Tips for listing design

Give the right first impression
Just as with any brick-and-mortar storefront, your auction listings need to captivate and interest visitors through professional design and a clear presentation of what's offered. After all, if your shop's floors were cluttered and the walls in desperate need of repair, what kind of message would this send to potential customers? Make no mistake about it, this is the same impression visitors will have of your business if they find your auction listing in similar disarray.

Excelling beyond the basics
In days of old (of course, we're only talking a few years ago by Internet standards), having a basic auction listing was generally accepted and excused. But in today's day and age, when the online auction marketplace is pursued by professional corporations with design prowess, you don't want potential buyers to ignore your listing in favor of one that is more attractive.
Granted, if you're just looking to sell a few loose items from your basement or consider yourself an infrequent auction seller then having professional listing templates might be overdoing it a bit. But, if you are trying to use Overstock to build a business or second income stream, then you'll absolutely want to make sure you build bidder confidence with nice, solid listing design.

Making the impact
Whether or not you decide to use our auction template design services, here are some killer tips you can employ to set the stage for a more successful online auction experience.
Build your brand whenever possible. If you are trying to build an Overstock business or if you are using Overstock as another marketing channel for your company, be sure to use your company's logos and other details in your listing. Ideally, use a similar template or design theme for everything you sell so that you establish yourself in the marketplace.

Make sure your auction listings look professional.
Your auction listing not only has to help you sell your products or services, but your business as well. Your listing will absolutely help shape people's perception of your business, and a sloppy or shoddy listing will only detract from this.

Be careful with new bells and whistles.
While some animated GIF's might be fun to look at and MIDI musical chimes seem great at first, most of your visitors will find them annoying or “old school”. Animated GIF's, if they must be used, need to be used sparingly. They were certainly the rage at the dawning of the 'net, but today, they are seen as a distraction. Rule of thumb...if a special whirly-bird feature has nothing to do with your business, then you don't need it!

Make sure your auction listing is laid out in such a way that people can easily understand what you're offering. Don't use a lot of filler text, just stick to the facts, describe the condition, and clearly communicate the benefits of buying that particular item from your company.

Keep it consistent and easy to read.
We often see auction sellers making the mistake of using gigantic text in a variety of colors throughout their auction listings. There is no reason to try and blast them with huge text or overly-bright font colors to get their attention. They're already interested...after all, they clicked on your auction title to learn more, right? Gigantic font sizes are the footprint of amateurs so do all you can to maintain a professional appeal.

Keep it clean.
Your auction listing should be simple, informative and uncluttered, yet engaging. Throwing too much information at your visitors will only confuse them. Make sure you leave some breathing room for their eyes to help ensure that your auction's details are read, not skipped.

Open a line of communication.
Your visitors will feel more comfortable if you give them a way to contact you for more information about your item. While this wouldn't really apply to something small like a poster or album, you'll certainly want to be accessible if you are selling expensive, complex or highly technical items.