My Number One Rule

As an ebay seller, my number one rule is, “Think like a buyer.”

When I’m creating a listing, I do my best to look at the item objectively and answer the following question: If I were shopping for this, what would I want to know about it? Some things are obvious – color and size if I’m listing an item of clothing, for instance. Be as descriptive as you can be when talking about the color. “Robin’s egg blue” may be more specific than “light blue” and certainly better than just “blue.” If size is a factor, certainly all sizes are not created equal, so don’t forget to include measurements in your listing. Measure a garment lying flat and include chest width, waist, length from the waist, sleeve length, inseam length, whichever measurements would help you, if you were the potential buyer, decide if the item is likely to fit. How about fabric type. Is it silk or cotton? Is it washable or dry clean only? Just what are the care instructions? If they are included with the garment, include those in your listing.

Remember to be very specific when describing the condition of an item. “Good condition” may mean something different to you than it does to me. If it’s a book, is there any writing in the book? A name written inside? Is the book new? If you have read the book, it is NOT new, regardless of how carefully you turned the pages and how clean you kept the cover. “Read once but gently cared for, this book looks, feels, and smells as good as new and includes no writing, dog-eared pages, or stray marks” would be enough information to make me, the potential buyer, feel good about the book I’m about to bid on. Speaking of smelling good, do state if the item, book or otherwise, is from a smoke-free or pet-free home. Sorry, smokers, but the non-smokers out there will be able to tell and we won’t be happy when we receive your otherwise beautiful book that makes our eyes water and our noses run. You’d might as well be honest about that up front if you want to keep your buyer happy.

If you’re thinking like a buyer, you will certainly want to include a picture when you list your item. Invest a little bit of time into taking a clear, bright photo of the item, then take one more step and crop the photo so that only the item is included in the final picture. I’ve seen more kitchen counters, couches, and carpets in pictures on ebay when none of those were the item being sold! This buyer doesn’t want to see your room décor, I want to see details of the shoes I’m thinking seriously about buying from you. If you don’t have a good photo editor, one that is very easy to use and reaps excellent results is called Picasa, a great, free product from Google. You can find it at http://picasa.google.com/. I love this program!

There are many things that buyers think about when they’re shopping on ebay and these are just a few examples. You’ll think of more. When you’re writing your listings, simply always remember to make them as complete as possible. For some additional ideas to consider when creating your auction listing, read my ebay guide called “Make Your Listing Stand Out!” Click on the title to go to the guide. Now, put on your buyer’s hat and go sell something!

P.S. A great resource for ebay sellers is The Cyber-Moms’ Guide to Creating Home Income with Internet Auctions. You don’t have to be a stay-at-home mom to benefit from the excellent advice included in this 300-page book. Highly recommended!