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New to eCrater and have questions.....please and thank you!
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sandiesshoesnmore



Posts: 6

PostPosted: Mon Aug 31, 2015 7:36 pm    Post subject: New to eCrater and have questions.....please and thank you! Reply with quote

Hi All,
I am a 13 year veteran of eBay and Amazon (and a TRS Powerseller) and here for probably the same reason's many of you are too. Looks like a great place. Still trying to get my store set up but having a frustrating time. A bit of help would be appreciated, please and thank you. I can't find a way to preview the store setup, logos etc,. I've clicked on the faint Preview on the right but it just takes me back around to sign in over and over. It is like working in the dark! I'd like to see what the logo, main image and so on look like before proceeding but it won't let me. Thanks and a special thanks to Tiger Creek for the help previously given when I couldn't post on the boards at first!
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SammysSupplies



Posts: 1631

PostPosted: Mon Aug 31, 2015 9:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You should never have to sign in to see your preview...buyers don't need to sign in to see stores. Have you actually saved your texts or images before you go to look? Welcome to eCrater!
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SheilaDeesPostcards
moderator


Posts: 4614

PostPosted: Mon Aug 31, 2015 10:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Welcome to the eCRATER community! I'm sorry to hear you are having such a hard time getting started. I think Sammy nailed the problem. Preview on some sites is a way to see how something looks before it goes live. Here, you have to save your work before you click on preview. If you click on preview before you save your work (or click Update), there is nothing to see. Actually, that link should probably say View.

If you want your work to have limited visibility from the internet until you are ready, in your admin scroll down to "More Options" and click on "On-Hold". Your store will still be visible to anyone with a direct link to your store, but it's visibility will be limited.

Test by going to "Edit Text" and adding something to your Home page, click Update, then click Preview. You should see the text on your home page. If you are taken back to the screen to sign in, then there is problem and you need to contact eCRATER directly using the contact link on the home page of ecrater.com . You'll find dealing with eCrater CS a real treat. Real people with real answers.
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cosmicray



Posts: 7286

PostPosted: Tue Sep 01, 2015 5:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

@sandiesshoesnmore

Preview has a very different meaning in the eCrater context. Preview here means this is your (active) store, and these are your (active) listings. There is no easily accessible way to see a listing before it goes active.
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AtMemoryLane



Posts: 510

PostPosted: Tue Sep 01, 2015 6:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello - and welcome to eC.

I can't wait 'til you are up and running. I am so curious about your shoes. High quality shoes are so difficult to find.

A couple of "heads up" on your pages.

[a] On your about page, you have a minor type - you have "one" instead of "on" on other sites.
[b] "Payment within 3 days" - should say something like - "payment is expected at time of sale"

Fall is always a good time to start a new venue.

Once again, Welcome and congrats on the move to the real world.
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sandiesshoesnmore



Posts: 6

PostPosted: Tue Sep 01, 2015 6:51 am    Post subject: Still can't preview Reply with quote

Hello Everyone, thanks so much for all your welcoming replies and help. Yes, I have saved my work as in Update. Still, I am not able to preview or see my store work. I did just put it on hold since the last poster gave me some very useful tips as "Heads Up" for typo's. Thank you! I don't want to start putting in listings until the store header is done and..........I can't see it. Arg! Might have to contact help. Thanks All!
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cosmicray



Posts: 7286

PostPosted: Tue Sep 01, 2015 7:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

@sandiesshoesnmore

Seeing a store that is on hold ... no.

But, you may be able to peek at individual listings. This is a non-supported method, but it does currently work.

Open an item in the administrator window for editing. Look at the URL bar for a pid=xxxxxx (where xxxxxx is an 8-digit number). Write down (or copy) that number. Open a new browser, and go to www.ecrater.com/p/xxxxxx/ (replacing xxxxxx with the 8-digit number)

That should allow you to see an item which is on hold, and has not yet been released for sale. That also works, for individual items, when the store is on hold (I just tested it).
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AmericanEdge



Posts: 976

PostPosted: Tue Sep 01, 2015 8:42 am    Post subject: Re: Still can't preview Reply with quote

sandiesshoesnmore wrote:
Hello Everyone, thanks so much for all your welcoming replies and help. Yes, I have saved my work as in Update. Still, I am not able to preview or see my store work. I did just put it on hold since the last poster gave me some very useful tips as "Heads Up" for typo's. Thank you! I don't want to start putting in listings until the store header is done and..........I can't see it. Arg! Might have to contact help. Thanks All!
Have you selected a template for your store.
When I go to your store I see your logo and three graphics asking you to set up different elements of your shop. Viewing your homepage with FireFox & IE.
I have noticed this with several new stores since eCrater introduced the new templates.

Also, Fill in your "Home" page text box in order to have something to display on the home page.
You have created one category with no products showing so, I know that is not the problem.

Your current logo is 52px × 68px; way too small to be of any benefit.
Logo images are generally 218px × 68px in size.

try these things and let us know if it solves the problem
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tigercreekgifts



Posts: 6293

PostPosted: Tue Sep 01, 2015 9:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sandie, hello again.

As someone who also recently opened a 2nd store on ecrater in addition to my Tiger Creek store, I can tell you that ecrater has changed some things around that the other sellers here may not also be aware of. Used to be, clicking on preview would pull up your store in live mode at any time however, recently ecrater changed it so that you will not be able to see a preview of your store until a certain number of things are filled out first.

Ecrater requires you to create at least 4 main categories of products and assign them to a position on your store front in order for the categories to show up as featured categories on your home place. Used to be, if you did not have at least 4 categories created, ecrater would instead display 1-7 random products depending on how many items you have already added to your store. If you had 7 or more items added, it would display 7 random items. Now, until you have at least 7 items added or 4 main categories, your storefront will continue to look blank and you will see icons for set up help. Also, until you fill out a welcome message, add a logo banner etc. for your for store front, the main page will still show as blank and you will only see the set up icons.

So you have to complete a certain number of things before clicking on preview will allow you to see your current progress. I'll bet they did this to discourage those who open stores with plans to just dump all of their ebay items here and then never fully set up. Some people do, they transfer their ebay items here but never fill out a welcome message, never upload a banner or anything in an attempt to start making money quickly with little to no work involved for their stores, so I imagine this is ecrater's way of forcing everyone to have at least the basics filled out so all newer stores here look decently set up.
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tigercreekgifts



Posts: 6293

PostPosted: Tue Sep 01, 2015 10:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

And you know, we have had a lot of new sellers here asking why adding products to their store is not working, they told me in private messages that they added 11 items but their store front looked blank., and it wasn't until I suggested they fill out a welcome message and add a store banner before going any further, that their items finally showed up on their storefronts. So obviously, the basic steps are required now and if not filled out, your store will remain blank until such time as those steps are completed. But I looked at the rules here again and I see that ecrater did not mention this, just like they also do not mention that when you create a new store now, you also must wait 48 hours after your new store account was created, before you can login to the community forum section. No they don't mention this anywhere on their rules section.

In case the other sellers are interested to know. I spoke to the staff and they said it was done for two reasons. To keep people from creating stores that have no intention of selling anything here, those who come here just to spam and advertise in the forums for free, and also to prevent buyers from creating accounts just so they can come here and ask questions about their orders. On occasion, we do see a buyer here that did not write down the stores name they bought from and they deleted their order emails, so they know they ordered something but have no clue what store they bought from and they come here wondering where their order is or asking how to contact the seller when most of us here, are just as clueless about who they bought from too. But apparently this was becoming a regular problem and ecrater was having tons of store accounts created just so a buyer could get on this forum and ask questions that we don't even have the answers to on here, which crowds the servers with tons of opened but unused stores.
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MoonwishesStore
moderator


Posts: 17389

PostPosted: Wed Sep 02, 2015 7:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
In case the other sellers are interested to know. I spoke to the staff and they said it was done for two reasons. To keep people from creating stores that have no intention of selling anything here, those who come here just to spam and advertise in the forums for free, and also to prevent buyers from creating accounts just so they can come here and ask questions about their orders.


Yahoo and about time. Thanks ecrater team!!!!

Thanks Tiger for bringing this to our attention!! We are always glad to help newbies but those 'trolls' do get on my nerves!

Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy
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sandiesshoesnmore



Posts: 6

PostPosted: Wed Sep 02, 2015 7:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Everyone. Thanks SO much for your replies. Seems the changes that have been made are not posted (or changed in the manual) and easily adhered to in order to make it more difficult for "casual" sellers to dump listings and not be a true member. I assure you, I am not one of those. Alas, I am a very busy person with two businesses plus an herb farm (this is harvest season) to run - all alone. Your info and help is SO appreciated and will be acted upon asap. Had I been able to preview the logo and so on it would have been changed. Interesting that you can see that but I cannot. hmmmm Can it really be that frustrating and difficult? I've tried So many times and the frustration level is about enough to make me want to walk away. Perseverance will pay, in time. Thanks again.
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sandiesshoesnmore



Posts: 6

PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 7:02 pm    Post subject: Goodbye and thank you Reply with quote

Hi All, Thanks so much for your responses to my questions a few days ago. Alas, this site seems geared to making it SO hard for new sellers. I've literally spent hours trying to get this to work and I am still in the blind. A new seller shouldn't have to go to the boards (if they can even find them!) to get real help. The info in the manual is clearly very outdated and my frustration level is rising to the point where I have decided to walk away. I can't justify all the time spent for nothing. eCrater clearly doesn't want new sellers! Too bad since I have many hundreds of really nice high quality items. Wishing you all great sales and thanks again for your help. I was looking forward to being part of this community!
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SammysSupplies



Posts: 1631

PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 7:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We are all just sellers here, let eCrater know how you feel.
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sandiesshoesnmore



Posts: 6

PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 7:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks. That is a LOL since I can't even find a way to ask eCrater for help! I'd love to tell them how difficult this site is to use but can't find a single help or ask a question link except here in the community! That pretty much says it. eBay and Amazon, despite the gripes, at least give us easy to use options.
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