Photobucket hints / pointers

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Jeffo65

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I have noticed lately that a large number of members are refering other members to their photobucket to look at cards that are available for trade. I have also been directed to these buckets and have noticed a very large amount of terrible looking scans posted. Most of the time, when I come across this type of bucket, I close the window and tell the member that I did not see anything and I will pass.

Here are a few hints to a nice user friendly bucket.

1. Name the scans so it reflects the card pictured. (04 Heritage Pujols)

2. Make sure the scans are in focus.

3. Make sure the scans are not to dark or to light.

4. Crop the item closely so there is not a bunch of nothing beyond the item.

5. If possible 1 card per scan is better than multiple cards per scan.

I am sure there are a number of other pointers/hints that members can come up with.
 
Good pointers.

It's tough to look through people's buckets and see the glare from the case/top loader completely blocking out the players name...and the title is KYT990 or something so you have NO IDEA who is on the card or what it is.

Also, if you're going to do a photobucket instead of a list, the title "Huston Street 2005 Bowman Heritage Signs of Greatness (#SG-HS)" is a much better title than "Houston Street Auto." At least that way, people can look up the BV with little effort.

Also, I think most people would rather see a well organized list than a photobucket. If you can maintain a photobucket, you should be able to maintain a list as well.
 
Good points all. I have a hard time scanning some of the mirror cards and getting them to come out right.
 
I wholeheartedly agree, Photobucket sites should not be your primary trade site. I only use my photobucket to show off cards, and as a pic hosting site for the bench (IMG tags)

My Maddux GU/AUTO/1/1 page is arranged alphabetically/chronologically

http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c179/slavlite/Maddux GU/?start=all

so is my Lee Bucket

http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c179/slavlite/Derrek Lee/?start=all

Also Everything is named with the exact card information, most of the time I just copy and paste the info from beckett since I am usually adding the cards to my collections every time I am adding cards to my buckett.
 
I like both buckets and lists for different reasons. The list is easier to post, read and search, but with the enormous amount of variations on cards, many times I find I have to see a card to really know whether I need it or not. Of course for showing off my collection
 
Here are a few hints to a nice user friendly bucket.

1. Name the scans so it reflects the card pictured. (04 Heritage Pujols)
If I may add my two cents to this debate, I'd like to say that I agree wholeheartedly with the problem of poor titles in photobuckets, but I think a slight variation to the proposed solution will work better.
I have found that it is much more useful if the player's name is first, followed by the other card information. I prefer this way because when you're viewing the album, only so many characters from the title are visible, and I find the player's name to be more useful than the set name. If the viewer brings up the card in question, then the full title with all the card information becomes visible.
 
Good pointers...

Also, if you're going to do a photobucket instead of a list, the title "Huston Street 2005 Bowman Heritage Signs of Greatness (#SG-HS)" is a much better title than "Houston Street Auto." At least that way, people can look up the BV with little effort.

Even better, how about adding the BV to the description after the year, set, player name, etc.
 
Thanks for the tips. I traded on beckett before I came here and I agree with most of what you said. I like to label my cards with a title like this "BV$8 BJ Upton GU" or something. I try to keep my photobucket in good order (have different sections for Auto, GUs, RCs, Inserts, etc). My scans are clear enough to see what the card is and everything, but my scanner isn't top of the line, so the pics aren't perfect.

Thanks for the tips!
 
I'd like to add one, if I may.

Regardless of whether you're using a bucket OR a trade list (or both)...Keep them up to date!!

I've recently ended up finally passing on two trades because while negotiating, my first 2 or 3 choices had already been "traded away a while ago" or "I can't find that one right now".

This is ESPECIALLY true (in my opinion) if you're asking people to CMB - please make sure it is up to date.
 
With some new features on PB, how about some updated tips.
1. I know some of the backrounds PB offer are pretty cool, but alot of them make it hard to see the actual card.
2. When viewing a PB, make sure to see if they have sub albums. I have had traders not be able to locate a card because they only look at the main page.
3. Along that same line, make sure that there are no more pages. I recently had a trader not know that there were more pages in a sub album.
 
Also, if you are labeling your pics by name 1st, you can arrange them within an album alphabetically. Click ojn the "organize" tab at the top of the page and then click "alpha by title".
I prefer to look through a bucket that is set-up like this so I can go directly to a certain player I collect.
 
I spend a lot of time on my Photobucket and I agree with almost everything you all have said. Organization is key. Cards should always be titled and with the player name first that way someone can search for something much quicker. I have my Football RCs For Trade section broken down by the first letter of each player's name A-Z since I have 1,000 pictures altogether. This makes it much easier and faster for people looking through my bucket.
 
I hope no one still uses Photobucket these days. That place has gone south in a big way. I switched to Sports Card Album (SCA) a few years ago and it was a great decision. Other good options these days are flickr or imgur. The sooner you move away from Photobucket the better trust me!
 
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