This headline has brought in buyers interested in Cross pens, cats, and Hallmark items. Think what terms you would search for if you were trying to locate your item in a listing. Then write a few headlines and try to incorporate a few of those terms. To spice up your headline and make it stand out a bit try capitalizing certain (but not all) words. Descriptive adjectives are fine and can be effective - just make sure you focus on the keywords first. A note of caution here....honesty counts. Using words in your headline that do not pertain directly to your item is known as keyword spamming. It will not only turn off your buyers but get you in trouble with the auction house as well. Another headline ploy used by some sellers is the "hook" type headline which generally tells the buyer absolutely nothing about the product. An example is "My Wife Fainted When She Saw This One!"...Personally, I am turned off by this and I believe many serious buyers are as well. But it really comes down to what works best for you. Experimentation is key and when you find something that works well stay with it.

The Ad Copy Is where you tell your prospective bidders what is is you're selling. Remember - the ad copy and photo are ALL the online bidder has to work with. Make your ad copy count. Use basic HTML whenever possible. And most importantly DESCRIBE your product. Amazing how many listings on Ebay have an almost non-existent description. "Nice green pot I found at a garage sale"....Duh?? How big is it? Whats it made of? Its it chipped or cracked? Any markings anywhere? These are the things your prospective buyer wants to know. At a minimum I suggest trying to incorporate the following in your ad copy:

The other important aspect of you ad copy is your sales pitch. I personally prefer a more subtle pitch. Try telling your buyer how the item would look great in this of that part of their home. If its a limited edition or unique item be sure and tell your buyer. Everybody likes to own one of a kind items. For collectible items you may try adding a bit of history behind the item. i.e...these coins were last minted in...or...this card is tough to find in this condition due to the.... You get the idea. Get your buyer interested. Make them feel that this is something they need and have to have and you'll get the bids. Avoid flashing lights, huge fonts, and other cheesy tricks. (unless of course you're selling something cheesy) Above all, avoid adding sound files to your ads. There cute but also cause some browsers to crash, wake up sleeping family members, and are generally disliked by most bidders.

Your terms of sale are another important item that should be included in your ad copy. Your shipping cost and payment options are an important aspect of your offering. Omitting either will turn off many buyers that otherwise might bid. If you are unable to quote an exact shipping charge (for heavier items or international shipping) invite the buyer to contact you via email with their zip code for a shipping estimate. Try and promptly respond to their questions.

SURF..SURF..SURF..Take an hour or so, go to Ebay, and surf the ads. Look for items getting bids or completed sold items. Try and get a feel for what works for other sellers. Why would a buyer bid on this particular item? Would you? What could this seller have done (or not done) to make this product more appealing? Take a look at some items with no bids. Try to determine why. This is an invaluable exercise that you should repeat as frequently as time permits.

To conclude...

Writing ads that sell should be an on-going learning experience and one that will repay you many times over. This brief article is really just the tip of the iceberg...for a much more in depth discussion on writing effective ad copy we've found sites such as Make Your Words Sell to be an invaluable resource.