It’s no secret that great photos will significantly increase your chances of a successful eBay sale…but sometimes I’m just left in complete and utter shock at the way people handle it.
CLEARLY the pictures of the item are one of–if not THE–most important resources for a buyer. No matter how great of an item you are selling, your pictures will make an impact on the buyer’s purchasing decision and/or the bidding amount. So obviously…make them great.
Here’s an example of a listing decision that left me completely speechless. This guy/group was selling a NEW (with tags) Bow Tie–certainly a classy item catering to a particular type of individual. Here is the picture he/they decided to use:
This probably isn’t the most desirable image when you want a buyer to make a quick and easy purchasing decision. Probably better to aim for a response like “Nice!” or “That looks perfect!”
This guy looks like he’s pretty upset with life, and he certainly doesn’t care what you think about the tie. The decision to use this picture is a direct reflection on the attitude and mindset of the seller. Why include this guy? Why not just take a close-up picture of the tie so people can see the detail?
When I first started selling items in high quantities on eBay, I thought I was taking great photos. I used an iPhone 4 (which takes pretty solid photos) , incorporated an appropriate back-drop for each item, and made sure there was plenty of natural light. This turned out to work out really well.
However, recently I noticed that some of my items (that I thought were awesome) weren’t selling. So I’d mark down the price…still no sales. I was dumbfounded. Then I decided to take new pictures with a high quality digital SLR camera. I have to admit, the item went from looking good/acceptable to looking amazing. With a higher level of detail and clarity in the pictures, some of those un-sellable items quickly sold for their original price. And all of the items with “new and improved” photos are gaining more traffic, more watchers, and more sales.
Using this new camera turned out to be quite a bit more work than before, but I’ll never go back to the phone [2014 update…as you’re well aware, mobile phones have come a long way and will totally get the job done at this point].
I realize that not all sellers are going to have access to a high-end camera for their eBay pics–all I’m saying is that it clearly makes a difference, and you should do whatever you can to take pictures that will WOW your potential customers.