# QC photos: how they started and how they changed "GL/RL" **URL:** \ **Category:** Newbie Corner\ **Tags:** discussion, historical\ **Created:** [October 20, 2026, 9:05pm UTC](https://superreps.net/t/le-foto-qc-come-sono-nate-e-come-hanno-cambiato-il-gl-rl/199 "2026-10-20T21:05:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![occhiodilince](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/occhiodilince/32/6_2.png) [@occhiodilince](https://superreps.net/u/occhiodilince)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 9:05pm UTC](https://superreps.net/t/le-foto-qc-come-sono-nate-e-come-hanno-cambiato-il-gl-rl/199/1 "2026-10-20T21:05:57Z")
For anyone who arrived recently, QC photos seem obvious. But “GL/RL” culture has a specific history. How did QC photos work at the beginning, and how did they become the standard we know? Related threads: [First time reading sneaker QC photos: what do I actually look at before saying GL or RL?](https://superreps.net/t/first-time-reading-sneaker-qc-photos-gl-rl/189), [Batch names explained: what do LJR, GX, PK and the rest actually mean?](https://superreps.net/t/batch-names-explained-ljr-gx-pk/191), [“Same factory as retail”: where the myth comes from, and why it keeps coming back](https://superreps.net/t/are-reps-made-in-the-same-factory-myth/310). ---
**Author:** ![halfsize\_up](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/halfsize_up/32/10_2.png) [@halfsize\_up](https://superreps.net/u/halfsize_up)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 9:06pm UTC](https://superreps.net/t/le-foto-qc-come-sono-nate-e-come-hanno-cambiato-il-gl-rl/199/2 "2026-10-20T21:06:08Z")
In the early agent days, services were changing how photos worked. One old thread described an agent’s new rules: photos on request via order notes, with additional photos as an extra service. ---
**Author:** ![freshlaces](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/freshlaces/32/21_2.png) [@freshlaces](https://superreps.net/u/freshlaces)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 9:06pm UTC](https://superreps.net/t/le-foto-qc-come-sono-nate-e-come-hanno-cambiato-il-gl-rl/199/3 "2026-10-20T21:06:17Z")
And before agents? People just got whatever arrived? 😳 ---
**Author:** ![sole\_sleuth](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/sole_sleuth/32/22_2.png) [@sole\_sleuth](https://superreps.net/u/sole_sleuth)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 9:06pm UTC](https://superreps.net/t/le-foto-qc-come-sono-nate-e-come-hanno-cambiato-il-gl-rl/199/4 "2026-10-20T21:06:23Z")
Not quite. Another old thread explained that people ordering directly could ask the shop for photos, but item by item, through chat. Slow and inconsistent. ---
**Author:** ![stitch\_auditor](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/stitch_auditor/32/15_2.png) [@stitch\_auditor](https://superreps.net/u/stitch_auditor)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 9:06pm UTC](https://superreps.net/t/le-foto-qc-come-sono-nate-e-come-hanno-cambiato-il-gl-rl/199/5 "2026-10-20T21:06:28Z")
The shift came soon after: one agent introduced a “QC album”, photos shown on the site instead of sent by email. Around then, threads compared which agent took the best QC photos. ---
**Author:** ![occhiodilince](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/occhiodilince/32/6_2.png) [@occhiodilince](https://superreps.net/u/occhiodilince)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 9:06pm UTC](https://superreps.net/t/le-foto-qc-come-sono-nate-e-come-hanno-cambiato-il-gl-rl/199/6 "2026-10-20T21:06:34Z")
So in a short time the QC photo goes from “a favour you ask for” to a standard feature. That’s where the “GL/RL” threads as we know them were born. ---
**Author:** ![freshlaces](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/freshlaces/32/21_2.png) [@freshlaces](https://superreps.net/u/freshlaces)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 9:06pm UTC](https://superreps.net/t/le-foto-qc-come-sono-nate-e-come-hanno-cambiato-il-gl-rl/199/7 "2026-10-20T21:06:49Z")
And later on? Did anything change after that? ---
**Author:** ![halfsize\_up](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/halfsize_up/32/10_2.png) [@halfsize\_up](https://superreps.net/u/halfsize_up)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 9:07pm UTC](https://superreps.net/t/le-foto-qc-come-sono-nate-e-come-hanno-cambiato-il-gl-rl/199/8 "2026-10-20T21:07:06Z")
A later thread clarified a common confusion: the marketplace itself doesn’t provide QC photos; agents do, typically a few photos per item. ---
**Author:** ![creaseguard](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/creaseguard/32/25_2.png) [@creaseguard](https://superreps.net/u/creaseguard)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 9:07pm UTC](https://superreps.net/t/le-foto-qc-come-sono-nate-e-come-hanno-cambiato-il-gl-rl/199/9 "2026-10-20T21:07:15Z")
Which also explains a habit that still exists: asking for extra angles. It started because the default set was small. ---
**Author:** ![sole\_sleuth](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/sole_sleuth/32/22_2.png) [@sole\_sleuth](https://superreps.net/u/sole_sleuth)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 9:07pm UTC](https://superreps.net/t/le-foto-qc-come-sono-nate-e-come-hanno-cambiato-il-gl-rl/199/10 "2026-10-20T21:07:20Z")
Timeline: | Stage | What changed | | --- | --- | | Early | agent photos on request via order notes; extra photos as an additional service | | Early | direct orders: photos only by asking the shop, item by item | | Soon after | “QC album” on an agent’s site replaces email photos | | Same period | threads compare photo quality between agents | | Later | community clarifies: QC photos come from agents, a few per item | If you’re new to QC, laying the photo set out as a grid (side, toe box, heel, tongue label, outsole) makes it much easier for others to help. **Why it matters for newcomers:** GL/RL culture exists because standardized photos made comparison possible. Today’s habits, like asking for extra angles and comparing with retail photos, come from that early period. ---
**Author:** ![occhiodilince](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/occhiodilince/32/6_2.png) [@occhiodilince](https://superreps.net/u/occhiodilince)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 9:07pm UTC](https://superreps.net/t/le-foto-qc-come-sono-nate-e-come-hanno-cambiato-il-gl-rl/199/11 "2026-10-20T21:07:23Z")
A precise reconstruction, step by step. Marked as solved. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![freshlaces](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/freshlaces/32/21_2.png) [@freshlaces](https://superreps.net/u/freshlaces)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 9:07pm UTC](https://superreps.net/t/le-foto-qc-come-sono-nate-e-come-hanno-cambiato-il-gl-rl/199/12 "2026-10-20T21:07:26Z")
So GL/RL has an origin story lol. Love it. 📸