Like many here, although still classified as a "newbie," I've listed several thousand auctions for years using Mr. Poster. I've tried ebay from its early selling tools to Blackthorne, I've tried Turbo Lister, I've tried Vendio, Poster Toaster, and Auctiva's other products, and none of them come close to Mr. Poster, IMHO. Like someone else pointed out, I don't use Mr. Poster because it is free (although that is nice), but because it's quick and simple and batches can be saved offline. But there are too many problems that arise when you post batches. There are problems with store categories. Endless technical errors I don't understand. I vote for a (NOT a new design) but a new, improved, bug-free Mr. Poster to be listed among the products at auctiva.com, not here at classic auctiva which seems like a wasteland for dying products. Although the nice folks at auctiva say they will continue to update and offer support for Mister Poster and do seem to at times, that's not much reassurance. Mister Poster is not top priority with auctiva; I vote for it to be top priority - to be one of auctiva's main tools. Anyone else agree? Because it is so simple and quick. Plug your stuff in, snap snap snap, click next, snap snap, click next, so fast, so easy, no waiting for photos and stuff to load as you work, click Finish, save the batches to your computer and post them at any time. Let the batches post while you sleep. Unless something freezes up or some error pops up. It's in the POSTING that the problems arise. I don't think many people realize what a sweet tool Mr. Poster is because it is almost buried here at auctiva classic. It has a wonderful non-headache inducing simple interface - I just love it .....WHEN IT WORKS!
I think everyone on here would pay for a well working poster. Obviously auctiva just does not want it or see a reasonable sized market for it, and I have no clue why. Goes back to when ebay terminated mister lister in favor of turtle lister, I can't fathom the logic. I am sure there is some logic, I just don't see it as the end user, because who in the H$%# wants to spend MORE time making a listing. . . . than is needed.
Posts: 32 | Location: Iowa | Registered: May 19, 2003
I don't have a clue either, Wheeljack. All of us Mr. P fans need to start speaking up more here and on ebay. I think a lot of people don't realize what they're missing and it's hard to when a link to classic auctiva is buried in the bottom corner of auctiva's homepage. I was just trying that one page lister again at "new auctiva" - Grrrrrrr, that's what I said last year when I tried it for a day and ran back to Mr. Poster, and grrr I say it again. If I have my HTML code and photos ready and once I get past the initial listing screen where I input all info, IT CAN TAKE ME AS LITTLE AS 5-10 SECONDS TO DO AN ENTIRE LISTING IN MR. POSTER. With this one page lister, well, let's take it step by step, I have to first click new lister, then wait for it to open (try that for 600, 6000, 60,000 listings), then even when I click category, it takes it a couple of seconds to enter, then paste my HTML in, ok, no problem there, then oh geez, click image, then you have to wait for it to upload???with Mr. Poster you don't have to deal with all this until you post the batch and you can go off to bed while it's posting the batch unless it hangs (see prior post), ok, enter shipping, payment, no real problem, there, THEN you have to click save and you have to WAIT for it to save, ok, click create similar listing and waaaaiiiiittt for the page to load on my quite fast comcast connection, thirty seconds later, still loadin'! Maybe the one page lister is having a slow day today, but even on a good day, it would take far longer than Mr. P.
But Mr. P has the bugs in it! So here I waste another day sitting trying to find an alternative to Mr. P and, like you, watching this uploading images screen hang as I try to test a small batch. I guess I'll try again tomorrow because it's my only hope.
In answer to your question you posted elsewhere - there is nothing else like Mr. Poster that I've been able to find. I sure would like to know if there is. I asked that question myself here or somewhere before and got no reply. I seem to remember that ebay's seller's assistant which preceded Blackthorne was a bit like Mr. Poster but not as quick and efficient. I remember asking Vendio years ago if they had something like Mr. P, and they just went huh. I've begged ebay repeatedly to get something like Mr. Poster. I just don't get it - it's just so obvious that this kind of program is superior for those who just want the basics. And most of us just want the basics. And we want SPEED.
I have to ask somebody in customer service here, what is wrong with Mister Poster? Why did you all think it was not an effective moneymaker?
Hmm, I just tried submitting and got a "could not connect to auctiva - connection problem #2" I've never gotten that before. A different error - is that a sign that somebody is working on Mr. P? Fingers crossed? Please fix the bugs! Thanks! I'm out of here for now - wake up tomorrow, a new day, a new hope.
I too use Mr. P because it gives me a productivity boost - if it would work. I do pay Auctiva (for the scheduling service) but it makes no sense to pay for something I can't use if I can't post listings. Aaargh.
Well, now that eBay changed it's licencing/fees schedule, it would actually be possible to develop an Open Source offline posting tool. At one time Dropline Systems had their opensource app called "Jade Auction Software", but it only lasted 7 months because of eBay's attitudes and pricing.
If I had any capability at programming I'd try to pick up from where Dropline left off, but I don't. And eBay has managed to piss-off so much of the open source community that none of them want to have anything to do with eBay.
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