Yes, that's the common and general idea. If you go on eBay (or Audiogon), the items for sale are not necessarily taken by the salespeople.
Anyway, in this particular one here; XV-1 (Shane) is not happy that the tonearm for sale is the one from his picture. I respect that.
Me, if someone was selling a nice turntable, and that he was using a picture of my own turntable, the same exact model as mine, but somehow he/she decided to use my tt photograph for whatever reason, I wouldn't sweat much about it. Sure, the sales person could use his phone and take his own picture, but perhaps he has a bad camera on his phone, or is a lousy cameraman, or ... whatever other reason, and there's a picture he really like posted somewhere in the internet, that has the same exact model tonearm and already installed on a nice looking turntable. What is the level of probability, and the average percentage of people who wouldn't use that photograph?
Yes, I too agree with you that using your one picture is best practice.
But on the other hand I don't see a big deal using one from another place.
It's only a picture of an object, without names, without people.
Someone might feel offended, privately violated, ...I've seen this many times before where people are deleting all their pictures because one person uses one or few of them to share somewhere else.
There used to be a time when and if you share a link from another website you got banned.
Are articles on the internet private to the point that you cannot link them say on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google, Stereophile blog?
If we want real privacy in life then why are we publishing newspapers, having several social networks, photography websites, audio magazines with reviews, why are we writing books, making films, showing our sound systems, our cars, our watch collection, our garden of vegetables, our front yard, our nice looking body, our girlfriend, ... why not stored our real life in locked vaults, like in the Watergate buildings?
If we are truly valuing out privacy why are we on the internet and on various public forums and social medias, why are we reading the news every day on CNN and FOX and CBC and MNSBC and Aljazira, and watching football games on TV?
I know, it's not really that, it's only a question of how each person feels about it. It's a personal feeling, and nobody else can own our own feeling. They can steel our photographs but they cannot steal the music that animates us inside, they cannot steal our Blues. You can take my guitar, my car, my home, but you can't take my Blues - Doug Macleod.
Every country is different when it comes to privacy, patent, property, copyright, pictures, videos, movies, Hollywood boulevard with stars on the boardwalk, nice fashion photographs on Instagram, box of chocolates, iPads, and everything.
Can you sue someone who used XV-1's photograph of his turntable and posted it on Audiogon for selling a tonearm that is the same model one? In America suing people for everything and anything is one of the favorite pastimes. In this particular case here, should he take legal action and ask for compensation?
The emotional pain is worth how much, one million dollars? Some lawyers would say yes. Lol
See, everything we own nobody wants anyone to share with no one.
I don't want anyone touching my boat or ...
I don't want anyone using a picture of my dog for selling the same model dog.
There's a balance, and 7.65 billion of them; we just have to find the right one that fits us best.