eBay is divided up into hundreds of categories and
sub-categories and once youve decided on an product to list,
you must decide what category you will list it in.

For example, lets assume you have a Tonka truck that you
had as a child. Do you place it under toys, collectibles,
or automotive? And, once youve decided on one of those
three, you still need to decide what sub-category you will
list it under.

Choosing the category and sub-category you list your product
in is not a trivial decision. It may mean the difference
between generating a sale and no sale at all. It might mean the
difference between multiple bidders and only one bidder.

Here are some tips to help you select the best category and
sub-category for your item:

1. Begin by checking all the categories that your product
might fit into. This might take some instant, but its instant
well spent. And, as you become more experienced you wont
need to spend as much time on this in the future. Look at
each category and inquire of yourself:

-> Are there other similar items for sale here?
-> If there are, do they have bids?
-> How do final prices in this category compare to those in
other categories?

2. Look at completed auctions. Search completed auctions
for Tonka trucks. In what category and sub-category have
they sold well?

3. Dont contruct the mistake of thinking you should list your
item in a category where there isnt much competition. The
reason there arent many similar items listed in that
category is most likely that there arent many buyers there
either.

4. Along the identical lines, dont automatically list an item
in a category just because it has lots of listings. You
dont want to place your item in a dead category. Lots of
listings are fine as long as most of them are resulting in
sales.

5. Look at active auctions in the categories youre
considering. Depending upon what the
merchandise you are selling is, if there are already a large
number listed, at times it could be to your advantage to wait
a week to list yours. One of the nice thing about eBay is
that auctions do not last all that long.

6. Undecided between two categories? When you write your
auction you have the option of listing your product in two
different categories or sub-categories. There are times
when this could be to your advantage.

7. If you have several of the identical items, then try them one
at a time in different categories so that you may test how
they do in each one. This way you might inexpensively test
which category works best for your.