Ebay Listings that Sell For Dummies. Wiley

by Marsha Collier and Patti Louise Ruby

Add Splash to Your Listings in a Flash and Fatten Your Wallet!

Getting Chummy with the Basics
Lining Your Pockets with HTML
Turning Pictures into Dollars
Advanced Applications for Your
Newfound Skills
The Part of Tens
Mechanizing Your Sales with
Third-Party Management Tools

Ebay Listings that Sell For Dummies

About the Authors
Marsha Collier spends most of her time on things related to eBay. She’s a
charter member eBay PowerSeller, as well as one of the original instructors
for eBay University. As a columnist, an author of four best-selling books on
eBay, a television and radio expert, and a lecturer, she shares her knowledge
of eBay with millions of online shoppers. Thousands of eBay fans also visit
her Web site, www.coolebaytools.com, to get Marsha’s latest insights on e-commerce.

Out of college, Marsha worked in fashion advertising for the Miami Herald
and then as special-projects manager for the Los Angeles Daily News. She also
founded a home-based advertising and marketing business. Her successful
business, the Collier Company, Inc., was featured by Entrepreneur magazine in
1986, and in 1990, Marsha’s company received the Small Business of the Year
award from her California State Assemblyman and the Northridge Chamber of Commerce.

Bargains drew Marsha to eBay in 1996, but profitable sales keep her busy on
the site now. Marsha applies her business acumen and photography skills to
her eBay business — and in this book, she shares her knowledge about what
makes good, profit-promoting listings on eBay.

Patti “Louise” Ruby, an Indianapolis native, was born to work on a computer.
In junior high, she took a class in the programming language Fortran. She
excelled and enjoyed the class: The die was cast. Patti went through several
jobs as a programmer and then became a consultant.

In the late ’90s, Patti was part-owner of an antique mall, and coincidentally
found a Web site called AuctionWeb (the original eBay). She was fascinated by
the concept, and began selling on the site. She also became an integral part of
the chat rooms, which initially served as loose customer support where users
helped other users. Patti’s ease with computers helped many a new user feel
comfortable on the boards — and with using the AuctionWeb system.

In February 1997, Patti was hired as AuctionWeb’s second Customer Support
Representative. In this position, she became the main interface between the
engineering staff and the user community, where she communicated members’
“bug” reports and suggestions for site enhancements. When AuctionWeb
became the new eBay site in the fall of 1997, she headed up a “live” questionand-
answer board that was set up to help members make the transition between platforms. 

In 1999, eBay started a traveling show called eBay University (where Patti
first met Marsha), and she has been a lead instructor since its inception.
Patti “retired” from eBay in February 2002, after five challenging, exciting
years. Being a part of the early eBay years gave her the opportunity to watch
the company grow from a small neighborhood market to the worldwide
marketplace it is today. She has continued to buy and sell on eBay. She
laughs, “. . .once you’ve discovered eBay, there is no escape!”

Authors’ Acknowledgments
Without the amazing talents of Leah Cameron and Barry Childs-Helton, this
book would not be one iota as good as it is (and it really is darn good). They
are one top-drawer editorial team, and only by working with them can you
possibly know how very talented (and patient) they are. We’d also like to
thank our tech editor, Cindy Lichfield, for going over the book — and checking it twice!

Steven Hayes, thank you. You’re always thinking and working a new angle. Its
part of what makes working with you fun.
Andy Cummings, it’s wonderful that someone as high up on the corporate
food chain as you really cares about the writers. You’re a rarity in the publishing field.

Patti would like to thank Marsha for sharing this book with her. Patti says, “I
always admired Marsha for what she was able to accomplish; now I know
firsthand what a tremendous job it is she does! I’d also like to acknowledge
my family, who has continued to display their unfailing belief in me, and
David, as always, most of all.”

Introduction

If we were to catalog all the misinformation we’ve seen about selling on

eBay, it might take days! We wrote this book to get you started in the right

direction, and even provide some shortcuts.

Marsha has been writing eBay reference books since 1998, selling on eBay

since 1996, tracking the buying trends as they change from year to year, and

keeping her readers clued in about the differences as they crop up. In her

ongoing quest for eBay accuracy in the midst of complexity, she’s joined

forces with Patti Ruby, her ace technical editor on previous books. Result: a

fearless venture into the intricacies of selling, of taming the dreaded HTML,

of attracting more eBay profits!

(By the way: Thank you if you’ve bought eBay For Dummies books before —

and if this is your first one, welcome. We’re sure this book will add some

high-caliber know-how to your eBay selling arsenal.)

There are good ways to display your eBay listings, and there are bad ways.

How many times have you opened an item on eBay and found barely enough

of a description to identify the item — especially if the listing had no picture!

(Let’s see . . . you didn’t buy that item, right? Call it a hunch.) That one example

is just the tip of the eBay-mistake iceberg. In this book, we set you on the

path to efficient listing content and attractive online appearance for your

item — and we show you how to produce your listings in record time. The

aim, of course, is to beat out your competition and rake in those elusive bidder-dollars.

The pictures that display your item online are an entirely separate ball of wax

(so to speak). Lots of books supposedly tell you how to take good photos for

eBay auctions, but it seems to me that those books try to teach you how to

take high-quality family pictures instead. They don’t seem to take into

account that photography for eBay has to be rapid-fire and accurate. Your

goal is to produce an image of decent quality that will last for the next 7 to 10

days, maximum. Because your time is valuable, this book doesn’t bog you

down with pages of unnecessary technical garbage. It gives you the information

you absolutely need to know to produce the right kind of product image, and nothing more.

About This Book

This book isn’t written in a linear style, and you don’t have to read it right

through like a novel, either. You can check out the titles of the chapters in the

Table of Contents, and when you find something that interests you, just flip

to that page and start reading. When you have a question on something

particular, we suggest you slide to the back of the book and visit our verynicely-

put-together Index. (Our publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc., does a thorough

index, and you should be able to connect to just about anything in this

book from there.)

There’s no need to even take notes when you read this book. Just dog-ear the

corner and use a highlighter. That’s the sign of a well-read, well-studied book.

While you’re folding and marking, you can find answers to lots of important

questions as we take you through the following tracks:

Seeing what makes eBay photography different from traditional digital camera work

Discovering “just-enough” HTML to make an attractive listing and yet not waste your time

Designing your own reusable listing templates (or use ours!)

Setting up for specific, unique photographic situations

Deciding what additional software you might need for your eBay listings

Finding and using the right camera and equipment

Getting what you need to produce quality images for eBay

Watching the icons, yes, I con . . .

You’re going to see some icons and sidebars in this book; our editors seem to

think that some of this is optional reading material. Harrumph. We want you

to know that we feel every single word is indispensable. (Okay, sure, you may

be more drawn to some topics than to others.) Although the sidebars will be

separate from the text, we put them in to add a little spice — to give you an

extra bit of information to emphasize the current lesson. We write ’em

because we want you to read ’em. Enough said?

You’ll also notice some clever little icons in the margins that point out some

very important facts that you need to know. They’re often the online equivalent

of the laws of nature: truths that it would be foolhardy to ignore.

And about that HTML code . . .

If you’ve ever suspected that telling a computer to do something means using

language weirdly, you’re right. So we use a strange font to highlight the HTML

commands that are plentiful in the book. If, for example, you want to tell your

computer to set off type in bold text (with italics for emphasis), the HTML

that does that job looks like this:

<b>My auctions look gud</b>, now all I <i>need</i> is a spell-checker!

How This Book Is Organized

As with all the books in the For Dummies line, the information in this book is

neatly tucked into several different parts. The goal is to make it easier for you

to progress through from the beginning to the advanced information we’re

offering — or, if you jump around in it like a Jack Russell Terrier, to make sure

you always know where to find what you’re jumping to.

We’ve laid out this book in five parts.

Part I: Getting Chummy with the Basics

We start you off gently with the basics of online presentation, HTML, and

photography — exclusively as they apply to eBay sellers. Remember that

selling is the goal of this book. It’s no accident that we focus these important

topics in that direction.

Here in this part you find out why our philosophy of “eBay, HTML, and

Photography” is different from everything you may have encountered in

other books. The way we see it, all you want to do is post clean listings that

sell your items for high prices. Okay, that’s our bias as eBay sellers with backgrounds

in marketing and selling. We figured you wouldn’t mind.

Part II: Lining Your Pockets with HTML

Following our theory that “less is more,” here’s where you go to discover how

to set up some good-looking auctions yourself — and move the stuff with

minimum fluff. That means (be brave) venturing into HTML, but the good

news is that some of the best tools for working with it already exist on your

computer. For example, did you know that the Verdana font was developed

exclusively to make video-monitor text easier to read? It was designed by a

world-renowned type designer, Matthew Carter, and Monotype’s Tom Rickner.

In the family of Verdana sans-serif fonts, you can see unique examples of type

design that’s just right for the computer screen.

We show you, step by step, how to gussy up your listings efficiently. As we get

into more and more advanced HTML coding, Patti’s no-baloney approach

speeds up your learning curve to Warp Factor 9. She’ll have you designing

listings with all the cool options you need in no time at all. You’ll be glad to

have her expertise at your side as you design your auctions.

Part III: Turning Pictures into Dollars

In Part III, we get the benefit of Marsha’s years in professional photography.

We’ve based this part on a pretty safe hunch: that 98 percent of all digital

camera users haven’t a clue about how to use half the options available on

their cameras. This part is where you see how to use your camera to its

fullest — and get the skinny on setting up your own eBay photo studio.

Since lighting is so crucial to tweaking out the details of an item, this part

also gives you the scoop on how lighting affects your final images. It’s almost

scary to know that changing a mere light bulb can mean a big change in the

way your camera (and later, your buyer) sees your merchandise. But it’s true.

We also get into the best ways to photograph metals and gems. Part III shows

you how to get the correct coloring the first time without having to drag your

digital photo into Photoshop for major alterations. The “secrets” are all here.

When you have pondered these matters deeply, grasshopper, you’ll be able

to move from camera to listing in three minutes flat.

Part IV: Advanced Applications for Your Newfound Skills

In Part IV, you find out which software programs can help you with your listings

with a minimal amount of pomp and circumstance. (Remember that

making money and saving time are our goals — not entering our images in an

art contest.) We point you in the direction of easily available software that

you can use to generate and edit digital images that grab the viewer (figuratively)

and sell the item (literally). Hey, it’s an art.

We also expand your selling horizons beyond eBay. This part introduces you

to some extended skills that can help you design and open a super eBay

Store (without paying extra for pre-built graphic on-screen nonsense). We

also show you how to get your listings seen on other selling Web sites such as Amazon.

Part V: The Part of Tens

Tradition dictates that nobody can write a Dummies book without including

the very traditional Part of Tens. (We also get to have some fun in this section,

but don’t tell our editors we said so.) We debunk some online photography

myths and show you ten tips for your auction designs.

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Product details

Price
File Size	10,911 KB
Pages	338 p
File Type	PDF format
ISBN-13  ISBN-10	978-0-471-78912-3  0-471-78912-7
Copyright	2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc

Table of Contents

Introduction.....

About This Book....

Our Foolish Assumptions.....

Conventions Used in This Book ..

Tiptoeing through the steps .....

Watching the icons, yes, I con . . . ...

And about that HTML code . . ..

How This Book Is Organized..

Part I: Getting Chummy with the Basics...

Part II: Lining Your Pockets with HTML...

Part III: Turning Pictures into Dollars ..........

Part IV: Advanced Applications for Your Newfound Skills..

Part V: The Part of Tens.............................................

Icons Used in This Book................................

Where Do You Go from Here? ..........

Part I: Getting Chummy with the Basics .........................9

Chapter 1: Attracting Buyers with Your eBay Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Creating Listings That Are Uniquely You ....................................................11

Making Your Listing Stand Out from the Others ........................................13

Constructing Catchy Listings .......................................................................18

Writing a title that sells........................................................................18

Adding information with a subtitle ....................................................21

Gathering the tools you’ll need ..........................................................21

Copywriting, eBay-style.................................................................................22

Chapter 2: Getting a Quick Start with the Sell Your Item Page . . . . . .25

Understanding the Sell Your Item Area .......................................................25

Decision #1: Choosing a category (or two).......................................26

Decision #2: Choosing a listing type ..................................................28

Filling in the Blanks — Carefully ..................................................................29

Deciding on your Item Specifics .........................................................30

Writing up the description ..................................................................31

Checking Your Work and Starting the Listing.............................................36

Chapter 3: Knowing How HTML Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Getting to Know HTML and the Web ...........................................................37

Hypertext...............................................................................................38

Markup...................................................................................................39

Browsers................................................................................................39

Web servers...........................................................................................40

Deconstructing an HTML Tag .......................................................................41

Cascading Styles Sheets (CSS)......................................................................42

Sure and Simple Formatting Tricks..............................................................43

Part II: Lining Your Pockets with HTML ........................45

Chapter 4: HTML Text — Formatting Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Making Text Clear but Catchy with HTML ..................................................48

Formatting builds strong listings .......................................................48

Only what you need to know about coding HTML...........................48

Getting Bolder (Or Larger, or More Colorful) as You Go...........................49

Picking fun (but readable) type..........................................................49

Trying out different sizes ....................................................................52

Showing your text in different colors ................................................53

Drawing attention with bold and italics ............................................55

. . . etc.....................................................................................................56

Grouping and Positioning Your Listing Text...............................................56

Centering sometimes fits the bill .......................................................57

Breaking up large text blocks..............................................................57

Emphasizing with bullets ....................................................................59

Setting Up Your Own Auction Template......................................................60

Chapter 5: Playing the (Hyper) Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Teeing Off with Simple Links ........................................................................64

Linking to your eBay Store..................................................................65

Linking to specific items or categories in your eBay Store.............66

Linking to other listed items ...............................................................66

Linking to related Web sites................................................................68

Providing an e-mail link .......................................................................68

Making a Hole-in-One: Linking to an Image.................................................69

The Nineteenth Hole: Using Silly Linking Tricks ........................................72

Opening a new browser window ........................................................72

Connecting thumbnails and larger images........................................72

Rollovers and other fancy tricks ........................................................73

Chapter 6: Brewing JavaScripts (Not the Starbucks’ Kind) . . . . . . . .75

Knowing What You Can Do with JavaScript................................................76

Finding Ready-to-Use Scripts........................................................................76

Searching for scripts online ................................................................77

Copying free scripts for your own use ..............................................78

Making Sure Your JavaScript Is Allowed in Listings ..................................78

Handy Scripts for Any Listing.......................................................................79

Disabling right-click functions ............................................................80

Displaying a countdown message ......................................................82

Chapter 7: Embedding Images for Flash and Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87

Sizing (and Resizing) Your Pictures.............................................................87

Zooming in on your subject ................................................................89

Maintaining your aspect ratio.............................................................89

More than you ever wanted to know about dpi, ppi,

pixels, resolutions . . ........................................................................90

Placing Your Pictures for Maximum Effect .................................................93

Embedding the Image in Your Listing..........................................................94

Selling Up with Multiple Pictures .................................................................94

Choosing a Main or Dominant Photo...........................................................95

Saving Space with Thumbnails.....................................................................96

Selecting the Gallery image.................................................................96

Creating thumbnails in two steps ......................................................97

Offering a larger view...........................................................................99

Chapter 8: Plumping Up Your Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101

Filling In the Background ............................................................................102

Arranging Stuff by Nesting Tables..............................................................105

Deciding When Enough Is Enough .............................................................108

Chapter 9: Adding Some Bells and Whistles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

Animating Your Graphics ............................................................................110

Playing Some Music .....................................................................................111

Telling Your Story with Speech ..................................................................112

Streaming Video to the Bidder ...................................................................112

Finding Third-Party Solutions.....................................................................113

Checking credentials of solution providers....................................114

Letting buyers silence the bells and whistles.................................117

Part III: Turning Pictures into Dollars .........................119

Chapter 10: Choosing and Knowing Your Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

Deciding How Much to Spend ....................................................................122

Checking Out the Important Parts.............................................................128

Making the Magic Setting(s) for Quality Images ......................................131

White balance .....................................................................................131

Chapter 11: Outfitting Your Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

Storing Your Studio Equipment..................................................................133

Stocking Up on Studio Essentials...............................................................135

Getting the basics...............................................................................136

Checking out some common setups................................................138

Adding on Other Valuable Equipment.......................................................140

Tripod ..................................................................................................141

Power supplies ...................................................................................141

Props — for example, a mannequin.................................................142

Display stands, risers, and more......................................................143

Software...............................................................................................145

Chapter 12: Getting the Right Light (Or the Light Right) . . . . . . . . . . .147

Using the Flash .............................................................................................148

Seeing the Light about Light Bulbs ............................................................150

Getting warmer with incandescent bulbs .......................................150

Cooling it (the light, that is) with fluorescent bulbs......................152

Setting Up Your Lighting .............................................................................156

Shooting jewelry and coins...............................................................157

Using light cubes, panels, and umbrellas........................................158

Chapter 13: Setting Up Your Pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161

Getting the Cleanest Image Possible .........................................................164

Checking your white balance............................................................164

Using the Timer shooting mode .......................................................165

Shooting for Online: Dos and Don’ts .........................................................166

Patti & Marsha’s Gallery of Horrors ..........................................................168

Horror #1 .............................................................................................168

Horror #2 .............................................................................................168

Horror #3 .............................................................................................169

Horror #4 .............................................................................................170

Horror #5 .............................................................................................170

Chapter 14: Special-Situation Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173

Photographing Jewelry and Coins .............................................................174

Take the pictures outdoors...............................................................174

Scanning the small stuff.....................................................................175

Going pro with the Cloud Dome .......................................................177

Selling Fashion through Pictures ...............................................................181

Gathering fashion photography tools..............................................181

Cleaning and pressing essentials .....................................................183

Turning Cars into Dollars............................................................................185

Chapter 15: Getting the Pictures from Your Camera to eBay . . . . . . .189

Finding the Pictures in Your Camera .........................................................190

Retrieving images from your camera’s memory ............................190

Mounting the flash media card.........................................................192

Removing the media ..........................................................................194

Uploading Your Images to a Server............................................................195

Using your free ISP space ..................................................................195

Uploading images to AOL..................................................................199

Uploading your picture to eBay .......................................................201

Using your hosted images.................................................................203

Using eBay’s Picture Manager ..........................................................204

Part IV: Advanced Applications for Your Newfound Skills .............207

Chapter 16: Making Perfect Pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209

Sizing for Dollars — and Quick Load Times .............................................209

Editing for Perfection (or Close Enough)..................................................212

Employing Image-Editing Software and Services .....................................212

Quick touch-up and FTP in Fast Photos ..........................................213

Using eBay’s Enhanced Picture Services.........................................217

Chapter 17: Dolling Up Your eBay Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223

Deciding on Custom Pages..........................................................................224

Setting Up a Theme......................................................................................224

Customizing Your Store Header .................................................................225

Using eBay Store Promotion Boxes ...........................................................227

Promotion-box placement and size .................................................228

Choosing a type of promotion box...................................................230

Chapter 18: Porting Your Listings to Other Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235

Understanding Browser Compatibility......................................................235

In a galaxy far, far away . . . ...............................................................236

Viewing a listing in various browsers ..............................................236

Checking Out Half.com, an eBay Company...............................................238

The what and how of selling on Half.com .......................................239

Listing your items at Half.com..........................................................240

Trading Space on Amazon.com..................................................................241

Selling Your Wares at Overstock.com........................................................242

Selling on Your Own Web Site.....................................................................242

Choosing a Web-hosting company ...................................................243

Checking out eBay’s ProStores.........................................................244

Chapter 19: Automating with HTML Generators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245

HTML Generator Symbols...........................................................................245

Using eBay’s Turbo Lister ...........................................................................247

Features and minimum requirements..............................................247

Downloading Turbo Lister ................................................................248

Listing with Turbo Lister...................................................................250

Using Third-Party HTML Generators.........................................................255

Mpire.com Launcher..........................................................................255

Using ours: simple, quick, and free ..................................................256

Part V: The Part of Tens .............................................261

Chapter 20: Debunking the Ten (or so) Online Photography Myths .263

Putting together a makeshift photo studio from household items .......264

Dressing up your pictures for more appealing images ...........................265

Saving time by taking a picture of one in a set.........................................266

Adding fancy camera attachments to make up for bad lighting............267

Using fancy backgrounds to make a “more interesting shot” ................267

Saving your image without compression..................................................268

Adjusting the f-stops and shutter speed ...................................................269

Using bright white bulbs for your lighting................................................269

Chapter 21: Ten Tips for Your Auction Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271

Writing a Detailed Description ...................................................................271

Taking Sufficient Pictures............................................................................272

Using Color Only to Enhance......................................................................272

Keeping Your Customer Informed..............................................................273

Establishing Your Brand Identity ...............................................................273

Avoiding Unnecessary Complexity ............................................................274

Encouraging Multiple Purchases................................................................274

Using HTML to Your Advantage .................................................................276

Keeping an Eye on the Competition ..........................................................279

Reviewing Your Listings ..............................................................................280

Appendix: Mechanizing Your Sales with Third-Party

Management Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281

Choosing Your Auction-Management Tools..............................................282

Looking for essential features...........................................................284

Exploring advanced features ............................................................285

Online or Offline Management?..................................................................286

Online auction management sites....................................................286

Auction-management software.........................................................289

Finding More to Automate ..........................................................................290

Setting up an auction photo gallery.................................................291

Sorting auction e-mail ........................................................................292

Automating end-of-auction e-mail ....................................................293

Keeping inventory..............................................................................293

One-click relisting or Selling Similar ................................................294

Scheduling listings for bulk upload..................................................295

Hosting photos ...................................................................................295

Checking out .......................................................................................295

Printing shipping labels.....................................................................295

Tracking buyer information ..............................................................296

Generating customized reports........................................................296

Submitting feedback ..........................................................................296

Index........................................................................297

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