This documentation is for eBay Auction Watch v4.5. Be sure to download the latest version from the Google Desktop Gallery or from my site.

If you can't login or have strange problems, please visit the upgrade guide.

Gadget constantly resizing/shrinking? Try these new controls.

Quick Start

Syncing with eBay time

eBay Auction Watch needs to be in sync with the official eBay time. The first step is to make sure your computer has the accurate time by syncing with the Microsoft time server.

Next check the time difference by opening an auction you are watching in the gadget in eBay and compare auction end times. If there appears to be a difference, open the Options menu and change the "Adjust time by" box (positive or negative) as needed. You may also check "Auto" to let the gadget sync with eBay automatically.

Syncing with your eBay account

Fig. 1 shows the eBay Auction Watch Gadget after first install. With no auctions being watched you have links to this documentation and to eBay Sellers Watch, a Google Desktop gadget specifically designed for eBay sellers.

Your first step should be to sync the gadget with your eBay account. Click the "Login to eBay" link to login through the official, secure eBay login page.

Logging in allows you to bid and Buy It Now and for eBay Auction Watch to monitor auctions in your My eBay Bidding and Watching lists. You only have to login once--the gadget will remember you upon restart, reinstallation, and reuse. When you complete the eBay login process, eBay Auction Watch will automatically sync with all your auctions.

Note: eBay Auction Watch does not have access to your eBay password, email address, or other personal details.

Using eBay Auction Watch

Fig. 2 shows eBay Auction Watch displaying the open auction list. The open list contains all your open auctions. When an auction closes, it is moved out of open list and into your closed list after ten seconds. Your closed list functions the same as your open list but contains only items that have ended.

All auction details are automatically updated at timed intervals, which increase in frequency as the auction gets closer to closing.

Single clicking on an auction opens the flyout details view for bidding/BIN and for extended auction details. Double-clicking an auction opens the eBay auction page in your default web browser.

Above your auctions is the shortcut header bar. (You can hide the shortcut bar from the Options menu.) This handy section contains the following:

• eBay logo: Click this logo to open the Search flyout.
• Next to the eBay logo are links to eBay's homepage and your My eBay page.

• The auction photo is show in the upper left. (You can hide the photo from the Options menu.)
• To the right of the photo is the auction title. Due to space limitations, the complete title usually cannot fit here.
• Below the photo and title is a line containing the current price and time remaining. For competitive bidding auctions, number of bids is displayed next to the price. For fixed priced auctions, the Buy It Now label is displayed next to the price. The time ticks down in real time.
• For the competitive bidding auctions that have an active Buy It Now price, the next line displays this price and the Buy It Now label. (This line can be hidden via the Options menu.)
• Next line is the shipping price. This is based on the location set in "Ship to" in the Options. (This line can be hidden via the Options menu.)
• Next line is the seller. (This line can be hidden via the Options menu.)
• The last line is the bidder. Bidder is not displayed for fixed-priced auctions or for competitive auctions with no bids. (This line can be hidden via the Options menu.)

Flyout details view

In the flyout details windows you can view complete auction details, bid on auctions, Buy It Now, search eBay, and track your favorite sellers.

Single-click an auction to view complete auction details in the familiar eBay format, bid on auctions, and Buy It Now in a convenient flyout details view (Fig. 3). Shipping and time zones are based on your home eBay and shipping location. The flyout also displays a dynamic auction countdown.

Refresh auction details by clicking the 'Refresh' link in the bottom right. You can view the auction in eBay buy clicking the photo or the 'View in eBay' tab on top. Close the flyout by clicking the 'X' button in the upper right of the details view.

You can also add an eBay seller to your Favorite Sellers list by clicking the green plus button next to a seller.

Bidding and Buy It Now!

You can easily place bids on eBay auctions from the flyout details view. Click the "Place Bid" tab on top to view the bidding page.

You will see a dynamic countdown of time remaining, the current high bidder, current price, and current price to bid. Simply enter your bid and click 'Place Bid'. You will be asked to confirm your bid in the next step.

Please note this is REAL BIDDING, placing a bid through eBay Auction Watch is the same as bidding via eBay.com and holds the same terms and conditions.

Fig. 4: eBay Auction Watch flyout bidding window

You can also purchase Buy It Now! and fixed priced items from the flyout. Click the "Buy It Now" tab on top to view the BIN page.

Simply enter your purchase and click 'Buy It Now'. You will be asked to confirm your purchase in the next step.

Please note this is a REAL PURCHASE, making a purchase through eBay Auction Watch is the same as buying via eBay.com and holds the same terms and conditions.

Search eBay

You can search and view items from saved searches from the flyout window. Click the eBay logo on the top of the gadget or click "Search" tab in the flyout to access the search window.

Enter a search term and click the green arrow button to search eBay. You can also run a saved search by selecting it from the drop-down box in the upper-right. eBay Auction Watch imports your favorite searches from My eBay. Click on the green add button on the right to add an auction to your eBay Auction Watch list.

Saving searches: eBay Auction Watch allows you to save searches you perform. Simply click the pink heart button after completing a search.

Remove saved searches: To remove a saved search, choose it from your list and click the red "X" button that appears next to it. Searches saved in your My eBay can only be removed via My eBay.

Favorite Sellers

You can keep track of and view items from your favorite eBay sellers from the flyout window. Click the "Sellers" tab in the flyout to access the sellers window.

Enter a sellers' eBay user ID and click the green arrow button to display the sellers' auction. Choose a saved seller from the drop-down box to display his auctions. eBay Auction Watch imports your favorite sellers from My eBay. Click on the green add button on the right to add an auction to your eBay Auction Watch list.

Saving sellers: eBay Auction Watch allows you to save sellers. Simply click the pink heart button after viewing a sellers' items.

Remove saved sellers: To remove a saved seller, choose it from your list and click the red "X" button that appears next to it. Sellers saved in your My eBay can only be removed via My eBay.)

Configure eBay Auction Watch: Main menu

Basic gadget configuration is handled on the main menu. To open this menu, hover your mouse over the gadget and click the down arrow icon that appears in the upper right. (fig. 2).

Many things can be handled from this menu:

• Refresh: Refreshes details for the first four auctions in your open auction list.
• Show closed/open auctions: Toggle between your open & closed auction lists.
• Login/Logout from eBay: Login or logout eBay Auction Watch from your eBay account.
• Documentation: Open this documentation page in your default web browser.
• Options...: Opens the main Options menu (see below).

The Options menu is main configuration for eBay Auction Watch.

Home eBay: Set this to the eBay site you normally use. All eBay windows that open will open into the eBay site you choose here. Currency is also based on this selection when displaying local currency.

Ship to: Set this to your home location, the country in which you receive shipments. Your home country determines what shipping rates are displayed.

Auto add: Choose how you want eBay Auction Watch to handle auctions on pages you browse. "Yes, confirm" will prompt you before adding, "Yes, auto" will automatically add all auctions from pages you visit, and "No" will turn this feature off. Auctions will only be added from auction detail pages on eBay.

Show photos: Show or hide photos.

Local currency: Select this option to display all prices, besides shipping, in the currency of your home eBay.

Show sellers: Show or hide the auction seller.

Show bidders: Show or hide the high bidder (if there are bids).

Show search box: Show or hide the gadget's search box.

Show max bid: Show your current maximum bid and its difference from the winning bid.

Show shortcuts: Show or hide the shortcut header bar.

Show shipping: Show or hide the shipping price.

Auction BIN: Show or hide a line containing the Buy It Now price for competitive bidding auctions.

One-click bidding: Select this option to enable one-click bidding. When activated all bids will process WITHOUT CONFIRMATION. Unselect for confirmation before bidding.

Highlight when not winning: Select this option to color your username in red when another user is winning an auction you are bidding on. Show seller/bidder labels: Show or hide the "sellers" and/or "bidder" labels next to the seller and/or bidder.

Add/remove updates My eBay: With this option checked, auctions added and removed from eBay Auction Watch are also added and removed from your My eBay.

Launch search in flyout: With this option checked, searches made from the sidebar search box launch in the flyout window. When unchecked searches launch in your default web browser.

Removed closed from watchlist: When an item closes, remove it from your My eBay watchlist. (Note: You must have also have "Add/remove updates My eBay" checked to enable this option.)

Notifications/Alerts

eBay Auction Watch can notify you with a popup and sound when certain things happen with your auctions. To enable eBay Auction Watch alerts. Click the circular down arrow on the top of the sidebar to access the Google Desktop configuration menu (fig. 9). Click "Configure gadgets..." then check "Enable Alerts" next to eBay Auction Watch (fig. 10) to enable alerts.

... min before auction close: Enter a number to receive a notification this many minutes before an auction closes.

On auction close: Set this alert to receive a notification when an auction closes. The popup alert will contain the winning bidder and final price.

When outbid: Set this alert to receive a notification when you are outbid.

To choose your own alert sounds, select an alert then click the "..." button to browse to your favorite MP3, WMA, or WAV file. Click "Test" to test your notification sound.

The following controls address the bug in Google Desktop that causes the gadget to close-up randomly. I am working with Google to correct this. Docked refers to the gadget when it is in the sidebar; undocked is when the gadget is dragged off the sidebar and onto the desktop. Added in 4.5

Docked: Check "Auto" to let Google Desktop resize the gadget at will. Uncheck and set the height to lock the height. When locked, you cannot resize the gadget's height by dragging. You can do so with the width.

Undocked: Check "Auto" to let Google Desktop resize the gadget at will. Uncheck and set the height and/or width to lock the height/width. When locked, you cannot resize the gadget's dimensions.

Adjust time by...: eBay Auction Watch handles synchronization with eBay time in two ways. If you check Auto the gadget tries to automatically sync with eBay official time.

Alternately, you can uncheck the box and enter a positive or negative number of seconds to adjust the gadget's internal clock. Be sure to first update Windows via the internet time server first in either case.

Fix auto time sync: If you arrived here by clicking the "Fix" button in the options window, there was a problem with the auto sync. Likely causes are network problems reaching eBay or the time adjustment was too great. To fix this check that your time zone is correctly set and resync your time in Windows. Restart the gadget to resync.

I sincerely hope you enjoy my gadget. I've done my best to cram tons of features into the small space the Google Desktop sidebar allows. I'd love to hear from you! Please email any questions or comments to awgd@auctionwatchgd.com.

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Thank you,
Ty Kroll
eBay Auction Watch Google Desktop Sidebar gadget