Published: 01 July 2026 by Dan Williams
Part of: Notes on eBay Discovery & Selling / From the Seller’s Workbench
Every field has a job.
People often talk about eBay SEO.
These days, I think less about SEO than I used to.
When I create a listing, I’m not trying to optimise one thing. I’m trying to make several things work together.
The title, scans, category, item specifics, condition box, description, price, postage and returns policy all have a role to play.
Ultimately, the listing has one purpose: to help the right buyer make a confident decision.
This isn’t the only way to create an eBay listing. It’s the approach I’ve gradually arrived at after listing thousands of specialist GB stamps through Apollo’s Lots GB Stamps.
I wouldn’t expect every seller to agree with every decision. Some choices come from public eBay guidance. Some come from published engineering articles. Some come from years of watching buyers. Some come from making mistakes and trying not to repeat them.
Before I touch the keyboard
Before I start creating the listing, I ask myself one question.
What is this listing trying to achieve?
Not every listing has the same job.
Some listings are there to maximise profit. Some are there to create liquidity. Some introduce buyers to a particular stock area. Some support related inventory. Some test demand. Some are straightforward Buy It Now listings, and others are better suited to auction.
The answer quietly influences almost everything that follows.
1. Listing from desktop
I almost always list from a desktop.
It is easier to see everything: images, item specifics, similar listings, catalogues, references and drafts. I can keep several windows open and make fewer compromises than I would on a phone.
I usually create listings in one of three ways:
- from scratch;
- Sell Similar;
- Relist.
Most begin as Sell Similar, because much of my stock sits in related categories. It gives me a useful starting point, but I still check every field before publishing.
Occasionally I list completely from scratch. More rarely, I deliberately use Relist.
For example, I recently sold out of a long-running multi-quantity listing that ranked well in Google. Rather than creating a fresh listing with Sell Similar, I chose Relist because eBay automatically places a text link from the old listing to its replacement. For that item, preserving continuity felt more useful than starting completely fresh.
That doesn’t mean I think Relist carries hidden ranking benefits.
Views and watchers reset, and the listing starts again.
It was just the right tool for that particular job.
I also use Drafts when that makes sense. If I’ve had a productive listing session, I may save a few drafts and publish them over several days. I don’t obsess over it. It is just a practical way of managing workflow.
I don’t use eBay’s automatic suggestions when creating a listing from scratch. I’d rather make deliberate choices myself than accept defaults I haven’t checked.
Sell Similar gives me a starting point. Every field still gets checked.
2. Images
If the title helps a buyer find the listing, the images help them decide whether to trust it.
For most of my stamp listings, I don’t use photographs at all. I use a flatbed scanner.
Mine is a Canon CanoScan LiDE 400, usually set to 600 dpi. That’s enough detail for almost everything I sell. Occasionally I increase it to 1200 dpi if I’m trying to show a particularly small or important detail, although scanning becomes noticeably slower.
Before every scanning session I wipe the scanner glass with a microfibre cloth. Every so often I clean it more thoroughly with an alcohol wipe.
Inside the scanner lid I’ve replaced the standard white backing with matt black card. That sounds like a tiny change, but I think it makes a noticeable difference. White perforations disappear against a white background. Against black, they’re much easier to see.
Single stamps are usually scanned directly on the glass in batches of around ten to twenty. Sets or larger groups are normally scanned on stock cards so they stay aligned and organised.
After scanning I manually crop every individual stamp from the master scan, straighten it and leave a small black border around it.
For most listings I upload two images: front and back.
If there is something important to explain, I sometimes add an extra image. Occasionally I also use a simple “Please see description for more information” image where I think additional written information genuinely helps.
Sometimes I make the primary image do a little more work. For example, a small identifying cue can help with a specialist listing if it genuinely reduces uncertainty.
I use this sparingly, but when a visual cue helps the buyer understand the listing faster, it can reduce doubt without needing to over-explain. I create any images like this using the free version of Canva.
What I don’t do is just as important.
- I don’t enhance the scans.
- I don’t remove backgrounds.
- I don’t use AI image tools.
- I don’t alter colours.
The purpose of the scan isn’t to make the stamp look better. The purpose is to show the stamp as accurately as I can.
For me, the scan is part of the description, not decoration.
3. The title
If the images provide the evidence, the title provides the first explanation.
I don’t try to squeeze every possible word into it. I try to prioritise information.
For most of my listings, the beginning of the title is reserved for identification. Typically that means:
Country → Reign → Catalogue reference
For example:
GB QEII SG U3966
or
GB QV SG34
That isn’t just habit. Partly it’s because buyers often search that way. Partly it’s because eBay’s own search suggestions frequently begin with country and reign. And partly it’s because I naturally think about related inventory in collecting areas rather than isolated listings.
Once the identification is established, I add the details that make this particular example interesting.
That may be:
- denomination;
- colour;
- watermark;
- variety;
- plate;
- postmark;
- issue name;
- condition.
Not every title contains every one of those. The order changes depending on what is most important for that item.
An inverted watermark variety deserves to appear early. A particularly attractive postmark may be worth mentioning. Some commemorative issues benefit from including their official Stanley Gibbons issue title. Others don’t need it.
One practical point is that buyers don’t always see the full title. On mobile search results and recommendation placements, only part of the title is usually visible before it gets cut off. The same happens, usually harsher, in parts of the seller storefront.
That means the beginning of the title often carries the greatest weight for human readers.
I also use Stanley Gibbons catalogue reference numbers wherever appropriate. Collectors understand them. They provide a precise identifier. More importantly, they reduce ambiguity.
For me, a title has one simple job: help the right buyer recognise the listing quickly enough to think, it’s worth clicking on and viewing the listing.
The title doesn’t need to tell the whole story. It needs to make the right person want to open the page.
One other small thing I’ve found myself doing over the past year is I’ve been trying to keep similar listings written in a broadly consistent way.
Whether that helps buyers, helps eBay understand related listings a little better, or changes nothing at all, I honestly can’t prove. It costs me no extra effort, so it’s quietly become part of how I write titles.
I wrote more about that deeper line of thinking in The Green Wave, where I explore why eBay sales sometimes seem to happen in waves, and whether relationships between similar listings might play a part.
4. SKU
The SKU isn’t for the buyer. It’s solely for me.
Every listing gets one because it helps me organise stock and find the right item quickly later.
I don’t use SKUs because I think they help search. I use them because they help me work.
5. Category
Categories are another way of helping buyers understand what they are looking at.
Most of my listings only need one category. Occasionally I deliberately use two.
For example, a Machin stamp may sit naturally in both the Machins category and the wider QEII decimal category. Official stamps often fit comfortably within both the Officials category and the relevant reign.
If the listing benefits from appearing in both places, and the pricing makes sense, I’ll use both categories.
When I use Sell Similar, the category is often already correct, but I still check it every time. A previous listing is a starting point, not something to copy blindly.
I try to place the item where a collector would reasonably expect to find it.
6. Item specifics
Item specifics are one of the few parts of the listing where structure really counts.
My approach is straightforward.
If a field genuinely helps describe the item, I complete it. If it doesn’t apply, I leave it blank.
I don’t believe in forcing information into fields simply because they are available.
For stamps, some specifics are genuinely useful. These often include:
- denomination;
- colour;
- era;
- quality;
- grade.
Other fields depend entirely on the listing.
A set of stamps doesn’t usually have one denomination and some items don’t have one obvious colour. The listing should describe the item, not force the item into fields that don’t really fit.
Item specifics also have a practical job. They help buyers narrow down results using eBay’s search filters. A collector may search broadly, then filter by condition, denomination, colour or era. Completing the relevant specifics makes those filters useful.
Again, I think about this as helping buyers first. If it also helps eBay understand the listing better, that’s a sensible consequence rather than the primary objective.
One thing I still find slightly surprising is that eBay doesn’t provide a dedicated field for catalogue numbers. For specialist material, that is often one of the clearest identifiers. That’s one reason I include catalogue references in my titles where appropriate.
As with the title, my aim isn’t simply to complete boxes. It’s to help both buyers and the marketplace understand exactly what the item is.
7. Item condition
The item “condition description” box sits between item specifics and the full description.
I use it whenever there is something important the buyer should see immediately.
That might be:
- an important fault;
- a notable feature;
- something unusual about the item;
- or a clarification that helps avoid misunderstanding.
For multi-quantity listings, this is also where I normally state if a generic stock image is being used.
I don’t use this box to repeat the title.
I use it to highlight something that genuinely changes the buyer’s understanding of the listing.
If there is nothing worth adding, I leave it alone.
8. Description
By the time a buyer reaches the description, I hope most of the important work has already been done.
The title has identified the item. The scans have shown it. The item specifics have added structure. The condition box has highlighted anything important.
The description fills the remaining gaps.
Sometimes that is only a couple of lines and other-times it is a little more. It depends entirely on the item.
For specialist material I might explain:
- a variety;
- an important printing detail;
- provenance or identification;
- something that isn’t immediately obvious from the scans;
- or simply confirmation of exactly what is included.
I use the same postage and packing text in the description for every listing.
Postage and Packing:
Sent in a hard-backed envelope, including suitable packaging, i.e. protective card & cover.
On listings where postage is charged, costs are automatically combined into one fee at checkout.Visit our store for more items (linked)
Thank you for your interest!
It is saved as a description template in my eBay account, so it only takes a couple of clicks to insert it. If I’m using Sell Similar, it is often already there.
I also copy the title to the top of the description, usually in bold 18px, with the rest below in 14px. On eBay that helps the listing feel consistent, and it also makes sense as the eBay description can be indexed by Google.
I don’t use eBay’s AI description tool. I’ve read it on other listings and I don’t think it adds anything useful. It tends to pull from the title and item specifics and then stretch them into polite but vague sentences. It is technically a description, but it doesn’t really improve understanding.
If a description doesn’t help a buyer understand the item better, I’d rather write my own.
I don’t write descriptions for algorithms. I write them so that somebody reading the page has fewer unanswered questions than they did when they arrived.
One thing I deliberately avoid is using the description to argue with buyers before they have even bought anything.
Occasionally I see listings that spend more time explaining what the seller won’t do than describing the item itself. Some contain policies that contradict eBay’s own rules. Others warn buyers not to waste the seller’s time, threaten poor feedback, refuse legitimate returns or otherwise create friction before the buyer has even decided to purchase.
I’d rather use the description to build confidence than defend myself against problems that probably won’t happen.
Most buyers are perfectly reasonable. The listing should reflect that.
9. Price
I don’t think of pricing as simply choosing a number.
Pricing is part of the description. It tells the buyer what sort of item they are looking at before they read another word.
When I price a stamp, I don’t rely on one source. Depending on the item, I’ll usually look at some combination of my own previous sales, current live listings, completed eBay sales and Terapeak.
Sometimes one source tells me enough. Sometimes I compare all of them. It depends on how familiar the item is and how often it appears on the market.
For lower-priced items I often finish prices at .95 or .49, particularly under £10. Between about £10 and £20 I usually become a little rounder while still often ending in 50 or 95. Above that I generally prefer simpler, round numbers.
There is no magic in those endings. It is simply the pricing style I have gradually settled into.
Sometimes I’ll enable Best Offer. Usually that is because demand or market value feels uncertain, or because I’m happy to exchange a little margin for faster liquidity.
The important decision isn’t whether to accept offers. It is deciding what job that listing is trying to do.
10. Postage
I want buyers to understand postage immediately.
Most of my Buy It Now listings include free Second Class postage, even very inexpensive items.
Buyers can upgrade to First Class or Signed For if they prefer.
For higher-value items I include free Second Class Signed For, with the option to upgrade to Special Delivery.
Auctions are slightly different. I currently start most auctions at £1 with 95p Second Class postage, which gives me a small amount of cover if the item sells at the opening bid.
I’m still thinking about whether completely free postage might work better for auctions. I haven’t convinced myself either way yet.
For me, postage isn’t just a delivery charge. It is part of the buying decision.
If buyers have to stop and work out what postage really costs, that is another piece of unnecessary friction. I’d rather make the decision easy.
11. Returns and eBay Premium Service
My return policy is deliberately straightforward.
I offer 30-day free returns, including genuine change-of-mind returns. The return postage is paid by me.
I have almost never needed to use it. But I like knowing it is there.
Partly because I think it gives buyers confidence. Partly because it reflects the way I would hope to be treated if I were buying.
There is also a practical eBay side to this.
As a Top Rated Seller, listings that meet eBay’s Premium Service requirements can show the eBay Premium Service badge. eBay says Premium Service listings can increase visibility in eBay search, strengthen buyer trust and qualify for a 10% discount on final value fees. eBay’s Seller Standards page also describes Premium Service as giving maximum visibility in Best Match search results.
You can read eBay’s own guidance here: eBay Premium Service and eBay Seller Standards.
I still wouldn’t reduce returns to a search lever. For me, the bigger benefit is simpler. They remove another reason for a buyer to hesitate.
Before I press List
Before I publish the listing, I usually scroll back through it once as though I were the buyer.
Can I understand what the item is? Would I trust the scans? Is the condition clear? Does the price make sense? Would I know what the postage costs?
Have I accidentally made the buyer work harder than necessary?
If the answer feels right, I list the item.
Sometimes immediately. Sometimes I save it as a draft.
The button itself isn’t really the important part. The thinking before pressing it is.
Closing thoughts
People often ask me about eBay SEO.
I understand why. Search helps. Good titles help. Categories help. Item specifics help.
But after listing thousands of specialist GB stamps, I think less about optimising individual fields than I do about reducing uncertainty.
Every part of the listing has a job.
The title helps identify the item.
The scans provide evidence.
The item specifics add structure.
The condition box highlights anything important.
The description fills the remaining gaps.
The price sets expectations.
The postage removes friction.
The return policy builds confidence.
None of those things feels especially clever on its own.
Together they make it easier for the right buyer to make a decision.
That, more than anything else, is what I’m trying to build every time I create a listing.
— Dan Williams
Read More
This note is part of From the Seller’s Workbench: practical notes from listing and selling specialist GB stamps on eBay.
View all Seller’s Workbench notes →
You can also read the wider Notes on eBay Discovery & Selling hub, including the eBay Discovery Notes series.