Are third party listers like Inkfrog and Auctiva still a good idea?

[bluedaisyclippings]

I have been using Inkfrog for many years. Initially, it was to be able to have multiple photos for free. Recent upgrades have caused me to pick a new template as the old one won't work anymore, which is ok but I don't know if it's worth the trouble . Inkfrog is often glitchy and many times my photos aren't showing in the listing anyway due to these glitches. I mean, they show up in the ebay photo section but not in my template quite often. Today, as I wait for technical help for the latest problem (wonky image page on their site), I'm just wondering if I need them at all. 

Have ebay changes made the need for Inkfrog obsolete? Are there listing or photo fees that I am not aware of on top of the listing fees I already pay if I get rid of Inkfrog all together. I have about 2000 listings that |I want to create but I'm tired of wasting time with Inkfrog if there is no upside.

Why do I need Inkfrog?

Thank you very much for any advice.

[rose-dee]

You might want to hold off on making any changes just yet, as it looks like eBay is going to get into the business of offering templates in the next few months.  You might want to wait and see if eBay's templates could work better for you.  I imagine (let's hope!) at least they would always be compatible with the eBay site.  Check the link in Post #1 in this string, and read down near the bottom of the Ecommerce Bytes article: http://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/eBay-Plans-Big-Changes-for-Stores/m-p/210062#U210062

Now, I've used Auctiva for years and have nothing but praise for them.  Their uploading to eBay has always been reliable, and I find their features user-friendly.  However, they do charge ($2.95/mo at the moment), which is probably why they can afford to offer a better product than others -- is Inkfrog still free?

The trouble with eBay offering templates now is that they have a lot of catching up to do with the likes of Auctiva.  I'm not sure I'd trust eBay in this area until they run templates for a few months.  Last time they made major changes to the site it took almost a year for the glitches to slow down. 

At any rate, if I were in your position, I'd just wait and see what happens in the Spring Seller Update.

[bluedaisyclippings]

I'm at the point with Inkfrog now where it is going to be a long frustrating process to list. Uploading photos just got harder because they no longer store alphabetically. I have hundreds of folders and do not have time to scroll and read to find what I'm looking for. Each named folder now has a wait while it uploads. Blah blah blah, it has become very very time consuming and I don't have any time.

I pay $9.95 per month. That was ok when I got 12 photos for free but now I get them free on ebay anyway. 

I'm wondering if templates even matter now. I assume ebay will make the templates too expensive to use. Is the template the only reason you stay with Auctiva?

I am beyond frustrated. I have today to list and then not again until next week. i am so tired of wasting my time.

Thank you for your reply.I will check out the thread you mentioned now.

[pjcdn2005]

I use Auctiva as well and am happy with it. However, I don't use a template as apparently they can play havoc with listings when viewed on a cell phone. I have also taken my pictures out of the body of the listing as I've heard they aren't mobile friendly either. But the reason I use auctiva is that I can store up to 1 gig of photos on there.  Also, I like being able to access old listings on auctiva as they aren't deleted there. Quite often I'll run out of stock then find more a few months later..it's nice not to have to redo the listing again. But probably the main reason I continue to use it is habit..I know how it works and its easy. If auctiva closed down, I doubt if I would pay for another listing service.

[pocomocomputing · Accepted solution]

You may want to consider using eBay Selling Manager Pro. It costs $15.95 a month but is free for a premium store level or higher.

It has some of the features of Auctiva or InkFrog. You can save listings to SMP inventory. 

The 3rd party services were a great idea when they saved a lot of money on photo fees. No longer true. Now eBay discourage photos in the listings and only in eBay photos. Mainly because of eBay mobile listings are different than regular eBay listings.

The 3rd party tools still have free scheduling which can save the 10 cents that eBay charges. If you do not schedule listings then no savings.

I have used Auctiva, InkFrog and Selling Manager Pro.  If found Auctiva and InkFrog to always be having one issue or another when I was trying them out 4-5 years ago for a few months so I ended up using SMP. I had few issues (zero that I can remember) with SMP compared to the other tools. My experience with InkFrog and Auctiva is dated and Auctiva seems to be better than inkfrog now in terms of reliability.

I would suggest that you go to eBay SMP if it is free for you. I do not suggest switching to another 3rd party tool like Auctiva. Migrate once to eBay.