Studies show that products with high-quality photos can see conversion rates improve by up to 33% compared to listings with low-quality images. Good product images communicate trust, reduce uncertainty, and help buyers feel confident about what they’re purchasing. When customers don’t have to guess what your product looks like, they’re far more likely to click Add to Cart instead of scrolling past.
Let’s walk through five common product image mistakes that can seriously hurt your conversion rates on Amazon and eBay, and show you how to fix them so you capture more clicks, build more trust, and ultimately sell more.
#1 Using low-quality images that destroy trust and conversions on eBay & Amazon
If your Amazon product images or eBay listing photos are blurry, pixelated, or poorly lit, your chances of selling drop instantly. Shoppers rely completely on visuals to judge quality online. When they can’t clearly zoom in, see textures, read labels, or inspect product details, they lose confidence, and that directly hurts your eBay conversion rate.
Amazon recommends at least 1000 x 1000 pixels so buyers can zoom in. If your photos are too small or lack clarity, the zoom function becomes unavailable, engagement declines, and your listing appears less premium than those of competitors with crisp, professional visuals. The same applies to eBay: clear, high-resolution images signal trust, professionalism, and product quality, while low-quality photos scream “cheap” or “unreliable”.
Use high-resolution, well-lit images, preferably shot on a clean background. Ensure sharp focus, proper brightness, and enough resolution to support zooming. The clearer your visuals are, the more confident shoppers feel, and confident shoppers convert.
#2 Bad lighting & color inaccuracy for Amazon and eBay product listings
One of the fastest ways to destroy buyer confidence on Amazon or eBay is by using product photos with poor lighting or inaccurate colors. When your images look too dark, overly saturated, yellow-tinted, or inconsistent across different photos, shoppers immediately question quality and authenticity; that hesitation directly impacts your Amazon product images' performance and eBay conversion rate.
Lighting doesn’t just make a product look “pretty.” It affects how realistic, professional, and trustworthy your listing feels. If buyers think the product might not look like the image, many will simply leave the page rather than risk disappointment. Even worse, misleading colors can lead to higher return rates, refunds, and negative reviews like “Color not as described”, something every seller dreads.
This problem shows up most with:
- Clothing and fashion products
- Home decor and furniture
- Beauty & cosmetic items
If the lighting is poor, textures look cheap. If colors are off, the product feels unreliable. And if the buyer can’t clearly see details, they simply won’t buy.
Use bright, even lighting (preferably natural or softbox lighting), ensure backgrounds don’t distort color, and always check that product shades match real-life appearance. Color-correcting with editing tools is fine, as long as it remains accurate, not exaggerated.
Clear lighting = clearer expectations.
Clear expectations = higher conversion.
#3 Product images containing unwanted text, camera timestamps, or supplier logos
Nothing screams “unprofessional” faster than product images that still include supplier branding, random watermarks, camera timestamps, pricing overlays, or leftover text. On Amazon and eBay, this is one of the biggest silent conversion killers.
Buyers expect clean, polished product visuals. When they see text overlays or logos that clearly shouldn’t be there, it immediately raises doubts like:
- “Is this product resold from Alibaba?”
- “Is this seller legit?”
- “Was this photo stolen?”
- “Is this product actually trustworthy?”
And once doubt enters the buyer’s mind, your conversion rate drops.
Even worse, platforms like Amazon can penalize listings that contain promotional text, contact info, copyright marks, or distracting overlays. That means not only lower trust, but also potential policy violations, suppressed listings, or reduced visibility.
Instead of manually editing pixel by pixel to remove unwanted things on your product photos, you can save time by using AI watermark & text removal tools like DrWatermark. DrWatermark uses AI to intelligently detect logos, text overlays, watermarks, and timestamps, then it reconstructs the background naturally, so the image looks clean and professional, without blurring or ugly smudges.
If you want your Amazon or eBay product photos to convert, they need to look like they belong to a serious business, not a quick screenshot throw-up. Cleaning your images is one of the smartest upgrades you can make.
#4 Messy backgrounds and cluttered composition
Amazon specifically requires a pure white background for the main image (#FFFFFF), and even on eBay, a neutral or studio-style backdrop dramatically improves professionalism. Keep the product centered, remove distractions, and use lifestyle scenes for other images (not the cover photo) when they genuinely help showcase the product in context.
Messy backgrounds lower perceived product quality, reduce brand credibility, and create the impression of a “cheap store” rather than a trustworthy retail experience. When a shopper compares your listing with another seller using clean, studio-style images, the polished one almost always wins the click.
#5 Using only plain product shots without lifestyle or context images
Another major reason many sellers struggle with conversions is relying only on basic product images without showing how the item is actually used in real life. On platforms like Amazon and eBay, shoppers don’t just want to see your product; they want to imagine owning it.
If your listing only includes studio shots on a white background, it may technically meet platform requirements, but it doesn’t excite buyers or help them visualize the real value of the product. This lack of context often leads to hesitation, lower engagement, and ultimately a weaker eBay conversion rate or fewer sales on Amazon.
Amazon’s top-performing listings almost always include lifestyle photos showing the product being worn, installed, used at home, or enjoyed in real scenarios. eBay buyers behave the same way; when they clearly understand size, use-case, and benefits visually, they are far more likely to click “Buy Now”.
Alongside your standard white background images, include lifestyle shots, usage demonstrations, or in-context visuals. Show the product in action, show how it solves a problem, and help shoppers instantly picture themselves using it.
Read more: How to repurpose a video from Tiktok going viral on Reels and Shorts
Amazon and eBay's best product listing practice: Follow platform guidelines strictly
Amazon is strict because it wants every listing to look professional and consistent. If your images don’t meet standards, Amazon can suppress your listing or hurt visibility.
Key expectations include:
- The main product image must have a pure white background (#FFFFFF)
- The product should fill at least 85% of the frame
- No text overlays, watermarks, borders, or logos
- Image must be clear, high-resolution, and not pixelated
If you break these rules, Amazon may quietly reduce impressions or outright reject the listing. Many sellers don’t realize that low-quality compliance can equal low-quality ranking.
eBay is slightly more flexible but still prioritizes clarity and professionalism. The platform recommends:
Clean, distraction-free backgrounds
- Minimum 500px on the longest side (but higher is better)
- Avoid watermarks or branding elements
- Show multiple angles
- Avoid dark, dull lighting
Unlike Amazon, eBay gives sellers more creativity, but the expectation remains: clean, credible images = higher conversions.
When your visuals look clean, professional, and trustworthy, buyers feel confident. And confidence is what turns interest into sales. So this is the perfect time to take a step back, review your listings, and ask yourself: “Do my product images really look like something people want to buy?”
Clean up distractions, fix lighting, refresh outdated visuals, and remove things that hurt credibility like timestamps, supplier logos, or unwanted text. Tools like DrWatermark can help you quickly remove these visual flaws and give your images a clean, polished, store-ready look.
Because on Amazon and eBay, great images don’t just look better. They convert better.
