Keyword Spamming on eBay - What Not to Do!

I listed an authentic Fendi hat couple of weeks ago and was researching prices. I came across this listing and, well, there are so many things wrong here I don't even know where to start. The first issue is keyword spamming. Look at this title:


An obvious and blatant attempt to get hits on their listing. This is called keyword spamming - using irrelevant words to get traffic to your listing. eBay does not like it when sellers manipulate the search engine in this way. It is inconvenient for buyers and an unfair marketing tactic. Keyword spamming is a big eBay no-no and your listing can be removed for this violation, and your DSRs will suffer. Don't do it.

As we look more closely at the listing, we see the shipping is $9.99. For a 3 ounce baseball hat? And then when you look closer at the shipping section, we see that the seller is using Media Mail - which is a class of mail only for media products (books, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, etc.) So, the buyer will pay $9.99 for a 3 oz hat to be shipped for 9 -15 day delivery?


As a buyer, watch out for listings like this. If the seller is this unscrupulous with his listing, odds are that the item is not of top quality and you won't receive very good service either.

Read More

Free eBay Tool - DSR Watch

DSR Watch is a service offered free of charge by Channel Advisor. "DSRWatch is the easiest way to discover, track, and benchmark detailed eBay seller ratings." - ChannelAdvisor.com

To use the service, just enter a user name in the box and click go. You can see where the user falls in the different categories and in what percentile.

Once you have done the search, you will get a screen where you can opt in to receive email updates when the user's DSR changes. The idea was to keep an eye on the competition, but I just use it for myself to find out when my DSRs change.

Click here to try DSR Watch. If you sign up for the email notification, you can stay on top of how your customers are rating you and be proactive in improving your DSRs.

Read More

Rank Higher in eBay's Best Match - Free eBook

eBay's default method in which search results are returned is called Best Match. The search results appear rather random - not in any particular order. However, the algorithm that eBay uses to create this order is somewhat of a puzzle. Instead of sorting results by ending time, price, distance from buyer, or another more obvious method, eBay uses its own "secret" algorithm to determine the order that buyers see search results presented. The challenge as a seller is to figure out how to get to the top the search results, Best Match. Some things we know:

Free shipping place you higher

Auctions appear before store inventory items

Item specifics - the more of these you fill out (those little boxes you check regarding style, size, brand name, etc) the higher your listing will place

Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs -those little yellow stars) - the higher your DSRs, the higher you place in Best Match

There are many more factors. Douglas Feiring has updated his eBook, Best Match Made Simple. The recent update came out on November 17, 2009. Click here to download the FREE 131 page eBook for more information about how to place higher in Best Match, and increase your visibility and your sales.

Also, click here for a 10 minute radio interview on eBay Radio with Griff and Lee regarding 5 ways to place higher in Best Match.

Have a great day on eBay!

Read More