How low can you get?

[westernstargifts]

My competitor has sunk to new lows. I am desperately trying to make a living by selling on eBay. He comes along, copies everything thing I do, buys huge quantities of stock which I can't afford to do and then undercuts all of my prices.

Now he has changed his 3rd user id to westernstargift (which he has used in the past) and has listed many of the western themed products that I list. Even his avatar picture is almost identical to one which I recently used. He copies my titles, my styles, my descriptions as closely as possible. He recently sent me another email telling me to watch for "new and exciting" marketing stategies. The only marketing strategy he knows is cut and slash and try to ruin someone else's business & life.

Apparently he can do nothing on his own. It all has to be copied from someone else. I can't do anything at all without him copying me.

You are probably thinking...here we go again. Well, I am very very angry and am entitled to my rant just like everyone else.

Yes, I formerly changed my 2nd id to copperjewelrygift. But he took his name from my descriptions and THAT IS WHAT I SELL. I have recently closed that store and was planning to change the name and sell other products there. I will have to rethink that one. I do have up to 30 days to re-open the store.

I am sick and tired of the harassment and his emails and having to constantly watch my back. Many times in the past couple of years I have attempted to ignore him and do my own thing but that is impossible. Well, I won't sit back and let him ruin my business. This is my livelihood. He has a full time job (and is not a retired teacher as he said when he first posted on the board) and he has a store. I have eBay. Shame on him for trying to keep someone else from making a decent living.

[surplusdealdude]

You have some nice stuff.

But I think you may be making a mistake making this out to be case of persecution. It's a competitive move by a competitor and you should be responding as such.

Let's look at the individual complaints;

copies everything thing I do, buys huge quantities of stock which I can't afford to do and then undercuts all of my prices

That's legitimate competitor behaviour by a copycat.

he has changed his 3rd user id to westernstargift (which he has used in the past) and has listed many of the western themed products that I list. Even his avatar picture is almost identical to one which I recently used

Also, not a technical breach of ebay rules.

He copies my titles, my styles, my descriptions as closely as possible

As long as they're not an exact copy, there's nothing you can do and you know that.

He recently sent me another email telling me to watch for "new and exciting" marketing stategies

You don't have to read his emails.


Apparently he can do nothing on his own

That is his mortal weakness and the point on which you should be competing.

Some suggestions;

1. ebay isn't the only game in town - branch out. It'll take him time to find out where you've gone and he may be unable to follow you there.

2. You can innovate - he cannot. You have a huge advantage - I've never worried about copycats because, by the time they figure out what I've done and how to copy it, I'm starting something new. They are ALWAYS 2 steps behind me - in the jewelry business, where the latest thing is what sells, that can be deadly. Compete on YOUR terms, not his.

3. Stop looking over your shoulder. He's always going to be there, but that always means that he's going to be behind you. Use that. Concentrate on your business, not what he's doing.

There will always be copycats - there can only ever be one original.

[westernstargifts]

Thanks surplus. Your advice is greatly appreciated. It also reinforces what another good eBay friend told me last year. Cottonwoodindustries said some similar things on another thread this evening. Thanks to all of you.

I will concentrate on my strong points. Even my husband constantly tells me to just "do what you do best". It's kind of funny though, because my competitor keeps saying that I copy him and that he is "taking the lead".

There will always be copycats - there can only ever be one original.

I like that! I think I will type that out and post it on the wall in front of me.:-)

[coxengines]

I'm a 100% with Surplus.

Stop worrying about your competitors and do what you do best. Put your energy to use creating a glow for your store.

You might not like what your competitor is doing but that's the way some businesses operate. If your pics/listings are copied verbatim, you have recourse. If not, get over it.

The same thing happened to us about a year ago. Every time we had a new product or idea it was copied and listed within a day. We took it as a compliment and not an affront.

It would be to the point where we would have a new idea/product/format or whatever and we would list it on eBay and send the guy a link with a note "wonder how many hours it will take you to copy this".

We never ragged on him, never spoke/wrote bad about him and, pretty soon, he began buying product from us that he could not get.

We email each other often and chat on the phone occasionally. Yesterday, we sold him 2 pallets of merchandise that we did not want as it strayed from our core product.

What I am trying to say is that, instead of banging your head, be creative and productive. I have no clue who your competitor is but if he/she is that intent on pursuing you, there must be a story to this that goes back further.

Once that you have set your differences aside, things should look up for both of you. Don't forget that it is likely just as frustrating for your competitor to spend his/her time mimicking and trying to hurt you instead of working on being productive.

Cheers
Bernie

[cottonwoodindustries]

amen!!

[westernstargifts]

Thanks for your input as well Bernie. As for the identity of the competitor, he posts on this board under 2 id's and there certainly is history, much of it very recent. One thing is for sure, though...we will never be friends.

I have mentioned before that I have never had any trouble getting along with other vendors on eBay or in the craft shows & events that we have been doing for the past 20 years. Many times there are jewellery vendors set up beside or near us and we have even run into a few others who sell the same products. We are on friendly terms with them and some of the jewellery vendors have become good friends.

It is difficult to ignore a competitor who has slashed his prices by as much as 50% and sometimes more. I'm not talking about a dollar or 2 difference. It is a considerable amount. I believe that he thought he would have put me out of business by now but that hasn't happened.

At least I can hold my head up knowing that my store and listings were created by me and not copied from someone else. I also give accurate descriptions. Many of my competitor's are wrong, partly because the company that now distributes the products has them wrong on their website. If I don't know I ask the artist himself. I know him personally.

So I will ignore the approximately 400 auctions that he just listed and will go about my own business doing what I do best. At least I will make money on what I do sell.

Thanks again to all for your good advice.

[dipmicro]

There is several types of buyer, bottom side is type that wants everything cheap cheap, world for a dollar, returns for any trivial reason and if your shipping is $0.05 higher than stamp face value, dings your stars, probably even negs you. Second type of the buyer will say: "These must be something wrong with this item for the price". Stop worrying, do not engage in price war, just observe how your sales are still coming and you have fewer problematic buyers.

You may come up with items that will be unique to you, manufacture them or have them custom-made to your design.

Also if this competitor has full-time job and thus 8+ less hours a day for the gig, he cannot possibly copy EVERYTHING you do 😉

[surplusdealdude]

I forget which board it was posted on, but someone this week was saying that he deliberately made sure that there was one seller below his price so that seller would draw off all the bottom feeders.

I think it was cottonwood that said it.

I thought that was a brilliant move. I've always maintained that the best business solution is to send all of your problem-children to your competitors.

[dipmicro]

It may have been me, I said that multiple times on this board.

I am in extremely competitive niche and although we maintain fair prices, we prefer not to be cheap seller. I still remember headaches when we tried competing with Chinese on $1 items. There was infinite amount of questions and demands. Today, most of the time $500 of sales go by with 4-5 questions.

[westernstargifts]

I thought that was a brilliant move. I've always maintained that the best business solution is to send all of your problem-children to your competitors.

Maybe that's why he gets more neg's and neutrals than me. What a thought!]:)

I also prefer not to be the cheap seller because I have found the same thing. The buyers who give you the most problems are the ones that buy only when you offer something cheap. I remember saying on this board a long time ago that I prefer the customers who recognize the value in the products and are willing to pay the price for quality.

There have been so many times that I have run auctions, some at lower prices than my usual, and they go unsold. I no sooner list them back into fixed price and they sell...at full price. There are also many customers who ignore the auctions and go directly to my FP listings to buy.

Sometimes you just have to be reminded of these things. Thanks guys!?:|

[coxengines]

As for the identity of the competitor, he posts on this board

I know who you are referring to as you have been lamenting about him for a bit now. What I meant to say is that I have no clue about him or what type of of person he is.

we will never be friends.

Which, of course, is provocative and does little to help move forward.

It is difficult to ignore a competitor who has slashed his prices by as much as 50% and sometimes more

You know, that's business. And, you don't have to ignore. This can spurn you to be creative in other ways. Price is not everything, trust me. In my Internet Marketing seminars I stress over and over that (low) price is generally way overrated.

Many of my competitor's are wrong

Again, you are focusing way too much on your competitors.

and will go about my own business doing what I do best

Now, that's a good start

Sometimes you just have to be reminded of these things.

I sense that you are waking up. 🙂

Glad we were all able to help a bit - that's what the boards are for.

Bernie

[craftycatsattic]

Can't agree more about not being the low-ball seller. I don't worry about them. I put up better looking and more informative listings with more accurate item conditions. I package better than them and give better customer service. I also have a much better and broadened selection because I'm not afraid to source and ask more for hard to come by items. My buyers appreciate the little extras I do, even if it costs a bit more. There's something to be said about a wonderful shopping experience and peace of mind.

The other sellers can have the bidders that are looking for the item at the cheapest price. I don't have anything against those bidders except they are the pickiest in the bunch. How many of us here have received our negs over items under $5?

Stop worrying about him (yes we all know who he is and have heard the story many times over). Do your own thing. It's such a waste of your time and energy. Use it instead to plan your next move or work on listing new stuff.

I'm sorry if I'm sounding a bit abrupt...just tired from my day. I hope this helps!