728_header.jpg (23748 bytes)
Google  Web AuctionBytes  

Home
Subscribe
Blog
Podcasts
Forums
AuctionBytes TV
ABU Back Issues

Sponsor

COOL TOOLS

Calendar
eBay Fee Calculator
Collectors' Links
eBay Promo History
Bookshelf
Fraud Resources
Auction Site Fees
Auction Management
Payment Services
Storefronts Chart
Sniping Chart
Email List Hosting
Consignment Services
Drop-Off Store Laws
Ecommerce Resources
Photo Tips
Marketing Inserts
Yellow Pages
Classifieds

AUCTIONBYTES

Our Writers
Write For Us
Partners
Press
Advertising
About Us
Link To Us

Go to Current Issue

Auctionbytes-Update, Number 118 - May 09, 2004 - ISSN 1528-6703     Previous Story | Contents | Next Story


The Poster Toaster eBay Listing Software
By Frank Sutherland
AuctionBytes.com

May 09, 2004
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

A few months ago I was browsing the eBay boards and I came across a recommendation for The Poster Toaster (TPT). It's free eBay auction posting software and has fast become my favorite. I have tried a lot of posting software and this is the best. Features include Template Tags, FTP Photo handling, and additional fields for your costs and product numbers. If you have used Turbo Lister then you will be able to make the jump to TPT easily.

TPT is not as advanced as some of the other posting software but is not as confusing either. One of the things that I really like about it is the way that it handles photos. It does not use the eBay hosting service, but most ISPs (Internet Service Providers) offer free Web space that can host your photos. Call your ISP or check their help pages.

You need to know FTP protocol to get it set up to handle your photos, and TPT comes with a great help file that will walk you thru the FTP setup. Once it's set up, you can insert your photos from your hard drive into your eBay ad with a click of a button, and it will automatically upload them to your FTP space. Your ads can now contain more then one photo free of charge.

TPT uses three screens that you can toggle on and off to create your auction. It has a Grid View for browsing your ads, a Detail view for your auction details and an Editor view to edit your HTML. It also has a WYSISYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor if you are unfamiliar with HTML. Once you are done creating your auction, you can move it to a pending view and then batch process all your ads when you are ready to post them on eBay.

My favorite part of TPT is the Template tags. Any repetitive information that you insert into all of your auctions can be inserted into a Tag that is then placed in your ad. If you need to change that tag, you only have to do it once and it will be changed in all of your auctions.

If you use eBay's pre-filled information to post your ads you may be disappointed, as it is not supported in TPT yet.

TPT is a great selling tool that I recommend you try. It is available at http://www.thepostertoaster.com. It's Beta software, but it's updated regularly to fix any bugs. They also have a great message board where you can get help for any problems or questions that you may have. Give it a try I think that you will like it. What could be easier than toast?

About the author:

Frank Sutherland is a part-time seller and full-time dad who lives in Nova Scotia, Canada with his wife and two boys. Along with selling video games and other items under the eBay id knarfdotca, Frank posts articles to his eBay Blog http://www.Knarf.ca and recently launched http://www.TownSquareMarket.com, a site devoted to the Sellers at Canada Town Square. His latest internet venture is http://www.fatfingers.ca where you can search for misspelled titles on eBay.ca. Frank can be reached at knarf @ knarf.ca.



Email this story to a friend.

Previous Story | Contents | Next Story

Related Stories




Discuss this story in our forums.

Ecommerce Podcasts

Site Index
Copyright 1999-2008. Steiner Associates LLC. All rights reserved