Mark Goodwin works for Transforming Data recently wrote a four part series on how to use eBay File Exchange. Due to the demand for getting data into an eBay friendly format they’ve now released a new tool to convert data into TurboLister format.
Over to Mark to explain more:
Inventory to eBay – TurboLister (Bulk Listings Conversion)
The most asked question I receive on a daily basis from eBay Seller and Drop Shipper is how I cut costs while listing products on mass. The answer lies in what takes up the most amount of time and ultimately cost, Labour.
Listing preparation is labour intensive as a process, and the conversion from one format to another (eBay Listings), is cumbersome, inefficient and overall costly.
The Ideal Situation
Removing labour through automation minimises the use of seller resources (time and money) and maximises the total volume of listings in the shortest period of time with accuracy, allowing more sales opportunities with lower overhead costs.
As TurboLister is the most widely used of the eBay Tool for Bulk Listings, its file format has become the accepted standard. It does however differ vastly from other Seller Tools in the way it deals with data.
The Problem
A Turbo Lister file mixes standard CSV with XML (Item Specifics) and XML Base64 Encoding (Shipping Carriers, Locations and Postage Charges).
This poses the problem of how to quickly and accurately automate the process of converting product details into bulk listings for Turbo Lister.
Unfortunately, using the File Exchange format is ruled out as only partial fields will be accepted and displayed in Turbo Lister. EBay’s method of encoding for the shipping carriers, locations and postage charges is the roadblock that stops clever use of Excel, VBA, PHP, Other Scripting Languages and Templates to fully automate TurboLister.
To achieve automation the Base64 elements for each listing item must be decoded, then the XML data altered to reflect eBay’s codes and finally re-encoded back to Base64 before importing!
The Solution
An Automated solution for eBay Sellers/ Drop Shippers requiring Bulk Listing Conversion (Custom Product Feeds) for Medium and Large Scale eBay Listings using Turbo Lister with the flexibility of selecting Images and Branding through the use of own HTML templates or using WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Editors.
To accomplish this task a TurboLister version of Inventory to eBay was developed from the ground up by Data Specialists rather than Software Developers using a bespoke conversion matrix and employing custom decoding and encoding algorithms.
TurboLister version of Inventory to eBay
The TurboLister version of Inventory to eBay provides the first fully Automated Solution to cover all three aspects within Turbo Lister’s data format (CSV, XML and XML Base64), providing formatted files ready for import and bulk listings.
Benefits for Users
– Streamlined Fully Automated Solution for Bulk Listings Creation for TurboLister
– Customised, Fully Compatible eBay Product Feed
– Import Turbo Lister Format into many 3rd Party Seller Tools
– Auction and Fixed Price Listings with Custom Item Specifics
– Select Different Shipping Methods/ Carriers and Postage Rates
– Convert Internal Codes to eBay Category Codes and Condition ID’s
– Set Auto Pricing for eBay (BuyItNow, Best Offer, Minimum BestOffer, etc.)
– Lowering Overhead Processing Costs (Time, Computers, Staff, Licences)
– Hosted On-Demand Solution, No Scheduling Requirements
– Use Existing Branded HTML Templates/ Themes
– Specify Custom Payments and Returns Policies
– Select Payment Types, Listing Durations and Shipping Methods
– Usage is PAYG, No Contract
– Plus Many More Features
Inventory to eBay the Turbo Lister Edition is a fully automated end-to-end solution, requiring no human interaction and is based on the Pay-As-You-Go model. There are no subscription costs or on-going monthly service fees. We only charge on the total volume of data transformed.
