Get More Money On eBay By Taking Good Photos Of Your Item

By:ziv haparnas

A picture is worth a thousand words. When selling items online on auction sites such as eBay this saying becomes more relevant. A picture is worth money and a lot of money. A good set of pictures can make the difference between an item that is sold and an item that is not sold. It can also make a big difference in the highest bid price received for an item.

It is not enough to just to take a photo of an item. A good photo can raise the value of the item and help sell it. This article provides a few rules to follow in order to take better photos of such items.

The first rule when taking photos of an item is to take more than one photo. Show the item from many angles show it zoomed in and zoomed out in different positions – for example if the item is a car show it with doors closed and with doors open. If it is a DVD show the front cover the back and the disc itself.

The quality of the photos must be as high as possible. Make sure that you have the right lighting. It is always better to take photos during the day time with natural light rather than with flash light. It is also better to take pictures when there is overcast rather than when the skies are clear and the sun light is strong. If the skies are clear try to take the photos either at the beginning or the end of the day. Follow the rules of good photography, use a tripod if long exposure is needed make sure the photo is not overexposed or underexposed and that it is not blurry.

When taking the photo make sure that you stage the right background for the item. Usually you would want to stage a background that is in contrast with the item and that has no details or interesting objects that can steal the viewer’s attention. Also make sure that the background is a matte color and that it does not reflect light. For example when taking a photo of a black computer mouse and keyboard use a white or light gray background.

Emphasize the value and the details of the item. Every item has unique features or important details that you would like to draw the viewer’s attention to. The best way to do that is to take close-up photos of those details. For example when selling a car that has very low mileage take a close-up photo of its odometer. Another example when selling a known brand product such as shirts or pants take a close-up photo of the tag or the logo to emphasize that the item is genuine.

Take photos that support the textual description of the item. For example when selling a high end brand purse if the description says “perfect stitches” take a close-up photo of the stitches to prove that the description is right.

If your item size is important you can use a known size object in order to help the viewer visualize the item’s size. For example when selling a miniature spy camera take one photo of the camera side by side with an object such as a quarter or a matchbox. The viewer will find it much easier to visualize the camera’s size when looking at such a photo rather than reading the camera’s measurements.

And last but not least remember to keep the photo file size small. When viewing a photo on the user’s screen a low resolution is more than enough. In most cases a VGA (640X480) picture is all that it takes and such a photo can be as small as 50Kbytes. It is important to keep this in mind and not be tempted to put high resolution photos that are big. Such big files load very slowly on the viewer’s computer. In most cases the viewer will get frustrated and would just skip to the next seller.

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: photo printing, auctions, ebay, item photos, get more money

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Ziv Haparnas is a technology veteran and writes about practical technology and science issues. This article can be reprinted and used as long as the resource box including the backlink is included. You can find more information digital photo printing and photography in general on printrates.com - a site dedicated to digital photo printing

Top Online Auctions Articles
1). Don't Let Negative Feedback On Ebay Get You Down By : Stephen Pope Remember the student in school who complained (or even cried) because they only got a ninety-nine percent mark on an assignment or test. Meanwhile, some of us were relieved (if not ecstatic) to have merely passed. I actually witnessed one case where the math student insisted that he was not wrong. On rechecking the test, the teacher realized the answer sheet was wrong and not the student.
2). Hot As Pancake Items To Sell On Ebay By : In so many instances, people would always want their food hot: hot coffee, hot-of-the-grill burgers and steaks etc. That's why even on eBay people would rather go for those items that are selling like hot pancakes, so hot that they almost burn! Basically, eBay categorize these items as "hot" whenever it obtains bids more than 30. Then after, eBay would classify them as "hot items".
3). Spotting Fakes and Frauds on eBay By : Nicky Pilkington Fake items abound on eBay, and it takes much effort not to be duped by scammers who peddle these wares. There have been many painful stories relating how a seemingly legitimate item turned out to be either fake or defective.
4). Sell Like an eBay Powerseller By : Michael Ellis There isn't a week that goes by without someone asking me how to sell products on eBay. It's a great question! And I enjoy talking about the topic quite a bit, but my answer is always the same - sell like a Powerseller! Here's what I mean... An eBay Powerseller is someone that generates $1000 or more in sales for three consecutive months. You don't have look too far on eBay to realize that the place is literally crawling with Powersellers.
5). Why E-bay Is A Seller's Bliss By : David Riewe Today, more and more people are gradually opting for eBay as an alternative market site for their items. And the more people try on selling their products on eBay, the more they conclude that eBay is the best market site to sell products online. So, for people who want to know why eBay had fast become one of the best website for selling items, here are some reasons online shoppers need to know: 1.
6). Increase Your Ebay Sales With A “SquareTrade” Seal. By : Kirsten Hawkins SquareTrade are eBay’s chosen provider of dispute resolution services. If you want your buyers to have a little more confidence in you, you can get a SquareTrade seal, and put it on each one of your auctions. The chances are that you’ve seen these seals around. They show SquareTrade’s blue and green logo, along with the eBay user’s ID and the current date.
7). Tips For “Knowing Your Ebay Buyer” Before You Ship. By : Kirsten Hawkins Before you send anything to that buyer, you might want to get to know them, especially if you’re selling them a high-ticket item that you couldn’t afford to lose. Even if the buyer has paid, the PayPal transaction could still end up being reversed, leaving you out of pocket. So how do you figure out if you can trust your buyer? Look at their feedback for others.
8). Tips On How To Sell On eBay By : John Tiger There is more to selling on eBay and other auction sites than simply listing an auction and waiting for the money to roll in. Just ask the many, many eBay sellers whose auctions go unsold every day. We will help you learn to sell on eBay by looking at the different skills you need to learn to sell on eBay successfully. We will draw from the combined wisdom of eBay sellers with years of success and will offer tips and tools that can help you join them.
9). Is The Ebay Customer Always Right? By : Kirsten Hawkins I can answer this question for you right now: the answer is ‘yes’. In fact, the answer is ‘YES!’ – the biggest yes you’ve ever heard. Of the course the customer is always right. If you want to be a successful eBay seller, you should go miles out of your way to make sure every single one of your customers is 100% satisfied, however much time or money it might cost you.
10). Shopping Online Can Be Fun! By : David Riewe Buying on eBay can be a lucrative activity. However, if not managed properly, it can do shoppers more harm than good. Nevertheless, it's still the most convenient way of shopping online. So, to make the most out of E-bay when a shopper buys things, here's some way to do it: 1. Buyers should know how to buy safely. Wise buyers should know how to check the seller's reputation by prying on the seller's feedback section.

New Online Auctions Articles
1). The eBay Auction Site By : twok3 Which other site is more familiar to the ears of any person with any idea of what the internet is? Of course, there are those that do not know what eBay is but most of them don’t know what cars are either. That is why the title of this article is simply, The eBay Auction Site. You know what it is, I know what it is, and really, the only explanation we need for what it is, is its simple title.
2). Effectively Finding Products to Sell on eBay: To Consign or Not to Consign By : twok3 I remember the first time I sold something for someone on eBay. It was a great feeling. Not great, like, I’m getting married tomorrow or, I just won the lottery, but another type of great. I felt as thought I had helped someone out and made some extra money. Those two things combined can create such a fulfilling feeling. This act, however, that of taking ownership of someone’s belongings, then selling those belongings and receiving a commission is commonly called consignment.
3). Steps You Can Take To Ensure You're Getting A Great Deal At eBay By : Paul Bittle Everyone loves a great deal! Many people spend quite a bit of time searching for good deals on the items that they want and need – and when they find those deals, they experience a certain amount of satisfaction. These people typically haunt garage sales, stores that are holding sales, wholesale warehouses, flea markets, and especially online and offline auctions.
4). How to start buying cars an online auction By : Pradeep Aggarwal So you have decided to enter into the world of car auction. The very idea of looking at so many small and big cars on your screen is exciting to say the least. But what most of us fail to realize is what exactly we are looking for. And need to about the laws prevailing. It is important that you know everything about car auctions before you jump into the fray.
5). Learn why Online Auctions are the way of the future By : goflish In today’s world, time is everything. We all think to ourselves, “I really need to get rid of ___________.” But who has time to list an item in a newspaper, have a yard sale, or even place the item in view of the public with a for sale sign on it? Well, there is an answer. The internet has a way to sell your items that are colleting dust and taking up space.
6). The Beginners Guide To Safely Join And Use Ebay By : Robert Benjamin I don't think it matters where you are these days, if you mention the name ' eBay ', there is someone there who has either bought an item on it, or who has sold something on it, eBay has become a household name around the world. I started buying and selling on ebay around 7 years ago. There are thousands of people living in the U.S. that make full time living's selling item's on eBay, and thousands more that buy items on it daily.
7). Starting An eBay Franchise By : Ricky Lim Starting an ebay drop-off franchise is fast catching on ebay. There are millions of buyers everyday on ebay and let's face it, not everyone knows how to sell an item on ebay. Some people just are not interested or not familiar with how ebay works, the terms and conditions and all that stuff. They just want to sell their item and get some cash. That is where an ebay drop-off franchise comes in.
8). How To Price Your Item Correctly On Ebay By : Ricky Lim Many new ebay sellers often fall into the pricing trap. Either they price their items too high to be unsellable or they price it too low to make any profits. Some basic information on ebay pricing. Ebay has three prices that can be set for an auction. The "Buy It Now" Price Allow bidders to buy the item at a fixed price immediately without waiting for the auction to end.
9). EBay Business 101 for Newbies By : JULIUS Are you fairly new to eBay business? Or is just planning to enter the world of eBay business and test its waters? You have nothing to fear. Here are simple startup tips for you, newbie. Entering the eBay business means that you are setting up shop on eBay and become a seller. It is easy and risk-free. All you need to have is a computer, an internet connection and an inventory of items to sell.
10). How to Sell Your Products on eBay By : JULIUS Founded in September 1995, eBay is The World's Online Marketplace for the sale of goods and services by a diverse community of individuals and small businesses. Today, the eBay community includes more than a hundred million registered members from around the world. People spend more time on eBay than any other online site, making it the most popular shopping destination on the Internet.