There’s a couple things you gotta know about using photos from the internet for your product listings:

First, every photo is SOMEONES work because a person, somewhere, had to use a camera to take that image.

Second, there is a lot of confusion regarding what a "Stock Photo" actually IS.  These are NOT “stock photos”:

The jeans shown above are “Google Image Searched". All of these jeans images belong to the company who took the photos (for example, Saks, Madewell, Old Navy, etc). And these are also NOT stock photos:

The photos of the body care shown above belong to Bath & Body Works.  Bath & Body Works does not allow people to use their images.  Even if you bought a Bath & Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom lotion FROM BathandBodyWorks.com, you still do not have the right (or permission) to use their photo of it. And lastly, these are not stock photos:

The body washes in the third picture belong to BigBrandWholesale, because we took those 4 images, although we don't really care if people steal our images.  My point is that Google Searching to find an image you can “take” is NOT the same as “stock photos”. In fact, photos are automatically copyright protected when they are uploaded the very first time. This means that if you use a photo that you do not have PERMISSION to use, you can be sued.  And I can tell you right now, if you ASK most sellers if you can use their photos, you will likely be slammed with a "HELL NO!".  And, if you ask a company like Victorias Secret Pink if you can use their images, they will forward your information directly to their legal team and you will get a nice little Cease & Desist Letter.  (eek!)

Now let’s discuss what a Stock Photo IS. There are 2 types of Stock Photos.

1. PAID STOCK PHOTOS:  Stock photos usually are not “free” (but there ARE some exceptions!!! We will discuss this more tomorrow). For example, on ShutterStock.com you can get 10 images for free, then you can buy additional stock photos:

2. FREE-TO-USE STOCK PHOTOS:  These are also called "Creative Commons" and you will usually see a note like  this on the Stock Photos website:

And you should also see a second note that says what you CAN'T do, which includes stuff like "Reselling the Photos", because you have no right to take someone elses work then use it to profit in this manner. Make sense? But we still have to answer the question posed in the title of this article...

SHOULD I USE STOCK PHOTOS? 

You wouldn't believe the amount of times per month people ask us to send them "stock photos" of the merchandise they purchased from us. .... I have always thought it was a strange request because we aren't given any "stock photos" and all of the images on our site are photos we took in our video room at our warehouse... so, like, wth?  The buyer wants US to take images for them to use... for FREE???  It turns out that (mostly brand new) ecommerce sellers simply don't want to take photos. They feel that it's boring, tedious and that a "stock photo" is flat out "easier". Sooooo....I guess we could mostly call it "laziness".

Today I am going to share with you why you should avoid using stock photos whenever possible.

First, did you know that stock images are considered to be "potential scams"? Yep, people looking at your listings see that you are using the image from VictoriasSecret.com or Macys.com and they wonder if you even actually HAVE the product or if you are just trying to trick them into buying. In fact, according to a SurveyMonkey report, 66% of adults in the US say that trust is one of the biggest factors when it comes to decision making online. Also, factually, people shop by photo more than anything else, so if the potential buyers first impression of your company is a stock photo you are blowing tons of leads just by being lazy.

The second problem with stock ecommerce photos is that they are all different styles and sizes, so you end up with a hack job looking website that really looks like you either didn't care or are a scammer....either way, this doesn't convert to sales.  And you may be thinking, "I've been selling stuff, so this isn't true!"... here's some data for you:

Also, people find stock photography to be boring. Its 2020 and people want to see other "real people" and "real products". For example, Nike’s ads got a 300% higher click-through rate when they used pictures that showed real customers wearing or using the product than with stock photos! That's massive! Even a financial services website snagged a 35% increase in online sign-ups when they replaced a picture from stock photography websites with the founder’s real picture.... like I said, people want to see REAL people and photos YOU took of the product. 

WHAT IF I CONTINUE TO USE "GOOGLE SEARCHED" IMAGES?

Well, this is a "crime", like literally.  You are in violation of copyright laws.  This isn't a crime you will go to jail for, but you can be sued to high hell and you WILL LOSE YOUR SELLING ACCOUNTS.   In fact, big companies (like Macys, VS, Nordstrom, etc) have legal teams that spend their time hunting down "evil doers" and basically harass them, threaten expensive lawsuits and file "Copyright Infringement Complaints" with eBay, Amazon, etc.  It would royally suck to lose your account over something so petty!  Taking photos is NOT hard.  It only feels hard when you first start! 

The bottom line here is: If you truly want to be successful as an online seller, you gotta take your own photos.