LOL?! You can't use the word 'uber' in your title!? Triggers a government warning!?
I think ebay is broken. You can't use the word "Uber" in your title or it triggers this weird government trade warning which makes zero sense. I used it to say something was 'uber-rare' cause why not but the red line of doom claiming I'm selling stolen war goods or something was hilarious!
I changed it to 'very rare' to appease the machine but uber? Really?
28 comments
fm2000
·5 months agoIt has nothing to do with trademarks or copyright. There is nothing illegal about using the word "uber", or using it in the context of referring to the Uber ridesharing service or items related to that service or branded with the "uber" branding (like a thermos someone was trying to sell with "Lyft" on it, which was also pulled a similar warning.)
The word "uber" is triggering that warning because eBay's AI/bots/whatever think you are trying to list a rideshare item (like a sign) that they are afraid of people using to trick people and pick them up in your car and do terrible things. It is related to their ban on rideshare signs, transit and shipping company uniforms and other items that someone could to impersonate a company deliveryman or driver and do something terrible.
The OP is not doing anything wrong (and certainly not illegal.) It is due to eBay's automation not having the basic human understanding of context.
babyers88
·5 months agothere are lots of words and even abbreviations or mixtures of letters that cannot be used including major brand names. they are locked out period. That began many many years ago.
this include things that might be subject to recall, blocked for sale by the government or products that are counterfeited often. The blacklist is long I am sure.
ebat
OP5 months agoFunny the wildfire this post caused triggering some people. It was mostly humor cause it is. Absurdly humorous on ebay's part. And no, if you read the warning, it has NOTHING to do with the company Uber and Uber isn't even on the 'list' of banned company names.
It was a very specific warning:
"This item is not permitted under the Government, Transit and Shipping policy. Please do not relist."
Clicking into that it has zero mention of trade names and eludes to political and war propaganda items being shipped out of the country which again, makes zero sense as I also clicked to decline shipping to anywhere BUT the USA proper.
It was also for a digital synthesizer module making this even more baffling.
Hilarious.
eze-right1
·5 months agoI did a sold search for cookbooks one time and the first two results were a Bible and a deck of tarot cards. Those aren't cookbooks. Same as it ever was...
wri-8727
·5 months agoLOL?! You can't use the word 'uber' in your title!? Triggers a government warning!?
https://www.reddit.com/r/German/comments/6otjum/is_the_phrase_%C3%BCber_alles_itself_offensive/
squinkercat59
·5 months agoI don't pay any attention to words like that (rare, scarce, unusual) etc., because 99.9% of the time they aren't, anyway.
zienty
·5 months agoword was bit**in.
grann-4629
·5 months agoEverything in the 60's was femaledogin' ...
zienty
·5 months agoYears ago I had a positive feedback removed because the guy used the word **bleep**in. He did all his feedback to sound like surfer talk.
adamcartwright
·5 months ago@zienty
That's a shame. It's not a curse word.
I wish I had a penny for every time that word's been used over the many decades.
eze-right1
·5 months agoJust did a search and sold items come up with those words. That's crazy, the AI is indecisive. Maybe remove the dash in between.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=uber+rare&_sacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&rt=nc&_odkw=uber&_osacat=0&LH_Sold=1
kibble-net
·5 months agoThis isn't the government telling you that you can't do this
It's ebay warning you against using a registered trademark in your listing and drawing the ire of a company that happens to be called... you guessed it... "Uber"
Just use a normal word like the rest of us, literally no one is searching for your item using the keyword "uber" so who really gives a flying fart?
eze-right1
·5 months agoI do. Here you go.
(JUST a joke... )
meme6253
·5 months agoI don't understand why it rejects it but it does so use a different term like what you did with Very rare.
albertabrightalberta
·5 months ago@ebat
You want to use key words in your title that are words that buyers will use in a search, words related to the item you're selling.
I'd venture to guess that no one searches for an item by key word "uber." (I've never even used "rare" in any search I've done.)
annadryl
·5 months agoMaybe they don't want it to sound like a teenager from the '90's. Doesn't matter, who searches that?
grann-4629
·5 months agoThere's probably a lot of teenagers from the 90's hanging around on eBay. Looks like eBay has taken a stand on free speech. Maybe eBay should ban all of these old teenagers or another cult word may show up on their venue before that gaming company buys them out and allows such things on their new site.
wrt the offensive word being discussed here, I think the kids were using this word way before the taxi-competitor came along - they just didn't bother to copyright it foolishly thinking it was OK to say it or use it.
Sheesh!
chapeau-noir
·5 months agoTry using 'almighty' or maybe 'ultra-plus'.
ten_o_nine
·5 months agoHow would 'uber-rare' in the title help your listing? Words like "uber," "wow," or "look" are filler keywords that take up valuable space. Buyers type terms like "Vintage 1990s Nike Shoes", not "uber rare Nike shoes".
tarotfindsandmore
·5 months agoMaybe you can use ūber with the umlaut. 🙂
a_c_green
·5 months agoMy thoughts also; Uber (the company) does not use an umlaut; spelling it as über instead makes it just another German word.
On the other hand, as noted, no one searches for items using "uber" as a search term unless they're actually looking for Uber company swag. For that matter, practically nothing on eBay is really all that rare; there's usually one or more folks out there who have already listed whatever you've got, no matter what that might be.
Just use the full length of your title to add as many relevant search terms as possible, and skip the adjectives unless you're specifying color, size or other descriptive details.
powell-collectibles
·5 months agoOne definite exception is the super deluxe George Harrison All Things Must Pass box set. Official title does contain "uber" in it. Yes, people would search using that word. I definitely have - it is differentiated from the deluxe version.
https://store.georgeharrison.com/products/uber-deluxe
grann-4629
·5 months agoThere you go! I think George was gone before the ride company was even a dream in someone's mind, therefore George is the real owner of the word.
Case closed. Next?
sin-n-dex
·5 months agoThe word Uber is copyright protected. They have deep pockets and pay big money to keep their name clean.
C.
broto_64
·5 months agoActually the word "Uber" is trademarked and protected by intellectual property law, which has sharper teeth than plain copyright law. Which, it's probably a good thing ebay has implemented an "advance warning" system otherwise the OP would've likely got VERO'd.
sin-n-dex
·5 months agoI'm not familiar with all the legalese... I just know they pay people to read the internet looking for issues. Lots of big companies that work hard to protect their brand do that. It's no surprise eBay won't allow it.
C.
grann-4629
·5 months agoI just know they pay people to read the internet looking for issues.
Are you saying that Uber actually pays people to watch the internet to make sure nobody is using the same letters in the same combination? Maybe they could save some money and provide a cheaper service if they dumped these people who go after the dreaded electronic module seller or the even dreadier people who (try to) sell German WWII stuff when just about everything German during that time started with the same four letters.
I guess I'm not allowed to say that 'I've fallen and I can't get up' when I end up at the bottom of the stairs either, at least on eBay 😟
Unavailable member
·5 months agoIf eBay doesn’t want you to use the word Uber then don’t use it.