Available quantities

[bluepennylady]

Hi, all,

Okay Fancyflappers, or someone I know!! Or someone I don't know, I need some assistance here. How in the world do I control the available qty of any particular item? So that an item is not oversold. Does that make any sense at all?

I sold 2 items, yeah!! So I went to upload another couple of the same thing only to find they are still displayed and anyone can purchase them. I thought the "Max qty" field value meant how many were available. That appears to be how many the buyer can purchase at any one time?????

Judy/bluepennylady

[henhousegiftsandcollectibles]

[bluepennylady]

HI,

I am sorry, I am not following you. What do you mean by manually adjust the inventory? Do you mean if the item sold is the last one available, I will need to delete that item?

Judy/blue

[cuppatea]

ooh ooh I know this one!

Max qty is how many they can buy at one time. It is not inventory control.
Here's the thread suggesting an "out of stock" feature:
http://www.ecrater.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=759

Once an item is sold, you might want to post a SOLD logo and keep it up for a while so the buyer can check it.

See more at: http://www.ecrater.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=2033

There are several posts on these topics - and the web page with logos gives some details.

Woohoo on selling and hope for many more!
Heather Ellen

[bluepennylady]

Thank you for the information.

After selling the items today, that is what I thought. I can change the max qty to whatever I have available if I wish. I'll just have to be sure to delete the item if all sells or make the item inactive.

There needs to be Inventory control. Where do we vote for inventory control??? Ask Fancyflappers or Fire, I just love to vote

Everyone together now, let's chant, Inventory control, Inventory Control!

Judy/blue

[fancyflappers]

Just put up a SOLD sign in your images and set it to default.

[bluepennylady]

Fancy,

You gotta a SOLD sign I can borrow from ya?? I don't got one of them there dudes anywhere in my photo album.

In all honestly I am okay right now. Most of what I have offered for sale, I have depth in. Only a couple of items are one of a kind. And since I am like you, Fancy, and am on the computer 24/7, I can always pull those items offline if it would happen to sell. But I can see how depth is definitely the way to go since there isn't inventory control.

Judy/blue

[zickit]

bluepennylady - PLEASE use the search fundtion - you would be surprised what you find here if you look

Check out -
More SOLD logos available
http://www.ecrater.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=2056

[bluepennylady]

HI,

Thank you for the URL to the post. I will be sure to try out the "search fundtion"

I was simply harassing Fancyflappers, as I know her.

I won't be using "Sold" signs. When the product I have is gone, there will not be more. So I will be deleting product as it sells.

Judy/blue

[zickit]

bluepennylady - you do NOT want to delete it until the last buyer has received it!


You can delete or hide the item once sold BUT in my opinion that's bad for business because as a buyer I want to go back and compare the item once I received it. If you hide it or delete it the buyer can not see it. So I use the SOLD image for about 2 weeks, then I hide it or delete it. eCrater.com will send them a copy of the order. If you want an invoice sent you need to send it.



Remember the item is not actually sold until you have the money. Another reason not to delete it until the customer has received it. But remember about 2 weeks after mailing it - then hide or delete the listing.

[bluepennylady]

Hi,

Thank you for your response and your thoughts. I appreciate the input very much.

I maintain images and a database of all my product. When I am deleting the product, I am only deleting it from the ecrater site, not my database. I don't even leave up auction images for 2 weeks. Images of sold Auctions are deleted 3 days after the item is sold.

All orders are recorded and invoices generatd in my system/database. We send "payment received" as well as "shipping notice" that contains tracking information after the buyer's product has shipped.

I will look at our plan again. Perhaps I should leave images up.

Judy/blue

[zickit]

If I buy a product and I receive it - I go back and compare it to what it listed. If I attempt to do that and I can't get to the item - you can bet I would never be back to check out your items again. Just because you have it on your pc means nothing to me.

That's just my opinion. You run your business how you want. Don't really matter to me BUT think of what your buyer will think when they go to the link they saved to the item and it comes back as no such item. It will not take them to your store or anything else - just a page that says no such item. Making it look like you disappeared!
Just something to think about.

[bluepennylady]

Hi,

In all the years I have sold online, I honestly can't remember the last time someone inquired about the image being gone. Now watch someone will email tomorrow about an Auction image being gone.

Product images are not just on my PC. They are maintained in my inventory management software on my company system. They remain in inventory until year end inventory is done. Sold and inactive Inventory is then archived away. That is usually done at the end of Q1. The archive can be restored if needed. Boy I hate to do that.

Do you really go back and compare the product you receive in every shipment to the picture online everytime? Or just when you believe there is a discrepancy? There is a need for an image, if there is a perceived problem, whether real or not. A picture is worth a thousand words. Color, texture, size and a whole host of other item characteristics can all be distorted or contorted by different monitor settings.

So from your response, I gather the industry standard at ecrater is to leave Sold product up and running for approximately 2 weeks, with a SOLD image in the place of the real image. Or the SOLD stamped or watermarked across the product image??

Judy/blue

[zickit]

YES, whenever I buy anything after I receive it I go to my saved link and pull up the item. Heck, I don't remember what I did 5 minutes ok, I like to check that what I got was what I wanted.

[bluepennylady]

HI,

Boy do I hear that. With this over 50 mind of mine, I am forever forgetting why I have gone to the warehouse. Or walked to the back shop. Or into the front shipping. My staff laughs at me. that's okay. They have given me a new reason to live,,,, waiting for them to all get over 50 and wander around wondering what they were suppose to be doing.

Judy/blue