This post is guest blogged by Dan Wilson, UK.

eBay is in a state of flux. It is more competitive than it’s ever been. eBay themselves are requiring sellers to make wholesale changes to stand still, let alone prosper. And that’s why there’s never been a better time to review your listings and strategy and think about whether video can be part of the mix.

Stand out from the crowd: In the busy marketplace, even small differentiations can be a huge advantage when it comes to converting browsers in to customers. A video, especially as there’s a still a novelty factor associated, could be the clincher.

Better Descriptions: Your placement in search and browse is now influenced by your DSRs (Detailed Seller Ratings) so giving buyers even more information so they can rate you highly makes sense. Don’t forget. Some people like text, others like pictures and some people like a video. Not ball buyers are the same so a video item description can appeal to buyers who are stimulated visually.

Inspire Trust: Your video doesn’t just need to feature your products. On eBay you’re selling yourself as a great person to do business with as well as your wares. So why not make an ‘About Me’ video and tell buyers about you and your business. Check out this example:

Product placement: You can use video to enhance any item description. But some things are made to be sold by with video. Cars and high value items are obvious (and we’ve seen great results for car sellers, jewelry vendors and other big ticket listings) but anything with moving parts or special features can benefit. Antiques, furniture, toys and things that make a noise make great videos. If you’re a volume seller, with dozens of lines don’t forget that you can create a video once and use it again and again. (vzaar makes it easy to insert videos into multiple listings).

Dan Wilson was part of the team that found eBay.co.uk in 1999 and worked for the firm until 2006, latterly as Community Manager. He is now the ‘Social Wizard’ for vzaar.com and blogs at www. wilsondan.co.uk.