AW Daily - Tips & Tactics - During the Auction: Inspecting Images

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by Dennis Prince

Seeing is believing, but at online auctions, can you believe everything you see? We're talking about the images that accompany items up for bid; some sellers provide terrific photos of their merchandise while others seem to include them as an afterthought. There are times when buyers need to be especially diligent about ensuring that what they see is what they'll get.

Here are some tips to help you determine whether the images you encounter truly represent what you're bidding on and whether you need to take extra steps to assure that there's no tricky photography involved.

What's Changed About Images?
What's changed? Bidders' expectations of image quality, that's what. It was just a few years ago when finding an auction with an accompanying image was like finding icing on your cake--images were a rarity and bidders felt truly lucky when they had the opportunity to view a picture of an item of interest.

These days, though, images are no longer a luxury--they're practically a requirement for bidders. And today, with so many more items available (including multiple auctions for the same items), bidders can be choosers. If an image doesn't convey the proper detail or condition of an item, you should feel justified about jumping over to another auction that has the kind of images you expect and that reassures you with greater confidence before you place your bid.

What's Hiding in the Pixels?
Though you should never suppose the worst of any seller at the outset, you should cast a critical eye on poor photos. Most cameras these days (be they digital or conventional) can help even the most incompetent shutter bug produce decent photos. Be on the lookout for the following situations:

Excessively Dark Photos: These could be hiding critical details of an item's condition or completeness. A photo that's a bit dark is understandable, but a seriously dark image might have something lurking in the shadows.

Excessively Bright or Color-Saturated Photos: Some sellers like to "clean up" their images before posting them. Typically, that's fine; however, some of the clean up might also misrepresent an item as being cleaner or brighter than it truly is.

Excessively Sharpened Photos: A little bit of sprucing up is fine, but watch for images that show unnaturally sharp edges or details as well as the "blockiness" quality that indicates an image has been overly enhanced beyond the item's true appearance.

Cropped Photos: It's understandable that many items are cropped when they won't fit on a flatbed scanner, but you always should understand which telltale details might have conveniently been left out. This is especially true when trying to determine corner or edge wear on items.

Learn to compare photos from auction to auction (as well as to photos you take yourself). Learn to spot the visual digital residue that comes with most image enhancements and compare what you see with other photographs you might find elsewhere online or published elsewhere. Again, your goal is not to incriminate a less-than-stellar photographer, but it's still your responsibility to watch out for your own interests and to deduce which images seem "augmented" and why.

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