What Poor Ebay Pictures Can Hide

[jerryd6818]

I was crusin' Camillus knives on eBay when I happened on this one. $2.99 starting bid with $5.55 shipping. The sellers other items look like yard sale junk with this knife the only one out of 21 items for sale so I don't think she's trying to deceive. Here's her description of the item.
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CAMILLUS POCKET KNIFE

1960'S (From the tang stamp, it is possibly 1960's. How did she know that?)

USED

#64

I believe the photos show it all. This knife has been used. It is 3 1/4" long.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK.
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http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAMILLUS-No-64- ... 415cad176a

I "fixed" a couple of the pictures she posted. I don't think what she posted in the auction show the true condition of the knife. Am I being too picky?

[IMBand]

Maybe a little too picky at $2.99 - I know we have whole threads on knife photography........maybe
the seller had troubles getting a good pic? I think lots of guys here would like that knife at $8-12.00.
Just my opinion as I still struggle with good pics and I have taken many hundred by now.

[Ramrod]

I could tell its condition ok from the original pics...
Mark

[jerryd6818]

I could tell its condition ok from the original pics...
Mark

But it's condition is not okay, Mark. The mark side handle pin is missing (the one on the punch end) and there's something goofy with the mark side handle, like it's tilted or something. Can't really tell without the knife in hand. Why don't y'all go on and buy that knife so you can tell me I'm full of bean sprouts and tofu. It's okay. I'm a big boy. I can take it.

[Ramrod]

Jerry,
What I meant was, I could tell it was a piece, even before the enhanced pics.
Mark

[Toejammer]

I'd snag it for that price, make a nice filler for me.

[jerryd6818]

Jerry,
What I meant was, I could tell it was a piece, even before the enhanced pics.
Mark

Ahh. Gottcha.


Snag away Jammer. I'm not bidding on it.

[allmightyoz]

you can't polish a turd.

the fixed pictures look worse than the originals to me. I despise people with crappy pictures, but also love them sometimes. sometimes a crap picture gets me a good steal. if it is anything of real value and the picture is crappy, i simply won't bid. not worth it.

[coffeecup]

Well, you got my curiosity up so I put in a bid. I figure I've learned enough from everyone else's ebay mistakes that it is about my turn!

Jim

[Elvis]

Well, you got my curiosity up so I put in a bid. I figure I've learned enough from everyone else's ebay mistakes that it is about my turn!

Jim

Now there's a brave soul willing to take one for the team. Let us know what is behind those crap pictures.

[coffeecup]

Worst case, I don't have that awl/punch in the teaching collection I use with the scouts. I want the little rug rats to understand the reasons for and importance of the different tools, even if they never use them.

[9ball]

allmightyoz Sezs:

the fixed pictures look worse than the originals to me. I despise people with crappy pictures, but also love them sometimes. sometimes a crap picture gets me a good steal. if it is anything of real value and the picture is crappy, i simply won't bid. not worth it.

Sometimes when I see something I am interested in.......I save the image to my machine and "work" on it later with my software.
Sometimes you see things that are helpful, kinda like reading between the lines.

9ball

[Toejammer]

Exactly. Gamma correction in itself can do wonders. I use photoshop all the time to pick out gems in bigger lots w/ crappy photography.

allmightyoz Sezs:

the fixed pictures look worse than the originals to me. I despise people with crappy pictures, but also love them sometimes. sometimes a crap picture gets me a good steal. if it is anything of real value and the picture is crappy, i simply won't bid. not worth it.

Sometimes when I see something I am interested in.......I save the image to my machine and "work" on it later with my software.
Sometimes you see things that are helpful, kinda like reading between the lines.

9ball

[allmightyoz]

I wish people would just take better pictures to begin with. It's not hard. Maybe if they would realize better pictures get better money they might spend an extra two minutes to turn on the macro and focus the shot. Maybe ebay should add a rating for picture quality

i mean, these people HAVE to realize their pictures suck, right?

i have tried to ask for better pictures from a couple people, NOT ONE has ever sent me any other pictures...

[coffeecup]

I have tried asking for better pics too; they came 5+ megs per pic, and I was still on dial-up then. Worst part was they were just raw copies of the same lousy pics. Now, unless the item is something I'm reasonably sure about (or going cheap) I don't bid.

(I did win the Camillus that was the original topic of discussion. When it arrives I'll get some half-decent pics posted.)

Jim

[dcgm4]

I might be in the minority here, but I don't mind crappy pics on eBay. Crappy pics have scored me some fantastic deals in the past. In fact, just tonight I got a good deal on an old A. F. Bannister & Co. double-end surveyor jack. The pics weren't horrible, but they weren't great either. If I am unsure of something, like cracks in the handles or whatever, then I simply email the seller and usually get a satisfactory answer so I feel confident about what I'm bidding on.

[FRJ]

Well Jim, you sort of brought that one in to the fold. Nice going.

[coffeecup]

Sorry for the delay in getting these up, I've been sidetracked a bit here. These are not the best of pics, but certainly better than the seller had online.

First up:


(Sorry, forgot to rotate the pic.) There was some speculation about why that mark-side scale looked a bit "off." Well, it has a pin missing, a dent in the bolster, and . . .

. . . a broken pin. The pics don't show it well, but the pounding on the bolster is worse than it looks. I suspect the pins broke when someone tried to tighten the knife. With the original pics, it was also rather difficult to see the scale shrinkage.

[jerryd6818]

Are you sorry you bought it Joe?

I could see there was something wrong with the handle in the second picture I posted but your picture proves the pins are broken (I didn't expect the pins to be broken.) and the handle appears to be pivoting freely on the rocker pin. It's nothing a few of the guys here couldn't fix but the knife isn't worth putting the money into it. Thanks for showing it Joe. I had forgotten you said you were going to bid on it.

[coffeecup]

Not sorry I got it: the price was reasonable for what it was, and I knew there was something wrong with it when I bid. This wasn't the first time I've bought a knife just to see what the pictures only half-showed.

Hopefully the pics I posted last night can give some folks an idea of what to look for in ebay photos that are often sadly lacking.

Jim