My items are so low on the search list (HELP) -how to raise on the Ebay search index?

[Modee]

New Ebay policy - search rank will be higher if use Catalog Listing

Soon, Ebay will lower your search rank listing if you fail to search for and list your auction item in Ebay's "product information" catalog.

We're in the process of simplifying the path between a buyer's search for popular products and your listings. As a seller who lists in a category affected by this change, we wanted to inform you, and provide you with a little background.

We have made significant improvements in our item-based search experience in recent years, and have learned that eBay can generate more sales for sellers like you by launching the item-based search experience everywhere. For that reason, we are removing the consolidated view experience (often referred to as "product cards"), at this time.

Note that the product details page—including the value box featuring great values from Top Rated sellers—will continue to be available to buyers, but only from a link on the view item page, onsite search widgets, or from off-eBay search results like Google and Yahoo!.

There's no action needed on your part to accommodate this change—just continue to follow all the best practices to maximize your exposure in search results —which includes listing with the eBay catalog. Listing with the catalog will become increasingly vital to your success, as eBay search uses the catalog information that gets appended to your listing, and will do so more and more as we release new features, such as finders in Electronics and filtering in Fashion.

We are always testing and evolving the site to ensure that eBay is a top shopping destination for buyers, and a powerful, profitable platform for valued sellers like you. We will continue to keep you informed of changes to the marketplace.

As always, thank you for selling on eBay!

Sincerely,

Michael Jones
Vice President,
Merchant Development

What I recommend for my clients is that they create their own professional HTML listings with hosted images embedded in them, with all product details in their listing itself, but go ahead and at least use the catalog listing, without all the Ebay product details:


For example, the above is from a listing a client of mine has created, and is about to post live. She has entered the UPC or model # of the item being sold, in this case an Apple TV, so that the listing will be included in the Ebay catalog, but has NOT checked the box for product information to be included in the listing.

Especially since you should have all product information colorfully and artistically laid out in your own HTML listing, Ebay's long, black and white text only product listing will only make your listing too long vertically, and redundant.

SO: take advantage of searching for and including your product in Ebay's catalog (if you find the item there), but include detailed product information within your own listing, is my recommendation.

[Modee]

I am assuming that, bottom line, you are complaining about lowered sales. (Who cares where you are on the search totem if you are selling like gangbusters.)

SO, when you say that your sales have decreased, do you mean in reference to other buy it nows from other sellers for the same item at the same price? What I mean is, I usually list my items at no reserve starting price a penny. Even if very few people see or bid on my listings the price still usually jumps to where I want it before the auction closes. In other words, my selling prices are dictated by the market, not by me. So, my question is - are others using the SAME types of listings as you with the SAME buy it now price for the SAME items getting sales, when you are not? Or are you simply complaining of less traffic on your unique listings?

I've had auctions where I list an expensive item for a certain price, buy it now or with a reserve, or a high starting price, and no one will touch it. Then I list the exact same item with no reserve starting price a penny and the item ends up selling for more than my previous (failed) buy it now attempted price.

I don't like buy it now listings at all, and most buy it nows I notice go unsold on Ebay. Could it be that the average market price for the items you sell has simply gone below your buy it nows? In other words - is it that your listing is not getting adequate exposure or simply that bidders have become uninterested in even viewing your item due to the price.

What I have determined about Ebay's listing algorithm, is that the worse you do in sales (i.e. completed auctions with a buyer), the lower you will drop in the search rankings. It's a sort of chicken and egg analysis to be sure - your completed auctions start dropping so your Ebay search rankings drop, or wait, is it that your Ebay search rankings drop so your completed auctions start dropping - but in either case, the bottom line is that for whatever reason, your stuff isn't selling and Ebay is penalizing you for it.

I also don't like private listings, for a variety of reasons. Bidders are suspicious of them, and they rarely get the same bidding interest as public listings. Yes, private have a perhaps undeserved bad reputation, but nevertheless, the stigma and fear of them exists.
Private Ebay listings - pro and con to hiding WHAT is sold in seller feedback - Free EBAY, PayPal, Business and Law Forums - Ebay Suspension, PayPal Limited

All I am saying is, consider market factors before you blame Ebay's search rank algorithms for the drop in sales on your auctions. Maybe it's time to try different listing formats, or lower your buy it now price, if you can afford it. If you tell me absolutely that others are selling the exact same item, at the exact same price, with the exact same kind of buy it now listing, and you cannot, then, wow, we need to reexamine, but otherwise, given that you say that you have a solid (which for me means old time and therefore trustworthy to bidders) Ebay account, one or more of the above factors must be hurting your bottom line.

To summarize:

FIRST remember that the less you sell (closed auctions) the lower you will fall on the search ranking, no matter what else you do. There are other factors in the Ebay search algorithm, but success rate on closed auctions is definitely one of them.

THEN:
1. Try a different buy it now price (a lower one, obviously). After selling a few at the lower price, try to go back up to the previous price, and determine if what should be your now elevated search listing helps your sales.
2. Try a different selling format - no reserve, or reserve, but something different from Buy it Now.
3. Try to change your auction format - jazz it up somehow, use Dreamweaver, add new images, pictures of scantily clad women, whatever - make the listing a work of art
4. Try selling on an account without private listings.
5. Last resort, try a different product - maybe the market is burned out or oversold on your item at the price at which you can afford to sell.

[bobby2000]

I am using buy it now, private listing, with 14 day money back guarantee.

[Modee]

What type of auction listing (buy it now, no reserve, etc.) are you using?

[bobby2000]

I have a solid account on ebay and my items that I list lately are almost at the bottom of the page. How do I make my listing appear higher on the search results? Also even sellers with no feedback are getting searched first before me, I didnt do anything different on my listing just relist them.