How to Write an AMAZING Title for your eBay listing

How important is a Good Title in your eBay listing?

Creating a great title is the single most important aspect to your eBay listing!  I once won an auction for 6 pairs of boys Nike gym pants that were brand new and only paid 99 cents!  I was elated, but the seller was not!  I felt a little bad for her, but the reason this happened is because her title was simply, "Nike Clothes".  That's it!  So, anyone who searched "boys Nike size 10" or "boys Nike pants" would never find her listing.  I think I stumbled across it by mistake--her loss, my gain.

 My title would have read:  
"Lot of six pair Boy's Size 10 Medium Nike Athletic Gym Pants NWT"

  

So what do I add, exactly?

You have to consider every possible combination of words a person might type into their search box, when choosing a title.  Aside from that, a smart seller also considers popular abbreviations and misspellings.  And, by the way, you have to squeeze all of that information in a box of 80 characters or less.

When it comes specifically to clothing, here are the IMPORTANT keywords:

• Gender
• Size & Size Type
• Color
• Brand
• Type of garment

Example:   Women's Plus Size 18 Red Lane Bryant Sweater

Optional:

• Material  (100% Silk, Cashmere, etc)
• Condition (NWT, EUC, Worn Once, MINT)
• Adjectives (Sexy, Cute, Adorable, Warm, etc)
• Size Synonym (size 8/Medium, size 2T/24 Months)
• Measurements *important with pants*  (32x30)
• Common Misspellings and abbreviations (MK for Mary Kay, TCP for The Children's Place, etc)  for common misspellings check http://www.goofbid.com/ and http://www.fatfingers.com/
• Other possible uses for this item (This requires imagination--but think costumes--an example of this is "Ugly Christmas Sweaters".  One of my favorite things to sell on eBay!  You can make MORE money off a Christmas Sweater if you add the word "Ugly" to your title!)
• Special events or Seasons (Church Dress, Career Suit, Easter Gloves, Fall Sweater, etc)

Example:  Sexy Cashmere Women's Plus Size 18 1X Red Lane Bryant Sweater MINT LB Bryan
(You may think adding Bryan is silly, but many people really think this store is called Lane Bryan's)

This is my process for coming up with a great title:  

1. I go to eBay and type in a very vague search for the item I want to sell, such as "Crazy 8 Shirt".  
2. I ask eBay to show me only "sold listings" and then I filter to show me the prices high to low.  
3. Next I scroll down the list until I find an item similar to mine and I study it.  How did the seller word his title and descriptions, and how did he photograph the item.  How can I do this better?

Here are some great websites eBay has provided to help us out:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/title_desc_ov.html
http://labs.ebay.com/Catman/
http://labs.ebay.com/erl/demoto/instructions.html
http://labs.ebay.com/erl/demoto/faq.html
http://labs.ebay.com/demos/qnet/

What NOT to add?

No one wants to see  any of this:
 "L@@K Girl's Gymboree Lot"
"*******WOW******  Maternity Pants"
"♫♪♪·:*¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*:      Boy's Shirt      ·:*¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*♫♪♪"
 
It does not really get anyone's attention, because once the list pops up, your average shopper is only looking at the pictures, and it only wastes valuable characters in your title.  I even know people who refuse to click on titles that contain those odd characters.

Also, be careful when writing your titles that you are honest and not misleading!  If you list your item as "Gap Jeans" and in the description you say, "Old Navy Jeans which are made by the same company that makes Gap Jeans", you are deliberately misleading your buyers and could face having your item removed by eBay.

Another problem is using the work "LIKE"!  This is a serious eBay no-no!  You can not say your item is "Like New", "Like Ralph Lauren", or "Like a size 6" (even if it is).  That is because if a buyer searches, "New Ralph Lauren size 6" and they see your item (which is a used Hugo Boss size 4), they will be extremely frustrated.  Save your opinions for the description, not the TITLE.