A photo file system for resellers: SKU in every file name

A photo you can't find is a photo you have to retake

After a few hundred listings, a phone camera roll becomes a jumble of near-identical shots. Finding the flaw photo for a sweater you sold in March, because the buyer just opened a claim, can take longer than the original listing did. A simple naming and folder system fixes that, and it costs only a few seconds per item.

This guide sets up a photo file system for resellers, with notes on how long platforms keep your photos and why your own copies matter, using pages from eBay and Etsy checked November 8, 2026.

Why keep your own copies

Step 1: Give every item a SKU

A SKU (stock-keeping unit) is a short code unique to each item. Keep it simple and sortable. In this chosen example, a seller uses the bin number and a running item number:

• B03-011: bin 3, item 11.
• B03-012: bin 3, item 12.

Write the SKU on a tag attached to the item and in your inventory sheet. The small-space storage guide shows how bins and SKUs work together.

Step 2: Name photos by SKU and order

Rename photos so they sort into the order you'll upload them:

Two-digit numbers keep 10 after 09. An "E" prefix marks evidence photos, such as dating clues for vintage, that you keep but may not upload.

Step 3: Use one folder per item

Create a folder for each SKU, with all photos inside. Group item folders by month listed or by bin:

• Photos/2026-11/B03-011/
• Photos/2026-11/B03-012/

When an item sells, move its folder to a "Sold" folder with the month of sale, rather than deleting it.

Step 4: Rename in batches

Renaming one file at a time is slow. Most computers can batch-rename a selection: select all photos for one item in order and rename them with the SKU prefix. On a phone, some file manager apps do the same. In this chosen example, batch renaming takes about 20 seconds per item against about 2 minutes renaming one by one.

Step 5: Back up

Phones get lost, and cloud libraries get cleaned out. Keep at least two copies: for example, the phone plus a cloud folder, or a computer plus an external drive. Back up at the end of each photo session.

Step 6: Keep files a sensible size

eBay accepts uploads up to 12MB each and recommends images around 1600 × 1600 pixels. Keep the originals at full size, and if you need smaller copies for upload, export them to a separate folder so the originals stay intact. Don't shrink evidence photos below Etsy's 120KB minimum for appeals.

Step 7: Keep personal information out of frame

Check photos for anything you wouldn't want public: addresses on parcels in the background, family photos, mail on the table. The file system is private, but the photos you upload aren't.

Step 8: Decide how long to keep sold items

Keep photos of sold items at least until any return or claim window has passed. Many sellers keep them much longer for relisting similar items and for business records. The tax records manual covers how long to keep purchase and sale records, and photos of receipts can sit in the same item folder.

A file system in one line

SKU on the item, SKU in the sheet, SKU in every file name, one folder per SKU, sold folders moved not deleted, and a backup after every session.

Common mistakes

• Leaving photos in the camera roll with default names.
• Deleting sold items' photos before return windows close.
• Shrinking originals and losing detail needed later.
• Not backing up.
• Uploading photos with personal information in the background.

Find it in ten seconds

If any photo of any item you've listed can be found by its SKU in under ten seconds, your file system is doing its job. Name by SKU, folder by item, back up every session.