A buyer types a few words into eBay. eBay looks for listings whose titles contain those words. If a word is not in your title, your listing has a much weaker chance of showing up for that search, however good the item is.
That makes the title the cheapest thing you can fix on a listing that is not selling. These are the rules we build the ScanJunki title optimiser around.
1. Use all 80 characters
eBay gives you 80 characters for a title. Every character you leave empty is a search you could have matched and did not.
Before (14 characters): Spyro PS4 Game
After (79 characters): Spyro Reignited Trilogy PS4 PlayStation 4 Game Kids Family Platformer Complete
The second title still describes the same item. It just covers the other ways a buyer might search for it: the full name, "PlayStation 4" written out, and the kind of game it is.
2. Put the biggest words first
Lead with what the item is: brand, product type, model. Those are the words most buyers type, and the start of the title is what a buyer reads first in the search results, especially on a phone where long titles get cut off.
Do not open with filler like "New", "Job lot" or a stock number.
3. Keep the details exact
Model numbers, part numbers, sizes, capacities, years, editions and quantities are how serious buyers search. Copy them exactly as the item shows them: "A2337", "128GB", "UK 9", "4th Gen", "x2".
Never add details that are not true of the item. A wrong size or model in the title brings the wrong buyers, returns and "item not as described" claims.
4. Add the words buyers actually use
Fill the space with real search terms, not decoration:
- Category words: "Trainers", "Hoodie", "Board Game"
- Who it is for: "Mens", "Womens", "Kids"
- Material, colour, size and style: "Leather", "Navy", "XL", "Vintage"
- Compatibility: "for iPhone 13", "fits Golf Mk7"
- Common other names: "Sofa Couch", "Trainers Sneakers"
A quick way to find them: search eBay for your item, filter to sold items, and look at the words in the titles of the ones that sold.
5. Skip what eBay ignores or dislikes
- Promo words like "WOW", "L@@K" or "BARGAIN" waste space and nobody searches for them
- ALL CAPS is harder to read. Use Title Case Instead
- Symbols, emojis and extra punctuation take up characters and do not help you get found
6. Change the title, not just the price
When a listing sits for months, the first reflex is to cut the price. Check the title first. A listing that gets views but no sales may have a price problem. A listing that gets almost no views usually has a title problem, because buyers are not finding it at all.
ScanJunki's stagnant listings report shows you which listings get views and which do not, so you know which fix to try.
Doing it in bulk
Rewriting hundreds of titles by hand takes days. The title optimiser in ScanJunki Seller Tools reads your live eBay listings, starts with your worst titles, and rewrites them to the rules above. It keeps every model number, size and quantity exactly as it was, and you can check each new title before it goes to eBay, or apply them all in one go.
Pro includes 20 AI titles a day. If you have a bigger shop, credit packs start at 500 titles for £5, and bought credits never expire.