What is file exchange?

[musicyouneed]

I have been using turbo lister however I am looking at alternatives.  Tyler mentioned file exchange.  I do use that to create an inventory list on excel. 

I noticed on a listing this and was wondering what else does file exchange do.  

[musicyouneed]

I have sort of found it.  

http://pics.ebay.com/aw/pics/ca/pdf/file_exchange/File_Exchange_Advanced_Instructions.pdf

Has anyone used file exchange?

[kawartha-ephemera]

I looked into it a couple years ago but once I discovered only 1 photo per listing is allowed I lost interest. The photo had to be hosted somewhere online too, FE requires a url be supplied, and the url has to be publicly available.

I suppose if a vendor had tens of thousands of books or CDs and was using just 1 stock photo they might get along OK. Beyond the photo issue the whole arrangement seemed way to complicated for me to bother with. 

[pocomocomputing]

File Exchange was changed a long time ago to allow more than 1 photo. The photos must be hosted on a third party online photo hosting site.

For best help on using File Exchange, go to eBay.com USA forum called Tools & Apps. dollybeauty eBay member knows FE very well and helps daily in that forum. Also eBay member shipscript helps with File Exchange and knows it well. She has built many of her active content tools using File Exchange. Also eBay Tools Tech support monitors that forum for questions and issues on File Exchange as well as some Turbo Lister support.

File Exchange can be an effective free replacement for Turbo Lister. It takes a bit of learning to get used to it. Best way to learn is to test using a File Exchange with 1-2 listings in the eBay test listing category.

The big issue is getting a third party photo hosting site to store the photos to have the picture URLs to put into a File Exchange data file. The site is only used to hold the photos while File Exchange copies the photos to the eBay photo system used by eBay. You need a fast reliable photo hosting site because File Exchange is a batch processing system and will copy the photos in a short time period possibly stressing the third party hosting site resulting in some photos not being uploaded. Ask in the Tools & Apps forum for a list of free photo hosting sites that works with File Exchange. Not too many free photo hosting sites that allow eBay use or are fast enough for File Exchange batch processing.

[pocomocomputing]

File Exchange was changed a long time ago to allow more than 1 photo. The photos must be hosted on a third party online photo hosting site.

For best help on using File Exchange, go to eBay.com USA forum called Tools & Apps. dollybeauty eBay member knows FE very well and helps daily in that forum. Also eBay member shipscript helps with File Exchange and knows it well. She has built many of her active content tools using File Exchange. Also eBay Tools Tech support monitors that forum for questions and issues on File Exchange as well as some Turbo Lister support.

File Exchange can be an effective free replacement for Turbo Lister. It takes a bit of learning to get used to it. Best way to learn is to test using a File Exchange with 1-2 listings in the eBay test listing category.

The big issue is getting a third party photo hosting site to store the photos to have the picture URLs to put into a File Exchange data file. The site is only used to hold the photos while File Exchange copies the photos to the eBay photo system used by eBay. You need a fast reliable photo hosting site because File Exchange is a batch processing system and will copy the photos in a short time period possibly stressing the third party hosting site resulting in some photos not being uploaded. Ask in the Tools & Apps forum for a list of free photo hosting sites that works with File Exchange. Not too many free photo hosting sites that allow eBay use or are fast enough for File Exchange batch processing.

[kawartha-ephemera]

Was not aware the photo limit had been lifted. Will FE accept the full 12 pics now?

In the past I'd wondered whether those using the Ponderosa site would be OK using them as a host for FE purposes as well as garnering an additional sale here and there. They do offer a file download that conveniently acts as a backup file of sorts and includes the photo urls.

[around_again_records]

Hi Pocomo: You seem to know quite a bit about File Exchange

I too have been looking for a way to replace Turbo Lister, and I am sick of rewriting listings when they expire.

I think I could manage File Exchange, but am stuck on the photo part and third party hosting and all that..

Do you know if File Exchange can be used for the text part of the listing, and then uploaded and photos entered after the listing is uploaded?? That would work for me