*POLL* should pictures be required when selling/trading?

[Gerbil333]

Two points:

1) Pictures prove nothing. Any troll can steal someone else's images of a product they do not own, or simply post pictures of hardware they do own, and then easily never ship the item(s) out.

2) Most hardware sold here belongs inside of a computer case, so cosmetics aren't quite as important for this equipment as compared to, let's say, clothing. For items which may be subject to aesthetic judging, I've observed that most sellers do post pictures of their items (usually iPods, cell phones, etc.).


That said, I am a busy guy, and I would like to have voted yes. I like pictures, and for the few cases that images would be helpful here, the requirement of images would stop me from doing business here almost entirely. I respond to messages as quickly as possible and I always ship items within 24 hours. If I can't do that, I send my buyers a message. Taking pictures of several-generation-old RAM/CPUs/GPUs/hard drives, etc., would be a WASTE OF MY TIME.

 

[ktehmok]

Originally posted by: crosshairs

Originally posted by: mitchhamlin

Originally posted by: crosshairs
I voted no simply because I don't think it needs to be a rule.
I often list things with no pictures.
If someone requests a picture, I always try and take one and post it.

anyone can post pictures of their items to prove they have them, getting them to actually send them to you is another story.

I could look around my room and take pictures of well over 5,000 dollars worth of computer parts, simply doing that in no way assures you that I will send them to you after you pay.

I could also browse other forums for pictures of things I might want to "troll" someone for.

with 5 minutes and photoshop, I could have a date and my screen name added to those pictures.

Wile I understand your point, I don't see how it would help in the situation

Any particular reason you quoted me without adding a response?

It is common to quote another's post without adding anything, to state that they concur (agree) with what you wrote. And that no further comment was necessary. It is the intarweb equivalent of "Here, Here!"

I have to vote no on this. As it has already been pointed out by the many fine traders here, a picture is not a guarantee that you will ever receive the item. Only that the seller "may" have it. And it is more of a hassle for the seller who would have to deal with hosting the pics, since this site does not.

It has already been noted that a number of traders on here would simply stop trading rather than follow a rule like that (Which I believe is complete BS, this place is like crack ).

OP, your comment about the site that requires 100 posts before they may even view the FS forum makes me think. My first 1500-2000 posts here were all in this FS/FT forum. And my first 150 Heatware. It wasn't until I ventured into OT that I started acting stupid & getting into trouble. I believe a minimum post rule is a narrow minded idea.

You did ask for a vote, and it looks close so far. Lets see how this pans out. I am against it though. It is not that hard to ask the seller for pictures.

 

[Blitzkreig75]

I used to post in ResellerRatings, (I stopped because the lack of traders, crap don't get sold there no more ). I'm not sure if pics are required there, but I know it was easy to upload your pics to THAT SITE.

I don't post pics here because I don't want to mess with hosting sites.

If the mods see fit for requiring pics, they should update the site to allow uploading HERE, not through hosting. Requiring users to use a second, non-affiliated site seems against the 'community' feel of AT.

 

[Vertigo Acid]

Unfair for those without digital cameras, and only serves to slow down trolls. They *will* find and photoshop pics from elsewhere, adopt the same handles as the pictures, or simply own 1 of what they're selling, take pics, and then never deliver to the multiple schmucks they "sold" it to.

 

[Dudewithoutapet]

I personally always post pictures of what I am selling, damn good ones too IMHO. But I would and do not expect it out of my fellow trader. It is personal preference. Now I feel that pictures help sell your item, which is why I do that, but not everyone cares enough or has the time to take a picture of everything.

I can understand taking a picture of say a PSP or an LCD, but no one should need to post a picture of a motherboard or ram, thats just ridiculous. Unless someone spilled something on the mobo or put stickers on the heatspreaders of some ram, they're going to look stock 99.99% of the time, right?

Also as far as your poll goes, you do realize you will have to tally up the total of the bottom three as "no".

 

[killster1]

Originally posted by: crosshairs
I voted no simply because I don't think it needs to be a rule.
I often list things with no pictures.
If someone requests a picture, I always try and take one and post it.

anyone can post pictures of their items to prove they have them, getting them to actually send them to you is another story.

I could look around my room and take pictures of well over 5,000 dollars worth of computer parts, simply doing that in no way assures you that I will send them to you after you pay.

I could also browse other forums for pictures of things I might want to "troll" someone for.

with 5 minutes and photoshop, I could have a date and my screen name added to those pictures.

Wile I understand your point, I don't see how it would help in the situation

zomg i agree with crosshairs this time.. pictures will prove and stop nothing.. but it will slow down the scammers and make others think the scammers are legit.. Not me of course i dont care if you have pictures of it show me your heatware and paypal verified account..


what id prefer is that sellers do better job shipping.. ive gotten several hds with paper used for packing or just a few styrafoam peanuts in a big box.. i wonder if poopy pants got scammed or just sees all the newbie posts with people that wont ship first.. ( good indication of a scammer)

 

[spaceman]

compulsory pictures for computer hardware?
people arent usually selling antiques/rare items on here.
trolls could take pictures of friends stuff/their stuff and still not send it.
I dont need to see a stick of memory or a cpu pic and has zero influence on whether or not i'd buy something from someone.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

I usually provide pictures, but sometimes don't for new items. Figure my rep is decent enough - but I will provide actual pics if a prospective buyer asks for it.

 

[dampeal]

I just added an overall pic to my thread...

a pain to take pictures of every item, especially when you have a lot of them.

If people want to see they can ask for pictures

 

[PoopyPants]

this was just a thought guys, i wanted to see what the general concensus was.

i wish more would vote or would have voted....

this was never meant to say pictures prove you are not a troll , its a two way street.

1)
pictures WITH YOUR NAME AND DATE, provide proof you have the item atleast when you posted it.
2)
it provides a visual aide to buyers
3)
it also protects the buyers so that if the unit comes and is a pile of beaten up crap, they can go back and say that the picture shows a nice unit, why is the one i got a pile of crap.
4)
the same is said for the seller, if a buyer tries to claim he got a pile of crap the seller can atleast go back and say look at the picture,,,
5)
the name on a piece of paper again is a method to prove ownership.

99.99999% of the trolls out there don't own the hardware and never will, this right here is the biggest deterant to a troll period.

I bet every single one of you people would NEVER purchase something online where the checkout wasnt AT LEAST 128bit encrypted.

yet you would sit here and buy and pay someone for hardware that you have absolutely NO PROOF that they even own or intend to ship you.

so how many other double standards do you have ?

every step of this request is meant to PROTECT US and F*$&%K THE TROLLS.

Of you think taking pictures is a hassle and doesnt help, then i would suggest you try selling at another forum with that attitude and you will find out by the end of the day just how long your for sale thread lasts. it wont.

it angers me to see you people act this way, its not good for the community, especially when we have had a large number of trollings going on lately. one of which just happened, last week i believe it was.
and you guys want to sit here and keep going down the same stupid path your on ?

you can blame the guy who got trolled or blame the troll all you want, until the day comes with it happens to you, then, maybe you'll change your mind and request that anandtech puts a little bit of security in place.

the picture theory is used in most of the popular forums, and its there for a reason.
the reason is, well , open up our very own fs/ft thread and looka the first 4 threads or so,, troll threads.

trolls will never go away but the more you deter them the harder it becomes.
this forum has zero protection in place other than enabling you prrofile which means absolutely nothing.

considering Anand has put out his own magazine, i figured the forum should move up a notch too and start using a FS/FT forum section that actually has some rules. other than no bumping under 4 hours apart.

i just want to see the fs/ft section become a better place.

 

[Karaktu]

You can require pictures personally before buying. The trick is having the will power to walk away from a deal if it doesn't meet your personal criteria.

I almost never take pictures...things are usually sold before I get around to it.

 

[wdb1966]

If I were required to take pictures of every little item I sell, I'd go on Ebay to sell instead.

I would provide pics to buyers if requested, as long as I have the means.

 

[legoman666]

No. Too annoying and you can't view pics inline with the thread anyway. If this was changed, I'd probably visit AT less. Most items simply don't require pictures. And if someone wants a pic, just ask for one. Is it really that complicated?

 

[Geekbabe]

Originally posted by: PoopyPants
i would say effective immediately.
any current threads do not need to be updated but it would be appreciated

those who say no have valid reason, but your reasons are also why you don't post in other forums fs/ft sections, because attitude wont let you.

*its a hassel - no it isnt. you will spend 10x's more time making the thread. and imageshack is free hosting.

*it doesnt mean they will ship it - true, thats not the point of the picture requirements, its simply to prevent trolls and trolls dont own th hardware most of the time. and the name on a piece of paper ensures they atleast have it in their posession.

*misleading description. - This again is overwritten, someone what by the picture. sure if he says it works, and it doesnt a picture wont show that. but if its all beat to hell and he lists it as good condition. a picture will show it.

i hate to say this but you guys bitch and moan and scream about catching scammers. well this is a huge step in the prevention of scammers.


why don't you take a peak at my home turf, xtremesystems.
there is NO trolling over there in the fs/ft section. that place is lcked down tighter than a prison for their fs/ft section.
you even have to have 100 posts to even SEE the fs.ft section.
there was a time when justin davies (some of you know who this punk is) trolled alot of people for alot of money on XS and many other forums, and IRC) and that kind of stuff will happen. not every troll can be prevented.
but look at places like pcperspective, again another locked down fs/ft forum. there you even have to have a valid email in your thread.

there are other forums such as hardforum who go so far as to ban hotmail, msn, aol, yahoo, gmail, macmail, and many other because its an untraceable form of email.

no one is asking for that.

all this is is a simple picture to say hey, i do have the hardware, here it is.

You are asking for a lot of rules,lots of requirements of sellers,lots of work from the staff here,what are you what are you willing to pay for those things?

Geekbabe,AT Senior Mod

 

[PoopyPants]

Originally posted by: Karaktu
You can require pictures personally before buying. The trick is having the will power to walk away from a deal if it doesn't meet your personal criteria.

I almost never take pictures...things are usually sold before I get around to it.

lol yeah but there is a difference between dealing with a newbie here at the forum, who is usually who is doing the trolling. and you joe, the #1 heatware guy.
someone who buys hardware like its an addiciton only to do a turn around on most of the stuff you buy.


again all of this is to protect us, and screw the trollers.

 

[Kelemvor]

If At had an image hosting section built into the forums, I'd say sure. But since people have to find a site to upload and then link it in and things, I'd say to not make it required at this time even though I totally agree it would cut down on the scammers immensely.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

if it is important to you, dont buy without seeing a picture. if it is important to most people, or becomes a necessity to reduce scamming, it will become the norm without any intervention. The burden is on the seller to market his product and when taking pictures and hosting them becomes worth the effort, they will do so.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: PoopyPants
Anandtech fs/ft forums, i am afraid to say, has become a scammers/troll paradise.
there is more scamming going on here than any other forum i see. well, aside from hardforum. and xbox-scene.com

I have to say that in all the years I've been here, I've never been scammed/trolled.
I also disagree with you on the picture thing. It shouldn't be required, and I do often see people posting pics of their goods without being asked.
But it's pretty simple--if there's no pics, and you want them, ask for them. If it's important to you, and they don't provide pics, don't buy from them.

 

[evident]

Originally posted by: fuxxociety
While I understand that pictures of items help verify the integrity of the seller, I (once again) believe that a full scale "picture for all items" policy is out of bounds.

In my opinion, the requirement of a picture should vary with the asking price of the item being sold. I don't want to have to post pictures of every little thing I want to put on the forums (but I still do)

In my opinion, items over say, $149 should be required to be posted with pictures, but let the little guy selling single LEDs alone.

i second this. taking pictures of all the small things im selling would be a big hassle and would probably provide no intrinsic value. who wants to see pics of old pc133 ram for $5 or usb->ps/2 adapter?

 

[TwiceOver]

> $75

I usually offer "On Request" and only get a few requests.

 

[cherrytwist]

I often post pics of my own items. That being said, I don't think it should be a rule.

If you want pics from the potential seller, why not ask for them?

Frankly I trust the majority of sellers on FS/FT and if I don't, I ask them to ship first.

I thought this was common practice and often don't need pics to verify what I'm buying...

 

[oogabooga]

every thing listed seems excessive, I trust the majority of AT posters that if they are really giving me advice it's legit and that if they are buying/selling they are making their best effort.

It would seem to be on the buyer to ask for pictures of an item. Buying that laptop? ask for pictures. I don't think we would need pictures of every dvd or small component sold on the forums. If you're curious ask for them.

I would hope members of anandtech would exercise basic caution with transactions initiated online with what amounts to a total stranger.