Digital Hygiene for Sellers (Classifieds)

Selling high-value items online is a common target for criminals. Your product photos often provide the "where" and "what else" to potential thieves.

Section 1: The High-Value Item

You list a luxury watch, a mountain bike, or a car on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. These platforms are public. Anyone can view them. The photo of the item is not just an advertisement; it is an intelligence source.

Section 2: The Home Theft Risk

If you take the photo in your driveway or living room, the embedded GPS coordinates lead directly to your home address. You have effectively posted a shopping list (High-Value Item) and a map (GPS coordinates) to a public forum. Criminals scrape these listings to find targets.

Section 3: The Meta-Inventory

The metadata often reveals what other items you own. The "Device ID" tag tells the viewer if you used a $3,000 professional camera or a $1,200 iPhone Pro to take the picture. This signals that the home contains other high-value electronics worth stealing.

Section 4: The Clean Listing

Before uploading any product photo, it must be sanitized. A privacy focused image editor allows you to strip the location data (hiding your address) and the camera information (hiding your wealth indicators).

It is a simple step that separates a safe transaction from a targeted burglary. Clean the file, then list the item.