Want to succeed on eBay? Professional eBay product photography is your secret weapon. Clear images build trust, demonstrate value and directly drive sales.
In the competitive eBay environment, pictures are the first impression you make on buyers.
Before setting up your camera or smartphone, it’s essential to understand eBay’s image standards. eBay has specific guidelines that ensure consistency, clarity, and fairness across all listings.
Minimum image size: 500 pixels on the longest side
Recommended size: 1600 pixels for zoom functionality
Accepted formats: JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP
Background: Plain white or light neutral tones preferred
Prohibited elements: Text overlays, watermarks, and borders
Following these standards not only keeps your listings compliant but also improves your visibility in eBay’s search results. eBay’s algorithm favors listings with multiple, high-quality images because they enhance the buyer experience.
Avoid common mistakes like cropping out edges, uploading only one image, or using cluttered backgrounds. Each photo should be well-lit, centered, and true to color.
Creating the perfect eBay product photography setup doesn’t require a professional studio — just a bit of planning and the right tools.
Lighting tips
Lighting is the foundation of great photography. Use soft, diffused lighting from two angles to minimize shadows. If you prefer natural light, shoot near a large window during the morning or late afternoon for a soft glow. Avoid harsh midday sunlight, which can distort colors.
Clean background
Change eBay background color if needed. Use a plain white poster board, non-woven fabric or a sheet of neutral gray paper as the background. This can effectively eliminate interference and make the product the absolute focus.
A sturdy tripod
This is the most underrated but important piece of equipment. A tripod will prevent blurry images and ensure that every picture is sharp and clear, especially in low light.
When learning how to photograph products for eBay, think like your customer. What details would you want to see before buying? How to take eBay photos that sell?
Step 1. Clean Your Product
Before the shoot, clean your item thoroughly. Remove dust, fingerprints, and labels. If it’s clothing, make sure it’s ironed; if it’s jewelry, polish it to shine.
Step 2. Frame and Focus
Center your product and use a neutral background. Keep your camera steady (a tripod is ideal) and make sure the product fills most of the frame — around 80–90%. Focus sharply on the main subject to avoid blurry edges.
3. Capture Multiple Angles
Take at least 8–12 images:
4. Use White and Lifestyle Shots Together
White backgrounds look clean and professional, while lifestyle photos help buyers imagine using your product. Combining both types can significantly boost engagement and conversions.
After capturing your images, the next step is editing. It’s crucial for refining lighting, colors, and composition before uploading to eBay.
UltraPic is one of the most effective online photo editing tools designed specifically for e-commerce sellers. It offers AI-powered background removal, and background generation — all optimized for marketplace requirements.
✨[One-click cutout] Automatically and accurately remove the background, quickly generate a pure white/transparent background, and make the product more prominent.
✨[Intelligent light Adjustment] Automatically correct lights, increase brightness and contrast to make the picture real and bright.
✨[Batch Processing] Supports processing multiple images at the same time, efficiently completing the preparation of product images.
✨[Easy to use] No professional skills are required. You can quickly create professional-level product images thru the intuitive interface.
aaaFollow these simple steps to make your product images look polished and professional:
Step 1: Upload your image to UltraPic.
Step 2: After uploading, the Background Remover will cleanly cut out the product.
Step 3: Choose your replacement tone: white (#FFFFFF) or gray (#F2F2F2).
Step 4: Fine-tune brightness and contrast to ensure your product stands out.
✍Tips: To cope with the gray background of the eBay search page, we recommend that you do not save the image directly after using a pure white background. You can add a very subtle drop shadow to your items to make them stand out clearly against any background color, making them more three-dimensional and attractive in search results, and avoiding blending in with the gray background.
Step 5: Save and upload your updated image to your eBay listing.
Changing the background color of your eBay listings is quick, easy and professional with UltraPic, without the need for any complicated Photoshop skills.
Q1: I only have a smartphone, can I really do professional eBay product photography?
A: Absolutely. Modern smartphones have very powerful cameras. The key to success isn't the most top-of-the-line camera, but a stable eBay product photography setup (especially a tripod and good lighting). The phone you have in your hand is more than enough.
Q2: How do I shoot highly reflective objects like jewelry or electronics?
A: The key to dealing with reflections is to "soften" them. You can use tracing paper or thin white cloth to make a simple soft light cover in front of the light, so that the light becomes scattered and soft, thus eliminating the dazzling light spots on the surface of the product.
Q3: How should I take photos of very small items (such as coins, jewelry)?
A: Turn on your phone's "macro" mode (usually in the camera settings) and make sure to focus in good light. Investing in a small tabletop light box is a great option for shooting small items, as it provides a perfect, shadow-free environment with built-in lighting.
Q4: Can I remove the flaws on the product during post-processing?
A: Absolutely not. The images must accurately reflect the condition of the product. Post-processing is limited to adjusting light, color, cropping, and background, and must never be used to remove blemishes, change colors, or add features that don't exist. Honesty is the cornerstone of selling on
Taking the time to learn and perfect your eBay product photography is one of the highest-return activities you can do for your eBay business. By setting up a simple and affordable eBay product photography setup and following the steps in this guide, you can create product images that attract clicks, build trust, and ultimately significantly increase sales.
Don't let poor images hold your business back. Whether you're a new seller or an expert, take action now and make your items the next big thing with professional eBay product photography!