This category should be used for:
- Listings consisting of multiple different types of items mixed together
- Listings consisting of multiple items of the same type, but with several differences between them (different sizes, different styles, different materials, different coatings, etc.)
This category should NOT be used for:
- Listings consisting of multiple identical pieces of a single item
- These should be listed using the normal template category for the item type (if there is one - otherwise the "Item" category can be used). If this template category does not ask you to enter the number of pieces, simply enter all of the information as though you were listing a single piece, then click "Edit Title" and add the number of pieces to the beginning of the title. This should be formatted using the abbreviation "pcs", which should be lowercase, with no space between the number and "pcs" - for example: 10pcs
***Always wait to click "Edit Title" until after all other information has been entered! Once "Edit Title" has been clicked, the title will no longer auto-update if additional information is added to the subcategories such as Brand, Material, etc. The title can be reset if needed by going to a different slot which has not had "Edit Title" clicked, copying the title cell using Control+C, and pasting it in the title cell of the slot you need to reset using Control+V.
Example:
For this listing, the lister entered all of the information in the "Brand" through "# of Flutes" sections, the clicked "Edit Title" and manually entered "10pcs" at the beginning of the title.
In some cases, adding the number of pieces may cause the title to go over 80 characters, in which case something else will need to be removed. Contact your trainer if you are not sure what to remove from the title to get it down to the 80 character limit.
- Listings consisting of multiple items of the same type, with very few differences between (for example: a set of drill bits which are all the same size but have different coatings, or a set of taps which are the same size but include both plug and bottoming types)
- In many cases, these can also be listed using the normal template category for the item type. Using the first example given above, you would simply enter all of the coatings together in the "Coating" section (such as: "TiN & TiCN" or "TiN/TiCN/TiAlN"). For the second example, you would enter "PLUG & BOTTOMING" for the "Type" section. Once all information is entered, click "Edit Title" and add the number of pieces to the beginning of the title, using the formatting outlined above.
Examples:
In this example, the drill bits are identical other than the brands and coatings. The brands were removed from the title in order to keep it under 80 characters - this will often be necessary in cases of multiple brands. Note that in this case, the number of pieces did not need to be manually added to the title, since the Twist Drill Bit category already has a section for # of Pcs.
In this example, the differences are in the Length of Cut and Overall Length. Because there are multiple different sizes for both of these measurements, they have been listed as a range rather than listing every individual size (as this would be way too much information to fit in the title).
Because they can consist of a very large number of items and are often relatively low value, tooling lots do not need to be cleaned to the same standard as single item listings and in many cases will not be cleaned at all prior to picturing. If there are just one or two items with noticeable rust spots these can be quickly cleaned up with WD-40 and a Scotch-Brite pad, but if the entire lot has rust / dirt / residue / etc., we will generally just sell them as-is. If you are not sure if a tooling lot should be cleaned, contact your supervisor.
***Because most tooling lots are not cleaned, you will likely have to change out your background tarp more often than with other item types***
Pictures for tooling lots can vary depending on the size of the lot and the type of item(s) it contains. In general though, most tooling lots will adhere to the following guidelines:
1st Picture: A side view of the entire lot with all included items fully visible in the picture. Items should be arranged neatly but do not need to be perfectly organized if there are a very large number of items (i.e., it is okay if they are not all parallel / not all facing the same direction / etc.). Items should generally not be placed on top of each other (though there may be some rare cases where it is appropriate to stack items - you will see one example further below), and cutting tools should not touch if at all possible in order to avoid causing damage to sharp cutting edges. If there are multiple items of different sizes, we will ideally arrange them so that the smaller items are closer to the camera and larger items are further back, in order to help ensure that everything is visible in this picture.
- If the items have packaging, they should be removed from the packaging but it should be included in the picture as well. If there are a large amount of items with individual cases, it is okay to only partially remove them from the packaging in order to save time. Make sure that the cutting edges / working end are visible outside of the packaging such as in the picture below:
- If a lot is too large to fit within your picture station, contact your supervisor for an alternate location where the pictures can be taken.
See below for several examples of what this first picture might look like:
Following Pictures: The remaining pictures will depend on the type of item(s) being listed. Close-ups of working ends (especially for cutting tools) and labeling is often important. Try to get as many items in each shot as you can, but don't be afraid to take multiple different pictures for these shots. On especially large lots it is often less feasible to rearrange all of the items for these kinds of shots, so in those cases you should leave the items as they are arranged in the first picture and simply take several zoomed-in pictures across the entire lot, trying to get several different items in each shot. More is better - we can always remove pictures if they are deemed to be unnecessary so don't be afraid to take up to 10 pictures per lot in order to give as much visual detail as possible about what the customer is purchasing.
See below for several examples of what these pictures might look like (these are the additional pictures for each of the lots shown above):
Unlike other template categories, the title is not auto-generated for tooling lots meaning you will have to come up with a title manually and enter it directly into the "title" cell. The exact format of the title will vary depending on the specific items in the lot, but here are some general guidelines you should follow:
1. NUMBER OF PIECES
Begin the title with the number of pieces in the lot, using the abbreviation "pcs" which should be all lowercase and with no space between the number and "pcs". For larger lots this number does not have to be exact - for example, "APPROX. 50pcs" or "100+pcs"
2. CONDITION
If all of the items in the lot are new (which is uncommon), enter "NEW" directly after the number of pieces. If the lot includes a combination of both new and used items, you can enter "NEW AND USED", however this is something you may decide to remove later if the title is too long (if you do, be sure to mention that the lot includes both new and used items in the Special Condition section). If all of the items in the lot are used, this does not need to be mentioned in the title.
3. BRAND
If all of the items in the lot are the same brand, enter it into the title next. If there are two different brands, you might put both in the title if the brand names are not very long, but in many cases this will be something you'll want to leave out in order to make space for more important information. If there are three or more brands included in the lot, you can enter "VARIOUS BRANDS" in the title, but again this is likely something you would end up taking out to save space. Be sure to also enter the brand(s) in the "BRAND" cell below the title - there is no character limit here, but if you have more than 3 different brands you can simply put "VARIOUS BRANDS", or, if there are one or two major brands that might be of interest to a customer, you can enter something like "KENNAMETAL & OTHERS" to draw attention to that brand.
4. DESCRIPTION OF THE ITEM(S)
This is the part of the title that can vary the most from listing to listing. Try to include any elements that are the same across the entire lot, such as material, type, size, etc. Important measurements (such as cutting diameters) should also be included, but since there will typically be several different sizes this should be listed as a range or an approximation.
For mixed lots containing a large number of different types of items, you can generalize this to something like "LATHE TOOLING" or "CUTTING TOOLS" but should also include some examples of specific items that are included. Below are several examples of what your title might include:
VARIOUS HSS CUTTING TOOLS DRILLS END MILLS COUNTERBORES & MORE
CARBIDE SQUARE & BALL NOSE END MILLS FROM 1/2 TO 1" O.D.
COBALT STRAIGHT SHANK TWIST DRILL BITS SIZES AROUND 5/8"
HSS NPT PIPE TAPS SIZES INCLUDE 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2
MISC. SOLID CARBIDE TOOLS INSERTS DRILL BITS REAMERS ETC.
BALL BEARING DRILL CHUCKS FOR PARTS / REPAIR WITH KEYS
MORSE TAPER #3 CARBIDE TIPPED COUNTERBORES UP TO 1 1/2" O.D.
VARIOUS CNC TOOL HARDWARE NUTS SPACERS SET SCREWS SHIMS CLAMPS
5. OTHER INFO / FILLER
If there is space remaining in the title try to fill it with as much relevant information as possible - secondary info/measurements like number of flutes, shank size, length of cut, etc. can all be useful information to add if there is enough room. Again, you will often need to enter these as ranges if the sizes are not identical across the entire lot. Additional information which does not fit in the title can also be added to the "SIZE/LABELING" cell, which does not have a character limit. Note: There must always be something entered in "SIZE/LABELING" - use this cell to enter any and all relevant information about the lot, even if it is already stated in the title.
If there is still title space remaining after all important information has been entered:
- Add decimal equivalents for any important sizes - for example, if your title states "1/2 TO 1" O.D.", add ".5" and "1.0" to the end of the title to help with searchability
- If your title includes a Morse Taper size, add the MT abbreviation (MT1, MT2, MT3 etc.) to the end of the title, again to help with searchability
- General fillers such as "CNC" "MILLING" "LATHE" "TOOLING" "MACHINIST" where appropriate (ask your trainer if you are not sure whether a lot of tools is for a milling machine or a lathe)
This lot consists of a variety of different items, so we use the generalized "Machinist Tooling" and then list several examples of the types of tools included. The "Size/Labeling" section gives some basic size information. In this type of mixed lot, it is generally not worth going into much more detail than this, as the value of this listing is not enough to warrant spending more time taking specific measurements.
This lot consists entirely of HSS twist drill bits which all fall under one of two types (spotting & screw machine length), so we include both types in the title. The O.D. range is given along with decimal equivalents. The periods were removed from "OD" in order to bring the title down under 80 characters (this is a good option if you are just 1-2 characters over the limit). The "Size/Labeling" reiterates the O.D. range and also gives additional information about the spot drill angles, which could not be fit in the title.
This lot consists of HSS taps which are all either 1/2-13 or 1/2-20 thread sizes - although, as the "Size/Labeling" notes, some are unlabeled and could possibly be a pitch other than 13 or 20, since we have not measured them to confirm. The lot includes taps which are both straight and spiral flute, as well both the plug and bottoming types, all of which is included in the title along with the decimal equivalent of 1/2 (.5).
For this lot we're able to include almost all of the relevant information in the title including the material, type, and thread sizes. To save space, the classes NF and NC are added at the end rather than including them within each size. The "Size/Labeling" gives the full callouts with classes included, and also specifies which of the sizes have more than one piece included in the set.
Collet pads typically come in 3pc sets, and none of the sizes included in this lot have all three pieces present, so it's important that we include "Incomplete Sets" in the title so customers know what to expect right away. In this case specific size information is not included because many of these are unlabeled, and it is difficult to determine sizes when we don't have the complete sets. We do specify that the lot includes round, square, and hex pads, with both smooth and serrated varieties present.
Sometimes when a lot includes a very large number of different items, it is not actually very useful to specify the number of pieces - in this case we simply say "Lot of..." and use the pictures to convey more information. Similarly, trying to include specific size information on this type of lot is typically not worth the time it would take, so we simply refer customers to the pictures, which include several close-ups of items in the lot in order to give a better idea of what they are getting.