--- title: "Trade Me listing photos: the item on white | Herofab" description: "Upload a phone photo of a new item. Herofab delivers it alone on white for a Trade Me main photo; flaws stay in the seller's own photos." url: https://herofab.app/tools/product-photos-for-trade-me language: en updated: 2026-10-12 --- # The main Trade Me photo, the item and nothing else. Trade Me's main photo, shown in search results and first on the listing, must contain the item being sold, and photos carry no logos, borders or marketing text. Herofab's packshot studio delivers the item alone on white. Trade Me also asks that flaws are shown clearly, so a used item is shown in the seller's own photos. [Start free](https://app.herofab.app/login?lang=en) · [Packshot studio](https://herofab.app/tools/packshot-studio) ![Black-dial watch with a mesh strap on white, three-quarter view](https://herofab.app/img/ex/watch-packshot-1100.webp) Made with Herofab · Packshot studio ## What Trade Me's photo guidelines ask of a seller. 1. ### The main photo contains the item The main photo displays in search results and comes first on the listing, and it must contain the item being sold. Other items in a photo are only there to help the buyer. A packshot shows the item once, centred and filling most of the frame, without props, people or hands, so the picture seen in search is the item for sale. 2. ### Flaws stay in the seller's own photos Trade Me asks that photos clearly show any product flaws or defects. A packshot is a generated studio image of the product and not a record of the wear on one particular item. A used or marked item is therefore shown in the seller's own photographs, scratches and scuffs included, and packshot studio is kept for goods that are sold new. 3. ### No logos, borders or marketing text Logos, artwork, photo borders, contact details, website addresses and marketing text such as low-stock notices are not allowed on photos. A packshot made on a plan or with a credit pack is delivered with no watermark or wording on it. Trade Me may remove photos or hide a listing from search until its guidelines are followed. ## What Trade Me asks for. Source: [Trade Me Help — Marketplace photo and video guidelines; Trouble adding photos or videos to your listing; Editing a live listing; Listing policies](https://help.trademe.co.nz/hc/en-us/articles/360007264991-Marketplace-photo-and-video-guidelines). Checked 12 October 2026. - **Minimum:** At least 500 pixels on any one side - **File size:** Up to 5 MB - **Formats:** PNG, JPG, BMP or GIF - **Number:** A listing can include up to 20 photos - **Main image:** The main photo, the one that displays in search results and first on the listing, must contain the item being sold - **Watermarks:** Small, transparent watermarks for ownership or attribution only, up to 5% of the image area and with at least 50% transparency - **Not allowed:** Watermarks, logos, artwork, photo borders or text conveying messages such as low stock or other marketing; contact details, website addresses or other branded marketing; images that breach intellectual property rights, such as images found online - **Flaws and props:** Photos clearly show any product flaws or defects, and other items in the photo are only there to help the buyer - **Enforcement:** If the guidelines are not followed, Trade Me may remove the photos or hide the listing from search results until the images comply - **Who it applies to:** The policy is written specifically for in-trade sellers and is described as a good guide for casual sellers too [Trade Me product image requirements](https://herofab.app/guides/trade-me-photo-requirements) · [Check your images — free](https://herofab.app/tools/image-size-checker) ## Photographing an item for a Trade Me main photo. - Take the source photo of the item that is actually for sale: Trade Me allows no image that breaches intellectual property rights, such as one found online, and the packshot is built from what this photo shows. - Move cups, cables and other household objects away from the item where that is easy; the tool is briefed to use only the product, but an object lying across it hides a part for good. - For a second-hand item, photograph each mark, chip or worn corner close up and upload those photos unaltered, since Trade Me wants flaws clearly shown. ## Product photos for Trade Me, answered. **Is a packshot suitable for a second-hand item on Trade Me?** Not as the record of its condition. Trade Me asks that photos clearly show any flaws or defects, and a generated packshot is not a photograph of the marks on one particular item, so a used item is shown in the seller's own photos. For goods sold new, packshot studio delivers the product alone on white and is briefed to keep its shape, colours, materials and labels. **Which download does a Trade Me listing take, PNG or JPG?** Both formats are on Trade Me's list, together with BMP and GIF, but the JPG is the safer file: Trade Me limits the weight of a photo and a 2K PNG can be heavier than that. Pixel size is not the constraint, because Trade Me's minimum applies to one side of the photo and square 2K output is above it. Both limits can be read in the table on this page. **Who has to follow Trade Me's photo guidelines?** The policy is written specifically for in-trade sellers, and Trade Me describes it as a good guide for casual sellers too. A listing can include photos up to a stated number, so a clean main photo can be followed by further angles of the same product, front, three-quarter, side or top-down, and by close-ups the seller has taken. **How much does it cost?** 4 credits per image, plus one credit for 4K. The cost is shown before you generate, and if a job fails the credits are returned. The 20 free credits at sign-up cover 5 images with this tool. [Packshot studio](https://herofab.app/tools/packshot-studio) · [Product studio](https://herofab.app/tools/product-photography) · [Main image](https://herofab.app/glossary/main-image) · [Pure white background](https://herofab.app/glossary/pure-white-background) · [Packshot](https://herofab.app/glossary/packshot) Examples by product [Product photos for Etsy](https://herofab.app/tools/product-photos-for-etsy) · [Product photos for Shopify](https://herofab.app/tools/product-photos-for-shopify) · [Product photos for Faire](https://herofab.app/tools/product-photos-for-faire) · [Product photos for Squarespace](https://herofab.app/tools/product-photos-for-squarespace) · [Product photos for Wix](https://herofab.app/tools/product-photos-for-wix) · [Product photos for BigCommerce](https://herofab.app/tools/product-photos-for-bigcommerce) · [Product photos for Shopware](https://herofab.app/tools/product-photos-for-shopware) · [Product photos for Webflow](https://herofab.app/tools/product-photos-for-webflow)