Steel Spider Blog

2/10/8 - Increased Visibility for Toll Processors

We are evaluating a new feature that provides steel buyers with information about companies that can provide processing and other services. This feature will enable buyers to identify and contact Toll Processors physically located near the steel they are considering buying.

Steel Spider has a searchable inventory that contains steel from over 100 companies. A search produces a list of steel matching the buyer's requirements. When a user clicks on the company name for an item, we display detailed information about the item and the information needed to contact the supplier.

We have added a section to the bottom of this detailed information page. This section displays brief summaries about nearby companies providing processing and other services. The companies displayed are the five whose facilities are located nearest to where the steel item is physically located.

The information displayed about a processor will be similar to the following:

Coating: Pickle & Oil, Pickle Dry & Dry Lube
Slitting: From .026 to .375. Max. Width 72".
Rail services; Full EDI; 14 Acres of Indoor and Outdoor Storage.

Ohio Pickling and Processing
1149 Campbell Street
Toledo, OH 43670
www.ohiopickling.com

Mary Jo Vella
Ph: 419 241-9601
Fax: 419 241-9635
mary.vella@ohiopickling.com

If your company provides Toll Processing services and you have questions or would like to have your company included, call or email us. There will be no charge to have your company included this year.

11/2/7 - Inquiry Pricing Clarification

Inquiries are sent by buyers to sellers and describe the steel the buyer is looking for. Inquiries are sales leads sent to those sellers that have signed up to Receive Inquiries. We charge a seller $100 US per quarter (or $40 per month) to receive Inquiries.

Spider Bites are messages sent through Steel Spider where a buyer is responding to a specific item of a seller in the Inventory. Spider Bites are not considered Inquiries and there is no charge to send or receive a Spider Bite.

A Seller can receive Inquiries without charge for a period of time to evaluate the potential value of these sales leads. After a seller has received hundreds of Inquiries (Trial Period), we contact the seller to confirm that he wishes to continue receiving Inquires.

In some companies multiple people in the same location are receiving the same Inquiries. It might be more cost effective if these companies were to decide to have a single person receive Inquiries. That person would forward the Inquiries to whomever in the company might be responsible for responding. This might reduce the chance that the company inadvertently provides multiple but different responses to a buyer’s inquiry. On the other hand there may be situations where it is cost effective to pay for multiple people in the company to receive Inquiries. If multiple people in the same office all wish to receive Inquiries, we charge $200 per quarter.

We have a number of people using Steel Spider who are sending one or more files describing their steel for sale using the Automatic Data Entry process to post their steel in our searchable Inventory. We refer to these people as Subscribers and charge $100 per month ($300 per Quarter) for being able to use Automatic Data Entry process. Subscribers are also able to have their company's logo displayed randomly on each page at no additional charge.

As an additional benefit to Subscribers, if a Subscriber has one or more people in his company at his location receiving inquiries we only charge for one person. Additional people in his company and at the same location can receive Inquiries at no additional charge. This works out to $400 per quarter regardless of the number of people at the subscriber's location receiving Inquiries.

8/29/7 - Pricing Policy Changes

Since we updated the Steel Spider website the changes have been well received. The volume of Offerings and Inquiries that the site is sending has increased dramatically as a result of the changes. When we updated the site we also modified our Pricing Policy.

We did not change our policy that Buyers are able to use Steel Spider for free. Buyers can search the Inventory without registering. While registration is free, it is required in order for a buyer to receive Inventory Change Alerts, send Inquiries, receive Offerings and bid in Auctions. The Buyer's Portal page describes what a buyer can do on Steel Spider.

Sellers can advertise their available steel in the searchable Inventory. There is no charge to manually post steel items to the Inventory. We provide an easier method for posting your steel to the Inventory by using our Automatic Data Entry system. Essentially this involves providing a file that describes your steel and we post your steel in the Inventory for you. The Automatic Data Entry system saves time and simplifies the process of managing your steel on Steel Spider. Posting manually lets a seller judge the potential value of advertising their steel in the Inventory without charge. For those sellers who wish to go further, we charge $100 US per month to use the Automatic Data Entry process. This also lets the seller display his company's logo randomly on each page. Whether a seller posts manually or uses the Automatic Data Entry process, an Inventory Change Alert is sent out each hour to buyers describing the steel that was added that matches the criteria for the steel they are looking for.

Sellers can also advertise their available steel by sending Offerings describing their available steel. Their Offering is emailed to those buyers who have indicated an interest in seeing it. An Offering can include a file attachment. There is no charge to send an Offering.

Inquiries are sent by buyers to sellers and describe the steel the buyer is looking for. An Inquiry can include a file attachment. Inquiries are sales leads sent to those sellers that have signed up to Receive Inquiries. Sellers receive Inquiries without charge for a period of time to evaluate the potential value of these sales leads. After a seller has received hundreds of Inquiries (Trial Period) we will contact the seller to confirm that he wishes to continue receiving Inquires. We charge a seller $100 US per quarter (or $40 per month) to receive Inquiries. After the Trial Period a seller can also authorize us to invoice on the Receive Inquiries page. Spider Bites are messages sent through Steel Spider where a buyer is responding to a specific item in the Inventory. Spider Bites are not considered Inquiries and there is no charge to send or receive a Spider Bite.

We also charge a seller to run Multi-Item Auctions. There is no charge to run Single Item Auctions. We charge $300 per Multi-Item Auction regardless of the number of items or total value of the steel being auctioned. We use a similar process to the Automatic Data Entry process to automate the set-up of a Multi-Item Auction.

In summary we charge sellers only, not buyers. We charge for using the Automatic Data Entry process to post your steel to the Inventory. We charge for receiving Inquiries after a free Trial Period. We charge to run Multi-Item Auctions. Those are the only areas where we charge sellers. Each area provides a seller with an opportunity to evaluate its value, from time to time, without charge.

7/15/7 - The Auction Platform on Steel Spider.

Our Auction platform enables a seller can run live, ascending auctions for a single item or for multiple items. Our auction platform is designed determine for the seller the highest bid for the item and the identity of the highest bidder among those the seller has authorized to bid. The auction platform can quickly determining which bidder has the greatest interest in an item.

Our auctions are invitational in that the seller must pre-qualify bidders before they can bid. The seller identifies which buyers can bid in his auction by setting up a group of approved bidders in his Contact List. Each auction ends at a specific date and time set by the seller. The bidding period is not extended and late bids are ignored. Since the bidders are pre-approved, the high bidder is determined immediately after the bidding ends.

The initial bid corresponds to the seller's minimum acceptable bid or Reserve Price. There is no hidden seller's reserve price. Proxy bidding does not apply. A bid is considered to be the amount the bidder is willing to pay. When the bidding ends we identify to the seller the email address of the high bidder. We do not disclose the identity of the winning bidder to the other bidders. We do not disclose the identity of the second highest bidder.

Click on Auction for additional information about our auction platform. You can become familiar with how an auction is run and the bidding process by trying the Single Item Practice Auction and the Multi-Item Practice Auction. You can assume the role of the seller, one of three invited bidders or that of a visitor in these auctions. The bidding period for practice auction is 5 minutes. During and after the auction is over you can see what the seller and the other bidders would see in the auction.

Buyers interested in receiving an email notification of new auctions need to sign-up to Receive Auction Notices. A seller can set up and run an auction for a single item at no charge. We charge a flat fee per auction to run multi-item auctions.

5/19/7 - Improvements in Inquiries for Buyers

We recently improved the Inquiry platform. Buyers can describe the steel they are looking for and we send their Inquiry by email to multiple sellers. The email we send to the seller appears to come from the buyer so the seller can reply directly to the buyer. The Inquiry is sent immediately. The buyer identifies the form and type of steel they are looking for and then describes their Inquiry in more detail on the form on Send an Inquiry. The form and type of steel selected determines which sellers can receive the Inquiry. To receive Inquiries, Sellers identify which forms and types of steel inquiries they wish to receive in Receive Inquiries .

Buyers have some options on who receives their Inquiry. The buyer can send the Inquiry to all the sellers on Steel Spider who have indicated an interest in receiving his Inquiry. The buyer can also view a list of these sellers and specifically check which will and will not receive his Inquiry. In addition a buyer can also send his Inquiry to sellers he knows. We added a Contact List where a buyer can provide the email addresses of sellers he knows. When he prepares his Inquiry he can send it to sellers on Steel Spider or sellers in his Contact List or both.

As we did for Offerings, the Inquiry can include an attachment. The attachment can be a Text (.txt), Adobe (.pdf), Excel (.xls or .csv), or Word (.doc) file to provide further information about the offering. The attachment is not physically attached to the email but the email contains a link to the attachment on Steel Spider. If you include an attachment with your Inquiry, briefly describe what is in the attachment in your Inquiry so a seller can decide whether to open it.

A seller can view the Inquiries he received in the past 60 days in Inquiries You Received. If Inquiries were sent to you but you did not receive them, check whether they were blocked by your spam filters or moved to a junk mail folder.

We charge a seller $100 US per quarter (or $40 per month) to receive Inquiries. Sellers can receive Inquiries without charge for a period of time sufficient to evaluate the potential value of these Inquiries to the seller. A seller can receive inquiries without charge until we contact him. A seller will not be invoiced for receiving Inquiries until after he authorizes us to invoice. If multiple people in the same office all wish to receive Inquiries, we charge $200 per quarter.

5/19/7 - Improvements in Offerings for Sellers

Another feature that we improved was the Offerings platform. Sellers can describe an offering and we send it by email to buyers rather than simply display it. The email we send to the buyer appears to come from the seller so the buyer can reply directly to the seller. Now the emails are sent immediately. The seller identifies the form and type of steel for the offering and then describes the Offering on the form on Send an Offering. The form and type of steel selected determines which buyers receive the offering. Buyers identify which forms and types of steel offerings they wish to receive in Receive Offerings.

We also changed whom the seller can send his offerings to. Previously a seller could only send his Offering to those buyers who signed-up to receive Offerings by identifying which products they dealt with. Now the seller can also send his offering to buyers he knows. We added a Contact List where a seller can provide the email addresses of buyers he knows. When he prepares his Offering he can send it to buyers on Steel Spider or Buyers in his Contact List or both.

Another change was that the Offering can include an attachment. The attachment can be a Text (.txt), Adobe (.pdf), Excel (.xls or .csv), or Word (.doc) file to your offering to provide further information about your offering. The attachment is not physically attached to the email but the email contains a link to the attachment on Steel Spider. If you include an attachment with your Offering, briefly describe what is in the attachment in your Offering so a buyer can decide whether to open it.

Buyers can view Offerings sent to Steel Spider buyers in the past two weeks on Steel Spider in View Recent Offerings. In addition a buyer can view only the Offerings he received in the past 60 days in Offerings You Received. If Offerings appear in Offerings You Received but you did not receive them, check whether they were blocked by your spam filters or moved to a junk mail folder.

Sellers currently sending an inventory list by email to potential buyers can use this feature to also send their inventory list to those buyers using Steel Spider. This is also a way to advertise your steel's availability to buyers when it does not lend itself to display in our Multi-Supplier Inventory and steel forms that are not addressed in the Inventory such as grating and scrap.

Offerings in View Recent Offerings is a chronological listing and is not searchable by a buyer. Consider whether the steel in your Offering should also be included in our Multi-Supplier Inventory which is searchable by a buyer. If you have a few items in your offering you can use the form on Post Steel to Inventory to add you steel. If descriptions of your steel are included in a file attachment we may be able to set up our Automatic Data Entry process so you can easily add larger numbers of items to the Inventory quickly. We charge for this service but it also lets you have your company's logo appear randomly on each page.

5/6/7 - Multi-Supplier Inventory Improvements for Sellers

With the recent redesign of Steel Spider we also improved the Multi-Supplier Inventory platform for sellers. The Multi-Supplier Inventory is our searchable inventory. The types of steel in the inventory include steel in bar, beam, channel, coil, irregular blanks, plate, rebar, sheet, slab rolling, pipe, tube, sheet piling, and wire rod form.

Sellers can manually post their available steel items individually without charge using the form on Post Steel to Inventory. Items are added to the Inventory immediately. Sellers can use Manage Your Steel to edit and delete their steel in the Inventory.

An easier way to post many items is to use our Automatic Data Entry process for those sellers who can provide a file containing descriptions of their steel. The seller uploads or attaches the file to an email. We process the file and add the steel to the Inventory automatically. Since every supplier handles their inventory data differently we do not specify a particular layout for the file. Instead we tailor the Automatic Data Entry process to the layout preferred by the seller. There is no limit to the number of steel items that can be added using the Automatic Data Entry process and, if helpful, we can handle the submittal of multiple files. We charge a seller a flat monthly fee to use the Automatic Data Entry process. We charge $100 US per month to use the Automatic Data Entry process and this also includes the ability of the seller to display his company's logo randomly on each page.

Sellers using the Automatic Data Entry process can manage their steel by providing an updated file. The steel from the previous file is deleted and the steel in the new file is added to the Multi-Supplier Inventory. They can also use Manage Your Steel to edit and delete their steel in the Inventory.

Whether a seller's steel is added manually or by the Automatic Data Entry process, Inventory Change Alerts are sent to buyers within an hour after the steel has been added.

We require that a seller confirm that his steel is still available or it can be removed after 30 days. In Manage Your Steel there is a link to "Extend scheduled removal date on all items". Click this to confirm that your steel is available. If you steel is scheduled for removal, we will send you an email requesting that you review your steel on the site. If you don't extend the scheduled removal date, your steel will be removed.

4/17/7 - Multi-Supplier Inventory Improvements for Buyers

Many changes have been made to improve the functionality and usefulness of the Multi-Supplier Inventory platform for buyers. Multi-Supplier Inventory platform is where Buyers search for the steel they need. Buyers do not need to register to see any of the steel in the Inventory or to see the contact information of the supplier of an item.

The Multi-Supplier Inventory is a searchable inventory. We expanded the types of steel included in the inventory to include steel in bar, beam, channel, coil, irregular blanks, plate, rebar, sheet, slab rolling, pipe, tube, sheet piling, and wire rod form.

We added a Quick Search feature in the yellow bar at the top of each page. A buyer selects the form and type of steel using dropdown boxes and then provides a single dimension. When he presses the Search button, we display the items in the inventory that bracket that dimension. The buyer can use the additional criteria in the Advanced Search form to fine tune his search to identify steel he needs.

We display the steel that suppliers have posted that meets the buyer's criteria. By clicking on the name of the company supplying an item, we show who the buyer needs to contact, including supplier's email address and phone numbers, when provided. We also display any additional information about the item.

We can also send buyers an Inventory Change Alert email if they register. To receive these Alerts, a Buyer describes the steel they are interested in using criteria similar to that used to search for steel. Inventory Change Alert email contains a description of steel that matches the buyer's criteria. The Alert is sent within an hour after the steel they are looking for is first added to the Multi-Supplier Inventory.

We improved the content of the Inventory Change Alert email to include the name of the company supplying the steel along with a summary description of each steel item. The company name is a link to the Steel Spider website that displays information on contacting the supplier and further details about the item.

Near the bottom of the page describing an item, we also added a link to View Similar Items. This link will display additional items with dimensions similar to the item selected. If an item in the Inventory Change Alert email was removed or updated, clicking on the company name for an item will display those items in the Inventory with dimensions similar to those of the item selected.

Using the contact information of the supplier, a buyer can contact the supplier directly by email and usually by phone. If the buyer has logged in, when we display detailed information about an item and contact information of the Supplier we also provide a form the buyer can use to send a Spider Bite (email) message to the Supplier. The buyer only needs to provide a comment, question or bid for the item. The Spider Bite contains information describing the item and the buyer's contact information so the buyer does not need to repeat this information.

4/2/7 - Email Notification Sign-up

When we redesigned the Steel Spider website, we expanded the database to handle additional forms and types of steel. If you signed up to receive notifications by email (or fax) when new steel is offered for sale or new Inquiries are posted, we converted your previous selections to conform to these changes. To ensure that you are receiving only the notifications you want, login and review your selections.

Inventory Change Alert automatically alerts a buyer when steel matching his requirements is first added to the Multi-Supplier Inventory. These are sent every hour and summarize the new steel that was added that matches the criteria you specify. Under Inventory select Inventory Change Alert to review and change the criteria describing the steel you are interested in. If you go to Inventory Change Alerts You Received under Inventory you can see the steel that matched your criteria and was added during the day.
Receive Offerings under Offerings is where you identify the form and type of steel you buy if you are interested in receiving Offerings. Offerings You Received under Offerings lets you review the Offerings that have been sent to you.
Receive Auction Notices under Auctions is where you identify the form and type of steel you buy if you are interested in receiving notifications about auctions.
Receive Inquiries under Inquiries is where a seller identifies the forms and types of steel he deals in if he wants to receive Inquiries from buyers. Inquiries You Received under Inquiries shows the seller the Inquiries that have been sent to him.

Login and check to make sure that you have identified the notifications that you want sent to you by Steel Spider. If you misplaced your password, go to Retrieve your Password under Personalize, enter your email address and your password will be sent to you by email.

You may have noticed that when Inquiries or Offerings (and Spider Bites) are sent we try to send them by email such that when you reply you are replying to the person who initiated the Inquiry or Offering. If you send an Inquiry or Offering and receive messages that Mail Delivery Failed, forward the failure email to us at info@steelspider.com so we can try an alternate method of sending to that person. If you find that notifications you want appear to have been sent to you but you did not receive them, also let us know at info@steelspider.com.

3/12/7 - Launch of Redesigned Steel Spider Website

Last week we launched a redesigned Steel Spider website. We improved existing features and added new features all intended to help steel buyers and steel sellers find, buy and sell prime, surplus, excess and secondary steel. Some of the major changes are summarized below.

We reorganized the site around the five platforms we provide where steel buyers and suppliers to meet, buy and sell: Inventory, Offering, Inquire, Auction and Facility Directory.

Multi-Supplier Inventory is a searchable inventory that buyers freely Search for Steel available for sale by multiple sellers. The inventory includes steel in bar, beam, channel, coil, irregular blanks, plate, rebar, sheet, slab rolling, pipe, tube, sheet piling, and wire rod form. Our Inventory Change Alert is a free service for registered buyers that automatically alerts a buyer when steel matching his requirements is first added to the Steel Spider inventory.
Offering is a platform where sellers can use Steel Spider to Send an Offering to multiple buyers.
Inquire is a platform where a buyer can Send an Inquiry to a multiple sellers.
Auction is a platform where a seller can run ascending invitational auctions for a single item or for multiple items. Proxy bidding does not apply. A bid is considered to be the amount the bidder is willing to pay.
Facility Directory is a searchable Facility Directory containing the location, capabilities and materials used or processed by a seller's facility.

We added a Quick Search capability. At the top of each page is a Quick Search for Steel. Select the steel type and form and provide the requested dimension for a quick search of the Inventory.

When we send an Inventory Change Alert, we now include the name of the company selling the steel.

We improved our Contact List functionality so buyers and sellers can maintain a list of email addresses of people they may wish to contact through Steel Spider.

When buyers send Inquiries or sellers send Offerings, they can include an attachment with their message.

When buyers send Inquiries or sellers send Offerings, they can send them to people in their Contact List.

In addition to receiving Spider Bites, Inventory Change Alerts, Offerings an Inquiries by email or fax, you can view those that you received on Steel Spider in Spider Bites You Received, Inventory Change Alerts You Received, Offerings You Received and Inquiries You Received.