SixBit vs Wonder Lister

[Amatino]

My hard drive crashed, taking all my stored eBay photos with it. After eBay’s glitch losing photos of listings too, I’ve considered various options for cloud storage, from Google to Dropbox to online backup and storage facilities like iDrive. Then I remembered Mike and Troy’s ongoing face-off (wink) with SixBit and Wonder Lister and how they said that the program keeps all of the information in the database for all time. As cost per storage options are all in the similar price ranges, I thought I’d look into these two apps. I thought I’d post info here for others considering them.

I found this online comparison from GetApp and was interested to see what was on offer. Perhaps the Two Maestros can weigh in on my observations, along with anyone else who has something to add.

#1. Wonder Lister is not web-based, but SixBit is. If I understand this correctly, I have to host my own database for WL but save SB to the Cloud. This means I’d still have to invest in Cloud Storage.

#2. Credit card is required for WL but not for SL. I’m assuming this refers to the trial period. Do either of them work with PayPal?

#3. I like that WL offers auto back up. It’s one of my worries with EAT, purchased off Mike’s recommendation, that I miss a week (or something) bc I forget to back up. I have severe ADHD. Forgetting is normal for me and I have to very particularly create systems/routines to remember stuff. Even then, I can forget something important.

#4. Features – I don’t know enough about any of these features to know how important they are/not. For example, I like that WL offers delivery tracking and sales reporting, that SB does not, but don’t know how useful order tracking would be, which SB has and WL does not.

#5. Integrations – I seem to remember discussion on both platforms having some integration somewhere, I think WL has Twitter for example, so this comparative is incorrect.

#6. I have to admit, I like WL’s price options a lot better.

Now, a question: if I get either platform, can I do away with EAT, or do I still need it as a separate accounting program as well? It’s not that expensive and it was a great help in putting together my taxes this year, but do either WL or SB do the same things?

Looking forward to some help in making up my mind. Thanks guys.

[Amatino]

Following onto the above, for those wondering about other software apps, here are some links:

Five alternatives to Turbo Lister

Top eBay selling software (note Crazy Lister is mentioned here with 79 positive reviews)

This is the biggest list of eBay software I’ve found in one place.

[T-Satt]

Amatino: Here is what I can tell you on the SixBit side:

#1. SixBit is a Desktop solution as well. You will have your data stored on your computer, not in the cloud. Data is backed up once a week, and I routinely back up my hard drive (about monthly).

#2. SixBit is paid via PayPal, either with your PayPal account or Credit Card through PayPal.

#3. SixBit has an automatic backup as well.

#4. Regarding tracking, you get the complete order data that you have saved in your database forever. So if after 90 days, someone says they didn’t receive the item, you have the tracking number that you can refer to.

Some other issues I see: Yes, you have a data input and export from SixBit. Data is imported from your current listings, and I routinely export info into Excel.

I still keep a separate accounting program, as does Mike for WL. Thee is a LOT of good financial data in SixBit, especially if you are diligent on keeping it accurate, but I HAVE to be able to reconcile to our cash and credit card accounts. I use Quicken, works good. I know Mike uses QuickBoooks, and for me, that is overkill at this point.

My suggestion: You can get a free month with each. Download, import, give them a test drive. Plus, you can view the YouTube videos and tutorials for SixBit to get a feel for what it is like.

I tried them both, and I liked the ability to set up my screens to work EXACTLY as I wanted them in SixBit. This made me faster in listing, as the flow of the screen was how I wanted it to be, and I could hide fields I don’t use.

And if you go with SixBit, let me know…I have an affiliate link that would through a few bucks my way… 🙂

[Jay]

We use Ink Frog because of the backup system to the cloud. It’s $10 a month.

[Amatino]

T-Satt, thanks! You’re awesome! You and Mike are such generous fonts of information on this forum. Will definitely hit you up for the af-link if I go with SixBit.

Question – how does the free trial work? Do I have to “unload” all my stuff from SB to change to WL or uninstall my data or deactivate my eBay account or… something? Can I run both SB and WL at the same time to really get a feel for them? (That sounds like hard work!) 😉

[T-Satt]

You can do the download of the program, import your listings, and then play around with the programs. You an have them both at the same time.

Your eBay account is really separate from the program, you are just linking your eBay account WITH the program. You don’t have to change anything with your eBay account to do the trials. Veronica was still doing all of her listings directly on eBay for months until we got her computer hooked up with mine (SixBit did that work for me…part of why I love them).

So you can do your normal work directly with eBay, and play with the programs on the side. If you want to create a listing on SixBit, and then send it (or schedule it to list in the future for free…another part I love), you can do that. SixBit sends the listing to eBay for you, and you are done. If you don’t stay with SixBit, that listing is still on eBay, and when it ends (assuming 30-day listing), it just ends on eBay, and you can relist on eBay.

Best way to think about it is is that these programs send and receive data to eBay (or Etsy, or whatever). They don’t replace eBay, they send and receive information to eBay. You just then get to keep all the data on listings, sales, photos, etc. in the Database that it is.

If you have any questions on SixBit, hit me up direct as well. tsatterf@yahoo.com

I have spent over a year with SixBit, still want to push it harder. If you have questions on how to do stuff, let me know. Veronica says I’m a good teacher… 🙂

[MDC Galleries & Fine Art]

Sorry I am late to the game. Where do I go Coach! 🙂 LOL I have been tied up doing over 30 hours of HTML bulk eiditing and coding to reformat the way our listings look so they will transfer and look better on the Shopify cell phone APP.

So, T-Satt got a lot covered and most of what I scanned is spot on. But I will address your questions by number also to maybe add more to the inquiries.
SO here comes the wall of text.. get ready to have your eyes glaze over.

#1. Wonder Lister is not web-based, but SixBit is.

>>> Yes and No. WL and SB use an SQL database and that resides in your Microsoft operating system and cpmes with your windows operating system when you buy or install your operating system. Thus, both WL and SB create a brand new SQL Dbase when you install the programs. They both have their own names. So I had a SixBit dBase and a WL Dbase installed at the same time. Those databases both reside on your hard drive, both do auto back-ups and I have redirected those to my 4 TerraByte external hard drive. In turn I have that HD backed up by Carbonite, One Drive and Google drive in the cloud. That is how you can have quadriple back-ups of your Dbase residing both on your hard drive and in the cloud. I also keep my photos in a seprarte file on the External and have them backed up also. The reason I didn’t let SB or WL both store the photos, it makes the Dbase extremely large and the MS SQL server is limited in size. I maxed out my SixBit Dbase after I downloaded my Ebay store and started getting warning messages I needed to step up and buy the larger version of SQL for $150 a month. Nope, so I broke my photos out of the SQL Dbase and save them on my external. So I host my own photos, but they are backed up in 3 other locations. I can retrieve my whole photo groups in a heart beat should they ever get blown away.
Both Dbases from SB and WL are fairly small without the photos being contained in them and there is no fear of outgrowing those now.

store that If I understand this correctly, I have to host my own database for WL but save SB to the Cloud.
>>> NO! This means I’d still have to invest in Cloud Storage. NO! I use the free OneDrive and Google Drive accounts for my photos. My OneDrive Free cloud storage is 1 TerraByte that comes free with my MS Office annual subsctiption.

#2. Credit card is required for WL but not for SL. I’m assuming this refers to the trial period. Do either of them work with PayPal?
>>> My WL monthly subscription [$25 per month] is charged to the PayPal account. I can’t remember if they asked for a C/C because that was so long ago.

#3. I like that WL offers auto back up. It’s one of my worries with EAT, purchased off Mike’s recommendation, that I miss a week (or something) bc I forget to back up. I have severe ADHD. Forgetting is normal for me and I have to very particularly create systems/routines to remember stuff. Even then, I can forget something important.
>>> Both SB and WL do auto backs of the SQL Dbase and saves it on your own computers hard drive. The problem with that is if you get a HD crash or the Blue screen of death then they will be lost right along with everything else on your rig. I have my auto back up redirected to my external HD. You can select where you want the auto back-ups saved to with both programs. By having them on my external hard drive, then Carbonite auto picks up those files – back ups daily and I always have a cloud back up of them.

#4. Features – I don’t know enough about any of these features to know how important they are/not. For example, I like that WL offers delivery tracking and sales reporting, that SB does not, but don’t know how useful order tracking would be, which SB has and WL does not.
>>> Both WL and SB will have this forever. No worries. Both are even on this feature.

#5. Integrations – I seem to remember discussion on both platforms having some integration somewhere, I think WL has Twitter for example, so this comparative is incorrect.
>>> WL does have an auto Twitter integration. Every time I submit a listing to Ebay, a short Twitter message is auto sent to twitter with athe Title and short description of the item. I usually get several responses back from those who follow us on Twitter over the next few days. In turn I also follow those people. BUT as Jay always says, “Does any of that actually translate into Sales, and can you prove any of it”. Who knows, but it happens automatically. They are also working on getting integrated with Intagram which would also attach aphotos with the sent message.
I talked with SB and they have no plans for any social media interface in the short term.

#6. I have to admit, I like WL’s price options a lot better.
>>> Yes WL is less expensive but once finalized the Shopify and Etsy interface will be an additional cost per module, but still less than SB.
Now, a question: if I get either platform, can I do away with EAT, or do I still need it as a separate accounting program as well?
>>> That is a personal choice, but once I lock and loaded with SB and WL, I ran both for about 6 months, both at the same time, I abandoned EAT. I got everything I needed from these programs and everything was automatic. EAT, you have to manually “remember” to click on it to update it. In WL and SB the updates are automatic and by the way, Instant. They stay synched up with Ebay about every 5 or 10 minutes. But as you say EAT is only a few bucks for a whole year. Just keep EAT but EAT will still have to be remembered to open it and click for it to back up. I went about 4 months before I remembered to manually update EAT and it only can go back 90 days so I had a void in the data at that point, so I just ended the use of EAT.

It’s not that expensive and it was a great help in putting together my taxes this year, but do either WL or SB do the same things?
>>> Well sort of yes and no. There is plenty of data available from within WL and SB BUT I run off a more of a standard accounting approach, use a COA and categorize our costs and expenses in that COA. That type of accounting WL and SB both won’t do. And those reports can be used by a CPA BUT they can’t be imported by a CPA directly into their tax preparation software.

To clarify something Troy said. I NO LONGER use QuickBooks. It is, as he says, over kill for just online selling. I too use QUICKEN for BUSINESS. Much simpler, very much like Go Daddy and provides everything I need for year end tax. QuickBooks claim to fame is that it includes “Invoicing” so if you are doing outside work where you need to bill your customers and keep track of outstanding materials for those jobs in process and outstanding billings at year end, and prefer the “Accrual” method of accounting instead of going on a “Cash Basis”, a journal entry type of bookkeeping system is just fine. The General Ledger method is more complicated and is moe for other types of businesses. When I owned the remodeling company and the spray foam insulation company I had to use QuickBooks. But not now.

And BTW, Intuit who owns QuickBooks sold Quicken to another company and they have cleaned it up, fixed a bunch of things and it runs great and smoothly. It interfaces with our bank, auto pulls down all checking amounts, credit cards and also interfaces with PayPal.

[Amatino]

This must be a record – for the first time ever, Mike, I’ve read one of your long posts and actually understood it! I’ve obviously been doing the right amount of homework on the programs! 😀

You guys rock! Wow!

Thanks Troy, will email for more info on SB if needed.

I now have so much information that I’m spoiled for choice. LOL. I shall take the advice freely given and give both platforms a whirl on their free trial. I will also look into Quicken.

MUCH appreciated, guys. Seriously!

[T-Satt]

Anytime Amatino.

I love Quicken. I have used it since the mid-90s, and I still have all our data from back then. Funny to look at the changes in our expenses as the boys were born and as they grew up…

[T-Satt]

Amatino, our affiliate link is below.

Thanks!

https://www.sixbitsoftware.com/clients/aff.php?aff=303

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