Searchable Multi-Supplier Steel Inventory Overview
The
Multi-Supplier Inventory
is a searchable inventory of steel available for sale by multiple sellers. The inventory
functions like a search engine for steel.
Search for Steel
A buyer can search the
Multi-Supplier Inventory by steel form, type, physical dimensions, weight,
location and other criteria. The inventory includes steel in bar, coil, irregular
blanks, plate, sheet, pipe, tube, structural, wire and rod form.
Go to
Search for Steel under Inventory. If the steel
you are looking for is not coil, select the steel form in the blue box at the top
of the page. Select the type of steel you are interested in and fill out the form
by describing what you are looking for. Pressing the "Find Steel" button will produce
a listing of available steel that matches your requirements. Click on the company
name for any item of interest and you will see any additional information about
the item as well as the identity of the seller and his contact information. Use
this information to contact the supplier directly for more information about an
item or to place an order.
Spider Bites
If you have registered, Steel Spider can send a Spider Bite (message) to the supplier
for you. Spider Bites are messages sent through Steel Spider where a buyer is responding
to a specific item in the Inventory. There is no charge to send or receive a Spider
Bite.The Spider Bite is sent by Steel Spider to the supplier by email with a copy
to the buyer. It will contain th buyer's question about the items as well as the
contact information of the supplier of the item and a detailed description of the
item. Sellers who receive a Spider Bite can also view them on Steel Spider in
Spider Bites You Received.
Inventory Alert
If you have registered, you can
Receive Inventory Alert
by email advising you when steel is first added to the Multi-Supplier Inventory
that matches your requirements. Go to
Receive Inventory Alert
under Inventory to describe the steel you are interested in using a form similar
to that used to Search for Steel. Each hour a software agent named Boris checks
new postings to the inventory and notifies a buyer, by email, if steel of the desired
type and attributes was posted.
Advertise your steel
Sellers advertise the availability of steel by adding their steel to the searchable
Multi-Supplier Inventory. Buyers and other suppliers can easily find your steel
when their own inventory does not contain the steel the need.
Manual Data Entry
Sellers can manually add steel to the Multi-Supplier Inventory by using the forms
in
Add Steel to Inventory under Inventory without charge.
Items are added immediately. Once your steel is in the Inventory you can refresh,
edit or delete it in
Change/Remove Your Steel under
Inventory. Steel that has not been refreshed within 30 days to confirm that the
steel is still available will be removed from the Inventory. Sellers can manually
add steel to the Multi-Supplier Inventory using these forms without charge.
Automatic Data Entry
An easier method of adding steel to the Multi-Supplier Inventory is to use our
Automatic Data Entry process. This is especially useful
when a seller has a large quantity of steel to advertise. The seller provides us
with 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. We
can handle nearly all file formats including as text, Excel XML, and CSV files.
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. Normally our Automatic Data Entry process
lets sellers provide their data without data format conversion. 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.
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. Sellers can also use
Change/Remove Your Steel to edit and delete their steel in the Inventory.
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.
It may be possible for us to download a file containing descriptions of your steel
from your website or scrape the steel information from your website. If the seller
has his available steel on a website, we can often capture the descriptions of the
steel and add it to the Inventory automatically. We can set up a Web Service that
a seller can use to add his steel to the Inventory.
Manage Your Steel
We require that a seller periodically confirm that their steel being advertised
is still available. When steel is added it is marked for removal in 30 days. By
going to
Change/Remove Your Steel under Inventory a
seller can push a single button and extend the removal date by 30 days. We may send
a reminder to a seller to confirm his steel's availability. If no confirmation is
received, we will remove the seller's steel after the removal date. Sellers can
send offerings without charge.