As I frequent buyer I know what I want to see when I'm searching for a product on eBay and I pass over listings where key factors are missing even if the item is something I want.  I want to buy from the seller who appears professional, thorough and honest.  Here's what I expect to see in a listing that I will purchase.

A GOOD DESCRIPTION:

Describe the item factually, don't depend on just your photo to tell your customer what the item is like.  How big is it?  What color is it?  What's the age?  What size is it?  Are there identifying marks?  Keep the description brief but explicit. 

Tell me what you know about the item, be honest in your representation.  Don't say a piece is a particular brand name unless you know for sure that it is, for example, don't list the lovely glass vase as "Fenton" unless you are an expert and know for sure that's that it is or it's signed.  Always provide a photo of identifying marks if relevant.  If you need help identifying something just say so in the auction.  Customers are glad to lend their expertise in identification.

THE CONDITION:

Give an accurate appraisal of the condition of the item.  Is it used or new?  Any damage or wear?  Site anything that effects value or use and best of all give a photograph of any damage.  Again, do this with as few words as possible but thoroughly.

THE TERMS:

Don't use more of your auction space for your rules and regulations than you do your product.  Buyers get really turned off by emphasis on negatives in an auction.  It says something about your character or at least attitude towards your customers to over emphasize how much trouble you think customers are.

Provide full details of your sale requirements including shipping cost and method, payment method and any other shipping conditions.  Put the shipping calculator in your auction for your customer's convenience.  Use eBay checkout, again for your customer's convenience.

For goodness sake, please take Pay Pal.  Don't force your customers to go buy Money Orders or wait weeks for delivery because you don't trust them to write a good check.  If you can't be a professional merchant just don't sell to the public.  I don't mind a seller who wants Pay Pal only but I do try to avoid anyone who says they don't take Pay Pal.  This is the electronic age and you are a seller in an electronic medium.  Use all the tools to make purchases as easy as possible for your customer.

And, by the way, don't put your profit in your shipping cost!  This is really eBay fee avoidance and it is really annoying to a buyer when you charge $29.99 for shipping for a .99c listing.  Though I have to admit to buying anyway when the item is a good value to me at the shipping cost price.  I just prefer to see an auction where the listing is priced at what the seller is satisfied with.  (I also hate reserves, just state the price. It will sell or not depending on the value and demand.)

THE PAGE DESIGN:

I suppose design and auction layout is a personal issue or even a marketing one but here are my pet peeves in this area.  I hate pages written in ALL CAPS, that use too many font colors, play music, use gimics, don't have good photos, have spelling and grammar errors, or appear to be scamming the reader with fake stories about their product.  (I'm selling all my grandmother's heirlooms, etc.)

Please use paragraphs in your layout!  Don't run the description all together for umpteen sentences that become unreadable.  At some point too much trivial detail is a turn-off to the buyer and run-on paragraphs are hard on the eyes and mind.

The number one greatest thing you can do for your auction is have very good photos of your item.  I decide to look at an auction because of the photo and then read the description after viewing all photos.  Bad photos and the description doesn't even get read.  Poor photos reflect on you as a seller and indicate a lack of attention to the details that may appear in other areas as well.

CUSTOMER SERVICE:

Everyone wants good feedback, both buyers and sellers.  Seller feedback is earned by good customer service and to me this means first write an honest auction, 2nd reply promptly to customer emails, 3rd, ship within a day of payment and 4th, pack with extreme care.  If you have to ship on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule be sure to mention it in your auction and then I'll know what to expect.

Use professional packing materials like bubble wrap and peanuts.  Do not pack breakable items with newspaper.  You should see what happens to newspaper if your package gets wet before it arrives.  Wet newspaper becomes worthless as a packing material and though you may think this is an unlikely occurence it isn't that rare to have a package arrive wet.  Newspaper also compresses during shipment and may be providing little protection by the time it arrives.  It doesn't matter if you are shipping a $5 item or a $200 item, people want it to arrive in good condition so be careful with your customer's purchase.

Use boxes that won't get torn open during shipping.  You'd be surprised at the condition of some packages when they arrive especially when using recycled or thin boxes.  Priority mail boxes are great (and free) as are padded envelopes for the right items.

Always include a copy of the auction or an invoice with the package.  As a buyer buying a lot of items, especially similar items, I appreciate knowing which one yours is so I can mark it received and leave feedback for you.

SUMMARY:

As a buyer I guess I want to know most of all that you are an honest seller and your feedback will generally tell me that.  If you are a crook you won't last long on eBay.  

I am very, very afraid of buying from low feedback, new sellers and for good reason!   So if I were starting out as a seller today I would first become a buyer and build a good feedback reputation before beginning to sell. 

For those of us who love this venue and intend to be here for a long time, let's vow to improve what we do and how we do it both as buyers and sellers.  Let's protect this golden goose with our own integrity and professionalism.