It's the time of year when most of the population comes out of hibernation. Perhaps mildly overweight, seasonally depressed, or a little cluttered, it's time to shake the cob webs lose and take some action.

I have already explained the process of decluttering your house. The end result however is a pile of "stuff" that's too good to trash, but, um, is still clutter that needs to go. Charity is always a good option but with most of America in a credit crunch , many people are finding themselves in financial need. Maybe it's time to finally exercise your right to list items on eBay, Craigslist, etc.

Auctioning items is not difficult, however, there are tactics to take if you want to maximize your time investment and realize higher returns. One of the most important is the photo. I mean, this is what the person is buying from - the image you put in front of them. There is more to this than point and click and since eBay charges you to add photos to your auction listings, you may as well make them winning shots.

Photojojo, one of my favorite sites for photo-anything, does a fantastic job explaining over a dozen key aspects to consider.

"If you can’t use natural light, be sure to use the white balance function on your camera. You can also use image editing software like Photoshop to clean up your photos after the fact. Play with the color balance to take out any color casts you may have picked up from artificial lighting, and lighten the photos if they’re too dim. This is particularly important if you’re trying to show the color of your item."

If you are photo-challenged and want an easy way to increase your time investment in eBay, head over to Photojojo and take a look.

Shoot to Sell: Taking Better Photos for eBay, Etsy & Instructables