How to Choose the Right
eBay Product Category
Some people think it's
easy to choose the right
eBay category, and often
it is. Sometimes,
though, it might not be
quite clear exactly what
to go for.
Why is it Even
Important?
Plenty of people use the
category system to find
items, when they're not
looking for something
specific. If your item
is listed in the wrong
category - or you've
just given up and listed
it in 'Everything Else'
- then these people
aren't going to find
your auction.
Also, listing items in
the wrong categories is
against eBay's rules,
and eBay say they will
remove any auctions that
are wrongly categorised.
They don't often
actually do this, but
it's not worth the risk
- especially since
breaking any rules can
cause them to penalise
your account, including
losing PowerSeller
status if you have it.
So What Can You Do?
eBay will suggest
categories for you when
you sell your item, if
you type in a few words
to describe the item on
the category selection
page and click 'search'.
You can make the best of
this feature by typing
in exactly what your
item is, with brand name
and model number (if
any), so that eBay can
find the best category
for you.
If that doesn't work for
you, then search
yourself for items like
yours, and pay attention
to which category most
of them seem to be in
(you can see this near
the top of each item's
description page). Try
different words and see
which ones come back
with the most results.
You can also browse
through all the
available categories
from eBay's front page.
Remember that the more
specific the category
is, the better - use as
many subcategories as
are appropriate. Don't
just list your HP laptop
in the 'Computers'
category, for example -
list it in 'Computers >
Laptops > HP'. Don't
worry: your item will
still appear in the
'Computers' category, as
well as 'Computers >
Laptops', because items
listed in subcategories
are always listed in
every category above.
Take some time to look
through all the
categories and get
familiar with the way
eBay as a whole is laid
out. After all, that's
better than getting a
few months down the line
and finding that you
still think of eBay's
category system like
it's some kind of scary
jungle.
What if More Than One
Category Fits?
Don't worry, eBay have
you covered. For a small
extra fee, you can list
your item in an extra
category, to increase
the number of potential
buyers who will see it.
This isn't always worth
it, though - some items
only really fit properly
in one category, and
listing them in extra
categories is just a
waste.
Once you know where to
list your item, the next
step is to write your
auction's title. The
title is the most
important thing about
your auction - the
difference between a
good title and a bad
title can be the
difference between $10
and $100. That's why
I'll take you through
the dos and don'ts in
the next email.
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