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This FAQ page covers the bulk of the questions we get asked about ViewTracker™.
We check this FAQ regularly to ensure that our answers are as up-to-date as possible, and we add new questions and answers as soon as they become "frequent."
However, if you have a question that doesn't appear on this FAQ page, submit your request here, and we'll get back to you ASAP.
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Questions asked by Potential Users:
Q. How do I use the information provided by ViewTracker™?
A. On the rest of the Internet, no serious Webmaster would consider trying to compete without access to visitor data. But eBay® sellers have never had access to this data, so the benefits may not be immediately obvious.
But the benefits are enormous...
The most important reason to have real data about your visitors is because the alternative is... simply guessing. And when it comes to predicting customer behavior, it's impossible to always guess correctly. ViewTracker™ shows you exactly how your auction visitors think and behave so you're no longer required to guess. Here are some examples:
- In our experiments, we've found that many items are sought after by people with fairly predictable "body clocks." Certain items receive the most traffic in the morning, while others receive the most traffic at night. Most products that we've experimented with follow similar cycles. So knowing this data about the items you sell helps determine the best ending time for your auctions.
- Similarly, it's readily apparent that certain days are better for selling certain items. This "best day" varies from item to item, but once you see the statistics for yourself, you'll realize that ending certain auctions on certain days puts your listings at a distinct disadvantage.
These are all very simple, but logical, ways to improve your auctions. But without real visitor data, you'll never be able to test and optimize your auctions like the examples above. Remember, your auction listing fees are fixed, so any improvement that generates more visitors... and thus higher prices... is pure profit!
Q. Exactly how does ViewTracker™ work?
A. Whenever a ViewTracker™ subscriber creates an eBay® listing, he includes a short "snippet" of basic HTML code using eBay's auction-creation page or third-party listing application. When he adds that code, this causes two things to happen. First, it loads a small (88 x 31 pixels) Sellathon counter and places it at the bottom of his auction. (Alternatively, the seller can choose to "hide" the counter, making it invisible to visitors.) Every time that listing is viewed and the counter is loaded, it sends a huge amount of data to Sellathon's computers.
From this data, ViewTracker™ deciphers the information and displays it within the seller's ViewTracker™ account.
Q. What kind of information does ViewTracker™ provide?
A. Currently, ViewTracker™ provides the following information about each visitor:
- The sequential number of the visitor. (Is he the 14th visitor or the 126th?)
- The date and time the visitor arrived at your auction.
- The visitor's IP. (By clicking the IP, you'll see ONLY those visits originating from this IP.)
- The visitor's geographical region (for example - "New York, USA"). To view this, click the "[?]" next to the IP address in the Detailed Visitor Log.
- How much time the visitor spent looking at your auction.
- If the Reserve Price was met when the visitor arrived.
- If the item has received a bid yet.
- If the current visitor is the high bidder, a bidder who has been outbid, or no bidder at all.
Q. How much does ViewTracker™ cost?
A. For most users, $49 for unlimited access for one year, or $4.95 a month. This price is for the Basic Level, which allows you to track up to 50 simultaneous auctions at any given time. The limit on simultaneous auctions is the only restriction. Basic-level subscriptions offer complete functionality.
For Advanced and Enterprise users, the cost ranges from $8.95 a month (or $89/year) for up to 250 simultaneous auctions... to $19.95 a month (or $199/year) for an unlimited number of simultaneous auctions. Learn more here.
Q. What do you mean by "simultaneous auctions"?
A. The number of auctions you're allowed to track all at the same time. With our Basic Seller package, you are not limited to the number of auctions you can run, but you can only have 50 tracking at the same time. If you typically run more than 50 auctions at the same time, you'll need to upgrade to the Advanced Seller or Enterprise Seller packages.
Q. Exactly how do I use Sellathon's ViewTracker™?
A. First, you'll need to sign up as a subscriber. To do that, you need to select which package is most appropriate for you, and then register.
During registration, you will select a user id and a password. Once you've done this, you will be able to log in to your account on Sellathon's main page, or from www.sellathon.com/Login.aspx.
When you log in the first time, you'll need to click the "Tracking Code" button at the top of your Account Summary page to get your tracking code. Then select a Standard (visible) or hidden counter. Your generated tracking code will contain the user id that you selected when you subscribed, so there's nothing that you need to edit. Just paste the complete code at the bottom of any auction you want to track. Make sure you don't alter this code in any way.
(To copy and paste text, highlight the entire code "snippet" by dragging your mouse over it with the left mouse button depressed or pressing CTRL key and the "A" key. When the appropriate text is highlighted, press the CTRL key and the "C" key on your keyboard simultaneously. To "paste" this text elsewhere, put your cursor in the location where you wish the text to be inserted, and then press the CTRL key and the "V" key simultaneously. The text you copied will appear at the new location.)
From there, ViewTracker™ does the rest.
Here's how to log into your stats: Go to www.sellathon.com/Login.aspx and enter your user id and the password you selected when you joined.
You will then be transported to your Account Summary page, which keeps track of all of your ongoing tracked auctions. (You don't have to enter this data yourself. ViewTracker™ takes care of all that automatically.)
(If you're tracking quite a few auctions, you may find it useful to use ViewTracker's™ sort features that let you sort each of the columns [Auction number, Auction Title, Expiration Date and Time, Number of Bids, Current Price, Number of Unique Visits, and Number of Bids since you last logged into Sellathon] from low-to-high or high-to-low.)
By clicking the linked Auction Title, you will be taken to the Detailed Visitor Log for that particular auction. You'll see comprehensive data for each auction visit. For more information about the data you'll be presented here, see Question #3 above.
To view detailed bid and "watch" data for a group of listings, select them by checking the checkbox next to each, and then click the "Display Grouped Hi-Lites"  button. You'll then be presented the Detailed Visitors Log for this group of items. Tip - The item number(s) associated with the data you're looking at will be displayed on the second line of the table's title bar. You can use the other Analytic Views (Bid and "Watch" history, Visits by hour, Top Visitors, etc.) to see other details about this group of listings too.
Q. How does relisting work?
A. When you relist an auction on eBay®, ViewTracker™ treats it as a completely new auction and restarts the counter at zero.
Q. What if I go over the maximum number of simultaneous auctions permitted in the package I purchase?
A.ViewTracker™
If you do upgrade, ViewTracker™ will proceed with tracking your auctions... up to the new limit. If you choose NOT to upgrade, ViewTracker™ will just ignore any incoming auction data above and beyond your current limit.
Q. Does ViewTracker™ work with international eBay sites or just eBay U.S.?
A. In order to make ViewTracker™ as universally usable as possible, we have created multicurrency functionality and allow users to select their preferred time zone. ViewTracker™ data can be viewed for listings on any eBay site.
Questions asked by New and Free-Trial Users:
Q. I've forgotten my password. What do I do?
A.
File a support request at http://support.sellathon.com/requesthelp.aspx, and ask them to retrieve that information for you. Once our customer support has positively identified you, they will provide the login information. This process has been designed to ensure the security of your account information and data.
Q. I can't log in!
A. If you can't log in, it's likely because of one (or more) of these 3 reasons:
- You have JavaScript or cookies disabled. (Or you have your Internet security settings set to high, which also disables these features.) Our stats pages require JavaScript and cookies to be enabled.
- You're using a firewall in which you'll need to identify and set our domain (sellathon.com) as a "safe zone."
- To login, popup blockers must be temporarily turned off, or you must set sellathon.com as "allowable" or whatever the equivalent function is for your popup blocker.
If, after trying these suggestions, you still can't log in, file a support request here. We'll walk you through it.
Q. Can ViewTracker™ see all my auctions on eBay without me doing anything to them?
A. No. The ViewTracker™ code must be placed in your auctions before ViewTracker™ can gather information about your visitors. ViewTracker™ has no way to track your listings that do not contain the ViewTracker™ code.
Q. I just put the ViewTracker™ code into my auctions, but nothing shows up on my Current Auctions list. What happened?
A. There are two things that can cause this. First, and most likely, is that you simply haven't given ViewTracker™ enough time to populate your account with details on your new listing. ViewTracker™ receives information every time one of you auctions receives a visit. It also periodically makes calls to eBay's database on you behalf. It's possible that a new listing, which has not yet received any visits, is between eBay database calls and will therefore not show up in your ViewTracker™ account. To determine if this is what's occurring, simply view your auction in a Web browser yourself.
The other possible cause for this problem is that your tracking code has been copied incorrectly or incompletely into your auction description(s). Please verify that the entirety of the code was properly included in your listing.
If the problem persists and is not explained by either of these scenarios, please file a support request here with the auction ID number(s). Our staff will look them over, and find out why they're not working.
Q. Does my subscription fee include changes and updates to the ViewTracker™ software?
A. Yes. Any and all changes and updates to ViewTracker™ are included in your subscription.
Q. Is there a message board for ViewTracker™ users?
A. Yes. Our message boards can be reached at http://forum.sellathon.com/. Please note that you must register for an account on the message boards before you post, and that your ViewTracker™ account does not automatically register you on the boards.
Q. When are Customer Service and/or Technical Support available?
A. Our office hours at Sellathon are 9 am to 6 pm Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.
Q. How can I reach Sellathon for support?
A. You can reach our customer support department by filling out the Web form here. We also monitor our message boards closely, but request that any "bugs" or technical issues be reported using this Web form for tracking purposes.
Q. When does my account expire?
A. The time remaining on your account is displayed in the top-right corner of the header on every ViewTracker™ page.
Q. How do I log out?
A. To log out, simply click on the "Log Out" link on the navigation bar at the top of the page.
Q. How do I copy my ViewTracker™ code?
A. Simply highlight the entire code, and copy it by right-clicking and selecting "Copy", or pressing Ctrl-C on your keyboard.
Q. How do I change or update my personal contact information?
A. To change the personal information Sellathon has on file for you, log in and then access the User Preferences page by clicking on the "Preferences" link in the navigation bar at the top of any ViewTracker™ page. Make any necessary changes, and click the "Save Changes" button.
Q. How do I change my password?
A. To change your password, log in and then access the User Preferences page by clicking on the "Preferences" link in the navigation bar at the top of any ViewTracker™ page. In the "ViewTracker Preferences" box, type your new password into the box labeled "Password:", and then click the "Save Changes" button.
Q. How do I view my Current Auctions?
A. To view the data for your Current Auctions, simply click on the folder of your choice in the folder navigation box. This will display a list of auctions in that folder. Tip - When you log in, you'll be directed to the ViewTracker™ Summary page and will see data for the listings in your default folder. The folder you're currently viewing is highlighted in light blue.
Q. How do I view the Detailed Visitor Log for my auction?
A. To view your Detailed Visitor Log, click on the linked Auction Title within ViewTracker™ Summary page, (or select a group of listings and then the "Display Grouped Hi-Lites" button).
Q. How do I download information about my auctions?
A. To download information about your auctions, simply click the "Export Table" icon 
near the top-right corner of the table you're viewing.
Questions asked by Existing Users:
Q. Will ViewTracker™ track visitors to my "About Me" page, or my Web site?
A. No. ViewTracker™ will only work when it is inside an eBay auction or store item. Sellathon has no plans, at this time, to track any other type of Web page.
Q. ViewTracker™ is reporting the incorrect geographic location for my IP address. Why?
A. At the current stage of the Internet's development, it's impossible to associate an IP address to the geographic location of an actual person. An IP address, remember, is simply the last router that requested information for them. This means that the location associated with an IP address could be hundreds of miles from the actual visitor. Large Internet Service Providers, like AOL, EarthLink, and MSN have national networks of routers, and information can be sent through any part of it before reaching your visitor's computer. The geographic location reported for your visitors should not be considered a pinpoint of where they actually are, but merely a regional representation.
Q. What does "Auctions w/ Bids" mean?
A. This represents the number of Current Auctions that have at least one bid on them. The number in parentheses is the percentage of all your Current Auctions that have at least one bid on them. If you are over your license limit, any auctions that are tracking but not being displayed will not be included in this statistic. Tip - Also, this number applies to the folder you're currently viewing.
Q. What does "Being Watched" mean?
A. This represents the number of Current Auctions that have been stored in at least one visitor's "My eBay" page. The number in parentheses is the percentage of all your Current Auctions that have been stored in a visitor's "My eBay" page at least once. If you are over your license limit, any auctions that are tracking but not being displayed will not be included in this statistic. Tip - Also, this number applies to the folder you're currently viewing.
Q. What does "Value of Bids" mean?
A. This is the total dollar amount for all the bids on your Current Auctions. If you are over your license limit, any auctions that are tracking but not being displayed will not be included in this statistic.
Q. How do I create my own folders?
A. To create a folder, click the "Manage Folder" icon  in the Folder Navigation box.
Q. How do I view a "Hi-Lites" page for an entire folder?
A. To see "Hi-Lites" for an entire folder of Current Auctions, select the folder, and check all checkboxes for the listings displayed in the table by clicking the checkbox in the table column title bar (the very top checkbox). Then click the "Display Grouped Hi-Lites" button.
Q. How do I move an auction to another folder?
A. While looking at the list of auctions in a folder, click the checkbox next to any auctions you wish to move. Then click the "Move Auction to folder"  button.
Q. How do I clear the "New" column data?
A. To clear the new visitors data, simply click the "Rest New Hits" button.
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