1. Crazy Lister (Online Service)
CrazyLister isn’t direct eBay listing manager. It lets you create stylish templates for your listings on the web. It’s not a Mac program. Basic templates are free. The pro version ($14.95) gives you advanced templates and unlimited listings. This service is good if you just want your eBay listings to stand out a bit more. The templates let you control the backgrounds, images, and rich media like videos.
2. Lucid Auction Lister
Lucid Auction Lister is an inexpensive alternative to the eBay web interface. It won’t give you any new options when compared to posting to the web. It’s main attraction is offline auction creation. You can create your auctions in batch and then submit them directly from the app. This program is good if you don’t have internet access near your inventory site. You can create your I listings with pictures and then submit them later. For $6.99 it’s a good value for someone who wants to avoid posting directly via the web. This program works well with CrazyLister because customized templates is a key thing Lucid Auction Lister lacks. I’d suggest this for someone posting more than five auctions a month. More than five auctions probably needs a more customizable program. Want to do eBay listings in the cloud? Auctiva is a good alternative. Pricing starts at $2.95 and the first 30 days is free.
3. iSale 5 by Equinox
iSale was a great product when it out 2006. It was an Apple Design Award winner. I used the program for ages. Equinox still supports the product and recently did an update for El Capitan compatibility. It uses the old skeuomorphism of a bulletin board that reminds me of iPhoto from five years ago. It feels old and outdated because of these old design elements. The templates help you quickly post stuff to sell and duplicate those listings. It tracks each auction and what you need to do: collect payment, ship it, send feedback. The problem with this program is it still assumes it’s the era of Snow Leopard. It tries to use Picasa to host pictures but fails if you use two-factor authentication for Google. They used to reference MobileMe’s iDisk but, fortunately, removed that option in newer updates. FTP is still in there, but they still list their discontinued Macbay service. If you host your images on eBay’s servers, then this program is adequate. I don’t recommend it based on its age and lack of compatibility. For $24.99 I’d expect much more. Selling used books? Check out our guide for tips on book selling sites.
4. Garage Sale
Garage Sale is the most expensive program in this bunch, but for $39.99 it has everything. I’ve used this program for months and highly recommend it. Unlike iSale, it’s fully modern. It uses the current user interface elements like cover flow and the media inspector. The software gives you 140 design templates for free. It also lets you host pictures on their servers for free. If you want more artistic templates, add-on Pro Templates start at around $1.99. I never purchased one of the extra templates. The 140 templates Garage Sale includes are plenty for me. The software lets you repeat standard boilerplate disclaimers on all your auctions. That’s handy when you sell many of the same items. For pictures, it has built-in image editor so you can stay working within the software. I just need to find the pictures and write a description. Garage Sale handles all the repetitive and mundane tasks of listing an auction. Still want Turbo Lister? Check out our guide for running Windows software on a Mac. Besides listings, what shines with Garage Sale is auction management. Once you post the auction, Garage Sale lets you post the link automatically on Twitter. They don’t include Facebook options, but hopefully will in a future release. The developers tell me a new version is coming out soon. All your communications come through the software’s dashboard. It uses the Mac’s Notification Center to tell you when someone bids–you hear a nice cash register sound. Using Smart Groups, it organizes sales feedback and payment/shipping status. With a glance, you know exactly what you need to do.
Parting Wisdom
I’ve been using eBay listing software on the Mac for decades, and Garage Sale is the best. It’s not cheap, so you need to be serious about regularly posting on eBay. I’m excited to see what features they offer in the new version. Right now, they don’t seem to be missing a thing.
