by Jennifer Claerr

Created on: August 20, 2007   Last Updated: September 11, 2009

Auctiva is an image hosting service for auctions. Auctiva is fairly simple to use, but there are a few things you need to know to use it effectively.

In addition to free image hosting, Auctiva offers free listing templates and free auction scheduling. Before you get started using Auctiva to list your eBay auctions, however, you'll need to edit your photographs so that they are no longer than 600 pixels on the longest dimension. You can read my Paint Shop Pro Tutorial to find out how. Also, be sure to name your images appropriately so you can find them easily when you go to create your listings.

It's best to create folders before you upload your images to Auctiva. This will make it easier to find your image when you create your listing. You can name your folders according to what they contain, and also color-code your folders. If you sell on consignment on eBay, create a separate folder for each one of your consignment clients.

Click on the Images tab to begin your upload. I prefer to use the Drag and Drop uploader. This uploader works only with Internet Explorer, and allows you to upload your photos in bulk. Select the items you want to upload individually, or upload an entire folder all at once. You are limited to 100 images, and there is a limit to the file sizes you can upload. So all images will need to reduced to .jpg format and resized before you upload them, or Auctiva will reject your upload.

When you have uploaded your pictures, click on the Listings tab. There are a wide variety of free templates available, and I recommend that you use them liberally. You can create a listing from a Master Profile, or create a similar listing from another listing you created on Auctiva. To create a Master Profile, you can either import your closed listings by clicking Closed at the top of the page, then clicking Import Listings. The imported listings will be visible on your Saved Listings page. Once you have imported your listings, they can be used as a template. Select one or more listings and click, Create Profiles. Click Master on the far right, then at the bottom of the page click Create. You can then access your Master Profiles from the Listings page.

You can also create Master Profiles manually by clicking the Profiles tab. Under Create New Profiles, click Master. Then choose your Detail Profile, Marketing Profile, Shipping Profile and Checkout Profile from the drop-down list. If you have no profiles in your Master Profiles list, you can click on Seller Details,

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