Pictures
Well I can only speak for myself, I asked for the pictures due to the fact that I have been burned before on items I didn't get pictures of. The seller said it was in good shape, even spoke to him over the phone and it sounded great, nearly perfect. However after I drove nealry 2 hrs one way to pick the item up, found it nearly useless, no where near the shape the seller described. Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, however some folks think everything they have is worth it's weight in gold.
I'm not saying that this is one of those cases, just once bitten twice shy. With the added cost of shipping the item, I would like the reassurance that what the seller described and I what I am possibly buying are in fact the same thing. A little homework and perhaps inconvenience on the front side, hopefully avoids a bad experience in the end.
Sorry for the hi jack.