Photo Placement is Important on eBay

If you are using a third party service to host your eBay photos, you may want to reconsider having eBay host your photos as well. When you upload your photos directly to eBay, they appear in the top left corner as one large photo and several small thumbnail photos underneath. What you may not realize is that if your photos are hosted on another site, they will not appear until lower in the page in the description area. Buyers may not scroll down to see photos, or even realize additional photos are present in the listing if they don’t see the thumbnails at the top. This is called placing your photos above the fold.

The term “above the fold” originated in the newspaper business. It was used to describe the section of the paper that everyone saw when it was on display. Newspapers designed their papers so that the most eye catching and important headlines were easily visible.

If you pay attention to the websites of big online stores, you’ll notice that the majority of them follow this principle. They place information about specials, marketing information, and any promotions currently available at the top of their webpage – above the fold. People have learned to look in this area for important information, and their reaction is no different when they’re shopping on eBay. If photos and other information aren’t immediately visible above the fold, many potential buyers may leave your listing and not bother to look any further. Making sure your listing has a good “headline” can entice potential customers to look further at your listing and ultimately make a purchase.


More eBay Optimization Tips:

Optimize Titles with Keywords

Naming Images

Using 30 Day and GTC Listings to Appear in Google Searches

If you are not already a member of Online Selling Coach, now is the time to join! We will offer webinars on these types of topics to help you succeed on eBay and have the competitive edge.

Process for Listing, Relisting, and Marking Down eBay Items

It can be hard to know what method to use to list items on eBay and to know how long to list them. Plus, what are you supposed to do if your item doesn’t sell before your listing ends? Here is my personal process, that I have developed after 8 years of selling on eBay. It may not work for you, but this is a system I use that works. My sell through rate (on the Terapeak Seller Tab) is between 55% and 60%, so I must be doing something right.

Start by listing your item as an auction or for a fixed price for 7 days (use information from Terapeak to guide your decision). Terapeak has a chart that tells you the average price of the item on auction, or fixed price, so you can see historical data on which method brings a higher price. A 7 day listing helps you because it allows your item to come up higher in eBay searches - a lot of people sort by “ending soonest” on eBay. Also, that item has not been on eBay yet, so you may get a taker within the first week. But, don’t automatically relist your product for 7 days when the listing ends. This will only start the process of being found by search engines all over again.

If your item doesn’t sell after 7 days, try a 30 day fixed price listing for the same price. If someone is watching your item, eBay will send them an email informing them it’s been relisted. Plus, one of the benefits of a 30 days listing is that it gives search engines a chance to index your listing. There isn’t time for that when you use a 7 day listing. Don't assume your price is too high. There is nothing magical about a 7 day listing. If your item doesn't sell within 7 days, it just means the right buyer hasn't seen it yet. If you had your home on the market and didn't get an offer in 7 days, you wouldn't automatically drop the price would you? Of course not.

After your 30 day listing ends, try to list it one more time. You can also change it to “good till canceled” if you’re willing to just let it sit. If the item still hasn’t sold after 90 days, it’s time to add Best Offer to your listing. Because you’ve had the product for a while, you should consider negotiating in order to sell it. This should be your last resort though – after all, you want to make as much profit as possible.

How long should you leave an item on Good til Canceled? That is a personal decision. Much of this depends on how much profit you stand to make. Examine the number of page views on the item? Is it being looked at? If page views are very low, consider marking the item down to what you paid for it plus a small amount for fees, and move on. I personally don't like to accumulate too much inventory, especially if buyers aren't even looking at it.

Don't have Terapeak yet? Click here to get it now. A research tool is the best investment you can make in your eBay business!

eBay Marketing Strategy - Multiple Listings for the Same Item

If you are drop shipping, purchasing products wholesale, or other wise have multiples of the same exact item to sell on eBay, try this strategy.

Create multiple listings for the same items using different listing durations, keyword combinations, and even price points. Example: – if you sell an item for $12.95 with $3.95 shipping, try listing it $16.90 with free shipping. The total cost is the same, but FREE SHIPPING appeals to some buyers even if they don’t do the math! You will see other sellers doing this. Some sellers have over 20 listing for the same exact item. They create different title variations, listing types, and price points to appeal to a variety of customers.

This seller has over 5,600 listings. But that doesn't mean he has 5,600 products. I did a search for "yoga mat ball" and 71 listings in his store were returned. Click here to see them. Most of the 71 listings are for the same product. (The yoga balls differ in size, but you get the point.) This is different than creating 1 listing with multiple variations. You want to create different listings that will come up in different searches.

Now, if he is paying .20 per listing, this strategy costs him $14.70 for that one item. Consider the cost advertising fees. When looking through his feedback, I see that he sells quite a few of these yoga mat and ball sets each month. So apparently, the strategy is working.

But is it cost effective? Only you can decide that based on the fees and your profit on each item.

Related articles:

eBay Strategy - Breaking a Sales Plateau

List of 395 eBay Friendly Wholesale Suppliers

Strategy to Get Free Shipping Supplies

Upsell Strategy - Make $10 More on Each eBay Sale