A buyer cannot touch the product before they order it. The photos are the product, until the parcel arrives. When the product in the box is not the one in the photos, the buyer feels misled, and a return or a low rating follows.
That makes photos one of the cheapest ways to bring returns down. The aim is not prettier pictures. It is pictures that set the right expectation.
Show the real colour
"Colour different from the image" is one of the most common return reasons in fashion and home products.
- Shoot in daylight near a window, or under daylight-balanced lights. Warm indoor bulbs turn whites yellow and blues purple.
- Avoid heavy filters and colour edits. Correct the white balance and stop there.
- Check the photo on a phone screen, because that is where most buyers will see it.
- If a colour genuinely varies between batches or under different light, say so in the description.
Show the real size
"Smaller than expected" is the other big one.
- Include at least one photo with something familiar for scale: a hand, a phone, a coin, a person wearing it.
- For clothing, show it on a model with the model's height and the size they are wearing written in the description.
- For home and kitchen products, show the item in use, on a table or shelf.
- Add an image with the dimensions marked on it.
Show every side
A buyer who sees only the front assumes the back looks the same.
- Front, back and sides.
- Close-ups of the fabric, the finish, the stitching or the material.
- Labels, buttons, zips, plugs: anything a buyer might ask about.
Show what is in the box
If the photo shows a product with accessories, buyers expect the accessories. Either include them or make a separate photo of exactly what comes in the box. Props in a lifestyle photo that are not included should be obviously props, or left out.
Follow each marketplace's image rules
Every marketplace has its own rules for the main image, such as the background colour, how much of the frame the product fills and whether text is allowed. A main image that breaks them can be suppressed or rejected. Check the current rules in each marketplace's seller help pages, since they are updated from time to time. The other images usually allow more freedom: lifestyle shots, size charts and close-ups.
Use the returns log
The returns themselves tell you which photos are failing. If one SKU keeps coming back with the same reason, start with its photos:
- "Colour different": reshoot in daylight.
- "Smaller than expected": add a scale photo and dimensions.
- "Material not as expected": add a close-up and say what it is made of.
Our guide to handling returns shows how to keep a simple log that makes these patterns visible.
A simple shoot setup
You do not need a studio:
- A recent phone camera.
- A window with indirect daylight, or two inexpensive daylight lamps.
- A sheet of white card or a white wall as a background.
- A small tripod or a stack of books to hold the phone steady.
Shoot every product the same way, and your listings will look consistent too.
Spend the time where it pays
Good photos take time, and that time has to come from somewhere. The Sellerio Seller Toolkit, a free Chrome extension for Amazon, Flipkart and Meesho, takes the daily order routine off your hands: it accepts the day's orders and crops and prints the labels with a pick list1.
Add to Chrome — freeAmazon, Flipkart & Meesho · Free for everyone · No API key or password
It runs in Chrome on a computer. On a phone, send yourself the link.
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