02-15-2025 07:12 AM
How do we compete with sellers that continue to use stock photos in their listings? In the clothing category I'm seeing more sellers using stock photos, listing the item at a higher price than those using their own photos. These items are selling for the higher price over the item with the sellers photos.
Should we all move to using stock photos to compete? Do we lose out on sales for following the rules by using our own photos? Does eBay even care anymore?
02-15-2025 06:54 PM
@tarotfindsandmore wrote:That's my listing lol. I was just curious to see what the folks who are so vehemently opposed to stock photos recommend for items like this. I've been doing it this way for as long as I've sold items like this, but I had no idea there were so many people who feel that stock photos are such an unforgivable sin.
Whether there are a significant number of buyers who object to stock photos or not is questionable.
This forum is not anything close to a statistically significant sampling of the Ebay buyer community.
It helps to keep that in mind.
02-15-2025 07:09 PM
I appreciate that, but I am genuinely curious about how others list their sealed, NIB/NIP items in situations like the one I referenced. I'm not a huge fan of stock photos myself, but what do other sellers do when they're selling sealed, new items?
02-15-2025 08:23 PM
I sell cosmetics so I use a lot of stock photos. Color matters. Many of my items are safety sealed with clear plastic and are very small in size. I am not willing to break that safety seal when I know I can't get a good representation of the product or the color.
Heck, I sell on another site and they allow used cosmetics to be sold. Just count me out.
02-16-2025 12:43 AM
Sometimes it feels like doing the hard work of creating a quality, detailed listing with a good description and lots of quality photos doesn't pay off. When you sell one-off items, being so through when creating a listing can take a serious amount of time, and you may wonder if it is worth it. It may seem those who are using stock photos are selling more, but they they may just have sales just because they are larger sellers, or are promoted/more visible, not because buyers somehow prefer stock photos.
Fact is, your listings are great! Speaking as an occasional clothing buyer, your listings are exactly what I look for. You give multiple photos of the actual item (back, front, details etc), and you include measurements! Some clothing sellers refuse to do this, for whatever reason, and they are probably costing themselves sales because of it (sizes are not standardized and are nothing more than vague suggestions, objective measurements are what matter when it comes to fit). You even spell out what the fabric content is in the description, and show the tag with care instructions. Truly a great job, above and beyond!
By being so through and giving measurements, using your own quality photos etc. you are also increasing customer satisfaction and minimizing returns. Huge sellers can easily absorb the cost of returns and survive tons of negative feedback. Small sellers can't. By doing an excellent job with your listings, you are helping to protect what you earn and protecting your reputation. I wouldn't change what you are doing.
(Using stock photos for your clothes can also result in VeRo strikes from the manufacturers who took the stock photos, which is something you absolutely want to avoid!)
02-16-2025 04:55 AM
If these are used items then they automatically are not as described. Because the condition is obvious .
02-16-2025 06:45 AM
I think those photos are just fine, anyone looking for that type of item, would know exactly what they are looking at.
02-16-2025 06:46 AM
That does seem like a Happy medium.
02-16-2025 11:09 AM
In the case of clothing, stock photos can be very helpful for the buyer to visualize a garment they've never seen on the body.
You want to show how it drapes and where the belts, laces, etc. lie on the body.
02-17-2025 06:29 AM
Well that makes sense, however for used clothing the seller should take their own photos, That's what the OP is talking about is used clothing, Besides that i still don't buy into the whole stock photo thing.