Powersellers Blog

eBay has recognized the power of using video on the web. Sellers can now either link a video or embed it right into their listing. Creating a short video of your product can make your listing more informative.

A short video can demonstrate how a product works or show the condition of a piece better than a written description or even a picture. Videos have to adhere to eBay’s policy that includes among other stipulations that the seller must be the owner of the video. Videos need to be hosted on an approved eBay video hosting site. Some approved video hosting sites include: You Tube, AOL, MySpace, and Microsoft. A complete list is located on the eBay links policy page.

When making videos, there should be ample lighting. Shooting video is different than taking pictures because when shooting video a flash isn’t used. Shooting outside will ensure that lighting is not a problem. If that is not possible, then use a room that has plenty of either natural or artifical light. Keep videos under a minute if possible. While a lot of people do have access to high speed Internet, there are still a lot of people who connect using a dial-up connection.

Here is a nice example of an eBay listing using video. The seller does have an advantage as he is a filmmaker. Making videos takes practice but can be worth the effort and time.

Lynn Little wrote this on June 17th, 2007 and filed it under eBay Resources |