Learn to buy and sell antiques and collectibles

How To Add Free Pictures To eBay Part 1

Most people think eBay auction pictures and photos are difficult to master. This is just false. The problem is eBay and the other image hosting companies make it seem harder than it is because they want your money.

In this essay on eBay photos, I will introduce some tools for creating sharper images on eBay. You'll need to learn how to use each of these tools, but none of them are hard to use. It just seems that way because you haven't started yet.

In just a short amount of time, you will be able to create quality eBay images.

First of all, you need a digital camera. A web cam will work, but a real camera is better.

A web cam is a small camera that plugs directly into your computer. You've probably seen these, they look like golf balls and produce acceptable auction pictures. The picture quality is not great, but they take little time to learn and are really cheap.

You should be able to find a web cam for less than $20.

If you are serious about eBay, you will need better photos. You can only get these better quality images with a real digital camera.

The good news is digital cameras have really dropped in price. You should be able to get a good quality digital camera to take your eBay pictures for between $150 and 225 dollars.

Look for a camera with at least 1.3 megapixels, and a bunch of different settings. I use the macro setting on my camera to take close up images for my eBay pictures. I also use the lighting settings to turn off the flash and still get well lit photos.

I have an Olympus camera. You can check on the Iwantcollectibles discussion board for suggestions from other readers.

eBay Camera Discussion

In addition to a camera, you will need a photo editing program. The editing program is used to optimize your images for the web.

Two programs recommended by readers are Magic Gallery, and IFranView.

Magic Gallery seems a bit easier to use, but costs money. You have to buy the program after a free trial period if you want to continue using it. IFranView is free.

You'll also need an FTP program. I use WS/FTP Lite. You can find an FTP program on any of the download sites. Most of these used to be free for non commercial use, but now most suppliers will charge you $20-30 dollars for one.

Some ISPs provide you with a FTP program along with free server space. I know AOL has their own web based FTP program. Ask your internet service provider if they provide a FTP client.

You will also need some server space to host your eBay images.

Most ISPs will provide you with enough space for your eBay image needs. If your ISP doesn't provide you with webspace, you'll need to register a domain and rent some server space on the web. A domain name costs about $8.00 a year, and server space will run you between five and fifteen dollars a month.

If you do more than 10 auctions a month, using your own domain with it's server space to host your eBay images will cost you less than what you'd pay eBay. Plus you will have more control over your auction photos, and should get higher bids.

In the next installment, I show you how to use all these tools to create fantastic eBay pictures.

Terry

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Terry Gibbs has taught over 7,000 people how to make a good living on eBay. Terry's most recent eBay instruction manual is The Auction Revolution . The Auction Revolution is your guide to eBay and beyond. Here on Iwantcollectibles.com, you will learn about buying and selling antiques and collectibles, and about eBay.