Selling Yourself on eBay - Standing Out from the Crowd - By Charles Hammer

You can find almost anything you want on eBay. Without a doubt the vast variety of items on sale on eBay is a boon for buyers and sellers alike. However, the eBay's huge and ever growing product base presents problems for both those looking to buy and those trying to sell: How can a buyer find just the right merchandise? More importantly for you the seller, how do you set yourself apart from all the other eBay merchants who may be selling pretty much the same thing you are? Two of the best and, after a few tips, the easiest ways to help your merchandise stand out from the crowd are an informative description and a few well taken pictures.

eBay has upgrades such as gallery posting, purchasing keywords and highlighting which can be useful in many ways. Some of the tools will help your text achieve a higher board placement and others will make the copy more eye catching. All of these options may be of little value if the description you have written doesn't transform your potential customer into a buying customer. The best way to write an ad is to approach it from the buyer's point of view. What does he/she want to know about the item up for auction? Write down the key selling points for your item and list them in order of importance; then write your description based on this chronological order. Use specific, descriptive language that doesn't promise more than the merchandise can delivery. It's not necessary to use gushy, exciting words like great or fantastic that don't add real meaning to the copy. Remember, too, that method of payment and shipping are extremely important to many buyers. Maintain an open, professional tone when describing your terms. Obviously, some rules are always necessary and should be clearly stated. However, placing too many restrictions on your customers and phrasing them in an unfriendly way can lose business.

When it comes to pictures again think of your ad from your customer's point of view. Do you want to buy something you haven't seen? Many people perusing eBay don't even open ads that don't have pictures. You will need access to a digital camera. It doesn't have to be expensive, just capable of taking good pictures. Your pictures don't need to be art. They need to be like your written ad; that is, informative. Snap the picture in front of a harmonizing background. If the size of the item is important, you may want to include a standard size item in the photograph to give the buyer something to which he/she can relate. Make sure the color in the photograph truly represents the color of the merchandise. Get close enough to see the detail on the item. Be sure to include pictures of any identifying or verifying marks. Again, make sure your photographs are an honest depiction of how the product will look when it is received.

Once you have written a compelling ad for your item and taken a few clear pictures it's time to post your ad. Good copy and a good picture don't guarantee sales success. They do, however, greatly increase the odds that your product will find its new home.

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