How not to photograph your car for sale.

[plymouthcranbrook]

11 hours ago, Graham Man said:

Well at least they pulled the drapes back...

 

Selling my 01 Mercury Cougar, she is a good car. 2 doors, 4 seats, very comfortable to ride around in.
The sunroof doesnt work, hasnt since i got it a year ago. It does have some through rust above the rear driver side wheel, the passenger seat doesnt move up anymore im not sure how to fix it.
It has new speakers in the doors, and a after market radio, it has alot of trunk space, and she does pretty good in the snow.

 

 

At least the important things work!!!

[nick8086]

I take a picture . I can never use it... He loves to jack up the pictures ... May I should not sell the car but put these pictures in the trunk and give it to him..

Edited August 14, 2016 by nick8086 (see edit history)

[cahartley]

On 8/10/2016 at 9:16 AM, auburnseeker said:

You only have so many photos on ebay using ebay to host the images.  You should make them count or deal with the onslaught of questions to get more basic photos you should have included in the original listing.  

It's a shame with this truck as it does look to be in very good shape. Sell one car on ebay and you will understand. 

 

One can post 12 free photos (I think) and additional photos cost pennies.

The single photo auctions I see drive me nuts.

One of these days I'm going to cut loose and ream someone for being so stupid........ 

[auburnseeker]

You are right 12 photos do come free.  I don't remember the cost of the extras but it is very nominal.  I wish they would let you include a 100 or so.  It would save having to send a ton of email photos which is a real pain in the but when you are trying to send an additional 30 or 40 photos to a bunch of different parties. 

[Guest Lornfours]

On 8/8/2016 at 6:09 PM, Paul Dobbin said:

Don't forget the pictures of the car with a date stamp from 10 years ago.  "Just restored to Like New".

The "Craigslist Classic." May as well be a scanned polaroid.

[JACK M]

Yea, a picture of a picture. Ha !!

[misterc9]

A similar situation,  Why do people constantly post questions to the forum but never give year and make or model of the car they are having a problem with.  My Carter carburetor is acting up or my early Autolite generator doesn't charge for example. Don't they want anyone to know what car they have. They would have more luck getting a solution if everyone knew what car they have.

[GARY F]

I agree with  misterc9

[smithbrother]

Post 38, Matt you never know when you MIGHT need one,

 

Dale in Indy

[V8TV]

This is a great thread... see this stuff all the time and re-assured that some people just don't think!

[28 Chrysler]

Here is just one of the photos of a car for sale on E Bay.

Somea dem go disaway somea go dataway.

Maybe they are to prove nothing falls off when you turn the car upside down.

[smithbrother]

He is showing the world he has, (good tie down straps)

 

Dale in Indy

[Xander Wildeisen]

Great ad, 500k you clean.  https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/5720742068.html

[4Hud]

1929 REO. Fuzzy picture, bad lighting and I don't think a car you are asking $24,000 should be moving around on dollies.

[4Hud]

Chrysler still in it's tomb. Too bad someone can't roll it out and give it a rinse.

[Amphicar BUYER]

Nothing wrong with the car either on dollys or on blocks. The one on blocks shows it's history. I would rather be the one who pulls it out and washes it. Saves me money and it's history. The one on dollys may have come out of a corner or tight spot. It in no way says anything about the cars condition.

 

[auburnseeker]

22 minutes ago, Amphicar BUYER said:

Nothing wrong with the car either on dollys or on blocks. The one on blocks shows it's history. I would rather be the one who pulls it out and washes it. Saves me money and it's history. The one on dollys may have come out of a corner or tight spot. It in no way says anything about the cars condition.

 

Unless of course the ad says runs and drives good.  If it runs and drives so good,  why is it on dollies?  When I see one on 4 dollies all i can think is the brakes are seized and it probably doesn't run much less move.   Could be a bad assumption but I've found my assumptions often prove true even when the owner swore up and down that it was everything it was suppose to be.  (which we all know it usually isn't) 

[Amphicar BUYER]

As I said, if it's in a tight spot, dollies may be the only way to get it into the sunlight.It still can run and drive well and be on dollies.It could be pickled and in storage too. The fact that the tires are fully inflated and the condition of the car would not scare off any serious buyer. I can tell you that in my storage building, my cars are too close to get your hand in between them. I love my gojacks! It's like those squares you slide around to solve the puzzle. It's great for a theft deterrent too.

 

A dirty car on blocks is an "honest" car. You see what it is like and how it was cared for (or not cared for).

[maok]

Just would like to sincerely apologise for my comments about being 'tight'. I may have offended some. And rightly, my post has been deleted.

 

I am actually 'tight' as a rusted exhaust nut and bolt on a 1915 Model T Ford.

[28 Chrysler]

Some studs just easily snap.

[Guest arateams]

those pictures are funny , some of those car are gold

 

carbycars

[nick8086]

I found the ebay ad from a year ago.. It sold.. minor body work..

Edited August 28, 2016 by nick8086 (see edit history)

[nick8086]

One more for sale ..

[auburnseeker]

6 hours ago, nick8086 said:

One more for sale ..

 

This one probably had the ran well when parked phrase in the description. 

[padgett]

I generally obscure the license plate because it takes 10 seconds when cropping the photo. I live in Orlando but do not post my exact address. Sure it is easy to find if someone really wants to but just do not broadcast.

 

Do usually include some non-standard pictures.

 

 

 

 

ps re #62: that usually has a sign "Will your battery turn over your car ?"

Edited August 28, 2016 by padgett (see edit history)

[nick8086]

   Same car.. looks great but never restored.. Just painted..So it is original..

 

Yes that is old school.. If you have no money ,, Just take what is on the farm and patch the hole.. ..

Some day I will post the for sale sign in my fj40..

Edited October 6, 2016 by nick8086 (see edit history)

[Amphicar BUYER]

^^??^^??^^

[C Carl]

What's that old saying ? "You never get a second chance to make a first impression". But still , if you are hunting for a scarce "anything" , you have to run down all leads. After only a 3 year hunt for a '24 - '25 open Cadillac , ad comes up in Hemmings. 27 years ago , communications primitive by today's standards. No price , no phone , just a P.O. box , Akron-Canton OH. I'm in Seattle. Back and forth letters. Long letters. At one point Ray Pierce (seller - did any of you know him ?) , wrote "I have never written such a long letter about a car". With the letters came just one pic , and I knew I was looking at my next car. Flew back Thanksgiving vacation and was happy to find it was as good as the high quality hard copy side view pic had indicated. It was everything I hoped for. I have never seen such a good deal on a V63 touring before or since. I love that car ! Took 20 years to find the closed "Winter Car" counterpart to the "Summer Car". Single frontal pic (a good one) , jumped out at me on Portland Craigslist. Hunt Over ! You all know that one. 'Till death do we part ! Yeah , I form a negative opinion from lousy pics. Puts a "dingaling" necklace around sellers neck until they prove otherwise. I like to send at least 30 - 50 pics of a car for sale. With detailed shots of any weak points along with the good points. The right rare car can be sold on the basis of a large photo file. Now , misrepresentation drives me nuts. The next time you catch me leaning on the bar nursing my permitted "1/2 a lite beer occasionally" , ask me about "Farmer John" who came out of the "Addams House" at twilight in Riverside , CA. "Like new '69 Cad". I've left better cars than that by the side of the road. Literally !  - Carl  (you'd need photoshop to make a good first impression out of me)

Edited October 5, 2016 by C Carl
Finish posting (see edit history)

[lump]

Let's face it...the ONLY impression you can have of any seller is whatever connection to them you may have. Generally speaking, the copy and the photos in an ad are the ONLY connection you have to a seller. And if you see poor photos, you might even suspect that the seller is presenting the car that way on purpose, to obscure major flaws, or whatever.

 

But let's not forget the OP's original premise, as spelled out in his initial headline. He wrote, "How NOT to photograph your car for sale." As a person who has spent most of his entire professional career using photography and copywriting to sell products long distance for many, many different companies, I can testify that really good photos and copy really help to sell items, and really poor photography can sharply diminish the odds of making a sale. So the OP's original point is spot on. 

[MochetVelo]