Taking Pictures

One of the most important aspects of your listing is the picture of your item. Many people have listings that don't sell simply because they either did not include a picture or the picture was of very poor quality. To get the best results, here are some guidelines you should follow:

• Provide a backdrop for your item that contrasts. Using a plain, colored fabric really makes your item standout. If you are taking pictures of jewelry or really dark items, use a pure white fabric. While you can take a picture of the item where it currently sits, it doesn't usually look it's best that way, especially if you have clutter or items in the background.
• Make sure you have adequate lighting
• Photograph items at close range (as close as possible without distorting the picture)
• Taking multiple pictures is always a good idea, especially if there are details you can take a picture of. For example, if it is a designer label piece of clothing, take a picture of the actual label so they can see it is genuine, or if the item comes with any accessories or original packaging.
• Set the camera's resolution to a medium setting (i.e. 1024 X 768)
• If your item is small or people may have a hard time judging it's size, include something to give a scale reference. For example, if you are selling a piece of jewelry you can either set a ruler next to the item or if smaller, place a quarter next to the item in the picture. Always use either a measuring tool or something that is standard size such as money
• If your item has any flaws, rips, discolorations, be sure to take pictures of that and note it in the description
• If you will be selling a lot of items on ebay, you may want to consider getting an inexpensive tripod

Things NOT to do when taking pictures:

• Don't use someone else's picture without permission. Not only is it illegal but it is always good to take an actual picture of your item as people won't have to wonder if you are hiding something.
• Try not to use flash when possible, it can cause reflections, especially in reflective items like mirrors or picture frames

Here is an example of the differences in type of pictures. In the first picture, it was taken on a white background, at close range with no flash. The second picture was taken from far away, with clutter in the background. You can see how the first picture is more pleasing to they eye, there are no distractions in the background and it is not clear as it was taken from far away. While you may need to take more than one picture, try to make at least one of them a close up picture, and make sure they all are free of background clutter.

• You will need to edit your pictures in your photo-editing software to make them look their best. There are many tutorials on the web regarding taking pictures for ebay. Just type in "taking pictures for ebay" in a search engine such as Google to find tutorials on taking pictures for eBay.

• Now gather any pertinent information about the item you're selling. You want to make sure that you have all the information in one place and ready for when you start creating your listing. For example if you are selling a shirt, make sure you document the brand/manufacturer of the shirt, the color, the size and look for any imperfections/stains/tears, etc. If you are selling something that is made by a manufacturer, you can always do a search for the item to get the information pertinent to the item and include it in your listing (such as dimensions, etc).

• You will also need to figure out how you will ship your item. You can either decide to ship your item for a flat rate fee no matter where the buyer lives or you can weigh your item and choose to have the shipping calculator figure out the total based on the buyer's location. You can research the different shipping options at some of the major carriers: US Post Office, UPS, FedEx and DHL. Shipping preferences vary by person with the Post Office usually being the cheapest, and they have added many options over the years for faster and more convenient shipping, even allowing you to schedule pickup of your items. You may even want to pre-package the item so that you can weigh it and give a more precise estimate.