eBay.com

Because of the popularity and increased accessibility of the Internet, almost anyone can become a vendor of goods.   Al l types of sellers—from the professional art dealer to the teenager who wants to unload some comic books—use this virtual marketplace to offer their products auction-style or at fixed prices. With nearly 50 million registered users and literally millions of items listed on any given day, eBay serves as a global trading place that would have been nearly inconceivable just 20 years ago.

As you browse through eBay, you will notice that the amount of merchandise is nearly overwhelming.  For easier and faster navigation, eBay has created thousands of general and specific categories.   You can browse by "category," "region," "theme," and "store," or you can simply enter a keyword into the search engine.   Explore the site by clicking on categories or visiting stores that interest you.  Type in a few keywords in the "search" box as well. You will probably be amazed to find that almost anything you can imagine is for sale on eBay.

One of the drawbacks of eBAy or any online store is that the customers can not see or touch the object before they buy it.  Sellers can and do post pictures to overcome this obstacle, but their best bet is the careful use of language.  Two rhetorical strategies—Description and Persuasion—are essential to each and every pitch on eBay.

As you scan the write-ups of various items, pay attention to how the language carefully describes how something appears and cleverly attempts to "charm" its reader into wanting precisely that something.   Notice that most sellers have a clear sense of their audience and will direct their speech to them.  Any jargon words in the description will reveal that the seller is speaking to a specific group of buyers.  Often these words are carefully selected to capture the attention of a particular consumer set.  The vendors do not necessarily want to trick or manipulate their audience into buying.  Successful use of description and persuasion motivates customers to desire and to buy.



Visit ebay.com

Q & A

1. Go to "Premier" under "Speciality Sites" on eBay's home page.  eBay's  "Premier" store sells high-ticket items such as fine art, rare books, and memorabilia.  Click on any category that interests you and read some of the descriptions of individual items.  Do you get a sense of the audience the seller is targeting?  Does the seller use any keywords to describe the item or make the pitch?  How does the seller persuade or motivate the customer to buy?  Write a paragraph or two telling your instructor about one product, its description, its intended audience, and the seller's use of descriptive and persuasive techniques.



2. Under "Categories" on eBay's home page, click on any category (for example, "Health and Beauty" or "Hobbies and Crafts") that offers lower-ticket items.  Read some of the descriptions of individual items.  Do these descriptions differ from the "Premier" descriptions?  Do you get a different sense of the intended audience?  What details does this seller include?  How is this description similar to the other?  How is it different?  Write a paragraph or two comparing and contrasting this description with the "Premier" description.  Make sure to tell your instructor about the lower-ticket item.  Conclude your analysis by giving possible reasons that the descriptions are essentially the same or very different.



3. On eBay's home page click on two of the "Featured Items."  Analyze the success of the each seller's use of Description and Persuasion.  Explain how each seller uses each strategy effectively.  Finally, tell your instructor which item you would buy and why.



Submit your answers.

Either print your answers out for submission or email them to your instructor.