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Selling knock off Lego figures
I recently bought a lot of close to a hundred minifigs, all sealed in individual plastic packaging. I thought they were real LEGO minifigs but upon further inspection, turns out they ae knock-offs... many branded as LEBO(lol). I would never be use the word LEGO in the ad, but could I list these on Ebay as simply building figures, and maybe in the description say something like "Please take note: These ARE NOT made by a popular name brand line"? Would the listing get vero'ed/kicked off and my account be in danger of some sort of suspension no matter how generic I worded things and avoided mentioning the LEGO brand in the listing?
24 comments
kh_nipun
·1 year 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.
pleasurebee
·1 year agoDon't bother.I just got a 7 day ban for selling actual official Lego figures.Ebay won't be around in 10 years because if **bleep** like this
kensgiftshop
·1 year agoI bet they were as legit as some of the other stuff you're selling.
reallynicestamps
·2 years agoI like the idea of the Halloween handouts. I give out fortune cookies at Halloween and they are very popular.
leareamc
OP2 years agoFolks I am definitely not going to list them. There is at least 70-80 of them but being knock-offs, I could probably only expect at most $30 for the lost if someone actually wanted to buy them... certainly not worth the risk. This was at the sale of someone who owns a local geek store. Not sure why in the world they had acquired these particular KOs, but they did have a ton of other smalls like charms, necklaces, pins, tiny figures, etc. that you probably were not officially licensed either. I see those types of things in stores all the time, but I can't imagine they actually put "LEBO" stuff in their store. I can't complain though, only paid $10 for the lot so I'll just call that a tiny loss, but at the same sale, I got a ton of completely legitimate, new sealed deadstock fantasy board games sets and card sets that I am going to make a ton off of.
a_c_green
·2 years agoIf they're clean and otherwise okay for playing with, I would just donate them someplace: Church Sunday school, day care, Goodwill, etc.
pickapaper
·2 years agoPlease destroy them, don't even give them away. If they are counterfeit, they shouldn't even be "out there" for someone else to be fooled.
If you bought them at a garage sale, hopefully you got them for a cheap price. I'll bet the person selling them at the garage sale knew they were counterfeit and that's why they were selling them at a garage sale. They were probably just happy to be rid of them if they knew they couldn't legitimately sell them anywhere else.
luckythewinner
·2 years agoI would never be use the word LEGO in the ad, but could I list these on Ebay
It is not legal for the company who made them to sell them on eBay, so it is not legal for you to sell them here either.
The manner in which you acquired them does not change anything.
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoI sell a lot of Lego's and wind up with some of the counterfeit pieces on occasion. I would never consider trying to sell them here or anywhere else as Lego is VERY protective of their brand and products. I simply toss them into a bin and donate them to local schools.
toysaver
·2 years agoI've sold them before. Just avoid Lego in the title and description. Say they are off brand compatible mini figure building toys. Sold for play value, not collectible.
Another option if they're brand new is to give them out at Halloween. I let kids choose candy or toy and they always go for toy.
reallynicestamps
·2 years agoBecause copyright and trademarking are very carefully but generously applied.
The first NAD would draw attention to your listings and could permanently kill your business.
Get your money back and don't buy from those criminals again.
Unavailable member
·2 years agoThe OP purchased at a garage sale.
reallynicestamps
·2 years agoPurchased on eBay? Open a Not As Described dispute and get your money refunded,
Purchased elsewhere?
Ask the site for a refund. If you can't figure out how, or if they don't offer refunds, go to the credit card you paid with and start a chargeback, again for Not As Described.
Card policies differ, but a 120-180 day window for Claims is the norm.
If you paid with a debit card or gift card, you are out of luck.
Never use a debit or gift card to buy online.
leareamc
OP2 years agoI honestly don't see how LEGO can get a listing taken down that doesn't claim they are LEGO or use the name LEGO so part of me want to believe it should be ok to list them, but I am likely not going to even try. Can't take them back, it was a garage sale.
Unavailable member
·2 years agoBecause the set you have is a Chinese knockoff of Lego, so yes they can take down the listing.
itscalledapostingid
·2 years agoLego successfully sued a couple Chinese companies for copyright infringement over building blocks that looked like Legos.
I don't know if they ever sued any individuals selling them though. There have been individuals sued for selling other counterfeit items however so that is a real risk.
reallynicestamps
·2 years agoThere was a Canadian maker whose pieces fit with Lego who were forced to take them off the market. It was decades ago, and I'm not sure the Canadians even said anything about the fit.
There's also an oversized version that got sued, but they won since while the pieces looked very like, they were also ten times the size and marketed for under threes.
chapeau-noir
·2 years ago@leareamc Oh, believe me, they can, and they'll do it under the guise of 'brand confusion'. These companies retain vulture lawyers who will come after anyone smaller than they are and try to sue them for the least, smallest suggestion of 'brand confusion', even if it would be impossible. One even sued a local company over naming themselves after the owners' last name. In this case, however, LEGO would be correct because it is an obvious copy and no one is too small.
You're wise to just leave it alone.
lonebuck-books
·2 years agoThey can easily get it taken down if they see it as a counterfeit that is designed to fool a customer into thinking they are the real thing. Just because you don't use the term Lego doesn't mean that they can't find it , realize it is a knockoff and get it taken down.
Personally I would throw them away and consider them a loss and a cost of doing business. I know I have bought some things that I later realized were fakes and threw them away upon inspection before listing. Heck, I have a pair of "hey dude" shoes on the floor by my desk right now that are headed to the trash can because I can't be sure that they are real. It happens.
ryry-jj
·1 year agoTry it & watch how they do it. Lego and eBay will smoke you in a heart beat
wastingtime101
·2 years agoLEGO is pretty fierce about getting copycat items taken down with VeRO. As suggested above, do not list them and, if possible, return them to wherever you purchased them.
ten_o_nine
·2 years agoJust use generic terms in your title and description, refer to the items as "building figures" or "construction toys" without mentioning any specific brand names. Avoid branding references.
itscalledapostingid
·2 years agoThere's a pretty good chance Lego would do a VeRO report and have them removed. I believe they would be justified in doing that.
Unavailable member
·2 years agoThe listing would probably be pulled for counterfeit policy violation.
I wouldn't list them. If the purchase was within the past 30 days I would return them for a refund. Or if you are past the 30 day return window and you paid through PayPal, you have 180 days to file a not as described case. If you didn't use PayPal, but paid with a credit card you can file the same chargeback through them.