file exchange help please!

[custom-performance-products]

OK, I've been trying on and off for MONTHS now to try to get file exchange to work for uploading my listings.  I've always used turbo lister for the 7000+ ads I have stored on my computer, but as we all know it is an old buggy crotchety piece of junk that they keep threatening to go away.  So...  I've gone exhaustively throught the file exchange instructions and have an excel spreadsheet (one listing anyway) all set up to do what I need, and can upload that listing EXCEPT I can't figure out how to properly format the "description" cell to accept my description as I have it typed out.  The instructions for this cell are very vague in the instructions.  A call to ebay help was no help.  She told me it had to be in HTML format.  Fine, except I don't know how to do that.  All she could tell me is "well we can't teach you to do html...".  I've tried using word to html tools online.  I've tried using the html convertor in turbo lister and pasting that into my excel.  I tried manually setting up a listing directly on ebay with the description I wanted, saving it, then using that html to copy into file exchange.  None of it worked.  Plain text does not work, except if I only type in a few words in plain black text like "test do not purchase", oddly enough that works and will upload.  I've searched the knowledge base and discussion boards and can't find anything on this issue.

Here is a test listing with what I want the description to look like:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/143011474833

To get that one to work I uploaded it on file exchange with a blank description, then revised the listing and pasted that description from my word file to the ebay item and saved it.  Obviously not an efficient way to get a large volume of listings done.

So how exactly to I get this description field filled in file exchange?  Somebody please help, I have a huge backlog of new ads to post and I'm ready to shoot holes in my computer!  Thanks for any help.

[dollybeauty]

@custom-performance-products

Your first problem is in using Word. Word processing programs insert control characters in the document. One of these control characters is the linefeed. FileExchange chokes on linefeeds.

Your description needs to be composed of text and html, all on one line, without linefeeds.

The example you list has several elements that can be defined by html. Centered text, bolding, underlining and changing font sizes are done by using html. The work that linefeeds perform in a word processing document, must be done with the html command '<br>'.

HTML is really not too complicated. But it will take you some time to master the learning curve. Here is the best link to learn the basics..https://www.w3schools.com/html/

Now, there are some aspects of html that eBay forbids the use of. Since you do not know html, I will not go into the list.

Note: Restocking fees are no longer allowed. And your note to google/phone you are outside the bounds of eBay policy. There is a approved way to provide your contact info. This is not it.

Ok, enough lecture. This board has an edit time limit and I do not type/compose very quickly. So see the next post(s) for what you can do, without learning html (at least for now).

[dollybeauty]

OK, here is what you can do. First an outline.

1) Use TurboLister to export a correct item listing. This will contain a description that you can use for a template for other listings.

2) Create a new listing, changing only what you need for the specific item.

3) Upload to eBay.

Sounds easy, right? The next post will deal with step 1. The one after that, step 2. I will leave step 3 up to you.

I may get called away for real life details, but I will return.

[dollybeauty]

Step 1) Use TurboLister to export a correct item listing. This will contain a description that you can use for a template for other listings.

Here is an outline of this step.

1a) Start TurboLister,

1b) Create a folder in the Inventory section to hold a good listing, and as a source for export (you can only export from Inventory)

1c) Select and copy a good listing from the Active listings section,

1d) Paste it into the above folder in Inventory,

1e) Select that listing in the Inventory section, and export it to a file.

Ok, let's go.

(1a) Start TurboLister.

(1b) Click on the Inventory tab on the left. Once the inventory section opens, click on the folder - All Items. Now click File>New>Folder, and give it a name. We will use Test. Click OK. Now click on the 'Test' folder. (This step has created a folder in the inventory section for us to use to hold a good listing for export)

(1c) Next, click on the Listing activity tab on the left. Find the good listing you wish to export. I suggest the one you linked to in your original post. You can click on the Item ID column to sort it in order and scroll down to find the correct one. Click on the Item ID number. That will highlight the entire line. Press CTRL-C on your keyboard. This will copy the listing to the Windows Clipboard and the line will get a dotted line around it.

(1d) Click on the Inventory tab again, on the left. Now click on the main screen, then press CTRL-V on your keyboard to paste it into the Test folder.

(1e) The good listing should be highlighted, but if not, click on it. Now click on File>Export selected items. On the box that appears, click on 'File Exchange Format (CSV)', then click the Export button. A Windows File System 'Save as' window will open. Click on Desktop on the left (or any directory you wish to use), then enter a filename (test will work here), then click the Save button.

End of Step 1.

[dollybeauty]

2) Create a new listing, changing only what you need for the specific item.

This is pretty self-explanitory, but a few Notes.

a) The export file from the previous step needs several changes to be suitable for a FileExchange upload file.

There are many more fields in the export file than you need to use to create a new listing. It would be best if you started with a fresh category template and use the export file as a source.  You can have more than one Excel file open at once. Just use copy/paste to move info from the export file to the new category template.

b) Remember eBay's duplicate listing policy. Make a significant change to the title, price and image, to avoid violating policy.

c) Do not change the description! First, get a working listing uploaded. Once you have, you will be able to save that FileExchange upload file as a Master file, to use for subsequent listings, just changing the description and title/price/upc/etc. But get an initial listing to work first!

d) FileExchange documentation has not changed since Oct 2015. So, Add columns to the new category template...

Product:UPC

Product:Brand

Product:MPN

Even though you add those columns, be sure to place values in C:UPC, C:Brand, and C:MPN. These are now required for most categories. For both the Product:UPC and the C:UPC, you can place a value of 'Does not apply', but the Brand and MPN are required.

e) I saved the worst for last! The image.You can nnot use an image from your computer for a FileExchange upload file. It must be hosted on a web server, and must be an https protocol file. With your number of listings, I am guessing that you are using images from your suppliers. If not, you will have to host the images on a web/internet server.

Ok, the above should get you started. Remember to get a working item listing created. Once you have then you can look at the description and how it is formatted, to create new descriptions for different items. I noticed that most of your description is static, with only small areas of specific info. These areas should not be too hard to change from listing to listing.

Please repost for clarification or questions.

[custom-performance-products]

Thank you very much for your reply.

So the upshot is there is no way to type plain text and run it through an html convertor tool at all?  I can't believe every ebay seller has to learn that just to be able to do bulk uploads.  I have to proofread my normal text about a dozen times before I find all my mistakes and get it to look the way I want it to.  I can't imagine me doing that with just a bunch of symbols on my screen and not the actual fonts, colors, sizes, etc. 

If that is the only way I may end up having to pay some third party listing tool/service.  Which really frosts me, as I am stuck with them forever or I lose all my listings again.  There is a rumor turbolister may be brought back to life and supported again?

I read your next post.  At one point in the past (last year?) when I first tried to figure out file exchange, that turbo lister method was suggested to me by somebody at the help line.  It did not work.  It exported, but only the first few lines of the description came through.  I will try again.  I did try yesterday to copy the html side of the turbo lister description into file exchange, that did not work either.

Phone number.  You are correct.  The problem is due to the sometimes technical nature of what we sell it is common to have a 10-20 minute phone conversation with a potential customer before they buy.  That would take DAYS by ebay message back and forth.  When ebay made us take the phone number out of our ads my sales dropped 30% the next day.  Mind you NOT the phone orders they are trying to avoid, but actual ebay sales.  That rule cut my throat as well as ebay's.  And yes, they have since allowed us to put a contact phone number.  But try to find it.  You have to go the the ask seller a question section.  Not there.  You have to go through clicking on all the faq's and only one or two of those will have a tiny little link down at the bottom you can click on to get a phone number.  I guarantee the customers are not finding that tiny little hidden link because that did not bring any sales back.  Ebay needs to change the phone policy.  

And I did realize there are no longer restocking fees, that portion was old language that was copied and pasted from an old ad and has been changed.  That new rule is also **bleep**.  Reason for us, again with the specific item we sell, actual out of pocket shipping cost for us to send their wheels ranges from $70 to $200 one way.  So the customer changes their mind and I'm out the $70-$200 shipping.  And that is assuming the customer does not lie and say "does not fit" instead of "changed mind", then I'm out double that amount.   All my restock fee did was cover my out of pocket shipping expense.

I know you aren't ebay, but thanks for letting me vent.  If by chance you do work for ebay, pass it along!

Thanks so much for your time.

Dave

[custom-performance-products]

I didn't think the phrase I used there was bleep worthy.  sorry about that!

[dollybeauty]

@custom-performance-products

You are right, I am not eBay.

Remember the description is one line only, with no carriage returns. So when you look at the file, all you will see is 1 very long line.

[custom-performance-products]

I understand about the "one line", but I only got the first fifty words or so and the rest just wasn't there.  I will try again tonight, I have turbolister on my laptop at home. 

I am curious though why exporting the html description from turbolister would work, but copy and paste the same information will not.  Weird.

Thanks again for your help.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

[dollybeauty]

Make sure you are using the latest version of Turbo.

Tools>Check for program updates.

(I will be driving most of the night. I will check in from time to time for any response you may need.)

[custom-performance-products]

I tried to update turbolister last night.  It did the usual crash during download 6 times before I gave up.  Yes, I emptied the activity folders and compacted the database twice.  After the usual hour to do a backup.  Actually that is an improvement, in years past I'd do a backup at bedtime because it took several hours.  Anyway, I'll try that again tonight as well.  Thank you so much!

[dollybeauty]

@custom-performance-products

Your version of Turbo may be too old for the latest version. Instead of Check for Updates, do Tools>Install Complete Version Update

[shipscript]

@custom-performance-products

I would like to help you understand Word and Microsoft's Clipboard.

When you create a Word document and use the "copy" function, the copied content goes to the invisible clipboard so that you can paste it somewhere else. That Clipboard stores more than one version of the document you saved. There is a Rich Text version that allows you to paste into MS Wordpad, which understands Rich Text but not HTML. Another version carries HTML so that you can paste it into a webpage that accepts HTML, like eBay's description editor. Another version is plain text that could be pasted into Notepad or into simple text editing boxes on a webpage.  When you paste from the Clipboard, the receiving page will accept the highest version that is compatible.

All of these different formats (Rich Text, HTML, plain text) can also be created by using the Export (Save As) feature on Word.  I don't know what it's called on more recent versions of Word, but the best export option in the past has been "Web Page, filtered", as that carries the least amount of garbage code  (your example listing carries a huge chunk of garbage code from Word).

What you will need for File Exchange is the conversion from Word to HTML. You can either have Word generate the HTML file or you can paste your Word doc into eBay's description editor so that the HTML version carried over from your clipboard is pasted into eBay. Then you can switch to the HTML tab of eBay's editor to pick up the HTML code that you would then reformat for File Exchange needs.

Reformatting for File Exchange means compressing the code by removing all the linebreaks in the code -- this is not the same as removing visual linebreaks in the rendering of the page because the rendered spacing is created by HTML codes.

This tool may help convert your description.

http://www.isdntek.com/ebaytools/MobileSummaryEditor.htm

Paste your Word page into the Standard Editor tab. Switch to the Code Editor tab. At the bottom of the code editor is a toolbar. The [><] button will compress your HTML so that you can copy/paste the HTML into an Excel cell. The [CSV] button would be used if your data is in CSV file format and you need to add the text to a file, where quotes must be reformatted.

The other editing options are not appropriate for your needs because they will actually strip out formatting like colors, font sizes, and all of Word's  junk code.

When I pasted your sample listing into the tool and looked at the HTML code, your Word junk code was stripped off, but that may be due to using the Firefox browser instead of a Microsoft browser (which I don't have for testing).

Mobile Summary:

Your pages are considered "complex", which means that the text eBay extracts for display on other venues is guesswork at best. Want to know what eBay is using for the summary of your item# 143011474833 ?

Paste that item into the top of the tool and eBay's summary will be displayed in the top box.

[shipscript]

@custom-performance-products

On another topic, your example listing states:

Phone information:  eBay no longer allows sellers to provide a phone number in eBay listings, so we had to remove it.  We understand that with the nature of custom wheels there are many technical questions which can be very time consuming and frustrating to the customer to answer via multiple emails, and can only be answered in an accurate and timely fashion over the phone.  We are still happy to answer any technical questions you may have, please google "cpp wheels" to get our contact info.  We always encourage you to purchase your item via our eBay store.   Thanks!  Custom Performance Products.

You now have your phone number listed in "Contact Seller" under the "Other" option. Rather than directing the buyer away from eBay (not allowed), it would be better to let them know that your phone number is available when they click "Contact Seller" on the listing page.

Phone information: eBay requires our phone number be hidden. Please use the "Contact Seller" option that is near our seller information on this listing. When the contact page opens, select "Other" to access our phone number. We are always happy to answer any technical questions you may have.

[custom-performance-products]

Shipscript:

Thank you very much for your replies.

I originally put in that reference to google to find out phone number out of desperation when ebay first took away our phone contact.  We dropped 30% on ebay sales overnight when we could no longer field technical phone questions.  As soon as they gave the option to put it under contact seller, we did that.  But it is still terribly hard to find.  When you say "hidden", that is really accurate.  I was trying to come up with concise instructions for the buyer to find it there, and I greatly appreciate your helpful hint on that.  I will incorporate it into all of the new ads I am TRYING to create with file exchange.  Ebay really needs to scrap that phone rule, every sale I lose is a sale ebay loses.  I understand there are unscrupulous sellers out there that would try to get an off ebay sale, but we aren't one of them.  I couldn't count how many times customers specifically thanked me for having a contact number to answer their questions. 

I will try your methods to get that html into file exchange.  It just amazes me that it is this hard to put in a simple text description.  I did try going to one of my existing ebay listing, opening the edit screen, and then copy/paste from the html side of that listing into my cell in my file exchange spreadsheet.  It didn't work.  But I will try that again as well.