I'm very curious about your experiences using this tool for uploading store items.

I have found it to be somewhat user surly

Most comments I have seen there have been positive. And Bidville always improves things there, now where is that little birdy.

theOldTopoDepot -

Welcome to PSU! I used it to bring over items from Yahoo and it worked well. Then, I tried it again, and something hiccuped! I've got a note into CS as we speak to get help!

It worked very well on my first "grab"!! But - blew up a tad bit on my second one!

I realize that I neglected to say that I'm trying the csv import technique to load store items to the access database, then uploading.

That might make a significant difference.

Topo,

I've never been able to get it to work that way. I've tried making a CSV every which way I could think of with 2 different programs (Excel and OpenOffice) and it never get 1 bit of info into the program.

If Sylvia comes along, maybe she can give you some help as she loves the program.

Carol

Yesiree, Indidee I doo. LOL....sorry. Stayed home with a migraine & am medicated. Perhaps I can get some work done, as I feel NO pain.

The Express Loader still works for me; I've just changed how I'm doing things lately because of how I'm listing on 3 sites almost at once via AuctionTamer.

My suggestions...

If you're trying to import html descriptions into the description area & it won't work, try putting a SINGLE " in front of each description. Then try to import. It might work.

Don't use the exported turbo lister csv file & modify it. Turbo does it's own things to csv files. Mine come straight from Excel.

Make sure you delete extra columns & extra rows---even if it doesn't look like there's anything there.

If that doesn't work...I did go as far as importing everything with just a text description, then replaced the descriptions with my html tables. LOL But it wasn't that many & no, it isn't time-efficient.

It was my primary method of tracking inventory---that's how well I trusted it. When it stopped "behaving" I moved everything out of it.

And yes, the new & improved Express Loader is being tested & should be out soon. And you just NEVER know what treats might be included. Won't be long....you'll see.

Feel free to pm or email me. I can try to work with your file & my loader & see if we're doing anything different.

sylvia
angelsolutions

Can someone explain how to make a CVS file in simple, yes VERY simple terms?

Listing on several sites and using one may well make it easier for me ( maybe.....LOL!).

Hi Pigeon!

If you have Excel (Microsoft), QuatroPro (Corel), or OpenOffice, you can create one from there.

Open the program, Excel for example & create a spreadsheet (that's what they are called). Each LINE is for one of your items; Each column for information about that item. Try making one with only 2-3 items in it.

At a minimum, You want your Title, Description, Image URL & Price. At least, that's what I keep in my Main inventory sheet. From there, I copy and paste into a new blank "spreadsheet."

When you go to save it, you'll notice the other "Save As." That's the one you want. Give it the name you want, but choose the File Type, comma-separated file (csv).

When you go to close the file, if you're using Excel, it will ask you if you want to convert it back to Excel something or other (97 for me). Click no, & the spreadsheet will close.

POOF, you just made a csv file, which has a .txt extention, and you can use to upload to the different bulk loaders OR auction sites.

Now...just about EVERY site wants the information in a different order. With some practice, all you have to do is copy/paste into the new order & you're good to go.

That's why these days, this old bird keeps ALL her inventory in Excel, & just copy/pastes her way into the different sites. LOLOL

Hope this helps! If not...keep asking. Lots of peeps here been practicing & working with it. We'll all help!

sylvia
angelsolutions

edited: I forgot a step....bad angel....bad!

The csv delimited file I'm using is generated programmatically by a php script, so all proper escaping is in place. I have uploaded output from the similar code to Yahoo Auctions and it was perfectly happy with the file.

I've verified the columns several times using the sample file provided.

Also, ms access will import the file directly into a table without errors.

It seems highly unlikely it's a prblem with the input file format and/or contents.

theOldTopoDepot...I'm firing up my Express Loader & creating a fresh import to check things out.

1. Did you download the program from Bidville very recently and/or update it recently? (I haven't used mine in a couple months, so for comparison's sake, I won't update it)

2. Have you requested assistance of Bidville CS via the Contact Us link?

3. I have in the past, done the following with Turbo Lister & the Express Loader for a quickie template.... a) create one item in the Express Loader store listings b) export it c) copy/paste my data to that fresh template & d) re-import. Just a thought.

sylvia
angelsolutions

My version was downloaded two days ago, so it should be latest.

I found for auctions that the tile and descriptions fields required dbl quotes, irrespective of the inclusion of (a) comma(s) in the text. I believe none of the other fields needed them.

I tried many variants of store record formats with various simple handcrafted examples. The best results I managed were no errors but no record to import either via the Express Loader method.

A followup comment on your thought number three.

I require a method to reliably create csv records de novo, as all my data lives in relational (a la MySQL, for example) database tables and I have far too much (tens of thousands of items) to be tolerant of any manual manipulation when generating listings.

So everything I have that performs a format conversion on the items, as this is, is driven by an automated tool.

I just don't tweak individual item records...

Ok...here's what I got...

Created a new import...and it wouldn't work. I don't use anything but excel. I have kept my data in Filemaker pro, but export it for manipulation "my way."

I did however, export several items, change the html description (its a triple nested table with links & such). I was able to re-import successfully.

Can't explain why my new import wouldn't work, when the "re-import" would.

I hear what you're saying...I choose not to work with individual records. I don't have tens of thousands, but hundreds & hundreds is frustration enough & too time consuming.

This is past me, friend. Perhaps it is a job for Bidville CS to advise you as I am not versed in MySQL.

Sorry I was such terrible help. I do hope you are able to resolve it. I'd love to see you at Bidville!

sylvia
angelsolutions

There's no need for apologies; your time and efforts has helped confirm what I suspected. And that is simply that there are some irregularities in the csv import functionality of BE that are hampering some imports.

I have, in the interim, managed to find a method to get my items imported. I did have to resort to rather extreme measures, but I did get the data loaded.

Once loaded, I found that attempting to upload store items with more than 700 or so items appearing in the item list box causes BE to eventually crash with an out of memory error. It seems to happen when BE has allocated around 64mb of memory. Since the system I'm using for uploads has 2GB available, it's not my hardware that's the resource limit.

If anyone's managed to get a few thousand items to upload in a single session, please share how you manged to make it work.

You can visit my store at http://stores.bidville.com/theOldTopoDepot

Your store is magnificent! Well done!

I admire your perseverence! A man after my own heart!

Probably true that there are some compatibility issues between your method and the BE. I urge you to share your experience with Bidville CS as they are planning to redo their bulklister & your information could prove valuable.

I've loaded as many as 200-300 at one time with no problems, and that was both at a time when they were experiencing SEVERE site glitches that slowed the transfer AND later after many upgrades. Uhmm....it's faster now. LOL

My method has changed of late as I'm trying to get on Bidville, eBay Store & Yahoo quickly. I use my main inventory spreadsheets to import csv files to AuctionTamer (which also uses an Access db).

Yahoo was uploading with a page script error on each confirmation page that I had to click past. So much for unattended bulk-listing.

eBay store took 8 hours to load 200 items. I blame that on eBay.

Bidville loaded the same items in 15 minutes (I had to correct one incorrect category DOH).

Best wishes for success at Bidville!

sylvia
angelsolutions