Patina

How to get started

You already know about some of the great benefits that we offer our trade users . To get started follow the simple steps below:

Register for an account

1. Go to https://www.getpatina.com and in the registration form enter the name that you would like to logon with, contact email address and password.

On successful signup you will be logged into Patina

Set up your trade page at www.getpatina.com/<yourcompanyname>

To have your page setup, email us the following details:

• Company Name:
  
• Company Address
  
• Company Telephone Number
  
• Company Email
  
• Company Description Text
  
• The name that you would like your trade page to appear at e.g. www.getpatina.com/<yourname>
  

Provide us with 2 images that will be used as shown below:

1. A header image which should be at least 1286 pixels wide (don’t worry if it is larger, we can fix that for you).

2. Your business’s logo which should be at least 300 pixels wide or 300 pixels high (again don’t worry if it is larger we can fix that for you).

Once we receive, one of our team will get the page setup and let you know once it is ready. You can still carry on adding your vehicles whilst this is being processed.

Adding your first vehicle

To start adding records for a car, the very first thing that you will need to do is to set it up in the system. On the left hand menu click 'Add Vehicle’:

This will take you to a screen where you will be given a quick tour. In case you don’t see it then (assuming it is a UK vehicle), simply add in the registration number and click ‘Lookup’. This will obtain the vehicle information from the DVLA and fill out the required information for you. If it is not a UK vehicle or the information cannot be found, then click ‘enter vehicle manually’ to type in the information yourself.

Click ‘Choose File’ and choose an image that you want to be used for the car when your customers see it listed within the platform. Make sure that you can see this in the image preview pane.

By default the vehicle will be created with public visibility Keep this set to public if you want to be able to share with your customers.

Click Save and wait for the confirmation that your vehicle has been created.

Adding history and records

Records are specific entries onto a vehicle's history. For restorers and car builders these could be the photos of the build in progress. For vehicle sellers this could be the entire service history of the vehicle or any other information that adds to its desirability. In summary, a record is a photo, video or document that tell you something about the car.

To add your first record click 'Add Media’ in the left hand menu:

Again you will be given a quick tour of the functionality but if you don’t see this then follow the steps below.

First decide if you want to add records one by one (allowing you to enter different information such as date and description for each record) or in bulk where you can upload hundred of photos or documents at once. Select using the options at the top left of the page and carry on to the relevant section below:

Bulk Upload

It is the bulk upload option that is probably most useful to our trade users, as this allows multiple files to be uploaded at once. The system automatically resizes the files for optimum viewing experience (whilst preserving the original) and for photographs it will automatically calculate the date that the photo was taken. For example if you have 100 photos to upload that were taken over a 3 month period, We automatically sort those pictures into chronological order for your customers to view. To get started:

1. Select 'Bulk Upload' from the top left option.

2. If you only have one vehicle in Patina then it will be automatically selected. If you have more then one car, use the first drop down to select which vehicle you want to add this record to.

3. Next select the type of media that you are adding, Image, Video or Document (all records uploaded in a single operation must be of the same type).

4. To select the files you want to upload you can either a) drag and drop them from your computer onto the big box titled ‘Drag and drop files here’, or b) Click the ‘Choose Files’ button and and navigate to any files that you want to add. You can keep adding files as many times as you like.

5. Next, set whether you wish the record to be private (only you can see), or public (viewable by all). This must be public if you want to be able to share with your customers.

The files will have already started to upload, if you want to leave the computer and have it complete the uploads for you automatically, make sure that you check ‘Auto create records’. If checked, once the last file has been processed (make sure you leave the web site open) we will email you to let you know that it has finished. If you do not check this box you will still need to click ‘Save’ once the last file has uploaded.

Once they have been processed, any added records can be viewed by clicking on the vehicle wherever it is displayed within Patina.

Single File Upload 

1. If you only have one vehicle in Patina then it will be automatically selected. If you have more then one car, use the first drop down to select which vehicle you want to add this record to.

2. Next select the type of media that you are adding, Image, Video or Document.

3. Choose the the file that you would like to upload and then enter a description about the record. Add in as much information as you want, this will be be the key information that will be displayed with the record.

4. Next add in any tags. Tags are similar to those used by apps such as Twitter and act as a way of grouping common records by a common term e.g. Restoration, Receipt or Service, Add in as many tags as you want.

5. Finally add in the location that is relevant to the record, as well as a date for the record itself. For example for a receipt, enter the date of the receipt. This will control where in your vehicle's history the record appears.

Finally as when creating a vehicle, set whether you wish the record to be private (only you can see), or public (viewable by all). Must be public if you want to be able to share with your customers.

Click Save to complete.

Any added records can now be viewed by clicking on the vehicle wherever it is displayed within Patina.

Your Trade Page

After you have provided us with the relevant trade information as described at the top of this article and we have confirmed that your page has been setup, simply navigate to your trade page (www.getaptina.com/<requestedname>) and you will see all of your added vehicles displayed. Any new vehicles that you add will automatically be added to this page. Share this link with your customers, or use it to link to from your own web sites.

For our trade users who sell cars, you may wish to display a price for each car. Please contact us for more details.