This article assumes you have become an eBay member, with an open seller account. You may have tried to sell already, but so far your responses to those auctions were poor or non-existent, and you are frustrated about the whole experience. Read on, to gain valuable advice for making better listings, to encourage more active participation, and to hopefully get higher final bids. Web Auctions can be fun, and profitable!

Auctions are for Everyone

You just want to get rid of the “dust collectors” up in the attic, or garage, or in a closet (and even sell some things for your friends & neighbors who aren’t so computer-savvy). You aren’t a business and you don’t have all the resources available like the auction professionals. How can you compete with those 400-pound gorillas?

Looking at the auction sites, you notice immediately that many listings are made by professionals. Either they have a regular existing business and are using the auctions as another way to move their inventory, or they are in business for the exclusive purpose of selling online. In recognition of that, some auction sites have set up a special section for ongoing sales enterprises; retail and wholesale and personal (eBay calls them “ebay Stores”).

What can you do to get your auctions noticed, among all the “big-boys” who are out there? How can you put together an auction that will sell? The key for you is to design an impressive presentation and give a personalized description . Auctions are for everyone ---- including you, the little guy, so don’t feel intimidated.

It’s really not a secret. Just understand what is important to the audience and learn the best ways to show your items. Some sites, such as eBay, host in-depth discussion forums you may participate in, as well as extensive help sections with many tips for improving your results.

Who Bids?

It is hard to know who will enter their bids on your auction, because essentially everyone out there is an eligible buyer. Each day, more and more people join as members (as buyers and sellers), and no end is in sight to the number of additional participants. With so many people, is there such a thing as a “typical” bidder?

In a word -- No.

Age, economics, gender, location, and many other factors are all part of the audience mix. Online auctions are so popular because there is such a wide variety of items to suit the tastes of such a wide variety of people. One can expect to find almost anything under the sun. If you browse through a site such as eBay, you will find items you never knew even existed! No matter what you want to sell, it probably fits into a category or two, or three.

There are many different impulses causing people to decide to make a bid and you must decipher various motivations in order to expand the range of buyers for your items. Put yourself in their place and try to think of reasons why you would want to purchase the item(s). Then take aim at fulfilling these desires.

Today’s online community is looking for convenience and value. If you provide both, then you will succeed in your efforts to sell. Always write your descriptions in such a way that satisfies their wants and needs. Talk to them in a way that conveys a feeling for the item. Tell how it came into your possession, why you want to sell it, what you liked about it, who it is ideal for, almost anything you can say that personalizes the item is going to be an advantage.

The Format

There are three main components of the auction format, and each one needs to be utilized properly to obtain the optimum effect and attract the most attention.

• PHOTOS
• HEADING
• DESCRIPTION

And, of course, there is also the element of PRICE.

Catch Their Eye

Gallery photos can be used to focus attention on your auction immediately. These thumbnail images appear in search result listings, and can be utilized to make your auction stand out from the rest. You don’t always want to present the full-overview of your item in the small gallery pic; sometimes a close-up or specific detail can invite viewers to click and view your auction. A bit of “mystery” in the Gallery picture can be a positive thing.

Clear photographs in the listing itself are critical. Good lighting and sharp focus help to convey the essence of your item. Since the buyer cannot touch or pick up the actual thing, you must provide a “virtual tour” of each dimension. Don’t forget to include a sense of size, perhaps by including an object that is easily recognized (a coin, for example). The more pictures, the better.

Headlines and Sub-Titles

Right at the top, tell the story. There is a limit on the number of characters you can type in one line, so perhaps you’ll wish to add a second line to further describe the auction and provide important details.

You can incorporate some common abbreviations:

• NIB (New In Box)
• N/R (No Reserve)
• BIN (Buy It Now)

Some sellers like to use ALL CAPS, while others prefer to Capitalize Each Word. It is a matter of personal choice. In general, the best headlines are a mixture of both. You may like to use a lot of !!!!Exclamation Points!!!! or use other ways to make the headline ***stand out***

This is your main introduction. This is your big chance to get buyers to click on the auction. Spend some time and devote a lot of thought on the headline: Write a few different versions (and maybe have other people in your office or home take a look at them and offer advice). No matter the style you adopt, keep the headline direct and to the point, letting the searcher know exactly what you have.

If they are interested, they will click on the auction.

It Is What It Is

Once you have gotten the potential bidder to open your auction main page (with your Stunning Gallery Photo and Punchy Headline), now there is another major task ahead of you. That’s right --- you need to describe the item in detail.

This part can make or break the auction. A good rule of thumb is to provide as much information as possible, and give the good, the bad and the ugly. Tell it like it is. Before you type up the description to post, begin with a blank wordprocessor document and put down the features, the history, the blemishes, the benefits, the uses, the unique attributes, and, yes, the problems. Add anything you can think of which aids the buyer in his/her decision-making process. Then use this document as the basis for your final description text.

Try to avoid putting the entire description into one solid block of text on the webpage. While you may wish to learn a bit of basic HTML to “spice up” the overall look of your auction, the most basic thing you can do is to put in the paragraph tag. This breaks up the text into more readable segments and allows for clearer comprehension.

Start the Bidding

Take a glance at other auctions being conducted for similar items as yours. This will give you an idea of the prices and the volume of interest (measured in actual bids or even page-views displayed at the bottom of many auctions). If a chess set you have to sell is a rare antique, it might not be such a great idea to offer it at $1.00 with no reserve. On the other hand, you don’t want to chase away people with a starting price that is too high. Let the market forces work their magic and encourage people to get involved at a level that is comfortable for them. Be realistic, be aware of what is going on with other auctions, be fair, and start the bidding at a point that is attractive and enticing to the general public.

Remember that “Buy It Now” is an option with some auctions, and if you know exactly what you want to sell something for, go ahead and place the price at this fixed mark. In general, you will find buyers using the “BIN” on an item that is a great value to them at this point and you achieve an immediate sale with no hassle, no waiting.

Go ahead, look through your closets, clean out the garage, and get up those auction listings! Everybody wins!