topic Re: Stand Out with Subtitle???? in Selling

Stand Out with Subtitle????

syrupsmummy — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 02:26:10 GMT

I've received an email from eBay titled with "Stand Out with Subtitle".

It says "listings showing subtitle in search results are 18% more likely to sell".

Is that true?

Is subtitle worth paying $2.00 for?

Just wondering what other sellers think about subtitles.

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

freightcar2009 — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 02:57:44 GMT

Not being a seller (YET) I am very interested in knowing the results.

I won't be voting however if you can keep an update of the final result it would be appreciated.

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

bsal6160 — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 03:00:34 GMT

Syrup, I dont know what the sellers think but as a buyer, i couldnt care less what is in a subtitle. I am only looking at the picture and brief description to see if I want to open the item and have a further look. The description does play a part, because if as a buyer I can see that the description is wrong I will assume the seller does not know what they are talking about or selling and pass straight by it.

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

purple_haize — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 03:48:16 GMT

When I am buying, I dont even look at the subtitle, so I think by sending you an email they just want you to pay more.

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

kangarooislandleathercraft — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 03:51:31 GMT

I have occasionally used a sub-title to explain the intended use of the item. Since the length allowance for the title has been expanded, I can fit this into the one entry.

My experience was that the sub-title was not worth the cost.

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

lyndal1838 — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 04:33:03 GMT

Another buyer's reaction....I rarely look at subtitles so would not care if they were there or not.

Like bsal, the item title and picture is what entices me to look further at a listing.

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

digital*ghost — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 04:35:37 GMT

I personally think it's just like any tool - useful in select circumstances and only if used the right way. 😉

In a list of results, IMHO the information that's in the subtitle will only be useful if it tells people something that they don't already know or can't assume, and is of greater benefit to them one way or another.

I used them earlier this year on a couple of items to advertise the fact that I was running a promotion - buy two or more items from the category these items were in and get free shipping. That was information someone would otherwise only get if they opened the listing and saw the banner, and it did work.

I wouldn't put one on every product or listing, just those that are relatively popular and/or have a decent position in search results. I don't generally use caps in titles, but I made the subtitles all caps as the font is quite small and it made them stand out a little more.

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

syrupsmummy — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 06:29:16 GMT

Thank you for all opinions 🙂

I've never used subtitles before and don't have a plan to start using it now. There is no vote for "It's worth paying $2.00 for".

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

jazberryz — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 06:38:44 GMT

I would never use it unless I had something extra that was really important to say and it wouldn't fit in the title.:-)

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

b3llag1na — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 06:39:11 GMT

I have used subtitles on the odd occasion in the past, and it had absolutely no impact on sales results at all for me.

I am assuming it is just a way for ebay to get more in fees.

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

thesoulyearns — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 07:10:38 GMT

I personally think it's just like any tool - useful in select circumstances and only if used the right way. 😉

In a list of results, IMHO the information that's in the subtitle will only be useful if it tells people something that they don't already know or can't assume, and is of greater benefit to them one way or another.

x2. It seems like something to help get the buyer to click on the listing but for $2, that can be costly over alot of listings if the subtitle isn't working. Extra information can be in the description instead of the subtitle.

The pricey things seem worthwhile when the item will guaranteed sell well above the cost of any extra feature.

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

kopenhagen5 — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 08:12:04 GMT

A good title is all that's needed.

However using sub title is useful if more space in the title is needed. 😉

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

bigbrickshop — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 09:02:54 GMT

I agree with d*g. It can be useful if you want to make your listing 'stand out' and this is what eBay is promoting.

I think $2 is way overpriced for the feature as the words in the subtitle are not searchable in a standard title search.

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

tonalidesigns — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 12:21:47 GMT

Have never used it - and if paying $2 to increase the chances by 18% is correct I could also spend the $2 listing another 10 items in my store ....

Probably also worth considering that any item with the subtitle possibly has something extra going for it anyway and might have done 15% better than average even without the subtitle.

I think the facility is way overpriced - unless using it gives you a significant boost in best match (which I have never seen eBay claim - and 18% is hardly significant)

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

phorum_junkie* — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 13:50:33 GMT

I use them very occassionally but only if I cannot fit everything I need in the title.

Is it really $2 for a subtitle? Now if they made them searchable I may consider using one more often at 20c 😉

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

syrupsmummy — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 14:30:21 GMT

According to current fee page it says $2.00 for subtitle.

I didn't know it till I checked after receiving the email.

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

digital*ghost — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 16:09:51 GMT

I agree that 18% more chance of selling an item if it has a subtitle is a very low percentage (for $2). To be honest, it seems barely more than arbitrary and there's nothing to indicate what 18 is a percentage of.

For example, if you had a sample of identical listings and ran a test, and the results were that the listings with subtitles sold 18% more than the listings without, then that could well be a significant thing. But that's not what the statistic infers.

So, what's the chance of selling something on eBay? As in, for as long as an item is listed, what's the chance of it being sold. If you start at 100%, then look at things that will diminish those chances (price, poor titles, bad photos, little or no description, demand or lack thereof, competition, unappealing TOS...and so on ). The same things can increase your chances in varying degrees, some your competition may have bad photos, TOS and feedback and so on, and all of this fluctuates between items, sellers, categories....even the mood of the searcher on the day, which is why I say a percentage of a chance is barely more than arbitrary.

But lets say you have a listing with a relatively decent position in best match, healthy competition but not flooded, and have used most things optimally, your listing - as one among 100 - still manages to stand a 10% chance of being chosen over the rest. An 18% increase on that 10% chance means for $2 you can increase your chances of a sale to 11.8%. A mathematically and financially unsound choice for many listings.

That being said, when I trialled it, the first listing I applied it to sold out in a week. I didn't have a huge amount of stock, admittedly, but there was a noticable increase in traffic and sales.

Personally, I wouldn't bother using them to give more information about the product, I used them to tell potential buyers why they should buy it from me.

What I mean is, if I'm going to pay $2 for an additional space, albeit small, I will use it to further define and advertise my presence on eBay in its entirety. Advertise a postage cap, same day shipping, a money-back guarantee, a warranty - something exclusive to your store or about your service, and something no one else is telling people at a glance. If people have searched for a product and found yours, they already know what they're looking for so product information is largely redundant unless it's something that genuinely acts as a selling point and won't fit in the main title (eg 100% Australian product). Again JMHO.

I'm not trying to sell subtitles to anyone, by the way, it's been months since I used one myself. :^O

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

2106greencat — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 07:45:37 GMT

Thanks Syrups, a question I have pondered regularly, and by the volume of votes - question answered! Thanks to all

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

twyngwyn — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 07:56:04 GMT

I'm using them now (to expand title) but only because they're free atm 🙂

Re: Stand Out with Subtitle????

nauticalstyle — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 07:32:49 GMT

If you use Turbo Lister to create your listings it forces you to have a ($2.00) subtitle!!! I have not found a way around this yet. And eBay support were no help.