Best Photos for Your Classified Ad: Do's and Don'ts

Photos are the first — and sometimes only — thing that determines whether a buyer clicks into your listing at all. A few small changes can make a big difference in response rate.

Do

• Use natural light. Shoot near a window during the day rather than relying on overhead artificial lighting, which tends to distort colour.
• Use a clean, uncluttered background. A plain wall or floor keeps attention on the item, not your living room.
• Show multiple angles, including close-ups of any wear, damage, labels, or serial numbers — this builds trust and reduces buyer questions.
• Include a photo with a size reference for items where scale isn't obvious.
• Lead with your strongest, most flattering photo as the cover image — it's what shows up in search results.

Don't

• Don't use manufacturer stock photos instead of photos of your actual item — buyers want to see the specific piece they'd be getting, and stock photos read as suspicious.
• Don't over-edit or over-filter photos in a way that misrepresents the true colour or condition.
• Don't crop out visible flaws — undisclosed damage is one of the most common causes of buyer disputes after a sale.
• Don't upload blurry or very low-resolution images — buyers often skip listings they can't examine properly.

A quick pre-upload checklist

Before publishing, ask yourself: would these photos give a stranger enough information to buy this item sight-unseen with confidence? If not, a few more shots now save a lot of back-and-forth messaging later.