Self-hosting?

Hi Shantyhag - Yes, you certainly can host your own photos. In Account Settings, under Image Management, you can set your Default Image Hosting from AUCTIVA to EXTERNAL. Then when you click SELECT IMAGE on the Listing page, a popup box allows you to specify your own hosted photos.

Thank you, Ninth_Wave,

A quick follow-up:

In dealing with another vendor's support team, they stated that self-hosting was possible, but wouldn't work with their templates.

Is this an issue with Auctiva as well? Obviously, we're hoping not, as it is the professionalism brought to bear through the templates that first had me looking to move.

Thank you again, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL!

Shantyhag

The option to externally host your pictures appears to be fully integrated with the other listing components, including the templates. I see no problem. If it were an issue then I doubt it would be given as a choice.

Thanks again, Ninth_Wave,

What else to do but jump right in and play around with it? Happy T-Day,

Shantyhag

We have been selling on eBay since the end of Sept. but using Auctiva since early October. Quickly saw that it was too, too expensive on eBay to have multiple pictures! Auctiva solved that problem! Now I see it takes me way to long to download pictures to our Photoshop Elements then have to download again to Auctiva to list.
Hence I am here to learn how to simplify and set up our image hosting to External (Photoshop). I went to the Acct Setting under Image management and changed the Default Image Hosting to EXTERNAL. Now when I go to List and click on SELECT IMAGE on the Listing page a "pop up box" scares me to death and I am ready to go running back to Auctiva in "two shakes of a cat's tail"!!!!!! The pop up ask me for the URL and says that I should: "Enter your external image URL and press Add to List. A thumbnail of your image should be shown in the preview box if the URL is valid."
Is that for real? Each time I want a picture? Am I being a real "pet peever" and not reading something correctly? Can someone tell me how to make Image management more controlable and simple please.
Thank for listening! I may have been ranting just alittle!

Hi - A word or two of clarification seems to be in order. A photo can only be "hosted" from a web site, not your PC. EXTERNAL hosting means that the photo(s) first must be uploaded from your PC onto a web site other than Auctiva, either your own web site or else another site that will host your photos. There are many sites, like Photobucket, that will do this for free. This will not save you time since you must still upload the photos to a site. It is easier to just upload to Auctiva and let Auctiva host the photos.

I would still advise that you edit your pics in a image editor, like Photoshop, to improve your raw pics by cropping, adjusting for contrast, color, brightness, etc. Many editors have auto-adjust for a minimum of hassle, but I prefer to do it manually for best control over the results. You will speed your uploading to Auctiva if you reduce the image size to 1024x768 pixels or less (otherwise Auctiva will do this for you during the upload, taking much longer), also reduce the image quality to 'Normal', or about 100KB file size or less, before uploading . This will give the fastest uploads and still retain good image quality. I personally prefer to upload pics at 800x600, which is what the buyers will see when they click on the smaller 400x300 thumbnail on the listing to 'supersize' it.

If you upload to Auctiva, which I recommend, then just set your account setting to hosting by Auctiva, rather than EXTERNAL. Then you will not get that URL pop-up box, but thumbnails of your photos uploaded to Auctiva. Just click on the thumbs. Much easier.

Ahhh, yes, I see. Thanks for explaining it so simply for me! I had already looked up URL definition and saw this wasn't going to be easy! I will do as you recommend and stay with Auctiva as Image Host. I am one of those particular persons who can't help but go to Photoshop and try to improve the shots my husband takes. He is doing a great job!
I will make sure I have my image size appropriate as you say. Are there any other shot cuts I can take?
Thanks.

I meant "short cuts" of course!

Just check my revision about using 800x600. Some folks go smaller but I prefer large impressive images.

If you take enough 'shots' you won't notice how long it takes to upload.