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A picture is worth a thousand words, and for potential buyers, it means more details. For sellers, it usually means more traffic, and more bids.

I am a seller and buyer on Ebay. I have been for seven years. I can't say I make a living off of the things that I sell, but it's a nice way to turn some things for a little cash. It's also a great place to find a bargain.

When it comes to pictures on a person's listing, I find it of utmost importance to represent the item you're selling the best way possible. Sure you can write paragraphs explaining what it is, and what it looks like, but, honestly, if there are no pictures, are you going to take the seller's word for it?

Here are some tips when adding pictures to your Ebay auction:

1. Consider the item you have for auction. What is its worth? A good way to find out the current market for your item is doing an advanced search on Ebay, and looking at the completed listings. If your item is worth it, pictures will help it sell!

2. What will my out-of-pocket expense be for pictures? There are two ways to break this down. First, when doing your listing, the first picture you insert is always free. You can add up to eleven more pictures at $0.15 each. This is ideal if you occasionally sell on Ebay. Second, you can subscribe to Ebay's Picture Manager Service. The cheapest plan is $9.99 a month for 50 MB of space. I have been using this because I have been listing items almost everyday. When you are constantly listing on Ebay, Picture Manager is the more economical way to go.

3. What about all the other bells and whistles you can add? Truthfully, the only other enhancement I use is adding my picture to the Gallery for $0.35. When you do this, your listing stands out when potential buyers are doing a search. As a buyer, I always look at listings that show a picture in the gallery before I even pay attention to the ones that don't. This just gives your listing more traffic, and better exposure increasing the chance for bids and a sell. You can also supersize' your pictures for another fee, but that seems to be just another way for Ebay to get your money.

4. So, if I have more pictures, what good will that do? Well, for one thing, as I've noticed, people don't email you as much bugging you more information about the item! With lots of pictures, people can immediately see the condition of the item. The more pictures you have helps the buyer really see that item, and instantly know if that is something they want to bid on or not.

5. What about the quality of the pictures? I'll admit, I've taken some bad pictures myself, but I'm happy to say I'm not the only one. I can also probably say I'm not the only person who looks at a listing, sees the poor quality pictures, and quickly clicks off of that listing. What makes a good picture? When taking a picture of your item, have lots of lighting! Lights show off your item, and shows every good part or bad part of your piece. Place the item in front of a neutral backdrop. Don't take a picture of the item sitting on your floral print couch. Too much background distraction takes away from the picture, and your buyer loses focus of the item! Be sure to get pictures of your item from each side, top, bottom, front, and back. Pay special attention to any markings such as Occupied Japan'. Once the photos are taken, use a photo editing program to crop and lighten your photos as needed.

Good luck, and Happy Ebaying!

Learn more about this author, Emilie Grace.
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