Acceptable Practices

Is is acceptable to represent the reptiles you are selling with a pic of one that you are not?

I think it depends, and common sense should prevail.

If you're selling a group of 100 snakes of species X, then it's not reasonable to expect individual pictures.

OTOH if you are selling a small number or individuals, a pic of that individual is best. If a "representative pic" is used, it should be clearly stated (not in fine print, but where it will be seen) that the pic is only an example.

What it boils down to, IMO, is that if any reasonable person might possibly assume that the picture is the exact specimen being sold, then a clear disclaimer should be used.

(Which poll option is that? )

Dennis,

If you have 20 Normal Balls to sell and you run an ad with a pic of just one of the 20 then that is perfectly acceptable. No need to put 20 individual pics in your ad.

Oops i should have put 4 polls the last one would have been "other"...lol

If it were just one snake, it needs to be represented correctly. If it were a package, it may not have to be, but it is good customer service to be able to at least find out whether or not they want the pics. Do what you have to do, I always say.

I feel it is acceptable as long as the seller discloses that the photo is a representation of what they are selling. For example, if I was a large-scale, wholesale leopard gecko breeder that was selling 10-lots of 'normal' leo babies, I may only post a photo of what a normal one looked like with a title something like, "example".

Not really enough variables in the poll. Like most of the replies, it depends on the situation. Years ago I bought several morphs of corns from Rich, where the only pic was a Representative picture. As long as the example is clearly labeled as "representative" or "photos of parents". This is perfectly acceptable in situations such as; selling large numbers of snakes, or even snakes that are "pet quality" and have a common appearance IE. Sinaloans, Banded CA kings, etc., exceptions would be if you were selling high white CA kings, or aberrant Sinaloans.
High dollar snakes, morphs, etc. I definitely have to have a photo, and would not purchase without one.

What i had in mind when making this poll was not buying in bulk
It was like buying a pair or even a single reptile
I agree with all of the posts when buying groups of reptiles(allthough pics would be nice)
But if i am buying a pair or single reptile i would need pics of the reptile i am buying before i made a commitment!

...if i am buying a pair or single reptile i would need pics of the reptile i am buying before i made a commitment!

Well, in that case it would be totally unacceptable to misrepresent the animal with a photo that was not of the individual one for sale.

It still depends on the snake in question to a degree.
If I had hatched 30 albino cornsnakes and you wanted a pair a representative picture would still be adequate really. If I sent you 30 pictures what criteria would you use to choose? They all look alike. The same goes for what, nine dozen of the other common cornsnake morphs?
However, if I had a pair of albino cornsnakes and you wanted a pair, then there's no reason to use a representative picture.
The point is someone who has the 30 albino corns may also have hatched out several hundred other common colubrids. Most people like myself just can't spend the time it takes to photograph 500 common snakes and manage to keep the photos labeled and organized. Individual pictures means individual identification numbers or there's no point in taking the pics to begin with.

Anything that varies from the norm however should have a pic. I bred cal kings for abberancy for several years for instance. In that situation I always took individual pictures because no two were exactly the same and people's tastes differ.

In other cases still, a picture of the parents may be far more important than a pic of the actual snake you are buying. Jungle carpet pythons are an example. A picture of the hatchling is nice, but largely irrelevant because other than the pattern it won't look anything like that in two years. You want to see the parents to see if the bloodline tends to develop the coloration you prefer.
Black milksnakes are another example. Hatchling pictures are of no use at all with them other than to show that the snakes exist in the first place. You buy one of those because you want an 8 foot jet black snake one day, not bacause it's a pretty tri colored hatchling.

Regardless of the species or mutation though, small breeders should generally provide individual pictures. It's always nice to see the exact snake you are buying even if it is an albino corn that looks like every other one. It adds a personal touch to the transaction that buyers always appreciate.
All the factors have to be considered though before you decide to let it determine whether you'll make the purchase though.