Auction templates, such as those offered by Auctiva, Vendio, Inkfrog, GarageSale (the ‘one and only’ awesome program for MAC users), and others can be a great way to liven up your listings and impress your customers.

You’ve got to be careful, however, when choosing a template provider because used incorrectly, your templates could sink your auctions.

Template Pros:

• Professional-looking auctions without HTML expertise. Templates provide fonts, borders, and graphics that can really enhance your listings. You can also do some nifty things with your item pictures and add selling tools like scrolling bars that showcase all your items on each one of your pages.

• Freebies that save you money. Some auction template sites offer free image hosting, so you can circumvent eBay’s fees for photos. Some also waive listing fees and provide free selling reports, marketing tools, listing schedulers, and more.

• A unified look. Templates are often created with your eBay store, eBay listings, and business website in mind, so your entire web presence can have a similar look and feel. This is an amazing way to dramatically increase the professionalism and credibility of your online business without having to spend big bucks on a designer.

Template Cons:

• You can easily get carried away. The fanciest-looking template may be fun to use, but if it doesn’t match the tone or theme of the item you’re selling, you’ll diminish the overall impact and hurt your chances of making a great sale.

• It’s tempting to let your template sell your item. Because the page is now so pretty, you may skimp on writing a compelling description. Don’t!  Your description – not your template – is still your most important selling tool. A template can streamline your look but it won’t sell your stuff all by itself.

• Your listing might look too busy. Don’t use a template to overload your listing with graphics, no matter how cool you think they are. Remember the cardinal rules: write succinctly with good keywords, leave lots of white space, and let your pictures tell your item’s story. Don’t let your template take over your auction.

As long as you’re careful with your selection, templates can be an easy to way to instantly professionalize your auctions. Remember, always choose templates that complement – not overpower – your items, and keep it clean-looking. Used properly, templates can be yet another powerful tool in your seller’s belt.

Wishing you rippling auction success!

Svenja