Seeking a faster way to upload photos to listings-Use computer or phone?

[merchantofvintageandmodern]

I prefer to use my PC to list on eBay because of of the keyboard and big screen but downloading photos from my old iPhone into my computer can be time-consuming and problematic.  Also, it can take a long time to find the photos of the items I'm listing when they are uploaded into my PC.

I'm looking to streamline the process of downloading and uploading the photos when listing and am thinking of ways to do this. Do I buy an iPad and airdrop my photos to it and then I'll have a bigger "keyboard" and screen to use? Do I use a keyboard with my iPhone and forego the bigger screen? I'd prefer to use my PC for the bigger screen and keyboard.  I can't airdrop my photos to my PC and I don't want to buy an Apple computer.  Does anyone have any suggestions or advice for me?

[luckythewinner]

 Also, it can take a long time to find the photos of the items I'm listing when they are uploaded into my PC.

Not sure I follow.

I copy the photos from my phone directly into an "eBay photos" folder on my PC. 

Are you not doing that? 

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

Download the ebay App onto your iPhone.

Create a draft for your item in the App. Take photos with your iphone using the app, which will put the photos into the draft. The app will be synched with your ebay account. So, you can then go to your PC and find the draft (which will have the photos) and resume drafting from your PC. 

No need to separately upload the photos to your PC. 

[ladydfunkyg · Accepted solution]

💡 Here’s what works for me:

I always start my listings on my desktop PC (love the big screen and full keyboard). Once I’ve entered the item details, I save everything as a draft.

Then I switch to the eBay mobile app on my phone, open those drafts, and take/upload all my photos directly into them. After saving again, the photos are attached to the draft.

Finally, I go back to my desktop, open the same drafts, and use the larger screen to crop, brighten, and make adjustments before officially listing.

This way, I get the best of both worlds — the efficiency of mobile photos without the hassle of transferring files, and the editing ease of the desktop screen.

[dhbookds]

Also, it can take a long time to find the photos of the items I'm listing when they are uploaded into my PC.

Don't use a phone for pix, but download them from camera into Windows Photos with files by year/month.........

25-10  (October 2025).........

[roccotacodad54]

   I don't use an iPhone but a Samsung with android. Maybe an iPhone would work the same way?

   I plug my phone into my computer and find it under "This PC".

   I have two folders I created on my desktop. One for music and one for photos. I open the appropriate folder on my phone and the same one on my computer I then just drag and drop music and/or photos back and forth between my phone and Desktop PC.

   I keep almost all of my photos and music on my PC to keep my phone uncluttered.

   The shortest distance between two points is a straight line sort of thing. Easy and fast. No special app or software needed. I don't have to go looking for the folders because they are right there on my desktop background.

   Hope this works for you.............

[tobaccocardyahoo]

I never use my phone to take pictures for my listings.

I use a scanner or a camera.

I do this because the human engineering of picture taking on a phone is unnatural to a photographer who is used to a camera.

When I use the camera, I can input from the SD card. I could use a USB cable to my phone and treat the phone as a storage device, but there is too much crap that shows up and it adds complications.

[meme6253]

I absolutely recommend the phone, Quick & Easy!

[participatrophy]

You have good instincts. I'll echo what @roccotacodad54 said. Direct wired connection is the way to go here. Grab the cable for your phone, unplug it from the wall adapter, and plug it into your PC. In all likelihood you'll see that the PC has detected the phone and be good to go. There's an outside chance the PC  doesn't detect the phone upon being connected, in which case you try another cable until you get one that does more than just charge the phone. Other possibility is it's a laptop PC that doesn't have the right size USB port. Worst case in either scenario is you buy a data cable with the right ends.

If you know how to get files off a thumbdrive, iPhone > Internal Storage >  DCIM should get you to your photos. If I sorta lost you at "you'll see that the PC has detected the phone" and/or more of a step by step explanation would be helpful, just say the word.

[worldcoinauctions]

I use my iphone all the time for photos. I connect the lightning connector to the PC and click "allow" on my phone, lately it requires the phone password as well. Then a folder opens on my desktop. I copy all the photos and paste them into another desktop folder I use for pics. I close the phone and later delete all the photos I transferred to avoid confusion.

Once on my PC I can crop and name the photos, create the listings and then I move the photos into a "listed" folder, I delete the uncropped photos to avoid confusion. When the item sells I delete the photos from the "listed" folder.

[kds99]

Yes I detect that the OP wants a method that does not require a phone at all. Camera is the way to go and photo files can be carried on the SD card to the PC -- quick and easy (and photos easy to find and store). A camera  shop could give advice on an easy camera to use for listings.

[merchantofvintageandmodern]

As I stated in my first sentence " downloading photos from my old iPhone into my computer can be time-consuming and problematic."  

[christworks]

I follow almost to a T what @ladydfunkyg does. I will be changing things up and switching to an AI-lister so that I can do more listings per day. I had previously tried eBay's AI lister, but found about 90% of the time, it could not recognize the item well-enough to even place it into the correct category. I stopped using that earlier this year. I am sure it has probably gotten better, but I am likely going an alternative route. I had planned to hold off working with AI until after Christmas, but I've already started organizing backstock to make using AI more efficient, and I hope to start using it maybe this month or by early November to help me list some things. I really think AI is going to be the game changer over the next year. Don't get left behind. 

[merchantofvintageandmodern]

Thank you for your response.  I like that you have a "listed" folder.  That's something I've never used.

You may be interested to know that before I posted this question I did a search on YT to find an answer to my question and I watched a few videos that had good advice about selling and listing on eBay. I've been selling on eBay for over 15 years (I have 2 accts.)  but I can always learn new things.  One of the things I learned was that eBay photos should be 1:1 square and that cropping isn't a good idea. You can do a search of "why it isn't a good idea to crop photos for eBay" if you'd like to learn more about this.

[merchantofvintageandmodern]

You have the best answer.  (The second best answer was the one about switching back to the old school way of using my camera.)

Before I posted this question I did a search on YT to find an answer to my question and I watched a few videos that had good advice about selling and listing on eBay. I've been selling on eBay for over 15 years but I can always learn new things.  One of the things I learned was that eBay photos should be 1:1 square and that cropping isn't a good idea. You mentioned cropping in your answer and I'm wondering if you've ever heard that cropping can be problematic for eBay photos?