Guide
Why we disclose when a photo is a stock image
Where the picture on a listing is the supplier's stock photo of that model of item rather than a photo of your exact piece, we say so directly on the page — here's why that distinction matters.
Two different kinds of product photo
A listing photo can mean one of two things: a photograph of the specific physical item you would receive, or a stock photograph of that model or style of item, used because a photo of the specific unit wasn't available to us. Both are common practice across the industry. The difference matters to a buyer, so we don't let one pass as the other.
What this means in practice
Where a listing's photo is a stock image, the page says so plainly beneath the gallery — not in fine print you have to go looking for. That disclosure has no bearing on the item's authentication: the certificate and its serial number describe the physical piece you'll receive regardless of which photo is shown, and you can verify that certificate before you buy exactly the way the authenticity page walks through.
Why not just wait until every photo is real
Re-photographing a supplier's back catalog by hand takes time proportional to how many items there are, and holding a disclosure back until that work finishes would mean the disclosure exists exactly when it's least needed. We'd rather disclose honestly now, on every affected listing, than wait for a version of the site where the disclosure is no longer necessary.