Category Path

Category Path is the path each leaf or sub category is derived from. For example, the Category Path of Women's high heel shoes size 5 UK would be as follows:

All Categories Category: Clothing Women's > Shoes > Heels > UK 5

The Category Path for Whiting Genetic Hackle would be: Category: Fishing > Fly Fishing & Fly Tying > Fly Tying Materials > Whiting Genetic Hackle

The category Path for Men's Golfing waterproof suits in XL size would be as below, again just a simple click down until you reach your exact size.

Category: Sporting Goods ( A to M) > Golf > Golf Clothing > Waterproof Suits > Men's > XL

The category Path for Ladies Tennis Skirt in a size 8 would be as below, again a sinple click down until you arrive at the exact item and size you require.

Category: Sporting Goods (N to Z) > Tennis > Ladies Tennis Clothing > Skirts & Shorts & Dress > Size 8

The Category Path for Kio or other pond fish is again found using our simple click down function.

Category: Home & Garden > Ponds & Water Features > Koi & Pond Fish > Fish

Looking for a pre-fabricated building,again found using the simple click down service below.

Category: Business,Office & Industrial > Containers / Pre-Fab Buildings > Pre-Fabricated Buildings

The category path for fishing stocking waders your size is as below.Click down until you arrive in the size sub-category.

Category: Fishing > Fishing Clothing & Waders etc > Waders & Footwear (Fly Fishing) > Stocking Waders > 39-40" Girth / 33-34" Crotch to Floor/ 8-10 UK Boot

Question) How do I register?

Answer) To register click on the "register" link found on both the header and footer navigation sections.

Question) I'm under 16 and can't signup?

Answer) In accordance with standard law under 16's cannot participate in auctions as they legal binding contracts.

Question) How do I become a verified member?

Answer) You become a verified member by paying £1.00 to us, into our Paypal or Google Checkout Account, this will help us and other verify that you are whom you say you are.Therefore giving other verified menbers peace of mind.

Question) I'm not from the UK, can I still register?

Answer) The DeadSkunk welcomes sellers and buyers from a variety of countries.

Question) Just how much does is cost to sign up or register on TheDeadSkunk?

Answer) Registration is FREE. If you wish to become a verified member, then registration is £1.00.

Question) Just what will it cost me to advertise and sell on TheDeadSkunk?

Answer) If you choose the "PAID STORE" option,which is £20 per month, there are no Final Value Fees.You may also use all listing options FREE of Charge.

Question) "So you're saying I could sell, let's say, 10 cars every month, and I would only be charged £20 per month?"

Answer) "Yes. You could sell, let's say, 100 cars per month ,and you'd only be charged for your "PAID STORE" fee of £20. per month.With the "Paid Store" option you would be allowed to use the following at no charge: 4 Free Picture uploads per item, Free Highlighted Items, FREE Category Feature, Free Home Page Feature, Free Reserve Price Feature, Free Custom Start Feature and Free Media/Video Upload Feature.We would also allow a direct link back to your own business website on every item that you have for sale on TheDeadSkunk."

Question) " Hold on! I only advertise on auction websites once or twice a month, and I do not wish to pay £20 per month for the "PAID STORE " option, so just what will it cost me to advertise and sell on TheDeadSkunk.My daughter has outgrown her cot, and I wish to sell at auction and put the extra cash towards a new bed for her.What will selling this cot on TheDeadSkunk cost me?"

Answer) " You can sell as an individual or use the free store option. You may upload as many as 4 pictures of your cot/item for free. If your cot/item were to sell for £50; Then you would be charged 50pence Final Value Fee.

If your cot did not sell first time advertised, you may list it again for free.We allow a further 3 free listings per item.

NOTE. When you take out the store option;no other fees apply.There is only a single £20 payment to be made every 30 days.

The store owner will receive an invoice on the 2nd of every month.

This invoice will be for the amount of £20 pounds only.

Setting up your store is a very easy task. Once you have logged in with your username and password, click on the Members link at the top of the page. From there, a new menu will appear on the left side of the page.

Under 'Seller Features' click on the 'Store Setup' link.

You will now be taken to the Store Setup page. Edit each page the way you like, and customize it how you prefer. Your store is now setup!

The URL to your custom store would be:

http://www.thedeadskunk.com/Yourusernamehere

Simply replace the 'Yourusernamehere' above with your username on our site!

The Anti- sniping time feature is set at 10 minutes

The Anti-Sniping time of 10 minutes set by admin works as below,and will cover the time from which the auction is due to end and the time by which it will extend, so for example:-

Admin setting = 10 minutes

Scheduled end time:- 12:00
Bid placed at:- 11:51
New end time:- 12:01
Bid placed at:- 12:00
New end time:- 12:10
Bid placed at:- 12:05
New end time:- 12:15

The item swapping feature will enable the seller to accept a proposal from an interested party. For example if the seller has listed a DVD and has selected the swap option, a buyer is able to propose a swap for another DVD (items don't have to match, this is purely an example). If the seller is happy with the swap proposal they can accept it from the members area > selling > open. If accepted the end of auction message board will be opened up for both parties to conclude the swap.

Hi, sellers can choose their currency when listing.

A Dutch Auction is an auction in which the seller has multiple identical items to sell. When starting a Dutch Auction the seller must enter the quantity, starting bid (reserve price is not used) and bid increments. All winning bidders pay the same price, which is the lowest successful bid.

Bidders must specify both a bid price and the quantity they want to buy. Proxy bidding is not used in Dutch auctions. Again, all winning bidders pay the same price, which is equal to the amount bid for the last item of the collection.

Example:
Say there is a dutch auction for ten identical items..
Lets say at the end of the auction there have been four bidders...

the first bidder bid £3
the second bidder bid £4
the third bidder bid £5
the fourth bidder bid £6

At the end of the auction the four winning bidders each pay £3
(this is the lowest amount, in this case £3)

Now let's say ,using the same scenario, the dutch auction
was only for three identical items...

only the second, third and fourth bidders would be winning bidders
and they would all pay £4

the first bidder would have had to bid a higher amount before the auction ended to stay in the running (because there were 4 bidders and only 3 items).

Remember, all successful bidders will pay the same price, which is the lowest successful bid.

Finally, remember demand must exceed supply for the starting bid to go up and even then most users win the items they bid on at the minimum asking price but the only way to be assured of being a winner is to make sure you are not the lowest bidder.

Further example:

An auction format used when a seller has multiple identical items to sell.

All winning bidders pay the same price, which is the lowest successful bid.

Proxy bidding is not used on Dutch auctions.

Dutch auctions are a special auction format where a seller has multiple, identical items he or she wishes to sell. The seller specifies the minimum price (the starting bid) and the number of items available. Bidders bid at or above that minimum for the number of items they are interested in purchasing. At the close of the auction, the highest bidders purchase the items at the lowest successful bid.


For example, imagine there are 10 TVs being sold at £100.

25 people bid £100 for one TV each. In this case, only the first 10 people will be the successful bidders, since the bid amounts are the same and earlier bids take precedence.


Now, say that one of those people bid £150 for one TV. Since her bid is higher than all the others, she will certainly be one of the successful bidders. The other 9 TVs will be claimed by the earliest bidders who bid £100, and the final price for each TV will be £100.


If enough people bid above the minimum bid, the final price of the item will increase as well. On the other hand, if less than 10 people bid in our example, then only that number of TVs will be sold at the opening price of £100. For the selling price to increase past the opening price specified by the seller there must be an equal or higher level of demand than the supply indicated. In our example, the selling price would only increase if 11 or more TVs were bid upon, no matter what the amount of each bid.


In the case of multiple lots bid for by a bidder, the lowest bidder may not earn the right to purchase the complete number of lots since there may only be one left by the time the higher bidders have been processed. In other words, if the lowest bidder requested an amount of 3 TVs, she might only be allowed to get one TV, since 9 other TVs could be allocated to higher bidders. The only way around this problem is to ensure that you are not the lowest bidder. In some cases, a bidder may reserve the right to refuse purchase of a partial lot amount. In that case, the seller may skip that bidder and move on to the next one, if any.

Auction Manager Software Save time and sell more by making the listing and sales tracking process more efficient. Create auctions easily with pre-filled preferences or from templates, then easily upload all auctions at once. Easily import items from eBay or other sites that have csv or spreadsheet export, then upload in minutes. A grueling process that normally could take days, weeks or even months can now be done in a matter of minutes. You can also modify auctions by making the necessary changes and re-uploading the changed auctions. Compatability: Windows XP or later, 32 or 64 bit systems How to get this software Click here to download our Auction Manager software.

Read the below instructions to learn how to use the Auction Manager. Download: Download the above linked zip file to your computer. Once downloaded, unzip the contents to your desktop. Now open the auction manager folder to view the contents. Installation: Note: Do not execute the install file while it is still in the zip file, as the auction manager will not install properly. You MUST extract all contents before installing. There will be two setup files. Execute either of the two setup files, which will start the install process. Read the information page that describes the Auction Manager, then click the next button. You will now be prompted about where to install the software. Just click the next button, unless you want the software installed in a specific location. If so, please choose a location then click the next button to proceed. You will now be informed that you are about to install the auction manager. Click the next button and the install will go through the process of unpacking and installing needed components. It will now tell you that install is complete and prompt you to click the close button to exit. The auction manager program is now installed on your computer. Updates: When we provide updates for the auction manager program, your version should automatically inform you that there are updates when starting the program. We recommend that you always perform these updates immediately, when you are prompted to do so. This may be an inconvenience waiting for updates to download and install, but it could cause you issues if you do not complete. When updates complete, the program will close after everything is done. You will need to start the program again to proceed. Preferences and master data: After installation, a shortcut to the Auction Manager will be placed on your desktop. Double click the icon on your desktop (this is how you will access the Auction Manager in the future). A window will pop up, stating that you are running the program for the first time, and that you need to set up your preferences. Click the OK button and the user preferences page will appear. This page contains your user info, as well as your pre-defined preferences for your auctions. Only enter your username and password for now (see image below), then click the save button. From the file menu, choose download master data. Now click the download button to populate your auction manager program with all the necessary categories, payment options, currencies, etc. Click the finish button once this is completed. (see image below) From the tools menu, choose preferences (this is the screen that you initially entered your username and password). Fill in all the remaining entries with the info that you want to automatically be included when creating new auctions. NOTE: If you select any online payments (direct pay), you must set up these options up in your members area on the site first. Otherwise this will not work properly for you. Import current inventory from site: To import your inventory (active auctions) into the auction manager click the file button on the main toolbar, then select "update inventory" from the drop down list. You will receive a prompt, telling you what you are about to do. Select start from this prompt. A download screen will appear, telling you how many items you are about to download. Click the start button to proceed with the download. (see image below) The software will download/update all auctions, including items that have been auto relisted and are not showing in your inventory page. The download window will show the progress of the download. Once the download is complete, you will need to click the finish button. (see image below) CSV/Excel import of auctions: You should be able to import any csv/excel file into the auction manager, regardless of structure or format. Click the "import items from csv/excel" option from the file menu, or the button located on the lower right portion of the program. You will receive a prompt to locate the file you wish to import. Click the folder icon to browse your computer for this file. If you are importing a csv/text file that is tab delimited (most common), you will not have to change the delimiter. If you have custom delimiter, you will need to enter these variables here. Click the next button to proceed to the next step.(see image below) The next screen will ask you options you may want applied to all items you import. Like auto-relist, how many relists, etc. If you are importing over 100 auctions, we recommend you start the auctions at least a couple hours in the future, and choose to have the items spaced out at least a couple minutes apart. Click the next button once you complete this page.(see image below) The next screen is the columns mapping page. The Left column is the auction manager entries, and the right column is your import file options. Match your option with the auction managers options. Example: Your import may have a "item name" column for the auction titles... so you would match "item name"(your column), with "item title"(auction manager column). There are many of these entries that you may want to use info you entered on your preferences page, like auction duration, auction currency, item list type, etc. Just select "use default settings" for options you want to be filled in from your preferences page. Do this for each entry, then click the next button.(see image below) Any auctions in your import that the program does not recognize the category from your import file, the auction manager will prompt you to choose an alternate category. So if you have an auction for "thomas the tank childrens book", which has a category of "xoxoxo"... The program would say "choose an alternate category for (Thomas the tank childrens book)". The auction manager will then remember your alternate category you chose for "xoxoxo", and apply this change to all other auctions in your import file that have a category of "xoxoxo". So if you are importing 1000 auctions which are listed in 15 different categories, you would be prompted to select an alternate category 15 times.(see image below) When the import process is done, you will get the import complete screen. Click the finish button to close this window. We recommend checking some of your auctions before uploading, to ensure accuracy of your import. If there were any mismatched columns in the columns mapping section, or any other issues, your actions may have errors. (see image below) Create and upload new auctions: To create a new auction you would click the "create new auction" button at the bottom left of the program, or click the "new auction" option from the file menu. When creating a new auction, all the data you have saved on your preferences page will be automatically filled in. If you have custom categories for your store, we recommend listing the first category from the site list of categories, then choose one of your custom store categories for your second category. You will need to ensure you have the option "item list type" set as "both". This way it will display in your store and in the auctions.(see image below) For the description section, you can enter custom html or use our text editor to customize your text. Click the + logo to the right of the description section, to open the editor. Click the "source" tab if you already have your own html, and paste it on that screen. You can now click the "preview" tab to see what your auction will look like when uploaded. On the preview screen you can change the font, color, alignment, etc. Just highlight the text you want to change, then click the appropriate buttons on the menu bar to make these changes. When you are finished, click the save button at the bottom of the screen. Note: Our system does not allow Javascript, iframes or dynamic content. When these types of code are present, our system will strip all html when uploaded.(see images below) NOTE: If you select any online payments (direct pay), you must set up these options up in your members area on the site first. Otherwise your buyers will receive an error when trying to pay you. Once you have all your info entered click the save button at the bottom of the screen. You will now see your auction you just created on the inventory page. Highlight the auction you created, then click the "add selected items to upload" button. You can select multiple items by holding down your "ctrl" key on your keyboard while making selections. An easy way to upload multiple new auctions: Choose to have only the new auction display on this page, by choosing "new items" from the drop down menu at the bottom of the inventory page. Now choose "select all" from the edit menu. Now click the "add selected items to upload" button at the bottom of the screen. All your new items would now be on your uploads page. Click the waiting for upload tab to view all auctions ready for upload. (see image below) Click the upload now button, then click the start button once the next screen is ready to upload your items. You will see the status of your upload at the top of this screen, as "uploaded xxx items out of xxx". When the upload is complete, click the finish button. Your items are now on the site. If you chose to list your items in the future, your items will start when you designated them to. (see images below) Sales tracking and invoicing: To view the sale page, click the sales tab. (see images below) Click the "import sales" button that is located on the bottom of the sales page, to import sales from the site. After your sales are imported, click the ok button. Once your sales are imported, double click the title for any of your sales to open that invoice. The invoice will show all items from that buyer that have not been marked as paid or shipped. Each purchase item will have a check box. Select each item you would like included on the invoice. The totals for each item will automatically calculate in the totals section. You can edit any of these, add tax, add discounts, etc., and the total will adjust automatically as you make these changes. Select the "include paypal button in invoice" if you want to include a paypal button in your invoice. Fill in any other info you want included in your invoice, then click the "send invoice" button at the bottom of the page. (see images below) Note: Your invoice has not been sent yet, please read "Export Changes" section below. Feedback: When you are ready to leave feedback for an item, double click that item on the sales page. Scroll down to the feedback section and select the leave feedback box. Enter the rating from the drop down box, and enter a feedback comment in the comment box. Now click the "submit" button for the "update status" section. Note: Your feedback rating has not been left yet, please read "Export Changes" section below. Item Status: Your buyer has paid you or you have shipped the item, you can update the status withing your auction manager. Just click the auction title you wish to update, choose the appropriate entry from the status drop down menu. Now click the update page status at the bottom of the screen. Export Changes: **Your invoices have not been sent yet, and the feedback has not been entered yet... It has only been generated within your software module. When you get done generating invoices and leaving feedback, click the export changes button that is located on the bottom of the sales page. Your invoices will all be sent now, and feedback left for those entered. (see images below) Sample Invoice: See below picture to see how your invoice will look that is sent to your customer via email, and also copied to your email. If you chose to include a paypal button, there would be a clickable "pay now" link at the bottom of the invoice (as pictured below). Create Templates: To create a template you would click the "new auction" button from the file menu, then fill in all the details you would like included for this template. The name you enter for the item title is what your template will be saved as. Click the "save as template" button, and this item will be added to your templates list. (see images below) Use a Template: From the tools menu, choose "items from template". You will now see a list of your templates (see images below). Double click the template you wish to use. Make neccessary changes and click the "save as item" button at the bottom of the page. You will now have a new auction with the changes you just made, and your template will not have changed. If you click the "save" button, your template will be updated with the changes you just made, and no new auction will be created. Compact Database: If you are adding and removing many auction, your local database could become quite large and your auction manager could start to slow down. If you notice your program slowing down, you may want to compact the database to speed things up. From the "tools" menu choose "compact database". You will see a confirm action screen (see image below), which is basically telling you that this action may take a while and there is no progress bar. So if you do not need to use the auction manager for 5-15 minutes, click the yes option. Once the process is completed, a screen will show you that the process has been completed. Backup Auctions & Profile: Although we pride ourselves on not loosing any auction data, there is always the possibility that issues could arise. Or possibly you spend hours or days editing auctions, to find you made a bunch of errors... Either way, having a backup of everything and being able to restore all with a simple click can be very nice. From the "file" menu choose "backup auctions". When the backup screen appears, click the folder icon. Browse your pc to a folder you want the backup to be stored, then enter a name for your backup in the "file name" spot. We recommend using some sort of date formatted name, so you can easily know when the backup was created. Click the "save" button to close out this browse screen. We recommend selecting to backup the profile and auctions, then click the "backup" button. When the backup is completed you will receive a "backup completed" prompt. Click OK and you are done. (see images below) Restore Auctions & Profile from Backup: From the "file" menu choose "restore auctions". When the restore screen appears (see image below), click the fiolder icon. Browse your pc to find your backup file that you created previously. Select your backup file, then click the open button. (see image below) Check the appropriate boxes to restore auctions, profile, or both. Click the restore button to start the process. When the restore is completed, you will receive an "operation completed" prompt. Click the ok button and you are done. (see image below)