By Lee Bernstein

Note: This section gives tips for collectors who already know how to use eBay – how to list, how to complete transactions, and so on.

Honesty Makes Money

People who are honest in their descriptions and responsible in their selling practices have the potential of making the most money, which means doing everything you can to make a bidder happy.

This includes being prompt and answering questions. It also includes giving every little detail in a description, even if a flaw seems unimportant to you. Sellers who are honest and responsible reap many rewards here, including profits as well as friendships. At eBay, honesty PAYS.

Choosing A Category

You can list a collectable in many ways – by name, manufacturer, artist signature, merchandise category, and so on. If you are auctioning a Popeye Cookie Jar, you might choose Animation Characters, Kitchen: Cookie Jars, or Memorabilia: Television. A 1964 Beatles Hard Days Night Serving Tray appeals to Beatles collectors, collectors of rock-n-roll memorabilia, movie memorabilia, trays, advertising, and so on. Many items are cross-collectable, that is, they appeal to a number of collectors and categories. So, how do you know which category to choose?

Finding The Most Profitable Place To List

1. Go to eBay's Search Page and do a search in the Completed Search window, located at the bottom of the search page.
2. Type in the name of your collectable and check the "Search titles and descriptions" box.
3. Now search the results for a collectable identical or similar to yours. Note the items that sold, particularly the ones with the highest bids and greatest number of bidders
4. Retrieve the completed auction windows of the most successful sales. Note the categories used by the sellers. (The title of the item and item number appear in a box at the top of the page with the category directly under the box, just below the item number.)
5. Note which category returned the best bids the most often.
6. List your collectable in the same category!

Titles That Attract

Buyers look for key words, so use as many as possible. "Popeye American Bisque Cookie Jar" will work better than "Cool Popeye Collectable."

Eliminate as many "filler" or unnecessary words as you can. If you have a "Star Wars Movie Theater Program," you can shorten it to "Star Wars Program" without losing bidders. "Theater" is redundant and "Movie" isn't necessary since every Star Wars collector already knows Star Wars was a movie. The shortened title opens room for other, more important key words-condition or date, for example.

Geographic terms sometimes help. An Indiana dairy bottle has an excellent chance of selling to someone from Indiana, so put Indiana in the title.

Descriptions That Sell

Always include the name, condition, colour, size, and material.

When you describe the condition, include grading. For how to grade, see Factors Influencing Value.

When listing the material, it helps to give as much description as possible on every element (oak handles, acid-free paper, lithographed tin).

If you know, list the maker, place of origin, and age. Include any distinguishing trademarks or signatures. If the collectable is from a limited edition or it's been discontinued or retired, say so. Note if you have authentication-a professional appraisal, letter or proof of authenticity, and so on. List any other details, attributes, or flaws.

If your descriptions are detailed, try to keep them as brief as possible. Some buyers feel overwhelmed when they see a large amount of text. Important: If your listing is long, add paragraph breaks. Buyers respond better to text that's been broken into sections.

If you add other HTML embellishments to your listing-animation, music, wallpaper, and so on, it will add to the loading time. Most buyers prefer a listing to load as quickly as possible. In general, you'll sell more if you concentrate on making the text quick to load and easy to read. Time spent on writing a tight, accurate description (with lots of key words) will probably give you a greater return than artistry.

As tempting as it may be to type all in all capital letters, don't. On the Internet, all capitals translate into yelling. Plus, text written all in capitals is difficult to read. Photos are important. Make the image as sharp as possible. If you have photo studio software, shrink the size. The image should be large enough to show detail but small enough so it loads quickly, usually fist-size or smaller. Include additional photos of close-ups, signatures, manufacturer marks, and so on.

Always note how you want the buyer to pay and what you will charge for postage, handling, and insurance. Collectors particularly appreciate a guarantee of satisfaction. If you offer one, include the terms of sale in your description.

When you quote terms, be informative and positive, not preachy or negative. "Refunds happily accepted within three days for items returned in like condition" works much better than "If you want a refund, you can forget about it after three days, and PLEASE don't even THINK about trying to return an item you've damaged."

Selling Tips

Just as key words are important in a title, they are equally important in your description. The more key words you use, the more bidders you'll attract, particularly bidders who look for items by doing a key word search on eBay's Search Page.

Suppose you are auctioning a menu from the 1930s. You already know you should name the restaurant, give the condition, material, size, age, and so on, but it may be to your advantage to include additional information.

Name Dropping

This menu is from New York City and has other locations listed on the back, so you will want to include all the location information (Manhattan, Chicago, Hollywood, and so on).

This menu uses the names of famous people in the food descriptions – a Bogart Burger, Shirley Temple Sundae, and so on. Include every celebrity named. There are brand names mentioned too. List them.

Take a look at the design. Does the menu have a certain style-art deco, perhaps? Is there anything else collectable about it – an illustration of a Studebaker, or perhaps the menu is in the shape of a railroad car? Say so! Keep going until you've covered it all.

Complete Your Listing

Set the length of your auction to 3, 5, or 7 days. Then enter the minimum opening bid price. You have the option of setting a reserve price (the minimum amount at which you are willing to sell your item).

Reserve prices sometimes discourage bidders. If you need to set a reserve, be realistic and use an amount that's comfortable for bidders as well as you. For tips on how much to expect at auction, see Factors Influencing Value.

Below are some common abbreviations used in titles and descriptions.

The preceding material was written by Lee Bernstein. These are the opinions of the author, not the opinions of eBay, and therefore eBay does not validate the accuracy of or endorse these opinions.