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FAQ & Site Info

News

  • 2024-08-15
  • update
  • Add a link in the registration email to allow users whose emails were used without authorization for Ecrater registrations to unlinked their emails.
  • 2024-08-10
  • update
  • Added a check if product quota is exceeded when processing bulk files
  • 2024-08-06
  • new feature
  • Implemented reset password feature
  • 2024-04-18
  • update
  • Update the texts on the SELL page and added the page to the mobile version too.
  • 2024-04-10
  • update
  • Expanded the captcha on the registration page to display simple calculations: 4+4, 3-1, etc
  • 2024-01-18
  • update
  • Adding Privacy Policy as separate link
  • 2023-12-07
  • fix
  • Fix UK and AU products to show on the home page. It was showing only the US products
  • 2023-09-01
  • update
  • Updated the social buttons: X, Pinterest and FB.
  • 2023-08-18
  • new feature
  • Added new global action: set product weight
  • 2023-05-18
  • update
  • Removed the Google variants in menu Options. No longer needed, sellers should use the Ecrater variants.
  • 2023-04-11
  • update
  • Ecrater now supports Google Analytics 4 (GA4). We are also still supporting universal analytics (UA) which Google will depreciate on 07/01/2023.
  • 2022-12-01
  • new feature
  • New zoom window for photos in the mobile version that displays the details of the photo and allows the buyers to explore different parts of the photos with their fingers.
  • 2022-11-05
  • update
  • Added two additional advertising levels: Superior and Very Superior
  • 2022-10-18
  • new feature
  • Added featured products in randomly chosen categories in the mobile version of the product page + some minor formatting of the page and fixing the white spaces.
  • 2022-10-14
  • new feature
  • Added "Other Products" section on the product page when the page is accessed through a smartphone.
  • 2022-09-30
  • new feature
  • Added sorting on prices and hits in the Products menu in the admin tool.
  • 2022-09-16
  • bug fix
  • When the product page was accessed through certain smartphones, the users saw only black background when clicking on any of the Contact Seller, Check Shipping or Return Policy links.
  • 2022-09-07
  • update
  • Buyers who paid through PPS will receive automatically the download link(s) when the payment is Completed. Until now the merchants had to manually email the download links to their buyers who paid through PPS.
  • 2022-08-31
  • update
  • If the merchant has inventory control enabled and after an order has been placed he does not have more qty from a product, then remove the product from the cart to prevent the buyer to immediately place another order.
  • 2022-08-10
  • bug fix
  • Fixed the price slider which did not display correctly the selected price range in certain cases.
  • 2021-07-16
  • new feature
  • We now support multi image selection and upload when you add or copy products. This is also supported in menu Manage Product Images. You can use the Ctrl or Shift buttons to select multiple images.
  • 2021-05-07
  • new feature
  • Merchants can now add sizes and/or colors to their products through a separate tab "Variants" in the product tabs. If defined these attributes will appear in the product page and the buyers will need to select them when adding the product to the cart. In cases when both sizes and colors are defined, the order in which the buyer chooses these attributes does not matter (size can be selected first or color can be selected first). The color box supports icons for the most popular color values. Each variant has its own price. The prices change on a fly when buyers select different variant's combinations.
  • 2021-01-24
  • new feature
  • Added support for USPS commercial rates. You can enable this option in menu Options.
  • 2021-01-11
  • new feature
  • Added support for some basic formatting attributes in the product description: [b], [i], [sup], [em], [strong], [u], [li]. Example: [i]clever[/i]fox will become clever fox.
  • 2020-09-20
  • new feature
  • Added support for return policy
  • 2020-06-10
  • update
  • Added edit tracking number feature
  • 2019-11-15
  • update
  • New home page with random products in different categories,
  • 2018-11-16
  • new feature
  • We added an option to display full height description in stores for some of the templates. You can turn it on in menu Options.
  • 2018-07-08
  • new feature
  • Support for promo codes has been added. Merchants can create the following type of promo codes: percentage, fixed value, free shipping and can optionally specify a minimum order amount for the promo code to work. The feature is integrated with all existing payment options in Ecrater.
  • 2018-02-28
  • new feature
  • Merchants can export their orders in .csv file from the Orders menu. The search order filters do work with the export feature.
  • 2018-02-07
  • new feature
  • Preserve the filters when edit/delete/copy products, add/remove/set default images, ork with google attributes and social tab. This should make the process of making edits to products smoother.
  • 2018-01-23
  • new feature
  • Merchants can respond to a non-positive feedback review now. If you get a neutral or negative review from a buyer, now you can respond to it. There is a button in the order details page.
  • 2018-01-23
  • new feature
  • We added today some new filters in the Orders page which will help with easier locating the order you are searching for. Now you can search on:

    order number
    buyer's name or part of the name
    buyer's email
    not shipped orders
    orders you received neutral or negative
  • 2017-11-10
  • new feature
  • Switched the entire website (including UK and AU) to SSL. Although before only pages that contain sensitive information like various user data were secured, now we switched all pages to https.
  • 2017-10-24
  • new feaure
  • Added full SSL support for All Chrome v62+ for all pages, even the one that contain public information.
  • 2017-09-15
  • new feature
  • Added basic digital delivery support. To enable: Options > Enable Product Downloads. After that an additional field "Download Url" will be added to add/edit/copy product pages. Buyers who paid their orders will get download link on the "Thank you" page and in the order confirmation email that they will receive.
  • 2017-07-22
  • new feature
  • Added an optional "Update existing products" to the ebay importer to override titles, descriptions, prices, condition, shipping, attributes on repetitive imports.
  • 2017-07-09
  • new feature
  • Added another premium template with 3 different color variations
  • 2017-06-05
  • new feature
  • New improved ebay importer
  • 2017-02-13
  • new feature
  • Added optional customized merchant's message in the order confirmation email.
  • 2017-02-02
  • new feature
  • Added a new premium template with 6 color variations.
  • 2017-01-06
  • new feature
  • Added a green check mark in menu Orders to indicate that an order has been shipped
  • 2016-10-03
  • new feature
  • Added carousel in menu Templates in the admin to allow easy preview of the new templates.
  • 2016-05-31
  • new feature
  • added two more coditions: new other and refurbished
  • 2016-04-22
  • new feature
  • We officially launched our new admin tool. We will continue to support the old one as well for all of you which prefer the legacy design.
  • 2015-07-27
  • new feature
  • Added 3 new premium templates with more independent store look. They cost $10/month and come with 5 day free trial period.
  • 2015-05-15
  • new feature
  • Added custom domain support. Suitable for merchants who would like to build around brands. This is a premium feature that costs $5/month with a 5 day free trial period.
  • 2015-04-15
  • new feature
  • Select search engine advertising level.The higher the advertising level you selected, the higher our bids will be, thus you will probably get more traffic and sales. Available only for paying merchants.
  • 2015-03-30
  • new feature
  • Upgraded the Global Editor to support all dynamic flat rate zones. You can set both primary and secondary shipping for your items in in bulk.
  • 2015-03-24
  • new feature
  • New improved flat rate shipping. It now can be used with other zones and not only with US-Mainland, Alaska, Hawaii and Canada as was before. We also support secondary rate which is useful for merchants offering shipping discounts when multiple products are purchased.
  • 2015-02-23
  • update
  • Some shipping improvements has been implemented. Group of zones like European Union, Europe Non-EU and Everything Else have been introduced. The shipping matrix has been slightly changed and has moved to its own menu.
  • 2014-08-16
  • new feature
  • Merchants can now add tracking number for an order; email with tracking information is automatically sent to the buyer.
  • 2014-08-02
  • new feature
  • Smartphone optimized version for the storefonts has been launched.
  • 2014-05-27
  • new feature
  • Smartphone optimized version of the marketplace has been launched.
  • 2014-05-01
  • new feature
  • Added 11 new color templates based on the new design.
  • 2014-02-17
  • new feature
  • Added option to require a phone number during checkout. By default, phone number is not required.
  • 2013-11-05
  • new feature
  • Merchants can accept credit card directly in their stores now, allowing their buyers to have the "classic" buying experience.
  • 2013-07-18
  • new feature
  • PayPal Express Checkout was added as a payment option.
  • 2013-02-11
  • new design
  • New design has been launched in the main marketplace
  • 2012-08-17
  • new feature
  • FB app has been launched. Merchants can link account and FB pages to their Ecrater stores. Then they can post their products on their linked FB page.
  • 2010-09-03
  • new feature
  • Global Editor has been launched. You can easily globally edit your products now.
  • 2010-08-05
  • update
  • Alaska and Hawaii become required shipping zones. Please make sure you set the flat rate or weight based shipping rates for these destinations.
  • 2010-06-15
  • fix
  • There was a problem with the ebay importer. It should be fixed now.
  • 2010-06-07
  • new feature
  • New product and category's URLs.
  • 2010-05-27
  • new feature
  • Locking the account for 10 min after 10 failed logins. Adding captcha on the registration page.
  • 2010-05-24
  • new feature
  • New improved checkout process
  • 2010-02-19
  • new feature
  • New way of showing the photos on the product page
  • 2010-01-20
  • new feature
  • Filter on feedback score
  • 2009-12-05
  • new feature
  • Include the feedback for the order in the Order section in the Admin tools
  • 2009-11-09
  • :)
  • eCRATER is among the first announced Google Product Search Marketplace Partners. Click here to read Google's announcement.
  • 2009-10-01
  • announcement
  • Please check the new Google Merchant Center's Policies and make sure your products are compliant. If needed please do appropriate adjustments on your items. This will ensure that your items will continue to appear in Google Product Search.
  • 2009-09-24
  • new feature
  • Show merchant's rating next to each product with stars while browsing in the marketplace.
  • 2009-09-13
  • new feature
  • eBay importer has been added. You can now easily import the products from your ebay store into eCRATER.
  • 2009-06-25
  • new feature
  • Added additional seller's info section in the main marketplace product's pages.
  • 2009-06-25
  • new feature
  • Added view all product in the product page in the main marketplace
  • 2009-06-12
  • update
  • Made choosing global category easier.
  • 2009-05-11
  • new feature
  • Added gallery view. The default view can be selected from the Options menu.
  • 2009-05-10
  • new feature
  • Added a tab to show the status of the Goole Base feed.
  • 2009-05-02
  • update
  • The bulk lister doc has been updated
  • 2009-04-25
  • new feature
  • Show other products from the same merchant in the product's page.
  • 2009-02-12
  • maitenance
  • Maintenance will be performed at one of the following days: 02/13, 02/14, 02/15, or 02/16. The exact day is still not determined. The site will be unavailable after 10pm for several hours.
  • 2009-02-11
  • update
  • Search, filter and advanced search have been updated.
  • 2009-01-07
  • update
  • A new way to submit your products to Google Base has been adopted. We believe that it will bring more traffic and sales to your stores. In order your Google Checkout badge to appear next to your listings in Google Products please fill out your eCRATER store URL in the "Public business website" field in your Google Checkout account.
  • 2008-09-08
  • new feature
  • USPS shipping calculator has been added.
  • 2008-07-25
  • new feature
  • Products that have been hidden can now be seen in the stores but the buy now button is not active.
  • 2008-06-03
  • new feature
  • CAPTCHA field has been added to "Ask seller a question" form to prevent the spam.
  • 2008-06-03
  • new feature
  • The product management in the Admin tool has been improved. A special tab for Google Attributes has been added. It makes the process of adding Google Attributes more convenient.
  • 2008-05-25
  • new feature
  • Copy feature for fast product listing has been added. Just click on the copy icon in the product's menu to use it.
  • 2008-05-14
  • update
  • Flash version of the widget has been added. Now the sellers can add the widget to myspace, facebook, bebo, etc
  • 2008-05-05
  • update
  • The shopping cart has been updated.
  • 2008-04-03
  • update
  • All login pages have been ssl-ed.
  • 2008-04-01
  • new feature
  • eCRATER Widgets is live now. Use them to bring more traffic to your store. You can place the widget to different websites and it will start showing your products.
  • 2008-03-16
  • new feature
  • New Bulk Lister has been launched. It substantially accelerates the upload process. The sellers can see the file status in each stage as well as detail error log (if any errors are found).
  • 2008-03-10
  • :)
  • eCRATER has reached 1,000,000 listings
  • 2007-12-11
  • new feature
  • Support for Google Analytics has been added. You can use it to fully track your store's traffic.
  • 2007-10-23
  • new feature
  • Support of more than 40 additional Google Base attrubutes has been added. You can use them to describe better your products and receive better placement on Google Products.
  • 2007-10-15
  • new feature
  • Support for shipping to Alaska, Hawaii and international countries has been added to our Google Checkout integration.
  • 2007-09-15
  • new feature
  • Each eCRATER mod will receive a small icon next to her/his store name. By clicking on the icon the following text appears: "This seller is an eCRATER moderator and contributor to our online marketplace. If you are a buyer, you can buy with confidence from this store!"
  • 2007-08-21
  • new feature
  • "eCRATER mods" has been launched. It is a system that enables eCRATER sellers to become moderators. We are currently accepting applications for moderators.
  • 2007-08-20
  • update
  • Another column "Quantity" has been added to the bulk lister format to specify the quantity of each product.
  • 2007-08-13
  • new feature
  • Inventory Control has been added. Use Options - Enable Inventory Control to turn it on.
  • 2007-05-08
  • :)
  • eCRATER has reached 500,000 listings.
  • 2007-04-11
  • eCRATER started to upload bulk files to Microsoft's Live Product Upload Beta.
  • 2007-03-01
  • eCRATER Manage has been launched. This is a tool that allows our support people to have full control over the whole marketplace. It will not directly benefit the sellers but it will help eCRATER to keep up with its growth.
  • 2007-01-05
  • big fix
  • Security icon not showing om IE during checkout when seller's store directly accessed.
  • 2006-10-06
  • :-)
  • eCRATER is listed on Google Checkout's website as one of their ecommerce partners.
  • 2006-09-28
  • new feature
  • Google Checkout has been fully integrated in eCRATER. The sellers can now charge, refund, cancel, ship and add tracking information to their Google Checkout Orders through the eCRATER interface.
  • 2006-08-14
  • new feature
  • The speed of the search functions has been dramatically increased.
  • 2006-07-25
  • new feature
  • Support for google checkout (aka gbuy) was added today.
  • 2006-05-23
  • new feature
  • max qty feature has been added. When you add/edit item the seller can specify there the qty of the item that you have. The buyer will not be able to order qty bigger than what specified in that cell. If the seller leaves the qty cell empty no restrictions on the qty will be applied.
  • 2006-05-01
  • new feature
  • Icon for rss feed has been added in all screens that show listings (browse, search, advanced search and filter)
  • 2006-04-18
  • new feature
  • Admin Tool: Menu Orders - The sellers can mark manually their orders as paid and delete them.
  • 2006-04-10
  • new feature
  • Adult items have been filtered out during the searches. To include them in your searches, please use the advanced search and select the "incl sex stuff" check box.
  • 2006-03-23
  • new feature
  • Product search option has been implemented in the admin tool (menu Products)
  • 2006-03-20
  • new feature
  • Order's tracking through the admin tool has been added.
  • 2006-03-07
  • upgrade
  • 10 photos per item are now allowed.
  • 2006-02-27
  • new feature
  • A new payment option "Personal Check" has been added.
  • 2006-02-24
  • new feature
  • Community forums have been launched.
  • 2006-01-28
  • :-)
  • eCRATER.com has reached 100,000 listings.
  • 2006-01-14
  • update
  • The product page has now a new improved look. The description was moved at the end.
  • 2006-01-02
  • new feature
  • Feedback system has been launched. Sellers who accept Paypal can receive feedback now. Buyers can rate their transactions after completing the payment first. There is no need for the buyer to register with eCRATER
  • 2005-12-10
  • new feature
  • Sorting on product name, price and number of hits has been added to the product page in the admin tool
  • 2005-12-03
  • new feature
  • A new completely re-designed admin tool has been launched.
  • 2005-08-07
  • new feature
  • A warning screen for the "Sex Stuff" category was added.
  • 2005-07-07
  • new feature
  • A Bulk lister (still in alpha version) is now availbale. If you would like to list more than 100 items at once you can use it. For more information please contact us.
  • 2005-06-26
  • new features
  • new sign up/login screen - now accessible from the main store's pages
  • 2005-06-21
  • new feature
  • "your logo here" photo will be displayed in the personal stores if no logo is uploaded.
  • 2005-06-17
  • bug fix
  • A bug in the search engine was fixed.
  • 2005-06-16
  • new feature
  • Vacation Hold - The on hold feature is now available in the admin tool.

    When you put your store on hold several things happen:

    I. In your personal store all your items will appear on search, browse, advanced search & filter. The idea here is your store not to loose its SEO status.

    II. In the main store - all items disappear (even on search, browse, advanced search and filter) + no feeds to froogle while the store is inactive.
  • 2005-06-15
  • new feature
  • Simple counter was added. You can see it when you click on the product page in the admin tool.
  • 2005-06-10
  • new feature
  • Order number in subject line. From now on the Order number will appear in the subject line of the email which seller receives.
  • 2005-05-14
  • new feature
  • Up to 5 photos per item. The "more photos" feature is now available.
  • 2005-05-01
  • new feature
  • Product title: now we do not format the letters in the product title in your personal store. It will appear as you typed it. We format the letters only in the main store so that the harmony there to be preserved. You can edit now your product's titles to appear as XXL instead of Xxl.
  • 2005-04-02
  • new feature
  • bigger personal store logo size. It's now 250 X 68 max.
  • 2005-03-01
  • new feature
  • Instant secure payment through paypal shopping cart was added in the product page. Now the buyers have 2 choices:

    1) use ecrater's shopping cart: the advantage here is that the buyer can order several products from different sellers at once

    2) use the button 'Paypal Buy Now': designed specially for buyers who prefer to complete their transactions through the paypal shopping cart.
  • 2005-02-28
  • new feature
  • A paypal icon was added in the product page so that the payment terms to be more noticeable.
  • 2005-02-21
  • new feature
  • Sellers can now upload their own logos to further customize their stores.
  • 2004-12-08
  • new feature
  • Paypal link was added to the order placement page. At a click of a link, the buyer can now complete the purchase transaction.
  • 2004-12-08
  • new feature
  • A NEWS section was created. Updates related to eCRATER (such as customers suggestions, bugs fixes and others) are now being published.
  • 2004-11-10
  • new feature
  • A personalized welcome message was added to sellers' stores home pages. It now reads, "Welcome to mystorename's store" instead of "Welcome to eCrater".
  • 2004-11-05
  • fixed bug
  • Upon upload of jpeg files, the admin tool used to crash with an error message.
  • 2004-11-01
  • bug fixes
  • Minor bugs were fixed during the initial days after the first release.
  • 2004-09-28
  • new feature
  • Allow to add tax to each zone, not only to the US states.
  • 2004-09-27
  • first release
  • eCRATER was born few minutes before midnight on September 27, 2004. We celebrated the event with a bar of a Swiss chocolate (that was all we had at that hour of the night).