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HTML Tips

Learning a little code can add a lot of polish to your listing.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the simple language used to create Web pages. Now you can use HTML tags to spice up your listings!

Here's how:

Paragraphs, Line Breaks, and Horizontal Lines

  • Separate your paragraphs using  <p></p>  tags for a new paragraph.
  • The  <br>  tag starts a new line without skipping any space.
  • To draw a line across the screen, use  <hr>  (for "horizontal rule").
Tag How to use it What it looks like
<p></p> <p>Bid on my item!</p>
<p>You'll enjoy it!</p>		 Bid on my item!

You'll enjoy it!
<br> Bid on my item!<br>
You'll enjoy it!		 Bid on my item!
You'll enjoy it!
<hr> Bid on my item!
<hr>
You'll enjoy it!		 Bid on my item!
You'll enjoy it!

Create Titles Six Different Ways!

Tag How to use it What it looks like
<h1></h1> <h1>Bid on my item!</h1>

Bid on my item!
<h2></h2> <h2>Bid on my item!</h2>

Bid on my item!
<h3></h3> <h3>Bid on my item!</h3> Bid on my item!
<h4></h4> <h4>Bid on my item!</h4>

Bid on my item!
<h5></h5> <h5>Bid on my item!</h5>
Bid on my item!
<h6></h6> <h6>Bid on my item!</h6>
Bid on my item!

Format Text Using Bold and Italic

Tag How to use it What it looks like
<b></b> <b>Bid on my item!</b> Bid on my item!
<i></i> <i>Bid on my item!</i> Bid on my item!

Increase or Decrease Your Font One Size at a Time Using  <big>  and  <small>  Tags

Tag How to use it What it looks like
<big></big> Bid <big>right away</big> for a great deal and <big>you</big> may win! Bid right away for a great deal and you may win!
<small></small> Bid now! <small>Before it's all over!</small> Bid now! Before it's all over!

Use Colour
Liven type up with built-in colours like aqua, black, blue, fuchsia, gray, green, lime, maroon, navy, olive, purple, red, silver, teal, or yellow.

Tag How to use it What it looks like
<font color=colour>
</font>		 Bid <font color=red>now</font> and you may win! Bid now and you may win!
<font color=colour>
</font>		 Bid <font color=blue>now</font> and you may win! Bid now and you may win!

Centre Your Text

Tag How to use it What it looks like
<center>
</center>		 <center>Bid now!</center>
Bid now!

Create Lists with Bullets or Numbers

  • Begin your list with  <ol>  for an ordered, or numbered, list.
  • Start the list with  <ul>  for a bulleted list.
  • Each item in the list should have an  <li>  tag at the beginning and  </li>  at the end.
Tag How to use it What it looks like
<ul>
<li></li>
<li></li>
</ul>
 My item is:
<ul>
    <li>New</li>
    <li>In excellent condition</li>
</ul> 		My item is:
  • New
  • In excellent condition
<ol>
<li></li>
<li></li>
</ol>
 My item is:
<ol>
    <li>New</li>
    <li>In excellent condition</li>
</ol> 		My item is:
  1. New
  2. In excellent condition

Attach a Picture to Your Listing
Use the  <img>  tag and indicate the Web address for the picture.

Tag How to use it What it looks like
<img src="url"> <img src="http://www.yourdomain.com/img/yourpicture.jpg"> Your picture will appear in the Web browser at the spot where your tag is listed.

To get exactly the effect you want—just combine tags. For example, if you want bidders to see:

Bid now!

Your HTML should say:

 <center><b><i>Bid now!</i></b></center> 

tip Tip: One good way to learn what tags you should use and when is to look at the tags used in a Web page you like. If you are viewing a page you think looks great and you want to do something similar, you can look at the HTML commands that generated that page and use them in a similar way. If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator as your Web browser, you can view the source HTML document very easily. In Internet Explorer, go to view then source in the menu bar at the top of the page. In Netscape, go to view then page source in the menu bar. Experiment and have fun!

Related Help topic:
  • HTML & Images Help - A chat board where eBay members and eBay Customer Support representatives answer questions and solve problems together.
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