…make your listing stand out* to earn more credits!

Every Listia Member has the option to add numerous photographs to their listings. Back in 2012 we did a little research and found that more pictures in a listing increased the number of credits earned per item.  Adding photographs to your listing is always recommended. Alas, sometimes a listing with photographs still does not draw the attention desired. This is often due to the quality of the photographs. To improve your photos, follow these 5 simple steps. Your photos will pop off the page, while more and more credits land in your Listia account.

1. Use Natural Light

Indoor lighting can be misleading. Images may look grainy, blurry, or even become a different color with artificial illumination. Taking photos outdoors or near a window will help to better represent your item. Standing in the shade is best, to avoid harsh glares.

2. One Solid Color In The Background

Multiple colors and textures can be distracting. Place your item on a flat surface that is one solid color so it gets all the attention.

3. Eliminate Shadows

Just like patterns and textures, shadows can also take the attention away from your featured item. Holding a piece of plain white paper between the light source and your item can mute and/or eliminate those annoying shadows.

4. Crop Crop Crop!

Crop Your Photo. Just about every digital camera and smartphone give you the option to crop a photo, which means cutting the photo down in size so as to make something in the photo appear larger. The item you are listing should fill the entire frame.

5. Multiple Angles & Close-Ups

Buyers will appreciate numerous photos, so take as many as necessary to represent the item with accuracy, authenticity and beauty.Take a lot of photos from multiple angles. If there is a tag or marker of authenticity to highlight, take a close-up.

*Don’t have a camera? Find one at Listia for free with free shipping.

We have some exciting news to share about a new breakthrough technology we have developed!

Check out our latest press release and discuss below:

Listia Develops Technology to Predict the Ending Price of Auctions 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA /PRNewswire/ — Listia Inc., the world’s largest online trading marketplace, today announced that it has developed a new algorithm that accurately predicts the future ending price of any online auction.

As the fastest-growing trading marketplace on mobile and web, Listia has become the go-to resource for users who want to trade-in unwanted items for spendable credits. Credits can then be applied to any item posted on Listia, allowing users to acquire items they actually need and want, from the latest gadgets to jewelry, gaming systems to baby clothes.

“Our users were tired of trying to win Listia auctions without knowing what the ending price would be, so we worked hard over the last year to develop the world’s first future-price-prediction engine,” said Gee Chuang, CEO of Listia. “The average home in America is riddled with over $7,000 in unused stuff, so we’re thrilled to help people leverage that value to get things they actually want. Now, instead of ‘sniping’ at the last second, our new feature will allow people to simply ‘know’ how much to bid without having to compete with anyone.”

The feature will be rolled out slowly to a group of beta users as a Listia Perk over the next 48 months and is expected to be fully available on April 1, 2034. Users can activate the feature for a small fee.

About Listia

Listia is a trading marketplace that helps anyone turn their unwanted clutter into things they want and need, all for free. Founded in 2009, Listia is headquartered in the heart of Mountain View, CA and is backed by General Catalyst, Andreessen Horowitz, SV Angel, Y Combinator and others. For more information, visit www.listia.com. Download Listia’s mobile app for both iPhone and Android devices.

Edit (4/2/14): Hope everyone enjoyed our April Fool’s joke 🙂 Thanks from all of us at Listia!