Now I am no expert on html. But I know a tip or two. In my opinion, good clean html can make or break a sale.


For anyone who doesn’t know what html is... you are looking at it... its basically the code that makes a web page look like it does. It states what size of text you see, the color of text, the background, how images appear etc.

Of course there are lots of other scripts nowadays that do more complicated stuff, but for the majority, html is a good place to start!


Selling Your Item On eBay – Getting Started With Html
When you access the Sell Your Item on eBay, it provides you with two methods to write about your listing.
A. Standard – Simple formatting. For users with no knowledge of html.
B. HTML – For more advanced users.



fig. 1

In this review I will stick to the standard method but I will include some simple html codes at the end that you can place in the HTML section of the Sell Your Item form.

The Standard option provides you with most of the formatting options you need to make a presentable listing.

1.    Font - There are 9 options: Arial, Arial Black, Comic SanS, Courier, Georgia, Impact, Times, Trebuchet, MS Verdana.
2.    Font Size – Make your take large or small.
3.    Color – Use carefully to brighten up your auction.
4.    Bold, Italic, Underline – Use to put emphasis on text.
5.    Alignment – Left, Centre or Right text alignment.
6.    Bulletin – List points in bulletin or number format.
7.    Tabbing – Move paragraphs in or out.
8.    Spelling – Do not underestimate the power of misspelled words. Make sure your auction gets the right hits.




GUIDELINES TO USING THE FORMATTING OPTIONS
1. FONT TYPE
Choose a font that you think reflects the item you are trying to sell. Arial is quite a common standard and is suitable for just about everything, If you have a more light hearted auiction, you can try Comic Sans. Dont fill your page with too many differnt fonts though as this can be both confusing to read and annoying.

2. FONT SIZE
Use this to make you text large or small. You can use a larger font to emphasise titles on your page, don’t use too often in the middle of smaller text.

3. TEXT COLOR & BACKGROUND > Text Color
Color. Now heres where things can get out of control. I see many people with descriptions where one line is pink, the next blue, then pink again, followed by green.

You don’t need to add all the colors of the rainbow to your listing. You can get the attention of any perspective buyer by just keeping everything clean and easy to read. If a reader is getting a headache looking at your page then they aren’t likely to stay around much longer. Definitely highlight aspects of your listing in a different color (fig. 2) to draw the reader attention.

Background
Contrast your main text with the Background (fig. 2). i.e If your background is light in color, make sure your text is dark. Don’t opt for too crazy a background or you may not see some words in your description whatever color they are.


fig. 2


4. HIGHLIGHT IMPORTANT WORDS > Bold, Italic, Underline
Add bold to a word or line of text and make it stand out (fig. 3). You can also use italics or underline to emphasise a word or line that you would like to draw attention to.

fig. 3
HOW TO IN HTML:
Simply add <b>Bold Text</b>
<em>Italic Text</em>
<u>Underlined Text</u>

5,6, & 7. ALIGN AND SPACE YOUR TEXT > Alignment, Bulletin & Tabbing
Some items I’ve come across had their descriptions in one big long line across the page. How about breaking up your text a little? Align it in the centre, set up different points on a separate line– see fig. 1. These all make it more presentable and easier to red for a perspective buyer.
HOW TO IN HTML:
<p align=”centre”>CENTRE ALIGN</p>
<p align=”left”>LEFT ALIGN</p>
<p align=”right”>RIGHT ALIGN</p>

You can use the Bulletin buttons (6) to show your points on a numbered or bulletin format. If your text is too close to the left side of the page, use the tab button (7) to space the text in a little bit.

8. MAKE SURE YOU ALLWAYS PREVIEW YOUR LISITING BEFORE POSTING!


SOME EXTRA TIPS TO FURTHER ENHANCE YOUR AUCTION

ADD PHOTOS
eBay provides an option for uploading pictures. The first picture uploaded is free and every one after that is $0.15. But there is another option that I would recommend. Cick the Self hosting tab on the insert image option. Use a image hosting account like Photobucket. Here you can upload 100’s of photos and then use the Self hosting page to link to these images. I may write another guide to go into images hosting in more detail if I think there is a demand.
Also...tick the Picture Show box, its free!



fig. 4




USE TABLES (More advanced)
This is strictly for more advanced html users but I will add some code here that novice users can add then modify to suit there own items.

Here is the html for a simple 2 Row 2 Column table
<table width="800" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tr>
<td><div align="center">Top Left Pane Content</div></td>
<td><div align="center">Top Right Pane Content</div></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><div align="center">Bottom left Pane Content</div></td>
<td><div align="center">Bottom Right Pane Content</div></td>
</tr>
</table>

Description of table tags
table width – The Width of the table
border – The width of the table border – 1 or 2 is suitable width
cellspacing – width of space between panes
cellpadding – Space between text and edge of pane.
bordercolor="#0066CC" – Optional color for border. Place after cellpadding.
background="" – Optional background image. Place after cellpadding. Insert link to background image e.g. Photobucket image link.


You can then edit the content of each pane in the Standard selling window. You can add text or images, format the text, stretch or minimize the image. Insert a link to your pictures in Photobucket or similar. A table helps bring order to your listing.




Well that’s it! Thanks for reading my guide! Now before you go, tell me if you like it by clicking the button below! Happy Selling!!