The saying “A picture is worth a thousand words” is never more true than with on-line auctions. Not having a photo of your item will greatly reduce your bids, and lead to unprofitable or unsuccessful auctions. Not only must you have a photograph of what you are selling, the photo must be accurate and revealing.

It is not necessary to be a professional photographer. Ebay bidders understand that most sellers are taking snapshots of the products they sell. But, your photo should be clear, and show the product as completely as possible. Here are some tips for good photos:

-If the size of an object is not obvious, use a reference such as a ruler or a coin.

-Show any flaws or defects. Point them out in the caption if necessary.

-Don’t use a flash. It causes reflections. Take your photos in open shade or using indirect window light.

-Do not use “stock” photos. Bidders want to see a picture of the actual item they are bidding on, not a scanned photo from a brochure.

-Use a tripod to make sure your shot is sharp.

-Keep your photos to less than 300 pixels. Larger photos take too long to load and impatient bidders will click away from your auction.

-Except for flat items such as prints, photos, stamps, cards and soon, scanners often produce an inadequate image for most items. If you don’t have a digital camera, you can now take a 35mm photo to most Kodak processors and they will digitize your images and return them to you on a floppy disk or CD. This will cost just a few dollars more than the processing.