Need an Extreme ebay Makeover?

One of the services offered by ebay for their sellers is their online community workshops. Today's workshop was called "Listing Template Design & Layout Clinic," hosted by Debbie Levitt of the company As Was. During the workshop, Debbie presented some excellent general advice about things to include and things to avoid when designing your ebay templates and listings. To read the complete workshop transcript, go to the ebay workshops calendar page and choose Debbie's workshop from January 22, 2007.

Debbie presented just tons of great information and advice and I feel sure you'll learn something you didn't know by reading the workshop posts. One great tidbit is her advice about running a "wife test" on your listings. She suggests showing a friend or loved one your listing and then asking them these questions:

What are the first and second things your eyes were drawn to?
How much of my description and policies did you read?
How did you feel after reviewing the item?
Did you feel like you knew what you'd be getting and when you'd get it?
Did you feel like you could trust me and you wanted to buy?

As she states, you might be surprised by the answers.

A number of ebay sellers asked Debbie questions about their specific listings during the workshop and I would encourage you to look at their listings and consider her advice. After all, this is a woman who runs a very successful business and charges a nice sum to improve designs for successful ebay sellers - who then become much more successful as sellers.

For some terrific before and after ebay layout examples provided by As Was, take a look at their portfolio pages. Even if you're not ready to invest in an extreme ebay makeover, chances are you'll pick up a tip or two that you can put into practice in your own ebay business. Please feel free to leave a comment here about something you learned and put into practice in your listings and how it worked for you.