Ok so you've decided to sell your classic, and like a lot of people have turned to ebay.

 

Some sellers are under the impression that a half-decent description and a few blurry, badly lit photos of half a car will convince any would be buyers to part with thier hard earned cash.

Lets face it, poor photos can reduce the final selling price of a car. Understanding what types of photos people need to see in order to make an informed decision about buying a car can help us put together a list of Do's and Dont's for putting together your ebay ad.

Before you start

Even before you reach for the camera, Stop! Is your Car clean and shiny? Is the interior clutter free? Small details such as these can make a big difference to your pictures. Not only does a clean and tidy car look better it gives the impression that it is well cared for.

 

The Interior

A suprising number of people 'forget' to take photos of the interiors of thier cars whne they are trying to sell them. This is a big mistake, as this is where the buyer will be spending most of thier time. Also interiors are expensive things if they need replacing.

 

Make sure to take at least one good overall interior shot. preferably one of the front seats, one of the rear seats (if any), one photo of the dash area and a close up of the speedo (so people can see the claimed milage is correct).

The Exterior

Ok these are the most important ones. So make sure they are good. Any blurry photos should be discarded as should any with poor lighting. Never take photos at night or in a garage if it can be avoided.

  

You need to take five main exterior photos:

• Overall Shot - a good overall shot of the entire car.
  
  
• Front Shot - Stand in front of the car and make sure the camera is positioned so that only the head on view is seen ( approx the same hight as the drivers head would be is about right)
  
  
• Left Side - Again make sure to get a photo with the entire left side of the car in.
  
  
• Rear Shot - Exeactly the same thing as the Front shot but from behind. People often neglect the back of the car when it comes to taking photos, but its something a buyer would want to see.
  
  
• Right Side - Yet again your trying to take an overall shot of the car from the right without any obstrutions etc.

  

Ok, so you have your main pictures of the exterior. now you should take some close-ups. All those little areas that need some minor attention etc, you will need to take a good close up of these. Most digital cameras come with a Macro setting. This allows the camera to focus better on close up objects capturing more detail making your photographs a better representation of the true state of your car. If your car does not have any areas that will require work, and no signs of rust then A) I don't believe you and B) prove it! no seriously I mean it. Take close-ups of the common problem areas for your car and show what good nick they are in.

The Engine Bay

  

Some of you will never have thought of taking a photo of your engine bay. But We need to see it if we're going to buy your car. It might be worth giving it a clean up before you take you photos as a clean engine bay will add a bit more to the final price.
Just a single overall engine bay shot will do, no close-ups are required unless you have made modifications then these should be highlighted by taking a few snaps.

The Boot

Yep thats right. I bet you never thought of that one. But if you were buying a car off a forecourt would you have a look in the boot? Of course you would, its the place to put all your tools and other gubbins, so how big is it? Classics are prone to water ingress so has it rotted through? These are questions that a serious buyer will want answers to, so give them to them in the form of a clear photo. Bootspaces are quite difficult to photograph, as they are often dark and shaded by the boot lid/tailgate. Make sure to take the photos out side and on a bright day. Avoid using the flash as this creates harsh shadows that obscure details.

The Underside

If you can try to get some snaps of the underside of your vehicle. This shows the condition of the chassis if there is one and also if any welding needs to be done. Again avoid using the flash, instead use a worklight placed behind the camera to illuminate the car, this will produce softer shadows and reduce the obscuring of details. As the camera will be close to the car, you may need to use the macro setting again.