Here are some “newbie” listing mistakes that can cost you an auction. I write about these goofs and others, as well as simple tips to improve your sell-through success, in my eBook, The Booksellers Guide to eBay Success. Click on the link to find my eBay ad.

DO NOT:

1. Use premade templates for your book listings. eBay offers dozens of cute and HTML based slick artwork for listing borders. But it’ll cost you $.10 and most likely not help you sell. There are lots of ways to make your listing stand out that won’t cost you a cent. You can read about them in my Booksellers’ Guide to eBay Success. This feature may save you a little time and “pretty up” your listings — but it will also make your listings look like everyone else's.
2. Make your ads look like “ransom notes.” You’ve seen these ads all over eBay: a giant rainbow-colored banner, three, four or five different typefaces, font sizes and colors, all spread out with no place to focus your attention.
   The basic rule applies: KISS, or Keep It Simple, Seller. Fancy descriptions are not only hard to read, they can also make it look like you're trying to hide something. Your job is to sell your book, not your design skills (or call attention to their lack). Anything that gets in the way of that is in the way of your eBay success.
3. Pretend your book is perfect. More and more, eBay has been coming down hard on sellers who fail to describe accurately what they’re selling. Disappointed buyers will be quick to show their anger by leaving you negative feedback that can seriously hurt your chances of growing your eBay business. Get a few complaints from disappointed buyers, and you find your listings appearing lower and  lower in eBay’s search results.
   It’s a perverse truth that the more honest you are about your book’s defects, the more it will appeal to buyers… unless of course your book is a heap of pages scattered on your living room floor. If your book has any imperfections, don’t try to hide them or play them down.
   Make sure any product flaws or imperfections are clearly visible in your product images, and mention them in your listing ad copy as well. This relates to the next item…
4. Use pictures you didn’t take. If you simply copy (or link to) photos of a brand-new book from Amazon.com or the publisher’s website, you risk angering your buyers if the item doesn’t look exactly like it does in the picture. Not only that, bidders can spot a stock photo at a glance. To be safe, take your own photos so bidders can see EXACTLY what they're bidding on.
5.  “Borrow” a book description copied from a website. I talk about this as well in The Booksellers’ Guide to eBay Success. It’s OK to use book jacket copy for, say plot description or review blurbs, but your own words will have more impact… because they are your words.
6. Avoid describing your book in detail. The best book listings include clear, relevant details about the item being sold. EBay helps by providing a place for ‘Pre-filled Item Info,’ which you can access by filling in the book’s ISBN, title or author. Aside from that, your ad copy must describe your book’s unique features.
7. Fail to check grammar and spelling. If your book listing is riddled with typos, spelling mistakes and poor grammar, potential bidders aren’t going to take you seriously. If you are running your book sales as a business – and why else do it? – then take the time to get your spelling and grammar right. eBay’s listing editor has a spell checker, but you might be using a third party lister. 
   
8. Discourage or alienate bidders. I’ve seen far too many ads that make it seem like I’d be taking a risk even bidding on the item. Sentences like “non-paying bidders will be reported to eBay,” or “no refunds or exchanges except at seller’s discretion.”
   Now both those rules are reasonable; it's just a bad idea to lay them out up front. You might scare off not fraudsters, but genuine bidders and eBay newcomers. Instead of treating everyone like a potential scammer, you should assume that your bidders are legit. Put your rules at the bottom of your ad, and sandwich the tough ones between benefits, like “Same-day shipping!” or “Money-back guarantee!”
9. Charge exorbitant shipping fees. eBay has policies in place to prevent excessive shipping charges. For example they’ve recently set a maximum of $3.00 for DVD and CD shipping and handling, and maximums on books are coming soon. Your shipping charges should reflect the actual applicable costs: postage, packaging materials, insurance, and taxes.
   On the other hand, don’t cheat yourself by failing to calculate the time you spend wrapping and sending your item.

Even experienced sellers make these mistakes (I’ve made a few of them myself!). Avoiding them will give you great “eBay cred,” and legions of devoted return buyers will be visiting your store and looking for your books.

Francis Moss
The eBay Book Guy
http://www.ebayookguy.com