This makes eBay's policies look so tame....Amazon pic rules

[SA]

Saw this posted on a group I'm in.  This dude sells on Amazon:

Policy Enforcement for items having prohibited main images in Shoes category
Thank you for selling on Amazon. Your success is important to us, and we are working continuously to identify opportunities to improve both the selling and buying experience.
Shoes images that meet our Image Guidelines improve the customer experience. To ensure the best possible customer experience, Amazon will hide (suppress) listings that do not meet our Clothing main image requirements.
By the end of Q4 2017, you may see items suppressed due to the following defects in the main image:
- Non-White Background
- Blurry or pixelated image or image with jagged edges
- Image with any text, logo, graphic, or watermarks shown
- Product is cropped or partly not visible in image
- Multiple product views or colors or sizes are shown in image
- Image with a provocative model pose or a model who is not standing
- Packaging or brand or swing tags are shown in image
- Visible mannequin is shown in image
- Excessive propping
- Product on model
Follow these steps to address main image issues, which may lead to search suppression of your ASINs:
1. Go to Inventory > Inventory Reports.
2. Select the “Listing Quality and Suppressed Listing Report”: sellercentral.amazon.com/listing/reports.
3. Click the “Request Report” button.
4. Download the report and review the issues with the Field Name = Main Image URL
5. To correct a problem, upload a new main image that meets Amazon’s Shoes image requirements:
- Image that matches the product title
- Image that is not blurry or pixelated and doesn't have jagged edges
- Image that doesn't show any text, logos, graphics, or watermarks but shows only a real product photo
- Image that shows the entire product without any clipped parts
- Image that shows only one (front) product view (and one color/size), except if several items are sold together as a multi-pack, which must be mentioned in the title
- Image where the model is standing and the pose is not provocative (legs are not spread, arms are along the body, etc.)
- Image that doesn't show any packaging or brand or swing tags
- Image that doesn't show any visible mannequins, hangers, or holders
- Image with pure white background
Note: After you upload the correct main image, expect a 2-day delay to reinstate any suppressed ASIN.
For a comprehensive list of image requirements for Clothing products, refer to the corresponding Style Guidelines: sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/help/200498950
images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/…/Shoes_StyleGuide.…

[kat]

Image where the model is standing and the pose is not provocative (legs are not spread, arms are along the body, etc.)

Arms not along the body is provocative?

[RetroMonde]

Visible mannequin shown in photo? What? Are the clothes just floating in the air? Visible hang tags?

Product on a model? I thought that was okay as long as they were standing at attention with arms close to body and legs together?

Yes Liz, eBay sounds much better now.

[chapeaunoir]

Amazon is horrible - over and above the fact that I hate Bezos, I'd never sell there due to their draconian rules.

[SA]

It's crazy, isn't it!

This dude is a shoe seller. He sells $200K just in shoes on Amazon.

He said he's bringing it all to eBay now.  I think he probably cross listed AMZ/EBAY.

These are crazy rules.  Not suggestions.  RULES that will get your listing suppressed!

[somany]

Ugh. Some of those, hopefully not all, will probably make their way to eBay sometime in the future.

[SA]

I think Amazon is being more strict so their site looks more fluid. And Google pics for Shopping.

Got a pop up on my phone yesterday. Kohl's introduced image recognition search to their site

These changes are kind of industry wide - not just eBay specific!

[val2525]

Oct 18, 2017 11:57:00 GMT SA said:

I think Amazon is being more strict so their site looks more fluid. And Google pics for Shopping.

Makes sense, and reinforces eBay's current advertising theme.

I like the image recognition, but I've used it on Google to find some mystery rental units. Have no idea how it will work with clothes

[chapeaunoir]

I've used image recognition for some time - it's nothing new, really, but it hasn't had widespread adoption.

Looking at Vestaire Collective as I have, they have several rules for photoing, but they serve to make most clothing look awful - they don't allow mannequins of any kind (nor live models, which I'm all for since it knocks out using stock images). It looks like poshmark with the backgrounds removed. So sometimes rules don't work that well.

So many photos on eBay are so awful that I could see having *some* rules, but eBay can barely keep their website running, I don't see them being able to do anything about the photos.

Amazon is at completely the opposite end - very controlling.

[kat]

I haven’t looked at Vestaire, but I love the name.
I can’t find it now, but there was a thread on reddit female fashion advice that mannequins and dress forms are out of style. There was quite a debate. I don’t care how out of style they are, I’m not going to be a model, nor will I arrange the clothes in some bunched up pile on the floor (or backdrop made to look just like a floor). Notice how Anthro and ModCloth have done away with them? I wonder if we’ll see Anthro sweaters doing the flat lay with one arm waving next?

[chapeaunoir]

mannequins and dress forms are out of style

That may or may not be, but I'm not at the effect of some millennial's twitchy fad and will continue using them. Blink and they'll be in style again, or it'll be those cardboard cutouts I saw everywhere in the 00s, or wire mannequins, or the hurl pose will be back, etc. etc.

[kat]

I agree. I see posts daily in Facebook groups with people asking where to get a mannequin or dress form. I don’t see that presentation going anywhere.

[Deleted]

Unless a cat or two qualifies for the random accessories people flomp into their photos, i will not be doing flat lays - that is being influenced by the Pinterest outfit ideas imo.

The desire for uniformity has not so much to do with customer experience as with making it look like you're buying from Amazon and not an individual seller.

[Deleted]

Oct 18, 2017 11:29:40 GMT somany said:

Ugh. Some of those, hopefully not all, will probably make their way to eBay sometime in the future.

Totally agree.

[chapeaunoir]

Nov 7, 2017 11:22:36 GMT @fashionboulevard said:

Unless a cat or two qualifies for the random accessories people flomp into their photos, i will not be doing flat lays - that is being influenced by the Pinterest outfit ideas imo.

The desire for uniformity has not so much to do with customer experience as with making it look like you're buying from Amazon and not an individual seller.

They make it tough to find an individual seller - you have to look for it and find the tiny link. Fortunately, it IS at the top of the page and not buried.

I agree - they want the uniform catalog look - with incredibly junky ugly pages.  Now Etsy has the junky ugly pages, too.

BTW, have people been removing the cross-promotions from their listings? I did and my sales improved. A bit. I'm wondering if all the distraction and the China stuff splashed all over wasn't taking people out of my listing.