Figuring out eBay's Search System aka Making Money on eBay Step 2

Hello again! I bet you thought I forgot to post the next step in my series on making money on eBay by starting an eBay business, right? Fooled ya, didn't I?

So anyway, moving on, after you've gotten all of your accounts set up, I know you're going to be super-excited and ramped up, ready to take on the world (and by that, I mean "ready to start selling on eBay").  

BUT...take a deep breath or two, tell yourself to slow down a bit, and remind yourself that nothing in life comes easy, and that if you don't take the time to learn HOW to sell profitably and successfully on eBay first, you could stand to lose a LOT of time and money in trial and error and statistically, will likely give up long before you find long-term, stable success selling on eBay.

And in my experience, one of the most important, fundamental concepts you need to learn as soon as possible is the fascinating yet confusing eBay search system.  If you can master eBay search, you'll be well on your way towards knowing how to be successful on eBay and towards understanding internet search as well.

TASK #2 - LEARN ABOUT EBAY SEARCH

To help you get started with eBay Search, here's eBay's (very) basic Help page on Search:

Finding Items

In a nutshell (sort of), the main thing to remember is that searching on eBay is one of the most important concepts to understand in order to sell successfully on the site.  Only when you understand how most buyers search for things can you list your items in such a way that they will appear prominently in the search results. This, in turn, will give you a much better chance of selling successfully.

A couple of years ago, I was putting together a comprehensive eBay training program for a former employer, including making training videos, and I filmed no less than NINE VIDEOS regarding eBay Search before my boss finally cut me off and told me I didn't need to go into such detail regarding one single aspect of eBay.  Needless to say, he wasn't an eBay seller himself.

Important Aspects of eBay Search 

Here are what I consider to be the five most important aspects of eBay Search (for sellers, at least):

1. Keywords
2. Categories and Item Specifics
3. Product Information/Catalog
4. Sorting
5. Best Match 

Keyword Search vs. Category Search

The two basic types of searching on eBay are keyword searches and category searches. It's important that you understand both types, since both types are used frequently.  Be aware, however, that the majority of eBay buyers use keyword searches, so you should place a greater emphasis there.   

You can perform a keyword search by typing a few keywords into any search field on eBay, especially the main search field at the top of the eBay home page. You can perform a category search by clicking on any of the main eBay categories in (or from) the left column of the eBay home page at eBay.com.

After you perform an initial keyword or category search, there are several ways you can narrow down the search results even further by selecting various options in the left column of any search results page, which we refer to as Item Specifics (Refine Search) and eBay filters (Preferences). This is known as filtering the search results. 

To help you become even more familiar with these 5 aspects, here are some articles I wrote that were published online about a year ago:

Mastering eBay Search Part 1

Mastering eBay Search Part 2

And for additional information on how to filter, sort and customize eBay search results, visit the following page:

Managing Results

Advanced Search 

The last eBay Search concept I'd like to address here is Advanced Search.  eBay has an Advanced Search feature on the site to enable people to perform even more specific and targeted searches than the standard keyword and category searches that are used most commonly to find things on eBay.  

Advanced Search can also be used to find:

• All of a particular seller's items
• All of a particular buyer's recent bids and purchases
• Particular eBay stores and items within eBay stores
• Someone's User Id (when you only have their email address)
• Someone's contact information, if you're currently involved in a transaction with that person

You can get to the Advanced Search page on eBay by clicking the link that says "Advanced" to the right of the main search field at the top of the eBay home page. 

Advanced Search isn't as crucial as Basic search in helping you understand how eBay buyers search, because most people don't use it. However, it can be extremely helpful to you in managing your eBay business. 

It can help you find information on other eBay sellers and buyers, obtain contact information for other eBay buyers and sellers with whom you may be involved in a transaction, and much more. 

That's it for now, folks -- see you in Step 3!