Reseller How To’s: Photography Edition
What does your product photo say?
A picture is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes. It's normal to feel a little nervous the first time you take pictures of your clothes to sell them again. It's possible that some people will need photo light boxes, ring lights, and photo backgrounds that are perfectly set up, but overall, this is a rather simple and basic approach.
Because your buyers want to know everything about a product before they buy it, it's important that your listings include detailed photos of the items you're selling. Customers always like it when you pay attention to the little things, and this is true no matter what market you are selling in.
I promise, this isn't a difficult process.
Here's what you can do to ensure your product photos show important details:
If you aren't familiar with the word "flat lay," let me tell you more about it! Flat lay photography is "simply an image shot directly from above – a bird's eye view of an array of carefully arranged objects." -Nikon School
There are certain garments that photograph nicely in a flat lay. This includes tops, bottoms, accessories, etc.
If you find yourself not liking the background of your shot, you can always download tools to remove the background! An app I use and recommend is PhotoRoom.
Does a flat lay photo always look best?
The short answer is... probably not.
Sometimes, it's nice to show your products on a hanger or a mannequin or dress form. This gives it movement and allows you to have a variety of choices when taking photos. Variety is good!
This is my favorite thing to do:
- Try to find the best lighting, whether it's natural or using flash - the better the lighting, the better quality and detail your photo will have.
- Grab a nail or push pin, and tack it to the wall. This will help create a solid backdrop for you.
- Find something to hang your product from. (I love using my wooden hanger, it gives the photo an overall clean look!)
- Then BOOM you can start snapping pictures!
And that's all there is to it!
Ok I have my photo setup...what now?
I'd bet some of these questions have run through your mind ...
"How many photos am I going to take now?"
"Do I have to use all my options on my reselling platform?"
Throughout my reselling journey and research, the common answer is you should have 6-8 pictures available of each product.
The absolute bare minimum of photos you should be uploading are of the front and back of your item, the brand tag and size tag, and also include a photo of the fabric or care tag. Keep in mind that you also need to upload clear pictures of any designs, cutouts, or flaws on the item.
The more detailed product photos you have, the more trust you will build with your customers. This will translate to increased sales, which is every reseller's goal!
"Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at."
Almost every reseller has the same thought: that acquiring the right stylized images to fit your brand is the most important factor for selling products. That isn't necessarily the case.
White backdrops for your product photos are your best bet to boost Google's search engine optimization (SEO)—they place your listings at the top of search results, which leads to more clicks and more views. If you follow the instructions from earlier in the article, you can use a white wall, a white poster board, or an app that removes backgrounds to give your product a white backdrop.
Now you have all the steps to kick-start your photography for your reselling business.
The only thing left is to get up and start taking pictures and getting those listings up!
Don’t forget that a picture is worth a thousand words! So what does your product photos say about what you're selling?
