OT- Opinons Wanted- eBay Listing Appearance
 

The background:

I have had a custom designed store on eBay for at least 10 years (http://stores.ebay.com/Sportmags). My listings were also custom designed (example http://tiny.cc/8cicgy). I also use Inkfrog to list all of my items to eBay. With all of the changes at eBay and technology in general, my templates are now outdated and not mobile friendly. Ebay and Inkfrog are telling me that my current templates will probably not be effective. It will cost me a good chunk of change to have new designs made to comply with current technology.

So here is the question:

Does the appearance of a listing on eBay matter to you? Are you only influenced by the price of an item? Everything else being equal, when there is a choice between the same item, would you spend a little bit more because the listing appears to be more professional?

I have considered just redoing my 600 items with no template (or some basic design) and going directly through eBay. I am hoping to get some good responses from regular eBay users. Thanks in advance.

Jeff

PS- I am not debating the merits of eBay and snarky answers aren't appreciated.

Hi Jeff,

I also use Inkfrog and am pretty bummed myself at the push towards mobile compatibility. I feel like it's the dumbing down of the internet. Less pictures, less detail, less idea of who you're actually buying from.

Even when I'm on my mobile devices I always click "Classic Site" or "Desktop Version", because the lack of relevant information that gets nixed infuriates me. Almost every problem buyer I have had in the last 5 years on Ebay or my websites has been somebody who bought through a mobile device and didn't bother to read the full description.

That said, have you looked into "Inkfrog Open"? It's supposed to be more mobile friendly then the "Inkfrog Classic", and they are offering all classic subscribers the free upgrade and access to both platforms with no cost increase.

I've signed up for it but haven't actually used it yet. Not sure if it regenerates your old listings for you into the new platform.

If you include good pictures in the "appearance". That is most important to me, good back and front images. All the other hype I ignore.

Hi Dave..hope you are well. The main reason that I am considering all of this is that the new Inkfrog Open does not bring over your current listings at this time. They have some snarky comment to justify it (something like every once in a while it is good to upgrade your listings). I really don't know if a better appearance listing is going to result in better sales. Your thoughts?

Jeff

Thanks for the response Larry....I agree that lots of pictures tell a better story than just words.

Jeff

Personally, I don't like all the 'noise'. Some of what I look for are:

• Good pic(s) - this is probably the #1 item.
• Decent description - doesn't mean wordy, just applicable. If you point out flaws that aren't obvious from pics (like interior of a mag), I'm more likely to trust you with your item.
• Feedback - not end all, be all, but I check what the negative/neutrals might say
• Price, including shipping -duh? :)
• Spelling and that the person can communicate - again, not end all, be all, but if the person takes time for coming across effectively, then I feel they 'care' for their items(s)

Much of the above just show you care (IMO).

I picked depends on price but I should have also "meant", depends on the pictures too. I was thinking the question was, do I care about all kinds of frilly stuff in a listing, and that answer is no. However, good pictures are almost always a must.

Thanks for breaking it down Leon to the basic question...Does Frilly stuff matter?

Jeff

Taylor...my wife answered almost exactly the same way that you did. Thanks,

Jeff

Frilly stuff is a turn-off for me. It makes me think the seller is trying to distract me from something they don't want me to notice. Just give me good pics, pertinent info/description of the card, and shipping/pricing info.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

I personally don't like custom formatted auctions (and find the bold type annoying to read). I just want good pictures and a basic description.

Imo, if im looking to buy a card, all i want to see is good pics of front and back and a good price, and good feedback for that seller. I wont pay extra for fancy borders or looking professional. Not looking for fluf.

Give me good clear photos that can be magnified and a good description with any flaws that may not always be visible or hard to see in the photos and I'm good to go.

The rest means nothing to me and sometimes can work against the seller. For example if you say only a few words about the item and then give me a paragraph about yourself or your company then that just turns me off to your listing.

Donato

I look for clear scans of the front and back and a clear but concise description of the item. Images should be zoomable to a level that would show any relevant flaws. If you're selling other related items, I like to see a brief mention of that so I can know to search by your "other items for sale".

Too much more, and the stuff I care about starts to get lost in the clutter.

This pretty much sums it up.
James

+1

I only bid on items I want and only when they are at a price I feel comfortable paying. As long as there are good pictures, and there are no red flags in the description, I will bid on it. You have to do what you are comfortable with, but I would save the money personally.

I put that the appearance doesn't affect my choices, but that should be a qualified no.

I prefer really nice scans with a reasonable description. That's what I did when I was active.

So many listings have no information about the item, and a couple pages of varying size type about rules and policies. :(
Almost as bad are the ones that just say "see scans" especially if the scans are blurry cellphone photos.

Of course the opposite end of things is just as bad. I usually know what I'm looking at especially if it's a mainstream card. I really don't need 8 pages of text to tell me that Cy Young was a great pitcher. On very unusual items having some decent amount of background on it helps. Like there's an interesting pennant, claimed for a certain date but not dated on the item. At least give me something to back it up.

Steve B

Agree with others who say that what's important are clear photos and a good description.

For buying baseball cards, I just want good scans, fair shipping prices, and a feedback rating that makes me feel comfortable.

That doesn't mean that the additional layout is bad. It does tell me that this seller has put a lot of time into what they are doing. It just isn't all that important to me.

Many of the dealers I buy from most have really minimalist listings. Just price, scans and a line of text that says you are buying the exact card pictured, or something similar.

Size? Condition? Accurate description? Contents? Maybe not as important with cards, but lots of us deal in memorabilia, where the more information you provide, the better.

Too many folks selling pinback buttons don't include size info. Helpful to specify size or to at least include a photo of the item next to a ruler.

Appearance does not matter to me, unless it is really bad. Like good pictures. Want to see both sides of a card, especially if there is a variation on the back. Different angles of other items is a plus.

Mike

The only thing that matters in the listing is the price, quality pics, feedback and a decent description.

I voted before I read your actual question. So, I would change my vote to no :) All you need are good pictures, description describing any flaws, decent feedback and BE FRIENDLY

I clicked on your link. No need for all that in my opinion. Like everyone says, good scans( front and BACK)!

I prefer a more simpler listing, but as yours had a decent picture and a description, I was fine with it.

good luck

Bob

Same thing I did. The poll question isn't worded best to describe the two choices. I agree with most others in this thread. Appearance as it relates to good scans is most important.

For what it's worth Jeff, I think your listings look pretty good. Presentation does matter a little bit IMO. Decades of marketing research and every ad agency in the world will agree with that I believe.

I agree with this. I clicked on your link. With a feedback score of almost 4000, and a 100% rating all I would need is a couple of pictures, a brief description, and a fair price to buy. The rest doesn't matter.

+1. I only care about price and being able to see the item clearly. All the other nonsense actual causes me to not even look at the item.

I'm a little stumped and curious here fellas. What other "nonsense" in Jeff's listings would cause anybody to NOT look at his items?

I see a pretty clean layout and a store neatly organized into several niche categories. :confused:

+1

While a single line of text on a plain white background won't necessarily stop me from buying an item that I can recognize what it is and has clear pictures, a simple, well-presented layout does tell me that I'm dealing with a professional and not a 12-year-old kid with a cell phone and eBay app. I am less concerned with whether the item will arrive to me looking like it does in the pictures if I feel that I am dealing with a professional. I still buy from the punk kids too, but sweat it a little more until the item actually arrives that it's not going to be packed/shipped properly. While I'm not sure I would spend a lot of money to have someone produce a new template for me, there is something to be said for looking more professional.

Have you tried simply modifying the template that you currently use? (not sure if that is possible with InkFrog, as I've never used them)

I should have clarified on my original post that I had no problem with Jeff's currently design. What I consider 'noise' is stuff that is not directly related to the item for sale. Similar to what others pointed out. Like Joe Jackson's biography when selling a magazine with him on the cover. I don't consider the seller's 'policies' (payment, shipping, etc) to be 'noise'.

What I do hate is not seeing the description at the top of the listing, when you have to scroll through the 'noise' (or even policies) to get to the description. This to me is very distracting. First, tell me the description of what I'm looking at buying. Then, tell me what I need to do or can expect if I do decide to buy it (policies).

Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote and comment. After trying to list on eBay, I have found Inkfrog to be much easier. I am talking to a designer who can switch my current templates to the newer version of Inkfrog. I personally like a professional look, even though I don't think it matters that much (all things being equal).

Jeff

Thanks Dave...see my post above.

Jeff

Thanks Bob.

Jeff

Thanks Lance...see my post above.

Jeff

A professional look certainly doesn't hurt anything. Good luck!!

Hi Jeff,

Thought I would bump up this thread. Wanted to know how you like the "Open" version of Inkfrog? Have you figured it out to your satisfaction?

I just tried integrating over from "Classic" to "Open" in the last week and threw up my hands in frustration and went back to listing on the "Classic" platform.

Seems to be much less user friendly, less choice of options, no way to list your photos at the top of your description instead of the bottom, no way to separate images into folders, options for templates are crap, etc.....

Maybe I'm missing something or have to be more patient in figuring it out, but it doesn't seem very intuitive at all. I hate to have to look for a different option, because I've liked the Inkfrog platform for a very long time now, and there's no way I'm going to go back to listing through Ebay's lister.

:mad:

Funny you should ask. I am in the 2nd part of a 3 part process to convert all of my 600 eBay store items from Inkfrog to my computer. I had a friend who designs websites convert my listing templates so that I can use directly on eBay. It has been a lot of work but in the next few months I will be free of Inkfrog for good. I have found the eBay lister to be much better now than in the past. If you want to chat...PM me your phone number and I will give you a call.

Jeff

Thanks for the response Jeff. Sad to see you gave up on it. It really was a great tool. I'll let you know if I need to pick your brain some more. Thanks again.

I'm actually really pleased to do everything for myself on my computer. It might be a few extra minutes, but I have better control over the process.

Jeff