Item description best practices

What is item description?

The item description within the listing is detailed information about the product, and such as features, benefits, instruction to use and care, etc. 

What are the item description best practices to be followed?

01

Be precise and complete

  • Tell buyers how the product can help them
  • Be very specific about product specifications
  • Do not forget to include accurate measurements
  • If the product has guidelines for usage, do not forget to mention them
  • Make sure the information is put up in bullet points – buyers find it easier to read
02

Be honest with the information

  • Call out all the imperfections of the product
  • If the product is used or very old, mention the date of manufacture
  • Avoid any false commitments or misleading product information
  • Do not mention any personal contact information
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03

Write your own content

  • Do not steal or copy other sellers’ product content
  • Do not use photos or logos that belong to others without their permission
  • Be as original as possible
04

Keep the description mobile friendly

  • Make sure your font is legible when read on mobile phones
  • Keep the formatting simple on a white background for easy readability
  • Use bullet points in items descriptions
  • Use the appropriate fields to give information on item specifics, returns, shipping, payment etc.
  • Don’t use active content, including JavaScript, Flash or form actions

 

Understanding the importance of item description on eBay

The main objective of having a good item description is to help buyers with clear, concise, and accurate information about your product. Your eBay item description is one of the most important sections of your listing since it will help buyers make an informed purchase. Item descriptions help the buyers know details of your products, such its benefits, usage instructions, specifications (those item specifics you did not include as a part of the “item specifics” section such as warranty information, usage and application, care and maintenance etc.)

A detailed description shows buyers that you care about your products and helps build trust. In addition, by providing accurate and complete information you are ensuring that you are transparent and buyers know what to expect from your product. This leaves no room for any kind of misunderstandings. Furthermore, it also builds your credibility as a professional and reliable seller. While it is important to attract buyers, having an accurate and detailed description can help to avoid returns. All this leads to satisfied buyers who turn out to be repeat customers and thereby bring in more customers via word-of-mouth publicity.  This will help you increase your sales.

Adding relevant keywords in the product description can improve search visibility. Did you know that when buyers search for a product on eBay, they can select the option “Include description”? This causes keywords you add in the item description to be captured within the search results. Using the right keywords will help increase the item visibility via search engine optimization. Descriptions that have a human touch and are engaging can also lead to buyers clicking on your product listing leading to a high click through rate (CTR). Also, having a mobile friendly description with the relevant keywords can affect the search visibility in a positive manner. 

It is important that you only include details about the product you have listed. Any information that is irrelevant to the listed product may lead to violation of the item description policy

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Avoiding common mistakes in eBay item descriptions

These are few of the common mistakes that you need to avoid to ensure that your product descriptions meet the buyers’ expectations.

Spelling mistakes/grammatical errors within the description can negatively impact the buyers’ decision to make the purchase.

Copying content from other sources will not only impact your search results, this may also have an adverse affect on your listings. For example, your listing may be removed by eBay due to any report/violation of the item description policy. 

Descriptions need to be to the point and relevant to the product that has been listed. Adding too many words (“keyword spamming”) may be a violation of eBay’s search manipulation policy

Do not use any kind of “promotional language” or promote other listings within your item description. Buyers want to know about the listed product and not about other listings/products that you are selling. This may drive them away from the product that they originally wanted to purchase as well.

Adding of special characters such as unwanted capitalization of words, exclamatory, symbols, etc. within the description is a big “NO”. This may lead to confusion among buyers as the content may be difficult to read.  

Your personal opinions need to stay with you and are not supposed to be put up within the description. You need to focus on the product you have listed and it’s upto to the buyers to make their own decisions.

Remember: Although most buyers rely on the item title, photos and the item specifications to know about the product – a detailed item description also is needed for the listing. Information such as product use instructions, size chart, quality, etc. cannot be mentioned completely in those fields. 

Hence, it is important to add a complete and detailed description in the product listing. A clear description is more than enough to influence a buyer’s purchase decision. Also, it avoids any confusion that may later end in unwanted disputes between you and the buyer, thereby leading to an unsatisfactory buyer experience. This is just one of those many steps that you take to build buyer’s confidence and gain trust. 

Frequently Asked Questions

In order to ensure that your eBay listing description is effective, stay aligned with the product you are wanting to sell. Be honest about the information and write up a detailed description (in bullet points) with relevant keywords letting buyers know what they can expect. Avoid copying information from other sources.

Writing a compelling eBay item description is quite easy– it simply needs to be honest, clear, accurate, concise and match exactly with what you are selling.

To know more about the item description policy visit the link here:  item description policy

Item specifications should be added within the listing under “Item specifics”. Your description section should only include information that a buyer is not otherwise able to find anywhere in the listing. These specifications should be relevant to the buyer in deciding whether to buy the product.