Re-selling on E-bay - utter cheek!!

RadoJo

I have just discovered that there is a seller on Ebay who is selling products bought from the company for which I work, with a far higher 'Buy it Now' price than we would sell for.

Not only this, but this seller is just placing large orders on our web-site and getting us to despatch the items direct to 'their' customers. They are even charging P and P, which we don't!

Now how do I go about dealing with this - it has fallen within my remit, but I am not sure technically what the crime is, even though I know there is one as this person if profiting by doing NOTHING! Apart from anything, the items are conspicuously branded, and the only reason we even found out about it was because a customer contacted us to say she had bought something from this ebay-er and was surprised to discover it cheaper on our web-site despite clearly being our product.

Added to all that the fact that we guarantee to be the cheapest on-line - now I know we can't possibly be held responsible if people purchase these things without checking, but it will certainly damage our image and reputation even though it is not our fault. Plus it really riles me that someone is profiting from our hard work in this way!

Thanks in anticipation for your help...:j

Tirian

If you own the brand rights, then you can apply through eBay's VERO procedure to have the items removed.

Otherwise there's nothing much you can do, because there's absolutely nothing wrong with selling for a profit - after all, that is what your business does to make their money!

I would say to list the items on eBay yourself and undercut him - that should knock it off in one go.

whitty999

I think that is ok,He is trying to earn a bit of money,Why shouldn't he,your selling to him he is selling on,I think you should be happy with him buying from you.
Also there is no crime,If you are the cheapest online then thats the buyers fault for not shopping around.
If you lose his custom is it worth the trouble.
What is it anyway i might see if i can make a profit as i need Ebay stock!!!

Hintza

Is that not what buying and selling is all about, find the gap, buy cheap ...sell expensive anf make a turn?

Your company is obviously missing an opportunity (as has been suggested) why the devil are you not selling on EBay if this guy is making so much money.

Someone in your comapny needs their backside kicked for not exploring all market opportunities!!

frivolous_fay

This is all about demand, supply, and profit. It's not wrong to try to make a profit, but if you feel the brand is being undermined, you can apply to be VERO of that product so that you can stop others selling the items you supply.

Ask your boss how he feels about it. At least this reseller is bringing in a steady income to your company!

highguyuk

Your making a profit, and so is he? Whats the problem?! lol.

Tirian

In fact, if this guy is sourcing all of these particular items he sells from you then surely it is just added revenue for your company - no bad thing, surely? Again, if you really have a problem with it then I would suggest that you set up your own eBay account and undercut his prices. Then you can also pop a leaflet into all the despatches with your direct prices on it, and hopefully raise traffic and sales directly from your site

Froggitt

Good luck to him....you should be pleased he is increasing your revenue.

stacey21_2

Do you send out invoices with your orders? Surely if the customers are paying more from the ebay seller and you send an invoice they will realise they have been conned?
Perhaps start sending out 'invoices' with the ebay purchases, with a slogan something like it pays to go direct or similar... with something else saying 'we sell exclusively at https://www.. etc etc etc' and let the customer know the ebay seller is no association to yourselves.

Or, you could drop a subtle hint to the mass buyer that you know what he is doing and advise that you will only post to one specific address. He may well stop his 'business' venture if he realises he will have to take all the deliviries and re- address them himself.

Of course, I think this depends exactly what it is you are selling?

RadoJo

I appreciate that selling for profit is the name of the game, but the reason we are able to sell for low prices is through years of careful negotiation, economies of scale, loyalty to our suppliers and losing money at times in order to ensure that we are offering good deals.

We do own the brand rights, which is where I figure we are within our rights to ask to have the listings pulled - thanks Tirian for your help.

Whitty999 - why should he earn money for doing nothing? That is the same logic as those who buy gig tickets and then sell them at several times the face value - I know this board is about money-saving, but it should not be about making a quick buck no matter who loses out. As I said, I know it is the buyer's look-out if they chose to buy from there, but it will still look like our company has ripped people off. We have several authorised re-sellers of our goods and this does NOT fit those criteria - apart from anything, they are also selling certain items in their shop which are of an adult nature which makes the whole thing even more galling considering how much time I spend checking to make sure our brand name is not sullied by inappropriate affiliates etc.

Apart from anything, the products are actually vouchers redeemable for certain services so technically have a face value, which is not only not being displayed but is being exceeded with the 'Buy it Now' price without any indication given.

Also, the copy used on the listing is copied and pasted directly from our web-site - surely this would also be protected by copyright? (I wrote some of it, and I certainly never gave permission for it to be used on some shonky e-bay listing!!)

frivolous_fay

RadoJo wrote:

Also, the copy used on the listing is copied and pasted directly from our web-site - surely this would also be protected by copyright? (I wrote some of it, and I certainly never gave permission for it to be used on some shonky e-bay listing!!)

You can report his listings for that, and yoou'll have a good case for the removal of the listings. Definitely get someone set up as the VERO.