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When listing an item should I...

put more, or less, info in the "item description" area?  Does this help or hurt in searches?  Is it basically like a "tag word"... and it will pull up my listing if someone types it into their search?!  I'm still a big rookie at selling and am trying to figure it all out.  Or, does it hurt me because they HAVE to type in that word in order to pull up my item?!  I see that some sellers have TONS in the "item description" box and some have almost nothing.  Just wondering if there's a strategy here...  🙂

Message 1 of 81
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When listing an item should I...

The description area is for BUYERS, generally speaking the more information you include the more likely you will make a sale.

 

There are limits of course, a giant wall of text, much of it irrelevant to the specific item could be a turn off to buyers or at least make them less inclined to read the pertinent information.

 

Not many buyers use advanced search so their searches don't include the description area. eBay on the other hand may look at it and use it to place items in the "related items" section which appears when a particluar search returns a small number of results (or no results at all).

 

 

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
Message 2 of 81
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When listing an item should I...

Excellent... thanks so much!
Message 3 of 81
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When listing an item should I...

When I first began selling, I used to have a ton of stuff in the description pane--in fact, I even wrote little short stories as description.  Six years ago that worked like a charm and I got compliments along with my sales--one buyer liked my descriptions so much that she plastered them all over Facebook.  But these days, a lot of description apparently just annoys already-impatient people.  Cell phone buying has changed the marketplace completely. 

 

From my experience of the currect market (and my sales have been way off lately so you may want to take this with a grain of salt):  Most selling will take place from the title line.  Descriptions should be quite short and very clear--and buyers may never see them anyway (on cell phones, seeing the description requires an extra click that some buyers cannot be bothered to make).  Item Specifics need to be filled in wherever possible and these should repeat the information that is in your title and your description.

 

And if you do all that.....guess what?  Your buyer may still not get the relevant information.  (Happened to me last week--even though I had listed the size of a bandana in no less than 3 places in the listing, the buyer didn't catch on.)

 

The important thing to take away is this:  do your best and see what happens.  You can always adjust and make changes if your items fail to sell.  And you're doing the right thing to ask for help from experienced buyers--that shows a determination to succeed.

 

One more thing--keep any sales chatter (requirements for payment and what will happen if the buyer doesn't and so forth) in the description area to the absolute minimum because it can drive buyers away.

Message 4 of 81
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When listing an item should I...

This is such great info... thank you! I was just putting a few words in the description... like brand, material and size. As for the "sales chatter"... I totally get that! I try to keep it brief... mostly I talk about shipping... because I want people to know that I am NOT trying to make money off shipping. I'm basically encouraging them to add on BIN items because I will shove anything (without damaging it) in a flat rate box! lol.
Message 5 of 81
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When listing an item should I...

Regular basic search doesn't look at your Description text at all.  That's why a good title is important.  

 

The nature of your Description depends a lot on what you're selling.  The Description for a collectible will have a different tone than one for clothing, which in turn will be different than for car parts.

Message 6 of 81
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When listing an item should I...

Glad to help.  When talking about shipping and such in the description, remember the old saying "least said soonest mended"--in other words, don't give away your strategy to the buyer; the less they know about some matters, the less they are gonna think about it and that helps keep you safe.

 

One way I learned about good listing practices was to examine listings by sellers I liked to buy from.  There's one that I call my "hero seller" because his business model is a thing of beauty--he never explained it to me; I learned by checking his listings every day for weeks and months.  He taught me so much about selling just by  doing things the right way in his listings.  Years later, I still check his listings weekly (often daily) even when I'm not planning on buying.  Find a seller who is an inspiration and quietly watch what they do; you'd be surprised what great tips you pick up.

Message 7 of 81
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When listing an item should I...

Shipping is the hardest part of selling,but most of what you want the buyer to know is covered by eBay standards and by the information you put into the Sell Your Item Form.

 

The main point is not to be negative.

Nothing will ever go wrong with your transactions because you picture clearly, describe accurately, have friendly Terms of Sale , and communicate politely with your customers.

 

Two ToS I particularly dislike are No Returns (because you have to do refunds so why argue)

Message 8 of 81
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When listing an item should I...

Great advice! I absolutely see what you're saying about giving away too much info (in a sense). I've already eaten it (ack!) on some of the shipping I originally quoted. You're right... I'm sure the less said, the better. And, I'll do that.. find someone I adore on here, and learn from them! 🙂 Thanks!
Message 9 of 81
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When listing an item should I...

Your shipping might work better if you set up calculated shipping.  When you set up  a flat rate for Priority Mail, you're inevitably undercharging some buyers and/or overcharging others.  You can set also up combined-shipping rules in your Site preferences.

Message 10 of 81
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When listing an item should I...

I'm confused on overcharging... because... the I was thinking the cheapest way I can send any scrapbooking embellishment (for example) which I'm putting in padded envelopes, is $3. (because you really have to do it with tracking... as other sellers were telling me). Then I stuff a bunch of free stuff in there 😉 Is there a cheaper way?

But aside from that... I'm confused about how to do calculated shipping... how do I figure in the weight of the box I will put it in if I don't know how many items they will be buying, and hence, stuffing into one box?
Message 11 of 81
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When listing an item should I...

and ps... I'm taking the "flat rate box" stuff off my listings. As someone mentioned above, the less I say might be the wisest way to go. I still WILL try to stuff as much as I can in a box though. Like... one gal bought a bunch of supplies from me yesterday... and her shipping came to $37! I fit it all in a medium flat rate box ($13) and sent her back $24. 🙂
Message 12 of 81
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When listing an item should I...

Hi, I just looked at your active listings and I see 77 items WITH NO PICTURES for any? You are not going to sell much of anything without pictures. You may want to check into this.

Message 13 of 81
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When listing an item should I...


@ekmadonna wrote:

Hi, I just looked at your active listings and I see 77 items WITH NO PICTURES for any? You are not going to sell much of anything without pictures. You may want to check into this.


What are you talking about? There are plenty of pictures...

Message 14 of 81
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When listing an item should I...

no, there are lots of pics. Don't scare me! I've spent hours taking pics! lol ;0
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