Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Sellers please take the time to write a brief description. 'See scan', 'See image', 'See picture' etc... That's not enough.
When it comes to covers and postcards, I don't expect everyone to know and share as much as say Arno, (who does very nice descriptions), but writing the name of the town in the cancel, the date and whatever other info is on the front and back of such items is usually needed by the people who would bid on this material.
I'm just saying.
Doe
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I often would bid, but don't, on poorly described items, so the sellers are shooting themselves in the foot by being so impecunious with their words of description. It is beyond me why anyone who wishes to sell stamps or covers would fail to provide both good images and pertinent instructions. It's as if they hope that merely by offering an item someone will bid on it, and fail to understand that good images and descriptions would probably increase the bidding.
Bob Ingraham
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Well, one problem with offering covers is that you ideally have pictures of the front and back if the back shows anything of interest. I have figured out how to include a second picture in the auction description, but I know from conversations that others have problems with that. One possible fix is to allow for the upload of two pictures rather than one. This would also allow to show front and back of stamps (where appropriate).
Again, it is already possible to include as many pictures as one wishes in the auction description -- one has to figure it out and learn how to do it, though. Patches has explained it to me quite some time ago. Maybe the old thread still exists and can be incorporated in the auction help or FAQ section ('how to incorporate more than one picture'). Still, I am sure more sellers would include a second picture if it was supported by the auction form.
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Hi Rhinelander,
You have another great idea here. It would be good to be able to include more than one image in the auction lot. Unfortunately I am limited by the file structure that we have. I can't do things that change the file structure. It would mean that the rest of the auction program wouldn't work. The changes that I have made recently with the auction, including your relist function, have been writing programs that work with the existing file structure. If you need help I could post a message detailing the way to post a second, third, fourth etc image in the description area.
Regards ... Tim.
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I have seen two or more pics in our auction. One in the pic section,and additional in the description section.
To point the buyer to the second pic,just put a note in 1st one to "see description",or in case of an envelope- "see other side in description".
"SEE BELOW" " or something to that effect that points the buyer to the additional pics,or info.
This must be already built in to the setup,and just needs to be highlighted for the seller ,and told how to use it.
TOM
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As far as I know, images are not included in the database. Only their location is.
This means it is not that difficult to include the html-tags for extra images in the description. One, two or threehundred extra images... no problem. Just a matter of updating the auction help section.
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Pictures can be worked out... My own problem is that often the images are not of a quality that I can read the cancels or other markings. Some images are not a problem.
When I posted the first message, I had just looked at several lots of covers. They all had pictures, but I couldn't make out any information from the scans and there was NOTHING written for a description.
On a humorous note- I can remember seeing lots listed here where the seller would write 'See description' in title box. When we'd click the lot to view it, the desription would say, 'See scan'.
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Ah yes, "See scan," which often is code for "See the tiny, fuzzy, colored rectangle which appears to be a stamp but conveys no information at all."
I've been railing about useless auction images since the auction began, but some dealers never seem to get the word or understand that ours is a visual hobby. I'm sure that no stamp seller would buy a new car from a dealer who wouldn't let him or her get closer to it than a kilometer (that's .62 miles to you Americans).
With covers, I think the problem with some sellers is that they don't understand it's the "little things" that count -- the postmarks, censor marks, pen or pencil notations, labels, cachets, name of sender or receiver (or both), military unit numbers, etc. I recently bought a cover for a great deal of money because it has a censor marking in Japanese and a Winnipeg wartime postmark. Those two attributes raised to from "dollar box" value to "more money than you can imagine" value. If it had been offered by a Stamporama dealer who specializes in nearly invisible scans I might have ignored it.
A seller who fails to learn how to use images is never going to be a very successful seller.
Bob Ingraham
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So a summary of the discussion would be: please sellers, include good scans and if it adds anything a description. All the rest is a repetition of opinions already said many times on this discussionboard.
One can gripe how sellers do not get the message, but please remember that only very few people (if any at all) read every message posted on this discussionboard...
Jan-Simon
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To no one in particular-
Sellers please take the time to write a brief description. 'See scan', 'See image', 'See picture' etc... That's not enough.
When it comes to covers and postcards, I don't expect everyone to know and share as much as say Arno, (who does very nice descriptions), but writing the name of the town in the cancel, the date and whatever other info is on the front and back of such items is usually needed by the people who would bid on this material.
I'm just saying.
Doe
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this post
re: Proper descriptions are essential; multiple images to help showcase your lots
I often would bid, but don't, on poorly described items, so the sellers are shooting themselves in the foot by being so impecunious with their words of description. It is beyond me why anyone who wishes to sell stamps or covers would fail to provide both good images and pertinent instructions. It's as if they hope that merely by offering an item someone will bid on it, and fail to understand that good images and descriptions would probably increase the bidding.
Bob Ingraham
Login to Like
this post
re: Proper descriptions are essential; multiple images to help showcase your lots
Well, one problem with offering covers is that you ideally have pictures of the front and back if the back shows anything of interest. I have figured out how to include a second picture in the auction description, but I know from conversations that others have problems with that. One possible fix is to allow for the upload of two pictures rather than one. This would also allow to show front and back of stamps (where appropriate).
Again, it is already possible to include as many pictures as one wishes in the auction description -- one has to figure it out and learn how to do it, though. Patches has explained it to me quite some time ago. Maybe the old thread still exists and can be incorporated in the auction help or FAQ section ('how to incorporate more than one picture'). Still, I am sure more sellers would include a second picture if it was supported by the auction form.
Login to Like
this post
re: Proper descriptions are essential; multiple images to help showcase your lots
Hi Rhinelander,
You have another great idea here. It would be good to be able to include more than one image in the auction lot. Unfortunately I am limited by the file structure that we have. I can't do things that change the file structure. It would mean that the rest of the auction program wouldn't work. The changes that I have made recently with the auction, including your relist function, have been writing programs that work with the existing file structure. If you need help I could post a message detailing the way to post a second, third, fourth etc image in the description area.
Regards ... Tim.
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this post
01:39:13am
re: Proper descriptions are essential; multiple images to help showcase your lots
I have seen two or more pics in our auction. One in the pic section,and additional in the description section.
To point the buyer to the second pic,just put a note in 1st one to "see description",or in case of an envelope- "see other side in description".
"SEE BELOW" " or something to that effect that points the buyer to the additional pics,or info.
This must be already built in to the setup,and just needs to be highlighted for the seller ,and told how to use it.
TOM
Login to Like
this post
Approvals
re: Proper descriptions are essential; multiple images to help showcase your lots
As far as I know, images are not included in the database. Only their location is.
This means it is not that difficult to include the html-tags for extra images in the description. One, two or threehundred extra images... no problem. Just a matter of updating the auction help section.
Login to Like
this post
re: Proper descriptions are essential; multiple images to help showcase your lots
Pictures can be worked out... My own problem is that often the images are not of a quality that I can read the cancels or other markings. Some images are not a problem.
When I posted the first message, I had just looked at several lots of covers. They all had pictures, but I couldn't make out any information from the scans and there was NOTHING written for a description.
On a humorous note- I can remember seeing lots listed here where the seller would write 'See description' in title box. When we'd click the lot to view it, the desription would say, 'See scan'.
Login to Like
this post
re: Proper descriptions are essential; multiple images to help showcase your lots
Ah yes, "See scan," which often is code for "See the tiny, fuzzy, colored rectangle which appears to be a stamp but conveys no information at all."
I've been railing about useless auction images since the auction began, but some dealers never seem to get the word or understand that ours is a visual hobby. I'm sure that no stamp seller would buy a new car from a dealer who wouldn't let him or her get closer to it than a kilometer (that's .62 miles to you Americans).
With covers, I think the problem with some sellers is that they don't understand it's the "little things" that count -- the postmarks, censor marks, pen or pencil notations, labels, cachets, name of sender or receiver (or both), military unit numbers, etc. I recently bought a cover for a great deal of money because it has a censor marking in Japanese and a Winnipeg wartime postmark. Those two attributes raised to from "dollar box" value to "more money than you can imagine" value. If it had been offered by a Stamporama dealer who specializes in nearly invisible scans I might have ignored it.
A seller who fails to learn how to use images is never going to be a very successful seller.
Bob Ingraham
Login to Like
this post
Approvals
re: Proper descriptions are essential; multiple images to help showcase your lots
So a summary of the discussion would be: please sellers, include good scans and if it adds anything a description. All the rest is a repetition of opinions already said many times on this discussionboard.
One can gripe how sellers do not get the message, but please remember that only very few people (if any at all) read every message posted on this discussionboard...
Jan-Simon
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this post