| How you describe your goods is vitally important to | | | | appearance. They can look especially good with |
| your chances of making a little or a lot of money | | | | subtle use of colours, different fonts, background |
| from every listing.Your listing comprises not only | | | | designs; subtle meaning delicate, not garish or gaudy.* |
| words used in the title and body text; it includes | | | | Use light coloured backgrounds, not vivid red or dark |
| layouts and colours, too, as well as fonts, size of | | | | blue with black text (Yes, I saw one like this only |
| text, even the length of sentences and paragraphs. | | | | yesterday where the text was completely |
| These tips will help you list more products, create | | | | unreadable). If you must use patterns, use simple |
| better listings and eventually make more money:* | | | | pastel patterns, not bold tartans or flashing |
| Inside your listing, give viewers a reason to call back | | | | backgrounds or dazzling stripes.* Use fonts that |
| later if they are in a hurry now or not quite ready to | | | | make reading easy. Never make it too hard for |
| bid. Ask them to visit your 'About Me' page for a | | | | visitors to read your listing or they will do the most |
| free eBook or newsletter and be sure they give their | | | | intelligent thing. Click out and look somewhere else to |
| email addresses for you to contact them later. You | | | | buy! Most popular fonts are Times, Times Roman, |
| can also begin a mailing list for later sales outside of | | | | Arial, New York, Verdana.* When you find a font you |
| eBay. Remind them, too, to add you to their | | | | like, stick with it, don't change fonts between |
| Favourite Sellers list.* Choose keywords to describe | | | | templates. It isn't worth it and time wasted would be |
| your items and use them in the heading and body of | | | | better spent on listing new items. Avoid using too |
| your listings. People can choose to search according | | | | much italic or other embellishing device such as |
| to heading (title) or by checking body text too, but | | | | embossing or shadowing in your listings.* Do not use |
| few remember to check the box to include this | | | | large fonts in your listings, except for headings and |
| second option. Most people will find your product by | | | | sub-headings, and even those do not need to be |
| either going directly to category listings and clicking | | | | more than two or three sizes bigger than body text. |
| through to their appropriate sub-category or, most | | | | Size 12 or 14 is adequate for body text, 18 for main |
| likely, by simply keying words to describe the item | | | | headings, 16 for sub-headings.* Very large text is a |
| into eBay's search tool. This means if your title does | | | | big put-off and is also difficult to read, while also |
| not include those keywords your listing will be missed. | | | | absorbing more memory and taking longer to upload |
| Check what keywords are most common when | | | | and download.* Use a maximum two or three |
| people search for items like those you are listing by | | | | different colour fonts (including basic black or navy or |
| going to (or .com or other) and continue through the | | | | other appropriate choice) and never use different |
| sub-categories until your product type appears. Now | | | | colours within the same word. I know major |
| check the most commonly keyed search terms at | | | | companies like eBay do it but they are well-known, |
| the left of the screen. Alternatively, go to 'Advanced | | | | their logos are professionally created, anything less |
| Search', top right of screen and on the next page | | | | would look trashy and cheap. Not to mention hugely |
| use keywords to describe your item and tick the | | | | unprofessional.* Keep text aligned to the left, |
| 'Completed Auctions' box. From the results choose | | | | sometimes to the right where the graphic is placed |
| 'Price: Highest First' to locate similar items, check the | | | | extreme left. Don't center or justify a column of text |
| keywords used in the heading on which to model | | | | without good reason. And there are few if any |
| your own. Be careful not to breach eBay's stringent | | | | goods reasons for doing so. Centre text is difficult to |
| rules on 'Keyword Spamming'.* Avoid using too many | | | | read and creates odd lengths that create a totally |
| bells and whistles in your listings. One that is | | | | amateurish appearance. Justified text is even worse |
| guaranteed to make me move away really fast is | | | | with lengthy gaps between words which themselves |
| the wizard that flits about the screen thanking me | | | | are longer than average.* Keep listings fairly narrow |
| for visiting and generally getting in the way of | | | | especially when using html. Wide listings are okay on |
| everything I am trying to see. Music, flashing lights, | | | | wide screen computers, but on narrow screen |
| moving conveyor belt pictures of other products | | | | computers the entire right side will be missing and |
| from which to choose a selection - if you're quick | | | | few people will scroll left and right every few |
| enough - have roughly the same effect, as do many | | | | seconds to get the gist of your listing. eBay's own |
| other totally useless and generally hugely frustrating | | | | listing boxes, that is where you type directly into |
| devices.* Use colour, sparingly, in your listings, as well | | | | eBay, and those created in Turbo Lister, are just the |
| as experimenting with different fonts and font sizes. | | | | right size, never too long, never too short. When |
| It all adds interest for the visitor while also creating a | | | | using html or creating your own designer template, |
| professional image for your business.* Never write | | | | practice using eBay's systems first to get the desired |
| titles in full upper case - CAPITALS. IT LOOKS | | | | length.* Keep paragraphs short and always with a |
| AWFUL, UNPROFESSIONAL, AND FAR FROM | | | | gap between them. And actually USE PARAGRAPHS |
| ATTRACTING ATTENTION IT MAKES YOUR TITLE | | | | where text extends beyond two or three lines. |
| MUCH HARDER TO READ. IT IS OKAY TO USE | | | | Notice how some listings containing hundreds, |
| UPPER CASE ON ONE OR TWO WORDS IN YOUR | | | | sometimes thousands of words, are created in one L |
| TITLE.* Try using html to create a more professional | | | | - O - N - G chunk which no one in their right mind |
| appearance especially in highly competitive product | | | | would read. Others with long, long descriptions |
| fields. For old postcards and other rare, sometimes | | | | actually use paragraphs though the effect is hardly |
| one-off collectibles, basic text is fine. Where similar or | | | | noticeable.* Try to stagger listings even if you list |
| identical items are available from numerous sellers, | | | | just once a week. This helps people who are bidding |
| such as CDs, modern jewellery, make up, improving | | | | on several of your items and might want to check |
| the appearance of your listing will help distinguish your | | | | last minute bidding against them on those items. Too |
| business from others with hastily created listings | | | | many of their chosen items ending within seconds of |
| packed with spelling mistakes, poor descriptions, and | | | | each other is confusing and frustrating for them, and |
| so on.* Basic html is very easy to use and stunning | | | | means you lose out on last minute impulse bids. Using |
| auction templates can be created in Microsoft Word | | | | Turbo Lister you can choose how many already listed |
| or FrontPage. Alternatively, choose from thousands | | | | items to upload at any time, say in units of 20, and |
| of free and low-cost auction templates available | | | | you can also alter the order of items to hopefully |
| online.* Use templates where possible, it saves listing | | | | prevent 'same item' products selling within seconds of |
| time later, and can create a more professional | | | | each other. |