Improve your eBay sales

Through my experience as an eBay seller, receiving training from eBay and other resources, I've learned many things to help eBay sellers improve their visibility and sales. There is not one magic bullet for all, but putting "best practices" into effect helps much! You're an eBay seller, you have your products and you create and submit listings regularly - what else do you need to do???

If you're a long-time eBay seller as I am, you recall the days of "list it and they will come" - ah, the easy good 'ol days! When I speak with sellers who've only been on eBay for 2-4 years, I find they have done a lot of research and don't believe they'll make sales just because they're on eBay - they work at it - and not just at listing and shipping (in the business), but on more research and streamlining their systems, on tweaking things to improve them, etc. (in the business).

Much of this info may be familiar to you - and it should be if you've been selling on eBay for a while. Some of this info is in eBay's Advanced Seller Guide at http://pages.ebay.com/AdvancedSellingGuide/AdvancedSellingGuide.pdf. (If you're new to your eBay business, please read this guide: http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/business/pdf/New_Business_Seller_Guide_Nov09.pdf.) You can get this and much more information in eBay's Seller Information Center at http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/index.html.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, below is information based on my own experiences in business and on ebay, that of other sellers whom I've observed or discussed things with and some plain old common sense. I consider this the "Beyond the Advanced Seller Guide: The Details".

LISTINGS

TITLES

That 55-character title is prime real estate - it's what over 80% of eBay shoppers search on! "L@@K", "WOW", "the", "and", "of" and punctuation are a waste of that real estate! Forget good grammar, think good keywords! What will shoppers of that item you're listing search for? Brand names. Artist or designer. Important attributes. And spell correctly!

Do NOT mention something in your title if it has nothing to do with the item you're selling - that's keyword spamming, as is saying "like new"! (Some people search on the word "new" and don't want to see your "like" items.) Don't use all capital letters nor a mix of caps & lower-case letters. Shoppers get turned off by SHOUTING titles and cute gimmicks. Use acronyms only if they're well-known. And "NR" is so not necessary - these aren't the days of last-century eBay when reserves were used wily-nily on eBay. 'Tis the rare item which has a reserve on it these days.

SUB-TITLES

Sub-titles are not found in a title search, only in a titles & description search. The main purpose of a sub-title is to make that buyer who found you in a title search click to read your listing. Free shipping? Why bother - the shipping amount shows up in searches unless the shopper has turned it off in his settings. Figure out what's going to make shoppers click - a free bonus - a great benefit. Think from the shopper's point of view: What's in it for me?

DESCRIPTION

It's often said around eBay to write a description as if you had no pictures. Excellent advice! (As is the converse - to have photos as if you have no written description.) You're not writing advertising copy for a slick magazine where a few words rule the roost - you're writing to provide shoppers with every bit of info they may want to know!

When writing your descriptions, include all you can about the item - what it is, what it's made of, it's brand name or creator's name, its age, its condition (better to be extremely detailed & get a "better than described" feedback than get dinged for being shy!), its weight & dimensions, its history, its markings.

Them's the facts - now give 'em the gentle sales pitch too: why it appeals to you or will appeal to whom and what's the story behind it - speak to the shopper's emotions.

And the no-nos: Do not keyword-spam! If the item resembles brand X, but isn't, you can't say it! If you have a matching ABC in your store, you can't say ABC, but you can say "matching items". Don't copy and paste the text from another seller or website - that's plagarism and can get your listing pulled. Don't use the maker's logo unless it's part of the photo of the item. And you may not want to include any comments related to religion or politics which may cause the shopper to click the back button. (I know, such comments may be appropriate to the item you're selling.)

Still unsure what you should write? Look at competitors' closed listings and see how the ones that sold were described. (Search on your item's keywords, then click on the Completed link on the left side of the page, then sort on highest price and click on the ones with a green price (means sold) to study.

PHOTOS

As mentioned above, your photos should show shoppers just what you're selling as if you have no words to describe the item. You don't have to be a professional photographer - you just have to take clear, well-lit photos which show shoppers everything they may want to know about the item.

A solid, clear background is crucial; sure a "whatchamacallit" next to your item may make for a photo worthy of a coffee-table book, but it will detract from your item. Your item on a patterned bedspread or floor will detract. Using your camera's flash will cause hot spots & unnatural coloring. Natural lighting is best, but that's not always available. A set of appropriate lights, a solid-color background and shooting from the correct distance will all make your eBay photos better than the alternative. Long-time eBay seller, CameraJim, has some great tutorials for taking good eBay photos - see the links on his About Me page!

Still have questions about that photo you just can't get right? Visit eBay's Photos & HTML discussion forum & search for the answer or post a question.

ITEM SPECIFICS

Somewhere in that tricky algorithm that eBay uses for Best Match is the use of Item Specifics (IS). If you sell in the clothing category, chances are you use IS because you realize shoppers will use them to drill down to their sizes, brand, etc. when they search for an item. But IS is not just for the shoppers' convenience - IS is something that helps your visibility in searches behind the scenes. Don't be shy about adding your own custom IS - if there's a word or two that's important in the description of the item & you didn't have room for it in your title, add that to a custom IS.

TERMS OF SERVICE

Sure, shoppers could click on that shipping tab in your listing to see your shipping methods, shipping price, handling time and return policy, but why not spell those things out under your description? Clear terms can set buyer expectations. (Do NOT list pages of your terms and policies - short & positive is the way to present these!)

LISTING TEMPLATE

Some sellers use a template to put a pretty frame around their description (and often photos), some have a template design to enhance their brand as an eBay seller. The most important function of a listing template is, however, to organize your information in an easy-to-read and -understand format for shoppers!

SHIPPING

Do you only offer one shipping method, even if it's free? Add another one or two! Buyers like having options, though they'll usually pick the method in the first slot. If you ship for free via parcel post or first class, offer priority and overnight shipping at a price. If you charge for UPS Ground, also offer priority mail and next day shipping. If you choose "standard shipping" in the shipping section, explain that means FedEx Ground, for example, so shoppers know when they might receive the item. When you give buyers shipping options, the responsibility for shipping time and cost is on them and they are less likely to ding your DSRs for those areas if they've made the decision themselves.

SELLER STATUS

Top Rated Seller

Being a top rated seller on eBay not only gives you a visible badge on your listings and a 20% discount on your eBay fees, but also gives you higher visibility in search results. Granted, you have to become a Powerseller to qualify and have very good DSRs, but it isn't all that difficult to do if you "cross your Ts and dot your Is."

DSRs

DSRs are Detailed Seller Ratings - those up to 5 star ratings buyers can give when they leave feedback for you. Since the day they went into effect, Detailed Seller Ratings have been disliked by many an eBay seller. How is it that someone who ships all for free can receive less than 5 stars??!! Unless you have a link into the mind of a buyer who won't leave 5 stars on the shipping cost DSR when he didn't even pay separately for shipping, all we can do is guess.

One common thread among all the sellers I've spoken with who have 4.8, 4.9 or even 5.0 DSRs is that they COMMUNICATE with their customers. They acknowledge the purchase, the payment and send an email with tracking number when they ship. If you're not keeping your customers in the communication loop, you're doing a disservice to them and yourself! Improve your communication & the other DSRs will likely follow.