Using ai images for physical items is basically false advertising

[mystic.j.crafts]

I am saying this as a seller and a buyer  of almost TEN years but: who in the world thought it be a good idea to use Gen(generative) ai images instead of basic photos to list their physical items?

…besides a scammer?

Those willfully doing it, What made them think a computer generation would beat out a quick pick on the phone? It’s worse than redundant. It will never be as accurate or as fast as just showing the actual thing. Gen ai is a statistical algorithm that got marketed as “artificial intelligence.”. A parrot program to some computer scientists. ( To preface this, I am not anti-tech, quite the opposite! I went to school for it. My knowledge of tech is why I have a searing hatred for generative ai SPECIFICALLY.) Gen ai  is the latest marketing craze and is being shoved into everything just so investors can break even. As we have seen in the last three years, especially with eBay’s latest attempts to “integrate” it here. Absolute useless features (especially to me) when you go past the shiny paint and empty promises. But fantastic scamware to all the wrong people.  Woe to those who fall for it, as many already have. 

I’ll make an example of why using ai images to advertise physical items is false advertising : Etsy.
God, ai image listings are real bad on Etsy, ridiculously so. I am tired of looking for patterns and plushies and seeing ai images that look NOTHING like the actual end result product- bonus points if the pattern is ai generated too!  😞  

And a bunch of them have never crochet before , let alone looked at a pattern, so more often than not they are selling people GIBBERISH. Oh yeah, ai stuff can’t be physically sold- because it’s of things that don’t exist. And if they DO write their own patterns and they HAVE tested their patterns and know what the item is supposed to look like- then they shouldn’t  use ai images to advertise! they’re literally selling themselves short. 

I knew I’d rue the day Etsy got the bright idea to integrate/allow ai on it’s platform.

It’s one thing to not control it, spammers are gonna spam. but Etsy ENCOURAGED it, despite it being counter-intuitive to everything they stand for. Then again , drop shippers managed to get on here so I am not entirely surprised we have another level of SCAMMING there. I have a trained eye, I can often (not always) tell if an image is ai. But not every one can , and that’s my greatest concern. Scammers rely on deceit, and thats all this tech will ever be to me. Deceiving. So I cannot stress enough how much of a bad idea it is to adversity anything with Gen ai imagery. Customers are already getting JIPPED.  

So if it’s super bad there, imagine how bad it could be here on EBay ? (They probably have fake crochet patterns and stuff here as we speak.) I am already seeing a post or two about how years old eBay posts are randomly getting ai pics on their listing. I hate eBay’s push into ai, its cumbersome, useless , redundant “tools” that most if any of us never asked for. ( I wanted to do store sales without a subscription but noooo, i get stuck with “use ai to write descriptions” instead!)  And what sucks most is that we can’t turn it off, we have no control on who’s forced to use these “tools” and who isn’t. I just want to sell stuff I made, I don’t want to be a guinea pig for this trash tech. (And yet it’s costing me regardless of if I use it, go figure.) I can write, I can read, I can think for myself. I don’t need an ai to write a description for MY product that I made by hand. and I certainly don’t need to deceive my customers with an ai pic that looks little like the work I am selling. As I said, false advertisement. 

You ever buy something and it not look as advertised? You get This sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, your heart sinks, you fee used. Yeah, I don’t want that for my buyers and I am disgusted by sellers who PURPOSEFULLY do that to their customers. I see folks willfully using ai images for their products to be no better. 

I take seller integrity VERY importantly. An undoctored photo is the most honest we can be online. just take a photo like we’ve been doing. 

[albertabrightalberta]

Easy solution: Skip over and don't buy listings from sellers who don't use their own pictures of the actual items.

[chevymontecarlo88]

A similar argument can be made about using "stock" photos. AI has its place and sometimes using it for photos can be better. Eg. Using AI Backgrounds or AI background removers. 

Something you may consider with your listings is adding your "pictures" of your items with a created AI generated image. Eg. Create/generate a photo of a person holding/wearing one of your items. You can still use the original/actual item to be included in the AI generated image. FYI.

As long as eBay has a robust money back guarantee, the only real loss may be your time. YMMV

[mystic.j.crafts]

Unless it’s from a particular brand and you're reselling, stock photos of an item sit in the same boat as ai pics. Another case where a simple photo would suffice. 

Background removers have existed before ai , unless some are being rebranded with ai now (has happened.) again , i can just use a public domain photo instead of generating an image for a background. the rest of is a no for me. The ai usage just feels redundant.  You use it if you want. And “money back garunteed” is a slippery slope, lost money from that a bit ago. 

[fbusoni]

@mystic.j.crafts 

All good points, and every experienced seller who contributes regularly here will agree.

I suspect that eBay shareholders expect periodic spurts of what passes for "innovation" to show that there is someone with a pulse at the helm of the organization. 

You know, to make the shopping experience here "magical" (a favorite word of eBay's CEO). 

 (@valueaddedresource is the expert on those matters.)

eBay for its part does not vet new sellers and could not care less whether these individuals are reputable, honest, reliable or even successful.  

From what I can tell over many years here, eBay's "philosophy" is to let buyer and sellers interact for better or for worse... and to let the chips fall where they may.  

eBay's ruthless, non-judgmental computers and algorithms will sort it all out.

Meantime, keep in mind that everything AI-related here is a work in progress.  Every AI-generated description and every AI-generated image are reviewed and compared to whatever changes a seller (who opts to use those AI features in the first place) makes to them.

In other words, sellers are, unwittingly, teaching eBay's AI programs to become "intelligent."

Personally speaking, I have much more useful things to do with my time.  Like take actual photos and write accurate descriptions.  

[mystic.j.crafts]

I do that, I’m concerned for those who can’t catch it. I’ve seen it a fair bit. 

[simba6]

Buyers can file a case if the item is not as described.   No need to accept an item that is not. 

Sellers do need to be sure AI has described the merchandise in a correct way.   The expense of returns will convince sellers to write better listings.

[mystic.j.crafts]

Im starting to notice that a lot of things have shifted away from “positive customer experience” and shifted more towards “satisfying shareholders.” A lot of stuff used to ACTUALLY be innovative , fun , and interesting. But now everything ounce of quality, creativity, and usefulness has been scrubbed away with the most common denominator things to keep selling to people. It’s frustrating.

Yeah I was sure i tuned that “ai research” thing off. I refuse to work on something for free, we aren't being paid to beta test this stuff. Matter of fact we are being charged more for it.  I don’t trust companies to honor the switch off but I do it anyway… Then again I generally don’t trust companies. XD but we live in a world run by money and I need to use some place to make some so i have to deal with it in some way and place. 

thank you for your insight, it’s appreciated. 

[mystic.j.crafts]

Good point, and I hope so. 

[chevymontecarlo88]

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@mystic.j.crafts wrote:

Unless it’s from a particular brand and you're reselling, stock photos of an item sit in the same boat as ai pics. Another case where a simple photo would suffice. 

Background removers have existed before ai , unless some are being rebranded with ai now (has happened.) again , i can just use a public domain photo instead of generating an image for a background. the rest of is a no for me. The ai usage just feels redundant.  You use it if you want. And “money back garunteed” is a slippery slope, lost money from that a bit ago. 

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@mystic.j.crafts 

I consider background removers basically a function of AI but that really does not matter. AI has a lot of growing/learning for it to be reliant and agree it is lame to use it for the creation of your item listed. I would say they are lazy but it may take more time to render/generate an AI picture than just taking one with your cellphone. 😁 If used correctly it can enhance your advertisement as long as it does not alter the item being represented/sold. YMMV We will see how the tech evolves/devolves. 😂

As far as the eBay MBG, what problem did you have that was not covered/protected? 

[meme6253]

I agree with you, But ebay allows it so it must be OK with them, Of course they are not the ones to suffer any backlash, like a NAD, It does not show integrity, Actual photos show the integrity of the seller.

[mystic.j.crafts]

I see. Though ironically some people would rather go through trouble rather than do the simple thing but who knows? 

Real quick, what does ymmv mean? That’s the first ive heard of it. 

Oh, i was silly enough to order a $28 dollar “pandora” bracelet that turned copper a week later off here and PayPal and eBay kept doing aback and forth before deciding that I couldn’t get my money back. I thought it was a reseller… turned out to be a ripoff. 

[chevymontecarlo88]

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@mystic.j.crafts wrote:

I see. Though ironically some people would rather go through trouble rather than do the simple thing but who knows? 

Real quick, what does ymmv mean? That’s the first ive heard of it. 

Oh, i was silly enough to order a $28 dollar “pandora” bracelet that turned copper a week later off here and PayPal and eBay kept doing aback and forth before deciding that I couldn’t get my money back. I thought it was a reseller… turned out to be a ripoff. 

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YMMV - Your milage may vary (meaning each person's experience may vary)

[fbusoni]

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@mystic.j.crafts wrote:

Im starting to notice that a lot of things have shifted away from “positive customer experience” and shifted more towards “satisfying shareholders.” A lot of stuff used to ACTUALLY be innovative , fun , and interesting. But now everything ounce of quality, creativity, and usefulness has been scrubbed away with the most common denominator things to keep selling to people. It’s frustrating.

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@mystic.j.crafts 

"Innovative, fun and interesting" are all words that I associate with life before the advent of, and our collective immersion in, the virtual world -- where most everything is transactional and impersonal.

And your second observation -- regarding the scrubbing away of "quality, creativity, and usefulness" -- is broadly applicable as well.

Ironically, I think that those of us of a certain age participate in this new AI-infused world with significant  advantages.   That's because even though technology changes, the essential needs of human beings -- who are configured the same in 2025 as they were in 1425 -- have not.  

But that is a fact which I reckon many sellers -- in particular those who have come of age behind computer screens and who have no experiential reference points that predate the invention of the personal computer / the internet / social media -- are unaware of. 

[roccotacodad54]

   "

"Ironically, I think that those of us of a certain age participate in this new AI-infused world with significant  advantages.   That's because even though technology changes, the essential needs of human beings -- who are configured the same in 2025 as they were in 1425 -- have not.  

But that is a fact which I reckon many sellers -- in particular those who have come of age behind computer screens and who have no experiential reference points that predate the invention of the personal computer / the internet / social media -- are unaware of."

   Sometimes I do feel I have an advantage. Being able to do simple math in my head. Being at least somewhat literate. Not relying on social media to evaluate my own self worth etc.etc.etc.

   If all this tech. somehow gets sabotaged (for instance) I believe a great many people won't be able to cope and will just go in a downward spiral like a damaged plane headed for the ground. Sad.