Buying stuff online is a very different experience to buying from your local shop. It means you can lazily sit on the couch armed with your laptop, in your favorite pair of pajamas and fluffy slippers and go shopping!

Sounds great - what's to complain about? 

A certain mystery can surround products advertised online which make buyers edgy. This is due to their inability to use most of their senses to assess any given item.

At a traditional brick and mortar store, buyers are able to prod, sniff, listen to, and even taste the product they're considering.

You may think, "Well that's fine, I don't want customers prodding and poking my products anyway!", people can be very reluctant about purchasing something without using these senses. And as a seller, you want to remove any possible barriers to buyers forking out their money!

Online customers have only their sight to go by, and this is why it is very important that as sellers we maximize their visual experience.

In short, we need to take great photos!

eBay Photos 101: Where To Start

First of all, you'll need to make sure you've got all the necessary equipment to take your photos.

Don't fret, you don't need anything too unusual, and you don't have to become a professional photographer either!

• A digital camera - preferably without an automatic flash as this can distort the color of your product and image quality can suffer.
• A scanner - This can be used instead of a digital camera if you are selling flat items like baseball cards or coins.
• A photo tent, white fabric or poster board. Your requirements for this will vary depending on your item.
• Lighting - two lamps for indoor settings, or sun for an outdoor setting. Regular desk lamps are fine.
• Tripod - Especially if you are selling smaller items and have shaky hands (I know I certainly do!).

Then What?

Ok, so you've got all the equipment but... great photos don't take themselves.

Here are two photos used by different eBay sellers:

Clearly, the image on the left is the better of the two. Read on to find out how you can take a photo of this quality - and avoid taking photos of the standard seen in the photo on the right!

Simply exercising commonsense will give you a good leg up in making your photos appeal more than others - it is surprising how many people don't bother.

1. Use An Uncluttered Background

Buyers are there to look at your product. They are not interested in seeing your laundry, dirty dishes or funky carpet! Plain white is the optimal background color (with the exception of white products), as this gives the impression of a blank frame, featuring and drawing attention to only your product. In sum: Use a clean, uncluttered background and avoid showing off your home in your product photos.

Photo tents are ideal for this, and you can buy them pretty cheaply online from eBay. However, not all products are suited to a photo tent. If your item is very large, or heavy (or both) then you may not be able to fit it into a photo tent, or simply struggle to lift it at all!

In this case, employ the next best alternative.

If you can move your item, then you should attempt to create a white or plain background by featuring it against a light-colored wall, or by placing some white sheeting or board over a busy area.

If you can't easily move your item, then you need to think carefully about the angle you take the photo from. The photo really needs to feature the product, and you can achieve this by filling the image frame with the item and leaving little room for distracting things to steal the limelight.

2. Use The Best Angle

While it is possible (and recommended) that you place more than one photo of your item in your listing, your main photo (that will be featured in the category search results) needs to be super illustrative.

You need to ensure that this image captures the item in a three-dimensional fashion, so that you can give buyers the illusion that they are actually looking at the product, not an image of the product.

This image should also capture the entire product - think of it as the 'item summary', while your supplementary photos give additional details about the product.

Tip: There are exceptions to this rule, for example, if you are selling an item where the detail can be considered as of greater concern to buyers than viewing the whole item (like the fabric pattern of a table cloth).

3. Use The Best Lighting

You can't afford to be lazy about this one - dark, over-exposed or blurry photos are helpful to no-one

Firstly, do not use the automatic flash on your camera as this fades both color and details of your photo.

Taking photos indoors: indoor settings can be dark, so you need to make use of work lamps to create the best light for your photo. Shining light on either side of your item will help eliminate shadows by centering the light on your object, and illuminating it!

Taking photos outdoors: We all know the weather isn't easily predictable, and you don't want to be taking photos of your item covered in rain droplets. Direct sunlight isn't ideal either, as this can over-expose your photo. Overcast days make for good lighting, as doareas that are sheltered from the sun such as a porch.

4. A Bit Of Photo Editing

No, not with the purpose of making the item much more appealing than it actually is (!), but with the intention of editing the image so it portrays your product in the most realistic fashion.

It's surprisingly simple to do, and there are plenty of free and purchasable editing software out there that will do the trick. Here are a few that you can consider using:

• Adobe Photoshop: US $999 and the absolute best, but pretty complicated to use!
• Adobe Photoshop Elements: US $99
• Picasa: Free and very easy to use
• Fotoflexer.com: Free (online editing tool)

Photo editing software will allow you to adjust the color so it matches most closely to that of the item, remove shadows, and change the background if you need.

Photography Do Not's

• Do not use another eBay seller's photo, or an image of the product taken from the manufacturer's website. These things are illegal and it will not give buyers the impression that you are a legitimate seller. A borrowed photo like this can lead people to speculate that you may be a scammer who doesn't actually have the product in stock. It also doesn't show buyers the exact item that they will be receiving, and therefore decreases their trust in the product.
• Do not fail to show marks and blemishes of a product. Include a photo of these, and describe them in your listing. Misleading buyers about your product will not lead to happy customers.
• If you are selling clothing, do not photograph the item on a hanger. Invest in a mannequin as they are the best way to most accurately portray the item. Most clothing sellers find their sales skyrocket when they start using a mannequin! Alternatively, position clothing on the ground in a way that best represents it.
• Do not take your photos naked. This applies especially to those of you selling reflective products! I once saw a listing for a stainless steel kettle that featured the reflection of the naked photographer in the photo. Needless to say, I was NOT compelled to buy that kettle!

Quick recap: Action steps

1. Determine the setting you will use to photograph your items. Will you make space in a spare room, your garage, or out on the porch? Or will you purchase a photo tent?
2. Source all the materials you need for this setting - digital camera, photo tent, lamps, tripod etc. While you don't have to go overboard and buy top of the range equipment, it really is important that you invest in the basics - because good photos really do make a heck of a lot of difference to your conversion rates!
3. Remember the photography do not's. Please. Making any of these mistakes will NOT do you any good!
4. Practice. There is no truer saying than practice makes perfect!

Happy snapping :)

Next time: Meet a SaleHoo member who leveraged his day job to build a successful eBay business in the building industry.

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