Increase Your Percentage of Sales and Profit Margin on Ebay with the Right Title

It seems everyone is EBaying these days, from college students to stay-at-home parents, from Grandma to the electronics outlet downtown. When selling on EBay, nothing is more important than your Title. These 55 characters are what brings potential customers to your item, or makes them pass it by and purchase a competing EBayer's item. These 10 simple tips will help you create more effective EBay titles.

· Don't add special characters (# & * L@@k $$$ !!!) Nobody will search for a symbol. If a buyer is looking for a specific item, i.e. - red kitchen towels, they will type 'red kitchen towel' in the search box, not L@@K, or some other unrelated special symbol. Use of these symbols wastes your most valuable EBay real-estate.

· Don't worry about proper grammar and punctuation in the title. Words like - and, of, the, a, or etc... can often be skipped. Punctuation only takes up valuable space in the title that could be used for words. Most potential buyers aren't typing in a complete sentence when searching for an item.

· Use synonyms (def - words that mean the same or similar) for example - denim, Levi, jean, blue, pant, etc... Also use common abbreviations for your item, when applicable. Someone might type in the whole, complete name, while other shoppers may only type the common abbreviation for your item. If both the full name and abbreviation are commonly used, you might want to include both in your title, if you have room.

· Spell-check - there isn't a spell check on EBay for the title line. You can write your title on a word processing program and cut/paste it of just be very careful of your spelling. Many Ebayers prowl for misspelled titles to buy, and then resell at a profit. There are many free online tools and websites that specialize in just finding misspelled eBay titles.

· Use variations of size when applicable. For example if your item is size small, you can use 'small, sm, s, sml' - jeans can be sized 32x30 and you might include 32x30, 30, 32, 30L, 32W. Always be selective when adding variations of your size and do a little looking to see the most common sizing used.

· Avoid short titles. The EBay title is your prime real-estate. Your use of these 55 character spaces can make or break your sale. By using the right keywords for your specific item you can get two or three times the average sales price of a poorly marketed, like item.

· Don't use misleading wording meant to attract buyers. This doesn't increase you final sales price, frustrates eBay shoppers, and is against eBay policy. EBay can suspend or cancel your account privileges for breaking regulations. Adding popular search words that are not related to your item is keyword spamming and is against eBay rules. IE - iphone, Xbox 360, tickle-me-Elmo - were added to hundreds of items that were completely unrelated during the hype of those items. EBay ends these auctions when caught and this can result in loss of selling privileges.

· Be selective when using subtitles. For inexpensive, common place items, there isn't any monetary gain for using a subtitle. If you are selling a DVD of movie XYZ, that will be one of several already listed identical, commonly known movies, don't use a subtitle. Using a subtitle in this scenario gives eBay more of your profit, and doesn't increase your final sales price. However, if you are running a sale, or want to promote your other items for sale, the subtitle is great for advertising. (i.e. - Free Shipping, Multi-purchase discounts, other like items available) Also, the subtitle is great for unique or higher priced items. Use this extra line for important details or special features of your item, and mention any included bonuses or extras.

· Be creative in your title. For example - you are selling a common DVD movie, with a short title. It happens to be a western, about Wyatt Earp and his horses. Include words such as 'cowboy, Wyatt, Earp, horse, western' in your title. Prospective buyers looking for DVDs about horses or cowboy movies might purchase your related movie, even if they didn't have your specific title in mind.

· Don't use ALL CAPS. As with most online forums, ALL CAPS is the online equivalent to yelling. It also is more difficult to read. Do capitalize appropriate and important words in your title. Over use of caps will cause potential buyers to skip over your item, for an easier to read item.
Use these 10 eBay title tips to increase your percentage of sales and profit margin. Never underestimate the importance of a good EBay title. Spend a few minutes researching and proof-reading your titles and your sales will improve substantiall