Found the first Invisible Beaker on ebay...

[Michael Crawford]

Yep

Yep, I'm like Ken. I buy a lot of vintage stuff through ebay, and if there's no picture, I don't even bother.

Sorry, but it's a crucial marketing tool. Go get yourself a cheap digital camera, and you'll do even better selling on ebay.

Michael
MWC

 

[bhg738]

Ken, My comments on that side were more directed to MM-III who implied that there was something sketchy about not showing pictures. In my eyes that is a reference to integrity and honesty surely you must agree! Sketchy is a word implying something is untoward!

I agree that in your post that you did not make any reference to reasons on not buying if no picture is shown and I do agree that it is your right as a buyer to see a picture but, why let that put you off?

Someone as I said may have a genuine reason why they cant display a picture but I think it is unfair of you to not give them a go. They may be a really great seller! Lets say for example they were selling a Beaker playset you know what it looks like so would you still not view it? I agree that it is nice to see items but to not buy from someone just because they showed no picture is in my opinion unfair.

I must admit that I used to feel a little the same way but they I realised that I have no scanner so I am in the same position as them. I then thought as long as the description is good and their feedback is good then it is only fair to give them ago.

I am not getting at you but just trying to make you see that you could end up passing up on something great and that would be a shame!

 

[bhg738]

Michael,

I do agree that a picture is an advantage.

However, lets say you were looking for a Star Wars poster you always wanted and was a 1979 original. Some guy listed it with no picture. It turns out that this was the real deal, feedback was great and item turned out to be prerfect.

The thing is so many people passed on it as it had no picture that Joe Bloggs who did give it a chance and looked at it got it for $200.00 rather than the guy who looked at the one with a picture and got it for $1000.00.

I am only trying to make you guys see that despite a picture being an advantage, which I do agree, it is not enough alone to put you off buying.

 

[Luke]

While i understand your point i NEVER buy without a picture - in fact i don't even call up the item page.

Simple as this - while there are some honest sellers who don't have scanners, there are also a lot of dudes out there to rip you off. At least if you see an actual picture you know that the Kermit figure you bought doesn't end up having one arm and a stump for a leg, and that the packaging is ok. I know people will say buy the item and send it back if it isn't right but half the time nowdays the scammers will have moved on by that time.

 

[bhg738]

Luke,

Thanks for your point.

However this is where I said that it is impossible to argue the point of not viewing an item with no picture as someone who does show a picture is just as likely to rip you off.

Who is to say:

1/ The picture does show everything clearly.

2/ It is the actual item you are buying.

3/ The seller is likely to come through with the goods.

You could get ripped off with or without a picture. Whilst again I point out it is more of an advantage having a picture it should NOT put you off.

FEEDBACK IS WHAT MATTERS NOT PICTURES!

 

[MM-III]

Oh my what a silly thing to rant about.

Look bhg738... sketchy means unclear, obtuse, the opposite of lucid... as in it could be fine, it could not be. You don't know because the goods aren't staring you in the face. There's no judgement in that statement about good or bad so RELAX! I stand behind my statement 110%!

Now, can you still be screwed, even if they post a pic? Sure! But in matters where a lot of money is involved, I'm just not going to sign my money away without seeing the product. It adds an element of uncertainty to a market that is already incredibly uncertain. And in a buying and selling format where refunds are almost never granted in the event of a problem... I NEED to be reassured.

I think anyone can imagine a scenario where you do indeed recieve what the auction describes, but it still fails to meet your expectations. A picture of the item will lessen that possibility.

And besides that point... in this day and age there really is no good excuse not to have a scanner. Half the new computers these days include them for free and a new basic one can be obtained for about a hundred bucks.

That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. It's not meant as a personal attack on your integrity but if you want to take it that way... so be it.

 

[ZootandDingo]

Originally posted by bhg738
You could get ripped off with or without a picture.

I agree with this thinking. This past week I've seen various eBay auctions for items like videos that had pictures clearly taken from Amazon. I once had to threaten someone to remove a picture in their auction that they stole from one of my web sites.

I'm not saying those individuals were up to no good, but it does make one wonder if they were doing it out of desperation for bids, or if simply because they didn't have the item in the first place.

Although a picture does help me make up my mind whether or not to bid, I don't automatically exclude auctions that don't have them. I check the person's feedback, and I ask them questions about the item. I save their responses, so if I should bid and win the item and it arrives looking nothing like how they described it, then I have a right to report it to eBay (like THAT makes a difference!).

The bottom line is, as said previously, if someone is going to rip you off, a picture won't protect you.

 

[uncleduke]

I think another point is that this is a rare item, the first one on ebay, and no one has seen them outside the show.

Someone earlier said "You should give them a go". Well, I did that once, and there went my money.... never to be seen again. The SOB even had the nerve to sell my name and address to someone else who is harrasing me to this day. I do not do any SIGHT UNSEEN shopping on eBay.

BTW I also distrust people who use other peoples pictures, that to me is worse than no picture at all. I always like the auctions that have the sellers imprint on the pic, it is more of an assurance you are seeing what you will get.

Some one else said "I have no scanner but have conducted 100's of auctions" And if you had set aside 30 cents from each auction, you could have a scanner. They are only like 50 bucks. The advantage outweighs the expense by a long shot.

 

[Louis Kazagger]

I too am a member of the "no pic, then I don't buy" club. Call me crazy, but I just like to see some digital proof of the item. Any seller that doesn't provide pics is doing themselves a grave injustice by not providing pictures of their items. I guarantee there are millions of other potential ebay customers who feel the same way that we do, and who would pass on items for auction because of the lack of pics. I don't personally know a single person who uses ebay that doesn't feel the same way about the picture issue. I know people who don't even click on an item's link if it doesn't have a pic icon beside it. Especially when you're talking about a vintage item. As they say, a picture is worth 1000 words, and since condition and grading of an item is subjective, I would like to see pics of the item to judge grading for myself. One guy's "perfect" description of a 1979 Star Wars poster, may be another guy's "toilet paper".

And all that your example about Joe Bloggs says to me is that Joe should wake up and realize he needs to provide pics, as it cost him $800.00.

It is true though, that feedback is also very important. I'm not so foolish that I'm going to buy from a person who has zero feedback simply because they have pictures. I've seen folks copy stock photos from other people's auctions, or even Michael's site for their auctions. Does a feedback rating outweigh providing a picture? Sure it does. Buy you know what, when I see a person with a high rating that doesn't have a picture, it makes me wonder why not? And I think it's just lame when I read in a description, "sorry, no pics, I don't have a scanner or camera" from a seller with a very high rating. I say that if the seller is that serious about selling on ebay, they should act like it, and anyone who doesn't may be a five star seller, but they're only knocking themselves down a notch or two without providing pics.

It may be eye candy, but give 'em what they want......

In the mean time, you can snatch all the pic-less deals off ebay and laugh all the way to your collection room.

 

[BAZ]

I never look at auctions that don't have a picture. I've seen to many people post wrong information about their item, some times intentional, some times not. How many times have you seen an Ebay listing for "a green furry muppet" only to find the picture is one of those cheap handpuppets (you know the ones). Or a posting for Rowlf item, but the picture is Fozzie. I think most of those people are not trying to rip you off, they just didn't really know what they have.

Anyway, my point is, you need the picture to make sure it is the item you think it is.