I've got two ads running right now. Both have pictures and both have good descriptions. There have been many contacts but no questions other than "will you ship to Europe?". There have been several contacts, however, requesting more pictures. What gives? Are these people assembling scrapbooks?
Macrojack,I see ads sometimes with pics of the gear for sale and then one last pic of their dog or cat ot car or a nice view of the mountains up ahead,whatever! Why these pictures are included?Well,it's all about marketing and sales,the name of the game,create a buzz,make it happen. Cheers,regards George
Can't we all just sit back, relax, and sit in the same room, hold hands and listen to enya? geeeez.............. just kidding about the enya thing. i thought we were all pals here.
seriously?! is this how you react to constructive criticism? i was positing a hypothetical situation that might occur in a potential buyer's mind. i did not mean to impugn your character and i apologize if you mistook it this way. but in all honesty, your own words and demeanor within this thread have done more to impugn you than anything i could ever say.
Based on his refusal to do something so simple as to snap a few more pictures, his attitude about it here in this post, and his ability to elicit strong negative reactions in this and other posts, I would personally never buy anything from this seller, positive feedback or not. You just have to wonder what his agenda is.
Kgturner - Rather than imagining how I will behave in the future, why don't you look at how I have behaved in the past? That's a much more reliable indicator.
I've been trading as a member here for 7 years and I have 91 transactions recorded. I have never been involved in a dispute. Please read my feedback carefully so that your next comment is properly informed. You have no right or reason to impugn me in such a manner.
Contact people who have done business with me if you have concerns.
one more point that i haven't seen mentioned. a request for more pictures from the buyer can also be viewed as a test of the seller's level of cooperation. your abject obstinance to snapping a few photos and loading them up speaks volumes to your perceived assistance after the sale if something goes awry. as a potential buyer, i would view your refusal to add more pictures (a simple and easy request) as a refusal to help file an insurance claim if the item arrived damaged.
Even an amateur photographer (and Audiongoner for that matter) could have taken pictures, edited same, and uploaded them in far less time than our friend has spent on the whining, crying, and chest thumping here.
I'm not upset. And I don't need more hits. The response has been quite adequate. In fact, I'm not even all that eager to sell. It costs six bucks to drop your line in the water and there are upgrades I would pursue if the planets were to align favorably, but what I have is pretty new and pretty nice.
The reason for the thread is simple enough - I just sold a couple of stereo amps and traded a phono section for an amp. None of this required suspicions or proof. Naturally, it's nice to see the product in a photo. Certainly it makes sense for a buyer to sometimes need a specific question answered or a specific detail revealed. What I've gotten lately were requests for more photos, without any conversation whatsoever. In fact, as far as I could tell, pictures were all the guy wanted. Sorry, but that rubbed me the wrong way.
So the speaker ad, with its 2700 or so hits, will expire in a few days and I'll try again someday maybe.
I've noticed in the past that ridiculously low offers tend to appear just before an ad expires. Anybody else had that experience?
Here's my view - If I'm selling a hi$ component, and a prospective buyer requests more pictures, or asks nitty questions, I don't think for a nanosecond about whether to comply. It takes at most 10 min to take shots from multiple angles and upload them to an email.
Certainly, do what you want. But if I was a buyer interested in your sale and you balked at sending me some pic's, it would probably be the last conversation we had. Feedback isn't everything, and I agree pic's aren't everything either, but, it's so easy to be accommodating and demonstrate goodwill by being responsive.
Macrojack, why get upset? If you don't want to take more pictures, don't. No one is telling you how to post an ad, they're are just giving helpful sales hints. Photos help sell, if you don't want to take any photos, don't. If you don't want to take more photos, don't. If you don't want to write a description, don't. Do wantever you want, and live with the results.
I'm starting to wonder if you simply started this thread to get more people to look at your ads.......
I have an Olympus camera which Michael Grace once referred to as a PHD (push here, dummy). My eyesight is aged and my interest in photography is nil. I can't deny that photos help. They help me too when I am buying. That's why I include them. But the whole download, file, catalog process is a bore to me. For 35 years one hobby has been enough. Now you guys tell me I need another one. None of you would buy anything from me without a rotogravure. Never mind the fact that I know what I'm talking about, have perfect and voluminous feedback and invite phone calls. Gotta have a lot of pictures. It just seems to me like we got off the rails somewhere.
It's a form of 'window shopping'. You can not understand it, but it's how most folks shop. You can simply reply "No", to those looking for more photos, that's your choice. It's debatable how that will affect your sales. It may chase some buyers away, but again, that's your perogative.
I would also point out that when you upload pictures to Audiogon they do get compressed, so a certain amount of detail is lost. So for me that is another reason I'd sometimes like to see additional photos if I'm buying. And since transmitting "bits" via email is essentially "free", I always offer to send additinal hi-rez photos in my ads.
I purchased a pair of speakers here once in which the ad contained pictures of all sides of the speakers except one side was left out of the pictures. Guess which side was damaged when they arrived. Now I include pictures of all sides with my ads and I expect the same when buying.
Gotta agree with just about everyone else here, a shot of the back panel makes a difference. I've bought a few used pieces in that price range, which is a fairly big stretch for me, so so good shots of all sides really helps ease the apprehension - a lot.
It also helps protect the buyer, and give them some recourse, in case the item shows up with dents/scratches that weren't present in the pictures.
As both a buyer and seller, I think that pictures are the most important part of the sale. As a buyer, I'll pass over dim pictures or out of focus picture (your pictures, ao far as they go, are excellent). As a seller, if there's the slightest nick I want a nice, clear close up. Also, so close ups with serial numbers and ALL parts are comforting to buyers, so I show them.
Dealing long distance and overseas, pictures are second only to the seller's rating when I'm buying. You don't have anything to hide, but remember, there are many scammers out there that will overhype their wares.
I agree with Tvad - what can it hurt? You can argue the point til the cows come home but if photos make the buyer more comfortable with buying your product - why not? It's not like it cost a bundle to provide them. A small price to pay to get the item sold.
Sorry. I still don't get it. I mean I understand plainly that everyone wants pictures. I just don't understand the level of emphasis this want receives. You can see 6 gorgeous photos of a $4000 power amp only to find out, once you own it, that it doesn't work. You'll be getting what you were concerned about though. It will have no blemishes. Or maybe you'll buy some stone gorgeous turntable with arm, cartridge, isolation platform and the seven most sought after tweaks, only to learn later that the seller sent you pictures of somebody else's turntable and headed for Lisbon. You know, the funny thing in all this is that I have not received a photo request from Europe yet. They always open by asking if I would be willing to ship over there.
As a buyer, I don't like buying anything I can't see. The more I can see the better. It blows my mind when I see an ad with just a model number, no description of the items purpose (amp, etc.) not even a photo. As a seller I want to create the most interest and comfort level possible in the buyer. I try to take photos (I too find it hard to take good photos) that show as many sides as possible and any paraphernalia that goes with it: remote, manual, etc. A good ad ultimately saves time and will help it sell faster. But no matter what you do, as Usblues pointed out, when you put it out there, you have to be ready for a few chain yankers.
One may not need many pictures, but front and back are a must. I am always amazed when some gear has two or three pictures of the front and none of the back. Having the back of the gear shown can convey a lot of information and answer a lot of questions.
Well, here's my take. Many of my replies have been from Europe. There are many excellent photos available to demonstrate configuration and function available on the Rowland website and, for Zu, on the 6moons site. In both cases the photography far exceeds what I am capable of providing.
What I have experienced so far, has been people who ask no questions about the gear and do not indicate what they are hoping to see. They just ask for hi-rez pictures.
And finally, the Rowland stuff is notoriously difficult to photograph well and the Zu speakers are a copper metal flake that glows. It picks up the faintest bit of light and exaggerates it. In the morning the sun reflecting off these speakers makes the wall look like it is on fire.
Believe it or not, in both cases, I selected the best of a dozen shots before I posted them.
You gotta buy the product, not the pictures. And you gotta trust the feedback, at least a little. I get a lot of comfort or a sense of aversion by talking to people. That's why I often include a phone number with my responses, just in case other people feel they can learn something from personal communication.
My feedback is strong and my patterns of buying and selling indicate that I am a binge trader. In other words, I am not a dealer, just a guy who periodically goes on a buying and selling update spree.
I can't help but think these photo buyers (if they really are buyers) are going to be photoshopped out of a lot of money someday.
It wasn't so long ago that we bought stuff like this with no photos whatsoever. Why are they imperative now?
DCSTEP - Will you please lighten up on the Rowland promotion? You are way out of context. And besides, I bought my first piece of Rowland gear from Jeff in 1979 when he was making stuff in his garage without a brand name. It was a full function, battery-powered preamp. Rod Thompson and I worked for the Crisman Speaker Company together in 1976. I think I can proceed without your guidance and prompting.
The Europeans are doing what everybody else would do due to the downward spiraling economy here. The US has always been a good place for Europeans to visit. I think there maybe more EU holidays this year as Ryanair are doing 1p flights throughout Europe, yep that is correct 1p!!! (Including taxes also). Beat that 'you are now free to move about the country' airline! Oops, sorry wrong board, but hey.
Consider putting Rowland's phono cards in your Continuum 500. I did and they're exceptional. I sold my Pro-ject Tube Box SE after just a few minutes of listening to the Rowland cards. The cards take advantage of the super quiet infrastructure of the Continuum with Power Factor Correction and simply yields an ultra clean, transparent, yet sweet phono sound.
in my experience, it's always best to have at least three pictures. one of the front, one of the top, and one of the rear. your two pics are only straight on and give no indication of the condition beyond the front. just because you say it's flawless doesn't mean people still don't want to see for it.
Your not selling a Bellari Phono Stage or a CD....dont you think that sorta cash is important to who is spending it and wants the simple comfort of seeing several angles?
Europe is taken advantage of the favorable exchange rates, just like th tourist are flocking to the US. Bigger buck for the Euro. Hey, I remember when the exchnage rate was $ favorable.
Seems like reasonable requests to me. Europe is a long way and the Items are not chump change. Wouldn't take long to snap and send a few more pictures would it? especially of the backs of the speakers.
You're selling gear for ~$5000 and more - I would want to see multiple views with hi-res before I decided to drop that amount of cash. I also think the requests are reasonable.
As a seller, I prefer to send off all of the hi res pics I can - as it documents the condition in a fairly good record, subject to what can actually show up in a photo.
Well,I'm not positive,but if there's 13 billion people with computers and 9 billion of them are unemployed and 3 billion of them like music,I think you better be ready for anything.YMMV,good luck,Bob As usual Tvad has explained an enlightened observation.
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