Optional fees are not for the beginner who is just experimenting. But after you begin to feel at home with the auctions, experiment with the higher-priced choices and see what happens...
1) Home Page FeaturedFeatured auctions aren’t for the faint of heart. They are expensive. On eBay, it costs $99.95 to feature one item and $199.95 for dutch auctions. Obviously, this strategy is not for the novice. But it does increase the likelihood that your item will sell.
If your items are featured, you are guaranteed to be in the featured section which can be accessed from the front page of the big sites. Generally, featured items have a much higher sale percentage than those that aren’t. If you are very, very lucky, you will be briefly featured on the home page of eBay where thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of potential customers, may see your goodies. What does luck have to do with it? eBay says you will “most likely” be on the front page but nothing is guaranteed.
2) Featured Plus!On eBay, it costs $19.95 to appear in your category’s Featured Item section and in bidder’s search results. Plus, your item may be selected for display in another area -- your category index page Featured Items section.
Personally, I find this is a very unimpressive feature. If a customer types in the exact words that you have used in your listing, they will find your item. However, if the words aren’t exact, it won’t be featured. For example, if a customer types in, “Grace E. Putnam Baby Doll,” they will find my listing. That’s really not a big deal. Even if it weren’t featured, she would find my listing with those exact words. Now here’s the catch. If she types in the search term “baby doll,” she won’t find it as a featured item.
Strategy question... Why then did I spend $19.95 to feature a $25 doll?My answer? This is one of only three reserve items that I have ever done. It was a very valuable doll that sold for hundreds of dollars. So, in this case, it was a good strategy. But like other features that draw special attention, you either need a higher-priced item to justify the extra cost, or you need to be running a Dutch auction.
For example, the largest number of items for eBay categories is always in Collectibles. With that kind of competition, how can you draw attention to your item? One of the best ways is to buy a featured spot. This is like being on the first page of a Search Engine’s search results page.
3) Gallery FeaturedThis type of listing costs $19.95 on eBay. You need a picture in a JPEG (.jpg file) format to use the Gallery (140 x 140 pixels in size).
4) Boldface TitleA boldface title costs $1 on eBay and obviously it can bring more attention to your item. See for yourself. Which titles catch your eye faster?...
5) Highlight Your TitleFor $5, eBay will put a colored highlighter strip through your item listing. Consider it like a yellow traffic light for the eyes to slow down.
6) Hot, Hotter, Hottest!
This is a very valuable designation that cannot be bought.
If your item receives 30 bids, it is placed in the “hot” category, and is placed at the very top of your category. When you find merchandise like this, keep it coming!
