Turbo Lister Tips & Troubleshooting Return to Turbo Lister Overview
Tips
Trouble Shooting
Tips
How can I create copies of listings quickly? To quickly create copies of listings saved in your "Item Inventory", you can use the "Duplicate" feature. Just select the listing(s) you would like to duplicate, click the "Duplicate" button in the toolbar, and then enter the number of copies you would like to create.
How can I create item templates? To create a template item from which you can create more listings: First just create a listing that contains most of the information you would like in most/all of your listings. Put a small sample Title and Description in those fields. Then you can use the "Duplicate" (located in the toolbar) or "Create Another" (located in the Edit Item window) features to create copies of the "template" item. Just edit the new item to input the information particular to it.
Turbo Lister also allows you to set default values for many form fields that are part of the Create Item process. Setting these defaults can speed up the item creation process considerably. To edit these default values directly, select Tools > Options, and then select the format (Auction, Fixed Price, etc…) and type of default values you would like to specify. You can also set default values while you are creating an item by selecting the "Save for Future Listings" check box located at the bottom left of many pop-up windows.
How can I specify some text/HTML to be included in all of my item descriptions? To specify default text to be included in all of your item descriptions (this can be useful for information such as Payment/Postage terms that is similar for all of your listings), select Tools > Options, then the format you would like to specify default description text/HTML for, then "Listing" (eg: Auction Defaults > Listing).
You can also specify default description text/HTML while you are creating an item by selecting the "Set default description" text at the bottom left of the "Design Your Listing" step of the Create Item wizard.
How do I backup my listings? How can I move listings from one computer to another? To backup your listings or to move listings from one computer to another, you can use the CSV import/export feature. Just select the listings you'd like to backup/move, and select "File > Export Selected Items > To CSV". You'll be prompted to name and save the file somewhere on your local disk, and then a CSV file containing the listings you selected will be created.
To get the listings back into a Turbo Lister program, just select "File > Import Items > From CSV". You'll be prompted to select the file you'd like to import, and then the listings will be imported into a new folder labeled "Imported from CSV". Notes:
- eBay Picture Services photos are not saved in CSV files.
How can I change the format of a saved listing? You can easily change the format of listings in your "Item Inventory" by using the "Duplicate As" feature. Just select the listing you'd like to switch, click the "Duplicate As" button in the toolbar, select the new format for the item when prompted, then edit any details (such as Buy It Now price, Duration, etc…).
How can I preview the appearance of my listing before uploading? To preview your listing before uploading it, just select the "Preview" tab in the "Design Your Listing" step of the Create Item wizard.
You can return to the Preview from the Item Inventory by selecting an item, clicking "Edit Item" (in the toolbar), then selecting "Design View" in the Edit Item window.
How can I preview the fees that will apply for listings before I upload them? To preview the fees for listings you are about to upload: First you must have added the listings to the "Listings Waiting to Upload" tab. Then while on the "Listings Waiting to Upload" tab, click the "Calculate Fees" button at the bottom of the window. This will send the listing information to eBay and eBay will return the fees that would be charged for uploading those items (they'll display in the grid). Note: the eBay SG site is currently not charging any fees.
How can I use my own self-hosted photos? When you first install Turbo Lister, your default photo hosting preference is set to eBay Picture Services. If you would like to use your own self-hosted photos, you can easily switch your photo hosting preference. On "Step 2 of 3 - Design Your Listing", there is some text at the bottom left of the window that reads, "Change photo hosting". Just click that text and select, "Your own Web hosting" to change your preference to self-hosting. Turbo Lister will then prompt you for URLs instead of files when you insert photos into the photo wells. Notes:
- You can always use your own self-hosted photos by embedding their URLs in your item description using HTML. Make sure to do that on the "HTML" tab in the "Design Your Listing" step.
- If you would like the photo hosting preference to apply for all listings, make sure to check the "Save for Future Listings" box in the "Change photo hosting" window.
How do I get the camera icon to appear in eBay item lists? To get the camera icon to appear next to your items in eBay item lists:
- If you're using the layouts provided with Turbo Lister (whether you're self-hosting or using eBay Picture Services), Turbo Lister will take care of putting a URL in the correct field to trigger the camera icon.
- If you're not using the layouts, but using eBay Picture Services, you'll get the camera icon without needing to do anything special.
- If you're not using the layouts ("None"), and self-hosting your photos, you'll see a single photo well at the bottom of the Design View - that's where you can put either an image URL or an "invisible" image to trigger the camera icon to appear.
How do I add a Gallery photo? To add a Gallery photo to your listing: Click the "Change" button in the "Listing Upgrades" section on "Step 3 of 3 - Format Specifics". You can select the Gallery option in the window that will pop-up. If you are using eBay Picture Services to host your photos, your first photo will be used as your Gallery photo. If you are self-hosting your photos (see above for how to change your photo hosting preference), you'll need to click the "Photo" button to specify a URL for your Gallery photo.
How can I use a background image in my item description? If you would like to use a background image in your item description, you need to use the HTML "TABLE" tag instead of the "BODY" tag to specify your background image.
Troubleshooting
Solutions to the "Network problems are preventing…" error message
The error message, "Network problems are preventing Turbo Lister from communicating with eBay…" has many possible causes. What is happening is that the Turbo Lister program on your computer has attempted to communicate with eBay, and did not receive a response. The problem could be anywhere from your computer to eBay and in between.
Below are some solutions for common causes of this problem. They may not solve the problem in every case. If these solutions don't work for you, please contact Customer Support (instructions below).
- Make sure your User ID and Password are correct and up to date in Turbo Lister
Turbo Lister sends your User ID and Password every time it "talks" to eBay. If the User ID and Password in Turbo Lister don't match those on the eBay site, you will receive this error message. To check/change your User ID and Password in Turbo Lister, select "Tools > Options", then "Personal Information > eBay Account". If this information is not correct in Turbo Lister, correct it and try connecting with eBay again.
- Check your system date and time
An incorrectly set system date and time can cause this error to occur. Check your system time in the system tray of your computer (usually at the bottom right of your screen), and check the date by holding your pointer over the time (it will pop-up). If your system date is incorrect, correct it in your Windows Control Panel, and try connecting with eBay again.
- Ensure you have Internet Explorer 5.01 or later installed
Even if you do not use Internet Explorer as your Web browser, you will need to have version 5.01 or above installed on your computer. Turbo Lister uses components of Internet Explorer to communicate between your computer and the eBay. The latest version of Internet Explorer can be found at the following Microsoft page.
- Ensure your Internet Explorer settings are correct
If your Internet Explorer browser is not configured correctly, it can cause this error message. With your version of Internet Explorer, please check some of the Options settings. First, open Internet Explorer on your computer. Click "Tools -> Internet Options" then select the "Advanced" tab. Next, verify the following:
- Under the heading "HTTP 1.1 Settings," make sure that the box "Use HTTP 1.1" is checked and the box "HTTP 1.1 through proxy connections" is *not* checked.
- Next, also under "Internet Options" in Internet Explorer, select the "Security" tab and set to the "Default Level."
- Ensure the cipher strength in your version of Internet Explorer is correct
The cipher strength in your version of Internet Explorer may also cause this issue. Click "Help -> About Internet Explorer" from within your copy of Internet Explorer. The cipher strength should be "128-bit". If it does not read "128-bit" then please go to the following Microsoft page to see how to resolve this issue.
- Check for anti-virus or firewall software
Check if you have any anti-virus or firewall software installed on your computer. These kinds of software can sometimes prevent the information coming from the eBay servers from writing to the Turbo Lister files on your computer. If you do have an anti-virus or firewall program, please disable it and try connecting with eBay again.
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Note: Disabling your firewall will remove the protection that your firewall provides. Re-enable your firewall after connecting with eBay if network security is a concern for you. |
What to do about the "eBay Picture Services is unavailable…" message If you receive the, "eBay Picture Services is unavailable…" error message when attempting to upload listings with Turbo Lister, it means that Turbo Lister was unable to communicate with the servers that handle eBay Picture Services. The problem is not likely with the Turbo Lister program or your computer.
What you should do if this happens is try to upload the items an additional one or two times. If those attempts result in the same error message, you can wait until later to upload your listings (when the servers have problems, they are usually fixed fairly quickly), or you can remove all eBay Picture Services-hosted photos from the listings you are trying to upload (that will prevent Turbo Lister from needing to communicate with eBay Picture Services).
Contacting Customer Support If you have a question or issue not mentioned on this page, or just have a general question, there are several options available to you.
We recommend that you first visit our Community boards, where members help each other.
If you cannot find the help you need on the discussion board, you can contact eBay Customer Support by clicking Help at the top of any eBay page. If you are experiencing a problem, please include as many details about the problem and about your computer as possible (eg: operating system, processor, memory, other software you have installed/running, type of Internet connection, etc…) so that the Customer Support staff can most efficiently and effectively help you.
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