POLL: How important is the seller providing pictures of what's being offered to you?
piecesofme
Posts: 6,669 ✭✭✭
How important is the seller providing pictures of what's being offered to you?
Take out wheter you've dealt with the seller before or not, assume all sellers here are equal in credibility. Condition and/or value of the item is also not a factor.
Returns is not an option, if you buy it and don't get the quality you expected based on the description you were told, you own it and don't bad mouth the seller publicly or privately. You just may not purchase anything from them again.
It's more about whether pictures being provided is important to you vs. who is selling it or the condition or the value.
So please no answers like:
It depends on the value, or condition.
It depends on how expensive it is.
It depends on who the seller is, etc.
Take out wheter you've dealt with the seller before or not, assume all sellers here are equal in credibility. Condition and/or value of the item is also not a factor.
Returns is not an option, if you buy it and don't get the quality you expected based on the description you were told, you own it and don't bad mouth the seller publicly or privately. You just may not purchase anything from them again.
It's more about whether pictures being provided is important to you vs. who is selling it or the condition or the value.
So please no answers like:
It depends on the value, or condition.
It depends on how expensive it is.
It depends on who the seller is, etc.
To forgive is to free a prisoner, and to discover that prisoner was you.
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Comments
I picked option one but only because I buy 90% chiefly and I'm not going to be fondling it or gazing at .
Ive sold a large number of bullion pieces here with no images just my word.
ok, the ad just said 90% Halves for sale, you never asked about condition nor was it mentioned in the sellers description.
A bunch of holed slicks are heading your way, when you get them it's not what you expected...(remember, no returns or bad mouthing which was mentioned up front).
Do you eat your mistake (because it is ultimately your mistake) or break the rules of this poll and start bad mouthing the seller?
This does not count, please re-read the rules of the Poll
"Interest rates, the price of money, are the most important market. And, perversely, they’re the market that’s most manipulated by the Fed." - Doug Casey
I've purchased some coins that were so far off from the description provided that there was no option but to criticize the seller to ensure no others fell into that trap. In some cases there were photos provided, though they weren't very good. You can't call a coin 80% RED when it has no more than 10% RED (ie a brown). And you can't call a coin a candidate for a 2 point upgrade when it isn't even nice for the grade assigned.
One of my worst boondoggles ever to go look at a coin was back in the 1970's. A little coin shop in Mamaroneck, NY. I had seen their listing in the Coin World classified ads for a GEM BU 1861 seated quarter. I called them up and had them describe the luster, strike, marks, etc. The coin sounded near perfect (ie no marks, blazing luster everywhere, etc.). It was a 2 hour drive for me but it sounded like a winner...even if only a nice choice BU. When I arrived and was handed the coin I nearly lost it. The coin was stripped to the bone without a tinge of mint luster remaining. While there was no wear, there were plenty of marks from that old cleaning/brushing/etc. To the "old time" dealer it was a "gem" with no luster breaks. I guess that might be true if there is no luster at all....lol. If that happened these days I doubt I could have held my tongue.
When it comes to generic coins like MS63-MS65 Morgans or $20 Saints, etc, there's not a great need to see the coin if you're paying generic money and the coins don't have annoying spots.
if the items bought are defined before money changes hands.
If you don't ask what they are (i.e. what the individual breakdown is, are they culls, are they slicks, etc) and you go ahead with the deal, then it's your fault in assuming what will be in the package.
Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.
Rich, you have always provided exceptional service with your pics and descriptions of the items you offer.
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<< <i>Rich, you have always provided exceptional service with your pics and descriptions of the items you offer. >>
I'll second that.
Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
It also depends on what is being offered~if it's a sealed box of 5 Truman sets, for example, I don't need to see a picture of the brown cardboard box.
This is true, but sometimes even showing a picture of this can be helpful just to show that the seller does in fact have the item in hand...and it has to be a "Unique" picture for me as well, meaning, not a stock photo.
For example, DT1974 says he wont even consider making an offer and has passed up many offerings solely based on a picture not being provided. As a seller, you're potentially losing a sure customer just by not providing a picture.
I'm not arguing or trying to sway anyones mind, just re-stating what has been said.
Selling silver for $200 an ounce with no returns is asking for trouble
This is in part what provoked me to create this thread. I am seeing more & more people trying to sell 4 digit item(s) on here without a picture. Whether they be reputable or not, how hard is it to put a picture up for a >$1k item.
I realize I am in a sense breaking my own rule of this Poll, but this is the discussion part of the thread and is my own personal feeling on the matter.
The voting part of this thread should be done as if the seller is reputable and not really value orientated and returns were not discussed prior to the paying for the item.
So you could vote one way based on the parameters given, but feel differently outside of those parameters.
<< <i>How important is the seller providing pictures of what's being offered to you?
This mostly depends on what is being sold. If it's a high premium item and the premium is dependent on the condition, who wouldn't want pictures. If it's just a bullion item and the price is right and the item is something I want, then pictures don't make or break the deal.
Take out whether you've dealt with the seller before or not, assume all sellers here are equal in credibility. Condition and/or value of the item is also not a factor.
That doesn't make much sense. Condition is almost always a consideration of value in PMs.
Returns is not an option, if you buy it and don't get the quality you expected based on the description you were told, you own it and don't bad mouth the seller publicly or privately. You just may not purchase anything from them again.
If this is the case, I probably wouldn't buy from the seller. If the seller is being straight with their explanation of condition, it should arrive in the condition agreed upon. If they've provided a misleading description of condition, then there is no reason they shouldn't take the item back. You're describing a situation where the seller is being curvy with their policy and condition description.
It's more about whether pictures being provided is important to you vs. who is selling it or the condition or the value.
So please no answers like:
It depends on the value, or condition.
It depends on how expensive it is.
It depends on who the seller is, etc. >>
Explanation provided in quoted text, but it seems to me you're question isn't realistic. If it's a high value item and condition is the key to value, who wouldn't want an assurance that the item is as described.
Is this leading to something?
No, not at all, at least not by me. Just a curious Poll to see and discuss the topic because as I've said, it seems there's more & more items being offered by lazy ass people who wont take the 2 minutes it takes to provide a picture...or is it possibly that there are just that many buyers who are willing to believe what they don't see.
The Poll will tell us what I think...maybe not, but I think it will.
<< <i>Is this leading to something?
No, not at all, at least not by me. Just a curious Poll to see and discuss the topic because as I've said, it seems there's more & more items being offered by lazy ass people who wont take the 2 minutes it takes to provide a picture...or is it possibly that there are just that many buyers who are willing to believe what they don't see.
The Poll will tell us what I think...maybe not, but I think it will. >>
Ok, as stated, with a higher premium item I'm not a buyer without pics in almost all cases and if there is a no return on that type of item there is a 100% chance that I'll pass without pics...
If some one has a roll of ASE's they are selling one at a time, I do not need a picture. If you have 500 ten ounce Englehards and want $1 over spot per ounce for them I do not need pictures. If I buy a bu AGE at $40 over I dont not need pictures.
If you got 10 larger than life pictures of a common silver bar and I dont want it~I ain't buying.
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
And they were PCGS slabbed platinum eagles in MS69. I figured I knew what they would look like.
Otherwise, never!
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That dog is scary!
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<< <i>I don't buy anything online without seeing a picture of it first. >>
What if the pictures are also stolen or lifted from somewhere else? I saw a picture of "my" coin when I won it on Ebay. Problem was, the seller lifted that photo from another dealer's auction weeks earlier. I lost $2K...they won $2K. Ebay said take a hike. With the number of photos out there it couldn't be hard to lift a photo. And even if you have the items and provide the photo, who says that's what will be sent to you. If you're selling bullion, it's easy to pick any quantity and show a photo of it....and then send nothing or something different. One of my early years collector scams was being sent a $900 group of better date seated coins that I won on Coin World mail bids. The coins were decent, but mostly over-graded and only worth $600. The key in the group was an "XF" 1855-s half at $500 (really VF). I sent them all back, awaiting my refund.....which never came. I was out both the coins and the cash. The dealer disappeared from the face of earth about 3 months later. Ironically, if I just kept that pile of coins they'd be worth about $5K today. Sometimes accepting LESS is MORE.
In the end, it comes down to trust more than anything else. I've never done a BST transaction without having an unknown seller jump through some hoops to show me I can trust them. And that includes a list of references that I would trust and could verify. Despite all of this, we've had some BST sellers with impeccable reputations go rogue. There's no way to eliminate risk...only to minimize it the best you can. That's why I prefer cash/check and carry at a coin show.
<< <i>Great subject for a thread. It depends on so many considerations especially what you are buying and who you are buying from. Two extreme examples---buying ASE rolls from APMEX won't require a pic while buying a raw rare coin from a stranger on eBay will definitely require good pics. Tell me what I'm buying and who I'm buying from and I can tell you how critical it is for me to have a pic. Pics are always welcomed when I'm buying but are not always necessary to consummate a deal. >>
Agree with the above...there are just to many variables. For "90% junk silver coins" only an explanation of no culls would satisfy me.
That dog is scary
LOL...couldn't stop laughing the first time I saw the pic.
Well, it's only been a day over a holiday weekend but 2/3 of the votes so far say having a pic shown plays a large part or they wont buy at all.
Seeing a picture of the goods is the only sensory system that works well remotely. Can't hear, smell, taste, or heft (or combos like turn in light and look, drop on table and listen, etc), an image is a reasonable supplement to the seller's written or phone- voice description, as most have said, it depends on what you're buying and from whom. From strangers i want a picture to help me make my decision as to the quality of the goods and his possesion of them. A movie with them holding the coin in front of today's paper might allay the last 1% of my concern, but I've never been ripped off nor even had a bad coin deal, so if the picture looks good and the seller seems reliable I'll place the order. I've made decisions that I learned to regret a little but take responsibility for those, fortunately no one has ever not held up their end of the bargain on either side of my buys or sells here, on ebay, or in person, so I'm probably more trusting than most. Can only remember twice that I've even done a return and those were honest mistakes of shipping the wrong coin that were made right, one by the right coin and one by a prompt refund.
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
I asked the way I have just for that reason, hopefully anyway, but who is selling and how much it costs seem to be an almost overwhelming factor based on comments. It seems like it's a "depends on the situation" kind of thing rather than just answering what was asked...if pictures make a difference in the decision to purchase.
It was asked to take who is selling and the value out of the equation, as I said early on, it's more just to see if the pictures or lack of play a factor in your decision to pull the trigger on something and send money for an unseen item
<< <i>piecesofme:
That dog is scary!
but it has hair.
"Interest rates, the price of money, are the most important market. And, perversely, they’re the market that’s most manipulated by the Fed." - Doug Casey
EXACTLY! Nicely said. This was the whole point of why I did this. When you're buying in person, don't you ask to see it first? DUH!!! So why wouldn't you want a picture if buying online...even if it is "common, generic" bullion???
If I see what I am getting by the seller posting a pic (assuming the pic is clear and detailed of what is actually being offered) and based off of a description by the seller, and I don't like it when I get it, whos problem is it? The seller has done all they could at that point...am I right? Who has the poor skills of "grading" or assessing something? The seller or the buyer?
POM - I always love your pics of bullion. I have kept a few as screen savers at times. I have not purchased from you (hopefully someday) but I look for your sale posts to see some cool stuff. It kind of actually pisses me off when you don't sell something for a while...get with it man!
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That's pretty cool of you to say tnspro, thank you.
I'm not being mean to anyone and this is not a rant, just being honest when I say I hardly bother even offering many items here as of late because most (not all, but most) want something for far less than what it's worth even after fees on eBay.
I've offered stuff here for $135 delivered with me payng shipping and ended selling it for $187 after fees and the buyer paid shipping.
Getting ridculous offers and people not replying back to me when they ask what I can do on an item, then I respond back to them with a number and they don't reply back has soured me quite a bit here.
More often that not anymore, I just put it up on eBay and get what I should for it even after fees.
lol, I've a few blind dates in my life. The first one - one of my buddies had a cousin coming into town, so I said "ok". That was a mistake. I'm talking rather large and flabby with stringy hair and about 0.0002 personality. Argh. Argh. Argh. Oh, man did I wish I'd never agreed. It was a l-o-n-g evening.
Anyhow, that same summer one of my girl classmates from French Class asked if I wanted to go out on a blind date with her cousin. I know what you're thinking, once bitten twice shy. I know what you're thinking - "run Forrest, run!" But instead, I said "ok".
Then she asked me if I had any friends that might want to go out with her younger sister. Back in those days, you were expected to take one for the team occasionally, and he really owed me after going out with his ugly cousin. So of course I said, "yeah, my good buddy owes me a big one." And he agreed to take out the younger sister.
So, we're sitting in my classmate's basement waiting for the girls to come downstairs. My date comes first and I'm going "YES! YES! YES!" I felt vindicated. Then, my buddy's date comes downstairs and he's going "YES! YES! YES!". What a crock! Now, he still owes me, not once but double! At least it was a great weekend and I ended up 1-1 for the summer in the fun blind date category.
Putting this into perspective, I would have been better off seeing pics before both episodes but there's always that question of a juiced pic or just bad lighting.
I knew it would happen.
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