Using HTML In Your Listings

Using HTML In Your Listings

What Not To Do

There are some tags you should not use in your auction or store listings, me page or store front. These include:

<html>, <head>, <title>, <meta>, <base>, <basefont>, <style>, <link>, <body>,

and their associated ending tags. There is also certain JavaScript code which is forbidden, but we'll look at that elsewhere.

But why shouldn't we use these tags? Aren't these valid HTML tags? And aren't they often suggested as solutions on tips sites and the eBay boards?

Yes, they are, both valid and most often suggested! This doesn't make them right for use in eBay pages. It is simply incorrect HTML usage to include these in our listings, me pages, etc. because what we are actually creating is only a small part of a full page, which is then inserted into an existing eBay page. These particular tags belong in parts of the full page that we do not have access to. Even if they seem to work okay when included in our part of the page, their use is incorrect, could cause difficulty with the page display, and are specifically grounds for eBay to pull the page or listing:

Members using the eBay site shall only modify or add content in those areas specifically designated for member use. All content must also abide by all other eBay policies. Designated member areas are the description area of the View Item page, the posting input or reply box on the eBay discussion, chat and help boards, the members' About Me page, the feedback comments area of the Feedback Forum, the bid box and the eBay email system text box. In no case shall a user block, obscure, overwrite or modify any eBay generated content or pages. All other site locations or components of eBay pages are strictly for eBay use.

Just because they may work doesn't make them right. There are ways to accomplish all the things you want to do without using them, too!

What You Should Do

Using good HTML is easy and with just a few tags you can create excellent looking auction or store listings, me pages and even a new store front. Here are a few points to remember:

HTML tags mostly work in pairs, an opening tag and a closing tag. Always remember that when you open a feature it must then be closed, like this:

This is a paragraph -- paragraph number one!

This is paragraph number two!

Notice that the closing tag is the same as the opening tag but with a forward slash (/) in front of the tag name. Closing tags never have any of the attributes from the opening tag, just the tag name. This is correct:

This text is red!

and this is incorrect:

This text is red!
HTML tags can be nested -- that is, one set of tags can be placed within another set of tags. Sometimes tags work in sets this way. For example, tag sets to create lists are nested one within the other, like this:

<ul>
<li>list item 1</li>
<li>list item 2</li>
<li>list item 3</li>
</ul>

Notice that each of the <li>...</li> list item tag sets is contained within the <ul>...</ul> unordered list tag set. These two sets of tags always work together.

Table tags work in a similar fashion, with table data tags <td>...</td> nested inside table row tags <tr>...</tr>, all nested inside of the table tags themselves.

Most nesting occurs, however, when you want more than one effect to apply to the same thing, like making text red, bold, and underlined:

This is red, bold and underlined!

It is important to close nested tags in the reverse order from which they are opened. Here is a graphic that shows what I mean:

You may not think it important until you try to code something like this:

All this text is red, but only this is bold and this is underlined!

Just remember that almost all tags work in pairs, an opening and closing tag. The affect of the tag pairs is applied to the area or text between them. If you open a tag to begin an effect, you must close it at the point you want the effect to stop. And nested tags should always close in the reverse order from which they are opened.

It's always the right time to use good code!

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