About The eBay Uploaders

I have gone through the eBay help pages and eBay announcements, and compiled a list together on eBay's uploaders, and troubleshooting problems.

eBay has four different photo uploaders that can be used to upload photos to your listing.

• eBay Standard Uploader - flash uploader overcomes some security roadblocks to uploading


• eBay Basic Uploader - Slower upload of images from personal computer


• eBay Enhanced Uploader - faster, reprocesses images before uploading. Requires Internet Explorer and Windows PC


• Self Hosting - only one image slot for online photo. All other online photos must be inserted in auction description.

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eBay Standard Uploader

The Standard Uploader is intended as a more user-friendly and reliable alternative to the Basic Uploader. It does not include the editing features of the Enhanced Uploader, but does work on multiple browsers and operating systems.

The Standard Uploader requires Adobe Flash and if you don't have a recent version installed, you'll be prompted to install it. If you accept installation you'll be redirected to the Adobe website for that purpose. If you want to pre-install the latest version of Flash, the Adobe installation page is here.

The uploader has features intended to make it more efficient and user-friendly, and more reliable across a range of browser and third-party security software settings.

The features of the Standard Uploader include:

• Real-time upload status information. When you add picture files to upload and click the Upload button, you'll see a progress bar for each file and an overall progress bar that updates every few seconds with the number of kilobytes (KB) of data uploaded and the approximate time remaining.


• Multiple file select. When you click the Browse button to choose the picture files to upload, you can select multiple files at once by holding down the Shift key to select a range of files or the CTRL key to select multiple individual files. There is no need to click the Browse button repeatedly when adding multiple pictures, as required with the Basic Uploader


• (Technical) Upload processing does not involve cross-domain scripting which causes problems for some members using the existing Basic Uploader.

The Standard Uploader is an opt-in feature: no members will be switched to it without their choosing to try it. All other methods for adding pictures in SYI remain unchanged. You can try the Standard Uploader by clicking the Add Pictures button on the Create Your Listing page, selecting the Basic tab (if not already selected) and clicking the Standard Uploader link at the upper right. This will switch the tab from Basic to Standard. To return to Basic, click the Basic Uploader link at the upper right or click any other tab to change to it.

The Standard Uploader is available for use on both PC and Mac with the eBay-recommended Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari browsers, but may also work on other browsers. It is not available for use with eBay Picture Manager. It requires the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player plug-in be installed in your browser. For most members, Flash should already be installed, since market data from Adobe shows that adoption of Flash 9 exceeds 90%.

If you don't have the latest Flash Player installed, you will be prompted to install it from the Adobe web site if you try to use the Standard Uploader. The uploader will not work if you have any security software settings that block Flash content (for example, the Flash Block extension for Firefox). Note that for the Standard Uploader, the Flash plug-in will load only eBay-developed Flash software code, not any 3rd-party software, so there is no security risk of enabling Flash for this specific use.

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eBay Basic Uploader

The Basic Uploader works with eBay recommended Web browsers and may also work with other browsers. No additional software installation is required. Picture size is limited to a 4.0 megabyte (MB) file size.

Note: JavaScript must be enabled for all browsers (see browser’s “Options” or “Preferences” menu item.)

If you use Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer and are having trouble using the Basic Uploader on the Sell Your Item form, or can't see the Browse buttons to upload your pictures, please clear your cache and temporary internet files. If you are unsure how to this, please see here.

If you are not using Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer or if the steps above do not correct the problem, then software such as firewalls, ad blockers, and Web accelerators may be conflicting with eBay Basic Uploader. Please try the following:

Web Accelerators
Disable any ad blockers and web accelerators. Web accelerators—for example, the AOL TopSpeed accelerator—are programs that speed up browsing of some Web sites.

Please try to temporarily disable your Web accelerator software (consult software vendor or ISP documentation for specific instructions). If this enables the Basic Uploader to work, then you will need to disable your Web accelerator whenever you use it. Or, if possible, change its settings to not cache content from "*.ebay.com" Web addresses.

Firewall Settings
Firewalls limit how your computer communicates with Web sites and are an important part of your computer security. However, they can also block content you need to receive or send with eBay and other Web sites. You need only one firewall enabled on your computer and its settings must allow content to flow to and from the eBay.com. As a first step, if your computer runs the Windows XP operating system and you have installed a third-party software firewall (example, Norton Internet Security, ZoneAlarm), then disable the built-in Windows XP firewall if it is also enabled.

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eBay Enhanced Uploader

The Enhanced Uploader requires an ActiveX software download from eBay and is only available when using the Internet Explorer Web browser with Microsoft Windows.

Enables you to upload pictures up to 10 MB in size, enhance brightness, crop, change the contrast, and Autofix (automatically optimize) the picture.

Preview selected pictures before you upload.

Requirements

Requires installing an ActiveX control from eBay.

Only available when using the Internet Explorer Web browser (version 6 or later) with Microsoft Windows (Windows 2000 or later).

JavaScript must be enabled for all browsers (see browser’s “options” or “preferences” menu item).

Accepted File Formats
Picture Services accepts photos that are saved in any of the graphic file formats described below:

JPEG (.jpg file extension)

BMP (.bmp file extension)

GIF (.gif file extension)

TIFF (.tif file extension)

PNG (.png file extension)

eBay Enhanced Picture Uploader is only supported when using the Internet Explorer Web browser (version 6 or later) with Microsoft Windows (Windows 2000 or later). While it may appear to be available and operate on other browsers, such use is not supported by eBay.

To install the eBay Enhanced Uploader ActiveX control software when using Windows XP or Windows 2000, you must be signed on to your computer with a user account configured with local Administrator permissions. You can refer to the Microsoft support article “How To Create and Configure User Accounts in Windows XP” for instructions about how to determine and change the permissions for a user account.

The download and installation time for the eBay Enhanced Uploader ActiveX control software is approximately ten minutes for a dial-up connection and one minute for a broadband connection. You will be prompted to download and install the ActiveX control software whenever the Enhanced tab in the Sell Your Item form’s Add Pictures window is selected and the software is either not already installed, or the installed version is out-of-date.

Internet Explorer settings and third-party ad blocker, pop-up blocker, and firewall software can interfere with the download, installation, and use of the Enhanced Uploader ActiveX control software. If you encounter problems please review the tips here.

If the troubleshooting tips included here do not enable the Enhanced Uploader to work on your computer, then we recommend you try either the Standard or the Basic Picture Uploaders. When you are ready to add pictures to your listing, just click on the tab labeled Standard or Basic in the Add Pictures section of the Sell Your Item Form.

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Self Hosting Your Photos

Instead of uploading your pictures to eBay, you can use another Web service to host your pictures. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may give you some space on the Web where you can store your pictures. The Sell Your Item form has a field where you can enter the Web address (URL) of a picture hosted on the Web. That picture will be displayed in your listing. To display more than one externally hosted picture on eBay, you will have to use HTML in your listing.

You can only add one picture URL in the alotted space that eBay gives. The rest of your picture must be inserted with HTML through the HTML tab. You can learn more about external image hosting here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Error Code SDFB01?

A: The SDFB013 error indicates a problem with the connection to eBay Picture servers. This can be caused by a poor network connection, but most often indicates a software conflict. Pop-up and ad-blockers are two of the programs that can prevent uploaders from loading your pictures. If you use Microsoft Windows with Internet Explorer, please try the instructions below to turn off the built-in pop-up blocker.

1) Open Internet Explorer.
2) Click Tools on the Internet Explorer menu, then select Internet Options...
3) Click the Privacy tab.
4) In the Pop-Up Blocker section, clear the Block pop-ups check box. If there is no check in the check box, click Cancel.
5) Click the Apply button.

Q: What Is Error Code SDFB003?

A: The error code SDFB003 indicates data corruption when connecting to the eBay Picture servers. The most common cause for this is a setting in a firewall. Normally this setting will appear something like "remove unknown headers" and can be disabled to allow you to upload your images. If you are unable to find or adjust such a setting in firewall software you run on your own computer, then your Internet connection is likely filtered by a firewall operated by your Internet Service Provider. You can report the issue to your ISP, requesting that they tell you how to adjust the firewall setting to allow pictures to be uploaded to eBay.

Q: What Is Error Code FP001?

A: Error FP00l is also connection related. Follow the the same steps as SDFB003. Also, make sure that your pictures are named correctly.

When naming your images, keep them short, and use all lowercase letters. There is no reason to have a lengthy name, only you will see it. Never have spaces in your image file names, and never use any characters like @#$%^&*~? Most browsers will not recognize it as a picture file. If you absolutely have to use to words, use a dash (-) or a underscore (_)

Example:

These picture names should not be used:

pic#1
pic#2&3
picture of some nice shoes

This is a good image name:

pic-1
pic_2

Q: Why Can't I Upload Photos Through The Enhanced Uploader with Windows Win98/ME?

A: Although the eBay Enhanced Uploader works on most Windows 98 systems, eBay has not supported it on Windows 98 for more than a year, nor do they support older versions of Internet Explorer. The update to the Enhanced Uploader includes new ActiveX control security features from Microsoft which may be incompatible with Windows 98, since Microsoft ended Windows 98 support.

The Solution: Try restarting your Windows system. If that doesn't help, please try the Basic or Standard Uploader.

Q: Why Do I Receive A Error Message Saying My File Is To Big?

A: Please check the size of your picture. Use your image editing software (such software is usually included as an extra with new digital cameras), and re-size your picture to 4.0 megabyte (4000 KB) in size or smaller. To check the size of the picture file on a Microsoft Windows system, open the folder that contains the picture and select Details on the View menu. The size of the picture file will display in the size column.

If you are on a dial-up connection to the internet (using a phone line), it may take several minutes for each picture to upload to eBay. If you want to make uploads faster, you can use your image editing software to re-compress the picture files before uploading, usually with no noticeable effect on quality. We recommend you not re-compress large files to less than 200 KB or to dimensions less than 1000 pixels on the longest side.


Other Suggestions

1) Image File is not in .jpg or .gif format. You convert them with your image editing program

2) An anti-virus program may be causing loading problems. This is quite common since they are updated routinely and as a result, picture loading may be unknowingly affected. Turn the program off while loading pictures and then back on when loading is completed.

3) Clear your cache and temporary internet files. If you are unsure how to do this, see here

4) If you have haven't defragmented and cleaned your computer in a while, it is a good idea to do that also. If you are unsure how to do this, see here

5) A toolbar may be causing loading problems. Try disabling any add-on toolbar and see if that helps. If you use the eBay toolbar, uninstall it. Later you may want to install the current toolbar version that you can get here

6) Computer is invested with Spyware/Adware. Spyware/Adware is software that performs behaviors such as advertising, collecting personal information or changing the configuration of your computer; generally without obtaining consent. Routinely run the free "Ad-Aware" or "Spybot-Search & Destroy" programs to remove spyware. Locate them by searching in Google.

7) JavaScript is not enabled. In order to use eBay Picture Services, your browser must have JavaScript (Active Scripting) enabled. For IE; go to Tools, Internet Options, Security Tab, Custom Level, and make sure all boxes are enabled under the "Scripting" item. Also go back to Internet Options->Advanced and make sure that "JIT compiler for virtual machine enabled" is checked under the Microsoft VM section.


Before You Ask

Your questions are welcome on the boards, and we will help you to the best of our ability. Before you post, make sure you have done the following. You will find steps and instructions how to do this above.

1) Make sure your image files are named correctly
2) Clear your Cache and Temporary Internet Files
3) Make sure you temporarily disable pop-up blockers, web accelerators and firewall settings
4) Make sure your image sizes are appropriate.