Photographing a unit to the standard, first time
The eight angles we ask for, why a set gets sent back, and how to shoot a badly lit unit without stepping inside it.
A set of photographs is reviewed before the auction is released, and a set that falls short goes back to you rather than onto the site. Getting it right the first time is mostly a matter of knowing what the reviewer is looking for.
We ask for eight angles: a wide shot from the door, each of the four quadrants, the ceiling line and stacking, one close-up of labelled boxes, and one of any appliance. The wide shot is the anchor — every other photograph has to be reconcilable with it.
Do not step inside. The whole value of the set is that it shows the unit undisturbed, and a reviewer can tell when the camera has moved past the threshold.
Bad light is the usual reason a set is rejected. Do not use the flash straight down the unit; it blows out the front boxes and leaves the back wall black. Open the door fully, shoot with the light behind you, and take the quadrant shots from the doorway corners rather than from the middle.