How to Attract More Traffic to EBay Listings

One of the first steps to becoming a successful eBay seller is to attract viewers to your listing. Getting people to look at your item who normally would pass over it greatly increases your odds of a sale. For example, let's say 100 people are searching for a watch on eBay. 50 of them are not looking for something specific, while the other 50 know exactly what they want. Already, that is an excellent business opportunity. Out of every 50 people looking for a specific watch, maybe 1 one of them will be interested in what you have for sale. However, out of the other 50 people who are looking for a non-specific watch, maybe 25 of them will be interested in what you have.

So, if you can get buyers who are looking for a non-specific watch reading your listing, you automatically increase your potential sale percentage. It basically is the same idea as a garage sale. People don't usually look for something specific at a yard sale, but instead look for something non-specific in the hopes of finding something they want or need. In general, most buyers on eBay aren't looking for something specific. Regardless what they are looking for, get them to look at your listing, and you have the advantage over other sellers. In the next slide, I will show you the easiest way to do just that...

The fact is, the only way to buy on eBay is by searching for the item you want. People use different keywords to find items they want without even realizing it. For example, if I wanted to buy a sports car, I could search " fast green hot rod" or I could also search " classic mustang". Those are all example of keywords. The trick is to find what the keywords are for the item you are selling.

A great way to find popular keywords is to use a search engine. You could use Google, or even the built in search on eBay. For example, typing "mustang" into the eBay search gives me these suggestions: "ford mustang", "mustang fastback" "1969 mustang", and "mustang parts". These are all examples of popular keywords that if utilized in the title of my listing, would greatly increase the listing page views. As I said earlier, it only makes sense that "more views=more sales".

Another way to find eBay keywords is by using the eBay Research Labs website (http://apps.ebay.com/roversync/selling?ViewEAppDetails&stab=1&mId=744&appType=1&appId=titlebuilder.terapeak.com). You simply enter the name of a item, then eBay automatically gives you keywords that buyers often type before they buy an item. This method requires you to sign into your eBay account before you can use it, but it is the best way to find popular keywords that I have found.

It is always a good idea to check your competition before listing an item on eBay. For example, if you wanted to sell your 1947 baseball card for $50, but someone was already selling the same item for $25, you would most likely not be able to make your sale. (this rule is true UNLESS someone else's item is in a different condition than you item) Always check what the lowest price is being offered for your item before deciding the price. You can usually make an easy sale if you sell your item 15% below the price of your competition. Generally, it is best to set your price 5-10% lower than your competition

Another thing is to check the "supply and demand" of an item. If there is 3 million items exactly like yours but none of them seem to be selling, it is probably best not to sell the item on eBay. (Again, this rule is true UNLESS your item has something that the competition does not offer. Your item might be better quality, or faster, or cheaper than the competition. If that is the case, the rule does not apply) This also works in the reverse sense that if there is not one item like yours already for sale, any buyer looking for your item has no other choice but to buy yours.

eBay has a feature where you can search for only completed listings. Under this features, you can browse through every eBay listing since the site's beginning. You can see which items sold for what price, and what keywords were used. Also, checking the completed items' page views can give you a sense of its popularity. If you find a listing with many page views, consider selling your items with the same title/description/price.

A popular debate among eBayers is whether auctions or buy-it-now listings give the best results. My personal opinion is that both have their strengths and weaknesses. An auction can sometimes create a "bidding war" in which bidders attempting to win the item instead increase the items' price to beyond its original value. However, auctions cannot be cancelled once there is a bid, and sometimes auctions sell far below the item's value. Starting auctions at a good time is crucial (many websites list good times for auction starting and ending times. check them out). Buy-it-nows are also popular because the price never fluctuates, so the buyer always knows how much he will make for the listing. Also, B.I.N listings generally end quicker than auctions,

Thanks for reading this instructable. I hope this was helpful to you.