Is this really worth the hassle?

And by the way, I dislike the term NEWBIE under my name to the left. Just because one doesn't post here all the time does not mean one does not understand the system here.

quote:

Spare Dollar has a decent system that I used to use before I found Auctiva.

Dunno when you left SD, but over the past year it became more and more broken and what little support there was became non-existant. Now it's owned by inkfrog and all users were moved over to inkfrog. Which has been a nightmare for those people because their templates all got trashed, saved listings trashed, and many other problems. (by trashed, i dont mean deleted, but rather full of broken images, various characters in text changed to question marks, and so on)

As for it saying 'Newbie' on forums, dont take it personal. Even AuctivaDeb (an employee) currently has 'Newbie' under her name.

But anyway, sorry youre having probs with auctiva's system. There is an update that will be lauched soon; hopefully it will resolve some of the issues.

No, I don't think it's worth the hassle. I stopped using Activa a couple of months ago after they upgraded. The problems did not go away. I spent so much time here making ads. I really, really like the supersize images. I don't know anywhere else that you can do this. So, yesterday I though I'd check out the community pages to see if things were going a little smoother for folks trying to sell online. From the topics I read just for the month of July I guess not. Too bad. I didn't know they had new mgmt. Well, back to robshelp...he personally gets back to you if there is a problem...and right away I might add. Good luck all...I'll check back in a couple of months. Carol

quote:

Originally posted by vanillafudge:
I didn't know they had new mgmt

If you mean activa, as far as I know they have the same mgmt theyve always had.

If you mean competitor site SD, they were bought out and the new site SD people was moved to has several issues (on top of their stuff getting trashed in the move).

I agree that SD has it's problems too. I was with them before Auctiva. However, I left becuase their system left a lot to be desired. When they decided to raise their rates and not make any significant improvements I decided to move over to Auctiva.

But, on a happier note, I think I have finally found a workable solution to several of the problems that seem to plague myself and others here. It still includes Auctiva but primarily as the listing agent only. Creation and photos are now done using other means and they work much better and offer the same, if not more, features as Auctiva itself.

I am still testing this configuration of resources and should know by next week if it the way I will be doing my auctions from now on. If all goes well I will be writing a how to guide for doing it the same way. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

quote:

So, yesterday I though I'd check out the community pages to see if things were going a little smoother for folks trying to sell online. From the topics I read just for the month of July I guess not.

Come now. Go to most any website's support forums and you're going to see a whole lot of complaints/problems/technical issues on any given day. That's what the forums are there for and most people don't post here unless they've got a problem.

My point is that it doesn't give a balanced view of whatever product you're trying to investigate.

Please tell me that the trouble I'm having accessing ALL of Auctiva's features is just a hiccup and not related to 20-cent listing day!

hiccup

It's happening again on trying to access images. Should I keep trying or is this going to be a troublesome period?

Hi everyone, well, I have to jump in this pool and put my 2 cents in as usual(lol) I cant help it!.
OK, first off, I have used most of the other listing programs out there and in my opinion they cant hold a candle to Auctiva in ease of use or support. I just want people to realize that alot of the problems you may experience using auctiva..are not on auctiva's end..some yes..but most not!

Most of the problems are with your computer and the programs you may have running in the back ground, etc. Pop up blockers, tool bars, and on and on and on..these are the things preventing you from having functionality. Thats why some of us dont have hardly any problems at all and some have tons.. I personally keep my comp clean and functional..no programs that cause known problems, if I can help it anyway.

I have problems sometimes with things on here. But I find the solution and 95% of the time its me or something on my computer hindering it from working properly...not auctiva. Auctiva's editor isnt some piece of crap editor like ebays where my 5 yr old child could make a listing with no features. This editor here is excellent and has awsome features and you have to learn to use it. Just like you do any program period. It takes time! I will agree that auctiva needs to get more space for the traffic they recieve on a daily basis hence pages not loading or pics sometimes..and Im sure they will eventually.

Then you just plain have people that are technically challenged...not busting on them...most people are not technically literate. I have about as much HTML knowledge as my dog for example..lol. Im just saying that its not their fault if they arent technical and some things are going to be technical and have to be learned before they can be used properly. Trial and error and asking questions is always the best way to learn.

Im no expert by any means about any aspects of auctiva's system...but I dont have many problems and I know its because:

1. I keep my computer clean and functional.
2. No pop up blockers turned on while using auctiva and no toolbars or other adware,spyware.
3. No programs running in the background(except maybe my media player, gotta have tunes while your making listings..lol).
4. I shrink all my pics file sizes before I upload them. This one small action will save you tons of headaches and mega tons of time.
5. I make sure I have a good connection to the net. My service provider has a speed checker on their home page as most providers do.
6. I dont try to go beyond my capabilities of understanding in what im doing when making my listings.

I also dont think these forums are loaded with any more problems from users than any other forum boards ive ever been on...there are always going to be some people having problems...either technical issues or their lack of technical understanding of a particular part of a program. We all have them and we all fall short to understand something sometimes.

I wish you all much success! and lots of $$$ on your auctions and sales, William

quote:

Auctiva's editor isnt some piece of crap editor like ebays where my 5 yr old child could make a listing with no features. This editor here is excellent and has awsome features and you have to learn to use it.

I beg to differ Westvatexan. It appears that the editor is awesome but there are flaws. The problems I outlined in my original post did not occur prior to the latest round of upgrades made to the site. And regardless of what you have running in the background, which nearly every PC made has things running in the background, a WYSIWYG editor should not be changing the fonts, text and formatting that was entered in it simply by doing a preview.

Based on my testing of different ways to enter the data over the past week I feel it IS a problem in the editor. For example, I can write up a listing in Word, cut and paste it into the Auctiva editor, save the listing and preview it from the saved listings screen and it will look great. But, if I dare go into edit mode and make a change within the editor and do a preview from the editor it ends up a mess. This tells me that there is a problem inherent in the editor. What it is, I have no idea. Perhaps the custom template I use is confusing it. But custom templates are a big feature on Auctiva. They shouldn't cause a problem. Then there is the issue of arbitrary HTML code showing up in the text after doing a preview. Many here have experienced that including myself. I go in and clean it all out and bam, it's back again after doing a preview.

If someone can tell me conclusively that my background apps, like anti-virus or firewall, are making this thing take a dump then I don't think I should have to reconfigure my system to make a text editor work properly. Imagine if Microsoft Word had this problem. Type up a 20 page document, hit preview and bam, everything is changed. Do you think they would get away with telling the user to shut off everything that is running on the system? I don't think so.

In any event, I think I have developed a procedure that eases the pain of the editor and image hosting issues. It doesn't take much more time to accomplish the same task and I feel much more at ease knowing things won't disappear or change themselves with the click of a button.

Good discussion on this topic though.

Rob

I didnt mean to sound like some things on here dont have problems..sorry if it came out that way..There are problems with things..I was just talking about alot of the post I see on here in general are about things that are not problems on auctiva's end...as far as the editor goes..I absolutlely love it..but I will agree it does have some kinks in it that need to be addressed...I also have problems with it changing font sizes for no reason and also not centering in preview when it is centered in the editor, etc. I have found that it is the format preceeding the next format that seems to have an effect on it working properly...I usually have to write the ad backwards to get it to display properly...lol its not easy..but I have faith that Phase 2 is going to be so much better and smoother. I have alot of faith in this site and its capabilities...I feel it is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the near future and is going to set the standard by which other listing sites are measured. Hang in there, I dont think you will be sorry you did.

That's cool texan. The comments weren't directed towards you. Sometimes I get a little overzealous with my comments. My apologies.

I agree that Auctiva has the potential to be a great system. I just hope that once they get all of the bugs worked out they don't decide to go for the big profits and start charging fees.

As for moving to another service, it's clear that the features here can't be beat for the price. And while many of the problems are simply annoying, they really should be addressed as big problems for those who rely on the site for business.

I know there are always improvements coming down the line and for the most part they are for the better. But I've said it before here that they, meaning Auctiva, should really test out their new features more thoroughly on an isolated system before making those features live. Maybe they attempt to do this but it always seems as though when a new set of features rolls out there are big problems popping up all of a sudden.

The way I see it, if the site can give me the majority of what I need I can work around the rest. Just as you did with writing your listings backwards. I would recommend you try writing them in Word or another word processor and copy it into the Auctiva editor. This has been working really well for me so long as I don't do a preview from within the editor and I don't use bullets in the listing. For some reason the bullets made some of my text convert to Russian (go figure) and the bullets showed up as HTML tags in the text. Just another glitch.

Anyway, I know that most of us like the system, even with it's flaws. We can only expect so much for free, right? So for those of us who can, we will adapt. Otherwise you move on. But it will cost!

Rob

To me...Yes, because I experience very little hassle. Every third party service experiences problems now and then.

Pop up blockers are a big problem! Especially if you're running McAfee or Norton. <blech> And sometimes a members firewall options has been known to block access at the time you're mentioning also.

You wouldn't by chance have eBay tool bar going would you? That's nothing but spyware and has all sorts of items that will block one from using Auctiva.

I personally have NO problems with the lister. But that doesn't negate the fact that you are for some reason. I'm sorry you're experiencing them. If I could I would see what's running on your computer as versus mine..and that would help us to figure out what's blocking you from using Auctiva to it's fullest.

I've been here a year and am pleased as peaches. I was with the formerly mentioned service that was mentioned above...I paid to use for 3 years. Zip, Zero Customer Service, No upgrades and more. <blech> I've been with services that charge more. Those services worked as well as this one so why pay for the same thing I can get here for free.

I've also used Turbo Lister. <blech> Not worth my time as far as I'm concerned.

If you do a search on eBay for Auctiva to see how many auctions are running..There are many. If the masses ( 31047 items found for Auctiva) were receiving the same problems, I feel the boards would be much more full of questions/complaints than they are. Correct?

No service is free of problems. Paid or free.

And as far as using Auctiva and using the word free and hassle?

Your insinuation (my interpretation) that free is subpar is in my opinion is baseless.

I use all free items. OpenOffice, sygate, AVG, Spyblaster, Spybot Search and Destory, Easy Cleaner and so very many more. I don't have problems with any of them. These are quality products that I'd put up against any paid for software.

When I did use a paid virus checker McAfee ages ago, it was constantly in disarray due to the upgrades that didn't work smoothly. I would receive viruses here and there.

But with the free ones that I use now, my computer(s) have remained virus, trojan free for well over 3 years.

As the admin and moderator of other forums, I will tell you that there's nothing you can do bout the title NEWBIE until the amount of posts change your status.

It's programmed in by the admins by the number of postings. Yes, even Auctiva Cara has to make a certain amount of postings before her "newbie" status is released to the next level.

It's also a heads up to we who do answer questions on the boards as to a members status and where we might refer them..such as stickies and such.

And West, don't use the Microsoft Word tip...here's why.

I don't even boot up Word..haven't for ages.

One reason is that using Microsoft Word has been found not to convert well into some WYSIWYG editors. It will add characters or convert to another language. This can be found on a Google search as a solution.

If I'd known you were experiencing this William, I'd have helped you out.

I go straight to Open Office and wouldn't consider using anything else.

My best and much continued success,
Donna

quote:

Originally posted by Suthrnjewl:
And West, don't use the Microsoft Word tip...here's why.

I don't even boot up Word..haven't for ages.

One reason is that using Microsoft Word has been found not to convert well into some WYSIWYG editors. It will add characters or convert to another language. This can be found on a Google search as a solution.

If I'd known you were experiencing this William, I'd have helped you out.

I go straight to Open Office and wouldn't consider using anything else.

My best and much continued success,
Donna

LOL...The problems Ive had with the editor have been trivial and not worth posting about..thats why I didnt say anything..I dont list as much as you guys do so its no biggie for me. Ive always had a problem with the centering and stuff even before the upgrade...I think the centered text or photo somehow gets attached to the previous format, be it left, right, etc. then when you center something..for some reason when you preview it, it will format to the previous format instead of reading centered...its weird I know...I just work around it.

Ive yet to use an editor worth its weight that didnt have something buggy in it...so Im used to it. Sometimes I will just do the entire listing in left format and then go back and align everything the way I want it and it straightens right out. The listings I have up right now, I tried to use a table for information and believe me I had a whole lot of fun trying to do that, since I never have..lol. The ads are a little sloppy but they will pass..lmao.

I use all free tools also by the way and they work better than the big boys. I also put them on my customers machines and I tell them to save the 60 - 70 bucks and dont buy all that expensive garbage. All my customers have been just tickled pink with the free software. I donate to Spyware Blaster every year because their free product is one of the best things out there for keeping your comp free of spyware and adware. For anyone reading this post...you can get all these wonderful free tools here:

http://www.snapfiles.com/freeware/

Enjoy! William

Wow! I feel like I opened up a big can of worms here - LOL.

I appreciate all of the input from everyone. It's great to see so many ideas thrown out there. Obviously what works for one person may not work for another and how we all deal with the problems is truly unique. In the end we all figure out ways to get things done here to our liking. And that is what is most important.

I will take the suggestions of the freeware options and investigate them. Coming from corporate and military environments, where freeware is scorned, I don't usually go that route due to security issues and the like. But I do know there are alterantives out there and I will definitley look into them.

To comment on my free versus pay views, I in no way feel that free, as in Auctiva, means subpar. I do, however, feel that the urgency to investigate and correct problems is not a top priority when there is no direct financial impact on the line. I feel that were Auctiva a pay service and they had garnered a lot of complaints they would have a greater presence here in the message boards and they would address the issues presented here rapidly. Don't get me wrong, Activa support isn't bad, by comparison. They have addressed my issues when I write them and have, at times, presented viable options to correct problems. I don't fault support. But the developers should be aware of how the community views the software and how they feel it is performing. That is how they can address the issues we all present here.

In a nutshell, I personally will stick it out and do what I need to do to make my listings work. If it means switching to the freeware options, then so be it. Whatever it takes to keep business going and make money. And I think we can all agree on that.

Thank you William for the link to the freeware. I will be checking it out immediately.

Take care everyone.
Rob

Although quiet most of the time (in regards to how much I post on the boards), I'm definitely listening or aware of the major issues.

The editor is probably at the top of the list for existing functionality that does not work as well as we'd like it to.

We've got some other editors we're toying with putting out on a beta site to see how the public likes them as well as time we spend trying to see if we can improve the existing one.

So, while that doesn't really answer when/how things will be fixed, it hopefully lets you know we are aware of the editor (and other) issues with the site and are working on them.

-Kevin

quote:

Originally posted by Help and Sell:
I appreciate all of the input from everyone.

You'll receive my bill for consulting within 24 hours. <smile>

quote:

I will take the suggestions of the freeware options and investigate them. Coming from corporate and military environments, where freeware is scorned, I don't usually go that route due to security issues and the like.

No need to say anymore, corporate and military splains it all.

If you need any help, do not fail to contact me in regards to my recommendations to replace what you've got running. Also check wayoutwest signature for links. I've been on the net since 91 and really if truth be told, paid software pales in comparison to the free ones I use.

My Best,
Donna
Suthrnjewl at Suthrnjewl dot com

Thanks Kevin for letting us know you guys are on top of it...I already knew you were anyway. I got nothing but luv for Team Auctiva - Brill baby!