When it comes down to it, the success or failure of an Ebay auction often rests upon its listing. Creating effective and appropriate listing content may seem frivolous or boring, however, it really is essential in connecting potential customers to your product. Your sales depend upon the time and effort you invest in marketing your product. When you are selling on Ebay, "marketing" largely becomes "listing strategies."

One effective method is to create multiple auctions for spelling variations. Let's face it, many people either don't know how to spell or suffer the occasional typo. By listing with alternate spellings, you eliminate that as a factor separating you from your customer. For example, lacrosse equipment could be permutated into, "la crosse," "lax," lacross," etc. List several to reach the widest viewership. Beyond that, many items may have grammatically correct but varied ways of spelling. Therefore, if you have multiple quantities of the same item for sale, it may be effective to list all of them separately with varied spellings.

Before anything else, you will want to prune that listing title into something concise and informative. Avoid using useless adjectives such as "AMAZING," and interjections like "WOW." None of those are effective, and no one enters those terms when searching. They are simply a waste of valuable space. You only have 55 characters, so make them count. Imagine what people would type when searching for your item. Stick to targeted keywords that will connect you to the proper audience.

Your listing's item description is also important and should similarly include appropriate keywords, since some users search by description. At the same time, though, creating easy to read and engaging text is essential. Buyers obviously want to be as well informed about something as possible before they pay for it. Your description needs to be as thorough if you want to lock up that potential sale. In fact, it's better to include way too much information rather than not enough. Buyers hate having to ask questions about an item they are interested in. They'll usually just move on to the next auction.

You don't have to be an expert copy-writer to compose an item description that will persuade potential customers to buy your product. But there are a few things to remember. Breaking up your text into small, easily digestible paragraphs is softer on the eyes and allows the reader to scan. Also, be sure to avoid a detached, business-talk tone. Write in a conversational manner that readers can relate to and quickly understand.

Finally, consider using color and graphics. Don't go overboard, be sparing and tasteful, but at the same time avoid a monotonous and binary look. As always, less is more when creating a visual scheme. Stick to primary colors and professional looking graphics.

Ebay auctions should be treated just like any other online marketing venture. They require careful attention and effort if you want to generate serious profits. By bearing the aforementioned factors in mind as a starting point, you can move forward in continuing to optimize your Ebay auctions and online success.

Cameron Ashwood is an Associate Partner at http://www.MadisonandMonroe.org: the most trusted guide to online moneymaking.

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