EBay Strategies - the Auction Title

With new software tools and auction options in place, there is a myriad of avenues in which potential buyers can find your goods posted on eBay. Home Page Featured, eBay Stores, Fixed-Price auctions, even dedicated storefronts used by 3rd-party developers such as ChannelAdvisor and MarketWorks.

Keeping all of these options in mind, there is still the old adage to remember: the more things change, the more they stay the same. This is applicable by the fact that there has been one universal constant from the early eBay days to present time that is the key feature to draw in new buyers: the item title. The item title should be clear, concise, descriptive, bulging with keywords, and all within the short 55-character space provided.

This begs the question, though - which is more important: the title or the description?

Well, in my opinion, they each share a different level of importance, but if I was going to pick one over the other, I would choose the auction title.

The description should serve to answer any and all potential buyer's questions - particularly in the used goods market. Condition, usage, accessories included, features, etc - these should all be here. If that information is lacking, then two things will happen. One, you will receive a flood of e-mail inquiries requesting the information necessary for a smart buy... and second, you'll be turning away a host of potential bidders that don't want to bother requesting information and waiting for a reply... especially when they can purchase from your competitors right away.

Even with the best descriptions, an auction needs to be found to be read. It is for this reason that a proper item title is necessary and vital to the success of an auction.

Searchable keywords are the foundation for a good title. For instance, to enter the market of advanced computers - if I had a tape drive on my hand, it would serve me well to have as many features and specifications about the drive as possible in my title.

"HP External Tape Drive - DLT" might pop up under more generic searches, but it would get lost in the hundreds of competing devices. Anyone performing searches for more specific needs would never see your auction at all.

"HP Surestore C5726A 40/80 DLT DLT8000 Ext Drive, DIFF" would be a much better title. This would show up under even the most comprehensive of searches. Buyers looking for a "DIFF DLT8000 Drive" or "Surestore C5726A" would find it easily - and the more detailed the search is that brings up your product, the fewer competing products will show up in the results.

There are countless features and strategies to successfully sell on eBay, but the most important: a proper title, has never changed.