It's generally agreed that a clean, attractive photo will increase your number of visitors and bidders. Your title and description will undoubtedly communicate the item which you are selling. But the actual visual image communicates it with immediate and unambiguous clarity. A shopper will read a visual image more definitively than even the best-written description. That shopper recognizes instantly if a particular item is of interest or desired.

eBay University's Learning Center offers instructional video training tips for achieving the best results in photographing your item. Very little equipment and material is needed. A digital camera with a computer cable connection and tripod is ideal. Often these cameras come with software that includes photo enhancement capabilities. Alternatively any standard type of camera can be used if you have a scanner. Like digital cameras, many scanners come with photography enhancement options that allow you to adjust contrast and brighten or darken your image. Most of these corrective and enhancement tools also allow you to crop, resize, and even specify the pixel size of the image. Generally, these tools will include a tutorial or online instructions and help. You will also want a place to hang a background/platform paper or cloth of a neutral color for product or item presentation. If nothing else is available, use a plain sheet without a printed pattern. The viewers attention focuses more on the subject if there is no background distraction.

There are a couple of additional elements to keep in mind for your best results. eBay's image preview and presentation formats will display the photographs quite effectively without the need for dramatic lighting. If natural lighting is sufficiently available without harsh glare and shadows, use it. If you are using a cloth for the background, use it to also cover the base, the display area. If different levels are needed to display multiple components or items, build the levels up with books, blocks or other materials. Then cover these built-up supporting layers with the hanging background. Use the eBay gallery format to determine your image presentation. For instance, some long or flat horizontal items (clarinet, sword, writing pen, etc.) might best be photographed and presented diagonally.

Whether you use a digital camera, scanner or other image source, be sure to save your images to an easily identified and accessed location or file folder created specifically for your eBay listing images. The use of effective photography is an important asset to attract visitors and bidders and will increase your chances for success.