Silent Auctions And Pictures

Why is it important to have pictures with your silent auction items?

Since these auctions are taking place online, people have to be able to see what they are buying.

That is, in general, the philosophy behind many different types of e-commerce. Since there is no brick and mortar showroom where people can come in and handle objects, the seller has to do that for them – by carefully curating and showcasing the condition, and presenting the verified marks of individual items to other web users.

Angles

When you take the pictures, take pictures from various angles.

Early on in the development of the Internet, engineers were looking at the ability to string pictures together for a kind of virtual tour experience. You can see this in certain kinds of street maps and other functions that try to show you a 3D or panoramic view. You can do some of that with your items, too, by snapping shots from a variety of angles. 

Lighting

It’s also important to get your lighting right.

Otherwise, your pictures are going to look washed out, or worse, just shadowy and dim. In that context, it’s hard to see items or verify their make, or figure out what condition they’re in. That makes it hard for people to participate and want to put bids in on these items, or otherwise participate in your silent auction.

Full Descriptions

For the best silent auction, it’s also important to do your own research as a seller.

Then you show off the characteristics of these objects that make them more salable, for example, a particular brand, vintage or style.

Some of this can be documented with photos, but a lot of it has to be written. Better descriptions lead to better results.

Consignment

Look at our rules on consignment items, where you can have items consigned for a silent auction. This is another way to optimize how you approach an auction in which donors are contributing items for a cause, or to support a fundraising effort.

This kind of crowdsourcing is one of the most powerful achievements that the Internet has brought us. Our platform is based on making that concept easy and efficient. For more about how these silent auctions work, check out the rest of the website, and you’ll see why this is such a popular way to directly work with items, whether they’re donated for a cause or part of a private sale.