can you list something without a picture of the item -if you describe it fully

[dobo5250]

i have something in storage that i cannot get to without  a great amount of work effort and time  but i was thinking about selling it on ebay - if i  sold it i would go get out - its a local pickup thing only --cause its really heavy machinerey  i would wait till warmer weather and then get it out and take pictures but i thought it would be nice to see if interest pervails now-- in the item - then if i get a  prospective buyer to come and see it- i would get it out and clean it up --- but do i need a picture to list a item a while back some else tried and said it is not possible but i can't find that forum post   any ideas help ??

[ricarmic]

You have to have a picture.

What I see people doing is putting up a picture saying "pictures coming soon" (ie a picture of a piece of paper etc saying this). You could add a picture saying something like that if you want.

[mrdutch1001]

Yes it is possible and acceptable apparently, but I would suppose that any potential interest in the item and any potential buyers won't be anxious to commit to a purchase if they can't see what the item looks like...Purchasing Sight Unseen isn't very common these days, so I suspect likely you would not get much serious interest except by those who will request to see the item in person before making any sort of committment.

[dobo5250]

yes you are right only way to do it is you to have a picture in there somewhere so i took a picture of a sign made picture coming soon --- thanks for the advice one and all -- its listed at least now till the  storage locker can be sorted out and the item brought foward to take pictures --- again thanks 

[ericsells75]

No, you have to have a picture of some kind. but i'd never buy without seeing the item personally.

I feel you'd be opening yourself up to an easy Not as Described case as well.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

https://www.ebay.ca/help/policies/listing-policies/picture-policy?id=4370

That is the picture policy.

If this is a local pickup order, and you absolutely cannot get a photo, I probably wouldn't sweat using a stock image or a generic photo, like one of your company logo. So long as the listing is very clear about the condition of the item, and the photo is not going to lead to someone misunderstanding the condition of the item. You could always message the buyer after they commit to the purchase to ensure they understand the condtion of the item before they waste time coming to pick it up. 

Now, if the above page is accurate, you would technically be violating eBay's image policy by doing that - so you do so at your own risk. But I have never heard of eBay actually coming down on someone for using a generic image that isn't meant to mislead or direct business offsite. Still, it's a YMMV at your own risk type thing.

I would not do that for an item you ship, because the liability is way too high. When you sell something used or damaged on eBay, you need to assume that the buyer will not read your listing and craft the main components of the listing so that if someone was foolish enough not to read the condition notes, they still would come away from the photos and title with a reasonably accurate representation of the item. This is not for the buyer, this is for you.

Because a buyer can open an item not as described claim for any reason, they do not need to prove to eBay that you were in the wrong. Then you are on the hook for a return label, and you will lose what you originally spent to ship the item to them. So you want to be absolutely sure that a buyer understands what they are buying just from the photo and title. (I get that is not always 100 percent possible, but using a stock image increases the chance of a misunderstanding.)