PICTURES - DETAILS MAKE THE eBAY DIFFERENCE

Feb 15
08:19

2010

Greg Kusch

Greg Kusch

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To add to your bottom line on eBay, take a few moments to add marketing pizzazz to your sales. Take some tips from brick and mortar retailers!

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Say you’re selling a pair of diamond earrings.  The last time you passed a jewelry store,PICTURES - DETAILS MAKE THE eBAY DIFFERENCE Articles did you glance at the window?  What color background did the window have?  Gold, silver, diamonds and pearls show up beautifully against a dark background, like black or dark blue or dark green.  Get a nice piece of dark fabric—maybe a remnant of black or dark blue velvet or satin—and use it as the background for your photos of jewelry with pearls or light-colored stones.  If you’re selling onyx, marcasite, or darker stones like emeralds and sapphires, then use a light or white fabric.  Keep in mind that you don’t have to use a luxurious fabric – a plain sheet or tablecloth will work just as well.  But if your item is playing on the theme of luxury, a better-quality fabric might make sense.
 In general terms, use a dark background to show off white or lighter-colored items and a pale background to display darker items.  Avoid anything with a busy background, such as striped wallpaper or polka-dotted fabric, as the busyness will make it harder to see your item clearly.  This is especially true if the item itself has a pattern – imagine trying to look at a pair of red plaid sneakers against a background of orange-flowered wallpaper!  Larger items like furniture look best if backed by a hardwood floor or neutral carpeting.
 You should also plan to photograph just the item you’re selling, at least primarily.  By this I mean that the sale item should be the only thing in the photo; it should fill the frame as much as possible without having bits and pieces cut off.  If you’re selling a vase, it should be empty and by itself, not filled with flowers in the middle of a fully set table – the latter makes the vase harder for bidders to see and evaluate.  For a full set of dishes, you might photograph a single place setting against a plain tablecloth, but again, not as part of a fully dressed table.
 Should your listing include accessories, it’s a good idea to take at least one picture showing all the items as well as the box or package (especially if you’re selling a used item with its original packaging).  A listing for a digital camera package might include a photo of the camera, its box and manual, its media or memory storage, any power or computer cables, and its storage or carrying case, if any, as well as a picture of just the camera.
 If you’re selling a mirror, a picture frame with glass, or anything else with a highly reflective surface, not only should you turn off you camera’s automatic flash, you should take pictures at an angle that will keep your own reflection out of the photo.
When I talked about lighting—and when I told you about that Rolex watch I sold—I mentioned showing flaws.  If you’re going to mention physical flaws or damage in the item description, from an almost invisible scratch to a noticeable discoloration or break, you should include a photo of the damage in your listing.  Your bidder will appreciate being able to determine if such flaws are going to be a deal-breaker – and it will eliminate you getting bad feedback or a claim for undisclosed damage or the item being substantially not as described.
  Sometimes bidders won’t be able to tell how large, or how small, an item is just from the photograph.  In cases where you’re selling something of a non-standard size, or items that can come if more than one size, don’t just tell the bidder the dimensions in the description: use a photo that illustrates the item’s scale, like a doll-sized cup-and-saucer set next to a full-sized set, or a small statue with a ruler beside it to show the height.
Just remember to scan photos at eBay’s recommended resolution using the control panel of your scanner or the software you use to manage the scanner, and edit or crop the photos as needed to highlight the item.  You can use your own photo-management software for those tasks, but eBay also has an Enhanced Picture Uploader you can use to crop, resize, or rotate the images to make the most of your item.  Simple elegance is a good motto for presenting your eBay items!

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