 'StartAuction' tab) The auction information
stored in the item record includes:
- Min (minimum starting bid.
If no amount is entered, the minimum will default to $1 when starting an
auction)
- Res (reserve
price. If no amount is entered, no reserve will be listed when
starting an auction)
- BIN
(Buy It Now price. If no amount is entered, the BIN will not be used
when starting an auction)
- Days
(Length of auction...3, 5, 7, 10 days. If no length is entered,
the days will default to 7 when starting an auction)
- Cat
(Category. If no category is entered, the category will have to be
entered on the 'StartAuction' tab when starting an auction)
- Cat2
(second category if desired. If no category 2 is entered, then no
second category will be used when starting an auction)
- Qty
(quantity if this item you will be selling at auction. More than 1
and it's a dutch auction. If no qty is entered, the qty will
default to 1 when starting an auction)
- S&H
(default shipping amount for the item. If no amount is entered,
the shipping will default to $0 when starting an auction)
- Insurance
(default is 0. If no amount is entered, then kAuction will use
zero and 'not available' for insurance)
- Type
of auction (Auction, Fixed Price, Store Item -default is 'Auction'
for a regular auction)
- eBay
Store info (check the box if you have an eBay store. Then,
click 'Edit Categories' and enter ALL your store categories in the SAME
order as they are listed with eBay! The order of entry must match
what is on file with eBay)
- Also,
you can enter options for listings here such as Featured, Bold, Gallery,
etc.
- Click 'Start Auction'
on the item records form, this will show the main screen with the item
information filled in to the appropriate fields. If you need to change
the item information, click 'Pick Item' and change the information in the
item record, then click 'Start Auction' again.
- You can enter the
Auction Title (the default is the item's short description.)
- If you want, you can
view your defaults for how the auction ad will look at any time by clicking
'Auction Defaults'
- Choose if you want
kAuction to build your auction ad. Most all people will choose to have
kAuction build it because it is so easy and efficient, so that is the
default. kAuction will use the listing defaults you have entered and
the item's description (from the item record) to build your ad. You
can also choose to enter you own description/HTML. If you choose this
option, kAuction will simply copy the item's description (from the item's
record without adding any HTML) into the sell page's description box.
This is handy if you have your own HTML entered in the item
description and want to use it. If you choose 'Use my own...' kAuction will
still fill in all of your other defaults and user information for you.
- We are assuming you
are online. If not, get online or kAuction will attempt to connect to
the internet using your default internet settings.
- You can preview
your ad by clicking 'Preview', this will open the HTML
InstaView with
the HTML kAuction has generated in the top half of the form and how it will
look in the bottom half of the form. If you want to make changes, you
must make the changes to the item record (if needed) or the listing defaults
then click 'Preview' again to see the result.
- Click 'Build Start
Auction Form', this 'builds' the auction for you and begins to submit the
information to eBay. You can cancel at anytime or wait for the last
page to show in the browser. This will be the review/submit auction
page. If you check 'Auto submit', kAuction does NOT show the eBay
review page. It gets submitted automatically and the item number is
entered into the database for you. If you have chosen to include a
USPS calculator, you will be asked some information about the package in you
are listing at this time.
-
kAuction calculates auction listing fees for you as it submits the auction. If you've indicated
options, such as Bold or Featured on the item record it will calculate
those also. You can use the fees calculator by
double-clicking the little 'Auct Fees' label.
- (Note: this does not apply
if you choose 'Auto Submit') eBay will show the total fees on the
review page when submitting the auction.
- If you change your
mind on the category, minimum bid, etc, you should make the changes to the 'StartAuction'
fields and then click 'Rebuild' otherwise the changes will not be reflected
in your database.
- (Note: this does not apply
if you choose 'Auto Submit') eBay
will show a
review of all the auction information you have submitted. After
reviewing the information in the browser, submit the auction to
eBay.
If it is not right, make changes where appropriate and then click 'Rebuild.'
-
(Note: this does not apply if you
choose 'Auto Submit') eBay
will show the
'Auction has begun....' page. You need the item number. It's
very important! Not the link to the item, just the number. I
just double-click the number in the browser and that highlights it.
Then I press the Ctrl and C keys (shortcut for copying) on my keyboard at
the same time to copy the number to the clipboard. Click in the 'Item
#' box and press Ctrl and V (shortcut for pasting) at the same time to paste
the number.
- (Note: this does not apply
if you choose 'Auto Submit') Click 'Auction Has
Begun' to enter the auction into your database.
- You can now click over
to the 'Auctions' tab to view your auction if you like. Your item's
quantity field will be lowered when the auction is started.
- Click 'Pick Item' to
start another auction.
- Note: you can
enter as many item records as you want before starting any auctions for
them. kAuction stores your item information forever, so you don't have
to start the auctions right away. I do it this way. I enter my
first new item by clicking 'Add' on the item records form. I fill in
the description, upload pictures, choose the category, minimum, etc.
Then I click 'Add' again to enter another item. Sometimes I work on
40-50 items at night (uploading pictures goes quicker for me at night) then
start auctions for those items one after the other the next day when I get
time.
In no
time you will be moving through these steps in just seconds...literally.
Starting auctions has never been easier.
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Auction
Records:
Auction records are
found on the 'Auctions' tab of the main screen. You will find yourself
working on this tab quite often. The screen is divided into three
sections. The top section is the listing information. You will not
have to edit this information very often as it is set when the auction is
started. The middle section contains the
bidder information and bidder tools. These will be blank until the auction
has ended and high bidder information has been retrieved. The bottom
section contains tools to navigate the records, find certain records, and which
record 'view' you are currently looking at. When kAuction is started
'All Auctions' is the default view. Please note: the bottom section containing
auction navigation and view choices is not visible until you have at
least one auction in the database.
Also included in the
auction navigation section is a dropdown list of auction tasks that kAuction can
perform for you automatically. Pick one from the list and click 'Do
Auction Task' to perform the task. Many auction tasks will open a kAuction generated
web page/form (or eBay
web pages) in the browser half of the screen. Some will perform
database tasks or email tasks. Click here to
see a rundown of all the tasks on the 'Do Auction Task' drop down list,
including retrieving high bidder information and emailing all winning bidders.
Some tasks may require you to
sign-in again to eBay. There is really no way around this (at least that
I've found) due to eBay's cookie rules/regs. Just sign-in again, if asked,
and choose the checkbox that says 'Keep me signed in...'
The 'Fees' box is a
double info box. The default view has a blue background and has the total
fees (listing fees and final value fees added together.) You can
double-click the 'Fees' label to see the fees you have recorded for the listing
only (green background.) Please note: the fees will be the same
until the auction has ended and bid info has been retrieved (because until then,
the total fees are simply the listing fees.)
At any time you can
instantly open the item record for the auction listing. Click the '<
Item #' button to see the item record. This is convenient for reviewing
the item record for any auction.
If you no longer need to
access a record because the auction is complete, you can hide it by checking
'Archive'. This will save the record for you, but it will be hidden if you
choose to hide the archived records. For archiving options, double-click
the little 'Archive' label on the Auction records tab. PLEASE remember,
that this hides the auctions that you have chosen to archive. SO, if you
one day can not find an auction that you know should be there, double-click the
'Archive' label and choose to see all records.
Also see Work
on Bidders for more information concerning bidder records and bidder tasks.
See
Record Tips for information that applies to all
records and always remember to backup your
database in order to safeguard your records. kAuction automatically
backs up your database at start up just in case you forget!
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Auction
Tasks ('Do Auction Task' drop down list)
kAuction
automates many auction tasks. Here is a rundown of the things kAuction
will do for you from the 'Do Auction Task' drop down list on the 'Auctions' tab:
-
View Auction - opens the
current auction in the browser
-
See High Bids - shows
the current high bidders for the auction in the browser
-
Get High Bid Info - will
retrieve the high bidder information and final fees for the current auction
-
Get All High Bids - will
search your database for all auctions that have ended, but bidder
information has not been retrieved. It will get the high bidder
information and final fee information for all auctions that meet this
criteria:
-
the auction has
expired according to the date/time you have entered for the
auction in your database
-
the auction has not
yet been marked as 'Bids Checked'
-
will not retrieve
bidder info for auctions that have ended with 'Buy It Now' because the
end date has not been reached.
-
problems? read
this
-
Email All Bidders - will
search the database for all auctions that need a 'Winning Bid Email'
sent. It will build the emails for all auctions/bidders that meet this
criteria: (you can also email one bidder at
a time)
-
Revise Auction - will
open the auction for revision if it has not yet received any bids
-
Add Info to Auction -
will allow you to add information to your auction, but not change
the original ad
-
Cancel a Bid - will
build a 'cancel bid' page in the browser for the current auction
-
End Auction Early - will
build a 'end auction early' page in the browser for the current auction
-
Non-Paying Alert - will
build a 'non-paying alert' page in the browser for the current
auction. Submit a non-paying alert for bidders who have not paid, but
only after you have reminded them at least once!
Enter a note in the bidder notes with the date you submitted the
'Non-Paying' alert.
-
Credit Request - Can only be submitted 10 or more days after you submitted a non-paying
bidder alert. Enter a note in the bidder notes
with the date you submitted the 'Credit Request' and you can also mark the
auction 'Complete' if you like at this time.
-
Relist Item - will open
the current auction's item record and allow you to relist the item
-
Leave Bulk FB - will
leave feedback to all bidders who are marked as 'Paid' but not yet marked as
having had feedback left for them (you can also leave
feedback for one bidder)
-
Mark Complete - will
search your database and mark auctions 'Complete' if all bidders have paid
and feedback has been left for them
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Auction
Record Views:
You
can choose from a number of auction views and sort them how you like. On
the 'Auctions' tab you will find three drop down boxes in a row to the left of
the little '< Auctions being viewed' label. The leftmost dropdown list has a number of
choices for which records you wish to view. Pick from:
- all auctions
(all auctions in your database, active
and completed)
- active auctions (still
running or have outstanding bids)
- not yet ended
(currently running on
eBay)
- ended and need bid
info (high bid info has not yet been retrieved)
- notification not sent (high bid
info has been retrieved, but not yet marked as 'Emailed')
- ended, no bids (marked as 'Bids
Checked' but has no bidders. You can determine how many days back to
look and from there you
can choose 'Relist' from the 'Do Auction Task' dropdown list box if you
desire)
- overdue (payment still
not received for one or more bidders. Note: the number of days
before being considered overdue can be set on the Options tab of the
Tools->Settings/Options form)
- completed
(ended with
no bids or all bids are accounted for and feedback left. You can mark
auctions complete yourself when it is paid and feedback is left or have
kAuction do it for you by choosing 'Mark Complete' from the 'Do Auction
Task' drop down list box)
- notified, not paid (winning
email sent, not yet marked as 'Paid')
- paid, not yet shipped (marked
as 'Paid', but not marked as 'Shipped')
- needs feedback
(all auctions that are marked as 'Paid' but feedback has not been left)
You
can sort the records (middle dropdown list box) by item number, item title or
end date and put them in ascending or descending order (rightmost drop down list
box.) If you need a specific record or want to pick from some other auction
record search choices, just click 'Find'
Remember, if you can not find
an auction that you know should be there, double-click the 'Archive' label and
choose to see all records. It may have been 'Archived' and is being hidden
by kAuction.
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Active
vs Completed:
kAuction
groups auctions into two main categories. Active or Completed.
Active auctions
are ones that are either currently running or still have outstanding
bids or feedback needs left. They are active because they still
require attention.
Completed auctions
are ones that have ended without any bids or all bids are accounted
for and feedback has been left.
Note: you can manually mark auctions complete by changing the drop down box to
'Completed'. Do this when all bids are paid and feedback has been left for
the auction's bidder(s). HOWEVER, kAuction will mark
auctions completed for you. Choose 'Mark Complete' from the 'Do
Auction Task' drop down list box. (Tip: First leave bulk
feedback. kAuction will not mark an auction completed unless feedback
has been left for the bidder.) The exception for kAuction automatically marking auctions
complete; if you get a final fee credit because the bidder did not pay you must
mark the auction as complete on your own. It's completed because it no
longer requires attention, you got credit.
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Auction
End:
- For one auction:
- Find the
auction. If you have a small number of auctions in the database,
simply move through your auction records to find it. If you have a
large number of auctions, you can find the one that ended by clicking
'Find' and using one of the search options. Searching on 'End
Date' is a quick way to find the auction that ended.
- To retrieve the high
bidder information, choose 'Get Bid Info' from the 'Do Auction Task' drop down list
box. It will retrieve high bidder information for the auction.
- Email
the high bidder by choosing 'Winning Bid Email' from the bidders 'Do It'
drop down list box.
- (Note:
you can also choose 'Get All High Bids' from the 'Do Auction Task' drop
down list box. It will find the auction that has ended and get the
bid info for you)
- For a number of
auctions:
- Choose 'Get All
High Bids' from the 'Do Auction Task' drop down list box. kAuction
will find all auctions that are ended (according to the end date/time
you have entered in the database)
- After
all bidder information is successfully retrieved, then you can
email the winning bidders. Choose 'Email All Bidders' from the 'Do
Auction Task' drop down list box and kAuction will find all auctions
that have had the Bids Checked, but are not yet marked as
'Emailed.' kAuction will generate the 'Winning Bid' emails for
you, one after the other. Just click 'Send'
- kAuction
will also combine multiple winning bids into one email for you
automatically.
Note: kAuction
calculates the auction final values fees at this time also. It adds the
final value fees to the auction listing fees and displays the total in the
'Fees' box. If you cannot get high bidder information, be sure you
are signed in to eBay and make sure you have checked the box that keeps you
signed in always.
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Enter
a Sale:
You might be tempted to just click the 'Paid' checkbox next to the bidder.
Don't do it. A sale must be entered for each payment received!
Try to take shortcuts and nothing is going to work right. Profits will be
wrong, items will have incorrect quantities, etc. Keep accurate records
and your database will serve you well. You may also want to read the
first section of the Sale Records help.
When
you receive payment for an auction, follow these steps:
- Find the auction that
payment was received for. Click 'Find' on the auctions tab to select
from a number of options for finding the auction record. Searching by
item number is the easiest if the customer included it with the
payment. They don't always do that, so you can search on bidder
username, email address, auction title, etc to help find the correct
auction. If the customer is paying for more than one auction, just
find any one of the auctions.
- If it's a dutch
auction (more than one item) the little label indicating the bidder record
number will be highlighted with red text to remind you to find the correct
bidder (because their are multiple bidders.) Move to the correct bidder
record by clicking the little '<' and '>' buttons.
- Choose 'Enter Sale'
from the bidder's dropdown list and click 'Do It'
- The Sale form will
open. If this bidder is a previous customer (kAuction will search on the username to
check) the sale form will open with all of the customer information already filled
in. Check it to make sure it is still accurate and hasn't changed. If it is a
new customer, you can enter the shipping information the customer provided.
Click 'Save' when finished entering customer information
- If payment is for more
than one item, you can click the little '+' button to the right of the sale item
lines and kAuction will search for other bids this bidder has not yet paid
for.
- Enter the payment
method. (Tip: Payment methods that appear on the dropdown list can be
modified to match your needs. Click View->Payment Methods on the
menu.)
- If it's a credit card,
enter the number and expiration date. (Tip: If you double-click the
little 'Credit Card' label, kAuction will add the credit card number and
expiration date to the customer's notes field.)
- Ensure that all the
information is accurate. Click 'Total' to see the total before entering the
sale and make sure it matches the payment you received. Double check
the shipping and insurance charges. Accuracy is very important because
mistakes are hard to fix on this form once the sale has been entered.
- If you have more than
7 items for this customer then, congratulations on the great customer!
I hope kAuction helped you to get this customer. But, you will have to
enter the first seven items on the form, then fill out another sale for the
additional items. (I fit all the sale lines I could on this form and still
have the form fit on a smaller computer's screen.)
- You can enter
non-auction items also. You can not use the item number field for
non-auction items however, as it's for auctions that the customer has bid on
only. For non-auction items, kAuction will ask for your cost when you
attempt to enter the sale. That's for profit analysis.
- After double-checking
everything, click 'Enter Sale' This adds the sale record to your
database.
- After entering the
sale, you can also mark
items as shipped if you plan on shipping the items that day.
Otherwise, kAuction will mark the items as shipped when you send an 'Item
Shipped' email. The easiest way to keep your records up-to-date is to
mark them shipped right from the sale record.
- Print an
Invoice. Even if you do not plan on shipping (ex- waiting for check to
clear) print the invoice after entering the sale. This way you will
have the invoice ready when the check clears and it will serve as a reminder
that the item(s) on the invoice have not yet been shipped. If not
shipping immediately, keep the invoice in a
safe place until you do send the items. Include the invoice
with the item(s) when shipping. You can modify the message
that appears at the bottom of the invoice by clicking
View->Emails on the menu.
- Print a mailing label
if you have a label maker. Default font sizes for mailing labels
and invoices can be set by clicking Tools->Settings/Options on the
menu. It's on the Options tab.
- If you made a mistake
click 'Edit.' Only a few fields can be modified. If you need to
change more information then kAuction is allowing you to modify, you have to
reenter the sale. COPY all the information down (item numbers,
descriptions, amount, etc), delete the record (DO NOT delete it until you've
copied the information), then start over. This is necessary
because entering a sale makes changes all over your database and the only
way to undo the changes is to completely delete the sale. I told you to double
check everything!
- You can also enter a
sale for a customer that does not have any bids. To enter
non-auction sales, click
View->Customer Records. If they are an exiting customer, click
'Find' to find them. If they are new, click 'Add' to add them.
When you found the customer or entered their information, click 'Save' if
the record is open, then 'Enter Sale' (IMPORTANT! You
should enter something into the USERNAME field. If you do not know
their username, enter their email address or name...something unique.
kAuction uses this field when searching for customers!)
- There is a 'Print All' on the
sales records form. This will allow you to print all of the invoices
or all of the mailing labels for a particular date. This is useful for
users that enter all their customer's sales for the day BEFORE they print
any invoices.
Get
used to this form. With the help of kAuction, you'll be spending a lot of
time here entering sales.
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Ship
List:
Super
feature. You can access the Ship List by clicking View->Ship List from
the menu or from the sales form when entering a sale. Pick the dates the sales were entered (the default is today's
date) and kAuction will list all the customers with their purchases right in the
text preview box. You can view them there or print the list out. I
print one every day after I finish entering the days sales so I have a complete
checklist of everything that needs shipped. It's also great for people
without label makers. You can simply cut out the customer address portions
and tape them to the packages!
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Work
on Bidders:
kAuction automates most of your bidder tasks. Just pick a task from the
bidder dropdown list and click 'Do It.' The bidder check boxes (Emailed,
Paid, Left FB, etc) are updated automatically by kAuction as you perform the
tasks. You will find all of the tasks in the bidder dropdown list to be
huge time savers and you can experiment with them to see how they
work. You can leave feedback from the bidder dropdown list or leave
bulk feedback and catch up all at once. Attempt bulk feedback after first testing
feedback for an individual bidder.
kAuction adds notes (includes the date the action was performed) to the bidder
notes field as you work. Bidder notes that are automatically entered by
kAuction include when the winning bid email was sent, when the sale was entered,
when the item was shipped, when feedback was left, and when a late reminder was
sent.
If
there are multiple bidders for one auction (dutch auction) the bidder record
count label will be highlighted with red text to remind you that there are
multiple bidders. This is important to remember so that you can use the
little '<' and '>' buttons to locate the correct bidder.
You
can find bidders by clicking 'Find' on the 'Auctions' tab. You will be
given a list of auction fields to search on, including bidder username, bidder
email, etc.
A
rundown of all the bidder tasks found in the 'Do It' drop down list box are
found below. Some other bidder tasks are also found in the 'Do
Auction Tasks' drop down list.
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Bidder
Tasks ('Do It' drop down list)
kAuction
will perform many bidder tasks for you. Here's a rundown of all tasks
found on the 'Do It' drop down list box:
-
Winning Bid Email -
builds the 'Winning Bid' email by combining what you have entered as your email
default with the auction and bidder information. kAuction
calculates totals for you. You can review the email before
sending. 'Emailed' will be checked for the bidder after sending
a 'Winning Bid' email and a note will be added to the bidder note's with the
date the action was performed.
-
Show All Bids - shows
all the bids the current bidder has on auctions you are running
-
Enter Sale - enter a
sale for this bidder. Opens the sales form with much of the
information filled in. After entering the sale, 'Paid' will be checked
for the bidder and a note will be added to the bidder note's with the date
the action was performed.
-
Payment Rcvd Email -
builds a 'Payment Received' email for the bidder. Combines auction
information with the default email you have
entered. If kAuction finds multiple bids by the bidder that are not
marked as 'Paid' it will ask you if you want to combine them into one
email. (Note: sending the 'Payment Rcvd Email' does NOT mark items as
'Paid', they are marked 'Paid' when a sale is entered for the items)
-
Leave Feedback - leave
feedback for the bidder for the current auction. It will check 'Left
FB' for the bidder and a note will be added to the bidder note's with the
date the action was performed. You can choose which default feedback
you wish to leave for the bidder or enter a specific one.
-
Item Shipped Email -
builds an 'Item Shipped' email for the bidder. 'Shipped' will be
checked for the bidder after sending this email. Combines auction
information with the default email you have
entered and a note will be added to the bidder note's with the date the
action was performed. If kAuction finds multiple bids by the bidder
that are not marked as 'Shipped' it will ask you if you want to combine them
into one email. (Notes: 'Shipped' can also be check from the Sales
record form for all items on the Sales record. However, If you mark
the items as 'Shipped' from the Sales record before sending the Shipped
email, kAuction will not be able to combine 'Item Shipped Email'
information for you because it won't find any records that are NOT marked
'Shipped')
-
Late Reminder Email -
builds a 'Late Reminder' email for the bidder. Combines auction
information with the default email you have
entered. 'Late Reminder' will be checked after sending this email and
a note will be added to the bidder note's with the date the action was
performed.
-
See Bidder's FB - view
bidder's feedback in the browser
-
Past Customer? - checks
to see if the bidder is a past customer by searching your customer records
by username. If they are a past customer, the record opens. If
not, you are asked if you would like to add a record for them.
-
Extra Email - opens an
email for the bidder that you have entered in the default
emails.
-
Blank Email - opens a
blank email for the bidder.
Some other bidder tasks are also found in the 'Do
Auction Tasks' drop down list.
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Feedback:
Before leaving any feedback, make sure you have entered at least one default
feedback message. Click View->Feedback to see your feedback
defaults.
You
can leave feedback two ways. One way is directly from the bidder dropdown
list. The bidder information and tasks are found in the middle section of
the 'Auctions' tab. Choose 'Leave FB' from the dropdown list and click 'Do It'
When
you leave individual feedback, you will have the option of choosing which
message to leave for the bidder. You can also leave negative or neutral
(use with caution.) When you leave bulk feedback, you do not get to choose
which message is left for which bidder. kAuction will choose the feedback
randomly from the feedback messages you have entered.
You
can also leave bulk feedback. Choose 'Leave Bulk FB' from the 'Do Auction
Task' drop down list near the bottom of the 'Auctions' tab.
kAuction will search through your database for any bidders that have been marked
as paid, but have not yet been marked as having feedback left for them. Warning! This could take a while if you have let feedback pileup for a
long time. You can work on other things while bulk feedback is being left,
but it may slow down response time in the browser. If you have 30-50 or so, it should take just a couple
minutes. If you attempt to close kAuction before bulk feedback is done,
kAuction will warn you.
Also,
it is strongly recommended that before leaving bulk feedback, you leave
one feedback manually first. Find an auction that you have recently
received payment for and you know that feedback has not been left for.
Choose 'Leave FB' from the bidder list box and click 'Do It' Make sure it
goes through. On numerous occasions I have received a 'This functionality
is currently unavailable' message from
eBay. If you get that message or
something similar, try later because they may be experiencing server
problems. If you leave bulk feedback while the servers are not
functioning, the bidders will be marked as having feedback left, but feedback will not
have actually been completed. In short, kAuction sends the info but that
doesn't mean
eBay
is accepting it. Check one feedback manually first!
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Item
Records:
All
auctions are based on items. Your item records contain all the information
pertaining to each item you wish to sell. You can open the item records by clicking
View->Item Records from the menu, or by clicking 'Pick Item' on the start
auction tab of the main form.
The
fields on this form include:
- Description. A
short description of the item. This will be used for the auction title
when you start an auction, but you can change it before listing the item if
you like. (For example you can just enter 'Grandma's clock' as a
short description, but then enter something more appealing when starting the
auction like 'Antique Clock -wonderful condition, must see!')
- Quantity. How
many you have on hand. The default is 1. kAuction will
automatically deduct from the quantity when an auction is listed for the
item.
- Item Cost. You
can enter how much you paid for the item, or if on consignment how much you
get. For consigned items, enter either a percentage of the final selling price
you will get or a set dollar
amount you get for selling the item. This information is optional but
will be used to calculate profits on the Totals
page. You do not have to enter costs of items, but then your profit
percentages will not be accurate. Even if you are just selling items
for fun, you should enter your estimated costs, so you can see your profit
figures once in a while. Profits and totals can be found by clicking
Tools->Totals on the menu.
- Long
Description. Tell about your item. This information will be used
as the auction description when starting an auction. If you do not
plan on entering a set shipping amount when starting the auction, you should
indicate shipping charges (see Start an Auction)
in the item description. Also, there's a little check box called
'Insert HTML line breaks.' This is handy feature. If you are
describing the item and you hit the enter key, it will add a HTML line break
(<br>) for you. With HTML you can hit the enter key 50 times and it will not show up.
It has to be told to break with a tag. To add a blank line between
sections of the description, check the box, and click the enter key
twice. It'll appear as <br><br> in the description, each
one counting as a carriage return. In fact you can use any HTML in
this field if you want.
- HTML pros - if you are
using your own HTML when starting an auction, you can type it into the item
description. Then when starting the auctions, choose 'Own Desc' and
kAuction will drop your HTML into the auction listing's description field
for you!
- Pictures. Click
'Edit' to open the current item record, or 'Add' to add a new one, and the 'Browse' buttons
will be activated.
Browse your hard drive to find the pictures for the item. A picture
preview is available for your convenience. Never use bitmaps (picture
files with .bmp extension) They are too big and bidders will not wait
for them to load. When scanning pictures or saving them from a digital
camera, store pictures as .jpg files. See FTP
Tips for more information on pictures. The web
locations will be blank until you upload the pictures. If you already
have the pictures at a web site, you can enter the complete URL in the 'URL' fields (note that I said the
'URL' fields are for the URL. 'Pic' fields are for the local (hard drive) picture locations
only.) Also, after a successful uploading, the 'Uploaded?' label will
say 'Yes'
- Item Notes. Just
for your records. Not part of the listing.
- Extra Info. This
is information that you would like added to every listing at the
bottom. Include here payment options, payment terms, if state tax is
collected for any state, insurance options, if you take PayPal, etc, etc.
This is a great place to add images that you would like to appear in every
ad. You can use HTML in this field if you like.
- Auction listing
defaults. These fields (including Cat, minimum, Buy It Now, etc) will
be used when you start an auction for the item. If you leave them
blank, you can choose the category, etc on the 'StartAuction'. The auction
listing information
stored in the item record includes:
- Min (minimum starting bid.
If no amount is entered, the minimum will default to $1 when starting an
auction)
- Res (reserve
price. If no amount is entered, no reserve will be listed when
starting an auction)
- BIN
(Buy It Now price. If no amount is entered, the BIN will not be used
when starting an auction)
- Days
(Length of auction...3, 5, 7, 10 days. If no length is entered,
the days will default to 7 when starting an auction)
- Cat
(Category. If no category is entered, the category will have to be
entered on the 'StartAuction' tab when starting an auction)
- Cat2
(second category if desired. If no category 2 is entered, then no
second category will be used when starting an auction)
- Qty
(quantity if this item you will be selling at auction. More than 1
and it's a dutch auction. If no qty is entered, the qty will
default to 1 when starting an auction)
- S&H
(default shipping amount for the item. If no amount is entered,
the shipping will default to $0 when starting an auction)
- Ins
(insurance amount and information regarding insurance)
- eBay
store information (only if you have an eBay store)
- Type
of auction
- Bulk upload
information (see 'Bulk Upload' for important
information on this topic.
- Picture Viewing/Maintenance. 'Settings' opens your FTP settings, 'Upload' starts to
upload your pictures to your FTP site, 'Delete Local' will delete your
pictures from your hard drive, 'Delete Web' will contact your FTP site and
delete the pictures. See FTP for more information
on setting up your FTP.
- There are record
navigation buttons to move through the records and 'Find' will give more
options for finding a specific record.
- You can choose an item
records 'view' from the drop down list box. The default view is 'All
Items'.
- Click 'List Auctions'
and kAuction will show any past and current auctions that this item was used
for.
- You can preview your
pictures in the little preview box. Double-click one of the labels ('Pic'
or 'URL') and that picture will be shown.
- Note: you can
enter as many item records as you want before starting any auctions for
them. kAuction store your item information forever, so you don't have
to start the auctions right away. I do it this way. I enter my
first new item by clicking 'Add' on the item records form. I fill in
the description, upload pictures, choose the category, minimum, etc.
Then I click 'Add' again to enter another item. Sometimes I work on
40-50 items at night (uploading pictures goes quicker for me at night) then
start auctions for those items one after the other the next day when I get
time.
If you no longer need to
access a record because the item's auction(s) is/are complete, you can hide it
by checking 'Archive'. This will save the record for you, but it will be
hidden if you choose to hide the archived records. For the different
archiving options, double-click the little 'Archive' label on the Item records
tab. PLEASE remember, that this hides the items that you have chosen to
archive. SO, if you one day can not find an item that you know should be
there, double-click the 'Archive' label and choose to see all records.
See Record
Tips for information that applies to all records and always remember
to backup your database in order to safeguard your
records. kAuction automatically backs up your database at startup, just in
case!
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Customer
Records:
Customer records are one of your most important business assets. Always
enter customer information accurately and completely. You can view
your customer records by clicking View->Customer Records from the menu.
(A customer record also opens when entering a sale. It's at the top of the
sale form and it's automatically filled in if it is a repeat customer, or blank
if a new customer.)
Most
fields on the customer record form are self-explanatory. There are some
tools added to the form that you may find useful. They include:
- Past Sales.
Searches the database and presents a list of all previous sales credited to
this customer.
- Check Bids.
Searches the database and shows all bids by this customer that have not yet
been paid.
- Send Email.
Opens a blank email for the customer. Really handy feature, but not
too useful for AOL users.
- Find. Click it
to see a list of fields you can search to find a customer.
Take
good care of your customers. Repeat customers can help you build a solid
business base.
See Record
Tips for information that applies to all records and always remember
to backup your database in order to safeguard your
records. kAuction automatically backs up your database at startup, just in
case!
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Sale
Records:
I
am sure you know that these are important records. Well, they are ultra
important to your database and your online business. Having customer
records is nice, but what makes the customer information really valuable is
knowing what purchases they made. Auction records are very
important too. But they become real tools when you can calculate profits
and view sales based on them. Sales records bind all the information together. They
tie a bidder to what is now a customer, the customer to a sale, items to a sale,
and auctions to the items from the sale.
You can open the sales form in three ways. To open the sales form, click
View->Sale Records on the menu, or choose 'Enter Sale' from the bidder
dropdown list on the 'Auctions' tab, or directly from a customer record.
The form opens a little differently with each method. If you open it from
the menu, all the sales in your database will be shown. If you open the
sales form from the bidder dropdown list, it will open ready to add a new sale
with the customer information (if a previous customer) and the auction listing
information already filled in. If you open it from the customer records
form, it will open ready to add a new sale and the customer information will be
already in place on the sales form (but no item information.)
I've
designed a neat and efficient Sale Records form for your auction needs. Many
fields are self-explanatory and you can also find out more information about
them by simply placing the mouse cursor over them. A tip will pop up for
most text boxes, buttons and some labels. Some features include:
- Customer
Information. Located at the top of the form, you can edit the info,
check for other outstanding bids, see past sales for the customer, print a
mailing label, and send a blank email. If the customer information is
open for editing, you must finish editing and click 'Save' before kAuction
will allow you to enter the sale.
- Quick - will allow you to
paste the customer's address info into one box and then kAuction will
attempt to paste it into the customer fields for you.
- Little buttons.
The little '+' button to the right of the sale line item will open a form
that will show other outstanding bids for the customer. So convenient
for bidders with multiple bids on your items. Check it out! The
little 'x' button will erase a line if you made it in error.
- Adjustment
field. Use this field to make an adjustment to the profit for the
sale. For example, if you make a buck or two on the shipping, you can
enter a positive amount in this field so your profit calculations will
reflect it.
- Credit Card
Label. Double-click it to copy credit card info directly into the
customer's notes field. That way when you look up a customer in your customer
records, the credit card information is with that record also.
- Tax Label.
Double-click it to bring up your tax table.
- Payment Methods.
You can set this list to the methods you accept. Click
View->Payment Methods on the menu.
- Mark Items
Shipped. (Not visible if the sale has not yet been entered.)
Click it and all the items from the sale (if they are auction items) will be
marked as 'Shipped' with today's date.
- Print Invoice.
(Not visible if the sale has not yet been entered.) Click it and an
invoice is copied to the main screen Preview box for printing. Print
an invoice for every sale, even if you do not plan on shipping right
away.
- Ship List. (Not
visible if the sale has not yet been entered.) Click it and the ship
list form pops up. You can pick dates on this form and kAuction
will list all sales for the dates you pick. The ship list is very
handy, check it out!
- Find. (Not
visible if the sale has not yet been entered.) Click it and you will
be given a list of fields that you can search in order to find a particular
sale.
You
should also read the information about entering a sale.
See Record
Tips for information that applies to all records and always remember
to backup your database in order to safeguard your
records. kAuction automatically backs up your database at startup, just in
case!
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Record
Tips:
Records that kAuction maintains include Customer, Item, Auction and Sale
records. All records have some nice features to help you perform your
auction tasks more efficiently. They include:
- All records come with a notes
section. You can use this section for any information that will help
you find, sort, and organize your records. kAuction can not possibly
anticipate every piece of information you would like to track, so this field
can be used by you for your purposes. An example: when starting
an auction, you decide to make it a Featured auction for an additional
fee. Besides adjusting your fees field,
you could write 'featured' in the auction notes section. Later when
you are searching for records, you can enter 'featured' as your search word
and search on the notes section (that's right, all 'notes' fields are
searchable!) The search will bring up all auctions that you have
'featured' on eBay! Tip: be consistent. Use the same word
or words every time, so when you search, kAuction can find all the
records you are looking for.
- 'Find' buttons are
available on all record forms. Click it and you'll be presented with a
list if fields you can search on.
- When entering a search
word, you can use a wildcard character. What's a wildcard
character? It is a special search character. It can stand for
any number of characters or spaces. The wildcard character for
kAuction is the
percent sign (%) For example: suppose you are searching for a particular
auction for a clock you sold but can't remember the exact title. All
you can remember is that you used the word 'clock' and 'must see' in the
description. As a search word you would enter 'clock%must' and the click
'Search' button. kAuction will look for any auction records that have
the word 'clock' in it, then any number of characters or spaces, then the
word 'must' in the title. The '%' stands for any characters or spaces,
of any length. You should also remove any filter before searching in order
to search all the records (see below.)
- Records will often
appear with the 'Remove Filter, View All Records' button visible. This
means you may not be viewing all the records. You may have searched the
records or chosen a particular record view. Click the button to view
all the records again.
- The record number
label (says 'Record 1 of whatever') can be double-clicked and you will be
given an option to jump to a particular record. For example, if you
are at record number one and believe the record you are looking for is at
about number 1000, you don't have to keep clicking the next button!
Double-click the label and enter 1000 as the record number you wish to jump
to.
- You can change
information by clicking 'Edit.' When finished click 'Save' to save the
new information or 'Cancel' to cancel any modifications. Please note
that you will not always be able to cancel changes. If you have moved
off of the current record or some other activity has been performed besides
just editing, pressing 'Cancel' may not work because the changes may have
already been applied to your database.
- Deleting
records. You can delete records that were entered by mistake.
You will not be able to delete some records if they are related to other
records in your database (ex- you can not delete an item record if it has related
auctions, you'd have to delete the auctions first.) In most cases,
there's no reason to delete records anyway. It doesn't matter if you
have thousands of auctions in your database, kAuction provides you with the
navigation tools ('Find', auction views, etc) to handle them easily.
Also, you can not delete a record if it is the only one in your
database. You can edit the record or you can delete it once other
records have been entered.
- There are often
buttons to help you cross reference your database. For example, on the
customer record form, you can click 'Past Sales' or 'Check Bids' to open
information pertaining to that customer. Take a good look
around. Neat, time-saving features are everywhere throughout
kAuction. Hold the cursor over a button or label and a tip will pop up
to assist you.
Also see Database
Tips for information about safeguarding your records.
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General
Tips:
Some
general auction tips and kAuction tips.
- Leave negative
feedback in only extreme cases. Try to work it out with the
bidder. I generally get a credit from
eBay
and then maybe leave
neutral. Negative feedback dangerous because it may lead to retaliation from the
bidder. Of course, if they are a dishonest bidder they deserve
negative feedback and the negative helps to warn your fellow
eBay'rs.
Just use caution.
- Make your default
'late reminder' email a 'gentle' reminder. Many times email gets deleted by
accident or the bidder just forgot. A quick way to make a potential
customer into a 'defensive' bidder is to threaten them.
- Check the bidder's
feedback before requesting a 'Non-Paying Bidder Alert' or 'Credit Request'
from
eBay. If they have a good, high rating, try to email again.
You can check a bidder's feedback from the 'Auctions' tab. Find the
auction in question, move to the bidder record (if it's a dutch auction,
else they'll be the only bidder), and choose 'See Bidder's FB' from the
bidder dropdown list. Click 'Do It.'
- Repeating an FTP
Tip. Don't spend a week trying to get your FTP settings ironed out
with a problematic internet service provider. If you can't get your
FTP up and running, just open an web space account with a more user-friendly
provider.
- You should fill in all
five default feedbacks. kAuction randomly chooses one feedback from
however many you have entered. Five helps to ensure that it's not the
same thing over and over (especially for bidders with multiple bids.)
Click View->Feedback on the menu to see your feedback messages.
- The browser half of
the main screen uses some cool technology from Microsoft's Internet
Explorer. You can open most any document type in the browser, not just
web pages. Click 'Open' above the browser and try it out! Also,
the extra links on the 'QuickStuff' tab can be set to a file on your hard
drive - just enter the path (example of a path- C:\My Documents\MyFile.doc)
instead of a web address! The file will open directly in the browser.
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Listing
Tips:
Some
auction listing tips:
- To prepare to list a
bunch of auctions you should first fill in all the item information for each item you
are going to list before starting. Upload all the pictures before starting
any auctions also. Then locate the first item you are going to list and start
the auction. If you have all the information entered, you will be able to list
one item (or more) per minute (but
of course, it depends on the eBay
server speed, internet traffic, etc.)
Preparing all the item information first allows you to concentrate on
getting them listed in a quick way. (Note: kAuction stores all item
information forever, so you can enter the items when you have time, and then
start an auction any item at any time.)
- Make sure your 'Extra
Information' is clear and complete. 'Extra Information' is found on
the item record form and can be included with every listing. The
information you include here will help keep the email traffic a little
lower. (Less questions like, 'do you take PayPal?' and 'can I get
insurance?', etc)
- Choose attractive
colors for your listing and make sure the text colors show up well against
the background color you chose. You can pick your colors and see how they will
look by clicking 'Auction Defaults' on the 'StartAuction' tab.
- Many more listing options
(like background patterns and sounds) are also found by clicking 'Auction
Defaults' on the 'StartAuction' tab of kAuction's main
form.
- If your full-sized
picture is large (wider than the average computer's screen width) then
choose thumbnails. Then they will be shrunk, with an
option to view the full size image.
- Never use a bitmap
(.bmp) image file as your picture. It's too big of a file and people
will not wait for it to load. When saving your pictures from a scanner
or digital camera, choose .jpg as the file format.
- Finding yourself
listing over and over in the same handful of categories? You can make
a text file with just your categories in it and kAuction will open your file
whenever you pick the '<Cat' button on the 'StartAuction' tab. Just
make the text file, then go to the Options tab of the 'User Info'
form. You'll find a checkbox to indicate that you'd like to use your
file as a category picker and a 'Find...' button to locate it on your hard
drive.
- If you are starting a
reserve price auction, you might want to include what the reserve amount is
in the item's description. Many people get frustrated when
bidding and they keep receiving the 'reserve not yet met' message.
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Database
Tips:
Your
database is extremely important! You should take the utmost care of
it. Some guidelines include:
- Enter accurate
information! This cannot be overstressed. Fill in all fields
completely. When performing auction tasks, kAuction (and you) depend
on accurate information.
- kAuction automatically
backs up your database on start up. But before closing the program,
you may want to back it up again. Click Tools->Backup Database on the menu to bring up a backup
screen. Choose a file name other than the original (kauction.mdb) or
the auto backup filename (kauctionbackup.mdb) such as
'backup1020.mdb' where 1020 is the date so you know when you saved it.
Store the backup apart from your computer's hard drive if possible on a CD
or removable disk. This is so vital. If you lose your computer,
that's one thing. You can get it repaired and reinstall the
software. Your database is (or will become) much more valuable then
the computer hardware. If you lose your database, it's gone
forever. If you have 1500 auction records, 900 sale records, 850
customer records and 1400 item records, and your computer crashes, what
would you do? You could NEVER reenter all the information. If
you backup regularly, just breathe a sigh of relief, pop in your backup, and
get back to work! See FAQs
for more info on restoring a backup.
-
This information is for experienced Access or Office users who may want to
use the database for mail merges or other data queries. The database was
designed with Microsoft Access. That means if you have Access you can
open it and view how it is designed. Just don't modify it!
The database is
commented to assist you. Warning: if you change any of the
tables, your program may no longer work!
- Importing other
databases. This isn't going to work in most cases. The reason is
that the design of other auction databases is flawed. Incorrect
relationships, etc. Sorry, you will have to start fresh with this
one. If you really want to try it and you are experienced with Access
go ahead and try to import the information. Match the fields the best
you can. Just make a 'clean' copy of kauction.mdb first in case it
doesn't work.
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Bulk
Upload Tips:
First, make sure your Internet
Explorer settings have been adjusted so that information from previous
auctions does not get submitted.
Information concerning bulk upload....
- I don't recommend bulk upload for users who are not
accustomed to running auctions with kAuction. (There may be information you forget to add to the item record
that you will have to correct after the item is listed!)
- if there is an error in submission, bulk upload will end
and you will have to correct the error and press 'bulk upload' again.
Possible 'errors' include the sign-in for selling screen, reserve price not higher than starting bid, category not selected,
etc.
- if you click the '+' button, that item will be marked for bulk
upload. if you need to list the same item more than once, click the '+' as many times as needed.
It will list the item with the exact information that is on the item record form.
- if you click the '-' button, it will take the item off the
bulk upload list when the quantity reaches zero
- new items can automatically be marked for bulk upload if you like,
as you add them to the database. Click the '?' button and that option will be available.
- kAuction will also start the items in
bulk upload at predetermined intervals. Enter a time in minutes
into the space provided on the options form. This is useful for
folks with fast internet connections (i.e. cable, DSL, etc) so that
auctions do not start one after the other.
- as an item is uploaded, it is removed from the bulk upload list.
In a future update, i may be able to allow the user to choose to 'save' certain groups of items in a bulk upload list (for users that
list the same items repeatedly) but for now you will have to reMARK the items if you want them to be bulk uploaded again
(Tip: if you do have groups of items that you want bulk uploaded as a group at certain times, enter something in the item record
'notes' section. i.e. bulkItems1, bulkItems2, etc. Then you can search the item records for all items with that in
the notes section and remark them with greater ease then finding each item individually again.)
- If you later list an
item manually that has been marked for bulk upload, it will NOT be removed
from the bulk upload list automatically. You have to click the
little '-'
button to remove it from the bulk upload list.
- during bulk upload, the item records form will NOT be accessible.
Plus, kauction will be busy working, as will the hidden browser that is
doing the submission. That means, you can still work on some things, but it may be slow going.
I recommend that you just let it run, checking it occasionally to make
sure no problems were encountered.
- depending on your connection speed, this can go fast or slow.
I am still on modem (believe it or not) and it takes me about 90 minutes to bulk upload
70 items.
- ALWAYS check which items are marked for bulk upload before beginning
a session! Choose 'items marked for bulk upload' from the item records
form....it's a filter in the 'item records view' drop down list box.
- test it out first with a small group of items....5 or 10 at the most,
to see how it works. Then if there was a problem with the listings, it won't
be as tough to correct as if you start with 50 items!
- do NOT just leave the computer while bulk uploading when first trying
it out. Make sure you check it to see if there is a problem or error so you
can correct it and start bulk upload again
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Set
Time:
Double-click the little clock in the upper left corner of the main screen or click Tools->Set System Time on the
menu. If you are online, you can click 'Set For Me' to have kAuction
automatically set your computer's clock. It'll match
eBay
time but be
adjusted to your time zone. (Actually, I have the time checking done
against a major university. It is much more reliable and accurate and
eBay
is always within a few seconds of
the university) Always make sure your system
clock is accurate; not just the time, the date is very important also. kAuction
uses the date and time for many tasks.
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HTML
InstaView:
HTML InstaView
is a really cool tool. Click Tools->HTML InstaView on the
menu to open it. It will also open when you click 'Preview' when starting
an auction.
Use
HTML InstaView to practice your HTML skills! Your item 'Extra
Information' is a place where you may want to include some HTML. For
example if you want to make a bulleted list of payment terms, you could enter:
<b>Payment
options</b>
<hr><ul>
<li>Cash</li>
<li>Checks (must wait 10 days to clear)</li>
<li>Paypal (send to dkinem@ velocity.net)</li>
</ul>
Highlight the above lines by placing your mouse at the start, clicking and
highlighting until all the lines are highlighted. Release the mouse
button. Then press Ctrl and C at the
same time to copy it to the clipboard. Open HTML InstaView and paste it into the top box by pressing Ctrl and V at the same time. You'll see the
results of the HTML in the bottom half instantly!
You
can adjust the space between the top and bottom halves by clicking on the red
bar, holding the mouse button down, and dragging it to where you need it.
When you are working on HTML you will (most of the time) want to see instant
updates. This updates the browser view instantly as you type. This can
get irritating if you have multiple images in the HTML, so you can choose to
have it updated only when you click update. The options are at the bottom
of the form.
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Spell
Checker:
The
spell checker can be accessed by clicking Tools->Spell Checker on the
menu. Press 'Spell?' and the contents of the spell checker box will
be checked for accuracy.
It is
also available directly on the Item Records form, the Feedback and Emails form,
and on the main screen when the Preview box is open. Click 'Spell?'
and the spell checking will begin.
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Clipboard
Manager:
You
can access the Clipboard Manager by clicking Tools->Clipboard Manager on the
menu. You can paste or enter any text you want into the box and kAuction
will store it for you. Then when you need a 'clip' you can open the
Clipboard Manager and click 'Copy' to have the clip copied to the Windows
clipboard. You can then paste it wherever it is needed (pressing Ctrl
& V at the same time is the keyboard shortcut.) This is handy for
saving any information or text that you find yourself typing too often.
Also, you can store additional emails templates here if you like.
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Tax Table:
Click View->Tax Table from the menu. Fill in the
appropriate state tax information. kAuction will add a tax line to
outgoing emails (example- NY residents add 8% sales tax for a total of
....) Also, kAuction will automatically calculate tax when entering a sale
for the appropriate state. If you do not have to collect tax, leave all
the states at the default (0 percent.)
(Note: the tax table can also
be brought up from the sales form. Double-click the little 'Tax' label.)
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To
Do List:
Open
your 'To Do' list by clicking 'To Do List' on the main screen 'QuickStuff' tab
or by clicking View->To Do List on the menu. Use this tool to keep
track of any tasks that you do not want to forget. Possible uses include
tracking a bidder (a bidder who wants to wait until some of your other auctions end
before you send a total, enter the username here and then follow them for awhile),
notes for neutral or negative feedback (kAuction only leaves positive, if you plan on
leaving neutral or negative for a bidder, make a note of it here until you leave it),
etc. Just any little jobs that need done and you don't want to forget!
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FAQs
(Frequently Asked Questions)
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Can
I see a short checklist on how to get started?
It is
recommended that you read the complete help file before starting any
auctions. I can guarantee that many will not do that, so a short checklist
follows:
- First, don't be overwhelmed by the
apparent crowding of features. kAuction does A LOT of stuff, so it's
all needed. You will see how it all comes together.
- Open the Settings/Options form by
clicking Tools->Settings/Options on the menu.
- Enter your user
information in the 'User Information' tab (more...)
- Enter your FTP information in the
fields of the 'FTP Settings' tab and test the FTP (more...)
- Enter your email information in the
fields of the 'eMail' tab (more...)
- Enter your defaults
for auction listings by clicking 'Auction Defaults' on the 'StartAuction'
tab (more...)
- Fill in default emails
before emailing bidders (more...)
- Test email (more...)
- Fill in Tax
Information before emailing bidders (more...)
- Set the time (more...)
These
are the general steps in getting started. Please read the 'more...' links
for detailed information.
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to FAQs
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Can
I see the general steps for running an auction from start to end?
The steps
in running an auction from start to finish are as follows:
- First, do not get
confused! Run ONE test item all the way through these steps to see how
it comes together. Guaranteed you will be a pro in short order.
This list looks long, but trust me!!!
- Go to the main screen
and click the 'StartAuction' tab
- Click the 'Pick Item'
button to
find (or add) an item to list (more...)
- Make sure any pictures
are uploaded and the description and extra information are complete (more...)
- On the item form,
click 'Start Auction' (more...)
- Check your defaults,
listing options, and see how your ad will be built by clicking 'Auction
Defaults' on the 'StartAuction' tab of the main form
- Click 'Build...' button
to 'build' the web pages that begin submitting the info to eBay
- If changes are needed
before submittal of the auction, change your database, then click 'Rebuild'
- You can preview your auction
by clicking 'Preview'
- When the review page is
displayed by eBay, check it for accuracy and submit it (Note: if you
chose 'Auto Submit' you will not see the review page)
- Enter auction item number
(that eBay
supplies
on the 'auction has begun' page) into your database and click 'Auction Has
Begun'. If you chose 'Auto Submit' this will be done by kAuction.
- View auction and work
on auction as needed (more...)
- When auction ends,
retrieve bidder information (more...)
- When payment is
received, find the auction that the payment is for. If it is payment
for a few auctions, just find any one
- When you've found the
auction, for a dutch auction find the correct bidder, otherwise there will
be just the one bidder
- Enter the sale (choose
'Enter Sale' from the bidder dropdown list) (more...)
- You can 'Mark Item(s)
Shipped' right from the Sale form if you plan on shipping that day
- Print Invoice (even if
not shipping immediately)
- Print mail label from
Sale form if you have a label printer
- Leave feedback (more...)
- When you have entered
all sales for the day, you can print a ship list from the Sales form or by
clicking View->Ship List on the menu (more...)
These
are the general steps in running an auction. Please read the 'more...' links
for detailed information.
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How
do I add existing auctions to my database?
Adding existing auctions is not as
simple as typing in the auction number. The main reason is that the
auction database is centered on ITEMS, not auctions. So, to get auctions
into your database, there first must be a related Item Record.
kAuction will track all auctions you
START with the program very easily, but to enter ones that are already running
and/or completed involves a few steps.
For each auction you want to add.....
- click 'Pick Item' from the 'StartAuction' tab
on the main form.
- click 'Add' to add the item that the auction is
selling (or has sold) to your database
- enter SOME info about the item that the auction
in question is selling or has sold, at least the description
- click 'Save' to save the item record...now
you have an item record in your database that you can attach an auction number
to
- click 'Start Auction' this opens the 'StartAuction'
fields on the main screen.
- no need to click 'Build Start Auction Form'
cause it's already been submitted previously
- enter the actual item number in the field and
click 'Auction Has Begun'
- it has been added to your database and tied to
an item.
- go to the 'Auctions' tab and find the auction.
Click 'Edit' and change the end day/time to match the actual end day/time.
Do that for every item!
Not pleasant, but not terrible. The program can't 'retrieve' current
auction and enter them into the database, because the database has to be built
on 'items' not auctions. Other auction software based on auctions have
incorrectly designed databases. I can explain it technically, but a short
explanation is this; suppose you have a few auctions running of the SAME ITEM
(you sell the same thing repeatedly.) If you import the auctions, you will
have auction records for each auction, but they will be attached to separate
items. That is definitely the wrong database design. Trust me.
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I
am still not sure about how to get a picture into my ad!
Questions about pictures and FTP are the most common questions I get.
Follow these general guidelines:
- First, you have to
somehow get the picture into your computer's memory. The pictures
usually are transferred to your computer from a scanner or a digital
camera. You'll have to work with the software that came with the
scanner/camera in order to see how to do that. My experience is that
the software provided with scanners and cameras is not good, so read all the
help they provide.
- Once the picture has
been transferred into the computer memory, save the file as a .jpg (example
of a filename- 'mypic.jpg') The preferred picture file format is .jpg. It uses far
less memory than bitmaps and you don't lose much in clarity. Save it
with reasonable dimensions. You'll have to use the photo software provided
and view the picture at it's normal dimensions. If it is too big, then
the software should be able to resize it. You will have to figure out
how to do this, as every camera/scanner software package is different.
Experiment until you get it right then copy down the steps you took to get
it that way for future reference!
- OK, the picture is on
your hard drive, in .jpg file format and a decent size. Now, it has to
be sent (uploaded) to somewhere on the web so people can see it. This
is where File Transfer Protocol (FTP) comes in to play. You have to
use FTP in order for your computer to be able to communicate with another
computer (server) so that it can be uploaded. As far as you are
concerned, FTP means this; your computer calls up another, tells it you have
a picture that you want to put somewhere on the web, the server says ok, and
the transfer begins.
- Your computer needs a
server to talk with and send the picture to. Most internet service
providers have FTP server(s) ready to work with their subscribers and they
give the subscribers free web space to use for FTP. You
will have to check with your provider. You need to know your FTP
username, FTP password, the FTP server's name, your directory (if you have one,) and what the URL prefix is in order for someone to view the
images. Sounds confusing and like a lot of info, but these are simple
little questions to your provider. Tell them you need the exact
information and you need it quickly.
- Do not spend a lot of
time figuring out your FTP settings! This should not take a
week. If your internet provider can't get back to you with the
information you need or they only give a small amount of storage space (like
AOL) just move on to a different web space provider. Sign-up, get your
space, start working. See www.kinem.com/picturehelp.html
for more information if you've become completely frustrated.
- You now have a web
space to store the pictures. Enter the settings (username, password,
etc) into the FTP settings fields. Click Tools->Settings/Options on
the menu. They are on the 'FTP Settings' tab. Test the
settings.
- Ok, you've tested the
settings, you have a web
space, now you are ready to start an auction. Pick an item that you have pictures
of from your item records. Click 'Edit' to open the record and then
click 'Browse' to find a picture on your hard drive of the item. Click
'Upload' and kAuction contacts your FTP provider and begins to transfer the
image. This can take a few seconds up to a few minutes depending on
connection speed, size of files, etc.
- Once the pictures are
uploaded, kAuction builds the URL for the picture (combining the URL prefix
from your FTP settings) and the file name. You can double-click the
item's picture labels to switch between web location of picture and hard
drive location of picture.
- Now when you click
'Start Auction' for this item, kAuction will automatically add the
picture(s) to your ad. In your ad, the pictures can be on either side
or the bottom of the item description. See 'Auction Defaults' on the 'StartAuction' tab of the main screen to change the picture location.
- For more FTP help, see
FTP, FTP Tips, and Sample
FTP Settings and for complete frustration, see www.kinem.com/picturehelp.html
for the latest tips/advice.
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How
do I run another auction for an existing item?
Want
to run auctions for the same item, repeatedly? Very easy. Simply
find the original auction. (Click 'Find' on the 'Auctions' tab for help in
locating it.) Choose 'Relist Item' from the dropdown list of 'Do Auction
Tasks.' kAuction will find the item, open the item record and send you to eBay's
relist page.
(Note: when
relisting through eBay's
relist page, the original ad is rerun. If you want to change the auction
ad itself, you have to modify it on that page OR relist the item manually.
Open the item record, click 'Start Auction' and then choose the way you want it
to look by clicking 'Auction Defaults' from the 'StartAuction' tab.)
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I
can't enter any info into the fields, they appear to be locked....why?
The fields are locked for the protection of your database! To open fields
in order to enter information, follow these guidelines:
-
To open
the fields of many of the records (like Customer, Item, Messages and
Feedback) simply click 'Edit' to open the fields for editing.
-
To open
'StartAuction' fields, first click 'Pick Item' to find or enter an item to
start the auction with. After the item has been added or found you
click 'Start Auction' from the item record to begin an auction with that
item. That will transfer the item info into the appropriate fields and
open the other fields for editing on the 'StartAuction' tab of the main
screen.
-
If you
just started and wonder why the 'Auctions' tab is locked with no way to edit
the fields, it's because you have not entered any auctions yet. You do
not add auctions from the 'Auctions' tab, you enter auctions from the 'StartAuction'
tab. See starting an auction for more
help.
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A
bidder task/auction task or quick link is no longer working. How do I fix
it?
From
time to time, you will experience 'failures' when trying to link to a site or
accomplish a bidder or auction task. This is unavoidable and is not an
error in the software. eBay
is constantly changing and therefore,
you may have to update the software to match. I have built the most updateable eBay
auction software on the market.
If something has changed, I have either built the fix already, or I am working
hard to get it done in the quickest time possible. Follow these general
guidelines if you are having problems with a link or task:
- First, check your
internet connection. Seems obvious, but often the internet connection
is to blame for the problems. Disconnect and reconnect. Even
rebooting sometimes helps.
- Try the task
again. Make sure to note these things; 1) what, exactly, are you
attempting to do, 2) what happens when you are trying to do it, 3) what (if
any) error messages are you receiving from kAuction and/or eBay.
- Check the web site for updates (www.kinem.com)
- If it is one of your
extra links on the 'QuickStuff' tab that is giving you trouble, you'll have
to check to see if the URL is correct. Click
Tools->Settings/Options on the menu. Your extra links are on the
'User Information' tab. Those are the links as you entered them, so
you will have to do the trouble shooting.
- Of course, email
me if nothing else seems to help!
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'Get
Bid Info' is giving the wrong results. How do I fix it?
kAuction retrieves the high bidder information by reading the HTML 'behind' the
auction's high bidder web page. If eBay
changes how the
information is presented on that page, you may have to update the software. Follow these steps:
- First. Try to
retrieve the high bidder information again. Check your internet
connection. Many times it is an unresponsive server's fault.
- Second. Make
sure that if it is a dutch auction (more than 1 item) you have the
correct quantity entered in the 'Qty' field. It should match the
quantity you have listed for sale for that auction. kAuction looks for
different 'tags' in a dutch auction than it does in a single item auction,
so this could cause it to 'read' the wrong information.
- Third. Make sure
you are signed-in to eBay and make sure you check the box that tells eBay to
always keep you signed in on the computer.
- If it still is not
working, check our web site
for an update as the settings may have changed.
- In the mean time, you will have to copy and
paste the information by hand into your database. Choose 'See High
Bids' from the auction dropdown list. Click 'Do Auction Task' to open the high bidder page in the browser. Find the high bidder
username and the high bidder email
address. Enter them in the appropriate boxes. (Note: if there is just an
email address for the bidder, then that is their email address and
username.) Enter the high bid and quantity. You'll have to do
that for each bidder if it is a dutch auction. BE SURE to
change the auction to 'Bids Checked' so kAuction does not try to retrieve
the information again (erasing what you have entered in the process!)
- That 'copy and
pasting' will get old quick, so email me
to tell me exactly what problems you are having.
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eBay
changed the sell page, how do I update kAuction?
This
will happen occasionally. The two most common problems will be an 'Input error' or
'invalid parameter' message from eBay
or, sometimes, you may have
seen new features on eBay's sell page that are not
available in kAuction.
If you
get an input error message (or some other similar message), the first
thing to do is to try submitting the sell page a few more times. It could
be a temporary server problem. If it continues then check our web site and
see if a new update is available for download. Odds are
that I am aware of the changes and have already started or completed a
fix. If there is no indication of a fix at our web site, you can email
me.
Don't
panic. I have anticipated changes and will get the fix built
quickly. In the meantime, you can still list with kAuction. It's
never completely 'down.' Open the Settings form by clicking
Tools->Settings/Options on the menu. Go to the 'Options' tab.
Click the 'Use Alternate Sell Page' option. kAuction will then use the
Sell Page web
address that is entered in the 'Server Settings' tab instead of trying to build
the form. Regretfully, you will have to enter some of your own information
into
the sell page. However, kAuction still builds your ad's HTML!
kAuction uses your default settings, pictures, etc and makes the HTML for you
and copies it to Window's clipboard. Just put the mouse cursor in the item
description box on the sell form. Right click the mouse and choose paste
from the pop up menu, or use the Window's shortcut for pasting (press the Ctrl
and V keys at the same time.) The HTML for your auction will be pasted
into the description text box! Just make sure the information you enter on the sell page (min bid, qty, category, etc)
is the same as the information that you entered into
your database. After submitting the auction, just copy the auction item
number (as usual) into your database.
Check
our web site often, as the fix will be posted as soon as possible.
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I can't
see the bottom of the item records form! Add/Edit are not visible on
the item records form! What is the problem?
If you can't see the
bottom of some of the forms then your screen resolution is too low. Follow
these steps to check it:
- Right-click with your mouse on a blank
area of your desktop
- Choose 'Properties' from the pop-up
menu
- Choose the 'Settings' tab
- Check what your screen area is.
It must be 800x600 or higher to use kAuction
- If it is lower, then see if you can
increase it (check your computer/monitor's documentation first)
If it is 800x600 and
you still can't see the whole form, then some of your desktop may be
"stolen" from you by banner ads. Such as those that come on
eMachines or from some free internet service providers. See if you can
remove it (which I doubt!) If you can not remove the banner ads (or set
your screen higher than 800x600) then you will not be able to use kAuction
because the form will not fit your screen.
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I am signing-in
repeatedly, what's wrong?
When asked to
sign-in to list an auction, sign-in with your username and password.
After sign-in is complete, DO NOT go through the eBay sell page that is
presented in the browser! Click 'Rebuild...' and kAuction will begin to
submit the information.
If you are
repeatedly get asked to sign-in and nothing gets submitted, that is an eBay
cookie error. Try deleting your cookies by opening Internet Explorer and
clicking Tools->Internet Options. Click 'Delete cookies' and try
again. If this does not work, email me and I will try to help.
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How
do I restore a backup database that I've saved?
If you've saved a
backup database and want to restore it, simply follow these steps:
-
Rename the backup. Name
it kauction.mdb
-
Move the backup to kAuction's
directory. It can be found with Window's Explorer and it is
'C:\Program Files\kAuction'
-
If there is an existing
'kauction.mdb' in the directory, you will be asked if you want to overwrite
it. Choose 'Yes'
-
kAuction will then read the
information from that database
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How do I move
kAuction to another computer?
To move kAuction
to a new computer, follow these steps:
-
Install kAuction on the new
computer from your CD or download it from the web site (www.kinem.com/trial.html)
-
Make a copy of your database
from the old computer. It's called 'kauction.mdb' and it's in
kAuction's directory (C:\Program Files\kAuction)
-
If there are no files that have
the '.mdb' extension as part of the filename, see 'Hidden
file extensions' to fix that before proceeding
-
Move the database to the new
computer, placing it in kAuction's directory, replacing the new BLANK
database that the installation put there.
-
Some settings are stored in the
Window's registry, so you will have to reenter them by hand (auction
defaults, username info, email and FTP settings)
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How do I fix the 'Error
connecting to database' problem?
Error connecting
to database could be caused by a few things.
The most common
reason is that you just downloaded a new update and downloaded it to your
desktop. You then double-click the icon to start kAuction. Well,
there is no database on the desktop, so kAuction does not find it. Simply
move the new download to kAuction's directory (C:\Program Files\kAuction)
replacing the old 'kauction.exe' that is there. Then open kAuction as
usual (Start->Programs->Kinem Software->kAuction)
If that is not
the case, some of the database support files may be corrupted. See 'reinstalling
kAuction' and follow those directions and then open kAuction and see if it
works.
The last and most
severe reason is that the database is gone. This happens RARELY, so follow
the above directions first. If neither works, then check kAuction's
directory (C:\Program Files\kAuction) to see if there is a file named
'kauction.mdb'.
If there are no
files that have the '.mdb' extension as part of the filename, see 'Hidden
file extensions' to fix that before proceeding.
If there no
longer is a file named 'kauction.mdb', you can either restore
a backup that you've made, or restore an auto backup.
If nothing
worked, email me and I will try to help.
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How
do I fix 'Error Number 6, Overflow Error'?
This happens
rarely when you try to retrieve high bidder information. The cause is
there are too many bidders or too many bidders of the same name, and the
information can't be stored in the field kAuction is trying to store it
in. You will have to hand enter the bidder information. Choose 'See
High Bids' from the 'Do Auction Task' drop down list box. Click 'Edit' and
enter the username, email address, quantity and bid. Do that for
every winner if it is a dutch auction. BE SURE to change the little drop
down list box to read 'Bids Checked' so kAuction does not try to get the
information again (erasing what you have entered in the process!)
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My
category picker is lost or not displaying? How do I fix it?
Could be a couple
things.
-
First, try to force kAuction to
read the category picker. Click Tools-Settings/Options on the
menu. Choose the 'Options' tab. Check the box that says 'Use
alternate category....' and then click 'Find' to find the file. It's
called 'cat.htm' and it's in kAuction's directory (C:\Program
Files\kAuction)
-
Second, eBay is using a Java
applet now as the category picker. Your virus software may be blocking
java scripts. You will have to make sure that you are allowing scripts
to be run on your computer.
-
Third, on the 'Options' tab of
the Settings/Options form, click the checkbox that will allow the category
picker to open in a full-size browser and see if it works!
-
Fourth, get the latest java
compiler from http://java.sun.com/getjava/
and see if that fixes it.
If nothing works,
email me and I will try to help.
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How
can I safely reinstall kAuction?
If you want to
reinstall kAuction because something is acting strangely or the database is not
opening and you feel the cause is some corrupt files, follow these instructions:
-
Make a copy of your
database. It's called 'kauction.mdb' and it's in kAuction's
directory. Name it 'kauction.mdb' and save it to the desktop (or
someplace you can find it easily!)
-
Install kAuction again from your
CD or download (get it at the web site www.kinem.com/trial.html)
-
Move the copy of the database
that you saved to kAuction's directory (C:\Program Files\kAuction),
replacing the BLANK one that the new install put there.
-
Open kAuction as normal.
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How
can kAuction be used for multiple usernames on the same computer?
You can use
it for multiple usernames by following these steps:
-
Install kAuction as many times
as you like. Once for each username.
-
BE SURE to install it into
DIFFERENT directories each time. This will keep the databases
separate. Auctions, sales, customers, items, default emails, etc, will
all be separate.
-
If you install it to the default
directory each time, you will simply overwrite the original installation.
-
When you want to use a different
username, you will have to open the kauction.exe that was installed for that
username
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Can
I use the software for eBay
motors?
kAuction can
manage your eBay motors auctions for you, but it can't list them. They use
a completely different sell page for listing and it's not built-in to
kAuction. However, if you follow these steps, kAuction can still get high
bidder info, send emails, leave feedback, etc.
-
Enter the item information into
an item record
-
You can have the HTML for the ad built for the item by clicking 'Preview' and choosing 'InstaView' as the
preview location. The HTML will be in the top half of InstaView and
can be copied and pasted into the eBay Motors sell page.
-
Click 'Start Auction' and that
will send the info to the 'StartAuction' tab
-
Do not click 'Build...' as
kAuction can't submit it.
-
Open eBay Motors sell page in
the built-in browser or a separate browser.
-
Fill in the info as needed (and
you can paste the HTML that kAuction built for you in step 2 into the item
description field on the eBay sell page)
-
If it is an automobile, you will
have to enter the appropriate fees into the 'Fees' field.
-
When you are presented with the
eBay item number, copy it into kAuction and click 'Auction Has Begun'
-
You can then manage the auction
through kAuction.
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How
do I add my own backgrounds?
To use a
background or background sound file that you have, you have to do this:
-
The file has to be at your web
space. Use your web space's FTP uploading tools to put it there.
-
Enter the COMPLETE URL for the
file's location into one of the blank spaces provided on the Backgrounds tab
of the 'Auction Defaults' form.
-
Check the box next to the file
you want to use and check the box that says 'Include the following
background....'
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What
are the instructions for joining an FTP site that is reasonable and actually
works?
See the web site
(www.kinem.com/picturehelp.html)
and follow the instructions for pair.com. It's reasonable AND reliable.
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How
do I restore an auto backup database that kAuction saved for me?
kAuction
automatically saves a copy of your database for each of the last five times the
program was opened. They are named 'kauctionbackup1.mdb',
'kauctionbackup2.mdb', etc.
If there are no
files that have the '.mdb' extension as part of the filename, see 'Hidden
file extensions' to fix that before proceeding.
The number is not
significant. What you will want to do is this; find the most recent backup
by the date/time it was made. Rename it 'kauction.mdb' and kAuction will
then read from that database.
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Hidden
file extensions
If
you do not see any files with the extension '.mdb' then they maybe 'hidden' by
Windows. Follow these steps to correct this:
-
Open Window's Explorer
-
Choose Tools->Folder Options
-
Choose the 'View' tab
-
UNCHECK 'Hide file
extensions....'
-
Close the form, saving changes
You will then see
the file extensions for your database files.
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How
do I fix FTP errors?
If you have
uploaded pictures successfully with kAuction in the past and you are now
receiving errors when attempting to upload pictures, it may be a temporary
server problem. Try again in a while. It can also be caused from
your web space being overfull. Try going to the site and signing-in
manually. Check to see if there is space available in your account.
If you have never
uploaded with kAuction previously, please check your settings to ensure they are
correct. Also see 'How
do I get my FTP settings from my internet provider?'
You can email
me if you still need help.
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How
do I get my FTP settings from my internet provider?
There are literally
thousands of internet service providers and each has there own settings.
Contact your provider to get the exact FTP settings. You need to know the
following (you can copy and paste the list into an email to them):
-
Do you provide me FTP space that
I can access from FTP client software?
-
If so, do I need to do anything
to activate that space?
-
What are my settings for using
the space you provide? I need to know the following:
Username
Password
Directory to upload to (if necessary)
FTP server name
URL prefix for the files that I upload to my space
If/when they reply, enter the
settings into the kAuction FTP fields.
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USPS
Calculator
If you check
the box to have a USPS calculator added to your auction, kAuction will ask you
specifics about the item being listed when 'Build...' is pressed on the
'StartAuction' tab. Enter the package information and it will be added
to your auction listing.
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Can I install kAuction
on another computer?
You can install kAuction on another computer, BUT if it is for the SAME
USERNAME, you will have problems keeping the database updated. For
example, if you install it on a lap top and enter some items into the database,
the other computer will NOT HAVE these items in the database because they were
never entered there. You will have to move the database back and forth
between computers EVERY time you want to work on the database. It's called
'kauction.mdb' and it's in kAuction's directory/folder (C:\Program
Files\kAuction) or you can network the computers in question. (I can't
advise you on networking...it's something you will have to research and
incorporate yourself)
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Every
thing in this help file and the kAuction program is the property of Kinem
Software and protected by copyright laws.
kAuction is not endorsed,
licensed or supported by eBay™
Windows™ and Internet Explorer™ are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation