eBay Auction Photos -
Success Tips

© by Cheryl Coccaro; all rights reserved

As the saying goes, a picture tells a thousand words - so let's make the most of our eBay auction photos to enhance our listings! Many sellers make the mistake of only including one photo in their auction ads.

I believe that the more photos you show bidders of your eBay item, the better! You should show your auction item from multiple angles and on different surfaces.

Also, be aware of what it is you're taking a photo of...and focus in on the object. It should fill the viewfinder. You don't want your item to appear as if it's the mountains in your landscape picture.

Be sure you use the best possible photos of your item since that's what many buyers will use to make a decision on whether they will bid on your item or not. Remember, your potential buyers can't actually pick up and hold your item in front of them. They will need your help to visualize what it is that you're selling.

Good white lighting with no glare is essential for jewelry photographs. See how to make your own quick and easy $15 photo studio for taking great jewelry pictures with a digital camera.

If your auction ad takes too long to load, you're going to have impatient bidders leaving without ever viewing it.

The biggest tip that I can give you is this:

A great advantage for you over your competition is having a fast loading auction picture. When your auctions load slowly, buyers move on to the next auction. Don't keep buyers waiting!

I recommend putting more than one picture in your auction.When a buyer sees multiple pictures of the item, it sets you above your competition. It shows that you put more effort into your presentation.

Now, be sure to put in meaningful photos, not "fluff". If the photo doesn't add any meaningful information, then don't put it there. If there's a flaw in your auction item, be sure to take a close up of the flaw and include some words pointing it out. You'll win points for honesty.

Good eBay auction photos help people gain a positive perception of you and your product. Imagine you're traveling away from home and driving down a busy road looking for a place to stop and have something to eat. You see two restaurants - one with a fresh, beautiful sign, and one with a nasty old peeling, handwritten sign. Which one are you going to trust with the security of your stomach? And what about the remainder of your trip?

Customers choose the seller who cares enough to look professional - and that should be you! Remember, you want all potential buyers to be able to quickly load up your auction page and think "Hey, this seller knows what he/she is doing!"

See for yourself how much better you can take your photos, or even retake them. You can resize your photos and sharpen them to their best view in just a few minutes.When I'm taking my photos, I take at least seven shots. That way I'm sure to get three that are clear, sharp and close to perfection.

Try these tips and see what a huge difference they makein how your auction looks:

1) NEVER use a BMP file in your auctions! Many cameras and scanners use this format by default. Instead, use Microsoft Paint to load it up, and click on "Save As". Look for the box for "Save as type", change that to "JPEG (.JPG...)" Add ".JPG" to the end of the filename that appears.Don't forget to Click on SAVE. This photo will now be much smaller than the original and will load in your auction quicker!

2) Take the picture using a camera resolution as close as possible to the actual width that the picture will be in your HTML ad. Let me explain. I normally display one of my pictures at 600 pixels width in my auctions. This assures that nearly everyone should be able to see the entire picture without having to scroll. Many eBay sellers will take a picture that is 1280 x 1024 (1.2 megapixels) or larger and never resize it smaller.

3) When photographing your jewelry with a scanner, you can select the number of colors to scan with. You may be able to select 16 bits, or 8 bits (256 colors). Scan, then use Microsoft Paint to load it up, and click on "Save As".On the bottom of the screen, there is a box for "Save as type", change that to "256 Color BMP". Add "256.BMP" to the end of the filename that appears in the box above. This will remind you how many bits of color you used. Click on SAVE.

This image will be much smaller than the original. View it on the screen and take a real close look. If the picture looks good at 256 colors, then you want to try saving it as a JPEG file. On the bottom of the screen, there is a box for "Save as type", change that to "JPEG". Add "256.JPG" to the end of the filename that appears in the box above. This will remind you how many bits of color you used. Click on SAVE. This new image will be much smaller than the original. If it looks okay, then use this picture.

You'll gain an advantage over your competition using these tips for high quality eBay auction photos.

Become a registered eBay member so you can start buying and selling there.

Cheryl Coccaro is the author of "Easy Internet Selling" and the creator of My Perfect Ear, a unique and eye-catching earring display.

For more help with photographing jewelry, see

Tips for Photographing Jewelry
Tips for photographing jewelry with scanners and digital cameras for professional results. Easy tips for using photo editing software for the finishing touch on your jewelry photos.

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