How to photograph cards to sell online
What TCGplayer, eBay and Whatnot require in listing photos, the shots every card needs, and how to light and frame a card so buyers can judge its condition.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 6 min read
To photograph a card for sale, shoot the exact copy you are selling, front and back, on a plain background, with the flash off and the whole card in the frame. Then add close-ups of the edges, the corners and every flaw. Each marketplace adds its own rules. TCGplayer takes up to five JPG photos at least 750 pixels wide, and requires your own photos for graded, signed and most non-English cards. eBay takes up to 24 and asks for at least 500 by 500 pixels. Whatnot wants photos of the actual item, with at least one clear shot of all of it.
What does each marketplace require?
| TCGplayer | eBay | Whatnot | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When your own photos are needed | Listings with Photos, required for graded, signed and most non-English cards | Photos of each item you sell | Photos of the actual item |
| How many | Up to 5: a main image and 4 more | Up to 24; the first shows in search results | Videos up to 30 seconds where your account has them |
| What to show | The exact item: both sides at a minimum, and extra shots of defects, unique markings and edges | Both sides, any notable flaw, and the grading label on a slab | At least one sharp, uncropped photo of the full item that shows its condition |
| What not to add | Stock photos, people or selfies, borders, added text or graphics, store logos, web addresses and promotional wording | Overlaid words, graphics, logos or watermarks | Stock photos alone, or images that send buyers to a different item |
TCGplayer wants JPG, at least 750 pixels wide, up to 15 MB, while eBay wants at least 500 by 500 pixels, with 1,600 by 1,600 recommended. TCGplayer allows a watermark if it does not block the picture; eBay says not to add one.
TCGplayer’s exceptions for non-English cards are Magic cards in a language its catalog offers and Japanese Pokémon cards already in its catalog, and it files Korean and Chinese Pokémon cards under its Pokémon Japan category. Other non-English cards go up as Listings with Photos, with the language spelled out in full in the title and description. On Whatnot, an autographed item must be certified by one of the companies Whatnot names, and with one exception the listing needs a photo of the certification card.
Which shots does every card need?
Plan a whole set of photos, in this order:
- The full front. eBay puts your first photo in search results and asks for the item centered and fully visible. TCGplayer calls it the main image. Use it to show the whole card square to the camera.
- The full back. TCGplayer suggests a front and a back photo on every listing as a minimum, and eBay’s card guide lists both.
- The edges and corners. TCGplayer’s tips name edges among the extra shots. Wear on edges and corners counts against a raw card’s condition, and our guide to card condition explains how each flaw moves a card down the scale.
- Every flaw, close up. TCGplayer asks for defects and unique markings, and eBay’s photo tips want a close-up of anything marked, damaged or worn.
- The label, on a slab. eBay’s card guide asks for any grading label, and for the grader, the numerical grade and, as it recommends, the cert number in the listing. Make the label readable in at least one photo.
- The certificate, on a signed card. Whatnot requires it.
If you sell several copies of one card separately on TCGplayer, each copy needs its own listing with its own photos.
How should you light and frame a card?
Use a plain background. eBay recommends an uncluttered space and a white or neutral background, and its card guide says white backdrops make the item easier to see.
Turn off the flash. Beyond that, eBay’s advice differs: bright overhead light in its photo tips, soft, diffused light in its card guide. Try both and keep whichever shows the surface without glare.
Fill the frame without cutting the card off. eBay asks you to center the item and fill as much of the frame as you can. Whatnot asks for at least one photo that shows the entire item with no cropping. For a card, that means all four edges in view, with little space around them.
Keep it sharp and large. eBay says photos should not look blurry or pixelated, and recommends 1,600 by 1,600 pixels. TCGplayer asks for the highest quality you can upload, so buyers can zoom in. A photo of 1,600 by 1,600 pixels clears both sites’ minimums.
Leave the photo as it is. eBay’s photo tips say to avoid filters. TCGplayer bans photos that misrepresent the item, along with added borders, text or artwork.
eBay’s app can swap a photo’s background for plain white or a studio color, and offers generated scenes too. Its own advice is to use generated backgrounds for only a few photos and keep the item the focus. For a card, plain white keeps attention on the condition.
What gets a photo removed?
Each site lists what it does not allow:
- TCGplayer may remove photos that misrepresent the item, along with stock images (a flag used to show a card’s language counts), promotional messages and anything added to the picture, such as frames, text or graphics. Photos of people and selfies are barred too. A buyer can report a listing, and TCGplayer may deactivate a seller’s inventory for breaking the policy.
- eBay says overlaid words, graphics, logos or watermarks can keep your images out of other sites’ search results.
- Whatnot does not allow listings without photos, listings with only stock photos, or images meant to draw attention to a different item.
The watermark rule is where the sites disagree most. A small copyright mark that leaves the card visible is fine on TCGplayer but goes against eBay’s advice. If you list one card on both, a clean photo works everywhere.
Why do good photos protect the seller?
On TCGplayer, the photos are part of the deal. If a Listing with Photos order matches the photos, title and description, the seller does not have to accept the card back. A buyer with a condition problem must contact the seller within 30 calendar days of the estimated delivery date. eBay makes the same case: photos that show every detail leave buyers more satisfied with what arrives, and cut down on returns. Whatnot requires the title and description to describe the item’s condition accurately, and the photos are how a buyer checks that.
So photograph the card in the state you will ship it. Once it sells, our guide to shipping raw cards covers packing, and shipping a graded card yourself covers a slab.
What should you check before you upload?
- The photos show this copy, not a similar one.
- The front is first, whole and sharp.
- The back, edges, corners and each flaw have their own shots.
- A slab’s label, or a signed card’s certificate, is readable.
- Nothing is added: no borders, logos or text, and no watermark on eBay.
- The files meet each site’s size: at least 750 pixels wide for TCGplayer, and at least 500 by 500 for eBay.
Then price the card from recent sales. Our guide to pricing cards to sell sets out the method, where to sell cards online compares the fees, and the glossary defines card condition and Near Mint.
Frequently asked questions
How long can a TCGplayer photo listing's title and description be?
The custom title holds up to 255 characters and the description up to 5,000. Put words like signed or autographed, and the signer's name, in the title of a signed card so buyers find it.
Does scanning a slab on Whatnot add a photo to the listing?
No. Scanning a slab in Whatnot's iPhone app fills in its details, but you upload a photo of the slab separately afterward.
What must a TCGplayer photo listing's description say?
The number of items in the listing, the language in full for a non-English card, any damage or change such as a signature, and any extras included, like sleeves or dice.
What prices does TCGplayer show while you list a card with photos?
The figures for that card's standard listings, as a guide: the Market Price in TCGplayer's app, or the Market Price, Lowest Listing and your own Marketplace Price in the Seller Portal. A signed card or a printing error can be priced well above them.