Why some photos need a retake (and how to tell)
After a rapidfire session, some items in your review queue will have an orange **Retake** nudge. This guide explains what triggers it, what each photo problem actually means for buyers, and when it's worth your time to reshoot versus just publishing and moving on.
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What the orange retake nudge means
The retake nudge is not a blocker. Items with this warning can still be published — it's a suggestion that the photo may be harder for buyers to evaluate or that it may affect how accurately the app identifies the item and suggests a title or price.
The nudge fires based on a few detectable issues: blur, clipping (item cut off), low contrast, overexposure, and competing objects in the frame. It doesn't catch everything, and it sometimes flags photos that are actually fine.
The judgment call is yours. Here's how to make it quickly.
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Photo problems worth retaking
Blurry
**What it looks like:** Edges of the item are soft or smeared. Text on labels is unreadable. You can tell something is there but not exactly what it is.
**Why it matters:** Buyers can't assess condition from a blurry photo. For anything priced over $10–15, blur will cause people to skip the item or ask questions before buying. For $1–5 items, it usually doesn't matter.
**When to retake:** If the price is $15 or more, reshoot. Tap the item to set focus before shooting. Hold the phone steady and tap the shutter gently.
**When to skip:** Priced under $10, item is clearly recognizable despite the blur, and condition isn't a buying factor (bulk books, miscellaneous household goods).
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Subject cut off
**What it looks like:** Part of the item is missing from the frame — a corner clipped, a handle not visible, a drawer front not fully shown.
**Why it matters:** Buyers assume something is wrong with the missing part. For furniture, clipped legs or tops read as damage. For items with lids or handles, buyers want to see the whole form.
**When to retake:** Almost always. Step back until the whole item fits in frame, then shoot again. This takes five seconds.
**When to skip:** If the clipped part is clearly irrelevant — a rug photographed from above where the outer inch is cut off, a stack of books where you can see every spine. Buyers understand the item is complete.
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Competing items in frame
**What it looks like:** Other items are clearly visible behind or beside the item you're selling — other merchandise, your own hands or feet, a pet, furniture from the room.
**Why it matters:** Buyers sometimes ask about the wrong item. Price recognition is also less accurate when the frame is cluttered with competing objects.
**When to retake:** If another item is so prominent that a buyer might reasonably think it's part of the lot, reshoot. Move the extra items or step in closer to exclude them.
**When to skip:** Background context that's clearly just the sale environment (a shelf behind a lamp, a table in the distance). Buyers understand they're looking at a sale with lots of items. The nudge fires frequently in this case — don't let it chase you into retaking every photo taken in a room.
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Glare obscuring details
**What it looks like:** A bright white or washed-out patch on the item's surface, usually from flash or a nearby light source. You can't see what's under the glare.
**Why it matters:** Buyers can't see surface condition, markings, or engraving. For jewelry, glassware, ceramics, and artwork, this is almost always worth fixing.
**When to retake:** If the glare covers more than about 20% of the item's surface, or if it hides something buyers would want to see (a maker's mark, a pattern, a crack).
**When to fix angle instead:** Move your shooting position about 15 degrees to the left or right. This often pushes the glare out of frame without a full retake.
**When to skip:** If the glare is on the background rather than the item, or if it's a small hot spot that doesn't hide anything important.
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Dark or underexposed
**What it looks like:** The item is too dim to make out clearly. Colors look muddy. Details disappear in shadow.
**Why it matters:** Condition is the most common buyer concern at sales. If they can't see the condition, they'll pass or show up expecting something different.
**When to retake:** If you can't clearly see the dominant color and surface condition of the item, move it to better light and reshoot.
**When to skip:** If the item is identifiable and its condition doesn't matter to the price (common hardback books, basic tools in a bulk lot).
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When to push past the nudge
The retake nudge is sometimes wrong. Here are cases where you should publish anyway:
- The nudge fired because of a non-distracting background, but the item itself is perfectly clear.
- The item is low-value and the photo is good enough for buyers to identify it.
- You're shooting in a space where better lighting isn't available and the current photo is the best you'll get.
- You already plan to add more photos via the edit-item screen later. A slightly imperfect first photo is fine if you're coming back.
If you're not sure, ask: could a buyer tell what this is, roughly what condition it's in, and roughly how big it is? If yes to all three, publish it.
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Fixing photos in review vs. retaking at the source
**Fix in review (no reshoot needed):**
- Adjust the crop (if part of the item is cut off at an edge but visible)
- Correct the title if auto-recognition missed the item type
- Override the suggested price
**Reshoot at the source:**
- Blur
- Glare covering important details
- Item clearly cut in half
**Add angles later (edit-item screen):**
- You have a usable primary photo but want more detail shots
- High-value item ($50+) that would benefit from a back or label view
- Jewelry, electronics, furniture where condition details matter
See [Multi-angle photos for high-value items](#) for how to add photos after the initial session.
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Common questions
**How many retakes is too many?** There's no limit, but retaking everything the nudge flags will slow you down significantly. Retake the items where the photo quality will actually affect whether someone buys or what they'll pay. Skip everything else.
**Will bad photos affect my sale ranking or visibility?** Not directly. But items with clearer photos tend to get more views because buyers click on what they can actually see. For your highest-priced items, photo quality matters to your sale's revenue even if it doesn't affect algorithmic ranking.
**What if I can't reshoot right now — the sale is starting in an hour?** Publish what you have. A mediocre photo is better than no listing. If the item doesn't sell at the event, you can reshoot it afterward for an online listing or next sale.
**The nudge keeps firing on all my photos even when they look fine. What's wrong?** Most likely the shooting environment. Very consistent backgrounds (heavily patterned carpet, lots of items in frame) can trigger the detection more often than it should. Check one or two flagged items carefully. If they look fine to you, publish and move on — the nudge is calibrated for common cases and misses on unusual setups.
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Related guides
- [Photograph an entire sale in one pass](rapidfire-mode.md)
- [Lighting and framing for better photo results](lighting-and-framing.md)
- [Multi-angle photos for high-value items](multi-angle-photos.md)