This guide is going to consider the importance of taking good quality images for your eBay listings – Follow all of the points below and you will get more sales and increase profit!
Overexposed, blurry or otherwise unclear photos will not help sell your products and get the customers experience off to a very shaky start. Overexposed or blurred photos will not help sell your products and get the potential customers experience off to a very shaky start. They also put a lot of pressure on your description as people will then have to rely on them to inform them about the product.
I usually use a solid colour background, such as a large white board, to ensure that the users attention is focused entirely on the product. Pictures cluttered with patterned carpets and household clutter result in a very ineffective and underwhelming image for the user.
Don’t make the mistake of using eBay to host your photo’s. Each additional photo will cost you 36p for a thirty day listing in the UK. This is expensive and completely unnecessary. There are plenty of free image hosting programs out there (Google Picasa being my personal choice) which you can use. I list 400 items a month, all with 2 (or more) photo’s, and using Picasa rather than eBay saves me £50 a month in image fees.
If you rely on stock photo’s then you should consider taking your own photo’s to add some originality and character into your listings. They do take more time to produce but in my experience they are worth it as they give your customer as much insight into the product as possible. Try and think what would benefit your customer -An additional photo angle? The internal contents of the box?
Do not use images that you do not have the permission to use This includes those found on Google Image search. One of my eBay clients did this (before they started working with me) and then paid the price when they accidently used a copyrighted image. The cost of this mistake was a week’s takings.
If you take a lot of photo’s, consider investing in a light box and Daylight Lamps. You can make one yourself by following an online tutorial, or you could buy a starter kit from Amazon.. The former gave me better results and is cheaper to produce, but I have used both to good effect. The light box is particularly useful for these who sell small and detailed items like jewellery and coins, as they give a very professional result.
Your image should leave no potential question unanswered Does your original St. Peppers vinyl LP include the original insert?? If it does, take a photo of it. Does your Beswick dog have a slight chip in the base? Take a photo of it!
Be honest! Do not try and hide imperfections and damage by taking photos of your item at ‘favourable’ angles. Doing this may result in a quicker sale but it will leave your buyer feeling disappointed when they receive their item. And even if they leave a positive feedback, the chances are they’ll penalize your dishonesty in their Detailed Seller Rating’s (DSR), a very important part of eBay nowadays.
Summary
Taking good quality images of your product is essential in your selling success on eBay. Poor images do not get a buyer excited about buying your item and more often than not results in them quickly leaving your page. Put the effort into your images, however, and you will be rewarded, especially if you provide additional pictures that answer any potential questions about the product.
Trevor Davis runs a Car Boot Sale website which provides tailored car boot tips and advice.
