Writing a good Title and General New Listing Questions

[sb_dog_creations]

Hello Everyone!

Although I have viewed quite a few videos on "Titles" on You Tube, I'm still not convinced I'm doing it in a way so I can reach the audience I want. I'm new to selling on here.

My questions are this:

• If I am selling a dog toy, 10 inches long, made of heavy rope, has a tennis ball on one end so the dog can play tug of war so to speak, what would make a good title for this item?
• Is there a trick to getting your listing to appear on the first page without paying an extra fee?
• Are all listings subject to showing up on a Google search, outside of eBay? I.e.: If I would do a search for dog toys made of rope, is there a chance my listing would show up?
• If I have a listing set for 10 days for example, does my listing automatically keep moving down the page as new listings are added and if so, how can I "bump" it back up to the 1st page before my listing time runs out??

All you "seasoned" eBayers out there please give me some of your advice! Thanks a million!

SB DOG CREATIONS 

[castlemagicmemories · Accepted solution]

The first four words of the title are the most important.  Use every space, and put your buying hat on...what words would you use if you were trying to find your item?  Check other listings to see what they do, check completeds and solds for info as well.

Dog Toy Ball Rope Tug Of War 10"

Your listing keeps moving down the page if someone is searching under newly listed.  You can't bump it up.

You might want to read the Selling pages on Ebay, there is an answer and a help center, and frequent this Board to learn.  You need to be familar with Ebay policies regarding selling and listing and buyer protection.  

[sb_dog_creations]

Thanks a million for the great advice!!!! It is greatly appreciated and most helpful. Thank you for taking the time to write in.
LS

[castlemagicmemories]

You are most welcome!

Your listing might show up on Google, but it could also be in a general search option pointing to Ebay, and a click on that would bring up all similar items listed on Ebay.

Fixed Price listings with immediate payment required are a good way to list to avoid non paying bidders.  Since they have to pay to buy it, the listing stays up until a buyer who will pay comes along and buys it.  Thus you don't have to deal with non paying bidders or have your item taken off the market for no reason.

[castlemagicmemories]

Your listing will appear in different places depending on the time and the search the someone uses.

Ebay's search engine also has many ways of determining your placement.

[luckythewinner]

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@sb_dog_creations wrote:
Is there a trick to getting your listing to appear on the first page without paying an extra fee 

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There is no such thing as being "on the first page".  There is only being on the first page for a specific search done by a specific user at a specific time. 

Search placement is based on hundreds of factors that change constantly. 

One way to get good placement is to be the only one selling an item that someone is searching for. 

Another way to get good placement is to have the lowest price on an item that people search for by price. 

[reallynicestamps]

Good solid advice so far.

Ther are 64,000 dog toys on eBay at the moment.

There actually may be more but those are the ones which ship to Canada, where I live.

There are 80,000 under Pet Supplies. More than there were in my first Search.

There are also over 1500 dog toys in Dolls and Bears.

The Searches are Best Match (the default) but also Newly Listed, Nearest, Price +Shipping (lowest) and Price+Shipping (highest).

Ten days? Are you using Auction?

This is not an auction item.

For the same price you can have a 30day listing at Fixed Price.

Those listings make up 85% of all listings today.

They appeal to the phone shopper, who makes up over 50% of buyers.

You set the price you want.

The buyer buys and pays.

You ship.

No waiting 10 days for the auction to end and learning you lost anyway.

List on a desktop or laptop, then look at the listing on your smartphone. You can revise until it works.

Don't worry there is a learning curve.

And consider giving your listings a boost with Free Shipping.

It's one less step for the buyer and makes impulse shopping easier.

DON'T PANIC!

Free shipping just means you include the cost of shipping in your asking price.

You have used Free Shipping , but it looks like you missed that part of the memo.

Also-- raise your prices.

If the price is low (three toys for $6 including shipping? ) then some buyers will think they are cheap and will fall apart. Perhaps even a choking hazard.

If the price is reasonable ( $9.99 each with shipping? ) the item feels like it is better quality and will attract more customers.

It's the Whole Foods strategem. Is the food more expensive? yes. Is the food better? maybe/maybe not.  Are the customers buying? darn tootin.

Are the toys made in the USA? Say so.

You can even put a little flag on the listing if you like. Don't got maga crazy about it though. Keep it tastefully patriotic.

Also mention the place of manufacture in Item Specifics.

Most people think of this as another sign of quality.

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@sb_dog_creations wrote:

• “...Is there a trick to getting your listing to appear on the first page without paying an extra fee?...”

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There’s no guarantees about listing placement in Search but Ebay is said to give priority to listings that follow its Best Practices—generous return policy, one business-day handling/shipping, expedited shipping options (see the link below for more info).

http://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/listing/create-effective-listings.html

Additionally, Ebay says they give a boost in visibility for sellers using free shipping and returns (altho i would wait to do that until you have more experience selling). Below is another link you might find helpful with additional useful tips on selling.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/seller-tips.html

As another poster mentioned, it’s very important to know the rules and policies here. Check out the ebay Help Pages for that. Good luck to you as you move forward.

[sb_dog_creations]

Thanks. Fixed price is how I've listed most things; however. I have tried an auction once. I started the lot of dog toys at a price below what I actually wanted to end up with thinking a low start price would lure buyers to bid. I ended up with only one bid.. My starting bid. Lesson learned. Any recommendations here???

[sb_dog_creations]

Thank you very much! This too, has been extremely useful. Thanks for taking the time to write in. 🙂

[jonathankirkland]

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@reallynicestamps wrote:
You set the price you want.

The buyer buys and pays.

You ship.

No waiting 10 days for the auction to end and learning you lost anyway.

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Just to clarfiy...

Buyer purchases the lot and pays. You verify you've received the payment and that it has cleared by logging in to the Paypal website, and then you ship the item.

I'm sure $10 or less dog toys would never be targetted for a scam, but I've heard of stranger things on here...

[sb_dog_creations]

AWESOME advice here!! I really appreciate the fact that you all have taken a few moments out of your day to give me some pointers here. Thank you!!!!
First, I would love to put little signs on my listings that look nice and are clearly printed. For example: 2 PACK, 4 PACK, 6 PACK, USA SELLER, WITH EXTRA CLIP, MADE IN USA, etc. I often take my own pictures for my listings, but sometimes get them off the internet if I am reselling an item.
Can you or perhaps someone else help me out with knowing where to look for these types of emblems? Of course, I'm interested in seeing different designs that I can include in my first listing picture. Any advice is appreciated on how I can find these to download them either free or at a low price. Thanks.

[castlemagicmemories]

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@sb_dog_creations wrote:
Thanks. Fixed price is how I've listed most things; however. I have tried an auction once. I started the lot of dog toys at a price below what I actually wanted to end up with thinking a low start price would lure buyers to bid. I ended up with only one bid.. My starting bid. Lesson learned. Any recommendations here???

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Never start an auction, if that is what you are running, at a price that you cannot accept. IOW do not expect bidding to drive the price up, because as you found out, it just may not be there and the item will end with just one bid.

I don't see dog toys as being an auction listings.  I would say fixed price, immediate payment required is the way to go.  

Have you checked out completed, solds, and active listings?

If there are a lot of Chinese sellers of this product, you might add USA SELLER in the title as some will only buy from a USA seller. 

Just a thought.

[castlemagicmemories]

Just take a picture of the item.  Many don't like stock pictures.

Little signs are not a good idea.  

Since Ebay did away with watermarks, sellers have asked if they could put a sign in the picture and the answer was no.  You don't want to get a listing pulled or get a selling violation.

Good Luck.

[castlemagicmemories]

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@castlemagicmemories wrote:

The first four words of the title are the most important.  Use every space, and put your buying hat on...what words would you use if you were trying to find your item?  Check other listings to see what they do, check completeds and solds for info as well.

Dog Toy Ball Rope Tug Of War 10"

Your listing keeps moving down the page if someone is searching under newly listed.  You can't bump it up.

You might want to read the Selling pages on Ebay, there is an answer and a help center, and frequent this Board to learn.  You need to be familar with Ebay policies regarding selling and listing and buyer protection.  

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Just want to add this.  While it has often been said to use all spaces in the title, some have reported success, if that does not work, by cutting DOWN the title to just a few words.