Zippo manufacturing co.’s policy on sales of their products on auction sites like Ebay:
Making any cosmetic alteration to the lighter is a violation of Zippo’s trademark and they retain the rights to pull your listing. Zippo Manufacturing Company (ZMC) regularly polices internet auction sites concerning the sales of its products and has the legal authority to halt certain sales of products within the United States and several other countries under the following three circumstances:
“Sales of counterfeit products; or the sale of products not originating from ZMC under the name "ZIPPO" or another of the trademarks held by ZMC, or the use of a name or a trademark that is confusing similar to Zippo;
Sales of lighters from third-party manufacturers that have registered the shape of the Zippo Windproof lighter; or, Sales of Zippo lighters that have been decorated without the written consent of ZMC”
“Unauthorized alteration, decoration, engraving of Zippo lighters and sales of Zippo lighters that have been engraved, decorated, or otherwise altered without ZMC's consent, infringe its trademark rights. Specifically, the alteration, decoration, engraving, and sale of Zippo lighters, using images and designs that have not been authorized by ZMC, directly infringes Zippo's trademark rights. Furthermore, the use of the ZIPPO name and of the famous registered Zippo lighter shape in auction website listings, including those that these offered products are authorized, approved, in some other way associated with ZMC. They are not. The unauthorized alteration ot decoration of a Zippo windproof lighter has rendered it to be not longer genuine.”
