Neat "Receipt" Scanner

Neat Reciept Scanner


ended - Friday, September 19, 2008

Auction grade: D

Starting bid: $0.99

Final selling price: $53.00


Up for sale in this eBay auction is a "like new" hand held scanner used for scanning small pieces of paper such as receipts and business cards. The item's picture shows quite a few accessories, so since it isn't mentioned, it's believed that this is complete and not missing any parts.

In the auction's title, the seller makes the biggest mistake in the entire auction. And just what is that horrible mistake? The misspelling of "receipt"!!!

Why do I make such a big deal about spelling errors, especially in the title?

I make a big deal because poor grammar and spelling is one of the biggest problems that I constantly see at eBay and across websites of all content. It's easier than ever to construct simple sentences and through the use of word processors and sites like Dictionary.com, spelling mistakes should be a thing of the past.

Does it really matter?

Yes it does if you, the seller, want to make money!

Spelling errors are the buyers best friends. When seller cannot spell the item correctly, the auction is not going to show up in that many searches. As a result there is much less traffic to the auction. Less traffic means fewer bids and a substantially lower final selling price assuming that it sells at all.

This auction in particular already has three bids and is up to $22.49 in the bidding process. With a few days left and no reserve price, obviously this is going to sell. For comparison, I saw this same exact item for sale with a similar amount of time left for its auction, and that bidding price was already up to $75. Then again, that other auction had a slightly better title with everything spelled correctly!

The smart sellers know about this mistake and will use it to their advantage. And how does the smart seller use this technique? By using the correct version and all other common misspellings of the word(s).

For most common items and famous names & titles, you can assume that most buyers know how to spell it correctly. That's a safe bet. You can also assume that no matter what, some people will never learn the correct way and will continue to spell it however they see fit. Some people go against grammar rules (such as the famous "i before e except after c" as in this auction), and others will try to spell items phonetically, assuming that they can even say it properly.

The strategy is fairly simple to cash in on those buyers. No matter what, you'll want to have the correct spelling of the item once in the title and again in the description. This will ensure that your auction will eventually show up in the search engine (increasing the auction's search engine ranking is a different strategy).

If you still have room in the title after using good key words, the most common misspelling of the item should be added. After that, use a creative way to add the other misspellings to the main body of text in the auction's description. Taking the few extra moments to use this strategy will help your auction get exposed to the maximum number of buyers possible.

Getting back to this auction, the title could also use more key words and search terms. If this item has one, the model number should go into the title. "Accounting," "personal," and even "finance" could be good search terms. There's a lot of valuable real estate in this title, and it's a shame to let it go to waste like that.

Remember, the default search engine setting has eBay only looking in the auction's title! You have to go into the advanced settings to have it also search in the description!

The auction's description isn't bad. I don't like the grammar or wording, but seeing the selling prices of other personal, hand held scanners, this one should sell for a high price fairly easily. The seller could improve his credibility and professionalism by spelling the item's title and other official information exactly as it is printed in the user manual. Again, if there is a model number, it also needs to go in this section.

Remember - You don't want the buyer to have any doubt as to what it is exactly that they're viewing in the auction. If they're not sure, chances are very good that they'll go look at another auction. Even if they send you a question they're still going to look around while waiting for your response. You did the work to get them to your auction, so why give them the chance to look elsewhere for basic information that should be clearly labeled?

The PayPal only paying option really isn't that big of a deal anymore since eBay is really pushing buyers and sellers to use it.

Finally, the picture could look a little bit better. It looks pretty informal with all of the pieces spread out on the bedspread like that. The spread makes for a great backdrop for items, though this could use a little adjusting with the overall layout.


Overall, I gave this auction a low score because of the seller's sloppy approach to selling this scanner. Misspelling the item in the title is a big deal, and as pointed out above, it's already costing this person money. The auction's description needs to be rewritten with more of an emphasis on the item for sale and its details. The picture could also be retaken, but that's more of a minor issue.

D.R.G.M. tin railroad watch tower

Antique Bing Tin Tinplate Railroad Watch Tower


Auction ended - Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Auction grade: C

Starting bid: $69.99

Final selling price: $0 - no bids


Up for sale in this eBay auction is an antique tin railroad watch tower.

The title for this auction looks pretty good. The seller seems to have hit most of the major key words and search terms based on the item's description. However, some really good key words are missing, but that will be addressed in just a bit.

The item's description is also pretty good. The seller seemed to do a reasonable job telling us some details about the item for sale. The description isn't exciting and doesn't really create that "must have" feeling, but basic details about the watch tower are there.

I would like to know how the seller can back up this claim: "Very unique hard to find piece." A statement like that implies that the seller did research into the product, but if that was true, then the seller would have mentioned more information about the history and approximate age of this vintage item. The seller would have also discovered more key words for the title.

So far the auction looks pretty good. However, this is the part where the auction takes a turn for the worse and the seller drops the ball on doing some research.

Basic Internet research shows that "D.R.G.M." stands for "Deutsches Reich Gebrauchsmuster", known in English as "German Reich Registered Design". This abbreviation was used on items manufactured in Germany between 1890 and 1945. The seller would have to do a bit more digging to find exact information about this particular item, but knowing the year range is a good start.

The other problem with this auction deals with the pictures. It's good that the seller took multiple pictures of this item. But if the pictures are blurry, from bad angles, and obscured by reflections from the flash, does it do any good to even use pictures? No, it will only waste your own time and money. The best approach is to invest in a small tripod and learn to take longer exposure pictures that don't use the flash. Natural daylight will provide an ample amount of light, and using a tripod will greatly help keep your camera steady and the pictures in focus. This seller may also want to make a designated picture taking area complete with a neutral backdrop. In addition to looking bad and unprofessional, having other items not for sale in the background will confuse some of the potential buyers.

Overall, this isn't that bad of an auction. Additional work on the seller's part will help increase the value of this railroad watch tower and bring in buyers searching for different terms. The extra bit of research is definitely worth it for items with high starting bid prices like this one.

Small collection of vintage video games

Vintage Coleco Adam&Atari


Auction ended - Thursday, June 26, 2008

Auction grade: C-

Starting bid: $10.00

Final selling price: $57.78


Up for sale in this eBay auction is a small collection of vintage video games as well as catalogs, newsletters, and programming and hacking guides. These games and guides are for old Coleco, Adam and Atari gaming systems.

For starters, this auction's title really needs additional key words such as "games", "video games", "guide", "book", "newsletter", "collection", and even "lot". Any combination of those additional words should help bring in more potential buyers.

The actual item description for this auction needs to be rewritten with a bullet point format. It's good that the seller listed all of the games and literature in this auction (everything listed counts as additional search engine material). The big problem is that the text needs to be spaced out better to make it easier to read. In this case, a set of bullet points for each gaming system would be perfect.

Just to play it safe, the seller is better off mentioning that this auction does not come with any of the actual gaming consoles. Some people will mistaking believe that they're supposed to be included, and it'll just end up costing time and money in the long run. When selling items like this, you're best off being clear about everything up front.

The picture for this auction is nice and clear. I like how all of the game cartridges are laid out up front with all of the newsletters and books in the background. It's a very professional layout.

Apart from the title and description, the only other part of the auction that bothers me is that shipping cost. $14 seems way too high for a bunch of lightweight cartridges and some newsletters. The high shipping cost will deter some buyers from placing a bid, and it will limit the final selling price.

Old valve seating tool

Valve Seating Tool


ended - Friday, June 6, 2008

Auction grade: D

Starting bid: $5.00

Final selling price: $0 - no bids


Up for sale in this eBay auction is an old valve seating tool for use in engines. Nothing more is stated in the auction.

The main problem with this auction is the distinct lack of information and text in the title and description. Seeing how the auction's title is repeated in the description, this auction has a grand total of only six unique words. Unless this is an old tool that still works in today's engines and is in demand, this seller is going to have a very hard time having potential buyers find this auction.

The auction's title is in desperate need of a few more key words. In this case, words such as "engine", "old", "vintage", and even "mechanic" would work well to help this auction appear in more search engine listings.

This is all that the seller stated in the auction's description:

"Real Neat Old Valve Seating Tool"

Looking at the different combinations of words in the text that most people would use to search for an item like this, I can use most of my fingers to count out the different combinations. Considering this is eBay with many similar items for sale, that's a very low number of search terms to draw in the buyers.

The target consumers for an item like this is going to be limited. It's already established that those looking specifically for a valve seating tool will find this auction, but what about those mechanics and collectors who would like something like this but search for it with different terms? What if they're just looking for older or just engine tools in general?

This is where adding a little bit of extra text in the description is key. By typing out basic information about this tool such as the type of engines it can be used with (diesel, gasoline, etc.), if it was made to be used with any car manufacturer in particular, or even the different types of valves (intake, exhaust, etc.) it can be used with will definitely increase the chances of other buyers finding this auction.

Sure, some of that stuff may seem like common knowledge for most people, but remember that even basic information like that is filled with relevant key words and search terms. Don't underestimate the potential of typing out even the most basic information about items like this one. You never know how the potential buyers are going to search for a tool like this, so you're best off trying to cover as many angles as possible but without taking a long time to make the auction. Time is money, so if this is believed to be a cheap item, don't spend all day thinking of different search terms.

If you're going to take the time, cost, and effort to make an auction, you may as well try to draw in as many bidders as possible. If it involves spending an extra ten to fifteen minutes doing some basic research and then typing a description, then do it. You're just wasting time and your own money if you're not going to try to draw in the extra buyers.

Despite the title and description, the rest of the auction looks pretty good. You can clearly see the engine tool in the picture, and the shipping cost and starting bids are fairly reasonable. I don't know if other people are experiencing this same problem, but this is a very tall auction template filled with a lot of empty space in the middle of it. I had to do quite a bit of scrolling before reaching the bottom of the page.

It's surprising that a PowerSeller is able to make sales with other auctions as basic as this one. Many of this seller's other auctions have very simple titles and descriptions, but quite a few of the pictures are really poor. This seller obviously has many good items to sell, but if he put in a little more effort with the text and pictures, imagine how much more money he could be making.

My last suggestion to this seller is to set up an official picture taking area. Take a light brown or blue cloth and create a neutral setting for each item for sale. Taking some pictures on the deck, others on the kitchen counter, and even others out in the garage is unprofessional. Unless an item is very large or heavy, try to take all of the pictures in one official area and keep things consistent.

Sam Adams pint glasses

SAM ADAMS 6 PINT GLASSES WHITE ALE NEW


ended - Saturday, May 3, 2008

Auction grade: C+

Starting bid: $15.99

Final selling price: $0 - no bids


Up for sale in this eBay auction is a set of six Samuel Adams White Ale pint glasses. The seller claims that they are brand new.

The title for this auction is pretty good. Apart from not using all capital letters, I would also find a way to sneak the word "beer" into the title. If need be, "glasses" can be shortened to "glass." The eBay search engine considers the two words to be the same. If the seller were to change it to "pint glass", he should also put an "x" in front of the "6" and make it "x6".

There's a toss-up on how to handle the auction's description for this particular auction. The problem is that the target audience for these glasses is a wide range of adults ranging from those still in college to those in retirement who want to build or add to their collection of beer memorabilia. If the seller wanted to specifically market the glasses to the partying college crowd, then the large font and color in the description is appropriate. However, if the seller wants this auction to be for everyone or mainly for those older than thirty, then this description needs a serious makeover with the font and actual text.

For the sake of argument, let's assume that it's better to market this to everyone instead of just the college crowd. Naturally, the wider target audience leads to a better chance of making the sale at the end of the auction. In that case the seller needs to cut the font size in half. The color is fine as it's easy to read and gives this beer-related auction a fun atmosphere.

"Get one of these awesome Samuel Adams White Ale Pint Glasses for your house, dorm or party or collection!"

The first problem in this sentence is that the seller is encouraging the buyer to get one of these fancy glasses. The problem is that even in the title this is being marketed as a set of six glasses. The seller needs to rephrase that line of text to reflect the actual set of glasses instead of just one of them.

The other problem in this sentence deals with the sellers usage of commas to separate different ideas for the glasses. It might read better if it was written "house, dorm, party, or even your beer or pint glass collection."

"Set of 6 Brand New Never Used Logo 16 OZ Beer Pint Glass."

Here the seller is resorting to capitalizing the first letter of each word for effect. Perhaps a better idea would be to capitalize all of the letters in the most important word or phrase, and then using bold or italic for the other important words. This will look a lot better and keep the advertisement looking more professional than the format that the seller used. Also, since the seller is talking about the set of six (not "6") glasses, the word "glass" at the end of the sentence should instead be "glasses."

"Product Type : towels"

That needs to be changed!

The picture of the pint glass looks pretty good. We can clearly see the logo and the fact that the glass looks nice and clean. It would have been nice if the seller provided a group shot of all six glasses together. For many of these auctions involving lots or collections, people like to see all of the items included in the picture(s). For an auction with starting bid and shipping costs that high, the price of adding a second picture into this auction is minuscule.

Overall, this isn't that bad of an auction if we assume that the seller is mainly targeting these pint glasses for the younger crowd. If the seller expects this auction to be for everyone, then some changes are going to be needed in the auction's description to make it look much more professional. The high shipping cost makes me want to believe that the seller is going to be extra careful with wrapping and shipping the glasses.

Old baby doll carriage

Old Metal Baby Doll Carage


ended - Thursday, March 27, 2008

Auction grade: D

Starting bid: $9.99

Final selling price: $9.99


Up for sale in this eBay auction is an old, metal baby doll carriage / stroller. There's no indication of the age or general condition of the stroller.

The auction's title needs a lot of work. First of all, the seller needs to know how to spell "carriage" correctly. In addition to that, the following key words would be most beneficial for search engine results: "stroller", "child", "vintage", "antique", and a word I hate to use because of its general overuse in other applications, "buggy".

The current title is bland and looks unappealing, and the lack of key words will prevent it from showing up in most default searches.

The auction's description doesn't add much to the desirability either.

"Old metal doll stroller. The wheeles are wooden. I don't know much about this item."

So as a potential buyer, right now we don't know anything about the stroller's age, general condition (it looks really shoddy in the pictures), manufacturer, or even if a particular type of doll was made for a stroller of that size. If the seller's mother-in-law is somewhat of an antique dealer, she should have been able to provide some kind of information about the stroller. At least we know that the wheels are wooden.

I like how the seller used a ruler to give the buyers a sense of scale in the pictures, though the main picture doesn't load correctly for me. Also, the ruler doesn't line up anywhere near the end of the stroller in the second picture. I would have been nice if the seller at least gave us the stroller's basic dimensions (LxWxH).

Overall, I'll be very surprised if this item sells on eBay. The main problems with this auction are with the poor title and lack of information regarding the stroller. By not having any information and charging at least $18.94 ($9.99 starting bid + $8.95 shipping), it's going to be hard to make the sale.

new coustic crossover

new coustic crossover

ended - Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Auction grade: C-

Starting bid: $0.99

Final selling price: $12.50


Up for sale in this eBay auction is a previously installed device for car stereos. The seller claims that it wasn't used and there are some light scratches on the case.

For starters, the title definitely needs to have more key words added. "Car stereo", "electronic", "audio", and "XM6" are all very good terms to use, and any combination of them will definitely help this advertisement show up in more searches.

The main body of text could use some freshening up. I like the way that the seller tells us a little bit about the item and why it's up for sale. Seeing how the seller is selling something that an enthusiast is most likely going to purchase, it would have been better if technical stats about the crossover were listed. Technical details like that are usually found in the owner's manual and on the manufacturer's website. You can also find them listed on most electronic websites selling the product.

The reasoning for listing details like that is you don't want the customers to have to look elsewhere to find out more information about the product. If they look elsewhere, A) they may find the same exact product for a lower price, or B) they may find an updated or different version that they want to purchase instead. Either way you've lost the sale. It's hard enough getting somebody to click on your auction without having them lose interest because they want to know more.

It turns out another person is offering a brand new version of this same exact crossover for a Buy It Now price of $39.00. That seller happened to list the technical details of this piece of stereo equipment.

A big problem with this item is that the seller is trying to pass it off as a brand new item. The seller admitted to having it installed in his car, and he mentioned that there are some light scratches on its case. It's hard to believe that the unit has not been used.

It also doesn't help that this particular model of crossovers wasn't rated very favorable by the different online communities. In fact, it's even hard to find for sale from online merchants. This implies that there isn't much demand for this Xm6 Coustic Crossover. That'll definitely have a negative impact on the final selling price.

Overall, the most important thing to do is fix the title and make it more search engine friendly. The extra statistics and information in the main body would definitely help sell this item, but I don't believe it'll be the deal maker or breaker. Online merchants want around $50 for a brand new version of this crossover, so this previously installed (and possibly used) one won't fetch very high of a final selling price. On a positive note, the pictures do look pretty good. It was a good idea to post two of them with different views of the item.

Absolut playing cards

ABSOLUT-CARD-DECKS


ended - Friday, February 15, 2008

Auction grade: D

Starting bid: $9.99

Final selling price: $0 - no bids


Up for sale in this eBay auction are two sealed sets of playing cards by Absolut.

The main problem with this auction is that there just isn't that much text at all. Between the title and main body of text, there are a total of just twenty words. That's it.

The title needs to be taken off all caps, and definitely more key words need to be added. I would mention words and phrases like "playing cards", "new", "rare", "vodka", and "sealed". It isn't much, but it will allow more people to see the auction in the search results.

Again, for the main body of text, it needs to not be in all capital letters.

"ABSOLUT CARDS TWO DECKS NEVER OPENED, HAVE FUN PLAYING, GREAT FIND. ADD TO YOUR OTHER COOL STUFF!!"

I know that there aren't that many ways to describe brand new playing cards, but the seller could have at least done a better job at typing this text.

The picture looks pretty good. It was a nice touch adding the small Absolut umbrella in the shot. But seeing it there makes me wonder, does the umbrella go with the playing cards, or is it just there to make everything look neat? Buyers shouldn't have to ask themselves questions like that just by looking at a picture.

Another problem with this advertisement is that there isn't any shipping information anywhere in the ad. Nowhere does it say how much you'll have to pay to send the playing cards to your home or business.

Overall, this auction needs a lot more relevant words if the seller expects it to sell. Key words are critical to end up in more search results pages. Seeing this auction, I think the seller is greedy with that $9.99 starting bid. If the cards are worth that much (plus the mystery shipping costs), then we need to know what makes them so special. Is this the only pack of them in the world? Were they made by hand with top quality material?

Looney Tunes shirts

NEW Looney Tunes T-Shirts


ended - Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Auction grade: D-

Starting bid: $3.99

Final sale price: $26.55


Up for sale in this auction is a small collection of six t-shirts with various cartoon characters. The seller claims that in addition to being brand new, they are also exclusive and cannot be purchased in stores.

Supposedly some (or all) of the shirts still have their tags attached. It stands to reason that A) they may have initially been given away as promotional items, or B) they were discontinued and most likely sold for very low prices at bargain stores. If they do have tags attached, then my guess is that option B is closer to being correct.

Let's start at the top of the auction and see why it received such a low score.

The title definitely needs more work. It's way too vague and doesn't have nearly enough key words to draw in the bidders. In this case I would mention something like "LOT of 6" or "x6" to give the people a general idea of how many shirts are up for auction. I would also throw out a few character names or even some of the shirt sizes.

In the main body of text, it's good that the seller mentioned that the shirts are from a pet- and smoke-free home. Lots of people have allergies to one thing or another (myself included), and articles of clothing can potentially contain a lot of the allergic particles and cause a nasty reaction.

It's also good the the seller made a listing of the different shirts and their sizes. The seller does not mention whether or not these shirts are in children or adult sizes. It's safe to assume that they're for children, but back in the early 1990's, Warner Brothers did a big push with adult clothing featuring some of their more famous characters. Even if it's something that appears to be obvious (like here), you still need to mention whether or not it's a child or adult size (can also be mentioned in the title).

A big problem with this auction is that the picture sucks. You can clearly see one of the shirts, but that's it. The others are either wrinkled or covered by other shirts. Three of the listed shirts are hard to tell apart in the picture. An above shot looking straight down at the shirts would have been a much better picture.

Here's another problem:
"1 shirt. XXL. Has a print of Joe Cool. This shirt has three minor spots that you can barely see. I don't think these spots are permanent and they can be easily washed out."

First, this Joe Cool character is also known as Snoopy. One of those names will have a lot more searches than the other. It scares me that somebody advertising cartoon character t-shirts couldn't recognize this one.

Second, when mentioning flaws in an item, you need to take a good picture of those flaws if you expect to sell it online. People are very hesitant in buying anything damaged, especially when they have to take somebody else's word for it.

Third, the seller downplays the damage. Permanent is a strong word to throw out when talking about something that is damaged. If you honestly don't think that the damage is that bad, don't ever use that word. Just mention that a quick run through the washer will take care of the spots.

By not having a picture and trying to downplay the damage, that tells me that, in-fact, the opposite is true. This has the impression that the spots may come out if you use some serious scrubbing or a really powerful detergent. In other words, this is the seller saying "I warned you" when you write back and complain that the spots won't come out of the shirt.


Overall, this advertisement needs to be completely modified if the seller wants to try to sell these shirts online. Between a new title, more elaborate text, and better pictures, this one needs help. The only reasons I didn't give it a failing score was that the seller had the right ideas with listing the shirt designs & sizes, and by having a group picture with the shirts. The ideas were half-heartedly executed along with everything else.

Jeff Gordon car panel

Jeff Gordon #24 Car Side NASCAR Bristol Sharpie 500


ended - Sunday, February 10, 2008

Auction grade: A-

Starting bid: $0.99

Final sale price: $440.00 (reserve not met)


Up for sale in this eBay auction is an actual piece of Jeff Gordon's car from the 2003 NASCAR Sharpie 500 race in Bristol, TN. The racing damage and tire marks show you how intense racing can get at that crowd favorite short track.

The seller states that there is no certificate of authenticity to accompany this item. Fortunately, most fans will instantly recognize that this is a real part of his stock car.

Overall, this is a pretty good auction. I would have used the term "car panel" instead of "car side", but otherwise the title looks pretty good. The main body text isn't bad. I would have rearranged some thing and broken it up into a few paragraphs, but the right words, descriptions, and dimensions are listed there. The customer has enough important information about the item for sale.

The pictures look very good. Having many of them like the seller has is always a good idea for these rare and/or high priced items.

Poker chips

87 Antique Clay Poker Chips Engraved Eagle

ended - Sunday, February 10, 2008

Auction grade: B

Starting bid: $24.99

Final sale price: $86.89


Up for sale in this auction is a collection of eighty-seven poker chips. These chips have an older design and feel to them. The seller doesn't mention exactly how old they are, but by looking at the pictures it certainly looks like they've been around for a while.

Apart from some grammar problems, this isn't that bad of an auction. The seller has a few good pictures of the poker chips, and really, there isn't a whole lot you can say about them. It would have helped if the seller still had solid information such as the original box to prove their age.

The seller also mentioned that the chips could use a little cleaning. Obviously, if the seller did that part the chips would look a little bit better in the pictures and they would fetch a high final sale price. In other words, by not cleaning the merchandise the seller is throwing away money (a sales term known as "leaving money on the table").

A more enhanced title, fewer grammar errors, official documentation, and cleaner poker chips would have resulted in a higher auction grade.

Prototype Barbie Doll

Rare Prototype Swirl Barbie Bendleg in Box/ Orig. Owner

ended - Friday, February 8, 2008

Auction grade: C-

Starting bid: $95.99

Final sale price: $585.00


Up for sale in this auction is a rare prototype Barbie doll with bendable legs. The seller claims that the legs can be clicked and positioned in three different legs. The seller also goes on to mention how she received the doll out of the box, but she restored the doll to a like-new condition.

I need to point out that the seller is lying to the customers in the title. The title says "Orig. Owner", but in the main body of the text it says that she's the second owner. When you say that you're the original owner, it implies that you were the person who received the item directly from the store or factory. In this case, this seller specifically says that she received the doll from a seller who in turn bought it from a store. Therefore, she is at least the second owner (assuming that the store didn't sell a returned item). Plus, she uses the wrong version of "its".

"I got this Barbie from it's original owner. She came to me out of box. The seller told me she got her as a gift in the American Girl box and that she came that way from the store."


I do like how the main body text is written in that pink and white color combination. Those colors are perfect for selling a feminist item like this one.

The way the main text is written is where I have more problems. Despite being full of sentence fragments, the overall flow of the message just doesn't seem to work that well. I can't quite place my finger on what exactly bothers me (besides the grammar errors), but something is there. I don't know if this is good or bad for an auction like this, but you can definitely tell that a woman wrote the text. Most of the time you want your text and wording to look gender-equal.

A big plus for this seller are all of the pictures of this Barbie doll. Some of them are better than others, but there are plenty of angles of the doll and accompanying box. The pictures allow you to get a true feeling for the item before making a winning bid.


Overall, I don't like this auction. Between the seller lying to the customers in the title to the style of text in the auction itself, this is not that good of an auction. The only reason I didn't go for a lower grade was that the seller A) had a good color combination with the text, and B) used lots of pictures. One of my rules is that you can never have too many pictures, especially when selling a vintage item like this one.

Haunted bracelet - WEALTHY LIFE

HAUNTED~TIBET Multi Gem Bangle Bracelet~WEALTHY LIFE~

ended - Friday, February 8, 2008

Auction grade: A-

Starting bid: $0.99

Final sale price: $22.50


This is a rather interesting eBay auction. This seller specializes in working in the Wicca religion and is selling a special bracelet that will bring the wearer good fortune in wealth. A lot of people are skeptical as to whether or not those voodoo rings and bracelets really work (I'm one of them myself), but the seller does show a page full of customer testimonials.

Overall, this is a pretty interesting auction layout. The title isn't bad (I would have chosen a few different key words myself), and certain key words stand out by being in all caps. This helps catch the user's attention while they scan down the auction listings.

Personally, I like the text that the seller is using in the main body of the auction. That ancient style of font fits in perfectly with the item being sold. It helps make the customer believe that the bracelet works and the seller is an honest person.

The shipping fees are a little bit high considering how little the actual jewelry weighs.


Overall, this is a very amusing and effective auction. The style of text is excellent and I like how the seller included back information about their own spiritual history. That's a power way to help sell your items, especially for something like this. The reason I took off some points was that the seller included a little too many customer testimonials. That was overkill and will turn away some customers. The seller is trying too hard to prove that it works, and that'll just make more people skeptical.


Do you believe in magic?

Crocs children shoes

CROCS kids shoes girls CAYMAN pink fuchsia size 12 13

ended - Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Auction grade: B+

Starting bid: $0.99

Final sale price: $18.76


Up for sale here is a pair of Crocs shoes for children. Specifically, this is a girl's size 12 and 13 in the Cayman pink style and color. The seller is claiming that this is a brand new set of shoes.

Overall, this is a very simple auction without a whole lot of text or other random information. The title looks very good and I like the way that certain key words are in all caps. Very popular words are used and it'll help this auction get listed in a wide variety of different types of searches that people will do.

The actual auction text is simple too. The pink text color matches the shoes and clearly tells the customer all of the necessary details. Do take note that there are grammar problems throughout the main body of text.

Personally, I don't see the hype behind this style of footwear. I've seen lots of people wearing those shoes in the theme parks in central Florida, and to me they just seem to be too cheesy looking and uncomfortable for lots of walking and long hours on your feet. If you're planning on selling shoes like that, you may be best off waiting until the warmer weather in April or May before cashing in on a quick sale.


Overall, this is a very simple auction. Perhaps it's a little bit too simple. It would have been better if the seller would have used a real picture instead of a stock image. The auction text could have also used some improvement. The title is excellent and a big part of the relatively high score.

Utah Ute Indian photo

1913 Ute Indian Camp Panorama Photo Native Ame ORIGINAL

ended - Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Auction grade: A

Starting bid: $0.99

Final sale price: $365.00


Up for sale in this eBay auction is a 1913 vintage panorama picture of a group of Utah Ute Indians. The indians appear to be wearing traditional clothing, including weapons such as shields and tomahawks.

Overall, this is a clear and professional looking auction. The title is neatly written and includes many good key words. The main body of text is neatly spaced and easy to read (only one or two spelling and grammar errors). The seller took the extra step and went into the history of the picture, Ute tribe, and location.

With over 800 positive pieces of feedback in the past month, this seller means business.


Overall, this is an excellent auction. From the very good title, to the vast amount of information in the text, to the numerous pictures, this will bring in the buyers. The only reason I didn't give it a perfect score was that I didn't like how all of the text was centered in the main body of the auction. That is unprofessional and looks a little bit sloppy. Left-oriented paragraphs would have been a better option.