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Just curious. I have used the PC based Shooting Star program for auction tracking and post-auction follow up for going on four years. Personally, I have yet to find anyone else who can touch it for ease of use, and easy on the eyes. I've tried Vendio, Auction Hawk, and Spare Dollar - and always went back to SS. Plus I've demo'd and researched quite a few more.

My problem with them is a little like my problem with SD, except they have good customer service: How long will they be around? The software is a one-shot payment type of deal, and free upgrades for the life of...well, of Shooting Star. Not much incentive there to improve the thing (though this is a hypothetical problem at this point). However, their sister outfit, Poster Toaster has been in beta for *years* and they recently admitted to "having to take on some paying work to pay the bills," hence no recent updates. This just doesn't sound comforting to me.

I'd love to see someone like Auctiva incorporate the features that make SS great (IMHO). Truthfully, I'd like to see them swallow it whole. I'd pay monthly for that alone. I worry that someday they'll be gone, which would be a shame. Their user interface is so intuitive - in one second I can tell if I should be getting nervous about anything. And I like their e-mails and auto-reminders. They don't have Automated WBN, but that could be fixed easy enough. I'd don't know how well it would work with high-volume sellers, but that could be investigated. Seems like they have a lot of loyal users on their boards.

Anyway: Does anybody else here use them? If so, do you like 'em as well as me, i.e. like to see someting similar when Auctiva gets theirs going?

And...have I missed any other programs out there that are similar in form and function?

CB - who has no pecuniary interest in SS...just is a satisfied user.
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Currently, I am using SMP (Selling Manager Pro). It is included with a featured store. I figure a basic store is $15.95 and a featured store is $49.95 per month. For the extra $34 per month, I get a lister (SMP), sales management (SMP), automation (SMP), 5 more custom store pages, $90 in keywords every quarter, 1,000 promotional email per month, reports and more. It is all in one place and since eBay is one mother of a company, I know it will be there when I wake up everyday.

However, SMP doesn't offer scheduled listing without charging .10 per listing. So far, this isn't an issue. As I list at the same time, on the same days and I'm almost always home to push the button and launch them. Still I want to set up my Auctiva account and use it here and there. Test their reliability and service. So far, their customer service rocks.

Then if I want to go out and schedule my listings I will have Auctiva for free! Free is good, I like free, lol. Also, during the slower months I may drop my featured store and use Auctiva exclusively. So, Auctiva is serving many different needs for a variety of sellers. I really like what I see. So far, so good.

Smile
Thanks all, for your replies. I didn't intend to start a discussion of the merits of products that compete directly with the Auctiva Free service. On these boards, that would be ingracious.

I wasn't aware that Auctiva had a product, eBud, that competes directly with SS. My mistake (I would never say anything as trendy as "my bad"...that would hurt my hard-earned reputation as an irascible curmudgeon). It's my desire to stick with Auctiva and provide constructive critical feedback for the mutual benefit of all.

eBud itself looks interesting. I must have seen it but passed over it in the past, probably due to the cost (as my SS is bought and paid for) but upon examination it obviously has more features than SS. I know some of you use it. Does it automtically remind you when a auction transaction has been "stuck" in one stage (such as "waiting for payment") past a certain time limit? I couldn't discern from the tour. I hope to try the demo at some point when I have a little more time.

It's heartening to hear that features of eBud will be in the next release. Tt: I appreciate the difference in your attentiveness vs. SD. I also appreciate how proud you are of your product.

A tip from an old geezer, though: Pride goeth before the fall. Keep watching your back, the competition is a dedicated foe.

CB

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