Photography for eBay presented a huge learning curve for me because, quite frankly, I am the world’s worst photographer.  I love gorgeous art pictures, with the subject well framed and/or pictures that capture the essence of a moment.  However, I am definitely not a talented photographer capable of creating such “art.”  So, I worried that my picture taking capabilities might limit me in selling on eBay.  I have learned over the years that, talented photographer or not, it is possible to take some important but simple steps to take great pictures for the purpose of selling on eBay.  This guide is designed to show you how. 

Do I Really Need Pictures, If So, How Many?  Although you may list and sell on eBay without pictures (and can sometimes manage to actually sell the item), sales happen most often when a potential customer can be assured you have what you are selling.  They also want to see that the general condition (as pictured) is in keeping with what they want.  This assurance that the picture matches your description is a key element in the sale because opinions can be very subjective.  At a minimum you should have one picture and the cost of the first picture is covered in the listing fees -- so why not?  Additional pictures do have an add on eBay fee associated with them, but in some cases they assist in making the sale and are well worth the additional expense.  For instance, if the item has many pieces, take 2 pictures, one picture should show the main item and the second should show the accessories (i.e. one of the camera you are selling and another of the pieces that will come with it in the sale such as the case, lenses, connection for the computer, etc).  If the item has a flaw – take a well lit close up of the flaw and add that picture also.  When the buyer knows exactly what they are getting (and the exact condition), you are far less likely to have to deal with dissatisfied customer, post sale.  Another example for clothing, is to take a full shot of the clothing item, then a close up showing the fabric (and it helps if you can capture the brand and size tags in that close up).  If there is back detail that might make the item more desirable a back photo might be worth the expense too.  Do recognize that if you are going to want many pictures you would be better served by buying one of the upgrade packages.

Equipment:  You do NOT need an expensive digital camera.  When shooting pictures for eBay, any digital camera will do.  I have seen them for 10 dollqars and they take great pictures for eBay. When we shop for cameras, the sales people will tout the high pixel digital cameras every time (and they have a high price tag to match).  For general photography, the higher the pixel, the better the detail and action you can capture.  For a professional photographer this would be critical.  However, since the eBay templates shrink the pictures we take and the photos reside on the web, higher pixels (more than 1-2 mega pixels) are wasted.  So, if you don’t have a digital camera, get one and then remember that the inexpensive ones are just fine for this application.  I would even recommend picking up a good camera cheaply as second hand purchase on eBay but be very careful of fakes or off brands.  Although photo editing is something some folks do, I find it far too time consuming.  While there are many fabulous photo editing programs out there, they are expensive and often have a steep learning curve too.  Do remember that your camera usually comes with software to do basic photo editing (lighten or darken the image, crop, etc.), so I don't think purchasing an expensive program is necessary to have great pictures for eBay.

Now the “How Tos”…It is best to keep in mind that photography for eBay serves only four important purposes:

• To show buyers exactly what you are selling visually (and what you hope they will bid on)
• To reassure buyers that you actually have the item you are selling,
• To provide an opportunity for them to see the item personally rather than relying only on your opinion as to the condition and;
• To sell the item

The following are basic eBay phtography rules that will help you get the images you need:

Rule 1.  Settings:  If your camera has a selection of picture taking settings available, choose the one that lets the camera automatically select the settings it needs.  The less time it takes you to get the pictures you need, in focus and properly lit, the more time you have for the other functions necessary to prepare to sell your item.

Rule 2:  Focus your photos on the Items:  The background (or lack of it) behind the item you’re selling is important.  Your intent should be to create the biggest, most detailed photograph of the item on offer, not to confuse it or mix it with the pattern in your carpet, bedspread or wallpaper.  To avoid this common pitfall, assure that you place the item on a plain background (I find white or ivory is best).  Depending on the size of the item, you can use a bed sheet, tablecloth, piece of felt or other fabric, a plain piece of bond paper or some sort of display box or set up with an uncluttered, neutral background.  Some items do look nice when displayed on a complimentary or contrasting background but it takes talent and time to make it work in your favor.  Remember that time is money.

Rule 3:  Fill the frame (picture window) with the item, not plain space.  Physically move in or, if you have zoom capability, zoom in on the item for sale.  You are ready to snap the photo when most of the available picture space (the frame) is taken up by the item.  Try to center the item too.  Remember, this photography is not art, it is functional.  If you have an auto zoom it helps to assure the focus is correct when you are close in to the item at the time you snap the picture.  While there is great photo editing software available, it is expensive.  Spending time using it to clean up bad photos is not the best use of time.  It is time intensive to sell on eBay – taking a few good pictures the first time pays off in the long run.  

Rule 4:  Once you are set up to take the picture -- take several pictures from several angles.  The beauty of digital photography is that, after the expense of the camera, all else is free.  So, you can snap away until you are sure you have a good picture to use in your ad.  If you snap only one picture and later find it to be blurry or off center, it will take you far more time to go get the item out, set it up and snap it again than it does to take several pictures while the item is already displayed the first time.  While taking multiple pictures, be sure to capture any special details on the item (like pretty back detail on a blouse or jacket, lace detail on a collar, or a special weave in the fabric).  People really love to see what they are buying. 

Rule 5.  If you are unsteady or continually have blurry pictures, you might want to pick up a tripod to use for picture taking.  Fortunately, tripods come in handy for more than eBay pictures and are inexpensive.  Pick one up on eBay for a song.

Rule 6.  Displays.  If you prefer to spend the time doing it, you can get creative in displaying your item before photographing it.  Some people invest in clothing store mannequins or seamstress dummies to display clothing.  Some folks who sell jewelry have great display boxes that really reflect the gems nicely or ceramic decorative "hands" to display jewelry or other small items.  As I stated before, if you really want to be creative you can buy several colored felt backgrounds to use as contrasts for your items as well.  Who knows, maybe you are capable of catalogue level photography!  That would help with sales!

Rule 7:  Lighting:  Believe me, I have tried it all.  The absolutely best way to take eBay pictures is in the early morning or late afternoon natural daylight.  Early morning and late afternoon lighting allows you to avoid the harshest bright sunlight, which tends to create shadows and bleach out details in your images.  This can also cause the colors in your pictures to be far from the actual garment or item color.  While you can explain these issues in your ad, I believe it is best to try to capture the shot that best represents the actual item color.  Indoor photography using only a flash is far less successful than natural day light.  Flash photography can be reflected off the item, resulting in spots in the picture that may be mistaken for spots on the garment.  Interior shots, even with a flash, often results in darker photographs than are practical for use (requiring you to spend the time with photography software correcting the problem).  While taking several shots from different angles and adjusting the lighting can help, natural daylight is better for capturing color and detail quickly and easily.  If you must use flash photography indoors at night, brighten the room you are in by turning on all available lighting to help the auto focus to function at peak performance so the photo exposure will be correct.  If you live in an older home where the lighting is poor or badly distributed, get a work light and position it toward the item to help the flash light it for night or indoor photography.  You may have to experiment with the placement of the work light to get the best effect.  Many cameras some with varied settings that allow you to choose "Indoor Night" and that may help also.

Rule 7:  Item Scale.  On some items the actual scale (size) of the item you are selling is critically important to the buyer.  Anything being sold as a “miniature” would fall into this category.  Examples are dollhouse furniture, model trains, miniature tea sets, etc.  Scale is important because hobbiests who collect miniatures tend to collect in a single size range such as 1:25 for dollhouse miniatures or HO scale for miniature railways.  Doll House miniatures are available in at least three scales.  Obviously, the collector is only interested in items to fit their own dollhouse, not any available.  Unless you are a seller specializing in a particular type of item, (i.e. doll house miniatures 1:25), you would prefer that your buyer make the decision as to the scale of the item.  In this case, photograph the miniature bathtub or bed with a ruler in the picture.  For smaller items such as a miniature potted plant or dinner plate – use a coin (dime, nickel or quarter) in the photograph.  The potential buyer will then have a reference point from which to make an informed decision on size before purchasing.  Do remember to mention that the coin or ruler is not a part of the sale.  It may seem obvious, but don't assume it is obvious to everyone.  It is critically important to avoid any customer disappointment if possible.

Rule 8:  Performance or Full Disclosure Photos.  You have, no doubt, noticed that I have mentioned possible customer disappointment several times in this guide.  I have done so because serious sellers do not want to disappoint customers and possibly get negative feedback as a result.  The first defense against customer dissatisfaction is to meet or exceed customer expectations.  This can happen in several ways but photos are an easy and cheap way to inform customers through visuals.  If your item has a flaw (or several), take a clear picture of them and post those pictures in the ad.  Make no mistake, there is a clear and ever present market for damaged (and inexpensive) items to be used for parts, if nothing else.  I sold my sister in law’s cell phone that worked fine but the front screen was cracked.  The daughter of a Katrina victim picked it up for $15.00 with all accessories for her Mom who had been flooded out and lost everything.  That phone went on to her mom at a very critical time.  Pretty didn’t matter -- fast, cheap and functional did.  If your item can be photographed in such a way to show that it works (i.e. a television or computer screen on and functioning) this is excellent evidence that the item is in working order.  Buyers are reassured that the item they are buying  works if they can see it working in the photo in much the same way as a photo of the actual item proves that you do actually have it. 

Rule 9:  Self Hosting Your Photos.  If you would like to save on eBay fees for your listings, you can host your own photographs.  That is, you can keep them on another website rather than eBay's.  There are several good ebay guides on how to locate an inexpensive photo hosting site and to maintain your photos there. 

Happy Ebaying
Pepper