Navigating eBay’s VeRO Program and Identifying Authentic Products
Summary: masoo-44 seeks advice on ensuring eBay listings comply with intellectual property rights, particularly concerning eBay’s Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) program, and avoiding counterfeit items. flipistics shares their experience with a VeRO issue related to printer toner that led to a simple resolution without penalties. They advise focusing on genuine products and being cautious with recalls and commercial activities. Researching familiarity with products and platform regulations is emphasized for successful selling.
Hello everyone,
As budding sellers on eBay, it’s crucial to ensure that the products we list comply with the platform's policies, especially regarding intellectual property rights. I’m interested in hearing your experiences and strategies for this. How do you identify whether a product is branded or potentially falls under eBay’s Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) program? What steps do you take to avoid listing counterfeit items, and how do you determine if products sold by other sellers are authorized for resale? Additionally, do you have any tips for new sellers to research and verify products effectively? Your insights and any resources you recommend would greatly help those of us who are striving to build a legitimate and successful eBay business.
Looking forward to your thoughts!
flipistics
·5 days ago · EditedI've had one VeRO that I can recall over the last few years. It was on printer toner that was apparently part of a subscription service with the company rather than owned outright (and therefore it should never have been sold). The company simply took it down and contacted me, asking me to return it to them (which I did) and they provided a label for it. There was no account penalty or other issues, although I know some brands will cause sellers to be suspended for a few days.
As for determining if other sellers are "authorized" to sell items, why do you care? Let them worry about that.
It's your responsibility to determine if something is genuine or counterfeit. That's not just an eBay rule. It's also illegal to sell things that were recalled (and not fixed). The chances of you running into those type of things outside of a few categories is pretty slim. The last recall I ran into (which I fortunately discovered before listing) was for a Zuru mini brand item new in package. I was able to send it in to the company for refund on the original retail price.
I'd suggest starting off with things you know a lot about. Do some research and look at what items are both listed for and what they have sold for on eBay and potentially other platforms. Don't overpay. Remember that there's fees, shipping supplies, etc as well as the value of your time.
If you're buying items for the purpose of reselling them for a profit, it's often considered commercial activity. That could affect both your car insurance and house insurance.
reallynicestamps
·4 days agoTagging on to remind @masoo-44 that all the profit from selling online must be reported to Revenue Canada. If you do well, eBay will help you by providing a form with the total payments you have received. You will need to keep records to know your deductions from that total, including postage, fees, purchase cost, packaging materials, etc.
And you are already registered for Managed Payments, right? Unless you are eBay can't send your money to your bank.