Looking for Free Images for eCommerce?
Hi, Everyone...
Just a quick post to let you know about a good site where you can get free images that are oriented for your e-commerce store products.
It is called Burst....The site is powered by Shopify...The photos are offered under the Creative Commons Zero (CCO) license, so you can use them for any purpose.
Here is a shot of a few categories they have (they have many):
What You Can Do With These Photos
You can edit the photos as you need, and do not have to give attribution in most cases (do look though at each before using to make sure)...
If you are selling products, designing ads, looking for supporting photos for your articles, etc. this place can help...
You can also use all the photos for commercial purposes, and for offline campaigns, in your online store, for product packaging, for t-shirts, mugs, or other products, or anywhere else in your operation that you may need them.
Business Ideas
They also have business idea pages that are collections of photos and case studies that cover trending ecommerce niches.
The photo sets in the ideas pages include product shots and also lifestyle images, so essentially you all you need to get started creating a professional brand - and again this is also free.
Here is a shot of one idea they have:
How Do You Get To This Site?
Just do a search in Google for 'Shopify Burst' and you will see the link and you can quickly get to the site and look at what they have...
[UPDATE]
Risk Associated With Free Image Sites?
I had a comment from Rich below where he mentioned the danger of using free images that may or may not be copyrighted by others.
His point was that this site (and none of the other sites where you get free images) may not be checking ownership of those people sharing their images on the website....
If you use an image without a license, you could get a copyright infringement violation and a bill.
This does happen in the real world. There are people that intentionally use pictures without paying, and others that may do so unintentionally...
The T & C mentioned on this site are similar to other free image sites that we all commonly use.
Do your due diligence and make sure that the image is free to use as indicated is my advice. The chances are slim that anything negative will happen, but once in a blue moon it does...
If you are like me, you will have a legal service that will help keep you out of hot water. Mine monitors all of our websites and keeps us informed on any potential problems. I do this because one of our businesses is based in Germany...
In Germany there are a lot of folks that are hired to do nothing but look for ways to make money from businesses if they are doing something not in alignment with the legal parameters we live with...
There is a cost involved for this service, but in the long run it is cheaper to pay up front than pay more later.
Most of you will not have to go to these lengths for your blogs. Nonetheless, it is wise to always read the fine print for any service or product so you know where you stand...
So What Is The Risk In This Case?
Is there a risk for using free images from such sites? Well up to now, I have not had a problem in over 2 1/2 years, and I use such images all the time. I do have some images that I outright own too, so that does reduce the total number I use...
For every business you enter there are risks, just as when you cross a street walking. You never know when a bicycle, a motorcycle, or a car will run up on you and hit you. You need to look before crossing is what I am trying to say...
This is the same for everything you do online...Know what you are getting into. Remember though, that if you never try to cross the street, you will never get to the other side...
EVERYTHING in life involves some risk...This one is minimal as long as you do your due diligence...
[UPDATE END]
Bottom Line:
This is the best site that I have found to quickly get ecommerce related photos for my projects involving my stores, products, and ads.
It is oriented to online sales and stores, and has been extremely useful, and it keeps getting better as more people add images we can all use...
Oh yes, I like that it is free too!
Do check the T& C for your own edification and also check the image you want to use so you are following the guidance provided...
Remember...
I believe in ALL of you!
Cheers!
Dave : )
Recent Comments
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No probs at all Vesna! Good to see you here again, it has been ahile...I do hope things are going well for you!! Thanks for stopping by! Dave : )
Good to see you, too! Things are going well - can't complain:) Hope you're doing great,too.
Best regards
It's worth bearing in mind that no free image site guarantees that their images are copyright free, as no free image site checks that the individual uploading the images is actually the copyright holder.
I'm afraid that Shopify Burst T&Cs; offer no indemnification if an image you get from them breaches someone else's copyright, but on the contrary, also makes you liable to cover their costs as well as your own.
"8.2 In no event shall Shopify or our suppliers be liable for lost profits or any special, incidental or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with the Website, the Photos or these Burst Terms of Service (however arising including negligence). You agree to indemnify and hold us and (as applicable) our parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, Shopify partners, officers, directors, agents, employees, contractors and suppliers harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable lawyer’s fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of your breach of these Burst Terms of Service or the documents it incorporates by reference, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party."
"8.3 Your use of this Website and its content is at your sole risk. The Website, the Photos, business suggestions and information are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis without any warranty or condition, express, implied or statutory."
https://burst.shopify.com/legal/terms
I always recommend that members read the T&Cs; of every service they sign up to before they use it.
https://www.contentfac.com/copyright-infringement-penalties-are-scary/
Good point and holds true across the internet for all such sites...
Not sure where you interpret that this T&C means you pick up the cost for Shopify? I do not read it that way...
They would likely get their own suit as a separate legal action. That does not mean you pay for that...They would be liable for more than my image use and theirs would apply to all who may have downloaded such an image
I have had a case where an address was used for shipping that the company I was working with thought I was misrepresenting their service.
That problem was quickly solved by me taking it off the website & end of story. Of course this is just a one off...each situation is different...
In that case too, there was similar such language...
The point is that you take note of what is offered, use the data, with no ill will intended, and if what what was represented was not factual, you can likely reach an amicable solution...
Of course always look at terms and conditions...This is for all things business related....Good input.
In addition, in our case we have a firm that specializes in online law (German). This is because there litigation happens a lot - they have armies of lawyers looking for copyright infringement.
They look at what we are posting to all our websites and will warn us if there is anything that will get us into trouble. Expensive? Yes, sort of, but cheaper than a suit...
In any case, what I read in the T&C for Burst no way lessens the value of that site nor deters my intention to keep using it! Just as I will other similar sites....AFTER I check the T&C!
Cheers!
Dave : )
"Not sure where you interpret that this T&C means you pick up the cost for Shopify? I do not read it that way..."
See 7.1 "You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Shopify from and against any and all loss, claims, expenses, damages, and costs, including without limitation reasonable lawyer fees, resulting, whether directly or indirectly, from your use of the Website and/or the information contained in the Website and/or the Photos, or from your violation of the Terms of Service."
The risk may be small, but the risk is there, and members should certainly be informed that using free images sites isn't entirely risk free. I'm afraid one member at WA has just been served a bill for $5000 for an image they've got from Pixabay, and we've sadly seen several such cases in the years I've been a member.
I myself subscribe to a service that files DMCAs against sites that infringe my image copyrights, in some cases resulting in them being entirely deindexed from search engines. I certainly wouldn't want members to possibly risk years of hard work over images they could legitimately licence for a few cents!
The point that you have a subscription to a service that employs an army of lawyers or trained folks who comb the internet looking for infringements is why I have a service to protect myself against such infringement...
The service I have picks up the tab if they miss something, and this goes beyond copyright infringement. The German government is insanely strict on what you must disclose and also cookies and other tracking tools...
There is constant change and new rules we must comply with as a registered business in Germany for the EU and for Germany, and although for the business based in Thailand, things are looser, we try to maintain the German standards (for ease of mind)...
They provide updates to us live and we even have a connection so they can update their recommended terms and conditions, cookie notification, buyer rights, etc. as they happen.
A simple blog site may cost $5000 as you say, but as you grow your business the wolves will come after more than a measly $5000 dollars.
Another example of additional expenses that we have is for a full time tax accountant. This is something that most people think they do not need, especially if they are just starting out.
In Germany, not the case. You can quickly get into a lot of hot water with the tax office (finanzamt) and it could cost you large amounts of money...
This is an expense that saves you in the long run. As with the other service, they stand behind their work, and although there are limits, will have to cough up any penalties your business may incur (liability comes into question in some cases...Bad info in means YOU are liable)...
A simple affiliate marketing program does not relieve any of us from the legal aspects of running a business for sure. As you say, your entire livelihood could be wiped out in a minute in some circumstances...
For any venture, there is an element of risk. I have been in environments where the risks were to the equipment and lives of myself and employees...That is a dicey thing to say the least...
Nonetheless, between the greed and jealousy of those around you, the real risk to life and limb for some ventures, and the legal risks you have when running a business, I still say...
The biggest wolves may be the Governments!
No probs M8! It is a pretty cool simple site - I signed up to get their free new images sent to my email too, a handy thing! Cheers! Dave : )
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Thank you for the info
No probs Pablo, I hope things are going well! : )