posted on September 20, 2000 11:13:20 PM
The subject of making the photo sizes of the jewelry items that we sell in our auctions the same comes up once in a while for my customers. I always carefully explain that different size monitors, video cards and software settings from PC to PC make one-size-fits-all impossible.
But I got to wondering: are there Buyers out there that are still using 14" monitors on their computer to shop at eBay with? >>YIKES!<<
If you are a Buyer and you are lurking here, it would really be appreciated if you'd kindly make a post for this one. I truely am interested in some facts
Do you still use a 14" monitor? What do you use to shop eBay with?
posted on September 20, 2000 11:44:44 PM
Up till about a month ago, I shopped with a 14" monitor... I am now upgraded? to a whopping 15" monitor(but the screen isn't shrinking on this one, I can use the whole area.)
posted on September 20, 2000 11:57:02 PM
I have a 19" monitor, but my neighbor surfs the net with an old Mac Classic with a 9" black and white monitor. I usually try to make my photos about 250 pixels tall -- haven't had any complaints.
--
Valerie's Doggie Closet http://www.amazon.com/shops/valeriet
posted on September 20, 2000 11:59:51 PM
I'm sad to say I'm still using one, but I have no problems with any of the pictures. In fact it seems to have a clearer picture than my daughters 19".
posted on September 21, 2000 12:12:35 AMAnyone Still Use A 14" Monitor?
Yep, as a door stop.
(The boyfriend does computer work so there are old parts of just about everything all over the place, the monitor ended up by the door to the bedroom).
posted on September 21, 2000 04:36:45 AM
Yes ... my laptop has one. And so does my backup system, and so does the system I gave to a friend's sister, and so does my neighbor's two system.
There are a LOT of them out there! The typical person upgrades their computer system when it DIES, not when noew hardware is released. I have a BIG monitor, but I bought it because I do a lot of WORK on the computer.
posted on September 21, 2000 04:44:07 AM
One of our computers still has a 14 incher, the other was replaced with a 17 incher a few days ago. (what a difference!!!)
posted on September 21, 2000 05:24:56 AM
When our old computer died the new one came with a 17 monitor. WOW! For awhile it was as if I was looking at a big sceen tv set. Now? It just looks normal.
My kids have a computer and it has a 14 monitor.
\"Don\'t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.\"---Mark Twain
posted on September 21, 2000 05:52:23 AM
probably depends on the neighborhood. My neighbors put 14/15 inch monitors out on the curb for pickup. I have seen them at garage sales for $5. I picked up a NICE 17 inch monitor for free off the curb last month.
I want a big flat screen more than a new car.
When I have both cars paid I will get it.
posted on September 21, 2000 06:26:06 AM
I'm gonna' go out on a limb here and say that *most* people still use 14 inch monitors...
~Not nefish on eBay~
posted on September 21, 2000 06:37:38 AM
My laptop has a 13" screen. I use it sometimes, but mostly just to check my auctions. I find it really IRRITATING to use for surfing to buy and go back to my 19" wonder.
posted on September 21, 2000 06:46:36 AM
We have 3 systems, the main one has a 21" monitor running 1280 X 1024 (sometimes I drop it back to 1024 X 768 if my eyes are feeling old) , a 19" running the same (the kids system), and I have a new portable with a 15 inch screen running 1024 X 768.
I set my auctions up with a dynamic table that will grow or shrink according to the viewers monitor. That way, no matter the size there is no horizontal scroll bar. Instead of assigning a pixel size, you use the % tag.
My experience with friends is that even those with larger monitors tend to run their resolution at 800 X 600, not realizing they can get a crisper appearance by raising the numbers. You can always adjust the font size and the size of scroll bars if you need to.
posted on September 21, 2000 07:06:23 AM
While a 14" monitor may or may not be in widespread use anymore (probably still overseas) you still have a lot of people surfing eBay with a laptop where screens are 12-14" unless they happen to have them docked at home or office to use a bigger monitor.
posted on September 21, 2000 07:07:00 AM
I don't know about eBay, but my statistics software says that about 15% of visitors to my web sites have screen resolutions of less than 800x600.
posted on September 21, 2000 08:28:32 AM
count me in as having a 14"! this is my first computer and it came with a 14" monitor... i'm always having to scroll side to side and up and down, etc..,one of these days when i have surplus money i will buy a larger one...my husband has a laptop so he has a 14"-monitor that is, too...my big priority is getting a digital camera (before a bigger monitor)...i'm posting my images off of scanned photos...a big hassle...but i digress...
posted on September 21, 2000 08:30:14 AM
I'm ashamed to say. I bought a Tandy 486SX 25 back in '94 and still have the same monitor at home. I have upgraded the PC but the monitor remains the same.
I can actually say it has been on since I bought it 24/7 except maybe when I'm home and know a thunder storm is coming.
I mostly surf the net at work, (of course, I have to get paid to do this some how) and we have Dell servers with 21" and 19" flat screens, (very nice).
posted on September 21, 2000 08:49:44 AM
I have a 14" monitor at home and a 19" monitor at work. I love the larger screen, but really don't mind the smaller one at home. Wouldn't turn down a 20" flat screen if it came my way though!
Your best bet with jewelry is to maybe scan it next to a ruler or a coin for a better perspective. Even just putting the dimensions in the description would be a big help.
*******************
That's Flunky Gerbiltush to you!
posted on September 21, 2000 10:08:12 AM
resolution, resolution, resolution........ not monitor size.
Everything is dependent on the resolution of a person's PC, not their monitor size. I am speaking of today's computers, and the computers of the last 4-5 years. (excludes WebTV)
If a person is surfing in a 640x480 resolution, than an image which is 320x240 will appear "large" to them, as they are on a smaller resolution. The same sized image to someone who is surfing in 1024x768 will appear "small". The image has not changed. The image dimentions have not changed. The only thing that has changed is the resolution.
Simple solutions: keep images under 640x480. (hopefully no one is posting images this big anyhow.. lol) Use table widths in a percentage instead of a fixed width. Reason why? If a table is coded at 90%, it will display at 90% no matter the resolution of the surfer.
If a table is coded at 600 (just shy of the min for the 640x480 surfer) than it will be fine only in their resolution and it will appear dinky .. less than half the size with surfers who use at least a 1024x768 resolution.
Webpages/auction pages/etc, using these formats, will appear to users who surf with Laptops (which are considerably smaller monitors.. and can range in inches anywhere from 12.5-15.5) to regular monitors, 14", 15", 17", 19", 21".. etc.
Sorry for the tangent.. resolution has been misunderstood for a very long time and it's been one of my sticking spots for the last 4 years years
posted on September 21, 2000 10:15:16 AM
Just another thought--Auction Manger puts the title within the description area and that is a plus if you are using a small monitor.
posted on September 21, 2000 03:03:23 PM
WOW! What a lotta shocking responses! I could have sworn that new retail 14" desktop monitors stopped being sold about 2 years ago and that with the average shelf-life of many desktop computer monitors of 5 to 7 years, that'd we'd see a lot less 14" monitor users than are posting in here!
I suspect that 15% of eBay buyers using 14" monitors is probably too small a number. If you doubled that number just to be safe, that's nearly a third. I'm not rich, so I can see how $249 for a new digital 19" desktop monitor at COSTCO is a relatively high expense for so many folks(we bought them for our business with the business profits).
I didn't write that post that started this thread quite right. I was trying to explain that to put a computer photo image that would look the same size to every person - not that every photo be the same size. You can see how a customer with a 14" monitor at a 640x480 resolution might see the jewelry in the image as the same size in real life, but someone with a 19" montior in 1280x1024 resolution would have to squint at it.
Anyway, please keep telling us what size monitor (and resolution?) you use to view and make purchases from eBay with.
Many thanks to those of you lurkers who have crawled out of the woodwork to tell us your story!
posted on September 21, 2000 03:14:23 PM
It totally depends what computer I'm using at any given moment. Most of the time, I'm using mine 17" at 1024x768.. Hubby's laptop hooked up to a 21", he's at 640x480 on both screens (he's blind, his defaults don't count in this poll.. lol) . If I have to switch to one of the kids computers, one uses a 17" and the other uses a 15" both at 1024x768.
As far as the problem goes, with the images.. it's not gonna work unless you make a couple extra images for each auction.. each image for different resolutions.... and post them offsite *otherwise everyone will have to scroll* You can not use a percentage w/in an image like that, it will cause it to blur, so that option is out.
For the most part, today's default for resolution on new computers .. is 800x600.
What is your percentage of people who are confused by what they're seeing vs what they're getting?
posted on September 21, 2000 05:10:51 PM
We used our 14" up until we bought the 15" we're currently using. Our computer desk is too small for anything larger(and I can still read this screen from the table, 3' away).
posted on September 21, 2000 11:39:32 PM
I'm still using the 14 inch monitor I bought in 1997. I'll be using it until it breaks. I've used bigger ones when I had a job with a startup (they bought everything new.....and sold it at a loss when they flopped). I liked the bigger monitor but not enough to get rid of one that is perfectly good. I'd rather do a lot of other things with my money. Compulsive upgrading (of many products...stereo equipment, cars, computers, camcorders, kitchen equipment, even clothing) is one way people throw their money away...then I hear them complaining about the cost of living. just my 2 cents.
