Basics of an Effective eBay Listing
by Katie Sween
Seller and Marketplace Development

When it comes to selling on eBay, nothing is more important than the appearance of your listings. They serve the crucial functions of attracting buyers, merchandising your items, and setting your terms of sale. A good title, description, and photo in your listing will help buyers find your item easily and then encourage them to buy.

Today, I want to review the fundamentals of an effective eBay listing and give some tips you can use right now to make your listings more discoverable and more appealing to buyers.

Write an effective item title

• Use all 55 characters in your item title if possible (but keep it relevant to the item).
• Since most buyers find items via the Search box on the eBay Home page, including relevant keywords in your title is potentially the best thing you can do. Think like your buyers! If your buyer was typing the product into the search box on eBay.com, which words would they choose? You need to use those words too!
• Vary the keywords when you list the same item multiple times – If you have several listings for the same product, consider using synonyms for some of the listings, such as "notebook" instead of "laptop," which will help you figure out which terms are more effective.

Include high-quality photos

• Photograph your items at close range and at every angle — include as much detail as possible.
• When editing your photos, crop closely to the item to keep the focus on it. Also, keep your photos smaller than 600 x 800 pixels.
• Use the Gallery feature to draw more attention to your item — this is especially important in categories like Clothing or Jewelry. Use Gallery on all your Store Inventory items — at $0.01 it's a great way to draw eyes to your items.

Price your item right to attract buyers

• Use market research to help determine what price to start your items at. Use Completed Item searches to see at what price similar items have been selling. Then factor in your costs (including time, eBay fees, etc.)
• On auction-style listings, start the bidding low – starting with a low price tends to create excitement around the item, thus drawing in more bidders and causing "bidding wars.".
• Using a Reserve can discourage buyers. Use Reserve sparingly and only to protect yourself in an uncertain market.
• Consider using Fixed Price on more common items when the market price of the item is generally known (such as with DVDs).
• Use Store Inventory format listings for your lower-priced, accessory-type items. Store Inventory listings are less visible than auction-style or Fixed Price listings because they are not included in the main Search engine. List the things you know buyers are searching for in auction-style or Fixed Price. Then list the accessory items that go with those items in Store Inventory.
• List in a variety of formats, like auction-style, Fixed Price and Store Inventory, to allow buyers to shop the way they want to. Use your auction-style and Fixed Priced listings to draw more attention your Store and Store Inventory items.

Write complete item descriptions and include clearly stated policies

• Your great customer service should be reflected in your listings – be positive and friendly!
• Allow buyers to pay with PayPal – it's faster and easier for both you and your buyers.
• Make sure your shipping costs, or a shipping calculator, are clearly included in your listings. Buyers want to know how much the shipping is and factor this into their buying decisions.
• Flat pricing on shipping is generally a great option. It's easier for buyers to understand a flat cost, and there's less hassle for you.
• Offer shipping discounts to new buyers or on multiple purchases.
• Include details on product type, brand, condition, model number or size, style, measurements, color, etc.
• If your item is a great deal for buyers, highlight that in the listing – include the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price and list out the savings you are offering.

Other tips

• Use the Store Listing Header on all your listings — the Listing Header adds your Store branding and links to other places in your Store.
• Link to your Store and other items from your listings. Give your buyers multiple shopping options from your listing.
• Sell internationally! Almost half of the business done on eBay is done internationally. eBay's Shipping Tools can help you to sell and ship internationally more effectively.
• Merchandise, merchandise, merchandise – Cross promote other items you are selling. Note that you have other sizes and colors in your Store. Sell items in bundles to make a more complete purchase for buyers.