Do not make good listings with accurate part numbers, too easy for your competition to use your info

[civicwagonparts]

I sell used car parts.
I had been taking the time to research to part number, and compatibility with other models. I write good titles. This made my listings more visible to Google, and sales have been good for several years.
By filling in the part number, it makes the listing more visible on Google searches. This is time-consuming and difficult if you are unfamiliar with the OEM parts catalog.
Other sellers just have to click "sell one like this", and they get all your hard work for nothing, and can undercut you by $1. Other sellers get to use your same pre-filled title and item specifics you took the time to research.
eBay has always had the "sell one like this" feature, but in the past other sellers did not get your item specifics.

How I combat this.
I create a bogus listing for the part with an incorrect part number and wrong item specifics, I way over-price the item and make the listing as confusing as possible.
Once other sellers have used my listing, I go back and change mine to the correct info.

eBay is requiring "Item Specifics" on all listings. This is why sales are down for long-time good sellers, it is now too easy for your competition to benefit from your labor and knowledge.
I wrote the title, why is not my intellectual property?

[mam98031]

Interesting approach.  Not one I would recommend, but you need to do what you think is best for your business.

With your approach, you increase your exposure for INADs if that listing sells before you update it.

Unless it works differently in Ebay motors, when you click on "Have one to sell? Sell now", you do not get the description, the new seller still needs to fill that in.  The ISBs [item specific boxes] to cross over and the title, but not the description.

However other sellers don't have to use the "Have one to sell? Sell now", they can simply set up their own listing and copy and paste info from your listing.

I do understand your concerns.  I've had similar things happen to me over the years.

As to "intellectual property", that part is answered in the User Agreement that we all consented to in order to have an account on this site.  We just don't have them here unless you are part of the Vero program.