posted on December 17, 2006 02:49:38 AM
You folks are a trove of info! (See Ebay stores or website? thread below).
For years I have watermarked the vintage advertising item images I have posted on Ebay. Only one person has found this distasteful. The reason for watermarking is to discourage browsers from highjacking the image and adding it to their .jpg collection for free.
What say you adsellers? I have browsed several vintage ad websites doing research, and their images are not watermarked.
Mine are watermarked! You can't see them quite as much in my thumbnails... but they're definitely there in the large images.
I don't think there's anything wrong with watermarking. We work too hard creating our listings to let other people steal our images.
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posted on December 17, 2006 11:22:27 AM
Watermarks that are in the center of a photo would work, but the little ones that you find in the bottom of a corner can easily be cut out with adobe.
posted on December 17, 2006 04:28:52 PM
Mike wrote: For years I have watermarked the vintage advertising item images I have posted on Ebay. Only one person has found this distasteful... I have browsed several vintage ad websites doing research, and their images are not watermarked.
The main reason for watermarking your images is to prevent competitors and others from "borrowing" your hard work and profiting from it. We usually have to notify eBay at least once a month that someone is using our photos (and often complete previous eBay listing) without permission. We watermark all our images with our eBay seller ID, which is coincidentally also our website address
A stylish watermark on good images or photos can also help you in build a brand, in conjunction with the "look & feel" design of your eBay auction and store listings. You'd be surprised how many visitors we get to our website from our eBay auctions... probably as many from search engines.
posted on December 17, 2006 04:43:59 PM
I've seen some dreadful watermarks in the middle of a pic that obliterates much of what the buyer wants to see. I sell postcards, not ads and prefer not to watermark because in my market, pics are lifted by collectors, not competitors (I've saved many pics myself, not to profit from them, but for my own enjoyment). I even have emailed collectors with great websites to feel free to copy from my listings (if they give me credit). It's good marketing.
posted on December 17, 2006 09:24:28 PM
Watermarks are easily edited out. I don't use them as they always interfere with the picture quality of the item. If someone is going to steal the photo, they're going to steal it whether it has a watermark or not.
posted on December 18, 2006 05:46:34 AM
agitprop said: We watermark all our images with our eBay seller ID, which is coincidentally also our website address .
Has Ebay given you any grief over that? I thought "any" reference to your .com was forbidden in Ebay auctions.
posted on December 18, 2006 12:59:45 PM
We do not watermark anything. I think it is destracting besides if someone wants our images it is perfectly fine...they are mostly stock and photos found on major search engines anyways. It really is not that big of a deal unless you have a unique one of a kind item that you don't want anyone else getting credit for.
