eBay now using AI to remove listings, fails terribly.
I got a Vero claim for "reusing images".
I sell tons of new-in-box items and always reuse stock photos. Never had an issue.
But...the takedown was "based upon automated information".
Even worse, the claim, although automated, did not come from the manufacturer of the product, but another small eBay seller.
eBay also included their personal email address, which seems like a privacy violation.
I reached out to the seller to see if they had any claim or copyright to the images, they said no.
I traced the source image to manufacturer in China.
So now eBay is using AI to take my listings down for reusing images that were not their images to begin with?
1. You have to be registered with Vero to make a claim. This seller is not registered with Vero.
2. Vero claims are supposed to be made by the rights owner. This claim was "made by an eBay agent using automated detection".
kh-tuna
·4 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.
okaustx
·4 months agoEbay is using AI (not news) to scrub listings and flag them for policy violations. I have listed IP Security Cameras (many thousands of them in dedicated eBay Categories) and my listing was singled out to voialate "Electronic equipment policy" for no reason at all. They are stating the following:
This product can't be sold on eBay because the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has deemed it to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons. For more details, see the FCC List of Equipment and Services Covered by Section 2 of the Secure Networks Act: https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist
However, these are run off the mill commercially available IP cameras for home use (Mantavue brand) that certianly do not violate any FCC regulations. There are thousands from Hikvision, Dahua, Axis, etc. listed on eBay every day.
There is simply an AI bot at the helm that is making one of those plentiful mistakes that AI makes - problem is there is not recourse.
You can "Appeal" the AI decision and will receive an email (that you cannot respond to) stating that your appeal has been denied. At the speed that the email was reeceived it is clear that there was no person revieing this but this was yet again funneled through AI.
Really pretty sad.
Customer service (if you can reach them) have no authority over correcting this.
I think I am done selling on eBay and will focus on selling locally through FB Marketplace (I know this is not an option for everyone).
redcat114
·1 year agoAI is running ebay not 1 acual person can answer any question or solve a sellers issue what ever the computer screen tells them thats your answer. im not a robot . looks like big problems with ebay all around
ittybitnot
·1 year agoand always reuse stock photos.
@quadcitypickers
Where are you getting these "stock photos"?
eBay allows sellers to use the photos/text from other seller's listings on the site once they are listed here. Snagging the pics and descriptions from other sites, not so much especially if the "rights holder" complains. That would clearly be labeled as a "VERO" violation. You are told that is what it is with instructions and information to contact the said "rights holder". If you snagged a photo from another eBay seller that "stole" it in the first place, you may have issues as well.
Then there are simply eBay takedowns. These are likely automated, but they are never attributed to another eBay member. It would be interesting to see a copy/screenshot (with personal information removed) of the communication you received from eBay. I assume it was in your messages?
albertabrightalberta
·1 year ago@quadcitypickers
My explanation is based on personal knowledge of what is going on.
What you received is a legitimate VeRO takedown notice after a rights owner filed a NOCI (notice of claimed infringement) which is ebay's version of DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act).
I've filed them and when listings are removed, my name and email address are included on the notice the ebay member receives so they can contact me to tell me why they don't think they're in violation.
One does not have to be on the "VeRO list" in order to claim infringement.
It sounds like you stole pictures that belonged to another seller and that seller reported. Although ebay (IMO, incorrectly) allows members to use others' pictures if those pictures are in ebay listings, if a seller sells on another website and has the same pictures, they can report the pictures as having been used without authorization and get your listing removed.
Instead of taking the lazy man's way by using companies' or websites' stock images or using other sellers' pictures to sell similar items, why not put effort into taking your own pictures of the actual items?
Understand that a VeRO takedown on your account is a serious violation, more serious than a removal of a listing violation.
I don't believe VeRO removals are done by AI. I think human eyes have to look at the listings to compare and see that the claim is valid.
Since eBay doesn’t tell you who reported your item how do you know it came from another seller?
You’re just guessing.
Sellers can be a Vero rights members and not be in the list.
If you received a Vero take down don’t list it again.