Listing Best Practices

Auction or fixed price? Choosing the right listing format can help you get the best price for your item.

Auction

In auction listings, you put your item up for bidding, and it sells to the person with the highest bid at the time the auction ends.

Auction listings can be set for one, three, five, seven, or ten days. You can also set a Reserve Price, for a fee, to ensure your auction item meets a minimum price in order to sell. You can include a Buy It Now price to entice buyers to make their purchase right away.

Choose auction listings when

• You're unsure of the value of your item and want the eBay Marketplace to determine it.
• Your item is unique or hard-to-find, meaning it may attract demand and spur a bidding war.
• Your item's market value may fluctuate due to seasonality or popularity.

More perks of auction listings

• When your auction listing sells, eBay will credit you for one insertion fee.
• As a new seller, enjoy up to 50 free listings of any type each month.*
• eBay Stores subscribers are eligible for up to 100 free auction listings each month. Learn more about selling with eBay Stores.

Fixed Price

In fixed price listings, you set a price for your item so buyers can purchase it right away.
Fixed price listings last up to 30 days or until your item sells. You can even set a listing as Good 'Til Canceled, meaning it automatically renews until the item sells or you cancel it.
Still open to a little negotiation? Add Best Offer to your fixed price listing, inviting offers from buyers and allowing you to counteroffer or decline.

Choose fixed price listings when

• You know the value of your item or the exact price you need to get for it.
• You want to list your items for more than 10 days.
• You have a lot of inventory.
• You have multiple items you can group into one listing.

More perks of fixed price listings

• As a new seller, enjoy up to 50 free listings of any type each month.*
• eBay Stores subscribers are eligible for up to 2500 free fixed priced listings each month.* Learn more about selling with eBay Stores.

Listing Upgrades

Whichever format you choose, consider adding these upgrades to attract more buyers to your listing.

• International site visibility: Attract more buyers across the globe by showing your item in search results on eBay websites in other countries.
• Multi-category listing: Reach more buyers and generate more interest by listing your item in more than one category.
• Bold title: Set your listing apart in search results by displaying the title in bold.
• Gallery Plus: Draw more buyers to your listing with a larger item photo in search results.
• Subtitle: Emphasize what makes your item special with descriptive info below the main title.
• Listing Designer: Enhance your listing with attractive themes.
• Scheduling: Start your listing at a specific time to capture the buyers you want, when you want them.
• Value Pack: Bundle Gallery Plus, Subtitle, and Listing Designer and save!

For more information on fees associated with these upgrades, check out our Fees and Features guidelines.

Improve your seller rating and keep buyers happy by accurately describing your items' condition.

Categorizing your item

Always list your item in the most relevant category. When your item fits multiple categories, you can list it in each one for an additional fee, though listing your item in unrelated categories violates eBay policy.

Crafting an effective title

Ask yourself what words you would use in a search engine if you were a buyer looking for your item. Because your title has a powerful effect on how the listing appears in search results, be sure to include important words like brand name, size, or other descriptors a buyer will be looking for.

Using subtitles

Subtitles show up in search results and make your listings stand out before buyers even click. While you're charged a fee for subtitles, they're a great way to provide buyers with more detail and item specifics.

Writing accurate descriptions

Accurate descriptions help buyers shop with confidence. Create detailed listings with photos and descriptions that match exactly. Make sure to include the brand, style, and model number. Describe any flaws or defects honestly, and never describe a pre-owned item as new. Keep your descriptions concise and simple, and avoid using flashy text or too many fonts or colors.

Take great pictures

The more high-quality pictures in your listing, the more likely buyers will be to purchase your item. Follow our photo-taking tips, and your pictures will be worth more than just a thousand words.

Buyers expect a clear and generous return policy, and eBay makes it easy to provide great customer service after the sale.

eBay knows that the more generous your return policy, the more attractive your item will be to buyers, and you can customize how you handle returns based on your unique needs. Choose to manually approve specific return requests who pays return shipping, and whether you accept returns at all.

You can manually approve return requests, or Automate the returns process to save you time.

The best approach to returns is to avoid them altogether by writing accurate, detailed listings so buyers know what to expect when your item arrives.