Ebay templates, What do you do if another ebay seller is selling more of the same item than you are?
If another ebay seller is selling at a similar price as you and they are getting more sales, then for some reason buyers are “choosing” to purchase from the other seller. This is good news as this can be fixed.
If your listing is consistently showing in the search results, it is not an ebay issue as the buyers are seeing your listings, and your competitors. So they have the choice to purchase from one or the other.
This is like 2 Chinese restaurants next door to each other. Both sell exactly the same food at the same price. Why does 1 get more customers through the door than the other?
If your price, account status, shipping, return policies,Item specifics, title, category, SEO configuration etc. Are the same for yours and your competitors listing, then it just leaves the listing template.
The answer is: ‘Branding’. How we feel about the look of each restaurant and how do we feel about an item listed on ebay.
We have been testing tons of different ebay templates and we are continually watching the top selling items on ebay around the planet. Here are some of the attributes we have found in ebay templates which have increased sales. Bottom line is,an ebay listing template needs to create TRUST fast. Here are some of the attributes that we have split tested and found to have increased sales.
1. Trust icons i.e. Fedex, DHL, PayPal etc. etc. As many as possible. Piggybacking off other large companies quickly gives a buyer the feeling of trust.
2. Convert as many words to picture icons i.e. convert sentences like “30 day returns” to an icon. These icons can be found for free by Googling say “30 day returns” then clicking “images”. There are hundreds to choose from. Scientists say we can read a picture icon 1000 times faster than we read words. That number seems a little high, however… we all know buyers will quickly scan images rather than read words.
3. Country flag: Buyers much prefer to purchase locally, display a flag at the top right corner.
4. A young women with a headset on at the top of the template. Just like we see on ads on TV. This makes potential buyers think that they can communicate with you should they need to.
5. Make sure your template includes Payment details, shipping details, return policy and warranty. And again, use graphics icons whenever possible.
6. Multiple templates. Once you have one template made, get 5 other versions made i.e. a baby theme when selling baby items, a pet theme when selling pet items etc. This only takes a graphic artist an hour or 2 to do but makes a big difference.
What else is different between your listing template and your competitors?
Use http: www.tera-peak.com to find the top sellers of your item in the USA, Canada, UK and Australia. What is in their template compared to yours?
You can also use Tera-peak to see your “ranking” for your product. If you are currently at say position 5, you can make changes then watch. Over a week or so your position will move to position 4 or 6. This tells you if you are going in the right direction.
You can also measure your views to sales.
In regards to getting templates done on the cheap. You can use www.fiverr.com or www.elance.com however…
Never give a graphic artist free reign, never ask them to just build you an ebay listing template as graphic artists are normally right brain thinking people who will build you a template that will win a graphics competition but will not do what we want. That is, to quickly build trust and convert views to sales.
The solution is to find another ebay seller who has a template which you like and ask the designer to build you a “similar” template. Most graphic artists do not know what is required and only know what “looks” good.
Obviously do not copy or plagiarise the other sellers template, instead just make yours similar.
Only look at sellers who have a minimum of 10,000 + feedbacks.
Once your template has been made, you own it. And it is just a piece of HTML which you can continually get modified. Graphic designers are only around $4 per hour so you can keep modifying and testing it.
I have been using Frannie at: http://www.ocdesignsonline.com to design my templates for over 10 years. She is more expensive, however you pay for what you get. The cost of getting a template designed is very small in the scheme of things.
Compared to getting say a Chinese restaurant fitted out which costs from $100,000 +, getting a template made costs from $20 to $350
If you choose to use Frannie, say hello for me.
To your success
Neil Waterhouse
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Thanks Neil, re ebay templates simple and very sound advice, I will follow up on this.
Brilliant tips yet again Neil. Really clear easy-to-follow steps. Thank you for sharing your knowledge generously.
Thanks Greg
Thank you Neil, for not only sharing your knowledge, but also your template designer.
You’re very welcome Christine, glad to help.
Thanks for that recommendation Neil 🙂 Can’t agree more with everything you said here, I always tell people if you are selling the same thing as a competitor and your listing looks plain with the white background and black text and the other seller looks like a reputable seller with a design in place, navigation trusted promo banners etc. who would you trust your money to that is what everyone needs to remember. Happy Selling! Mention Neils article and we will give you $50 off your package.
Thanks Frannie. Keep up the great work!
Great advice Neil – it makes perfect sense and thanks for sharing your designer – I’ve had some hurdles with the one I chose so I would be happy to experience someone different next time
First ‘professional’ template launching within days! Thanks for your advice.
Hey, i’m just about to open a store again after taking a 6 year break from ebay. I used to sell used and dropshippin new when it wasn’t this popular, but have never worked with templates. In a store, how do you upload the templates please?