eBay Description Writing Tips.
Once you've drawn the buyers in with your title, the next thing to do is to
tell them all about your item with the description. But just what should you
write in your description?
At its heart, your item description is an ad. Without making it too obvious, you
should be writing sales copy. You're trying to get buyers excited about your
products, and that's usually hard - but on eBay, if you have the right thing to
sell and give enough details, the buyers almost excite themselves.
Technical Details.
Include every technical detail you know, including the item's manufacturer, its
condition, how big it is, where and when it was made, its history, and anything
else special about it. Don't be too boring, though: the best descriptions are
written in friendly, conversational language, and show a real knowledge of the
item. Whatever you do, make sure you tell the truth!
Remember that most of the people who'll be buying your item will be just as
knowledgeable about it as you are, if not more - this is their hobby, and
they're experts. Don't feel like you need to explain the basics of the item:
just go into as much technical detail as you can. As a rule, don't write
anything in the description if you don't know what it means, as the chances are
someone will, and if you've got it slightly wrong then you'll look like you
don't know what you're talking about.
Interesting Details.
You might find that you enjoy writing a few things about how you got the item,
why you're selling it, and who you think might like it. This isn't strictly
necessary, but it gives your auctions some character and a personal touch, and
can make people more likely to trust you. People might wonder what you're doing
selling 500 CDs all at once, and if you tell them the reason, then they'll feel
reassured that nothing dodgy is going on. If you're selling them because you're
having a baby and you need the space, just say so.
Write as Much as You Can.
Leave nothing out of your description, even if that seems to you like it makes
it cumbersomely long. There is no way you can be too thorough: someone,
somewhere will appreciate that you took the time to write the extra information.
Don't assume that anyone who wants extra information will email you to ask a
question: many buyers are shy and won't do it. Think of questions that buyers
might have and add the answers to your description, as people generally tend to
ask the same questions over and over again.
Each time a buyer does email you with a question, you should both answer their
question and update your description so that it will include the answer next
time. If people ask questions that are answered in the description, try putting
these parts of the auction on a line alone, or in bold, to make them easier to
notice.
In the next email, we'll focus on increasing the number of buyers who respond to
your auctions.
