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Why do sellers post poor pics when selling cars?

Started by chrisntam, November 28, 2017, 08:54:52 PM

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chrisntam

Always browsing eBay, I've come across a couple of sellers that post really crappy pictures of cars they are selling.

1) Are they not smart?
2) Was it foggy when they took the picture?
3) Are they trying to hide something?
4) Do they really not want to sell the car?
5) Some pics are clear, some are not.
6) I just scratch my head and say, "Really?"

Comments?
1970 Deville Convertible 
Dallas, Texas

Alan Harris CLC#1513

My first thought was that he had pretensions of being an artiste!

After seeing the duct taped front upholstery and the limo-style jump seats in the back, I think he has plenty to conceal. He is hoping for a customer with cataracts.

Bobby B

Quote from: Alan Harris CLC#1513 on November 28, 2017, 09:42:23 PM
After seeing the duct taped front upholstery and the limo-style jump seats in the back, I think he has plenty to conceal. He is hoping for a customer with cataracts.

Red Duct Tape is sold at any Big Box Store.... :o :o :o
                                                                Bobby
1947 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible Coupe
1968 Mustang Convertible
1973 Mustang Convertible
1969 Jaguar E-Type Roadster
1971 Datsun 240Z
1979 H-D FLH

cadillacmike68

That third pic cannot be the same car. Too much room in the back seat.
Regards,
"Cadillac" Mike

chrisntam

Two different cars, different sellers, common theme is very poor pictures.
1970 Deville Convertible 
Dallas, Texas

D.Smith

Three reasons.   

1)     They are lazy and don't care.
2)     They are hiding flaws.
3)     They really don't want to sell the car.

My pet peeve are the ones who intentionally don't take a photo of the drivers seat because it has tears or wear.  They'll post a photo of every other seat though.   Or the wet car look.  As if hosing down the car and taking pics will fool anyone.

kgreen

My first thought would be a deceitful motive.  My second thought would be that when selling the make of car that only a more mature crowd could afford, computer skills may be limited.

chrisntam

Quote from: D.Smith on November 29, 2017, 07:21:22 AM
Three reasons.   

1)     They are lazy and don't care.
2)     They are hiding flaws.
3)     They really don't want to sell the car.

My pet peeve are the ones who intentionally don't take a photo of the drivers seat because it has tears or wear.  They'll post a photo of every other seat though.   Or the wet car look.  As if hosing down the car and taking pics will fool anyone.

I've seen the wet look!

About a year ago, I sold a '75 Olds on Craigslist, had 24 high quality pics, sold it in about 2 days.
1970 Deville Convertible 
Dallas, Texas

Caddyjack

It's crazy. I also see idiots posting photos of their cars for sale that have dirt or leaves on them, and cluttered interiors that need vacuuming and a basic cleaning. Not even intensive detailing, just basic common sense cleaning. Clowns.   :o
Jack Larson
Philadelphia, PA

chrisntam

Quote from: Caddyjack on November 29, 2017, 02:13:05 PM
It's crazy. I also see idiots posting photos of their cars for sale that have dirt or leaves on them, and cluttered interiors that need vacuuming and a basic cleaning. Not even intensive detailing, just basic common sense cleaning. Clowns.   :o

Like this?
1970 Deville Convertible 
Dallas, Texas

m-mman

There is a concept today that if you own something you dont have to actually "sell" it.  ::)

The idea is that collectibles are SOOOOOoooooo popular that all you need to do a post a 'notice' and all big money collectors will make a bee line to your house with fists full of cash.   :-*

I think it comes from the TV shows. They 'fix' a car and the buyer just walks into the shop with cash.
The seller never takes photos.
The seller never spoke to anyone on the phone.
The seller never does any 'selling'.   
Poof! The car is sold, the show ends.

More than a few cars that I was a serious buyer for either:   >:D
. . . NEVER returned my call
. . . Returned the call a week (or TWO!) later. "I'm ready to sell it now"
. . . Answered the phone but NEVER made time to allow me to see it. "Not today" "Maybe next week" "No, this is a holiday weekend" "I am available only on Thursday between 11 and 2" "My weekends are for me, I only conduct business Monday through Friday".

In one case (after a month or more on Craigslist) we agreed on a price. I called to arrange a time to conclude the deal and pay for the car. 4 days of messages, he never called me back.
Instead he started running the ad again with a higher price and a comment that he had a 'firm offer' of my price.  :o

So, in each case THEY still have the car, and I keep my cash.   :)
There are always more fish in the sea.  ;)

1929 341B Town Sedan
1971 Miller-Meteor Lifeliner ambulance
Other non-Cadillac cars
Near Los Angeles, California

CLC #29634

cappy102

#11
Guilty as charged.

My excuse is that the photos I posted were taken a couple of years before listing the car. At that point there were no plans to sell it, and the pix were just for my records (complete with boxes of parts in the trunk, and a dirty cabin). By the time I listed the car, it was tucked away in shop bay that did not allow for new photos, and the car could not be moved.

However, no deception was intended, and full explanations were included in the listing. As it turned out I decided to keep the car, since the offers were all lowballs (no surprise there, since it was presented so poorly).

All that being said, I suspect that some sellers out there are just plain sketchy. Perhaps they're hoping that someone will buy the car without inspecting it. This happens quite often, and when I worked as service manager for an exotic used auto dealership, I watched several cars, purchased mainly on the basis of photos, being loaded onto a transport for destinations far away.


Just to clarify...none of the above photos or autos are mine. And my photos were clear and focused.
1957 Cadillac Coupe De Ville
1981 Moto Guzzi V50 Monza

Barry M Wheeler #2189

I remember once when I was selling a 1939 Series 7519. In primer, missing an engine and the RH front frame was rusted nearly through. I vacuumed it, and took everything out of it but what I was selling. It was way before instant pictures, but I called the guy and he said he'd stop by from Auburn and look at it. It only took took two or three minutes before he agreed and started loading it. I thought it rather amusing that Mae West's restored '38 V-16 rode on the open flatbed on the way back to Detroit and my junker in the enclosed trailer.

The previous posters are right. Presentation is really important and having the car in as pristine shape as possible always helps. And I think the premise that all of us have cash falling out of our pockets and will jump at the chance to buy their car holds water, too. In my recent search of Craigslist I saw that many times over. One or maybe two fuzzy pictures or taken from fifty or sixty feet away. My body man once had a low mileage Olds sedan that had the dustiest engine compartment I'd ever seen. I have always trusted him 100% but the outside of the car and that engine seemed like two different things. And so I passed on it. It sat there for months and I'm sure that other people took one look at the engine and doubted the mileage.

I've also found those that seem completely indifferent to letting you buy the car. I was on an Allante kick a few years ago, and was ready to have one shipped here from SD. But the lady was so wishy-washy I almost felt bad about "bothering" her about the car. Weird. But we've all known for ages that old car people are crazy, haven't we?
Barry M. Wheeler #2189


1981 Cadillac Seville
1991 Cadillac Seville

The Tassie Devil(le)

Quote from: Barry M Wheeler #2189 on November 30, 2017, 05:40:13 PM
I remember once when I was selling a 1939 Series 7519. In primer, missing an engine and the RH front frame was rusted nearly through. I vacuumed it, and took everything out of it but what I was selling. It was way before instant pictures, but I called the guy and he said he'd stop by from Auburn and look at it. It only took took two or three minutes before he agreed and started loading it. I thought it rather amusing that Mae West's restored '38 V-16 rode on the open flatbed on the way back to Detroit and my junker in the enclosed trailer.
Some people want to show off what they have, and others are wanting to hide what they have.

At least with the enclosed trailer, nothing would be lost from the car in pieces as it travelled down the road.

Bruce. >:D
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

Maynard Krebs

My experience tells me that most folks are "visually-oriented".   This phenomenon causes potential buyers to erroneously think that a car ad without a photo is not a car worth considering.   Not so.   Even John Olson in his small book from 1974 stated that photos are very misleading, at best.   Another thing is possible buyers let themselves be deceived into thinking that photos can be a substitute for actually examining the car with your own eyes (preferably with a friend who knows a bit about older autos).   This is a form of intellectual laziness.... born of a rationale that they can't afford the time and money to travel to a given car for sale... so they mistakenly figure that photos will suffice.   Again, not so.

RobertM

A wise man once said "If a pretty girl doesn't smile, she probably has bad teeth."
Bob Melms

1954 60 Special
1995 Sedan Deville
1999 Eldorado (RIP 2018)
Connecticut, USA