Creating Better-Looking Item Listings

Now it's time for the fun stuffmaking your item listings look more attractive. Yes, we're talking style over substance, but style draws the eyeballs. So let's look at the various ways you can make your listings stand out from eBay's standard plain-text listings.

Note

The single most effective way to improve your item listings is to include a photograph of the item for sale. This is such an important step that I've devoted an entire chapter to the process. Turn to Chapter 23, "Displaying More Powerful Photographs," to learn more.

eBay's Listing Designer

We'll start with the listing templates that are available with eBay's Listing Designer. As you can see in Figure 22.1, Listing Designer is available to all users from the basic listing creation formproviding you pay the extra $0.10 per listing to use it.

Figure 22.1. Any seller can use eBay's Listing Designer to choose a template for an item listing.

Listing Designer provides several hundred predesigned templates, which eBay calls themes. You choose a theme from the list and then choose a related picture layout. Listing Designer is easy to use and requires no additional software or ongoing subscription.

eBay Turbo Lister

The same themes that are available in Listing Designer are also available in eBay's Turbo Lister bulk listing software (pages.ebay.com/turbo_lister/). You choose your template on the Design Your Listing screen, shown in Figure 22.2. As you learned in Chapter 19, "Automating Auction Management," Turbo Lister is available free of chargemaking it the listing creation software of choice for cost-conscious sellers.

Figure 22.2. Apply a theme to all your bulk listings with eBay Turbo Lister.

Downloadable Listing Templates

If you place a lot of listings, eBay's $0.10 Listing Designer fee can start to add up. Fortunately, lots of free auction templates are available for use; it's always good when you can cut your auction costs. (There are also several sites that offer templates for sale, which are also worth checking out.)

Most of these templates work by asking for specific input and then let you choose from a number of colors and designs. This generates a batch of HTML code, which you copy from the template site into eBay's standard listing creation form (using the Enter Your Own HTML tab). Other sites have pre-designed template code you can download to your own computer. The results are similar.

Here are some of the most popular of these auction template sites:

• Alou Web Design (www.alouwebdesign.ca/free-ebay-templates.htm)

• Antique-Central eZ Auction Template (www.antique-central.com/eztemplate.html)

• Auction AD Creator (www.auctionlotwatch.co.uk/auctionadcreator.html)

• Auction Insights (www.auctioninsights.info/templates/)

• Auction Riches Free Auction Ad Creator (www.auctionriches.com/freead/create.pl)

• Auction Template Central (www.auctiontemplatecentral.com)

• Bay Dream Design (www.bay-dream.com)

• Auction Writer (www.auctionwriter.com)

• AuctionFlash (www.auctionflash.com)

• AuctionSpice (www.auctionspice.com)

• AuctionSupplies.com Free Auction Templates (auctionsupplies.com/templates/)

• BiggerBids (www.biggerbids.com)

• Birddogs Garage (www.birddogsgarage.com)

• DeadZoom (www.deadzoom.com/auction-template/)

• DeSa C.S. (www.desacs.com)

• Free Auction Help (www.freeauctionhelp.com/free_auction_template.htm)

• K&D Web Page Design (www.kdwebpagedesign.com)

• ListTailor (www.listtailor.com/quickstart.html)

• Nucite Auction Templates (members.nucite.com)

• RobsHelp.com FreeForm Builer (www.robshelp.com)

• SaverSites (www.saversites.com/services_ebay_auction_templates.htm)

• Two Wizards Designs (www.2wiz.net/dtemplates1.shtml)

• The Ultimate eBay Resource (www.sellingonebay.info/templates.html)

• Wizard's Free Auction Template Creation Form (www.ambassadorboard.net/hosting/free-form.php)

• Xample.net Auction Templates (www.xample.net/templates.htm)

• Woo Woo Designs (www.woowoodesigns.com)

Third-Party Listing Tools

Back in Chapter 19, we talked about third-party bulk listing tools. Most of these third-party tools also help you create fancy-looking listings, using a variety of predesigned templates.

Most of these tools work in a similar fashion. You go to a particular web page or program screen, select a template from a list, choose available layout options, and then enter your normal listing title and description. You'll see a preview of what your listing will look like; if you like the way it looks, click a button to post the listing on the eBay site and start your auction.

Here are some of the most popular of these third-party listing-creation tools:

• Ándale Lister (www.andale.com)

• Auction Hawk (www.auctionhawk.com)

• Auction Lizard (www.auction-lizard.com)

• Auction Wizard 2000 (www.auctionwizard2000.com)

• AuctionSage (www.auctionsage.com)

• AuctionTamer (www.auctiontamer.com)

• Auctiva (www.auctiva.com)

• ChannelAdvisor Pro (www.channeladvisor.com)

• eBay Blackthorne Basic (pages.ebay.com/blackthorne/basic.html)

• eBay Blackthorne Pro (pages.ebay.com/blackthorne/pro.html)

• eBay Turbo Lister (pages.ebay.com/turbo_lister/)

• inkFrog (www.inkfrog.com)

• Vendio (www.vendio.com)

Note

Want to learn more about creating your own auction templates? Then check out my companion book, eBay Auction Template Starter Kit (Que, 2006), which offers advice and instruction for choosing third-party listing templates or building your own templates from scratch, using HTML. The book even comes with a free CD chock-full of free auction templates, that you can use in your own eBay auctions.