IMO, an ad without a pic probably gets very few responses. Also, my guess is it does very little to build a customer base. I wonder how many people email them asking for a pic, ACTUALLY get one, and then it looks nothing like what they had hoped for and built up on their minds. Probably most! My guess is that the prospective customer probably would be more reluctant to email that particular seller (and maybe even others) in the future when no pic is provided in the ad.
In the case of sales, a picture truly is worth 1,000 words. And good quality, accurate pics truly do make sales.
I've also found it interesting that the lower priced animals are usually those without the pics. Those with a higher price are usually accompanied by a picture because the seller wants to illustrate the value of the purchase price they're asking. Or, maybe the sellers who don't provide pics work with low quality animals and low profit margins so they can't afford a camera...?? Who knows?
I also agree with the responder who wrote that dirty cage pictures are TOTALLY disgusting and probably do give a great impression of the overall level of care the animal receives (with the exception of breeding pics).
I do make an exception for those that say something to the effect of: I have pics but couldn't size them down for KS, so email and they'll be right to you. I make an exception for these ads because the sellers software knowledge has nothing to do with the quality of the animals. I've emailed guys before offering to resize their pics for them so they can attach them to the ad. MANY have taken advantage of that offer and then attached the pics in their ad.
Good rant topic Ash!
jb
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Jonathan Brady
*You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you.*
