Starting today (Sept 22, 2009) eBay is rolling out a series of changes to their Best Match search and sort algorithm. Understanding the principles of Best Match will help sellers gain exposure in the search results, resulting in an advantage over their competition. This article looks at specific changes that impact listings in the collectible categories.
These categories include:
- Art
- Antiques
- Coins & Paper Money
- Collectibles
- Dolls & Bears
- Pottery & Glass
- Toys & Hobbies
- Stamps
- Sports Mem, Cards & Fan Shop
- Entertainment Memorabilia
Considering that these categories have always been the most difficult to optimize for Best Match, the following insights provided by eBay are certainly helpful.
Specifically, eBay states that auction style listings in the collectable categories receive a boost when the listing is about to expire, while fixed-price style listings receive a boost when the item is newly listed.
The way fixed-priced listings are treated under the most recent Best Match algorithym updates is different in collectibles categories than for fixed price listings elsewhere in Best Match (a topic for another article).
In summary, your collectibles listing gains visibility with age if it is an auction style listing and loses visibility with age if it is a fixed-price style listing.
Did you know that you can only reply once to questions submitted about eBay listings through their message system?
I learned this yesterday when a potential bidder contacted me to see if I would offer Media Mail as a shipping option. I replied that I would be happy to. Later when I modified the listing to include that particular shipping option, I tried to reply to the same question again in order to let the bidder know. I was greeted by a screen on eBay’s site that stated the question had already been replied to.
I was only able to hope that the buyer would notice that the change had been actually been made and bid. (That person never did place a bid.)
So the lesson here is you only get one shot to answer a question on eBay these days – make sure the answer is complete!
Reader Mailbag: Best Match and Original Art
Filed Under Best Match | 2 Comments
I ask readers who download my eBook for their feedback. A reader who sells original art on eBay provided this thought provoking note:
Hello Doug.
You asked for it, so here it goes!!!Thanks for the free e-book. I found it to be very informative.
A few years back, I think it was in 2006, someone mentioned that I should add things like “WOW!” and “Spectacular,” and “dazzling”, and all sorts of adjectives like this to my listings to improve hits and so forth. Of course, some of these words were fairly silly, but I began to look for insights in to the whole keyword thing. I actually, got some online keyword and hit tracker help, and applied it to my eBay listings. Interestingly, as soon as I applied what I had learned, the number of hits literally dropped to zero!
The one thing I did learn was that tinkering with keywords does make a difference. I did eventually work out some better keywords and improved hits and sales.
That was pre-Best Match.
I picked up on your book quite by accident. I was looking for the definition of the acronym ACEO, as it’s used on eBay, in the art listings. That’s when I found the eBay forums. I started reading through the postings. What I was reading was how everyone who listed art work on eBay was complaining about “Best Match” and how their hits, and sales have all dropped off significantly.
Some blamed the economy, but many were blaming Best Match, as the source of their problems.
So, I started Googling “Best Match” on eBay and that’s how I found your site.
I didn’t realized that eBay implemented the change (I’m sure I was told, but I hadn’t a clue what it really meant).I’m sure that everyone tell experts such as yourself things like, “yeah, but the category I list in is different,” or things of that nature. But, as an artist, I really do think it’s an odd product to sell on eBay.
Here’s why I think it is, and the issues I’ve run into:
There are 10′s of 1000′s of artists listing tons of stuff at any given time, and everyone of the is unique. Talk about being up to your elbows and eyeballs, of stuff to wade through..
With IPods and MP3 players, as you mentioned in your examples, it’s a matter of tweeking the keywords, shipping, and such.If there were a 1000 IPods to look at, it seems that Best Match really would be a help to find the best price, and shipping to go with. All things equal, who’s got the best feedback?
Again, with the IPod or MP3 players, people pretty much know what they’re going to get.
Imagine if each IPod was designed, made, signed and looked different then every other one!
Once you get past the shear number of items, you come to the next major issue, subjectivity. Even if you have the best prices, the best shipping, and the best writeup, the best feedback, it all comes down to this, is it something someone is going to like.You can take a quick look, but I got to tell you, there are folks making some pretty good cash sell some pretty trashy items. And I’m sure that there are some pretty high quality items, nobody’s looking at, because Best Match sends their listings into the netherworld!
For myself, I’m probably closer to the bottom, then the top. A small handful of folks found and bought some of my work in the past few months. It’s small potatoes, but it’s something.The problem with that, is if that small group decides to not buy, nothing is sold, and it’s potato soup without the potatoes!.I know, why do art then?
Well, I’m an artist, it’s what I do.
If you could find a way to get eBay to really work for the art segment of eBay, well you’d get my vote for man of the year!
I have a website, and I’m still trying to figure out how to get that to work, as well.
Anyway…I hope this doesn’t sound whiny…I truly appreciate the book, I do realize that it’s a overview guide and I really don’t expect you or anyone else to become a coach for starving artists!
Thank you for the insights.(By the way, the BayEstimator page is a pretty good little tool).
Ed McCarthy
Ed, I wish I had some answers for you. In my opinion, the problem stems from eBay losing its roots as a marketplace where lots of sellers could be successful selling a tremendous variety of goods in their efforts to remake themselves into a marketplace where a few sellers are successful selling consumer commodities with mass market appeal.
Now that I’m off of my soapbox, is there anybody out there that has some ideas on how to sell original art successfully in a Best Match world?
Leave your ideas in the comments below
Here’s a little link love for Ed: www.EdwardMcCarthy.com
I noticed something new yesterday when I was leaving feedback for a couple of items I bought recently on eBay. On the listing that provided free shipping, eBay posted a small notice reminding me of that fact.
A Positive Step
Maybe this isn’t new and I’ve just never noticed it before (see suggestions below), but I thought this was a positive step towards fixing the problems with eBay’s DSR’s. Perhaps eBay felt obligated to include this note because they couldn’t explain why the average S&H DSR for sellers that exclusively offer free shipping is less than 5.0.
Suggestions for Improving the DSR System
Now that eBay has a little momentum towards fixing the DSR problem, might I offer a couple of suggestions for continued improvement?
- Make the little free shipping reminder turn red when the buyer’s mouse hovers over any star in the S&H evaluation block other than the “5″ star. Better yet — If the seller offers free shipping, make it so they automatically get “5″ stars for that particular metric. The only way the seller could do better would be to send the buyer money for the priveledge of shipping the item!
- Put up the same kind of note in the shipping time DSR if the buyer opted for Media Mail shipping (or the seller was forced to only offer Media Mail due to eBay’s ridiculous $4.00 shipping fee cap in the books category). Make that notice turn red if the mouse hovers over any star except the “5″ star.
Assuming we are stuck with them, what changes would you suggest to the DSR system?