candibates1
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posted on May 17, 2001 07:27:46 AM
Gang
I have just spent an afternoon revising my auction listings and would like your opinion. In the past, my auctions have been cluttered with terms and conditions, sizing charts, etc. I have moved several blocks of items off the listing and added hyperlinks to see them seperately from the auction, in an attempt to unclutter the text.
I know that there is still alot of text in the auction body, but it seems that since I started being very upfront about everything, I get so many less questions and hardly any problems with my bidders. Less deadbeats too!
Please be gentle with your critique! I use alot of colorful fonts and gifs because of the demographic I sell to--mothers of small children, normally. Although, if you feel my listing is overly gawdy, please let me know also.
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=590242976&r=0&t=0&showTutorial=0&ed=990328200&indexURL=0&rd=1
Kindest regards!
Candi Bates
[ edited by candibates1 on May 17, 2001 07:29 AM ]
[ edited by candibates1 on May 17, 2001 07:33 AM ]
[ edited by candibates1 on May 17, 2001 07:34 AM ]
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eventer
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posted on May 17, 2001 07:34:36 AM
Here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=ViewItem&item=590242976
Personally I didn't care for either background. The red printing on the blue checked background was VERY hard to read w/o straining.
I liked seeing the links for further info on a separate page.
I noticed your TOS are on another page. Is that up to date w/ebay's latest rulings on having the TOS on the auction page?
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reddeer
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posted on May 17, 2001 07:35:16 AM
Hi Candi
I think your auction looks great. Just one small problem though. When viewed via Netscape the auction page does not load past the description, so anyone using Netscape will not be able to place a bid. My guess is that you've left a <table> tag open somewhere? IE is much more forgiving with HTML snafu's than Netscape.
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reddeer
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posted on May 17, 2001 07:36:50 AM
Eventer ....... That's odd, I saw blue font printing on a floral background, and found it very easy on the eyes?
Gotta go, I'll check back later ........
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eventer
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posted on May 17, 2001 07:38:25 AM
reddeer,
Have a second cup of coffee. 
The first section has the floral background.
The next section has a blue checked background w/part of the typing in red print & part of the typing in blue print. The blue print is easier to read but the red print is very straining!
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ExecutiveGirl
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posted on May 17, 2001 07:39:21 AM
I use IE and thought the auction looked very nice. The blue checkered background makes anything in that area very hard to read, and I actually did not read past the first line because it was so hard to read. I like the floral background though, very pretty!
Your pictures and description are very nice, very clear and to the point.
[ edited by ExecutiveGirl on May 17, 2001 07:41 AM ]
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candibates1
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posted on May 17, 2001 07:41:41 AM
reddeer
I just checked out my auction using Netscape 6, and it pulled up ok. Am I using a newer version than you? Or am I missing something (wouldn't put it past me!)?
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bennybbb
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posted on May 17, 2001 07:44:00 AM
I usually don't follow links to auctions, but since I had a few moments I did.
And, since you asked.....
I like the pics very much, they are large enough to see detailing and yet small enough to load quickly, kudos.
On the downside (IMO), while the jargon on the bottom is comforting to read, I find it extraneous. At the very least I think you should lose that blue checkered background at the lower end. It makes the writing difficult to read. If I were not visiting on a mission I would click away from it quickly. I might do so even if I was mildly interested, I (like many others) like to view lots of items and do not spend that much time on one unless it is unique and I am very interested.
Not withstanding the above, I think you do a marvelous job and should enjoy continued success.
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circuitmatter
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posted on May 17, 2001 07:45:27 AM
I found the red text on the blue checked background really difficult to read too.
Jonathan
P.S. Anyone know how to add an auto-signature to my postings?
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reddeer
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posted on May 17, 2001 07:46:06 AM
Candi
Yes, you are, I'm using version 4.75
Eventer - I can't get that far in the description. 
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ExecutiveGirl
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posted on May 17, 2001 07:48:23 AM
Circuitmatter: Click on the "My account" tab in your upper right hand corner. Then click on "Personal Information". Towards the bottom there is a place you can enter a signature line.
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toke
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posted on May 17, 2001 07:52:11 AM
Uh oh...I saw the same totally floral background that reddeer did...no checks... I liked the ad...suits what Candi is selling, IMO.
I have Netscape, and couldn't get past the ad to the bidder's section, either.
AHA! I just checked the ad with IE and found all the checked tables. Netscape won't go past the floral part. It MUST have to do with table tags in some way...
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jrb3
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posted on May 17, 2001 07:55:42 AM
Kill the backgrounds.
I read from my slow laptop and took forever to load.
May want to be carefull using gap log on page, in the past I have had problems with using coporate logo even if it is relavent to the items.
Wording reads well.
Joe B
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sadie999
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posted on May 17, 2001 07:55:44 AM
Netscape 4.7 doesn't load the whole page either. Even (as a test) if I click on the "Bid" link at the top of the page, I couldn't get in to bid on the item.
Also the blue checked background others have mentioned doesn't appear.
The ad looks very nice. I like that you offer a link to the sizing. The pics are nice and clear and offer a good view of the item and you can see the pics within the screen - lord, dontcha hate football sized pic?. I like that you state the shipping amount. I also like that you tell flat out that you're trying to save your buyers money and how you do it (tyvek, bubble wrap) - I know I'd appreciate that if I were one of your buyers.
If I had a munchkin to dress, I'd have no problems with the pics and text and look of this ad.
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candibates1
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posted on May 17, 2001 07:56:24 AM
<furiously scouring my table tags!>
Oh, is there a way to block my text around the gingham so that the text is on a white background but the gingham is around the text still? Would that help?
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Shoshanah
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posted on May 17, 2001 08:00:36 AM
Same as circuitmatter..Hard to read the red lettering over blue checkers.
Too busy...too many gifs..I know, I know...it's for the Moms and Kids...
********
Gosh Shosh!
About Me
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toke
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posted on May 17, 2001 08:01:03 AM
Hi Candi,
I really like the blue checks (now that I've finally seen them). If you could nest a white table for your text, it would be great. That background's just too busy for print to be readable on it.
Just a personal opinion...for some reason, I hate red fonts. They seem like shouting to me...
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llama_lady
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posted on May 17, 2001 09:14:32 AM
Hi Candi,
The pictures loaded fast and I liked the description. The first thing I thought though was about the size. (you know how they differ from maker to maker) You may want to put the size link closer to your description.
I am not one for backgrounds. Perhaps it is because I tend to be a bit dizzy at times, the red lettering on the checkered background was a little hard on the eyes. (but then again, it may be the age of the eyes <VBG> I'm still thinking about whether or not I liked the long terms description.
The jacket is adorable. I wish I had someone that small to put in it!.
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brie49
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posted on May 17, 2001 09:14:45 AM
Please don't take this personally!
The page took to long to load for me. I would have moved on to another.
And no, pages don't take that long to load from my computer. Everyone else has been having problems lately taking so long to revise, relist, or just look at a page, and I have had no problems at all. Mine have been opening and loading quickly.
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capotasto
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posted on May 17, 2001 09:18:50 AM
Too much color fonts flowers etc etc.
When I see auctions like this I go to the BACK button.
Well, a couple bits of constructive criticism: If your photos are always the same size, use size tags in the img tag so the text doesn't jump around as the photo loads while you're trying to read it. And while the photo is loading you could use an alt tag to preview what's gonna come up.
The red text on blue check has gotta go. Do you look at your own auctions?
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BlondeSense
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posted on May 17, 2001 12:19:47 PM
I also use Netscape (4.7) and the listing stops loading after the part with the floral background -leaving no way to bid. It also took my computer 58 seconds to load what it did. Your auction looks very nice, but as others have already said, unless it was something I was specifically looking for, I wouldn't have waited around to see it.
I did like what I saw, but you should keep in mind the loading time for bidders with less than state of the art equipment.
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candibates1
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posted on May 17, 2001 12:52:32 PM
Gang
Your criticisms have been a great help! This is a revision: better?
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=590412468
cb
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toke
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posted on May 17, 2001 12:58:50 PM
Super! Got it all...using Netscape. The only odd thing...no biggie...is that your new tables...below the floral one...are off-center to the right. Had to use the bottom scroll bar to center those. Once I did that, they fit on my screen just fine. I miss the blue checks tho... Couldn't nest a white table for your text???
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candibates1
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posted on May 17, 2001 01:03:42 PM
toke
I would have liked to nest the tables, but being the novice htmler that I am, I am not sure how to do it. I will check through my code again to see if I can figure out why the bottom tables aren't centering. I work in IE but will also look at it with Netscape to see if it shows up differently.
Thank you so much for your criticism! Your kind words have been very encouraging in helping this beginner!
cb
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engelskdansk
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posted on May 17, 2001 01:11:04 PM
According to ebay's rules, your terms and conditions have to be on the auction page.
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toke
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posted on May 17, 2001 01:21:27 PM
Candi...
I'm the beginner, since I have no idea how to nest the tables. I DO know it can be done, because I've seen it. Big help, huh? I really do like the ambiance of your ads...perfect for your market, IMO. Good luck...make tons of money...
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candibates1
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posted on May 17, 2001 01:26:09 PM
engelskdansk
I just called eBay and my account rep stated that it was ok to have your terms on a seperate page apart from the auction, as long as it didn't contain other items for sale, etc.
I tried to find the info on eBay and couldn't. Can you post the link if you find it?
cb
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engelskdansk
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posted on May 17, 2001 02:05:55 PM
candibates1--eBay's user agreement states that YOU MUST DESCRIBE YOUR ITEM AND ALL TERMS OF SALE ON THE LISTING PAGE OF OUR SITE. See below.
Listing and Selling.
5.1 Listing Description. You must be legally able to sell the item(s) you list for sale on our Site. You must describe your item and all terms of sale on the listing page of our Site. Your listings may only include text descriptions, graphics, pictures and other content relevant to the sale of that item. All listed items must be listed in an appropriate category....
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computerboy
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posted on May 17, 2001 02:08:32 PM
I find the listing lengthy, but pleasant to the eye.
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eventer
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posted on May 17, 2001 05:37:45 PM
Don't know if this will help but it's what I use to center a table. And it works with nested tables as well.
In the section where you have the table width and/or border info, just add ALIGN="Center"
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