If you've ever bought anything online you'll know there are some important differences from buying on the highstreet - most noteably is the fact that you can't physically touch or see the item you are intending to buy. It is for this reason that presenting a product that you wish to sell online is so important, you must give as much detail as possible and you also need to give an attractive visual representation of what you are trying to sell.

Whilst we actively encourage buyers to turn up and view/ test drive a vehicle at all times before committing to buy it is still well worth a sellers time to present their car or campervan in the best light possible. On average our stats show that listings with photos attract over 300% more clicks than those without photo's, if you can post several quality images we suspect you could even improve on that number quite significantly. In short several good quality photos alongside a clear and comprehensive description can generate more interest in your listing and help you sell your vehicle faster and for more money.

But what makes a good photo, here are our tips for getting the best shots of your car or campervan:

Good practice

• Focus on the vehicle: We know there is some stunning landscape around Australia and whilst a wide angle shot of Uluru with your campervan tucked away in the corner may look impressive it does nothing to promote your van. Make your vehicle the focus of the shot - a plain background that contrasts with your car is best as it does not detract attention.
• Use different compositions: 3 shots of the front of your van don't exactly complement each other too well, try and make every photo you upload different so that they each add value to your listing. We reccommed:
  • Full size shots of your car or campervan from different angles
  • Shots of the interior
  • A photo of the engine
  • Photos of any extras/ equipment that you are including in the sale - setting the equipment up is a great way of demonstrating it's use
• Document wear and tear: Honesty is always the best policy, you could avoid all the dents and rust on your van, but it would just waste everyones time when buyers came to see the vehicle in person! If there any flaws or damage be sure to document them in your photos, that way you are more likely to attract genuine buyers.
• Balance your image size: We reccommend shooting your photos at medium resolution for the best comprimise between size and quality. Our site cannot accept images larger than 1.5mb, besides you wouldn't want to wait around in an internet cafe to upload an image much bigger than that anyway! If you are unable to edit your own images you can send them to images@vanexchange.com.au and we will process them for you.

Bad practice

Bad practice involves anything that directly contradicts our good practice guidelines above, but also includes:

• Stealing or copying other users photos: It may be tempting if there are similar looking campervans to just 'borrow' their picture, but this will just lead to dissapointment for both parties when the buyer comes to view the vehicle.
• Modifying/ altering your images: Modifying or altering your image so that it does not look like the original is pointless. Enhancing an image by cropping it or improving the colours is fine.

This all might sound like a lot of hard work, but if you look back through pictures of your travels you may find you already have a few shots that match these criteria. What's more people often spend most of their time leaning out the window to take their photos, but you shouldn't forget to turn around now and again and take a few good photos of your campervan, after all it's most likely been your home for the last few months!