Chapter 1. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Do s and Don ts for Effective Auction Listings

Chapter 1. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Do's and Don'ts for Effective Auction Listings

This book is all about creating better-looking eBay auction listings. Looks are important, because the better-looking your listings, the more effective they'll beyou'll attract more potential buyers and get them to bid more aggressively. It's not that you can't sell items with plain-looking listings, it's that you'll have better luck if your listings look more attractive and more professional.

Have you ever been online shopping and visited a new website that looked garish and unprofessional? How did you feel about purchasing something from that site? Not too confident, I bet.

And have you ever been online shopping and visited a new website that was well-designed and very professional-looking? How did you feel about purchasing something from that site? Fairly confident, I'd wager.

You see, a well-designed website or web page tells you something, at least on an unconscious level, about the person or store doing the selling. A cheap-looking site makes you wonder about the reliability of the merchant. A professionally designed, easy-to-navigate site makes you more confident about placing your order. Maybe both merchants are equally solid, but the one that looks more solid will get your order, all other things being equal.

It's the same thing in the world of eBay auctions. A well-designed, visually appealing auction listing not only attracts more buyers, it makes them feel more confident about buying from you. A poorly designed listing will turn off some potential buyers. Since you never want to turn away any potential business, you want your listings to do as effective a sales job as possible.

All of which means that you need to design the look of your listings with every bit as much care as you choose the products that you sell. The better the job you do, the more successful auctions you'll have.