eBay doesn't care your photos get reused.
Saw a listing with the same photo I personally took of something.
I messaged them and basically they told me to kick rocks.
I reported the listing under copyright infringement and submitted a screenshot of both items, showing my item was listed first to hopefully clear up any confusion the rep might have.
Got an email that the listing "is not in violation".
This is now the third time someone has taken my photos and eBay refuses to take action.
40 comments
kh-tuna
·6 months agoHi everyone,
Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.
Thank you for understanding.
inhawaii
·6 months agoeBay doesn't care your photos get reused.
No, they don't.
Thanks for the heads up ... but most of us here already know this.
fabrics24
·6 months agoWhile definitely annoying, this seems like a very self-regulating issue.
Like sin-n-dex and chapeau-noir mentioned, using someone else's photos is an open door for an INAD.
If someone else uses your photos, they're risking the item they're selling not looking exactly like your pictures. A buyer would be 100% in the right to open an INAD against them and win, because the item they get won't be the one in the photos.
There's a reason reputable sellers take their own photos, and lots of them. The whole goal is to reduce INADs, and be transparent with buyers.
I would let it roll off my back. It's rude of them, sure, but it's not something to worry yourself with. You're better than that.
jonathanbrightlight
·6 months agoI agree, this is far more likely to cause problems for the sellers using your photos than for you.
cottagehillvanilla
·6 months agoCorrect, eBay does not take action, an option is to ask the seller to get off his/her behind spending time to take their own photos in a nice way of course, however they may be non-compliant. A few years back I was told by a rep, "we have sellers that have items to sell, but may not have a camera, or a proper setting for photos, we encourage our sellers to use the library of photos available". Did I expect a better outcome? Of course. Did I receive it? No.
I was here when eBay first evolved and they were very protective of their sellers, now?
loose_goose_garage
·10 months agoAbout a month ago I had someone copy one of my listings word for word, all they did was change the photos. Title, description, item specifics, everything.
This is an item I sell for $120-$130.
They listed it at Auction for $9.99 Starting Bid with Free Shipping
I bid and won it for the Opening Bid.
Now I can do sell similar on their listing, which will then pull in all the info from my original listing, and just upload my own photos.
Everything comes full circle.
le-5262
·10 months agoI'm not meaning to be rude...
but I'm trying to understand how the title, item specifics, and, to an extent, description of an item
is something that you can take credit for.
aren't those somewhat limited to the "facts" of an item?
...but I do get what you are saying...
it's an exact copy job.
itsjustasprain
·10 months agoI would not suggest having any involvement in copying anything from the other seller even if it was originally yours in the first place. If you have more of your own items to list then I would go back to your earlier Sold Out listing and use the Restock option to plug in however many you have now. Any watchers of your sold out item should (I think) get a heads-up message that you now have more in stock.
If you make a new listing instead then that will not bring forward your watchers from the last one.
le-5262
·10 months agoIt DOES sound kind of lazy...
johnrj1226
·10 months agoLooks like several photos that you are using are not of your creation - like this one for example - there are others
johnrj1226
·10 months agoWell since it is OK by eBay to hijack someones photography - then you should be flattered that someone picked your photography out all the other eBay listings for that item - sold or an active.
Getting stuff for free is a hobby for some people all over the US and beyond.
tobaccocardyahoo
·10 months agoHow big a fee increase would you be willing to pay in order to have Ebay prevent picture stealing?
I am unwilling to pay any higher fee to keep my pictures safe.
rugerskick
·10 months agoReport this person. They are violating terms of service. They are trying to pass off your photo as their physical item. It opens the door that they may not have an item in their possesion, which is required by ebay. Especially if its a used item, it also may turn into an unnecessary INAD situation because it doesnt show their items particulr flaws/wear.
gurlcat
·10 months agoThey said right in the original post that they reported the person. eBay replied that it is not a violation. Because it isn't. eBay is a private company who can have whatever rules they want, and anyone who doesn't like it doesn't have to sell here. It's not like government jurisdiction that nobody can escape.
If you think I'm wrong, post the eBay Terms Of Service that says you can't use another seller's photos.
inhawaii
·10 months agoWrong.
Ebay doesn't care and wont do anything about it.
That's what this thread is all about.
chapeau-noir
·10 months agoThis right here. I wouldn't bother reporting anybody, but I would know that if they want to use my home-baked photos, they'd better be selling the exact same item and if not...oh well.
GENERAL: On Poshmark, if someone 'reposhes' something, they automatically get the photos from the original sale if they want to use them, but they're also watermarked with the original closet name.
sin-n-dex
·10 months agoUse a really loud and ugly background like I do. I guarantee no one will steal your pictures.
Perhaps someone has stolen my photos and trimmed the background, but my ugly background is how browsers notice my listings without actually clicking on them. I don't care if people take my pictures (and I hope they get a NAD as a result). But no one seems to want to use my loud and ugly background, so by that I am unique.
C.
inhawaii
·10 months agoYour photos were copyrighted?
aeparts1
·10 months agoWhen I was selling on this account my pictures & entire listings were stolen fairly regularly. I started putting a fairly large AE sticker in every picture, & would start my descriptions with "AE is proud to offer for sale". I'd put AE in the description numerous times. If someone wanted to steal the listing they would have to do a little work to use it.
kibble-net
·10 months agoIf you're upset about someone stealing your photos, here are 2 ideas:
1.) Put your username on each photo with a giant watermark. I don't recommend doing this, as it's technically not allowed by ebay's TOS.
2.) Write your username in big block letters on a cardboard sign, and include that sign in every photo. I recommend this method as it doesn't violate TOS. I've seen at least one seller in my niche who does this, and it seems like a good idea if you're concerned about your photos being stolen.
gloryglorygifts
·10 months agoWrite your username in big block letters on a cardboard sign, and include that sign in every photo.
That won't work either as it is easily photoshopped out of the picture. One of mine is up and running on someone else's listing and they did exactly that. It wasn't our name taken out tho; It was the name of the product. I took the photo myself, so I know it's mine.
krazzykats
·10 months agoSeveral years ago, I created some artful pictures using a background with my name blended into it for a few Barbie ornaments.
Later, while doing an item search, I found where someone had tried to cut most of my name out to use my picture for their own ornament listing.
The background was truly unique, so there’s no way anyone else could have owned it or used it the way I did.
But then after that thought, I spent no more time addressing nor worrying about it.
á“šá˜á—¢
gloryglorygifts
·10 months agoNope. They don't. If you load photos onto ebay, they become a part of their catalogue. It's business, not personal.
onefootflipper
·10 months agoWorrying about other people using your photos has always been a rabbit hole or time sink that will never make you a dime in revenue, but can actually lose you money if you complain to some unhinged seller who decides to "teach you a lesson" somehow.
Nothing you do related to this actually takes the competition away, so there is no money to be had by doing it.
I repeat, this makes you no money.
kabilab
·10 months agoonefootflipper opines--
Worrying about other people using your photos has always been a rabbit hole or time sink that will never make you a dime in revenue, but can actually lose you money if you complain to some unhinged seller who decides to "teach you a lesson" somehow.
Nothing you do related to this actually takes the competition away, so there is no money to be had by doing it.
I repeat, this makes you no money.
kabilab agrees--This IS business. Fretting about a situation of which one has no control, is a waste of profitable time and useless aggravation.
goodbrakes
·10 months agoSharing and using content
For the convenience of sellers, we offer a product catalog of photos, item descriptions, and specifications, which are provided by users and/or third parties.
Sellers can use content from this product catalog when creating their listings, and in these cases, they will not have to source their own stock images.
We might, at our discretion, use photos that you upload to your listings to represent a product in our product catalog.
Photos in all listings will be considered for possible inclusion in the catalog. However, there is no guarantee that any of your photos will be selected.
What you should know
soh.maryl
·10 months agoIt can be disturbing, I'm sure; however, doubtful that this is "copyright infringement" unless perhaps your photos are copyrighted?
bashort
·10 months agoYep, happens all the time. I just take it as a compliment.
I really enjoy it when the picture of mine that they are using is close to what they are selling but completely not interchangeable.
dirk12955
·10 months agoI have a competitor making listings with my pictures, Listing titles,
Descriptions, Item specifics.
He even keeps my spelling and punctuation errors.
caldreamer
·10 months agoEBAY encourages other sellers to steal your photos and item description by clicking on "sell similar". I know how frustrating that can be, but it is also a compliment as your photos must be great.
quadcitypickers
OP10 months agoEh? I don't list on my phone, but the desktop version of eBay never recycles photos unless they are stock from the product catalog.
itsjustasprain
·10 months agoNo. If you click on Sell Similar in a listing from another seller you only get the category, Title and Item Specifics. You do not get their photos or their description. (Try it and see.)
Anyone who copies your listing photos or text is doing so manually using Copy and Paste.
krazzykats
·10 months agoSame here. Now if I had created a piece of artwork, I would care.
But a digital photo of a random mass-produced item? Not so much.
á“šá˜á—¢
natoman777
·10 months agoYou are correct, eBay doesn't care. Our photos are not copyrighted and others can use them. It is not cool, but happens to me often
quadcitypickers
OP10 months agoUnder US copyright law, a digital photograph is automatically copyrighted the moment it's saved to memory.
natoman777
·10 months agodirk12955
·10 months agoThe issue is.....?
How about a seller spending time to take photo's, Write a description,
do the work to make the listing just right.
And then some lazy piece of garbage comes along and copies all of your effort.
My third grade Grandson know better than to copy another kids
schoolwork because it's wrong and lazy and the copier
really isn't learning anything, is he?
Copyright protected or not, It's trashy behavior
to copy another persons work and efforts.
jonathanbrightlight
·10 months agoThat may all be true, but your job is to sell your items, not police the behavior of other sellers. They take the risk when they choose poor listing practices, and they will be the ones with unhappy customers, having to refund when items don’t match the photos. I find it a lot more effective to never worry about what someone else is doing in their business.
natoman777
·10 months agoI am not saying it is an ok practice, and I don't do it myself. I have had it done several times to me... I am way more concerned about selling the items I find, not worrying about others copying my work (photos, listing descriptions, my time in researching the item, my pricing...etc...)
Many of my followers are local friends/rivals who sell and are trying to see what I get so they can learn and grab things. So is the way of reselling
gurlcat
·10 months agoAbsolutely untrue.
-"memory" What did you mean to indicate by that word?
Provide a link to the law if you're so certain you're correct.