Are my listings not clear?

[triber]

I get so frustrated because I spend time carefully describing my listings, but I keep getting buyers not understanding them. I had 2 questions from an Australian buyer today about my item 231657054982. She says that she is unsure of what my listing is offering. Is it for a pattern? Which of the dresses in my description is it for? Is the cost for one of the dress pattern described or all of them?

I thought it was clear, but obviously not. Anyone have any idea how I can make these clearer?

[gifts_of_elegance]

Perhaps you should state that the pattern is for ONE dress only with instructions for  different variations.

[paulgg132]

block36 wrote:

"May be to add another "photo" to all or selected items with text like "PLEASE REFER TO DESCRIPTION FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE ITEM"."

This is a great idea.

Even if it was acceptable eBay practice, it comes too late, buyer's first impression is when your listing comes up in search results. Better to answer questions before they arrise. Once they click on your listing and enter the description, it is somewhat redundant.

[rose-dee]

Although I'm sure you're aware of eBay's policy against text in photos (as 'poco' pointed out), I often do put a "SEE ITEM DESCRIPTION" or "SEE ALL ITEM DETAILS", or "PLEASE READ ENTIRE DESCRIPTION" note in one of the Item Specifics -- usually the top one -- and/or within the Item Condition box.  

There's more room that you might think in both of those locations, and my understanding is that mobile buyers are more likely to see those easily.  Also, the first few words of "Item Condition" will show up prominently at the top of the listing.

I also state in my pattern listings "this listing is for a sewing pattern only, not the finished garment"  (with the words in bold as here).  That only helps of course if the buyer reads the description, although I think by and large people who sew also tend to be more attentive readers (how else can they follow sewing instructions?). 

As those of us who list in pattern categories know, sooner or later it's inevitable that somebody is going to think we're selling the garments, and not the pattern.  Still, I'd rather have a buyer contact me so that I can deal with the issue than have an INAD claim, so I just bite my tongue and go over everything very politely.   

[rose-dee]

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@paulgg132 wrote:

"vintage"  "sewing" and "pattern" are heavily used keywords in your category. I notice quite many listing titles in the category that start with keywords "Vintage Sewing Pattern". If you place those words at the end of the title, the search engine will see them, however when the listing comes up in the search results the exact info is right in front of the buyer, and a quick look at the pic clarifies it even more. 

Too many buyers are searching with smartphones these days and the results often show only half the title and a pic.......

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Actually, the OP needs to have the word "Pattern" or "Sewing Pattern" close to the front end of the title in order to highlight this for buyers and to ensure that her products come up with her other competitors in a search.  The details are very much secondary to the gallery photo anyway in our category.  The vast majority of people who sew are familiar with the format, layout, brands and sizing of commercial patterns (which is fairly universal for pattern companies).  

I experimented with putting generic terms at the very end of my pattern descriptions in order to be able to highlight some particular feature of the design right up front in the title.  It didn't work.  What happened was that many did not show up in search results at all.  So I went back to placing those terms somewhere near the front end. 

If your second comment above is true, then it contradicts the first comment, i.e. putting the terms "Pattern" or "Sewing Pattern" at the end of a description will result in a mobile user not seeing the important point, i.e. won't be reminded this is a pattern, and not a garment.  If this is the case, I really wouldn't advise that for the OP. 

In the end, as I said, such misunderstandings are inevitable but fairly rare, and I'd rather have the buyer ask.  I think 'femmefan's comments (above) are the most pertinent on this particular subject.  

[paulgg132]

In the end, as I said, such misunderstandings are inevitable but fairly rare, and I'd rather have the buyer ask. I think 'femmefan's comments (above) are the most pertinent on this particular subject. 

Yes and no, I suppose one needs to take the first time consumer to your category into consideration, and especially the questions that may arrise. I get it often too. The consumer who thinks the car in my pictures is included in the sale. I have a copy & paste answer for them. I still feel it more important to reach my repeat buyers upon first search. When I do get an INAD, I negotiate a resolution or give refunds. Customer is always right! Next time they shop they know better. And they do come back.

Not all consumer demographics are the same of course. I use ebay like a mail order catalog. I market online and bring my customers to ebay, not look for them there.

Just proves how sensitive search optimization can be, and how differently it impacts the various categories.

[paulgg132]

None the less, search placement is most critical, then the Title clarity for buyer to click on your listing. Volume of clicks superceeds everything. Get them in the store first. Let the description correct the problems. Sell them a pattern even though they are looking for a dress, you got them in your store, go to work.

Let's face it, not exactly hard to achieve top placement in a search on ebay. My Grandaughter and I have done it several times to confirm future products to sell. We have created listings for my product to sell in your antique patterns category. As a new listing, my item turned up at the top of the results simply by using some keywords strategically. The title and picture clearly identified what was for sale and that it looked like a software glich to a legit buyer in your category. No one clicked on it, Thank the Lord! It was only up for 30 minutes or so. When we changed the position of the words, the listing title looked like it was an Edwardian Skirt pattern for sale, however the pic was still slot car tires. Your listings followed, however they were too long to read. A sea of Antique Sewing Patterns..... with a couple starting with Edwardian.... all below my new listing. We got one question from a slot car guy when we were exploring listing in Coffins category.  Poor old guy was soooo confused!  My buyers are mostly retired age!

I still contend there is no issue with the ebay search engine. Everything revolves around the title generating placement and then clicks...

[maggiebvintage2010]

I agree with Rose's observations on word placement in titles and search results, from results of my own experiments.  I do have one small suggestion - perhaps if you replaced the word "Dress" with "View" in your description area (View A, View B, etc), it would reinforce that you are not selling dresses.  However, that misunderstanding is probably inevitable, which is why so many pattern sellers include the disclaimer "This listing is for the pattern only, not the finished product".  I see you do that already.

While it may be true that sewers are careful to read descriptions, it may be that the non-sewers more often mistake patterns for finished product.  Luckily, I have had only one instance of this - an American eBay seller with way more than 1000 sales of quilts (imported from China) thought she was getting 5 exquisitely smocked children's dresses designed by a well-known American couturier for under $10 USD plus a few dollars shipping, rather than a sewing pattern.  Greed and the zeal for a bargain win out over common sense and caution so often.

"The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, ...certainty is a mirage, ...and the tyranny of the dull mind forever threatens..."  Tim Robbins

[rose-dee]

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@paulgg132 wrote:

"Volume of clicks superceeds everything. Get them in the store first. Let the description correct the problems. Sell them a pattern even though they are looking for a dress..."

Which is the main reason why I don't offer only sewing patterns on eBay.  I'm sure I'm not the only seller who has thought of this. 

"Let's face it, not exactly hard to achieve top placement in a search on ebay. My Grandaughter and I have done it several times to confirm future products to sell. We have created listings for my product to sell in your antique patterns category. As a new listing, my item turned up at the top of the results simply by using some keywords strategically." 

You might want to avoid doing this kind of test.  You could get a buyer purchase and pay, and then you're faced with having to confess it was a test, and either refund (=defect) or cancel for a reason other than buyer error, etc. (=defect).  This would be treated by eBay very similarly to an out of stock situation. 

BTW, the reason your test listing popped up at the top was likely because it was a brand new listing from a seller who hadn't listed in that category much.  I've run experiments on this myself, and am well aware that when I list a group of new antique patterns, at least one of them is at the very top, with the rest on page 1, at least for several days.  

I strongly suspect the metrics of search on eBay change with time, i.e. the longer an item sits, the fewer sales on a multi-quantity item, or the more that sellers with higher standards (such as US TRS Plus) list items, the further down it may go.  Fortunately, as I've said many times on these boards, I am almost always somewhere on page 1 in relevant searches -- which I attribute to all the hard work I've done on keeping my seller performance high and improving my listings.  

"I still contend there is no issue with the ebay search engine. Everything revolves around the title generating placement and then clicks..."

Well, others I can think of would strenuously disagree with the first statement.  However, as I say, I've never had an issue with placement within eBay searches.  If anything, I'm sometimes surprised at how my items always appear so prominently both on .ca and .com.  No, my issue has been that I believe fewer visitors have been landing on eBay in the first place.  This is quite a different problem.  And I think eBay's falling out with Google likely had a great deal to do with that, along with other changes Google has recently made. 

[femmefan1946]

I do have one small suggestion - perhaps if you replaced the word "Dress" with "View" in your description area (View A, View B, etc), it would reinforce that you are not selling dresses. 

Good point.

[triber]

She knew I was not selling dresses, she wanted a dress pattern, she didn't know that all the views were included in the pattern envelope. She hasn't purchased it anyway, I think that is probably a good thing.

[sylviebee]

I want to add to this.

My issue is somewhat the same.  I'm selling my damaged items because I don't want to move them.

I painstakingly picture and point out all the damage but inevitably I still get the odd buyer who wants to return the item because it has more damage than described.

I do my best to exaggerate, not downplay the damage.  It takes ten times the effort to deal with these items.

I am so looking forward to that day when I will list only damage-free items. 

I'm always left with that same question:  Are My Listings Not Clear???