Fans of the social sharing site Pinterest.com will be happy to see a new way of including their favorite items from eBay on Pinterest. If you don’t know what Pinterest is, keep reading, we’ll explain below. But for those of you who already know, this is indeed a welcome event.
The eBay product team has made it very easy to work with Pinterest, providing a share link to Pinterest with a stylized “P” right next to our symbols for other ways to share favorite items, such as Facebook, Twitter, or by email. Look at the photo to the right; the links are located above the seller information on any given item detail page.
By clicking the Pinterest link, a new page (or tab) will pop up allowing you to easily share the item on your Pinterest page. If you don’t already have an account on Pinterest, a screen prompt will ask you to create one before you can share.
So, what is all the fuss about Pinterest anyway? In a nutshell, Pinnners (as aficionados of the site are called) like to share items from throughout the web and pin favorites on their page, usually thematically, like an online pinboard. You’re probably thinking “doesn’t Facebook and/or Twitter do something like this already?” and you’d be right. They have similar features, but the cool thing about Pinterest is the layout and ease of use. You can browse through and see photos of items your friends (or other pinners) have found, and re-pin them to your board to check out later. It is a fun, easy way to discover products you may not even have known you wanted, get inspired, and even follow people who share your tastes. The Pinterest mission statement sums it up: “Our goal is to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting.”
On our eBay Top Shared page we already incorporate the most emailed, tweeted, and shared on Facebook items every day, providing a fascinating glimpse into the cool and interesting finds people come across on eBay. We thought it would be fun to see the top Pinned items too, and found that they are quite different than what winds up on our Top Shared page. Here are the top 5 items in the last month:
#5 – Primitives By Kathy Wood Wooden 10″ x 5″ BOX SIGN
Although the auction for this item ended, we see from the comments of the Pinterest page that many people have repinned this item to many different pages on Pinterest.com. Items on Pinterest take on a life of their own, even if they are already sold on eBay.
#4 – 20 Mixed Purple Butterflies great for Wedding Cakes
This amazing photo shows off one of the reasons people like Pinterest – the visual nature of the site allows for users to share some stunning photos. On the other hand, sometimes the nature of the actual item gets lost in translation – people commented on this item’s Pinterest page that the butterflies looked “yummy.” If you read the description on eBay, though, you’ll realize they are plastic.
#3 – Vintage 1950′s Pink White Floral CHIFFON Organza Party Dress
From the Pinterest page you see the interest in this item stemmed from the retro look of this dress, as much as by how pretty it is. Of course, as eBayers we know this ended item had some policy challenges with its title, but the Pinners didn’t seem to care.
#2 – New! “Black Beauty” Dahlia Flower Seeds
This is a beautiful image, which has taken on a life of its own on its Pinterest page, with people talking about it more because of the image’s beauty than for what it really is: an offer to sell dahlia seeds.
The obvious appeal of this item, which was shared and repinned more than seven times as #5, above, is its humorous message. But on the item’s Pinterest page, one commenter says, “wow are women really that desperate to be married?! if you have to drag him it’s not worth it. i know it’s a joke but what a pathetic message.” To which another Pinner replies, “It’s amazing how many Pinners seem to be lacking a sense of humour. Taking life so seriously all the time must be totally exhausting!”
Don’t take this one negative exchange as a reason not to explore Pinterest. Who knows, you may find something you like!
I’m intrested in joining Pinterest for my ebay business! Thank you so much ebay for letting me know about this! This will improve my business and they way I do ebay!
Had no idea this was out there. I am just learning and taking baby steps
What an ugly name! What does it mean?
I LOVE Pinterest and will use it with my new, up and coming ebay store!!
What are the policy challenges in the title of #3: Vintage 1950′s Pink White Floral CHIFFON Organza Party Dress? I’m not recognizing any but feel as though I should, so please explain.
Interesting story…Pinterest is indeed a hot ticket right now, and so many eBay items just beg to be pinned! Glad to see that pink “Pin It” button added so quickly to ebay.com.
@Cassiel Lightman – It’s called “Pinterest” because you “pin” things that “interest” you; “pin” + “interest” = “Pinterest”.
@eBetsy – Well, the actual title of the listing is “Vintage 1950′s 50s PINK White Floral CHIFFON Organza Party Prom Wedding DRESS” which is using multiple terms to describe one thing, and includes the use of CAPS. The policy is located here. In part it states: Don’t use multiple synonyms or plurals. It’s not needed for search and may make your title less attractive to buyers.
As you know, making a good first impression with buyers with a clear title is important, so we encourage sellers to accurately and succinctly describe what they are selling.