I'm just curious if anybody here has experiemented at all with layouts to see how much difference a fancy layout really makes. I'm tempted to give it a try: list two identical items with pictures, one with a fancy custom layout, the other with a plain layout, and see if there's any difference in bids/sell price.

Has anybody tried an experiment like this? How did it go?

Hi ya..

Yes I do use the fancy layouts in my auctions. From what I have seen the fancy one will sell higher than the non-fancy one.

Like I have said before. Presentation is 90% of your sale.
Think of it like this.
Would you shop in a gloomy dirty plain bargain basement store or would you want to go to a bright and cheery store that is clean and fully stocked?

I also like to use the fancy setups to get more hits and to stand out from all the rest of the sellers out there.
More hits=better sales..

I couldn't agree with Nightsurfer more. I used to sell hundreds of items a week on Ebay and always used nice templates - and got a good percentage of sales. After I stopped that, I put some other stuff on there with just a plain listing and did not get a very good result.

I have sold items that plenty of other sellers were offering at the same time. Mine sold while their items sat without a bid. In comparison, they used the automatic font, no color and no images. In addition, they often had spelling errors in the listing.

Make sure your listing is 100% ready before you submit it. Use a preset template that you can change as needed.

Interesting. I would have said the plainer the better so I'm glad I saw this thread before trying any more auctions. Just goes to show that my personal preference is not the norm.

I guess layout must make more of a difference than I thought. I would have guessed that a good description with a clear picture of the item would be enough-- the item would speak for itself.

I suppose a good layout just makes your auction look professional, and people like dealing with sellers who look professional.

Always use a template, it makes your listings look professional and allows you to include lots of images to highlight product features etc.

It helps to have an attractive layout, I'm sure, but the most beautiful layout will do nothing if the content is not also there.

I definitely believe there are several factors that go into it.

One... the description must be detailed. Grammar must be correct, and words spelled right. Keep details with all info, but not too wordy. I will pass on anything that takes forever to read through.

Two.. photos, photos, photos! The better the photos, the more likely I am to buy the product.

Three... the layout must look really nice. I want colors, borders, etc. I want it to jump off of the page and grab me. The nicer the layout, the nicer the product seems to me.

Just my 2 cents
Stephanie

I agree that all those factors make a difference-- to a point. For me, it's all about the photos. If I'm given a decent general description and 10 clear photos of the item from several angles, that's really all I need.