eBay ~ Taming the Beast

Contents
Auction Training: What to Sell
Let's Get Selling
Creating Your Ad Misc. Thoughts
Basic HTML
Pictures
Photos in Ads
Graphics Online
Cool Ads Online
Get Organized
Email Control
Other Buy/Sell's
How to Snipe
Shipping
Final Thoughts

CREATING YOUR AD - THE TITLE

     The title is the "most important" part of your ad! There are so many ads and your potential customers can't read them all. You title has to make them want to click on it, so they can read the rest of your ad. If they don't make this one simple "click", you won't sell them anything. Make your title grab them! You must put "key words" in the title. For example, if you are selling a mint with both mint tags Humphrey the camel beanie baby, don't just say "Beanie Baby" in the title. Say "Humphrey - MINT!" or people will just skip over your ad. Also use the "power words" that grab your readers attention like - Rare, Limited Edition, Perfect, Unique, Awesome, Beautiful, Stunning, One-of-a-Kind, etc. "RARE - HUMPHREY the camel - MINT! - Beautiful!" - see, don't you want to read the rest of the ad more than before? You can also stick in a few symbols like - @, #, $, ~, %, *, +, to grab some extra attention. Don't get carried away. Put in the important words, a symbol or two, buy the $2.00 bold listing if you like, and get them to read the rest of your ad.

CREATING YOUR AD - THE DESCRIPTION

     Now that your prospects have "clicked" on your title, it's time to sell them your item. You've got their "attention", now it's time to give them the "desire" to bid. List all the appealing things you can think of about your item. Get really specific and describe everything that would make them want to buy. Be honest here, though. You don't have to dwell on the negatives, but if your item has an imperfection, it should be described or you will have a disappointed buyer and a LOT of hassle - not to mention a possible "negative feedback" on your account, and you must avoid that!

     You can add emphasis to the important words by using a different colored, bolded, italicized, or underlined type. (More on that later in BASIC HTML.) Another attention getter and confidence builder is putting one or more pictures of your item in your ad. A word of caution here - Pictures will slow down how quickly your ad comes up to your prospects eyes, so don't overdo it, but they can be essential in cases where your item is unusual or the visual condition is critical. (More on that later in PHOTOS.) Some people suggest that you put clip art or other graphics in your ads, but I hesitate to do this unless it will add a bunch to the sales message. Again, it makes your ad load more slowly and your prospects can be very impatient at times. Don't make them wait for something they did not need and take a risk of losing them. Another important thing - be organized and specific in painting the word picture of your item. Your prospects can't bid until they get to the end of your description, so don't bore them and lose them halfway through. Be concise, but interesting. Tell them everything that they "need" to know or that will sell your item. Keep exciting them about owning your item and GET THEM TO BID! Finally, be courteous. Say "thank you" for reading the ad. Include payment and shipping terms and a statement that you will ship the same day or the next day after receiving the payment. Don't throw in a bunch of threats about bad checks or negative feedback. This is not the time or place for that.

Expanded Article - Writing Your Descriptions
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