What are titles? They are the headings above eBay auctions. Its my opinion you write a better title after you have written out your auction information. After all, you have all the product information right in front of you, well organized and well written. Writing the title is then straightforward and easy.

Writing titles is not for selling and not necessarily for marketing or advertising. Writing titles is purely for getting found by the eBay search engine.

Simple & Straightforward

What does a title for one of your eBay products need to do? The title should:

Completely identify the item
Contain appropriate keywords for the eBay search engine
Indicate exactly whether the item is new,2nd hand and if used, indicate the condition that the item is in.

Its that simple. Dont try to make it more complicated. Notice that I didnt say the following:

Try to attract attention
Hook prospective buyers
Start the sales process off

Indeed, the need to use hype is a misconception that many eBay sellers make. They are not clear about the purpose of the title therefore tend to offer information in the title that is NOT needed. Lets say you are selling a Canon Powershot Digital Camera, a well known brand with several models. Prospective buyers get to the list of digital cameras via the eBay search (i.e., keywords = digital and camera) If a potential buyer is looking for a Canon Powershot, you want him to be able to immediately spot your title in the very long list of titles for Canon digital cameras.

The following title says it all:

Canon Powershot Digital Camera New

A prospective buyer can read the list quickly and spot this title easily. Youve done your job well. Once prospective buyers have found your ad, they will read your ad copy. Thats where you make your sales pitch. Anything that detracts from potential buyers finding your auction ad easily will result in fewer bidders and ultimately lower sales prices.

For instance, look at some of the following titles:

CANON CAMERA POWERSHOT FABULOUS DIGITAL CAMERA!!! ***Great Fast Action - digital camera, new in box **** Fast Action camera !!! - Canon - award winning !!! in the box!!

The first is in all caps, which is hard to read. The second uses characters that interfere with skimming. In addition, it doesnt say much thats concrete. It doesnt even include the brand. The third is difficult to read due to the exclamation marks. And what does in the box mean? It probably means new, but it could mean used but put back in the box.

Award winning is OK for an auction ad but not for a title; it doesnt help identify the product. These titles will cost you potential buyers. Theres no reason to make an art out of writing titles. They are Straight forward. Just identify whats for sale using words that potential buyers will use to search.