Photographing vans and commercial vehicles for sale: what trade buyers check
Van buyers are buying a workplace, not a car. The load area, the payload plate, the ply lining and the wear all need showing. A shot list for vans, pickups and light commercials.
A van buyer is buying a tool
A car buyer wants to like the car. A van buyer wants to know whether it will do the job on Monday. That changes what the photos need to do. The exterior still matters, because a scruffy van looks like a van that has been worked hard, but the photos that decide the sale are of the load area, the fittings and the things that get checked at a viewing: the plate, the doors, the bulkhead and the tyres.
Most van listings are weak because they are photographed like cars, with eight exterior shots and one blurry picture of the back with the doors open. Give trade buyers what they look for and the enquiries are better qualified.
The load area, from both ends
Open the rear doors fully and photograph the load area from the back, standing far enough away to show the whole floor. Then open the side door and shoot from there, which shows the depth. If the floor is ply-lined or has a rubber mat, show it; if it is bare metal, show that honestly. Sweep it out first. A load area full of sawdust and a broken pallet says nothing about the van and everything about the seller.
Racking, lining, tow bar and the extras
If the van comes with racking, shelving, a roof rack, a tow bar, a bulkhead, internal lighting or a reversing camera, photograph each one. These are the things that save a buyer money, and they are the things listings forget to mention. A roof rack photographed from the side of the van, with the ladder clamps visible, is worth more than another three-quarter shot.
The payload plate and the door shuts
Trade buyers want the gross vehicle weight and the payload, and they want to see the plate rather than take your word for it. Photograph the VIN or manufacturer's plate, usually in the door shut or under the bonnet, close enough to read. While you are there, shoot the door shuts and sills on both sides. Rust starts there on older vans and buyers know to look.
The cab, as a workplace
Photograph the cab from the open driver's door and from the passenger side. Van seats wear on the driver's side bolster from getting in and out thirty times a day; show it. Show the dashboard with the ignition on, the mileage, and any fitted extras such as a hands-free kit or a sat nav. If the van has a bulkhead, photograph it from the cab side too.
Tyres, underneath and the wear points
Get a close-up of each tyre with the tread visible, and if you can, one low shot along the sill showing the underside. Then do the honest set: scuffs on the corners, dents in the side panels, scratches on the roof from ladders, cracked bumper corners. Vans collect marks, buyers expect them, and the ones who have seen them in the photos do not use them as a bargaining chip at the viewing.
Keep the background boring
Vans are big, so they fill the frame, which helps. But they are also usually photographed where they live: in a yard, outside a unit, next to other vans. The surroundings are busier than a car lot, and a white or silver van reflects the lot of them. A studio booth takes all of that away and shows the shape and condition of the van clearly. Carzbooth handles vans the same way as cars: the vehicle is left exactly as photographed and the yard is replaced with a clean studio.
A van shot list to pin up
Front three-quarter, side, rear three-quarter, front, rear. Rear doors open from behind. Side door open. Floor and lining. Racking and extras one by one. Roof from the side. Payload plate. Door shuts both sides. Cab from each door. Dashboard with ignition on. Mileage. Each tyre. Every mark worth mentioning. It is a longer list than a car's, and it is the list that sells vans to people who buy them for work.