eBay Selling Tips

General
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Thought some of you would like to share your eBay listing tips for all of us as well as new sellers.

I’ll start…

KEYWORDS and FEATURED PICTURE.

For many buyers this is all they notice so best spend most your time on that.

You could create a title like “1st edition base charizard…” with a pic of a PSA 10 example and you would get tons of bids even though the remainder of the title reads “…child’s removable tattoo only” and your description would elaborate it was for a TATTOO ONLY. You would still get bids.

Now I’m not saying this so someone uses the info to deceive others. I’m simply exaggerating the point to emphasize the importance of KEYWORDS and FEATURED PICTURE. MANY don’t read beyond their search words and look at only the first picture. So catch their attention there…cause that may be as far as they trod;)

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Good tips. I’m curious to get people’s thoughts on detailed descriptions - I’ve seen some listings that “sell” the product with a bunch of text and different font colors and other listings only plainly state what the listing is for.
What do people thing performs better?

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My personal style (keep in mind I’m nowhere near a high-volume seller)

  • A clear, well-lit picture or scan of the card. This is what people see and makes them click. I want my listings to look professional and my cards to look just as good. I personally consider my $100 Epson V37 Scanner an amazing investment for both showing off my collection and scanning for eBay.

  • A keyword-packed title that includes the card condition. I figure throw everything in there as long as it’s relevant. A sample from one of my listings is this: PSA 10 GEM MINT Zekrom Full Art 114/114 Black & White Holo Pokemon Card - I’ve listed the condition, card name, set name, card number, and any other identifiers buyers might use to search. I think using things like “no charizard first edition gold star shining” is despicable and you should be banned from eBay if you do.

  • A simple description that answers common questions. I always state the buyer will receive the pictured card, if it’s a lot I state that it’s not a random lot and all cards pictured will be received by the buyer. I also answer common questions about shipping and tracking.

Some more advanced stuff:

  • Make a template listing and use it for all your listings. These things are fantastic, you can set your international and domestic shipping prices, auction start prices and length, and even have a preset description that you can edit simply.

  • End auctions in the afternoon on the weekends. Think anyone is going to be sniping your item that ends at 11:32 on Tuesday morning? Nope…

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Quick example.

Everything that @fourthstartcg said must strictly apply to sell quick and easy.

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I personally leave condition out of the title, but make sure its very visible in the description and the photo

my thoughts are that if someone is looking for a mint card, and mine is NM, they will automatically skip over my listing, but if he has to enter your listing to find the condition hes more likely to compromise on the condition once he sees how good my NM looks

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Most of the main points have been raised above. Gary’s is very important and true.

Main things for me:
Again, I’m not a high quantity seller, but I’ve done alot of html work.

  1. Front and back pictures of the card. This stops arguments about condition usually.
  2. Multiple photos different angles.
  3. Clear shipping, payment, condition, and returns policy in description.( even though no returns never applies on ebay)

Advanced things you can do on ebay:

  1. Sliding jquery banners
  2. Import autoloading YouTube videos.
  3. Dynamic html templates, with working tabs and enlarged photographs.
  4. Edm options.
  5. Digital marketing to direct traffic.
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Everyone thus far has brought up some GREAT TIPS! I’ll start off by listing a few key points (most of which are already here):

NOTE: I am an eBay Store Seller. The majority of my listings are Pokemon BIN - that is what I will focus on in this “guide”.

1.) PICTURES - By far the most important piece of information… Personally, I use a Nikon Coolpix L310 Digital Camera. If using a digital camera, make sure your photographs are FOCUSED! Nothing is worse than a seller posting “fuzzy” pictures that are near-impossible to see. Additionally, photograph items on a solid-color surface (recommend black or white). Finally, DO NOT photograph items on a messy table/floor and/or in your hand. Nobody wants to see your dirty laundry or kitchen plates. Personally, I use a black poster-board for all BIN Listings. Regardless, whether you’re using a digital camera or scanner; INCLUDE FRONT AND BACK IMAGES!

As a side note; for sellers with an eBay Store and/or many BIN Listings, remember consistency… If you start-off posting pictures with a black-surface background, continue using that same black-surface background throughout all your BIN Listings - Just my Two-Cents

2.) ITEM TITLE - Second most important piece of information… Like others have mentioned, include keywords within your Item Title: “Pokemon”, “Set Name”, “Card Type”, “Card Name”, “Card Number”… Here is an example from my eBay Store:

Pokemon Gym Challenge Set RARE Brock’s Dugtrio 22/132 - NM/M Condition

The alternating red/blue text are pieces of information that I consider ESSENTIAL for all eBay Listings. It might seem silly to include “HOLO”, “RARE”, “UN-COMMON”, “COMMON”… However, it is not. You couldn’t imagine how many of my eBay Messages read: “Is this card Holo?” Despite the Item Title, Item Description, and Picture all pointing to this fact.

The green text (card condition) is something that I’ve gone back-and-forth with for awhile… On the one hand, a lot of people on eBay base their purchase off the Item Title and Picture almost solely - not even viewing an item without condition in the Item Title. On the other hand, some people may be turned off immediately by a “poor” condition- not even clicking to view your item and eBay Store. I’ve opted to include condition for the simple fact that I have many of the same cards in “MINT”, “NM/M”, and “E.X.” - makes shipping process easier.

3.) Description - Third most important aspect… A “short” vs. “long” Item Description is really up to the seller. I have tried both with little or no effect in terms of final pricing - just my experience. I have opted to use the “short” Item Description, re-emphasizing Item Title. Similar to Pictures, consistency is important and in the case of Description - SAVES TIME. Here is an example from my Store (better with color/fonts):

This “Buy it Now” is for the Following:

Pokemon Set: Unlimited Base Set 1
Card Name & Number: Nidoking 11/102
Condition: Excellent PLUS Condition
*** YOU ARE PURCHASING EXACT CARD PICTURED ***

:thinking: ANY ?'s PLEASE ASK :thinking:
!!! VISIT MY eBay STORE FOR MORE GREAT DEALS !!!

Grading Scale:
Mint: Nearly Flawless - Very Slight (If Any) ImperfectionsNear Mint: Some Light Edge-Wear and/or ScuffsExcellent: Scratches and/or Edge-Wear becoming ProminentPlayed: Prominent Scratches and Edge-Wear - May have Bend(s)

Here comes the “controversial” portion… I do not include information such as: “About Me”, “Shipping”, and/or “Refunds” - my Two-Cents. Simply find this information to be “clutter” that nobody reads anyway (you’ll still get questions on: shipping and refunds).

4.) Pricing - Before listing items on eBay, do your research. See what cards are currently listed for on eBay and what they’ve sold for. You don’t have to be the lowest price on eBay; however, don’t be the seller who’s 100x higher than everyone else.

I would also recommend placing a “Best Offer” on EVERYTHING - even if your BIN Price is really your best price - this gets people’s attention. In terms of auto-decline vs. normal; I personally do not like auto-decline. As a second part to this, counter-offer EVERYTHING (unless you’re willing to accept that offer of course). Trust me, I know how annoying people on eBay can be: offering $0.99 on a $10,000.00 item (pretty extreme example - I know haha). In any case, I have found that this can lead to actual sales - some people are just trying to get the best deal possible and “low-balling” you not in hopes to get that item for $0.99, but to see what you’re willing to accept.

Finally, the good-ol’ auto-decline option… This is the WORST PART ABOUT eBay! NEVER, EVER, EVER use this option! The main argument against my philosophy is that you’ll be flooded with “stupid offers” - which I’ll agree to in some extent. However, unless you’re a massive seller on eBay with thousands of items listed, you won’t be overwhelmed. I currently have 400 items listed on eBay (all BIN/OBO). On average, I’m only getting 30-50 messages per day (more than manageable).

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Sorry for the length, kind of rambled on for awhile there… haha

If anyone has any questions and/or is new to eBay and needs advice, feel free to get in contact with me. I love offering advice and helping out new sellers!

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Well done brother:)
You’re getting 30-50 messages a day? Dang…I couldn’t handle half that many.

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Good points!

Words in your description i.e. not in your title can be searched for when a buyer enters a search phrase so you don’t need to put: Pokemon card Rapidash Fire PSA 10? BGS GEM MINT? Not 1st edition Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur etc…

You don’t need a fancy description setup to sell cards, you only need three things: Good pictures, consistent grade that compliments pictures and competitive price. Anything else is extrasensory; if there was a hierarchy of steps for a sale I would put them as this:

  1. Price - Majority of people will buy the cheapest card in conjunction with:
  2. Condition - Pictures plus your accurate grade (Two identical mint cards are for sale one is $2 cheaper which do you buy?)
  3. Feedback rating/newbie rating - This can be a determining factor where buyers might pay that higher price if one seller is more established and “safe”,
  4. Extra - Any extra sales pitch in the description

Factor in “lost” or “hasn’t arrived” sales, in Australia the cheapest you can send a card with tracking is $4.80 and without is $1, internationally $14.80 for tracking and $1.80 to $2.75 without. You will sell a lot more cards without tracking but need to factor in mysterious lost packages.

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Thanks!
Yes, majority of those being Best Offers… It’s not bad actually; one of the perks about the Merchant Marine… I’m home for 3-4 months with nothing better to do during the week than sitting at my computer drinking Bud, watching YouTube, and refreshing My eBay haha

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I petsonally hate auto YouTube videos. If i wanted to watch YouTube id go to the site

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Im the same, it actually deters me from buying someones item, i once opened 5 items in 5 tabs of a seller with an auto loading youtube vid and had to immediately close the tabs due to lag and out of annoyance

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Lol exactly! Why I removed them from my listing’s hahaha.

It just keeps repeating the sounds every time you loadup a new page To view. Haha.

I think I only have one old listing with a YouTube pokemon lavender theme song now. Will not put onto single auctions ever.

And if I did put, it would be for video games to show the old advert or gameplay, as a clickable link. Not autoplay.

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Another protip from the buyer’s perspective: in terms of card pictures, I vastly prefer a dark background (usually black) as opposed to a white one. It sucks because edgewear particularly on the back of Pokemon cards is white, and having a white background makes it pratically impossible to see. It’s also unfortunate that scanned cards usually have white backgrounds because it doesnt matter if the image is a bazillion DPI if I cant tell where the card ends and the background begins. The more contrast between the two, the better.

:blush:

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Selling pro tips:

  1. If you NEED to get a certain amount for an item, and are not willing to take any less, boy are you in luck! eBay has not only one, but TWO options to ensure you get the proper amount for your item. YOU READ THAT RIGHT! TWO OPTIONS! You can either list it as an auction for the starting bid of that minimum amount, OR start and auction at any amount and use a RESERVE PRICE.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!

eBay has widespread fame as an auction site, but also offers buy it now options! You can also achieve your goal one of TWO MORE WAYS utilizing the buy it now function. You can either set your buy it now at your minimum price, if you are really in a pinch and need to move it quick. Or you can list it for any amount over that with a best offer option. You may get lucky and have an antsy buyer pay 10-20% or more above your minimum.

  1. Actually ship in the handling time you state. It is frustrating as a buyer to see a label printed and get a tracking number only to see the item not scanned in for another week. Life happens sometimes and I as a seller know this. When it happens and a delay has to occur, don’t be afraid to toss in an extra little goody and send a message alerting the buyer of the slight delay. I sell codes on eBay and state a 24 hour delivery. Most times I succeed, but whenever I fail I am sure to throw in an extra booster pack code or something.

Buyer tips:

  1. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read the entire title, look at the photos and read the description before making a purchase. Please also do this before sending a message. There is a reason the “ask seller a question” button resides below the description of the item. Only after reading the listing should you ask a question. Roughly 80% of the questions I get are answered by reading the listing. I usually tend to block these buyers as someone who can’t read the listing too often turns into someone who leaves neutral or negative feedback for bogus reasons and without contacting me first.

  2. DO NOT buy an item that has an option for retail ground shipping (2-8 business days) as well as first class at only $2 more (1-3 business days) and then say I need this by “XXXXX” date. Too many buyers feel entitled to getting their items in 3-4 days when there is clearly an option that guarantees (or at least improves odds) of getting it in that time, but instead of paying the $2 they opt for retail ground and at checkout say (I am returning this if it doesn’t get here by Saturday, or leaving a negative etc.)

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