Frills and Fripperies: eBay's Listing Options
Saturday 07 November 2009
by SaleHoo.com
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Want to be the next SaleHoo success story?
Want to stand out from the crowd? Learn all about eBay's listing extras in this week's newsletter. We'll be looking at the pros and cons of all the listing options: so you'll be able to choose the best option for your item!
The Extras
Just as with other forms of advertising, eBay offers a graded system of listing features to make your item stand out from the crowd - or at least that's what they say anyway!
Before you get carried away though, I recommend that you think carefully about cost versus the REAL benefits to you; that is, extra money in your pocket.
While some of these options can genuinely help your listing, others are gimmicky rather than profit-producing.
Despite my opinions here, views vary among the eBay community as to what features work best. Some people believe that Bold and Featured Plus listings are the best. Others believe than anything other than a Gallery listing is a waste of time.
In your case, what features (if any) you choose will depend on how much your product is worth, what category it is in, and what your own testing tells you.
The Listing Designer
For a mere $0.10, the listing designer gives you the option of choosing from 200 design themes to back your description.
To see a small preview of a template, select a theme and choose a design from the list below.
Some people like to use these themes, but remember that while they do make your description prettier, everyone else also has access to the same templates, so yours won't necessarily stand out.
Another potential problem with themes is that they can make the page slower to load with slower Internet connections. People don't have a lot of patience, and I fear that increasing a page downloading time might actually make your item LESS likely to be viewed rather than more!
Nevertheless, don't rule this option out. Some categories (such as baby strollers) are full of background designs, while they hardly appear in the others. It's important (as always!) that you take a look at what other people are doing, test it for yourself, and then make a decision on whether it is worth using regularly in the long term.
Page Counters
Now this really is a good option. It's always interesting to know how many people are viewing your item versus how many bids you are actually getting.
This option is even better because it's FREE! Basically, the counter is a digital odometer that shows you how many viewings your page has had.
In terms of market research, this information is genuinely valuable - particularly if you are still in the 'research' stage of choosing an item. An odometer can let you know how much interest there is in your item, as well as how well your title and descriptions are working.
You also have the option of two different formats (Andale or Green LED) and whether or not you want the counter to be able to be seen, or hidden from view. On the one hand, if visitors see there has been extensive interest in your item, it may encourage them to bid themselves, however a low count may do just the opposite.
Pulling Out All The Stops
Gift Services $0.25
This option means that you offer the gift services eBay suggests:
Gift wrapping/card, express shipping, or shipping directly to the gift recipient.
When you select gift services a little gift icon 
is
placed next to your item.
Gallery $0.35
This is probably the most commonly utilized option. $0.35 buys you a small image of your item in the search results page, enabling potential bidders to see the item, and hopefully, click through to your listing.
There are times when even a gallery listing may not be necessary though. For example, if you are selling a collectable item, such as coins or stamps, then the buyer will probably know what they look like, so a good description will probably be a lot more important. People searching for collectibles are also less likely to need 'enticing' with a picture - they're usually searching specifically and not out to impulse buy.
Bold $1
Puts bold emphasis on your title text. Taking advantage of this option will depend on what other people in your category have for their title text. If no one has bold, go bold. If lots of people have bold, do the inverse.
See a bold and non-bold comparison below:
Highlight $5
The highlight option encases your listing in a colorful box.
Home Page Features $39.95
Prepare your bank account! This is the most expensive of eBay's listing upgrades. For your money, your listing appears at the top of the main listings page, with the small possibility of being displayed in the Featured area of eBay's home page.
Featured Plus! $19.95
This gets your item listed at the top of the listing page for your category and resulting search pages. Some Internet entrepreneurs are strong advocates of this option: particularly if you have a whole bunch of highly sought-after items.
Do It Yourself Design
Alternatively, you can bypass eBay's design templates and create your own HTML design, or hire a designer to do it for you. Both these options have their difficulties though: a designer will be expensive while learning HTML is very time-consuming - neither perhaps ideal for a new business.
However, if and when you do decide to go down that track, remember to look at this aspect of your business with the eye of an entrepreneaur - just like every other.
How can you go about making your listings look more inviting than everyone else's? Particularly if there is a lot of competition in your category, you need to be able to make your item stand out from the crowd. Obviously, you won't want to look too corporate - buyers are, after all, looking for a bargain.
Plenty of powersellers have been hugely successful with their own custom designs. So if you can afford the time or the money, I'd definately encourage you to give this a go.
Workbook
- Do a product search on eBay. Have an in-depth look at the top 5 items that most appealed. What have these 5 sellers used to differentiate their item? What fonts have they used? Have they used the listing designer?
- Consider how design relates to branding image. Check out other big-name shopping sites such as amazon.com, etoys.com, net-a-porter.com and so on. Notice how all the listings are very clean and plain?
