A Picture is Worth either A Thousand Words, or Just Two
The regular readers here know that I'm a customer at hipstamp, not a dealer. I love to look at stamps, and I spend a lot of my time browsing at random. I've learned quite a lot looking at good photos, and reading good descriptions.
Many, many dealers still use their phones to take photos for thier stores, despite all arguments about the benefits of using a scanner. I use a phone myself because my scanner is off in another room on a desk with too little space to work. Although there are limitations, it's very possible to take very good photos of stamps with the camera on a modern phone. So why do so many dealers bugger it up?
The professionals that visit these forums all the time don't need my advice, but I'm certain they would happily tell the rest of you that good images sell stamps. Bad images are a waste of time and effort. Yet I see the same stupid, lazy, careless mistakes over and over and over. I've got money, but no dealer presenting a bad image of what he's trying to sell will ever get any of it.
Let me present a few basic observations about basic phone-camera techniques.
1. Clean the lens. Good Lord, folks, make at least an effort at professionalism. You want to charge 40 bucks and I can't even see it clearly? Clean the dang lens.
2. Use a black background. I don't want to see your tabletop. I don't want to see your lap or your knee (yes, it happens). I want to see the stamp. And don't try to be cute with a blue or yellow or red or whatever background. Stamps just look better with a black background.
3. Stand above the stamp to make your photo. Try to keep the camera level. So many dealers make their images while seated with the stamp in front of them. The camera is at an angle, and it captures the stamp as a trapezoidal shape. Duh! Malta has trapezoidal stamps. Danzig does not have trapezoidal stamps. I will never buy a stamp from Danzig that looks like a trapezoid.
4. Present the stamp RIGHT SIDE UP! Let me get this straight. You have made the effort to open a hipstamp store, linked to a new PayPal account, and your credit card. You have all your supplies, a set of catalogs, stamps to sell, yada yada, you've written up a description, you have ironed out your terms and such but now, making sure your image is right side up is just a bridge too far? I'm outta here...
5. Remove the stamp from any plastic cover. You will almost always need to use flash, and a flash will always produce glare on the plastic, hiding the stamp. If I cannot see it clearly, I'm not going to buy it.
6. And finally, learn how to use the editing tools. EVERY phone has a set of editing tools built into the camera program. Learn how they work. They can help you make a much better image.
Well, I feel a little better now. It's really too bad that no one who needs suggestions like these will ever read through the forums. Ennnh...
Many, many dealers still use their phones to take photos for thier stores, despite all arguments about the benefits of using a scanner. I use a phone myself because my scanner is off in another room on a desk with too little space to work. Although there are limitations, it's very possible to take very good photos of stamps with the camera on a modern phone. So why do so many dealers bugger it up?
The professionals that visit these forums all the time don't need my advice, but I'm certain they would happily tell the rest of you that good images sell stamps. Bad images are a waste of time and effort. Yet I see the same stupid, lazy, careless mistakes over and over and over. I've got money, but no dealer presenting a bad image of what he's trying to sell will ever get any of it.
Let me present a few basic observations about basic phone-camera techniques.
1. Clean the lens. Good Lord, folks, make at least an effort at professionalism. You want to charge 40 bucks and I can't even see it clearly? Clean the dang lens.
2. Use a black background. I don't want to see your tabletop. I don't want to see your lap or your knee (yes, it happens). I want to see the stamp. And don't try to be cute with a blue or yellow or red or whatever background. Stamps just look better with a black background.
3. Stand above the stamp to make your photo. Try to keep the camera level. So many dealers make their images while seated with the stamp in front of them. The camera is at an angle, and it captures the stamp as a trapezoidal shape. Duh! Malta has trapezoidal stamps. Danzig does not have trapezoidal stamps. I will never buy a stamp from Danzig that looks like a trapezoid.
4. Present the stamp RIGHT SIDE UP! Let me get this straight. You have made the effort to open a hipstamp store, linked to a new PayPal account, and your credit card. You have all your supplies, a set of catalogs, stamps to sell, yada yada, you've written up a description, you have ironed out your terms and such but now, making sure your image is right side up is just a bridge too far? I'm outta here...
5. Remove the stamp from any plastic cover. You will almost always need to use flash, and a flash will always produce glare on the plastic, hiding the stamp. If I cannot see it clearly, I'm not going to buy it.
6. And finally, learn how to use the editing tools. EVERY phone has a set of editing tools built into the camera program. Learn how they work. They can help you make a much better image.
Well, I feel a little better now. It's really too bad that no one who needs suggestions like these will ever read through the forums. Ennnh...
Comments
Did they really not notice that?
Did they really think that was acceptable?
Francois
https://www.hipstamp.com/store/stampboutique
One thing I would add is for #2. I agree that 99.99% of the items should be scanned or photographed against a black background. There are odd exceptions however, for example, a black stamp (yes there are some out there) I would scan against a white background. And less commonly a stamp whose black cancellation infringes on the perfs making it appear there might be damaged perfs against the black background. See lower left on attached image. I scanned this one on black and it looked like there was a gouge in the stamp when it is just the cancellation.
Another thing I might add is to provide a scan or photo of the back of the stamp, especially if the item has some value and/or issues on the back that might affect its value. In my case, I typically do not show back scans of minimum value items but would provide it if requested. But pretty much anything over a couple of dollars gets a back scan.
Otherwise, BRAVO Phil!
AND try, please try to use spell check ..... ( here come the comma folks)
When I was young, back in the last century, and I learned that any friend was visiting another country, I would always ask for stamps...
..
Once in high school, a teacher was going to Hawaii over Xmas break. I asked her to get me some stamps while she was there, as a joke. Then I had to explain it was a joke....
This was sent today from Harrogate, in northern England. Should get to you in a couple weeks I think.
It was crazy because I walked into the airport in Columbo and they had this kiosk right smack in the middle of the airport:
I've been to this airport many times, and it is a recent addition. Quite surprising.
So I sent it from this post office:
In North England.
Post us some photos when they arrive. It's the full set of 2008 commemoratives.
Cheers!
@Rene Bravo when I'm on the run using my mobile phone, all bets are off on spelling...
Half the time it doesn't even come up with what I've put in. ><
So please try to keep in mind that spelling doesn't count when on a mobile phone.