Tutorial: How to emulate your eBay listing on mobile devices

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We’ve had a lot of people read about mobile optimised listings and say “But I don’t have a smart phone”, so they’re unable to see what their descriptions look like on an eBay mobile site or in the eBay app. Today we’re going to show you how to emulate practically any mobile device using Google Chrome so that you can see what mobile shoppers see when they view your listing on eBay mobile.

(If you don’t have Google Chrome installed on your computer it’s a free download).

1) Open Google Chrome and browse to your listing

In this example I’m using the Tablet I purchased on eBay yesterday but you can select one of your own listings.

2) Click the menu button (top right) and select Tools > Developer Tools.

A box full of code will appear at the bottom of the screen.
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3) If it’s not already open, click the “Open Drawer” link to display additional options

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4) Select the “Emulation” tab

From the drop down select the device you’d like to emulate (We selected the iPhone 3GS)

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5) Click “Emulate” and then press “F5” on your keyboard to refresh the screen

Refreshing the page will put you into eBay’s mobile view.

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6) Scroll down the mobile view and click “Description”

When the page loads you’ll see what your mobile buyers see when they view your description.

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7) Zoom in and out

Once you’re in the description you’ll be able to hold the shift and left mouse button down and then moving your mouse will emulate zooming in and out on a mobile device. You can also change the mobile device you’re emulating to see your eBay listing on different devices.

If you don’t find it easy to read your listing description on various mobile devices then neither will your customers. Take a look today and check out your eBay listing on mobile.

8 Responses

  1. On one shop I manage has a template by a well known provider that adapts to a totally different looking template on mobile but this emulation doesn’t show this.

    Great tool to see other devices for your template. Surprising how many professional expensive designs for some of the bigger eBay shops show a white screen and no description on mobile. There’s a difference between mobile friendly (zooms are us) and adaptive which looks totally different.

    The other two shops are text only descriptions.

  2. Thanks for the help and the time you’ve taken but you wouldn’t happen to know if the same is available for Firefox would you?

    Use Google Chrome? No, not unless you want all your actions on-line to be stored by Google and used by them to be sold to third parties. Don’t believe me, install Ghostery and look how they do it.

  3. Or cut out all of the above, move into 2014, and install an app/extension from the Google app store and have it all and more in a single click of a button!

    I’d recommend something like “Responsive Web Design Tester” from the developers tools section.

  4. I just used the google emulator for a new listing I created at the weekend. It shows up fine on my Samsung Galaxy III ….but the Galaxy III emulator shows less than half the screen. This proves the google emulator is completely useless. Don’t waste your time.

  5. While it may not be perfect, it’s very useful for us old folk that don’t want/need a smart phone. Pesky bloomin’ things, I can think of better things to waste money on. 🙂

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