VinnieD
2844
and bad pictures are just the top of the iceberg
Apr 21, 2022,07:20 AM
not even starting on the origin of some of these watches, seller KYC etc.
I have only attended one auction in NYC - it was a fun experience and I should have bought something there (it was 2007...) but I am not planning to buy anything from an auction house anytime soon
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Is It Just Me? Are These Auction House Photos Really Awful?
By: patrick_y : April 20th, 2022-22:58
The watch business is good. Watches seem to sell themselves. Auction houses are also in a rush. Once they start receiving watches, their small team is overwhelmed! Cataloguers need to photograph the watches, write descriptions, and inventory hundreds of l...
Like buying a house the last year or so...
By: mdg : April 20th, 2022-23:05
...no need to fix it up as you will get multiple bids. I spent decades doing product photo shoots. At least clean up the grime and get an air can : )
True!
By: patrick_y : April 20th, 2022-23:34
This is the time when sloppy sellers won't be penalized very much!
You have a point.
By: InHavenPro : April 20th, 2022-23:10
The pictures are simply average or even below average. The prep for these photo-shoots is clearly inexistent. If I am looking to make a watch purchase, I would much more love to see plain, candid pictures of the watch, including some macros, than these co...
If only we could return to “the good ol’ days”….
By: NickO : April 21st, 2022-04:34
Where you could buy ANY watch you desired new from an authorized dealer. No games, no waiting lists, no requirement to purchase other watches or jewelry etc…. Boy, I miss those days.
Indeed!
By: patrick_y : April 21st, 2022-14:32
Perhaps not surprisingly!
By: patrick_y : April 21st, 2022-17:04
These auction houses are also "meat grinders" and they just process the incoming watches like "fresh meat" for the grinder. There's almost no real inspection, very little reconditioning (if any), and apparently even no preparations made to make the watch ...
Work ethic is just disappearing...
By: patrick_y : April 21st, 2022-02:15
I also agree with you. If someone takes a job, it's not up to them to say, "I'm giving a reasonable effort considering I'm only being paid $20/hr." No! You're hired to do your very best. Not what you deem "reasonable." Sadly, we live in a privileged socie...
and bad pictures are just the top of the iceberg
By: VinnieD : April 21st, 2022-07:20
not even starting on the origin of some of these watches, seller KYC etc. I have only attended one auction in NYC - it was a fun experience and I should have bought something there (it was 2007...) but I am not planning to buy anything from an auction hou...
Auction houses can be bad and risky places to buy things from...
By: patrick_y : April 21st, 2022-14:37
Think about it. They're always in a constant rush and stressed. If you think about the operation of an auction house, they receive all the lots about a month before the auction, where they only have a few days to photograph and catalogue them all. Then th...
Ahh! Very true!
By: patrick_y : April 21st, 2022-14:34
They do need to clean up their act first! Indeed!
😂 Perhaps I was being too kind.
By: KCLQMULKU : April 22nd, 2022-18:02
A great thread nonetheless! I never even thought of a discussion on this very pertinent horological topic! 👍
Agreed! It's a horological and a sales topic...
By: patrick_y : April 22nd, 2022-18:15
But it's also about how mediocrity has befallen our beloved hobby. People want to make money as quickly as they can while doing as little as they can. Due to the popularity of watches these days, people can get away with mediocre or shabby work!
There can be a tulip bubble effect actually...
By: patrick_y : April 22nd, 2022-18:49
The amount of inventories held on by speculative investors is quite substantial. And if they were to all sell in a rush, there would be a major crash.
You make a very good point!
By: KCLQMULKU : April 22nd, 2022-19:02
The question I would ask is whether this would be good for the industry as a whole if this did happen. Yes, good for enthusiasts who may wish to take advantage (certainly in the short-medium term), but in the long-term could it negatively affect them/us t...
Generally, any artificial bubble is bad for the long-term...
By: patrick_y : April 22nd, 2022-20:17
Historically and logically speaking, any entrance of speculators into any business is usually a negative in the long run. There is a bare minimum of profiteers in every collectibles industry. As these profiteers allow the movement of capitol in and out of...
Yes!
By: patrick_y : April 26th, 2022-21:27
And hopefully the bad photos deterred enough people away. But prices were still quite high for most lots.