How to "embed" a video or audio file

You would just need it to be hosted somewhere online (and a player script, I guess) and then point to it in your listing's HTML. I've never done it myself though.

Personally, automatic audio that I didn't ask for in listings annoys me and I'll either back out of it or see if I can quickly shut it off.

Of course, if it has to be played manually by the viewer that's not so bad -- except that it will slow down the load time of the page.

Also, I'm not completely certain if it's actually allowed at eBay.

Hi SKY,

Once you have converted a video or audio file to html, you can embed this file in your description by clicking the "Switch to Text Mode" link above the editor, and pasting in the audio/video file html code.

I'm not sure if MS FrontPage is capable of doing this but peraps someone else will come along ans answer that part of your question.

-Mike

Mike, does the audio or video file in questuion have to be hosted on Auctiva? If so, how do I do it? In the same way as you upload a picture (eg. jpg) file? An audio file could be in the format abc.mp3 & a video file could be in the format xyz.wmv (the 'wmv' stands for Wiondows Media Video). Can these sorts of files be uploaded to Auctiva in the same way as picture files?

When I was composing my listings in eBay's Turbo Lister, I could just copy & paste the particular audio or video file ANYWHERE between the text. Somehow, miraculously, when the listing was posted on eBay, the audio or video link was ACTIVE - it worked simply by clicking it. I've tried to do the same "trick" in the Auctiva description box, but it would work! I wished I knew WHY!

Thanxx so much in advance, Mike, & any others who may have a clue as to HOW to do this

Mike, I can probably answer some of my own questions here. I went to have another close look at the image uploading situation.

So, your image uploader is STRICTLY that: for uploading ONLY images. When you choose any of the 3 uploaders, the only files that come up for you to choose from are STRICTLY image files.

So, it would appear that one would need to host the audio or video file on some other website.

Now, when a listing containing pictures is posted to eBay, if those pictures are hosted on Auctiva, one would normally select the option of Auctiva being the default host of those pictures.

For the SAME listing, can there be a "split-hosting" ? That is, somethings (like pictures) being hosted by Auctiva & some other special files (like audio or video) being hosted by some other website?

OR is it totally one or the other?

Thanxx again.

Hi SKYY,

Yes...in the same listing you can use "split hosting" in the manner you have described... using Auctiva for your image hosting and another site for your special file hosting in the same listing.

-Mike

Hello Mike,

As I recall, there's an option box somewhere (I've forgotten exactly where it is) in Auctiva to select the image host as Auctiva or some other. I suppose as long as my pictures are going to come from Auctiva, I have to select Auctiva as the host. Now, IF I have to embed an audio or video file (already converted to html) somewhere in my Description box, would I actually have to, before I even type ANYTHING into the Description box, click the "Source" button in order to paste into the box wholly html? I would have to pre-convert my text into html (either using MS WORD or FrontPage) & then paste that into the box.

However, everything is not as straight-forwrd as that. IF everything in my text is displayed in html, how would I know WHERE to insert the additional html for the audio and/or video file? [This "additonal html" is to point to wherelse (ie. another website) the sound or video file may be hosted]. Reading html is not like reading plain English text. If you convert all the your text to html & then have to insert the additional html for an audio/video file, how would one be able to discern where to insert it?

Can I hear from someone who has successfully done all this? That is, succesfully used Auctiva for text & pictures, & managed to insert/embed an audio or video file (for playback at will) amongst the text?

I don't have to say that the ability to do something like that would be rally useful for the seller of, say, a musical instrument, or, say, a racing car. The seller might have a short sound file of that musical instrument or a short video file of the car in action.

Thanxx again

Hello All.

Yes this is a problem, Sky. I spent a whole day trying to find a online host for my sound files in various formats (mp3,wav and swf) and then tried embedding a flash audio player somewhere in my listing via html. (either in the template or the item description), with no luck. I got the buttons to show in my description but they would not link to the sound files. GRRRRRR. I finally gave up.

I would also like to know the answer to this question.

Hello sillyship -

eBay does not accept Javascript in listings, so the embed code that is available from YouTube will encounter difficulty if you attempt to use that in a listing, but you will need to have the video available on YouTube to be able to post to eBay.

You can do this from the lister page in Auctiva while creating your listings, but will need to use a more appropriate version of the code you can get from YouTube. You get the code from the YouTube page where your video is. Beneath the video player click on 'Share' and then on 'Embed' and a you will see a piece of Javascript to embed the video. Copy this piece of code.

In order to make the code usable to post to eBay it will need to be converted to a format that eBay will accept. There are converters available online, but an easy one to use is available at:
http://www.isdntek.com/tagbot/YouTubeConverter.htm

This will present you with another piece of code that you can embed into your listing and then post to eBay.

When you are on the one page lister creating your listings, you will need to set the Item Description Editor to HTML mode by clicking on the 'Source' button in the upper left of the editor tools to add this code; please keep in mind that the video will appear in the item description wherever you place the code.

You will be able to check the placement in Preview to ensure that the video appears where you prefer in your listing.

- Craig