Tips For Better eBay Item Photographs
Published July 30th, 2007
The quality of the photograph that you add to your auction listing can mean a major difference in the final price that you get for your item, or even if it sells at all! If your photos are dull, dark, or do not accurately reflect the condition or quality of the product, you might not even get any bids at all. The saying that a picture is worth a thousand words is certainly applicable with regards to the eBay marketplace!
You need to get a quality digital camera. It doesn’t have to be a ten megapixel camera with an expensive zoom lens and a separate flash, but it does need to be capable of taking decent photos. If your camera consistently takes grainy or dark photos, it may be beneficial for you to consider purchasing a better camera, especially if you will be selling a considerable number of items on eBay in the near future. Your camera should be at least two megapixels. You can get a decent camera of two to five megapixels for under $200. It is a great investment if you plan to sell many items.
You should always try to include more than one photo of each item. You should take photos from different angles, and be sure to show all flaws that you know of in the item. Always be honest in your listings, because you don’t want to have to deal with the hassle of returns if you can possibly do anything to eliminate (or reduce) them.
Lighting is essential. If you cannot afford a semi-professional lighting setup, your best bet is to shoot most photos outdoors in natural sunlight. Natural sunlight between the hours of ten AM and three PM on a day that is not overcast or foggy is excellent for lighting photos. You might take a table outdoors to take your photos on. It is also a good idea to have two tablecloths. One tablecloth should be a dark color like dark gray or navy blue for taking photos of white or light colored items, and the other should be white for taking photos of darker items.
Make sure that there are no hard shadows on your item. Whether you are photographing indoors or outdoors, you can rotate the item and/or lights to the best position to eliminate harsh shadows. Items should be lit as evenly as possible.
Make sure to take a few photographs from different angles, especially on more expensive items. You also want to get a few shots from as close to the item as possible without taking away detail or making the item look unrecognizable. Remember to always show any flaws. This is a point worth repeating. Even if you think the flaws will hurt the selling price of your item, it is better to sell the item for less than you want than to get a return that you have to deal with.
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