2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread

Hi everyone. 

 

Opening up a thread to discuss the 2017 Fall Seller Update, announced September 19th on eBay.ca. 

Message 1 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread


@moreintheattic wrote:

a.depour I am REALLY looking forward to having to sit down at my computer from now until March first RESCANNING ALL FIVE THOUSAND of my paper items I sell just because you people have come up with this new rule for your playground!  That being the removal of watermarks.

 

This is the way I have seen eBay over the past few years with Seller "Make Work Project" Updates. 

 

eBay is the Playground Bully.  Sellers are invited to play in the playground BUT THE RULES CHANGE TWICE A YEAR!  Every time there's a new set of rules, we sellers are bullied into playing by them or shown the flipplin door!

 

I can fully understand if a seller has their website address as a watermark but how about us sellers who just have our eBay handle as a watermark to avoid anyone stealing our images and using them on their own listings?

 

I am forced to either shut down my store and start ALL OVER AGAIN (after being an eBay seller for 18+ years) or somehow find an easier way to work around this new rule of yours!  Which will take MY TIME away from focusing on making a freaking living here!

 

Your "Fine Tuning" is getting so ridiculous! 

 

And what about my Seller Dashboard that STILL SAYS I'm getting a 20% discount!  How long will I have to look at that?  Your site is so riddled with glitches your entire staff should be ashamed!

 

 


Ebay said they no longer want any one but the Chinese, big box stores, and mega sellers.

 

This is how they will do it, constantly making it more and more ridiculous to follow their idiotic rules and constant changes of them.

Message 21 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread


@a.depour wrote:

Hi @oldjapanesebikes@momcqueen@moreintheattic,

 

I understand your frustration with the new policy to remove watermarks. I'm working on getting more details on this and will share with you as soon as I have it. 

 

Thanks for your patience. 


The more information is exactly what Ebay said at the 2017 open, we no longer want or need the little guy on the site.

 

This is just another way for Ebay to start the annihilation of the small loyal sellers that have been here for many years so please call a spade a spade.

Message 22 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread


@ypdc_dennis wrote:

@brettjet38 wrote:
... Time to consider that store downgrade i think, being in Quebec we are only billed monthly anyway.

Where you are does not matter. If you have month-to-month store rate or a store with the yearly subscription rate -- you still get get billed monthly.

 

If you are on the yearly store subscription plan there are penalties for ending before the 12 months are up.

 

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/sell/storefees.html

 

-..-


In the last few lines of that link above is a link called eBay Stores Subscription Terms of Service which leads to a more detailed explanation of store fees and cancellation. Quebec is apparently treated differently and only a monthly subscription is possible? Probably because of Quebec consumer laws regarding contracts? At least that is what I understand in the terms. Not very clear what it means.

 

http://pages.ebay.ca/stores/subscriptionterms.html

 

 

Message 23 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread


@a.depour wrote:

Hi @oldjapanesebikes@momcqueen@moreintheattic,

 

I understand your frustration with the new policy to remove watermarks. I'm working on getting more details on this and will share with you as soon as I have it. 

 

Thanks for your patience. 


Certainly, I wait to hear what information you are able to report back but it's very clear to most of us where this is headed. 

 

The Spring Seller Update warned us ebay was planning to claim any photo they liked on ebay for its Product Catalogue, and I pitched a fit and said I would not allow it with mine. The Fall Seller Update is now banning watermarks which is the last bastion sellers have to maintain the integrity of whatever stolen photos will be used, so... what is left to say? 

 

I've heard from buyer time and time again that they pick me because of the attention that I pay to detail with the photographs on my listings, and I pay dearly in time for those detailed photographs; they're mine, they are my brand, I won't allow those photos to be swiped to sell my competitors' goods so that other, less ambitious and conscientious sellers can make more and better sales faster than me with zero effort on the back of my time and effort. 

 

My friends and family and other business owners and sellers have been telling me since I began selling here that I should have my own online store and yet I resisted out of some foolish sentiment for the days when ebay was cool and exciting and forward-thinking. I liked ebay for the longest time, I really liked it. I have been loyal to ebay and ebay alone since I began selling here in the spring of 2012 but even I have my limits and outright theft from me is one of them. This isn't some policy to make buying better or easier for buyers or to set poor or miscreant sellers to rights, or make sales better for me, it's a move that benefits everyone EXCEPT me and ebay as a corporate entity above all. And it's all because I have done an exceptional job taking good pictures that other people want. Well, no way. 

 

On this stand I will not budge. The day ebay as a corporate entity buys rights to my photographs to use is the day they have my permission to use them. There are literally millions of product images available for everything under the sun, provided with permission by the manufacturer of said items, no one needs mine except me, the one, single person who worked to make them happen.

 

Please convey to Ms. Stairs that I enjoyed very much speaking with her in the past, and that this will be a highlight of the memories of my time here. Thank you. 

 

 

Message 24 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread

Yes, Quebec has its own special section about monthly contracts for the Stores. Makes me somewhat envious now since my own store subscription doesn't end until May 31 and there will be penalties when I cancel it early. I guess I will have to subsidize that by selling my horde of ebay shipping supplies; anyone want ebay-branded packing tape at fire-sale prices? 

Message 25 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread


@dutchman48 wrote:

@a.depour wrote:

Hi @oldjapanesebikes@momcqueen@moreintheattic,

 

I understand your frustration with the new policy to remove watermarks. I'm working on getting more details on this and will share with you as soon as I have it. 

 

Thanks for your patience. 


The more information is exactly what Ebay said at the 2017 open, we no longer want or need the little guy on the site.

 

This is just another way for Ebay to start the annihilation of the small loyal sellers that have been here for many years so please call a spade a spade.


Dutchman, as I was reading this thread, and forming a response, your post actually said what I was thinking.

 

It's time for eBay to be upfront and honest and let us know which sellers (actually corporations) they want to remain on their site.  Why don't they just state ..... sellers need to have a minimum of $xxx sales each month, resulting in what eBay believes is sufficient profit for them, plus offer free returns and guaranteed delivery and there must be ABSOLUTELY no contact with the outside world.  Even legitimate contact with our clients through the eBay messaging system is subject to rejection by the bots.  Instead, they blackmail the small seller into continually revising their listings to meet the above-noted requirements by threatening lower search exposure.  Small sellers have been persevering, knowing that the next change (e.g. no watermarks) could be the final straw.  And eBay couldn't care less.  Get a couple of big corporations on board and it will make up for the hundreds of small sellers who will leave.

 

I'm going to stop now because my fingers are about to type nothing but curse words!!!

Message 26 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread


@jt-libra wrote:

@dutchman48 wrote:

@a.depour wrote:

Hi @oldjapanesebikes@momcqueen@moreintheattic,

 

I understand your frustration with the new policy to remove watermarks. I'm working on getting more details on this and will share with you as soon as I have it. 

 

Thanks for your patience. 


The more information is exactly what Ebay said at the 2017 open, we no longer want or need the little guy on the site.

 

This is just another way for Ebay to start the annihilation of the small loyal sellers that have been here for many years so please call a spade a spade.


Dutchman, as I was reading this thread, and forming a response, your post actually said what I was thinking.

 

It's time for eBay to be upfront and honest and let us know which sellers (actually corporations) they want to remain on their site.  Why don't they just state ..... sellers need to have a minimum of $xxx sales each month, resulting in what eBay believes is sufficient profit for them, plus offer free returns and guaranteed delivery and there must be ABSOLUTELY no contact with the outside world.  Even legitimate contact with our clients through the eBay messaging system is subject to rejection by the bots.  Instead, they blackmail the small seller into continually revising their listings to meet the above-noted requirements by threatening lower search exposure.  Small sellers have been persevering, knowing that the next change (e.g. no watermarks) could be the final straw.  And eBay couldn't care less.  Get a couple of big corporations on board and it will make up for the hundreds of small sellers who will leave.

 

I'm going to stop now because my fingers are about to type nothing but curse words!!!


What the senior execs in the Ivory Tower(AKA pig trough) have not figured out, is that many of the sellers they want to get rid of are also their best buyers.

 

I hope I am still alive to see their demise!

Message 27 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread

Most everything I want to say about the watermark issue has already been said.  I will leave my Kudos to most of these statements.  I fought for years to keep my pictures out of other sellers listings.  Then eBay said to watermark them to deter the infringement.  So I did.....at least those that I felt were better quality.  It worked for the most part.   Now I have to go back to the old way of fighting off the dogs..   Good one eBay.

Message 28 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread

water marks are important to keep Ding dongs from other countries from fraudulant selling activities...

 

 

as for selling on my part..  Im  done.. no more..  its not worth the effort or time.. 

 

 

 

Message 29 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread

I whole-heartedly agree. I've taken each change with a quiet anger with all the time I've wasted. I've spent a lot of time taking professional photos of my 800+ products, and I protect those with my watermark so nobody else can use them. It was one of the things that made our brand distinct.

 

I've been with eBay as long as you... and I think this is finally the death knell. I've never threatened that before... but I cannot see how my eBay store can survive this -- with my listing pictures looking the same as everybody else.

 

Sigh.

 

John

Message 30 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread

Everyone should read photo, text policy.

 

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

 

 

Seller's must have the option of stating whether or not someone is allowed to use their photos..

 

My photos are mine... and there are rules as to how the photos can be used.

 

Specifically copyright, rules whether direct, or implied.

 

No one can steal my copyright.....  You want to use my photo...  there is a price assocaited with that use

 

I know of someone that is in the preparation of a book for publication....  This person is .blocked for using photos without the photographer's permission..... and as such  the book sits dead on this person's desk.

 

Each of us prepares photos... and if someone wants to use them they must have our permission to do so.  No one can use those photos without our permission....

 

eBay's policy says this...

 

The most important part of this process is that the photos are mine if I prepared them....  This is based on copyright...

 

and no one can step in and say... this photo is mine to use.....

 

 

 

There are many situations  where a photo can become a valuable commodity....

 

Remember  the photograph of a nude Madonna  taken when she was very young....  and needed money... Photo and associated rights to that photo  sold for $40,000 US.

 

 

There was a time several ... many....years ago  that eBay set up a situation where a seller can give eBay permission to use someone's photos.  At that time  my response was "No"... and it still is "No"

 

eBay's picture policy states this

 

 

Message 31 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread

When eBay started  there were mo photos in a listing..

 

Then gradually things got added to a listing.... and in many instance  these additions  created problems for eBay.....and eBay created policy .to address these "problems"

 

Seller's had to follow policy.  

 

We must all recognize that there are government .. Canadian  or US, and then worldwide....policy ... legal aspects... that control  what can  and more specifically what cannot happen.

 

 

Message 32 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread

 

Each photograph is unique

 

It was many years ago... specifically 1979, that I had just bought a camera....  before the digital age.

 

I went to the top of the Richardson Building at Portage and Main in Winnipeg...\

 

The camera was set up on a tripod, and telephoto lens....  and the camera was facing southeast... towards the junction of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers.

 

At that time  this area was a rail yard....  Canadian National Railway....  to the east of Union station ... and between the Red River and Union Station

 

Many photos were taken  but there was a problem... It was the sun...  It was too bright

 

Then Mother Nature cooperated....  A cloud came and  covered the area .... and I got a perfect photograph  of a shaded Forks area in Winnipeg... dated 1979

 

This is my photograph... my copyright.....  and very unique.

 

Today  this area is a marketplace,  with the Human Rights Museum, and a Baseball Park.

 

No one can go back and do what I did....

 

It is my choice not to show this view  here on eBay... because the internet has changed many things....  Nothing is perfectly safe and things can be copied.  very easily 

 

However, it should be noted that there are ways to block someone from copying this photograph.or any photograph or document on the internet

 

This blocking option used to be on eBay... used by some sellers.

 

Wonder if this can be added to a photograph.  or text on eBay?

 

----------------------------------

 

 

----------------------------------------------------------

 

My way of taking a photograph  is way or creating a unique view of each listing,  and then all of the listings in my store....

 

 

 

 

 

Message 33 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread

My listings have always included a passage of text that prohibits the use of my photos; this text is inconsequential when the site hosting them says otherwise. My new online store opened yesterday, I'm now in the process of creating 1250 listings and promotions for it. I wish I could pretend that won't take months to complete, but I'm prepared to start over from scratch if that's what it takes to preserve the integrity of my work.
Message 34 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread

Go to that link in Message 30.... my first message here.... and read about picture and text policy

 

No one on eBay can copy your photos or your text....  policy.

 

However, someone off eBay  can do as they choose.... This is the way of the intenet

 

Unless your photos and text are protected.

 

----------------------------------------------

 

Sometimes  the very statement ... please do not copy photos or text in a listing.....  will create a challenge to someone... that might do so.

 

It is like saying... do not hit me over the head with a baseball bat....  And some asks... Where is my baseball bat?  Ouch!

Message 35 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread

Google's research on watermarks:

https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/18/google-flawlessly-remove-stock-photo-watermarks/

 

If you have a lot of images and use the exact same watermark on all of them a watermark is easy to detect. If you vary the watermark it becomes more difficult to find.

 

...

 

Since many of ebay's more irritating polices are just mangled imports from the A-River ... how does the A-River enforce their no watermark policy?  Select categories get special attention (and not just for watermarks) for the prime catalog image, but for the most part the A-river relies on reports of bad images to catch all the ones that slip through.

 

...

 

I don't watermark most of my listing, since I don't actually own the image rights (most dvds/books/cds fall into that category, even if I did the scanning) -- but I'm really tempted to start adding something with the changes to the user agreement on November 1. Especially with eBay's broad grab at rights and vague "trust us we won't abuse these powers for evil" approach.

 

-..-

 

Message 36 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread

Deleted post as in error.

Message 37 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread

The profit motive doesn't have any concept of ethics.
Message 38 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread

Specifically when in the Fall of 2019 will this new tool be available? The 1st day of Fall > Sept. 22/17, October 1st/17?? What is the exact date? Fall starts in 2 days.

 

Thanks, Corky

 

Message 39 of 74
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2017 Fall Seller Update - Community discussion thread

eBay says> "At this time, only certain features in the Promotions Manager dashboard will be available in Canada. However, the functionality to create and manage your markdowns will be available".

If this is the case then perhaps i should start listing on Ebay.com & not on eBay.ca. What does anyone think about this?

Thanks, Corky

Message 40 of 74
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