Now that you’ve purged your home of items to list on eBay and you’re ready to get started, how do you ensure that the items you’re listing will fetch top dollar? Great photos. In the case of eBay listings, a photo is indeed worth a thousand words.
While at eBay On Location as part of the eBay Parent Panel, I picked up some tips on how to make your items look the best to entice buyers.
Here are 7 simple photo tips that will help you get more for your items even if you are just starting out.
- Photograph your item in front of a solid, neutral colored background. Grey, white, and black are the best.
- If using a backdrop, use black velvet. Velvet prevents a problem called backshine since it doesn’t reflect the flash. A backdrop also helps hide whatever clutter might be visible in the room and keeps the buyer’s attention on the item.
- Use the right lighting setup to depict the item’s actual color. Strong, overcast daylight provides the best light although the next best is fluorescent light. Softbox lights were also suggested. They can be purchasedor made for about $20 each using this DIY softbox tutorial courtesy of Photo Tuts+.
- Adjust the white balance of your camera to ensure the color in your photos match the color of the item.
- Take multiple photos. At least one photo of each aspect of the item helps buyers understand what they’re bidding on from different perspectives. Photos of the front, back, top, bottom, and interior are helpful. Close ups can also be helpful in showing the condition of the item along with any identifying marks, such as labels for designer items.
- Recommended photo size is 1000 pixels to ensure clarity for potential buyers.
- Consider video. If you can’t properly convey the item through photos, you can always shoot a video and upload it to YouTube and embed the link in your description to help your buyers better understand what they’re bidding on.
I hope the above tips are helpful and if you have eBay success stories, I’d love to hear them!
For additional tips on eBay, visit my previous posts:
- 5 Quick Tips for Getting Started on eBay
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle with eBay to Declutter and Reclaim Money
I am part of the eBay Parent Panel and am compensated for my participation in the program. All opinions about my eBay experience are my own. Amazon affiliate links are included in this post.
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Original post by Tech Savvy Mama
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I love reading your tips. I am looking for ways to increase my Ebay success. The white box is so easy to make. I particularly recommend that to anyone photographing jewelry.
I recently sold something on Ebay and was so surprised at the fees. It was a fairly large ticket price. Nonetheless, to have to fork over so much in Ebay and Paypal fees was quite surprising to me.