Seller Education - Basic

Title Tips

Why is a good Title important?

Along with a gallery picture, your title is your opportunity to entice browsers and searches into bidding. It's all in your hands and you should place yourself in the shoes of the prospective buyer - what title is going to make them click through to your listing and then buy?

What are some good Title tips?

Make a clear, compelling first impression by writing a skilful title for your item.

• Use descriptive keywords that clearly convey what you are selling.
• Include your item's brand name, artist, designer or other labels bidders will recognise.
• State exactly what your item is, even if your title repeats the category name. eg: Star Wars DVD may be listed in the DVD category but if someone is searching or browsing for "Star Wars DVD" in particular, they may skip over your listing if you simply write "New Star Wars".
• Think of words bidders might use to search for your item and include relevant terms and words. Consider keywords such as DVD, VHS, CD, gold, skirt, black etc if they are applicable to your listing.
• Bidders don't search for words like "wow" or "look", so make intelligent use of your space and don't waste it with exclaimation marks or asterisks.
• Browse similar items' closed listings to see which titles drew higher bids in the past.
• Triple check your spelling! If a buyer searches for "Brad Pitt" and you're selling a "Brid Putt photo", your item will never get found!

Are there rules to consider when writing a Title?

Yes, so be sure to follow eBay's rules regarding titles. The following types of titles are considered inappropriate for inclusion on eBay:

• Listing titles that fail to state what the nature of the item is.
• Listing titles that contain Web site addresses, email addresses or phone numbers. The only exception to this rule is the sale of domain names.
• Listing titles that contain profane or obscene language.
• Listing titles that use the following words in an attempt to market or advertise their item: "prohibited", "banned", "illegal", "outlawed" or any other descriptive word which may bring into question the legality of an item by either governmental or eBay standards.