Real Agent Cases

Catalogue a DVD collection for resale from shelf photos with ChatGPT

Posted
by Sydney Butler (How-To Geek)
Last checked
Method:
How we verify

Evidence: Article or interviewA newsletter, journalist or interview account of what happened.

Outcome

A How-To Geek writer photographed the spines of hundreds of DVDs and Blu-rays and asked ChatGPT to list them in a spreadsheet with columns useful for resale listings. It built the spreadsheet, correctly classified some PSP discs on the same shelf, and filled in more details on a second pass. He still had to review it by hand: some titles weren't legible, and he warns the AI can hallucinate titles not in the photos.

Agent

ChatGPT

Prompt Original prompt

Exact prompt as published in the source.

Here are some photos of DVDs and Blu-rays I am thinking of reselling. I want you to create an Excel spreadsheet listing all of these titles. Create relevant columns for information I'd want to include in listings if I do decide to sell any.
Optional stronger version

Our rewrite with extra checks. The poster didn't test it.

Run this task now, exactly as written below. Everything you need is here, so start straight away and only stop if something required is missing or a rule below tells you to.

Goal: Turn photos of my shelves into a spreadsheet I can use to decide what to sell.

Fill in before running:
- Photos of spines or covers, well-lit, a few shelves at a time: [ATTACH]
- What I might sell and where: [e.g. eBay]
- Columns I want: [title, format, condition, etc.]

Rules:
- Only list titles you can actually read; mark unclear ones instead of guessing.
- Note the format (DVD, Blu-ray, other) for each.
- Add resale-friendly columns but leave price blank unless I ask you to research it.
- Tell me the count per photo so I can spot misses.
- If a site asks for a login, a CAPTCHA or payment details, stop and hand control back to me.
- Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.
- Before I list anything for sale, have me compare each row with the actual disc.

Output: A downloadable spreadsheet plus a list of unreadable items.

You'll know it worked when: the spreadsheet count matches what's on the shelves after my spot-check.

Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.

Source

https://www.howtogeek.com/i-catalogued-hundreds-of-dvds-in-minutes-by-sending-photos-to-chatgpt/

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