Not too long ago, Craigslist updated their photo uploader. You can use much larger and higher quality pics on Craigslist now. At the time, they stuck to only letting you upload 4 pictures. Now you can upload up to 8 pictures.
Having the option to use more than four photos is great for online sellers and it is a great upgrade for Craigslist.
You can make your ads look very professional and you can include more angles and close-ups of the product you are selling so buyers have a clearer idea of what they are going to buy.
There have been many times when I’ve had five or six great pics for an ad, but I would need to cut a couple to fit the four picture max.
Who benefits from this format?
The new format is great for people that post larger items such as cars, household appliances and furniture. It is really hard to showcase a car only using four pictures.
Now you can use full-car shots, plus add detailed images of the interior, the engine, etc.
I have clicked through different cities and it looks like the update is available in all of them. Here is how the new format works.
Lets say I have an M-Audio Trigger Finger drum control surface for sale.
I would take pictures of it and crop and edit them as normal. However, there is a knob missing and there is some wear on the top left of the Trigger Finger.
So, since I can use up to eight pics, I will make sure I take a couple of close-up pics of those areas to show the buyer there are some flaws so they aren’t surprised when they show up to buy it. I took the typical “full-body shot”, then I took a bunch of close-up photos.
Now, what is different about the listing process?
When you choose the city and category to post an item for sale, it is the normal description screen. You fill out the title, price, location and describe the item as normal. However, now when you click the Continue button, it takes you to a separate screen to upload pics.
The screen will say “add image” and it will have a Browse button (pictured above). Click Browse, find your picture and upload it. You can add anywhere from one to eight.
Just keep clicking Browse and uploading your pictures. I recommend using anywhere from 4 to all 8 slots. Potential buyers will appreciate seeing as many images of the item as they can so they can see exactly what they are getting.
After you have the images uploaded, click the Done with Images button and it will take you back to the description page where you can review the ad before posting. If everything looks cool, then go ahead and post your ad.
Here are some quick tips about taking pictures:
1. Make sure you clean your item before you snap your shots.
2. Take clear and focused pictures. Crop and edit them if needed.
3. If there is damage on the product, take a close-up pic of the damage. Most buyers can overlook a little damage as long as they know it is there before they show up to buy.
4. Include pictures of any accessories included with the item.
5. Be honest. Online buyers love Craigslist sellers that are honest about the items they sell. Don’t try to hide anything. If you say something is in like-new condition, but there are a lot of scratches, the buyer is going to notice the scratches and you will have an unhappy customer.
The ad will look like this.
Notice, I have included many angles and areas of the Trigger Finger to show it’s exact condition. And in the actual ad, when a buyer puts the mouse over the smaller squares, that photo will show up in the larger area.
Thank you for reading. Please share this post and get a human at 800 USPS!