Web sites are nice to have because you can add a link to your auction that can show customers other items you have for sale. Also, depending on where your site is hosted, you can use a web site to store your graphics and then link them onto your auction. Space is a priority at most auctions, so you normally need to find your own spot on the Internet to store the pictures of your merchandise.
Originally, I was using my Tripod site to store my graphics files. This worked out well for me when I had duplicate items in my inventory, so I could show the picture both on my site and on an auction. Then Tripod, without any warning, blocked all linking to Ebay. So my graphics no longer worked. Many Ebay sellers were scrambling for a new solution. That’s when I heard about sites that offer image hosting - in other words - a place to just store your graphics! They are designed to allow users to store images on their servers and link to various auctions. Many of them also have other services such as counters and auction tools. Some are free and some charge a fee for their services. The best way to find any hosting site is to use a search engine and type in key words like "image hosting" or "free image hosting." Then, just like you needed to do when exploring auction sites, you need to also read through the image hosting sites and see which will fit your needs best.
