Are you an eBay seller struggling with low sales or profits? Are you considering quitting your online business? If so, there’s still hope. Don’t close your eBay account or give up on being an eBay seller just yet since this guide will show you how to trick eBay algorithm, including these tips:
- Regularly optimize listings
- Take advantage of eBay’s Promoted Listings
- Use the ‘Best Offer’ feature
- Explore international sales opportunities
- Offer a variety of shipping options
- Keep an eye on trends
- Offer discounts
- Maintain steady sales and conversion rate
- Optimize transaction success
- Encourage buyers to leave reviews
Let’s dive right in to learn more!
What is eBay Algorithm?
eBay’s search algorithm is called Cassini. It aims to give users the most relevant search results to improve their shopping experience. To do this, Cassini looks at many factors, like how well the title matches the search, item details, categories, and catalogs.
However, Cassini doesn’t just focus on keywords. It evaluates the overall performance of your listing, which includes:
- The item’s popularity
- The item’s price
- The quality of your listing, including the description and visuals
- How complete the listing details are
- The terms of service, like your return policy and handling time
- Your history, reputation, and sales performance
All these factors affect where your listing shows up in search results. Hence, if you want to know how to trick eBay algorithm, you should ensure every listed bullet point is addressed.
How to Trick eBay Algorithm? 10 Tips for Success
The term “trick” might sound deceptive, but these strategies are legitimate, ethical, and recommended for maximizing visibility. Here’s how do you beat the eBay algorithm to boost your sales with the right eBay techniques.
#1. Regularly optimize listings
Optimizing your product listings seems to be a normal daily task for every seller, but it’s an effective way to influence eBay’s algorithm. If done correctly, eBay listing optimization can help you improve search rankings and reach potential buyers without paying a fee.
Here are some main tips for eBay listing optimization; you can check our eBay SEO guide for a complete guide.
1.1. Use correct keywords
Use accurate and popular keywords in your titles and descriptions to match what buyers are searching for. This helps your listings appear higher in search results. To research the right keywords, you can employ some free tools such as KeywordTool.io, Google Keyword Planner, and Keywordtooldominator.com (best for long-tail keywords).
1.2. Accurate description
The more eBay knows about your items, the better they can match them to the searches of buyers. So, let’s be clear and detailed about the products you offer.
Plus, don’t ignore honesty. If a product has a flaw or defect, just mention it on your listing. Buyers value this transparency, which often leads to more positive reviews because they know precisely what to expect, reducing the chances of returns or complaints.
1.3. Add high-quality visuals to listings
You may already know that uploading high-quality images can improve eBay SEO. But what size is best for a product photo? eBay recommends including photos that are at least 500 pixels on the longest side. However, to ensure your photos remain sharp when customers zoom in, it’s better to upload photos that are 800-1600 pixels on one side.
In today’s digital world, more and more buyers use videos to decide what to buy. Adding a video, whether a demonstration, unboxing, or 360-degree view, can greatly improve your listing’s credibility. It gives potential buyers a better idea of what to expect, making them feel more confident about their purchase.
1.4. Offer competitive pricing
Pricing can influence buying decisions, so it’s important to handle it carefully. You can aim to offer competitive prices for best-selling products to attract buyers. To do this, research market trends for similar products on eBay and other sites and use this information to set your prices. The goal is to make your eBay listings competitive while still being profitable.
Do you sell on multiple channels and find it hard to manually copy-paste your listing from the main store to eBay store? LitCommerce tool is designed for you. With just a few clicks away, you can move everything from your web store to eBay, allowing you to start selling on eBay right away.
#2. Take advantage of eBay’s promoted listings
When many products are alike on eBay, it’s really important to make yours stand out. So, how can you trick the eBay algorithm in that case? Even though it costs money, promoting your listings is a hack that can help more people see them when they’re looking to buy.
Example: If you pay to promote your listing, your product can show up at the top of the search page when customers search for it. That makes it more likely to be purchased.
This investment can pay off big time, especially if you’re selling things that have a lot of competition.
Do you need more expert tips on running eBay ads? This how to promote eBay listing guide is a comprehensive handbook for you.
#3. Use the ‘Best Offer’ feature
The ‘Best Offer’ option is a great way to engage buyers in price negotiations. By showing you’re open to negotiating, you make your listing more attractive to shoppers looking for deals. Of course, eBay’s algorithm notices and pushes rankings for your items.
Example: When listing your product, choose the ‘Best Offer’ option. This attracts buyers who want to negotiate the price. For instance, if your asking price is $50 for a shirt, a buyer might offer $40. If you accept, the shirt sells at that price. This approach can help you secure more successful transactions, which also signals to eBay’s algorithm that your product is in demand, potentially improving your listing’s visibility.
To learn more about this feature, read this eBay Best Offer tips.
#4. Explore international sales opportunities
If you only sell to people in your own country, you’re missing out on a lot of potential customers. eBay’s Global Shipping Program makes it easier to sell to people all over the world. They take care of customs and shipping, so you can reach a bigger market.
When you use the Global Shipping Program to sell internationally, eBay sees that your items are in demand worldwide. That can help your products rank better in search results because eBay wants to show popular items to more people.
#5. Offer a variety of shipping options
eBay’s algorithm rewards listings that generate positive customer interactions and sales. By offering multiple shipping options, you meet different customer preferences, which can lead to more completed transactions. More successful sales indicate to eBay that your listings are popular and reliable, potentially boosting your product’s visibility in search results.
Example: Some people want fast delivery, even if it costs more, while others prefer cheaper shipping. So, you can offer both ‘Express’ and ‘Economy’ shipping options, which helps reduce cart abandonments and attract more customers. This increased customer satisfaction and higher sales signal to eBay that your listings are in demand, improving their ranking in search results.
#6. Keep an eye on trends ( how to find trending items)
eBay’s algorithm favors listings that are popular and relevant. If you wonder how to trick eBay algorithm with trending, simply keep an eye on trends and adjust your listings accordingly. That helps you make your products more appealing during high-demand times. That can lead to more sales. More importantly, increased sales and engagement signal to eBay that your listings are in demand, which can boost your product’s visibility in search results.
Example: If you sell clothes, promote Christmas-themed apparel during the last months of the year to take advantage of the seasonal demand. This can increase your sales, making your listings more popular and more likely to be featured higher in search results.
How can you know which is trending to sell on eBay?
- Use eBay’s trending page to see popular items;
- Check eBay Terapeak or eBay’s trending searches to know what items are trending;
- Analyze sales data to see what has recently sold well or has a high sale volume in the same period last year;
- Check eBay’s research tools like Terapeak to analyze market trends;
- Monitor competitors to observe what top sellers in your category are listing;
- Follow social media and forums to stay updated with trends by following relevant groups and discussions;
- Keep updated with seasonal events and holidays to plan products accordingly, which can drive specific product sales.
#7. Offer discounts
Offering discounts can be a savvy strategy to stimulate sales and attract buyers, and if you wonder how to trick eBay algorithm. There are a couple of ways to do this effectively:
7.1. Discounts for slow-selling stock
If you have items that aren’t selling as quickly as you’d like, offering discounts can help move them off the shelves. This can also lead to increased sales velocity, which eBay’s algorithm favors. When the algorithm sees that your products are selling more quickly, it may rank them higher in search results, increasing their visibility and likelihood of being purchased.
7.2. Bundle discounts
Offering discounts for bundled items can incentivize buyers to purchase multiple products from your store.
Example: If you sell electronic gadgets, you might offer a discount for purchasing a phone and a case together. This encourages buyers to spend more in your store. That helps increase your average order value and overall sales. Again, this increased sales volume can signal to eBay’s algorithm that your products are in demand, potentially improving their search rankings and visibility.
#8. Maintain steady sales and conversion rate
Consider how crucial it is to keep your sales steady. When your sales speed up, it tells eBay’s system that people want your product. That means eBay can let your product show up higher in search results. Regular sales can also make your product seem more reliable.
Example: Imagine you’re selling headphones. Suppose you consistently sell 10 headphones every week. In that case, eBay’s algorithm will recognize this steady performance and may rank your listing higher than a competitor who sells 10 candles one week but only 3 the next.
How can you keep the sales of your popular items steady? Here are some tips:
- Optimize listings: Make your product titles, descriptions, and keywords more SEO-friendly.
- Run promotions and use eBay ads: Offer discounts and advertise your listings to attract more potential customers and boost conversion rates.
If your goal is more significant and you want to increase sales, check this guide on how to increase eBay sales for more tips and tricks.
#9. Optimize transaction success
It’s not just about making a sale on eBay, but completing the transaction is what really matters if you want to know how to trick eBay algorithm because it shows a successful sale. Successful transactions refer to sales where the buyer gets the item they purchased, and the seller receives payment for that item without any issues or disputes. In simpler terms, it means completing the sale smoothly without any problems.
While aiming for more sales in your eBay store is great, you should also work on increasing the number of completed transactions. A history of successful sales helps improve your status as a trusted seller, which means eBay will prioritize showing your products over your competitors in search results.
Expert tips: Optimizing transaction success involves taking steps to make sure that the sale process goes smoothly from start to finish. Here are what you should bear in mind:
- Secure packaging
- Prompt shipping
- Excellent customer service
#10. Encourage buyers to leave reviews
eBay’s algorithm considers seller performance, such as ratings, when determining search result rankings. Positive feedback from satisfied customers contributes to a higher seller rating. Moreover, buyers often rely on feedback and reviews to assess a seller’s trustworthiness and the quality of their products. That’s why you should pay more attention when selling products to increase the chance of receiving positive reviews from buyers for your listings.
Example: The easiest way to remind your buyers to leave feedback is to send them a thank-you email or include a note in the package they receive.
How to Trick eBay Algorithm: FAQs
To beat the eBay algorithm, you need to optimize your listings and overall seller performance. Compared to other methods, promoting your listing on eBay quickly boosts its visibility by placing it higher in search results and on other high-traffic pages. This increased exposure makes it more likely for potential buyers to see and purchase your item, resulting in faster sales. By using promoted listings, you can effectively outshine your competition and attract more buyers to your product. To increase views on eBay, try these effective strategies:
Conclusion
Learning how to trick eBay algorithm isn’t about cheating but about grasping its goals and matching your tactics with them. By focusing on the buyer’s journey, from search to purchase, you not only impress the algorithm but also create a reliable image.
For more eBay seller tips and guides, check out our eCommerce Blog or contact us now!
