Sell Postcards On Ebay And The Major Problem Of Place Names
Be aware that place names change and what you key into the title for your listing might be quite unlike what people call the place today or the name they will key into eBay’s search engines. One high profile example is what today is spelled ‘Middlesbrough’, which is sometimes also called ‘Middlesborough’.
Now I happen to know that a great many people call the town ‘Middlesborough’, in speech and in writing. So it follows that if you type ‘Middlesbrough’ into your title, and potential buyers key ‘Middlesborough’ into eBay’s search engine, your listing is not going to be appear to a huge chunk of your target audience.
So all my listings for the town begin:
MIDDLESBROUGH / MIDDLESBOROUGH. Note I also leave a gap between the names and the slash symbol as otherwise eBay’s search engine will consider ‘MIDDLESBROUGH/MIDDLESBOROUGH’ to be one word and might ignore it in searches for all versions of the town name.
MORE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PLACE NAMES
* For really small topographical areas, like tiny villages, also places that no longer exist, it’s best to locate the nearest main town and add that to your title alongside the less well known area depicted in the postcard. This is because collectors know that few postcards of their chosen area are likely to exist and most search using nearby place names.
Additionally most very small villages were actually identified as part and parcel of a nearby main town or may even share its name with another slightly larger village. For example, the village where I live, High Hesleden, was classed as part of Castle Eden or Monk Hesleden in Victorian and Edwardian times, so a search for ‘High Hesleden’ is likely to miss cards I’d desperately like to have.
As an example, a postcard of High Hesleden which is close to Castle Eden and not too far from Hartlepool, subject to space available in my title I might list as:
HIGH HESLEDEN Nr. Castle Eden Hartlepool Postcard 1900
This way I cover all variations for people selling card depicting that particular location, which makes it easy for buyers too!
Avril Harper is an eBay PowerSeller and author of BANK BIG PROFITS SELLING VINTAGE TOPOGRAPHICAL VIEW POSTCARDS ON EBAY which you can read about at: www.sellpostcardsonebay.com and MAKE MONEY TEARING UP OLD BOOKS AND MAGAZINES AND SELLING THEM ON EBAY which you can read about at: www.magstoriches.com. She has produced a free guide - 103 POWERSELLER TIPS - which you can download with other freely distributable reports and eBooks at www.avrilharper.com
Tags: ebay, post card, postcard, powerseller, sell on ebay, selling on ebay, vintage postcard
