When Someone Buys Your Product to Copy It

[tamaralea]

I am just sick.  I thought we only had to worry about the Chinese selling knockoffs, but I shipped to a U.S. linen manufacturer several months ago, and now I see them selling hundreds of the products  I shipped them.  U.S. manufactures are watching this site to see what sells!   I immediately contacted the original company that made these discontinued products.  They said the company paid them a license fee to make these.  Guess that's the end of that market niche. 

[7606dennis]

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@tamaralea wrote:

I am just sick.  I thought we only had to worry about the Chinese selling knockoffs, but I shipped to a U.S. linen manufacturer several months ago, and now I see them selling hundreds of the products  I shipped them.  U.S. manufactures are watching this site to see what sells!   I immediately contacted the original company that made these discontinued products.  They said the company paid them a license fee to make these.  Guess that's the end of that market niche. 

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You may be correct about the niche ending.  Since your customer evidently purchased a license from the manufacturer to make contemporary reproductions of the item about all you can do is advertise the rest of your inventory as being from the original period.  There still may be a market for them although it may be considerably smaller.  

[nowthatsjustducky]

At the very least, the OP can target a market that the newly licensed competitor can't touch.  Surely there are plenty of potential buyers who would prefer to have the original instead of a repro.  Perhaps focus on that aspect?

***  Oops.  Didn't see that last post there above this one. 

[campesinoplastic2014]

That's called "Market research".

That's what anyone who lasts any length of time in sales will do, and they will also know when to switch product lines before the bottom drops out.

[tunicaslot]

So sorry this happened to you Tam - funny that these discontinued items must be becoming popular again! Hopefully you can get rid of the rest of your inventory before the other manufacturer floods the market.

Hoping you find another niche as you're a great seller and good poster!

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi. What happens here includes eBay itself working with manufactureres and bringing "hot" items to their attention. No one will know better than ebay how much, how often and when these sales take place. I read about this when a news outlet reported on how Ebay was helping the Chinese reproduce the most popular vintage items being sold here. It's been going on awhile now. Devin Wenig is quoted as saying, 

          "We send [manufacturers] data about what people are looking for on eBay and they respond and turn it around incredibly quickly," president of eBay Marketplaces Devin Wenig told me. "We have a really big China export business to Europe and the United States. And they respond very, very quickly to consumer taste, whatever it might be. It's really remarkable to see how quickly the manufacturing base adapts to the demand signals they get."

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/08/why-ebay-tells-chinese-manufacturers-what-you...

[jonathankirkland]

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@fashunu4eeuh wrote:

Hi. What happens here includes eBay itself working with manufactureres and bringing "hot" items to their attention. No one will know better than ebay how much, how often and when these sales take place. I read about this when a news outlet reported on how Ebay was helping the Chinese reproduce the most popular vintage items being sold here. It's been going on awhile now. Devin Wenig is quoted as saying, 

          "We send [manufacturers] data about what people are looking for on eBay and they respond and turn it around incredibly quickly," president of eBay Marketplaces Devin Wenig told me. "We have a really big China export business to Europe and the United States. And they respond very, very quickly to consumer taste, whatever it might be. It's really remarkable to see how quickly the manufacturing base adapts to the demand signals they get."

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/08/why-ebay-tells-chinese-manufacturers-what-you...

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Well, anything to further economic growth in China.

[nowthatsjustducky]

Sounds like Wenig needs a kick in the jimmies for that.

[llllady]

Sorry you lost your niche!  It truly is a dog eat dog world.  😞

[lookng2015]

I'm curious what the design/product was now lol

[couldabeenworse]

When Someone Buys Your Product to Copy It

I think a more likely explanation is that they bought YOUR product to see if it was a knockoff of the design to which they now had the rights.