The title of your eBay listing is very important. It is how potential buyers find your item. If you don’t use the right words in your title no one will buy and you will make no money.
You have 80 characters to use in your listing title so you need to get as many keywords related to your item in there.
So, is there a way to get more in your title but use less space?
The answer is to use ACRONYMS.
dictionary.com defines an acronym as:-
“….a word formed from the initial letters or groups of letters of words in a set phrase or series of words….”
In the world of eBay acronyms allow you to a short version of many popular common title keywords. This leaves you room to put other important keywords so your items can get found easier by eager buyers.
Here is a list of handy acronyms to use in your ebay titles.
- B&W:- Black and white
- BC:- Back cover
- BIN:- Buy It Now
- BN:- Brand New
- BNIB:- Brand New In Box
- BNWL:- Brand New With Labels
- BNWOT:- Brand New Without Tags
- BNWT:- Brand New With Tags
- COA:- Certificate of Authenticity
- FDC:- First Day Cover
- GU:- Gently Used
- HTF:- Hard To Find
- INIT:- Initials
- LTD or LTD ED:- Limited edition
- MNT:- Mint
- MIB:- Mint in box
- MIJ:- Made in Japan
- MIMB:- Mint in mint box
- MIMP:- Mint in mint package
- MIP:- Mint in package
- MNB:- Mint no box
- MOC:- Mint on card
- MOMC:- Mint on mint card
- MONMC:- Mint on near mint card
- MWBT:- Mint with both tags
- MWMT:- Mint with mint tags
- NBW:- Never been worn
- NC:- No cover
- NIB:- New in box
- NM:- Near mint
- NR:- No reserve price for an auction-style listing
- NRFB:- Never removed from box
- NWT:- New with tags
- OEM:- Original equipment manufacturer
- OOP:- Out of print
- RRP:- Recommended Retail Price
- Sig:- Signature
- SZ:- Size
- TM:- Trademark
- VF:- Very fine condition
- VGC:- Very Good Condition
- VHTF:- Very hard to find
- WS:- Widescreen
- XL:- Extra large
Here are some examples of ways to use these acronyms (I have highlighted the acronyms in red):-
- BNWT Denim Ruffled Skirt Lace Pink Belt Size 3 $0.99 NR
- HOT WHEELS 2010 Ghostbusters Ecto-1 #27/52 MIB VHTF NRFB
- NM Austin Osman Spare Rare Art Journal Ltd Ed OOP
For more information and other common acronyms that are used for selling on eBay, in the forums and other websites follow these links:-
http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/account/acronyms.html
http://pages.ebay.com/help/account/acronyms.html
Or for those of you on Facebook, here is a great group called, “Stay At Home Mums Selling On eBay“. They have produced a fabulous list of acronyms for use for selling on eBay or Amazon and any forums you may go to that use acronyms in the chats.
It can be found here:- https://www.facebook.com/groups/32834244401/doc/10150534483449402/
And while you’re there join the group, you will learn heaps about selling online!
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BIN: Buy It Now
COA: Certificate of Authenticity
FAQ: A list of frequently asked questions with answers
FB: Feedback
FVF: Final Value Fee
GU: Gently Used. Item that has been used but shows little wear, accompanied by explanation of wear
HTML: HyperText Markup Language – the language used to create Web pages
ISP: Internet Service Provider – a company that gives you access to the Internet
JPG: Preferred file format for pictures on eBay (pronounced “Jay-Peg”)
MNT: Mint. In perfect condition (a subjective term)
NARU: Not a registered user (or suspended user)
NR: No reserve price for an auction-style listing
OEM: Original equipment manufacturer
PL: A Pink, or a Pinkliner. This refers to an eBay staff member who posts a message on a Discussion Board. Messages from eBay staff have a pink header.
UPI: Unpaid Item
URL: Uniform Resource Locator – the address that identifies a Web site (such as www.ebay.com)