How to Choose the Right Category for Your eBay Listing

It's easy to think you know pretty much all there is to know about a product you've encountered daily for most of your life, in my case vintage postcards.

So I was really shocked to discover someone selling an identical postcard to one I had listed on eBay ended up making £300 for his postcard compared to twenty-four pounds for mine. And my card was in much better condition, my description was more comprehensive, my illustration was better than the other seller's by a long shot!

I'm not saying that to brag or to compensate for ignorance that cost me almost £300.

The reality was the other person had found a better category to list his postcard than I had chosen for mine.  Oddly, that other person didn't even list his postcard under 'Postcards', and let me tell you why.

The postcard in question was a woven silk postcard depicting various parts of Belgium burning in the aftermath of bombing during the First World War.

Many people, myself previously included, lump woven silk postcards under the overall category of 'Embroidered Silk' postcards.

That 'other' person put his woven silk postcard under Antiques > Fabrics / Textiles > Embroidery! He made £300 while I made twenty four pounds.

Fancy that! And I still think my category was the better choice, but obviously the punters didn't, and in the end they, the buyers, are all that really matters.

And that's the reason my next woven silk postcard, depicting Queen Victoria went, not under 'Postcards' but under 'Embroidery'............

................ and fetched £100 compared to a similar item I listed earlier that made just £15!

Two things to bear in mind here:

* It's a good idea to search for items listed in one category which may attract more visitors and higher prices in another category. Whenever you see items similar to those you sell being listed in an uncommon category, make a note, and spend a little time each week searching for items to buy and make money by relisting them elsewhere.

* Researching past auctions is the very best way to determine how much your product is worth and how much it is likely to fetch. Had I not researched eBay's completed categories one day last month I'd never have found that woven silk postcard that fetched so much while mine fetched so little.