The auctions on eBay represent one of the most exciting features of the site. If you are putting up an item on eBay for auction there are two fundamental aspects you need to ensure. The first is the timing of your auction and the second is the sales copy or pitch you use to attract prospective bidders. Here, we focus on the second aspect.

Standing out through auction titles

The auction title is one of the first things people are going to see amongst all the millions of auctions on eBay. If your auction title is impressive and catchy, then you automatically get your bidder interested enough to click on the title and see the rest of the sales copy. Using bold face fonts and power words can help tremendously in charging up the power of the auction title.

Using power words that work

Certain power words stand apart from the other auction titles and this is what will get you noticed too if you use them! Words and phrases like bargain deals, hard to get/find, unbeatable prices, hurry limited stocks etc. all work to grab customer attention and sustain focus on your auction item.

Caps and special characters

Many auctioneers use caps for their auction titles as well as special characters. However, there is a fine line between using them and overloading the title with too many special characters. Too much usage of these can amount to spamming. Therefore, you need to be careful and use them sparingly. Only highlight those words or phrases in your title, which have not already been highlighted by other auctioneers.

Address benefits first

eBay customers do not have the time or inclination to browse through lengthy product descriptions. Therefore, if you are posting an auction item for sale, make sure the description is concise and more importantly, addresses the direct benefits to the customer. Try and avoid puffery or too much promotional text as it can quickly put off your customer. Many auctioneers make the mistake of listing the product specifications at the beginning instead of the benefits. Product specifications should ideally come later on in the sales copy. The beginning of the copy should list the advantages of using the product or why the customer should buy your product.

Envisioning through the sales copy

Your sales copy should read so interesting that customers are immediately able to envision themselves using your product. In other words, the description of the scenarios and product should be such that your customer is able to imagine how they are benefiting using the product. Try using real daily examples to elucidate your point and drive home the point better.

Your USP

While all of the above tactics will work to make your customer interested, it does not guarantee a sale. Customers online, especially on eBay are known to have plenty of second thoughts when it comes to a product. Customers will check out other similar products, pricing and related features. Therefore, for your product to stand out, you need to list a unique selling proposition. In other words, what is the single aspect of your product, which others in the site do not offer. Once you have detailed this USP out, you can be sure to have sustained the interest of the customer.

Testimonials

It does not end just there yet! You also need to substantiate your claims in the USP by means of genuine testimonials. The more testimonials you have the greater are your chances at getting more bids and sales. Customers like to see proof of other customers’ opinions and once they see other people have used your product and liked it, they will be more likely to purchase your product.

Call to action

This is the final stage of your sales copy and the most important one. It can be the deciding factor between a successful sale and an abandoned cart! This is the one key phrase or word, which prompts the customer to take instant action. Words like ‘add to cart’, ‘buy now’ etc. are all calls to action. They urge the customer to purchase the product now. Selling is a continual process and your sales copy should serve as a means to urge the customer on towards the sale continually. While all the earlier aspects of the sales copy need to be in order it is the call to action, which will finally make the customer proceed to checkout and finish the sale.

By following these tips you can be assured of a successful auction on eBay.