How to advertise in the HAMB Classifieds (almost a RANT!)

Not getting any responses to your ads? My undergrad degree is in advertising, and I worked in that field for quite a few years for a major ad agency. I'm also a rather frequent buyer from the cl***ifeds. I've come to the conclusion that many folks just don't know the basics, so here are some tips.

Advertising essentials:

Show it, describe it, price it.

This is called the "Three-Legged Stool Rule". A three-legged stool will not stand without all three legs, and an ad will not work without all three of these elements.

An ad that does not do all three will get few, if any, responses. I see many items in the cl***ifieds that interest me, but if there's no pic and the item is not described, I never follow up on it.

When I read "SORRY, NO PICS! Open to offers." I immediately think, "SORRY, NO OFFER! Open to pics!"

The same ad that this example was taken from says, "PLEASE CALL! for description 414-640-****"

So, now you've got an ad that has NO pics AND NO description of the items for sale! And, the guy wants me to call long distance about a "pig in a poke"????????? Jeez. I don't think that guy is gonna get much response.

Remember the basics:

Show it, describe it, price it.

Pics need to show all faults that affect value in detail. People want to know what they are getting, in detail. Believe or not, this will not hurt your ability to sell the item...in fact it will actually help (***uming that you have priced the item accordingly).

Pricing should leave some room for negotiation, or you need to say "firm". If your price is firm, but you don't state it, potential buyers will ***ume room for negotiation. You should not put a price, and then say "open to offers". Again, that is ***umed. If you say this upfront, you will probably only get low ball offers. If not sold in some reasonable amount of time, a btt with "open to offers" may generate more interest.

"Reduced Price" is another attention grabber. After an item has not sold in some reasonable amount of time, reduce the price and state it in the btt. People want to think that they are getting a bargain. This will generate more interest.

Another basic of advertising:

Advertising does not sell.

Advertising generates potential buyers, it is up to you to sell the item when you are contacted by a potential buyer. The most important thing in making a sale on the HAMB cl***ifieds is to respond promptly to questions. Do not post an ad if you are going to be away from the computer for days on end. Wait to post the ad until you can check for PM's every few hours. People lose interest or spend their money elsewhere very quickly.

Make sure that your descriptions are accurate. If not, you will have an happy buyer, and that buyer will tell folks. As a seller on the internet, your reputation is everything.

State clearly how to conclude the sale.

State who gets it and how, i.e. first to post "I'll take it" to the thread (preferred) or first to PM that they'll take it. The second choice can get you into trouble. (Ask me how I know!)

Mark items as SOLD.

The purpose of this is two fold. First, people will be irritated if they waste their time contacting you about an item only to find it is already sold. You will not have the opportunity to sell them something else. Second, marking an item as sold helps to demonstrate that your prices are a good deal, or at least fair. Folks are buying. This is particularly helpful when you have a list of things for sale. Unless you've met the 3-day rule for btt, use the edit function to do this. The edit function does not bring the ad back to the top.

And finally:

READ THE RULES BEFORE POSTING!

Read the rules, respect the rules, follow the rules...otherwise the moderators will simply delete your ad.

I hope this is helpful.

 

Good points but those that put up the ****py ads do not read the rules posted and will not read this. They usually are newbies that are here to score a few bucks after putting up a "what is this" post.

But again, good points.

Neal

 

Thanks, Neal.

I'd like to be able to say that I agree, but I've seen many folks that have been on here for years not following the rules (and writing ****py ads, too).

The post that I used as an example was made by somebody that has been on the HAMB for a year.

 

I like the 3 legged stool ****ogy. Another nice thing about 3 legged stools is they always sit well on an uneven floor! (Make your own ****ogy there)

I would also add that I find it frustrating when there's a good ad listed, or a HAMB relay needed, and the person has some marginally-funny or smart*** comment where it says "location" under their name.

 

I vote "cl***ified sticky" with a "quiz before posting an add"

 

Good point. If you're trying to sell a car, having your location listed as "the moon" isn't as cute of a joke as you may think it is.

And, if I may add, listing your price as "in ad" ALWAYS and without fail means that your item is overpriced. It's not even worth clicking on the ad when the price is "in ad". You're not fooling anyone into reading your whole description. Just put the damn price on it so I know how much it is.

Even if I have 3 things for sale in the ad, the prices will be there, if my ad says "visor, heater, and bumper for sale" I'll have the price as $200, $50, $100 or something like that, or a range, like $5-$200.

Although I think the ***le should be edit-able so you can change a price later on without having to re-write the whole ad. I'm no programmer so I have no idea how hard that would be, just a suggestion.

 

got to agree with everything posted here plus ad, if you're going to try and turn a profit on something don't repost it in the same place 2 weeks later for 6k more,

just thought it was kinda funny


http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=330466

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=324818&highlight=roadster

 

Sticky please

 

Could have been a Tech week winner.

 

I like, and agree with the 3-legged stool scenario.

 

Good stuff!
What about if your posting a WANT ad for something?
Any ideas on ways to shake loose the grip people have on oddball parts???

 

do you have any pics of the stool?

 

Thanks T-Time. All the rules are pretty straight forward. Thanks for the tip!
Slim

 

If the headline doesn't catch my eye, the next one might and that's where I'll be clicking.

This carries over to generic posts. If the topic isn't interesting, I never open the thread.

Catch the reader's eye UP FRONT with relevant text.

 

Google for '*******' for pics. (Or better yet, don't !)

 

Here's another suggestion. Use thumbnails for your photos. I've clicked off MANY ads that contained huge-file-size photos that take forever to download with my dial-up system. I prefer to spend my money buying stuff rather than pay a bunch to "soup up" my computer.

 

Great ideas. The only things I could add is before posting anything:

1. Learn how to spell ( 'Spell Check' would be a welcome addition here).

2. Proof read your ad (Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt).

Spelling and/or grammer is so bad that I often don't have a clue as to what the Seller is trying to say. Is education completely dead in America????

 

T-Time, Great advice, I'd like to add that if you advertize things have the packing materials ready to ship the item quickly once you recieve payment. The world is full of free boxes and bubble wrap and other free packing materials. Sound safe packing is the key to happy buyers. The only item you need to spend money on is quality packing tape.

 

Paragraphs help too. Nothing like trying to read a 25 line description which is all one big run on sentence with no breaks or punctuation.

Pictures that are so large I have to scroll across my screen just to see what is pictured, or a link to a photo website that I need to register for, are almost as bad as no pictures at all.

I personally am not a fan of thumbnail pictures since I like to write a little description of what is in each picture, and thumbnails are all jumbled together at the bottom. But I do resize my pictures to no more than 650x433 so they aren't giant screen hogs.

 

I agree fully. One other point: respond to e-mails. I've had a couple of instances where I'm ready to buy, at full price, and the guy doesn't respond. Why list it if you aren't going to play?

 

I think the reason people put the price as 'In Ad' is so they can change the price later, if needed. I have done that same thing. It doesn't necessarily mean the item is over priced. If there was an option to change the price while editing the ad, then we are all good.

 

in a perfect world, everything would be nice.

i think some of you guys are too picky. it's not going to happen. some of you who stated they won't even look at a post if it doesn't adhere to your strict criteria just might be missing out on some real bargains. we all aren't in advertising or sales. i hate sales. i hate salesmen.
imagine some old timer moving into his daughter's house and just found the hamb. it's his first real time experience with a computer. she's been on him to get rid of his old junk, i mean look, she needs that room in the garage to store the kids bikes and playskool clubhouse they don't play with because they're too busy playing the wii on dad's new ten thousand dollar entertainment system.
hamber gramps doesn't want to throw out those grancor heads because he paid 75 bucks for them and figure somebody would like to have them. so he eventually learns to post on the hamb. he doesn't know how to post pics, hell, he doesn't know how to operate a digital camera. he figures he'll post his phone number. he knows how to describe them, how well they made his car run. like the time he almost got caught racing but was able to elude the cops.
there are others too. why get on those guys who might lack the skills or maybe fallen on hard times and don't possess a camera but need to sell a few items to get by. why must we be so demanding. it's always me, me, me. let's divide the cl***ifieds into states so "me" doesn't have to search through everything. ryan always says the hamb isn't a cl***ified site. why can't we enjoy it for what it is?
the simplest solution might be to ****can the cl***ifieds altogether.

 

yep... where the hell are you?

yes please...

 

Jeez, Rick. That suggestion is a bit like killing a gnat with a shotgun. And, the potential (fantasy) scenerio you set out would be the rare exceptional cir***stance, not at all exemplary of most of the sellers on the HAMB cl***ifieds.

 

Rick, I kinda understand, but I think you are missing the point. The scenarios you state are quite the exception, not the rule, and for that, I'll miss out, thank you ever so much.
Personally, I never respond to an ad that states "make offer".
If at a swap and I see the same scrawled on a sheet of three-ring binder paper, I'll almost always offer - "I'll take it home so you don't have to...", and a couple times, that has worked!!
Cosmo

 

Outstanding points there, T-Time, but I have a few others to add, if that's OK...

Don't list your ad like you are texting someone. I will go right past that ****.

If you want to advertise something, put it in English that everyone can read. Correct spelling and punctuation DO help. Perfection isn't necessary, but at least put the effort in, please?

The is a difference between the words "sell" and "sale". "I am going to sell my truck by putting it in the "For Sale" ads." *** NOT *** "I am going to sale my truck by putting it in the "For Sell" ads!" Notice, you won't see a "For Sell" sign for sale in a store, but you will find "For Sale" signs all day long! If you can remember that little point, it would go a long way.

Likewise the "winch" and "wench" nonsense. You winch your car onto a trailer. The wench at the bar served your beer. Winch is a tool. Wench is a person. Pretty easy, no?

 

On the other hand i have made a decent living on ebay buying from guys with ****ty ads that i can see has more than he knows how to describe and ends up with no buyers. I buy it cheap and write a good ad with good pics and proper description. In most all instances the item will make good money because folks can understand what the hell you have for sale. OU was good for more than football, marketing dept was very helpful for me. As to salesmen, Im thinkin there are prolly a lot of them right here with us. kids.............?

 

I'd give you my response but I am going to be away from the computer for awhile so instead just give me a call at.....

 

This is great. I think that anyone that places an ad must have been a user of the site for a specified amount of time, or have placed a certain amount of posts before being allowed to post ads. Many of the new users just post a ****ty ad without reading the rules, and the same goes for new users replying to ads. most of the ads are good, it just takes a couple of the ****py ones to bring down the whole thing.

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