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Inserting Large Scans Into Ebay Listings Via HTML

Started by Boozad,

17 posts in this topic

Boozad

Boozad

Posted
Posted

I've seen it asked a few times about how to insert large scans into the body of your eBay listing, so I've knocked up a quick tutorial.

 

Step 1:

 

Scan in your book and resize the scan to the desired size. I use Adobe Photoshop CS2 and resize my scans to 1200 pixels in width while keeping the aspect ratio.

 

Then upload your scan to whichever hosting site you prefer (Photobucket, ImageShack etc), there are plenty around and it's pretty easy these days to set up your own.

 

Step 2:

 

The following piece of code is what you will need to use to embed your image into your listing. It may be a good idea here to set up dedicated templates for your listings. I have a template for raw books and a template for CGC books, this saves me having to alter more info than I need to every time I list an item.

 

Below is screenshot of how one of my listings would look without the scan. I'm altering a Final Crisis #6 I sold to a Batman #237.

 

1.JPG

 

 

 

 

Once you've built your listing, click on the HTML tab highlighted in the above screenshot. You will then need to insert the following piece of code where you would like your scan to appear:

 

b]

 

Here is a screenshot of the HTML page. It can be a bit daunting due to all the HTML code in there as to where to put it. So decide which pieces of text in your listing you would like your image to appear between and find the exact wording in the HTML code. Then enter a new line and paste the text in.

 

2.JPG

 

Step 3:

 

Copy the URL of your hosted scan, then paste that into the HTML code you've placed in your listing. Make sure you only replace the capitalised bolded letters, if you remove anything else of the code the image will not appear.

 

Step 4:

 

Click back onto the 'Standard' tab to check your image appears how and where you want it to. The book below is not for sale, it's just the first scan I came across!

 

3.JPG

 

 

NOTE:

 

By saving your listings as templates, every time you list another item you will only have to replace the scan URL as the HTML image code will have been saved in the template. That makes it a damn sight easier and quicker to draw up new listings without starting from scratch and negates the need for you to keep re-inserting the HTML code.

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the1stfo

the1stfo

Posted
Posted

Gav,

 

I use this exact same method on all my auctions and highly recommend it

 

However, there is a major loophole in this technique that could be exploited by unscrupulous sellers. Imagine that robojobo or any other of your favorite dishonest sellers puts up a listing using this method and links to a file out there on website or ftp server. The code that the seller uses may look something like this:

 

amazingfantasy15.jpg

 

Ok, now the file amazingfantasy15.jpg that is now embedded in this listing, is a scan of a really nice looking copy of AF15 so you decide to (over)bid on it and actually end up winning the thing. :banana:

 

So, a week passes and finally your book shows up and...hey wait a second, this copy is all creased and dirty and looks absolutely nothing like the image from the auction listing that you remember. So you rush over to your computer, pull up the closed auction listing and what the hell!?! The original listing now contains an image of this ratty piece of mess copy you now hold in your hands and not the good looking copy that you thought you were bidding on. What happened here? Well, it's quite simple. Since ebay has no way of controlling what sits on the other webserver where that image file resides, all the seller has to do is overwrite the original picture with a different file of the same name. So, now the original listing has been compromised and looks like the item that was auctioned is the copy that you recieved. It's basically your word versus the sellers in any kind of dispute over the item not being received as described and I'm not sure what lengths if any ebaypal would go to to really determine what went on.

 

It's not a very likely scenario, but hey it is ebay we're talking about and scumbags abound. My advice is to take screenshots or print the closed auction listing of any major purchase where an html embedded image is involved.

 

 

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Boozad

Boozad

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That's an interesting point, and one that I'd thought of before. The only reason I don't worry about it too much is that hi-res scans are available freely over the net now, if an unscrupulous seller wants to find a scan of a particular book he will.

 

I always remove my scans from my hosting site as soon as an item ends too, so at least they are only up there for ten days.

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the1stfo

the1stfo

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That's an interesting point, and one that I'd thought of before. The only reason I don't worry about it too much is that hi-res scans are available freely over the net now, if an unscrupulous seller wants to find a scan of a particular book he will.

 

I always remove my scans from my hosting site as soon as an item ends too, so at least they are only up there for ten days.

 

Yes, high res photos (or low res for that matter *cough *cough Trey Cannon) can always be stolen and used in a listing, but what I'm talking about is actually swapping the original image file out after the auction has ended in so that the closed auction listing contain an image of a lesser copy of the book.

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Boozad

Boozad

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That's an interesting point, and one that I'd thought of before. The only reason I don't worry about it too much is that hi-res scans are available freely over the net now, if an unscrupulous seller wants to find a scan of a particular book he will.

 

I always remove my scans from my hosting site as soon as an item ends too, so at least they are only up there for ten days.

 

Yes, high res photos (or low res for that matter *cough *cough Trey Cannon) can always be stolen and used in a listing, but what I'm talking about is actually swapping the original image file out after the auction has ended in so that the closed auction listing contain an image of a lesser copy of the book.

 

I get you, I thought you meant it was a way of having your photos lifted.

 

Yeah I can see that happening, but I would expect any sellers practicing that sort of behaviour to be getting a lot of negs against them.

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the1stfo

the1stfo

Posted
Posted
That's an interesting point, and one that I'd thought of before. The only reason I don't worry about it too much is that hi-res scans are available freely over the net now, if an unscrupulous seller wants to find a scan of a particular book he will.

 

I always remove my scans from my hosting site as soon as an item ends too, so at least they are only up there for ten days.

 

Yes, high res photos (or low res for that matter *cough *cough Trey Cannon) can always be stolen and used in a listing, but what I'm talking about is actually swapping the original image file out after the auction has ended in so that the closed auction listing contain an image of a lesser copy of the book.

 

I get you, I thought you meant it was a way of having your photos lifted.

 

Yeah I can see that happening, but I would expect any sellers practicing that sort of behaviour to be getting a lot of negs against them.

 

True, I'd also expect Robojobo to get a lot more negs than he does as well.

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Boozad

Boozad

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The trouble with him is people probably don't realise they need to leave a neg before it's way too late. And there are a lot of people out there who write off a lot of bad dealings as they don't want to leave negative feedback.

 

If everybody negged on a bad deal there would be hundreds of eBayers out there which much less chance of ripping people off.

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the blob

the blob

Posted
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I've seen it asked a few times about how to insert large scans into the body of your eBay listing, so I've knocked up a quick tutorial.

 

Step 1:

 

Scan in your book and resize the scan to the desired size. I use Adobe Photoshop CS2 and resize my scans to 1200 pixels in width while keeping the aspect ratio.

 

Then upload your scan to whichever hosting site you prefer (Photobucket, ImageShack etc), there are plenty around and it's pretty easy these days to set up your own.

 

Step 2:

 

The following piece of code is what you will need to use to embed your image into your listing. It may be a good idea here to set up dedicated templates for your listings. I have a template for raw books and a template for CGC books, this saves me having to alter more info than I need to every time I list an item.

 

Below is screenshot of how one of my listings would look without the scan. I'm altering a Final Crisis #6 I sold to a Batman #237.

 

1.JPG

 

 

 

 

Once you've built your listing, click on the HTML tab highlighted in the above screenshot. You will then need to insert the following piece of code where you would like your scan to appear:

 

b]

 

Here is a screenshot of the HTML page. It can be a bit daunting due to all the HTML code in there as to where to put it. So decide which pieces of text in your listing you would like your image to appear between and find the exact wording in the HTML code. Then enter a new line and paste the text in.

 

2.JPG

 

Step 3:

 

Copy the URL of your hosted scan, then paste that into the HTML code you've placed in your listing. Make sure you only replace the capitalised bolded letters, if you remove anything else of the code the image will not appear.

 

Step 4:

 

Click back onto the 'Standard' tab to check your image appears how and where you want it to. The book below is not for sale, it's just the first scan I came across!

 

3.JPG

 

 

NOTE:

 

By saving your listings as templates, every time you list another item you will only have to replace the scan URL as the HTML image code will have been saved in the template. That makes it a damn sight easier and quicker to draw up new listings without starting from scratch and negates the need for you to keep re-inserting the HTML code.

 

 

What is the piece of code that is now missing? I find it irritating that I used to get nice big scans via photobucket on ebay and now they're smaller and I'm using the same HTML I used to use and all of that.

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