Roman Report post Posted January 30, 2017 And once I get this one "just right" is there some sort of "thang" that will repeat all the non-item specific formatting and language? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Report post Posted January 31, 2017 Revised it. Give it another look ok? Wasn't sure where to put "bubble wrap" Clause. Mike? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawr Report post Posted January 31, 2017 I've always put "Returns only if item is not as described" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abolfaz Report post Posted January 31, 2017 Erik, your photos suck. I'd throw in some close ups showing zero damage and as new condition. Also, I want to see all the lettering on the train, all hand rails in tact, emergency brake wheels etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Report post Posted January 31, 2017 Erik, your photos suck. I'd throw in some close ups showing zero damage and as new condition. Also, I want to see all the lettering on the train, all hand rails in tact, emergency brake wheels etc. Im awful at photos.... Added a bunch more... Am I even close? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
key03 Report post Posted January 31, 2017 Well, your photos are amateur, but in many cases that can be a good thing. People will contact you via the eBay mail system to ask questions and request more photos if necessary. They know they are not buying from a hobby store or unrealistically priced collector. In time, after you sell a few of these cars, the word will get out that you have a lot more to sell and collectors will follow you to see what comes up next. I think you are doing great and it seems like you are having fun. If you had multiple listings going at the same time people will know that you are serious about selling and that you also have a large stock that will be coming to market. Nice job! I like your eBay name also. ha! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SingleSeat Report post Posted January 31, 2017 You can either save the listing (like a template) or you can click on a "Sell Similar" link in order to just carry over all the details and change the title, photos, and description. Im awful at photos.... Yeah, but there's a balance to be had. Is taking 12 detailed photos worth your time on an item that sells for $7, $6 in your pocket? Bend over backwards for the buyer who is deciding whether or not to spend $250 on a rare locomotive. The guy who is blessing you with his $7 probably doesn't need your highest efforts. Looking at the search results, it's even less worth it for this item because there are now competitors for less $ with comparable items. I'd probably even ditch the $50 BiN, or reduce it to $19.99. Otherwise, you can still take nice photos. Grab a white poster board. Let it lean on a wall so that the back bends into a curve. Viola, there's your studio. If you want to make it pop and don't have photoshop skillz, go to https://pixlr.com/editor/ Use it to crop your image to just the item. Then use it to adjust the brightness and contrast. Lean on the contrast more to see what looks best. When your photo is reduced to a thumbnail in search results, a high-contrast photo pops. That would be the quickest, lowest effort way to make the images better. In general, when you get a full load of items listed, keeping your listings looking sharp and consistent builds buyer confidence. Their hope is that they're buying a diamond in the rough from an honest human being. Their fear is that they're buying something that smells like cat pee and cigarettes. Your photos can strike the balance. I'm afraid the only way you're going to win on this item is price...at least for the next two days while the one listed for less is ahead of you. You might decide to break out more items and start taking photos and list a bunch at a time. Some people will look to see what else you have and take you up on combining shipping to purchase multiple items because this item might not be special enough to motivate someone to buy by itself. The other option is to switch to a straight-up BiN for 9.99 + $7 shipping (or so), 30-day. Some people really want to avoid the hassle of bidding (or they don't understand bidding) and will sort by BiN-only. Be the lowest BiN and bingo, you're the guy who just sold something for more than it has been selling in the last few months. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Report post Posted January 31, 2017 I have two listed now... With a third coming up tonight.... Lots of photos... But I know they suck... But shit... These HO trains are TINY (and, again... If these sell or not, its me getting my feet wet... I HAVE 72 fcuking BOXES FULL... SHIPPING!!!! fcuk!!! What if somebody buys this shit? Should I get a mail scale? I ordered a bunch of free boxes from USPS... What else should I get?\ Print postage online? Help!?! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmtn Report post Posted January 31, 2017 ok... check this out... what should I have done differently? http://www.ebay.com/itm/272539800615?ssPag...984.m1558.l2649 Open to criticism: GO!!!!! 1. Your ebay name should be CHOOCHOOMOTHERFUCKER. 2. Your photos are hopeless. Either you need to sell all of these to a couple of mad train lovers on big amounts or you need to dig deeper on this or put some photographer kid on work. I would buy cheap softbox, proper camera and macro lens and cheap camera mount so you could take every photo with same good even light and with good detail from repeatable angles. If you have thousand trains to sell you need to make that shop look professional and photos to be comparable and in even quality. That's just my opinion. Good luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emanon Report post Posted January 31, 2017 Assuming they are all pretty similar in size, I would invest a little time and build a "photo studio" box. Small table, some spare plywood/cardboard, a consistent background, and some powerful lighting will do wonders. A cheap tripod for your camera and you can shoot these things like a production line. Or you can buy transparent photo tents: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Tents-Do...10/N/4037060764 A few $$ on this stuff will make your life 1000x easier and increase the professional appearance of the listings exponentially. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robster Craws Report post Posted January 31, 2017 Erik, your photos suck. I'd throw in some close ups showing zero damage and as new condition. Also, I want to see all the lettering on the train, all hand rails in tact, emergency brake wheels etc. Also remove the sheet with the blood stains and hair on it. Distracting Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SingleSeat Report post Posted January 31, 2017 If you do Priority Mail, USPS has a "shoe box" sized box that would be perfect for train cars. Get a ton of those. Yes, print postage through eBay. It's discounted, ref my first PM on shipping. Dudes. High effort isn't necessary. The most kick ass photos of a train car aren't going to sell it any faster or for more money. On eBay, the item needs to sell itself. Granted, a photo shouldn't look like hell, but it doesn't need to be weapons grade either. Here's an example of a '70s vintage die-cast car my kid picked up at a yard sale for a dime. Simple, point-and-shoot camera on a white poster background, cropped, brightness + contrast. Done. Sold for $20. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhbchess Report post Posted January 31, 2017 Also remove the sheet with the blood stains and hair on it. Distracting LMAO Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SV-N-IT Report post Posted January 31, 2017 LMAO you guys crack me up.. but overall great info here! thank you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robster Craws Report post Posted January 31, 2017 I mean listen if I wanted to see something long smooth and black on a sheet with stains I'd be on a different website Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VCR Report post Posted January 31, 2017 RD, buy a piece of A3 or B3-size white construction paper and use that for your background. Avoid using a flash as that would cast too strong of a shadow. IIRC, you have a pool table right? For coloured items, you probably can use the pool table surface as your background assuming the surface colour does not clash with the colours of your trains. Crop the picture if needed so the item just stands out on its own. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emilio Report post Posted January 31, 2017 looks like shipping to Italy is not an option Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Report post Posted January 31, 2017 OK i bought a cheap mail scale from amazon... some shipping labels that are supposed to work with ebay... Some boxes... bubble wrap... tape... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Report post Posted January 31, 2017 Also remove the sheet with the blood stains and hair on it. Distracting I really want to kill you sometimes.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Report post Posted January 31, 2017 looks like shipping to Italy is not an option Dude. If you're serious let me know. (Any of you guys even. ). We've done biz before. I'd ship to you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Report post Posted January 31, 2017 Assuming they are all pretty similar in size, I would invest a little time and build a "photo studio" box. Small table, some spare plywood/cardboard, a consistent background, and some powerful lighting will do wonders. A cheap tripod for your camera and you can shoot these things like a production line. Or you can buy transparent photo tents: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Tents-Do...10/N/4037060764 A few $$ on this stuff will make your life 1000x easier and increase the professional appearance of the listings exponentially. How's that tent thing work? Is the lighting included? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abolfaz Report post Posted January 31, 2017 Ideally I'd get a small piece of track, use a backround like everyone else is talking about and photograph the train on its wheels so it looks like a train rather than a toy someone dropped on their bed while while they're being murdered. Perhaps something like this... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emanon Report post Posted January 31, 2017 How's that tent thing work? Is the lighting included? Tent thing pretty much gives a good neutral backdrop, but it's a transparent fabric so you light it from outside the tent. This diffuses the light, and gives the effect of very good ambient light without shadows and glare. Lets you light the object really well without giving the impression you took the picture staring into the surface of the sun. https://photographylife.com/reviews/impact-light-shed Don't think the lights are included, but you could use just about any shop light if it has a bulb with a high CRI rating. Any incandescent bulb with a CRI over 85 will fit the bill. Lower ratings just wash out and distort colors. You can build a "photobooth" with construction paper and an old sheet, but it's just a time factor. As well, you'll probably tear that down and throw it away when you're done. If you buy one of these fold up jobbers, stick it in the closet and pull it out next time you need to unload 1482 random trinkets, sell a watch, show off an avocado. . . you get the point. You'll spend $15 and three hours dicking around building one, or $60 and 35 seconds on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Impact-Digital-Light...pact+light+shed The one linked above is 18 x 18 x 27. Are any of your trains are over about 20" long? If so, get the next larger one, it's 24 x 24 x 36. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Report post Posted February 1, 2017 Ideally I'd get a small piece of track, use a backround like everyone else is talking about and photograph the train on its wheels so it looks like a train rather than a toy someone dropped on their bed while while they're being murdered. Perhaps something like this... Oh... Thats a good idea... But I havent found the box with the track in it yet... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cake Report post Posted February 1, 2017 ....so it looks like a train rather than a toy someone dropped on their bed while while they're being murdered. :lol2: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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