The Perfect Ebay Listing

Want to increase your sell through rates and get higher bids on your eBay auction items? Following these simple rules of design will make your auction listings more profitable and generate a bidding frenzy over your items.

Write a Comprehensive Item Description

The most important part of your listing is your item description. Describe your merchandise in detail, including the color, size, and condition of the item. Make sure that you describe the benefits of the item and craft the listing so that prospective buyers will feel like they can't live without it. A "Perfect Listing" will describe the item is such detail that a bidder can visualize it in their mind, and won't even need to look at a picture.

Take Multiple Pictures

While your description plays the most important part in conveying the condition of your item, there is no substitute for clear, accurate pictures. Make sure the item is well lighted and take multiple pictures, from multiple angles. Use a high quality digital camera that allows you to focus closely. The quality of your pictures will play a large part in the final value you receive for the item.

Provide Full Disclosure

Make sure that you disclose every significant detail about your business practices in the auction listing. Let the prospective buyer know, up front, what the final cost of the item will be (including the shipping charges). Many sellers forget, or choose not to, list a firm shipping charge in the auction description. This either causes a nightmare of customer service emails with people asking about the shipping charges, or an unhappy customer when the auction ends and the final price is disclosed.

Make sure that you also include:

1) The payment methods you accept (Check, Money Order, Credit Card, PayPal, etc.)
2) When the item will be shipped and by what carrier (USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc.)
3) Any guarantees that you offer...
4) Your return policy...

The more information you disclose up front, the more comfortable a prospective buyer will be when dealing with you.

Avoid the Negatives

How many times have you seen statements such as: "Deadbeat bidders not accepted - If you don't pay within 7 days we'll report you and file negative feedback - We hold checks for 14 days before shipment - Buyers with feedback less than 10 don't bid on this auction".

These negative statements will turn honest, prospective bidders away from your auction and into the arms of your competitors. Buyers don't want to deal with a seller they perceive as a jerk. While crooked buyers are a concern when selling on eBay, placing negative statements in your listings will end up costing you a fortune in lost sales.

Encourage Multiple Purchases

If you can sell more than one item to each customer so much the better. Encourage multiple purchases by offering a combined invoice and discounts on shipping charges. If you have an eBay store, utilize the cross-promotion feature to automatically display your store items in your auction listings.

The best place to start creating your "Perfect eBay Listing" is to visit the listings of the other sellers in your category. See what they are doing right and incorporate that into your listings. See what they are doing wrong and avoid that in your listings. Constantly test and tune-up your listings and you will see a marked increase in your bottom line.