Using the WANT IT NOW feature on eBay is a great (and free!) way to track down specific items you wish to purchase. Having sellers come to you makes it an easy way to find these items. However, it must be used correctly in order for it to be effective for both the buyer and the seller.

Want It Now can be found on the home page of eBay on the top left menu. When you click on it you will be taken to this page WANT IT NOW which is for both buyers and sellers. To create an effective want ad it is a good idea to check out eBay's information concerning this before writing your ad. About Want It Now 

As a seller, I have occasionally looked through the Want It Now ads to see if anyone is in the market for something I might be presently carrying in my store. Generally speaking, however, so many have poor titles, or are not specific enough in their ads, that I feel it is a waste of my time.

Take your time and consider the options carefully so that your ad has the potential to attract the most sellers.

• Post your ad in the correct category. Don't merely choose a main category but narrow your subcategories down as closely as possible. Some items will be easy to decide upon but, if your item is not in a clear cut category, do a search for similar items and see where others have chosen to list them.
• Create a clear specific title for your ad. This is the area that most frustrates me as a seller. For instance, I sell Corelle dishware. When I search the ads for Corelle I often find titles such as "Discontinued pattern" "Cereal bowls" "Corelle with blue flowers" and these just don't give me enough information. If I was to take the time to search through each of those it would be time-consuming and frustrating. Be SPECIFIC. In this case, in your title you want to get across the maximum amount of information so say you are looking for Corelle, list the pattern name and then exactly what you want. "Corelle Indian Summer Dinner Plates" lets the sellers know EXACTLY what your are looking for - you have a much better chance of a productive response and they are far more likely to see and answer your ad. If you are not completely certain of specific details, in this case the pattern name, it really pays off to do a bit of research online to find this information.
• Write a complete ad including all necessary information. So many ads are minimalistic in their description. The answers they receive are probably not helpful to them and a waste of time for the sellers. I often see the Q&A under the ad which is much more clear about what they are looking for and it makes me wonder why this information was not just put into the ad in the first place. If you need something in a certain condition, say so, if you have a limited price range, say so, if you have a quantity in mind, say so! Be SPECIFIC and detailed.
• Keep an eye on your ad so you don't miss on opportunity for purchase. Your ad will appear in My eBay. Be sure to check your email as you will receive a notice when a seller has answered your ad.
• Remove your ad when you have purchased your item. As a courtesy to sellers, and to keep from receiving unwanted notices about items for sale, remove your ad once you have found the item you are looking for. How to remove an ad

It really is a relatively easy process and a great tool for buyers and sellers alike. Using it correctly and to its best advantage, however, makes it much more effective for all of us using eBay!

NOTE: if you have read through this and do NOT find it helpful or your questions have not been answered please email me and let me know, please. I am happy to answer your questions. If you did find it helpful please click the YES button below. Thanks and good luck finding the item you want!