Learn to buy and sell antiques and collectibles

Selecting The Best Category And Keywords For Your eBay Auction

Finding the best eBay category is extremely important. Most eBay searchers quickly learn to limit their searching to specific categories. Some search within categories, others just look at everything in the category.

If you put your item in the wrong category, your auction will not be seen by the majority of eBay users. This can cause your item to sell for less than it's real value.

Want proof?

I use a program called "Ted - The IWantCollectibles eBay Search Assistant" to search for items in categories where eBay sellers commonly list trains and toys, but train buyers don't search regularly. I find killer deals on items for my collection, and, more often, find items to relist on eBay for a quick profit.

But the point of this article is not to explain eBay arbitrage -- It's to teach you how to research eBay categories and keywords.

The fastest way to find the best category is to search for similar items on eBay. For example if you search for "Lionel Train" on eBay you'll get thousands of results. The majority of these results are in the Toys And Hobbies > Model RR, Trains category.

Categories are shown in the left column of the eBay search results page, and are listed in order of popularity. If you click on Model RR, Trains category, it will show all subcategories. Then you only have to pick the right scale to get your item in front of the maximum number of eBay searchers. (Scale refers to size.)

Anyway, there is another reason why you select the category before the keywords. Once you find the right category, eBay will tell you the five most commonly searched keywords within the category. These are listed just below the Search titles and description checkbox beside RELATED SEARCHES.

These five keywords are in order with the most common on the left. You can find up to five more common searches by looking within the eBay Pulse section. Here's a list of eBay categories.

Most categories will show at least two additional phrases and up to five more.

Many eBay users come into the category, and then do a search to find specific items. As we've said, these five to ten phrases are the most commonly searched. By using any relevant terms in your auction title, you'll increase the number of people who see your listing.

Terry

Secret eBay Product Sources
Click on this link to learn how to find interesting items you can quickly resell on eBay for BIG profits.

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Terry Gibbs has taught over 7,000 people how to make a good living on eBay. Terry's most recent eBay instruction manual is The Auction Revolution . The Auction Revolution is your guide to eBay and beyond. Here on Iwantcollectibles.com, you will learn about buying and selling antiques and collectibles, and about eBay.