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All right. I have seen quite a lot of listings at the SitePoint marketplace which are totally crap. Not that I’m being nothing but an antagonist here. I actually pity the people who started the auctions because they’re not able to attract people. The reasons why I decided to write this post are 1) to help you create auction listings which are of “more than acceptable” level, and 2) I was inspired because I was able to sell yet another site which was less than 8 hours old. I sold it for a $170 profit (it was a BIN bid) in just a few hours, 2 hours and 21 minutes to be exact, after I listed it! I know the money is not that big, but it can’t be that bad either, right?

I know what questions you have in mind already. Somewhere around the lines of “How did you do it?” or maybe “It was just $170! Is that even something to be proud of?”

If it’s the former, then don’t worry as I will teach you how I did it. (It’s basically by creating a promising and attractive listing.) Otherwise, I’m sorry if it it didn’t meet your standards — I’m sure some of you make mid $xxx to $xxxx per effortless flip like this, but what I’m saying is a hundred and seventy bucks may not be great or “awesome” for you, but is not that bad either.

Before I proceed to sharing how to create decent auction listings, let me discuss briefly why you should bother creating listings which are of the “more than acceptable” level.

Decent Auction Listings?! Why Bother?

Come on, let’s be realistic. Let’s say two people have identical websites (apparently they had VERY identical ideas). They tell you two different statements which practically have the same meaning:

1. “I have a website with a lot of features and it may make you money.”
2. “I have this amazing, feature-rich website with a huge potential to make you earn more than 500% of what you’re going to pay for it!”

Which is more attractive, and from whom would you buy? I’d say the latter, and most of you would say so too, right?

So there, one of maybe a dozen or two reasons why you should have a decent auction listing — to attract buyers, of course!

So How Do You Create Decent Auction Listings?

It’s not quite simple to explain in a few words, so expect this section to be quite long. It isn’t very hard to understand though, so don’t worry!

Let’s take a look at my SitePoint listing (click it to see my auction description). Please open the page so you can follow my discussion here without any difficulty.

Make it to a point that you have an attractive title. ALWAYS remember this! Most people look at the title of listings first (I personally do that). If they don’t find it attractive, they wouldn’t bother clicking it. So you have to make sure that you’ve got yourself a witty and snazzy title. Just don’t overdo it and place a lot of uncommon characters that may be found in the charmap. For an inspiration, you may look at my auction’s title.

Tell potential bidders why your website can be beneficial to them. As you can see, I explained why the niche is lucrative. Since it was a humor site, I mentioned that a lot of people are seeking entertainment on the web and one of the hottest things that could possibly make people relax is a joke website. You can simply describe what makes your site the “in thing” today or why it is so “hot”.

Elaborate on the special features or highlights of your site. In my listing, I said that the website had features which promote the community feel of the site. It also has some tools in order to bring in some serious traffic. To make this process easier, pretend you’re with your best friend and you’re drunk. You’ve got all the bragging rights in the world — type all the splendid things about your website in that description box!

If your site can make potential buyers some money, tell them why it is so profitable. Is it because you’ve setup some potential income streams? Is the niche that hot, that each visitor will click ads? Just tell them why it’s profitable, plain and simple.

State the reason why you’re selling the site. You have to be honest here. A decent auction listing should contain the cause of the sale. If you don’t have time to promote/develop it, say so. If you can’t handle it anymore, then put it there. Keep in mind that by telling them the reason, their minds will be free of cloudy, or even bogus interpretations like “Maybe he’s losing money!” Imagine if that occurred to the minds of 80% of the people viewing your listing — you would be letting go of a LOT of potential buyers!

Always encourage bidders to ask relevant questions. In my opinion, this one increases the trust between bidders and the seller. When you encourage them to ask questions, it means that you’ve got nothing to hide and you’re confident with your website.

Only present accurate data and statistics. While in my listing there were no statistics whatsoever, you have to give accurate and timely information/stats to all (potential) bidders. I guess mine was an exception to this because the site was under a day old! A great auction listing always has enough information so that bidders will know then and there what income to expect, how many visitors/clients to serve, what server can handle the traffic, and so on. By all means, do NOT fake your stats! Not only would it raise eyebrows, it could also get you into some serious trouble.

Don’t make a listing which has a one sentence description. I’ve seen a lot of these and it makes me kind of sad when I do. “This site is for sale just place your bids.” is NEVER enough to have a decent listing!

Summary

Live up to your name as an internet marketer — use those marketing skills to attract loads of people! Give detailed descriptions and accurate data to prevent misinterpretations and save yourself from any kind of trouble. Don’t create listings with a one sentence description (or less)!

I’d like to know if you guys have any tips or tricks under your sleeves. Feel free to share them through the comment area!

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