When considering any online purchase, there are certain "friction points" that may positively or negatively impact a buyer's decision to buy and how much they are willing to spend. These friction points can range from understanding exactly what is being sold, to questions about shipping and payment, to the level of trust in you as a seller.

Effective merchandising on eBay can minimize many of these friction points, leading to higher sales and profitability. A few of the areas where such merchandising can ease transactional friction include:

• Item Title
• Item description
• Photos
• View Item Page
• About Me Page

A good description is concise, well organized, and easy to read. If you are not familiar with html, you can use eBay's text editor to create bold text, bulleted lists, and other formatting options. The more information you provide, the more likely buyers are to place a bid. Look at your item as you write your description and include:

• Type: Item model or style.
• Brand: Manufacturer or designer, etc.
• Condition: New vs. vintage, etc.
• Value: MSRP, estimated, or appraised value.
• Other attributes: Size/measurements, etc.

A picture really is worth a thousand words! Use clear pictures from a variety of angles to accurately show your item.

• eBay Picture Services.
  Add pictures to listings quickly and easily by using eBay Picture Services. The first picture is free and each additional picture is only $0.15. Did you know that items with 2 or more pictures are 9% more likely to sell?
  
  
• eBay Picture Manager.
  Storing and managing pictures is now easier than ever with eBay Picture Manager. Picture Manager is fully integrated with the Sell Your Item form and Selling Manager Pro. Just drop and load the picture into a listing and you are ready to go! Picture Manager is the ideal solution if you are selling selling several items.
  

  Picture Upgrades

• Gallery
  Choose the Gallery listing upgrade to display a thumbnail photo right next to your listing to attract buyers. Gallery listings are shown to increase final price by an average of 11% are are 9% more likely to sell.
  
  
• Supersize
  Select the Supersize upgrade to show your items big and up close. A larger picture helps show the details so you receive fewer questions from potential buyers, saving you time and money!

Look at your View Item page through a buyer's eyes. The more attractive, informative, and professional your listing is, the more confidence potential buyers will have in placing a bid. If you list regularly, use a consistent template so buyers will learn to recognize your listings. With Listing Designer, you can choose from a variety of fun themed templates and photo layouts: holiday/seasonal, categories, and more. It's so easy, there's no need to know HTML!

Create an About Me page to describe yourself and your business; this can increase the level of comfort potential customers have in doing business with you. Let the eBay community know who you are and display your items-it's easy as 1-2-3!