Product photos: This is what the item images must look like

A high-quality photo is half the battle on eBay. But that alone is not enough. Because the item pictures must not only show the important details about the product, but the complete scope of delivery should be shown.

This is still not the case with many professional or private eBay auctions. Thus, many traders fall into this trap, which can have quite noticeable effects in online trading. What exactly should be shown on the item images, we would like to explain in detail below. In addition, it is important to ensure that the rights of brand manufacturers are not violated, even when using your own product photos. Otherwise, a warning may be issued.

The complete scope of supply must be to be seen

Professional photos are not mandatory for a profitable eBay auction, but all merchants should still follow one important guideline regarding photos. After all, most customers now expect to see the complete scope of delivery they receive after winning an auction on the pictures. Even the Federal Court of Justice has already dealt with this problem. Because again and again there are online traders, not only on eBay, who use props in their item pictures to present a product. In some cases, it is not clear to the customer whether or not the props are part of the scope of delivery.

For this reason, the Federal Court of Justice even ruled in its judgment of January 12, 2011 (Case No. VIII ZR 346/09) that not only the item description in text form is binding for the purchase contract that arises between the eBay merchant and the winner of the auction. The product photos depicting a certain equipment are equally binding. This is to mean that only products should be depicted in the photo that correspond to the item for sale and secondly, the photos should reflect the actual conditions. So, it is not enough for a seller to rely on a stock photo of any cell phone. Instead, you should photograph the phone for sale yourself to make the actual condition of the device recognizable to buyers. So, the complete scope of the offer should definitely be seen in the photos.

Deviating product photos and item descriptions

There is also a corresponding court decision on this issue, which was handed down by the Arnsberg Regional Court on March 5, 2015. Specifically, the product was a parasol. On the article pictures, this was to be seen including an umbrella stand as well as concrete plates. However, the base plates were not part of the actual scope of delivery, which the buyer complained about. Although the online retailer had pointed out in its article description that the concrete slabs were not part of the scope of delivery, this was not sufficient for the competent court. Rather, it came to a judgment against the responsible online retailer, who had thus engaged in deceptive advertising.

All eBay sellers in particular should keep this court decision in mind. Because this procedure is quite usual with the auction house and many salesmen represent articles on their product photos, which do not belong at all to the actual scope of supply. Thus, the Arnsberg Regional Court ruled in favor of those consumers who only briefly skim the auctions or online offers and do not even take a look at the complete item description. Although the court admitted that a buyer who had looked more closely at the offer could have recognized that the concrete slabs were not part of the scope of delivery, this did not help the convicted online trader.

Useful practical tips for flawless product photos

Thus, it is very important that all eBay sellers and online retailers refrain from using product photos of similar items multiple times for different products. In any case, the actual product should be shown in the pictures. While the complete equipment does not necessarily have to be shown, it is of course reasonable to do so. Of course, the scope of delivery may exceed the items seen in the photos, but the reverse is just not possible.

If there are discrepancies between the actual product and the item images, the trouble with customers is as good as pre-programmed. This can lead to warnings. In addition, many large brand manufacturers take action in such