The eBay guide to riches

Marketing items on eBay is just like marketing anywhere else – you need to get the attention of your audience, demonstrate value of what you’re selling, and create a sense of trust in you as the seller. All this requires you to acquire marketing skills that will make you succeed in auctions.

Attention: marketing your item begins with getting attention

Writing for Auctions

Following are a few pointers that you should follow while writing a strong and attention grabbing auction content.

1. Do not to use only Capital Letters for your ad, even though many auction sellers do use them. This comes across as shouting and pushy, and unless you are marketing to people who react well to that, skip it.

2. Maximize your word content and make every word count. If you are running multiple auctions for similar items, try a few different titles, and go with the ones that get more views and bids.

3. Make sure you run a spell check on your content. Many headlines are misspelled and indicate a sloppy seller – this is your business, be professional about it!

4. Avoid the use of well-known brands without a purpose. It is not very important to stress on the brand than the condition or core description of the item itself. Also keep in mind that using brands to describe non-branded merchandise is illegal on eBay and will get your auctions cancelled. (For example, you can call a guitar that is like a Fender Stratocaster “S Style” but you can not say it a “Fender Strat copy”)

Focus on content

Headlines are limited but actual ads are effectively unlimited. Be as descriptive as you need, and no more.

Use specific words and language to describe your item:  It is crucial to display details that matter the most. Make sure to include everything that accounts for high bid price such as item description, specifications, manufacturer, model, make, year of purchase, functionality, and any other piece of information that raises its value or clarifies what you are selling.

Sound positive and mention any negatives: Knowledge is power and attitude is grace. To build trust in your customers, make sure that the item you are auctioning has potential value to you if not to them. Buyers are merciless in using negative feedback if they feel misled, so don’t give them reason to. If an item has problems, say what they are – even err on the side of overstating problems, and understating condition.

Marketing tips

Friendly professionalism helps built trust. Welcome questions and answer them promptly.  A twenty four hour turn-around should be the minimum time on the Internet to respond. Responding within a few hours is even better.

Use pictures of the items whenever possible. You should use pictures of the actual items. If you need to use so-called ‘stock’ photos, say that that is what they are. Do not steal pictures from other people’s auctions, that is illegal.

Remember you can change your ‘live’ auctions under certain conditions (no bids, reserve not met, more than 12 hours to go, etc). This is helpful if during the auction it turns out a particular item may be more, or less, valuable than you originally assumed.

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