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Can Someone Copy My Auction Exactly?

I need some help please, I am selling items on eBay and someone has copied my adert word for word, even kept the same font colour etc. What can I do?
It is better to be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt!
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Comments

  • eBay will cancel any listing which is an unauthorised copy of someone else's.

    You need to go to the eBay Help link, then:

    Contact us / report a listing policy violation or prohibited (banned) item / copying of your listing / your item description text was copied

    Use this same route if your pictures have been copied (final link will be for pictures, not text)

    You need to report immediately.

    Where pix are concerned, it can actually be fun to wreck a scammer's auction -- and this is the only form of auction-wrecking I approve of! -- by changing the picture in your photo-hosting account (Photobucket, Auctionpix etc etc) to something that will seriously upset the seller who is using it. They tend not to notice too quickly that they're showing a quite different image to that which they intended. . .
  • Agutka
    Agutka Posts: 2,376 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    This happened to me recently - it was very noticable, as my listing had lots of info in it, measurements and such like. Took me ages to put together. The one seller copied and pasted my description - I complained to Ebay - via the links above and they did nothing. Not even replied to me! To top this off, the seller, a newbie, sold his item for more than I did.

    I am considering contacting the seller, but I might just get abuse...

    I hope your quest goes better.
    :wall:
  • thanks for your help, i have sent an email so we shall se what happens. I spent several hours getting a good description together and then this other seller has just copied it, including my title and images!
    It is better to be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt!
  • Agutka: eBay should've responded, regardless of the time factor (understandably, it takes awhile for complaints to be investigated, which means a 'counterfeit' listing might actually end before eBay has had time to kill it).

    I don't know how long it is since you experienced your problem, but if it was only very recently, then I wouldn't hesitate to have a go at LiveHelp.
  • black-saturn
    black-saturn Posts: 13,937 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Surely you have to copywright something to stop people from copying things?

    I think as long as that seller isnt trying to take business from you by undercutting you or by saying 'buy from me not them' I wouldnt worry about it. Ebay should be concentrating on more important issues such as fraud than worrying about who's copying who.
    2008 Comping Challenge
    Won so far - £3010 Needed - £230
    Debt free since Oct 2004
  • masonic
    masonic Posts: 27,858 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Surely you have to copywright something to stop people from copying things?
    It's difficult to assert ownership of the text in an auction, but if someone also links to your images then it should be easy to get the offending listings pulled.
  • Agutka
    Agutka Posts: 2,376 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    I complained when the auction had 1 day 16 hours left to go. It ended yesterday morning, so I suppose Ebay will just not respond to my email. I was hoping they would at least give the seller a smack on the hand...

    As to text ownership - my description was so convoluted and complicated it would not be questioned that the other seller had not come up with it himself. Looking at it now I feel like re-writing it.
    :wall:
  • This happened to me recently I reported it to ebay and it took them 2 weeks to reply.
  • #6 It's my time and my talent that goes into writing and designing a listing. Somebody wants to duplicate that listing, then that's OK if they pay me to rent the resources that went into it. Otherwise they're ripping me off. Just like any other cheap eBay scammer.
  • jaffa30
    jaffa30 Posts: 19,263 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Photogenic
    Hi
    i have to dissagree with you masonic

    Ebays own words on the subject

    If you copy someone else's listing, or copy text or photographs from any other place (depending upon how much is copied), you may be infringing someone's copyright.

    They may be able to request the ending of your auction through our Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) Programme. Here are some examples of potentially infringing auctions:

    You copy someone else's listing text and (without permission) paste it into your own listing to sell the same item (making slight modifications to the text may not relieve you of liability if it is substantially similar to the original text.)

    Jaffa
    R.I.P Sam, still in my heart
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