Another pet peeve! Grrr! Rawr!

[Kyle Weiss]

The sheer ineptitude of folks selling things on the Internet by failing to use a digital camera properly. Or attempting to use a horrible cell phone, complete with finger-smudged lens, to try and capture images.

This could possibly be the fault of a crappy or old camera. In that case, I still blame the person posting the pictures.

What is even worse, are pictures they've taken repeatedly trying to obviously fix the problem, failing, but still sharing them. 19 crappy pictures aren't the same as one good one. Thanks, Etsy. Thanks, eBay. Thanks, Craigslist.

How long have we had Internets? Long time? Digital cameras? Yeah? Long enough to do it right? I guess not. "...but the lamp two feet away in the back is clear!" No bonus points. Sorry.

Fuzzy pictures = "hiding something." Or someone who fails at technology or other Internet-related sales know how. In either case, trouble down the road. The amount of grief I have gotten for asking for clear pictures, too. Not always, but can be a great, free indicator of "Please, don't buy from me." Fair enough!

I suppose I haven't had this problem before looking at pipes, because a majority of what I bought and sold were not items that required reading the manual on exactly what "macro" means, or the "cute little flower" setting is. In addition, auto-focus obviously means the closer you get, the camera does the rest. To infinity. GET REAL CLOSE! Done.

*crys in booze*

Dammit, okay, done. 8)

 

[Rob_In_MO]

Sorry, Kyle. I know that i'm guilty of this...

 

[Kyle Weiss]

It's cool.

Tips:

* Proper light--bright as you can. Use the sun if necessary. Get the light behind you AND the camera, while still on the object. Avoid shadows.

* Focus--when in doubt, move back! Take pictures close up, move back six inches, repeat. One is bound to come out okay.

* Don't use a cell phone camera. iPhones included. They all suck, no matter what Apple says. Decent pocket cameras are $75.

* Macro. That's the cute flower setting. For close-ups, use it.

8)

Last tip:

* If someone asks for more pictures, try really hard to not re-create the problem pictures and just pass them off, and be nice about taking more.

:lol:

(This is not accusatory to anyone--just points-of-note)

 

[sstodvictory]

That same photo-ineptitude can work in your favor if you're bidding on a model of pipe that you know to be high quality but is not well known to most other bidders, as long as at minimum you can see the pipe isn't damaged. I've gotten some good deals on fuzzy-photo Wally Frank "White Bar" pipes that way, and I'd bid to win on any fuzzy photo David Johnson pipe.

When I spot auctions that fit this scenario, I love bad photography!

Steve

 

[Kyle Weiss]

That same photo-ineptitude can work in your favor if you're bidding on a model of pipe that you know to be high quality but is not well known to most other buyers, as long as at minimum you can see the pipe isn't damaged. I've gotten some good deals on fuzzy-photo Wally Frank "White Bar" pipes that way, and I'd bid to win on any fuzzy photo David Johnson pipe.

Steve

This applies to more than just pipes...far more. However, you have a point. Until you miss the cracked shank, totally different stem (bitten through), cracked and burnt-out bowl, screen in bottom from pot smoking... :lol: I can't afford to take risks like that. Plus, I don't know how to buy pipes, really.

 

[Stackle2]

Wow Kyle, you are really having a fullblown case of "you kids get off my lawn" this week!

Seriously though, I've noticed the trend of too dark or fuzzy pictures on flea bay & etsy lately. Another red flag I've noticed is when all the pictures are avoiding one particular side, that really turns me against an otherwise ideal purchase.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

It's true.

Holiday anxiety plus no work = crotchety young coot.

 

[Harlock999]

The sheer ineptitude of folks selling things on the Internet by failing to use a digital camera properly. Or attempting to use a horrible cell phone, complete with finger-smudged lens, to try and capture images.

How long have we had Internets? Long time? Digital cameras? Yeah? Long enough to do it right? I guess not. "...but the lamp two feet away in the back is clear!"

I'm with you on this one, K-Dub!
Steve does have a point about the fuzzy pictures not drawing attention to lesser known pipes, but when it's a Castello you're hunting for, and all you have for pics is some fuzzy blob that may, or, may not be a Sea Rock Shape 65 KKKK, it's plenty annoying.

 

[Dutch]

I met a girl once who had fuzzy pics on her profile on an online dating site. Turned out she was a stripper with a wart on the side of her nose.

I thought to myself, if I were her, I would take next weeks pay and have that wart taken off, and write it off on my taxes. She just didn't appear to have a business mind tho. :rendeer:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

She just didn't appear to have a business mind tho. :rendeer:

...sounds like she needs a good manager, if you still see her around... I'm sure half her take each night to help manage her professional life might be fair... :lol: 8)

 

[Dutch]

She just didn't appear to have a business mind tho. :rendeer:

...sounds like she needs a good manager, if you still see her around... I'm sure half her take each night to help manage her professional life might be fair... :lol: 8)

Kyle, half her take couldn't justify the drama! :roll:

 

[Stackle2]

Business manager for a stripper, wouldn't that pretty much be a pimp? Thats legal in Reno, right kyle?

:afro:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

She just didn't appear to have a business mind tho. :rendeer:

...sounds like she needs a good manager, if you still see her around... I'm sure half her take each night to help manage her professional life might be fair... :lol: 8)

Kyle, half her take couldn't justify the drama! :roll:

...or the chloroform and trip to the abandoned mineshaft (going Nevada-style, here)...

...good point...

 

[Airborne]

Ah, Kyle, quit yer bitchin'!

 

[RDPipes]

There's one particular seller on eBay that I know of that doesn't have out of focus photos but quite the opposite that rings a bell of mistrust in me. He deliberately OVER photo-shops the pics to make them look almost like paintings thus hiding any and all defects in the item and his workmanship. And he sells many of the same items and uses the same photos over and over.

 

[Mozjo33]

The sheer ineptitude of folks selling things on the Internet by failing to use a digital camera properly. Or attempting to use a horrible cell phone, complete with finger-smudged lens, to try and capture images.

This could possibly be the fault of a crappy or old camera. In that case, I still blame the person posting the pictures.

What is even worse, are pictures they've taken repeatedly trying to obviously fix the problem, failing, but still sharing them. 19 crappy pictures aren't the same as one good one. Thanks, Etsy. Thanks, eBay. Thanks, Craigslist.

How long have we had Internets? Long time? Digital cameras? Yeah? Long enough to do it right? I guess not. "...but the lamp two feet away in the back is clear!" No bonus points. Sorry.

Fuzzy pictures = "hiding something." Or someone who fails at technology or other Internet-related sales know how. In either case, trouble down the road. The amount of grief I have gotten for asking for clear pictures, too. Not always, but can be a great, free indicator of "Please, don't buy from me." Fair enough!

I suppose I haven't had this problem before looking at pipes, because a majority of what I bought and sold were not items that required reading the manual on exactly what "macro" means, or the "cute little flower" setting is. In addition, auto-focus obviously means the closer you get, the camera does the rest. To infinity. GET REAL CLOSE! Done.

*crys in booze*

Dammit, okay, done. 8)

I couldn't agree with you more Kyle. I belong to several watch forums (my other hobby) where people post pictures of their newest acqusitions, items for sale, etc. Nothing is more annoying than seeing a fuzzy picture or a thumbnail size photo, especially if you are trying to decide if you want to make a purchase.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

There's one particular seller on eBay that I know of that doesn't have out of focus photos but quite the opposite that rings a bell of mistrust in me. He deliberately OVER photo-shops the pics to make them look almost like paintings thus hiding any and all defects in the item and his workmanship. And he sells many of the same items and uses the same photos over and over.

That's just downright misleading, and if caught, could get that seller spiked off of eBay. That is, if eBay really gave a crap about enforcing their rules, which they only seem to care about if it's their money (and large amounts of it) being affected. :lol: Sometimes I really hate eBay.

 

[RDPipes]

My feelings exactly. The greed that runs eBay is just ........
I sell there quite often and I'm really getting tired of being treated like I have stupid written across my forehead.
And the fees, don't get me started.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I just wish there were a viable alternative to eBay, and I'm wondering why there isn't. It obviously couldn't be a "mom and pop" website that can grow, no the Internet isn't favorable to that kind of thing much anymore, or rarely, if that.

Why hasn't Microsoft or Yahoo! or Google or someone build something else? Amazon.com tries, but it isn't a bidding site, just a storefront. It's cumbersome and awkward. There's been other small companies like "UBid," etc... but they're no match. It needs to be a company with the bucks to back it, see the programming and interface through, has the hype to generate, etc. eBay and its monopoly, the fees and rampant ripoffs seem to go on forever, with hardly anyone there to mention it on a large scale. Banks and AT&T gets considered for breaking up via monopoly, but eBay can just be eBay.

Astonishing.

(...not that I believe someone from the government should come in and meddle with business, but once in a while that cow's just gotta come to pasture, whether it wants to or not...)

 

[dshpipes]

I just wish there were a viable alternative to eBay, and I'm wondering why there isn't. It obviously couldn't be a "mom and pop" website that can grow, no the Internet isn't favorable to that kind of thing much anymore, or rarely, if that.

Why hasn't Microsoft or Yahoo! or Google or someone build something else? Amazon.com tries, but it isn't a bidding site, just a storefront. It's cumbersome and awkward. There's been other small companies like "UBid," etc... but they're no match. It needs to be a company with the bucks to back it, see the programming and interface through, has the hype to generate, etc. eBay and its monopoly, the fees and rampant ripoffs seem to go on forever, with hardly anyone there to mention it on a large scale. Banks and AT&T gets considered for breaking up via monopoly, but eBay can just be eBay.

Astonishing.

(...not that I believe someone from the government should come in and meddle with business, but once in a while that cow's just gotta come to pasture, whether it wants to or not...)

Also charming is e-bay's ownership of PayPal. So essentially, when you receive payment through PayPal, which also has no real competitor to my knowledge, you have to pay their exorbitant fees on top of the exorbitant fees you pay to e-bay! You have to pay them twice! Sheesh! It makes me wonder how e-bay sellers can afford to sell and pay their bills.