Any way I can discourage another seller from copying my titles and item specifics word-for-word?

[momcqueen]

I realize that 'Sell One Like This' serves a true and necessary purpose but is there anything that I can do to dissuade a specific seller from chronically copying my titles word-for-word? He/she also uses my custom-created item specifics (again word-for-word) to undercut me on identical products selling simultaneously in the same format and geographic market. I also realize that titles and item specifics are not copyright but this is happening with this seller on a regular basis. (As in it's not accidental.) Is it within the realm of good manners for me to message them to ask them not to do this anymore? Insight from sellers with more experience in this field would be greatly appreciated as I'm a little worried about doing so because I can see the seller has at least one 'sister' account and I don't want to open the doors to reactive/unwelcome buying from the person in the event they are offended that I am offended. Thank you for your advice.

Respectfully,

Maureen 

[momcqueen]

Unfortunately, I was stuck in traffic at the appointed Board Hour. It is my intention to pursue the matter directly with ebay in as many venues as is possible. Thank you to the member who raised it. Since my original complaint, a different seller has acquired the rare item I am selling and his listing is unique to him. Not copied in every aspect of title and item specifics from mine. That is the way it is normally done within my selling area. 

[michaelbb2 · Accepted solution]

I have had other sellers copying my pictures, titles and portions of my descriptions before.....quite a bit actually.  Part of me takes the action as a compliment and the other part wants to go to war.  This is what I do and sometimes it works.

1 protect yourself from retaliation.....block them (if they figure out someone reported them and they know they did wrong then they will be angry)   Sometimes they just copy pictures off Google images so don't panic if they have your picture (use watermarks), they may not know it belonged to anybody.

2 report the item...there is a "Report Item" link right on the sellers item page.   On the report category, choose the copyright and trademark option.  Reason For Report = Images or Text copied from your listing   Then in the "Detailed Reason" box...select "Copied Pictures or Text"     Enter the item numbers of the other sellers item and your item when asked and ......done!

3. Keep their items in your watch list......some may disappear if they are cancelled by eBay........Most won't. ......Report Again!  Be persistent.

4. If all else fails, improve your listing to make it different.  I know....it's like admitting defeat but sometimes you can really make it better. 

Keep in mind that eBay will not cancel other listings if there are bids on them......usually only BIN items will be cancelled.

[tobyshitzu]

Nothing was copied here.  When you use ebay's sell similar feature it states "We [ebay] have filled in some item specifics".  They aren't going to do anything about a seller using ebay's own feature as it was intended to be used.  Every word in the title (that ebay filled in) are just words from the product.  The other seller didn't use anything from the description or picture

[cumos55]

I have a US seller... located in Bronx NY...  who has copied one of my listings... word-for-word.

Included are all of my references to Canada Post options for shipping

Seller is a part of the GSP...

and the book is listed in Books > Fiction and Literature.

whereas in reality it is non-fiction....  science... and art....

It is almost comical... and the listed was posted with eBay mobile.....

Could be reported..... but it is so comical as presented by the seller.....There is a lot of interest in my listing... and if it sells   this seller will get a note from me....

When  it comes to title and item specifics... there can be no claim for copying  as indicated by eBay

Images and text policy... link to 

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/policies/image-text.html

Look under ... Report a listing...on this pae

[pjcdn2005]

A couple of years ago a seller who sold kids clothing copied and pasted the terms of sale part of my listings...info about shipping etc.

In that area, I also had a line saying please visit my ebay store PJ's..... with a link to my store attached to it. She also copied and pasted that into her listings lol. So anyone visiting her store could click on the link and would then be in my store.  She obviously didn't pay much attention to what she had copied.

I eventually told her about it but I'm sure that I got at least a little advertising from it.

[momcqueen]

No one in their right mind would copy the text verbatim from my listings (read one and you'll see the reason I say that) BUT other sellers both here 'down by the bay' and 'down by the river' swipe my photos on a regular basis and ebay does sweet nothing when I report it. Nothing. At. All. Case in point: do a search right now for 'Disney Planes Judge Davis' and you'll see what I mean. Reported four times now in the past eight weeks. It's gotten to the point where I feel as if I should add a subtitle to my listing to say 'Ahem, this photo is mine and copyright to me and only me' but -- get this -- I'm afraid that would be against the rules and then my stinkin' item would be pulled instead. I realize stealing text and photos doesn't garner the same attention from the ebay police as does someone selling human organs (or whatever) but why have a policy against it if it's going to be ignored? It's just insulting the honest sellers who do their own, hard work. 

The original problem I came to this discussion about has since resolved itself. Either the other seller got the point or the point was gotten to them and now they have made at least their own title for that item even if they kept the item specifics exactly the same. My complaint was to wonder aloud why I should do all the work in creating the first, original listing of an item that NO ONE ELSE HAS if every Tom, Dick and Harry can just lope along afterwards and join the gravy train without so much as a 'howdee-do'. If I'm doing work for ebay by paving the way for other sellers and therefore other sales, then maybe I then also should be compensated for my time. Hah. Hah. Hah. 

Hah.

Thank you all very much for the insight that has been shared on this topic. It is both heartening (and disheartening) to see so many of us have shared the same (unpleasant) experiences. Perhaps the powers-that-be will take note and then action.