Ebay's Image policy guidelines for 2018...need some help please!!!

[online.target]

I have been trying to figure out how to edit all my images which have been watermarked. I do have a backup copy without a watermark so I can use that if I can't bulk edit my existing pictures. But...my concern is that once sellers start uploading images without a watermark, other people will be free to steal their hard work & use it as their own. Consequently prospective customers will no longer trust your store/the items you are selling because they will find your images floating around elsewhere on someone else's store/listings. Is there any work around this to ensure that your images have some sort of a mark on it without violating ebay's guidelines? My sales have drastically dropped since Dec 2017. Initially I assumed it was because of the active content removal (which was very tedious & time consuming to remove). But now even after that my sales have steadily declined. I went from receiving 10-12 orders per day to almost just 3-4 orders. This is also impacting my total sales figures. If anyone can please provide some input into this...I'd greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

[myboardid]

eBay has dropped their policy of not allowing watermarks.  You can have them now. 

And most people's sales drop after the holidays, although there could be quite a few reasons for yours specifically to drop.  I wouldn't speculate as to why. 

[shipscript]

@myboardid

eBay has not dropped their no-watermark policy. They have merely deferred the enforcement deadline that was originally set for March 2018. All of the third-party developers (Auctiva, SellerSourceBook, Vendio, Inkfrog, etc) received this followup notification from eBay:

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Note that eBay’s Picture Policy has not changed, and that watermarks are still not permitted per the policy. Per the policy, please do not offer watermarking capabilities on images that you pass in picture fields...

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eBay deferred the immediate deadline because sellers with hundreds of thousands of listings could not comply within that timeframe and eBay was giving sellers more time to get through the holiday selling season. The policy still exists here:

https://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/picture.html

@online.target

eBay's intention is to include nice photos within their catalog and to allow all sellers to list against the catalog. If your photos are so good that they are included in eBay's catalog, you will have no recourse but to allow it. eBay's user agreement was amended last summer to eliminate the ability to opt out of eBay's use of seller photos.   Here is an excerpt from the user agreement.

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When providing content using the Services (directly or indirectly), you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicensable (through multiple tiers) right to exercise any and all Intellectual Property Rights (as defined above) you have in that content in connection with our provision, expansion, and promotion of the Services, in any media known now or developed in the future. To the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, you waive your right to enforce against eBay, our assignees, our sublicensees, and their assignees your Intellectual Property Rights in that content in connection with our, those assignees', and those sublicensees' use of that content.

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However, if your photo is not in eBay's catalog, you may still have the ability to report a listing where a seller, not eBay, has copied your photos. As you can imagine, that seems like it would be an exercise in futility, but if you can claim a VERO case, you might succeed.

It is no solace, I know, but all the third party providers protested eBay's no-watermark move.  eBay instituted the policy for two reason: 1) the search engines give more weight to unmarked photos and would be more likely to bring buyers to view such a GTC listing on eBay, and 2) eBay can more easily flesh out its own catalog if it has the ability to populate the  commercial-content-provider data gaps with seller-provided content.

In the original "opt-in" program, sellers whose photos were inducted into the catalog would have their names associated with those photos, like "photo provided by shipscript". I have encountered only one of those over the years, and I've scanned a LOT of photos. In my opinion, if eBay inducts a photo, the seller who created the photo should, instead, receive some number of credits that could be used against superior placement. I think sellers would find that a more attractive reward.

[online.target]

Thank you for your detaliled explanation. While it does make sense to some extent that ebay wants you to post pictures without watermarking them...my concern still stands. Unfortunately we have had incidences where despite the watermark people feel free to use my pictures as their own. I have reported such incidences multiple times to ebay without much recourse.

Secondly, you mentioned that nonmarked images pop up more in search results...in my niche of selling, I don't think that's true. I have generally tried to google various listings of mine & I definitely find a lot of my images/listings on the first search page.

Also I called ebay after I started this thread. They transferred me a couple of times & finally I was able to speak to someone knowledgeable...she said that if you want to have your username in the background, like physically take a piece of paper, write your name on it & click fresh pictures then that would be acceptable. An ebay rep has mentioned this so I will take their word for it & try if there's any way to bulk edit the pictures. I have a strong feeling that some of my listings are being hidden in the search results which is probably why my sales have declined.

Thank you again for your valuable insights 🙂

[myboardid]

Shipscript - thank you for the detailed explanation.  Clearly I misunderstood what I read. 

[ed8108]

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wrote:

@online.target  Here is an excerpt from the user agreement.

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When providing content using the Services (directly or indirectly), you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicensable (through multiple tiers) right to exercise any and all Intellectual Property Rights (as defined above) you have in that content in connection with our provision, expansion, and promotion of the Services, in any media known now or developed in the future. To the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, you waive your right to enforce against eBay, our assignees, our sublicensees, and their assignees your Intellectual Property Rights in that content in connection with our, those assignees', and those sublicensees' use of that content.

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Note:   "perpetual " " irrevocable"

"In any media known now or developed in the future" 

[online.target]

Ebay still has that policy for sure, they are implementing it from March 1 2018 as far as I know.

I have a feeling that some of my listings may not be appearing as much in the search results...leading to lower impresssions & a drop in sales. This maybe because of the image policy because pretty much all my items have a watermark on them...I gotta figure it out 😞

[shipscript]

@myboardid

I would have read it the same way, except for the followup letter. I've complained to eBay that the announcement and the followup letter to developers appear to be at odds.  As you may know, I provide a free watermarking tool, so this topic is on my developer radar.

[online.target]

Is it okay to have your user name in super tiny font somewhere on the item? The ebay rep to whom I spoke with mentioned that you can have your user name only in the background somewhere...please let me know...I have been experimenting a bit & at this point it looks like this is the quickest solution unless I can maybe click fresh pictures or something

[papyruspapillo]

SALES ARE DOWN DRASTICALLY, pretty much across the board. My own view is that we are witnessing the death throes of ebay.

[online.target]

In all these years selling on ebay, 2018 has by far been the worse for us. Ever since they started implementing various changes (removal of active content, external links) & now the image watermark policy...it has negatively impacted our figures 😞

[johnfduda]

There are so many ways to get arround this silly mandate. You CAN be smarter than some BOT.

Rotate the text of your watermark.

Position it over a part of the item.

Use an arrow with text on one end and a defect on the other end. Surely eBay wouldn't have the gall to tell sellers they can't point out flaws in their listings. But who would steal a picture that highlights a flaw. Don't tell me I know, some would.

Use cutout letters from another source and lay them on your background, you know like the criminals do in the letter to the cops.

Take the photo while your holding it in front of your face.

It goes on and on, I'm sure a lot of you can add to the list. Remember every time eBay has to update the BOT is another 6 months delay to get that next BOT Version running. I don't believe the story that this is done for google. That's an excuse that may have some merit, but eBay may have put google up to it.

There are so many ways to get arround this silly mandate. You CAN be smarter than some BOT. Where did I hear that before?