A picture is worth a thousand words
Often I look at items for sale on eBay and they are so poorly presented I know they are unlikely to sell – or not for a good price. They are screwed up and unironed, in poor light or out of focus. Occasionally they are upside down! So, how to present clothes on eBay to make attract the attention of customers?
There are thousands of potential customers for the items you are selling, but there is also plenty of competition from sellers. However, with a little effort and common sense it is possible to make yours stand out.
Invest in a mannequin
The first thing you should do is invest in some kind of mannequin. The one in the photos cost me just £9 from eBay and is similar to this one.
Take the photos below. Which would draw your gaze and make you believe in the trustworthiness of the seller? The first is screwed up on the floor and the lighting makes the dress look fairy princess pink rather than the salmon pink it actually is. The second is better; on a hanger against a plain background. But the third is the best shot as you can see what it might look on.
Present your clothes for eBay as if it was your shop front
How often do you see dresses in shop windows in a screwed up heap on the floor? Never! Owners of chic boutiques know that to draw in potential customers they need to present their clothes to their best advantage. Dresses will be pinned tightly to a mannequin and accessorised.
Which of these looks the best? A sideways floor shot is never a great decision. Presenting on a hanger works better, but in this instance the photo has been taken from above, making the top look shorter than it actually is. Again, the mannequin against a plain background is the best way of presenting this item.
Don’t forget the details
Queen of the eBay photo is Mr S’s sister. She sells high end designer stuff and accessorises with beautiful scarves and jewellery to grab the customer’s attention. If you are looking for something special you are drawn to her clothes.
She is good at focussing on the detail, showing pix of fancy buttons, the back of a dress, a lacey hem, etc., so that the customer can see exactly what is on offer. I have learned from her to include as many photos as possible.
Be honest when you present clothes on eBay
Use your pictures to show any flaws such as small stains or pulls to the fabric. Believe it or not, this often doesn’t put people off buying. If they know they are getting an honest description it gives them confidence in you as a seller.
I don’t claim to be the world’s best photographer and don’t own a fancy camera. The one on my phone does the job. The camera on your phone will enable you to crop any unnecessary background, sharpen the image and rotate it so that it is the right way up.
Get out the iron!
Most households own an iron so there is really no excuse to post photos of creased clothing on eBay. If you can’t be bothered to iron, how do I know that shirt you are selling is in clean, used condition, as you claim?
I hope this post will help you to present clothes on eBay so that you can sell them quickly and for as much as possible. More advice on selling on eBay can be found here.
Please note that if you are buying items with the intention of re-selling them, you do need to register as a business seller with eBay. Buyers are also covered under the Consumer Rights Act, the same as if you were a shop. More information is available here.
Tania says
Great advice which is good in all types of selling. Present things from the very best viewpoint. When we where home buying using right move to checkout some houses it was shocking seeing the way done people had allowed there homes to be presented in photos..
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
I get that. When we sold ours I wrote the description and provided the photos as the agent’s were rubbish!
Margaret Powling says
I have never bought or sold on eBay, but what you have shown to possible sellers is that your photo is your shop window: you have to make the most of how you arrange an item for sale. Yes, be honest, but show whatever it is in the most flattering way. A good demonstration of this is showing clothes on a mannequin. Unfortunately not everyone has access to one of these, but showing them against a plain background would be the next best thing, perhaps even buying to lengths of material, one dark, one light, and pinning those up if there wasn’t a wall in our home that was completely unadorned. The back of a door really isn’t the most flattering way to show a garment. With some material tacked to the wall, light coloured garments/things could be photographed against a dark background, and vice versa with dark coloured clothes/things, i.e. against a light background. But as I say, I’ve never bought or sold on eBay, this is just another idea of how one might photograph items. You have given some very good tips here.
Margaret P