Ebay listing upgrades: What should you use?

When creating your ebay listing, there are many listing upgrades to choose from, some are free and some have fees associated. How do you know what you should use and what you should save your money on?
There are a few items that should be included with every item you list on ebay:

• A well written title - Remember the title does not need to be a complete sentence. This is for keywords that people searching are likely to use when looking for YOUR item. Be sure to include brand names, specific item or model numbers and sizes when ever applicable.
• Pictures (no charge for the first image) - No ebay listing should be without images. Good, accurate images that reflect the exact condition of the item being sold. Remember the first image you upload is free, that is the image that will be used next to the item in the search results. You should upload any other images you have using a free hosting service like photobucket.com or your own web server if you have that option available to you.
• International Shipping - If at all possible, do not limit yourself to shipping to buyers in the USA. You would be surprised how many international buyers will pay more for items because they are not available everywhere. Be sure to estimate the cost to ship your item to other countries properly to you are able to list proper shipping charges in your listing.
• Return policy - You should consider offering a return policy for any items you sell. People may be more apt to bid on your item if they know they are not going to be stuck with something that may have been misrepresented.

The following are items we do not recommend using in your listing:

• Subtitle ($.50) - This area is only read when users search by title AND description.
• Sub category - Listing in two categories doubles the Insertion Fee as well as the fees for most listing upgrades (Bold, Gallery, etc.).
• Listing designer ($.10) – This is a custom template that will give your listing a more professional look. For most items this is not a requirement but should be considered for some listings that you feel are worthy. Examples might be highly sought after items or collectibles or if you are selling items on ebay as a business or some other professional service.
• Each additional picture ($.15 each picture) – As stated above, you can use any of the free picture hosting services out there or upload them to your own web server. This allows you to link to the images directly in your description using basic html code. Ex: < src="http://yourserver.com/images/teddybear1.jpg">
  
• Gift Icon ($.25) – One of those features that may make your item stand out of you are only one of many sellers with the very same item on ebay. Not usually required or effective in our experience.
• The following items are not recommended unless you are selling a high dollar item and expect bidding to reach into the thousands of dollars. Examples would be expensive vehicles, buildings, homes, land etc.

Border ($2.00)
Highlight ($5.00)
Featured Plus! ($14.95)
Featured First ($24.95)
Home Page Featured ($59.95)