The moderator opened up to Bored Panda that they asked to be brought on to help out with r/Mirrorsforsale a few years ago because it was one of their favorite subs. However, at the time, the sub had little moderation.
"The sub was inspired by somebody attempting to sell a mirror, but their reflection was inadvertently included. The sub was born from this but can be any reflective surface, not just a mirror!" they said that a variety of photos are welcome.
We were very curious to dig deeper into the success behind the subreddit. Here's what the mod told us: "I personally think it's been successful because almost nobody wants to be caught in a mirror's reflection online and people have come up with creative ways to avoid it. Plus, some people don't really think about what can be seen in the reflection which leads to some really funny moments!"
In the moderator's opinion, how you take a picture of a reflective surface will depend on whether or not you mind showing up in the final photograph.
"If you don't mind being seen in the picture then why not take it head-on? For me, I prefer standing a bit to the side, which allows you to photograph the full mirror while not showing yourself. Just be mindful of what you have in the background, as that's all people will see," they said.
The moderator told us that, including them and the founder, they have 3 mods overall. "I am the main active mod and have notifications on my phone so that I can check reports as soon as possible after coming in. I usually get to them within 15 minutes or less (unless I am otherwise engaged!)," they explained how they're very quick to react if there's a need for it.
"We get very few reports overall, maybe one or two a day on average. If there is a photo or comment section which receives a higher than average number of reports, I keep an eye on it just to make sure it's all okay," they continued.
As such, the life of a r/Mirrorsforsale moderator isn't all that bad. However, one challenge that has been coming up more recently is people making fun of how some folks look in their reflections.
"One of our rules is, 'Keep it positive!' If a photo contains someone with a noticeable feature, this tends to attract a high number of rule-breaking comments. In those instances, I do remove negative comments because it's not fair to talk about people that way when they don't even know it's happening! If it continues, I will then lock the thread."
In photographer Dominic's opinion, taking quality photos starts with awareness and attention to details. That means thinking ahead and realizing that you might end up in the photo even when you don't mean to.
"As with anything in life, be aware of your surroundings. Making sure you have the right angle to not capture yourself is key," he told Bored Panda. If you do end up in the picture and for some reason you can't retake the photo, you could always use photo-editing software.
"You may be able to edit yourself out, but that just seems like a hassle," he said that avoiding issues in the first place will save more time than fixing them later on, down the line.
Photographer Dominic also gave Bored Panda and all of you readers some advice on how to potentially appeal to more buyers online, whether you're selling mirrors or something else entirely.
At its core, your listing should show off the item's usefulness and versatility. That's why the context of the photo and the audience are very important: you're not just selling the item, you're selling an idea to a particular subset of people online.
"Keep in mind the audience and how they might expect to see the listed item. Placing said item into a real setting can be a big help to sales," the photographer shared his thoughts.
"If the item looks like it fits into real life, you're more likely to pique an interest of a buyer," he said that photographing the item in isolation might not get too many people excited about it.
The ‘Mirrors for sale’ subreddit has been active since late March, 2018. In the 4+ years since its inception, the moderators have grown quite a large community of funny reflection fans and comedy enthusiasts. After all, who doesn’t like having a hearty chuckle?
Currently, the subreddit has three moderators who make sure that all the members adhere to the rules set out in the sidebar.
Some of the subreddit’s rules are very straightforward, something you’d find on any major subreddit: being courteous to other redditors, avoiding bullying, and refraining from reposting popular posts.
Meanwhile, the moderators remind the members of r/Mirrorsforsale that all posts have to contain a photo of an unintentional reflection. (Though we’ve seen plenty that are very intentional, indeed!)
“It doesn't strictly have to be a mirror or for sale. The sub is just named after the post that inspired its creation, which was a mirror for sale,” they explain that the sub welcomes all reflections equally.
What’s more, the community is all about being positive. “Please spread positivity! No insults or demeaning comments, either about other redditors or about the person in the post,” the mods remind everyone that there’s no room for being a jerk.
Finally—and somewhat ironically—the folks running everything behind the scenes remind everyone that the subreddit isn’t the place to actually try and sell your mirror. You know, in case somebody took the name of the sub too literally. “This subreddit is for accidental reflections, it's not a marketplace.”
The fact is that humor, whether intended or otherwise, can be a powerful way to draw in a lot of attention. Comedy helps photos and posts stand out (whether for good or for ill) in people’s online feeds. And if the joke is good or surprising enough, it’s bound to stick in the audience’s mind for some time.
Earlier, Bored Panda wrote about the power of comedy in sales and how one listing agent decided that dressing up as Bigfoot in some elaborate photos to try and sell a house in California was a good marketing ploy. We’d gotten in touch with the listing agent and he opened up about the brilliant idea.
