Amazon Sellers Can Add Photos to Used Book and DVD Listings

by: Anonymous Annie

I think this will be a good thing! From time to time I'll purchase a used book or DVD from an Amazon seller, and I'm often hesitant... not knowing whether the ''like new'' or ''good'' description is accurate.

Having actual photos of the actual item will help to reassure people that the used item is worth the price and worth having... or even if it dissuades a buyer from completing the purchase, at least the seller doesn't have to deal with a dissatisfied buyer... someone else will likely come along and decide that the item IS indeed worthwhile.

by: paperdetective

Two reasons why antiques and collectibles sellers will not go to Amazon in great numbers (nor go back to Ebay): 1) The return policy of Amazon is not realistic for used items, 2) Sellers in that class prefer to have their own branding to get return buyers, as they often differentiate tehmselves with their added value services, while Amazon is just a one-size-fits-all 'service level' for new ciommodities. Not that their branding is not great, but it is different, not and attraction for buyers of antiques and colectibles, who usually seek sellers with expertise in their niche market. Ebay used to be a 'laissez faire place' for individual branding, but it left that model behind a long time ago, so most antiques and collectibles sellers worth their salt left.  

by: Basset

As Annie says, an actual photo of a used book or media item has value.

On venues that allow them for the main photo, the ''actual'' photos of media items can make an item stand out in search results - good for the seller. The buyer's value is in seeing the actual item. If they can't be the main photo, at least having them somewhere makes sense.


If it were only possible to picture ''smell''.  

An Amazon used cookbook I purchased smelled amazingly bad upon arrival - made you think ''de-comp'' or ''what died?''.  Smelled up the room & had to be thrown out! ugh!

Scratch-n-sniff listings, hmm...

by: Nan

I wish I could get the picture thing to work for me. I followed the directions exactly, I am listing in the correct category, still - no pic's. *pout*  

by: Done

I sell books, mostly vintage and antique, on both EB and Amazon.  I had been putting up photos on Amazon before that was stopped by them; now it is even better to add photos to my listings, fast and simple to do. Amazon obviously listened to its sellers about the photo policy for books. How nice!  Thanks, Amazon.

by: FREDDY

Maybe it should be mandatory??
Possible way of avoiding returns and potential bad feelings re Amazon.
Of course the sellers that mass upload thousands of books - not financially feasible.

by: Nan

Ina, do you have a source link for that announcement that I can send to Amazon Customer Service?  Because they don't know what I am talking about.  They just told me that this feature was not available for the Books category.

The announcement that you referenced above was definitely in my Seller Central Headlines on Aug 9, but has now disappeared.

@Done - how are you adding photos to your offer listings?

by: Nan

... Ha, well lookie there.  An upload module magically appeared in my inventory listings while I was updating stuff.  Somebody must have flipped a switch.