another photo looks familiar

[robinmce]

Came accross this photo on ebay and I'm sure I've seen it before. Notice they even watermarked the photo with their name.

http://item.express.ebay.com/16-11-...0QQitemZ250168614683QQihZ015QQcmdZExpressItem

 

[knotty panda]

I give. Who got hijacked?

 

[robinmce]

Look an awful lot like PP's picture
http://www.pearlparadise.com/detail.aspx?ID=1049

I've been looking at that one alot lately......

 

[pattye]

Yep, it is the same. Look at the reflection and the clasp.

pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[Hanaleimom]

v

v

And this ebay seller even has 99.7% positive feedback. Have you ever noticed that some ebay sellers have duplicate feedback from the same buyers? They are even within seconds or minutes from each other as far as feedback time. This increases their positive feedback percentage.

 

[knotty panda]

Did you report them, robin? These folks are located in Southern California. Maybe Jeremy can do more than just stop these folks in their tracks. Maybe this time he can actually take names and kick ...

 

[pattye]

Regarding feedback, if a person buys multiple items, they can give feedback for each item. But altogether it only counts as total of 1 percent that week.(for each person purchasing and leaving feedback For example, if you bought 10 items and left 10 negatives, it would only make the score go down 1 percent that week. (and that could be affected by others who leave either positive or negative scores.) Some people use the same feedback remark for every purchase they are happy with, instead of writing something specific. There is feedback only allowed once for each item purchased.

Jeremy knows just how to handle this type of fraud................

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[robinmce]

I was hoping Jeremy could take some action, I know he's dealt with this sort of thing before. Can you believe they put their own watermark on the Photo and warned of fraudulent ebay sites!
How do I report this? To jeremy? to ebay?

 

[pattye]

I would pm Jeremy and let him handle this. IMO it will have more clout coming from him since it is his photo.

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[Sueki]

Hello Robin,
You can report it to ebay - scroll all the way to the bottom of the item page and, underneath the Vendio logo there's a "report this item" link.
Then choose the first option in step 1, and the second option in step 2.
I've reported it, too, but the more reports ebay receive the more likely they are to take action.

 

[knotty panda]

I would pm Jeremy and let him handle this. IMO it will have more clout coming from him since it is his photo.

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

I disagree. I think the consumer has more clout in this situation. If a consumer notices the fraud, it would have to be pretty blatant and I think e-bay will more readily respond. Jeremy has more "take action against e-bay" clout than the consumer. Truly, everyone should complain!

 

[robinmce]

All reported now.to ebay and Jeremy

 

[jshepherd]

I disagree. I think the consumer has more clout in this situation. If a consumer notices the fraud, it would have to be pretty blatant and I think e-bay will more readily respond. Jeremy has more "take action against e-bay" clout than the consumer. Truly, everyone should complain!

There is actually a little program at eBay called VERO. This gives trademark owners the ability to pull any auction from eBay that we feel infringes upon our trademark or copyright. I have used this many times and every auction has been pulled without fail. A couple of times the seller has had their account suspended as well. I imagine this is what happens to repeat offenders.

I am traveling right now so I don't have access to our company's VERO form but I did send a little note to TADragon asking them to remove the photos (I have found three of our photos in their auctions) by tomorrow. Tomorrow I will file a VERO complaint if the auctions are still in place.

It always surprises me when sellers steal photos and then add a watermark to them to keep other people from resteaing them!

 

[knotty panda]

Wow! Kinda like hitting Staples "Easy Button!"

 

[jshepherd]

The seller did not respond to my email about the photos so a VERO complaint was sent at 11:30 a.m. It is now 2.5 hours later and all three auctions related to the complaint are gone.

One has to give eBay some credit for that. They do not waste much time nailing picture and trademark thieves. I am sure recent lawsuits against the auction giant have something to do with that.

 

[knotty panda]

Having the fraudulent auctions pulled is hardly just compensation nor is it a deterent. E-bay needs to step up to the plate and take extraordinary measures to hit these folks where it hurts the most. Banishment for a time may not be the sole or best answer, but it's certainly a beginning.

 

[Bodecia]

Hi Knotty Panda and All,

Coming from Jeremy would be the best. I recently informed a seller that her photos had been ripped off and she reported it to eBay. What is so very irritating is that eBay just stopped that one listing when the seller must make a habit of it and should have been totally banned. I realise Chinese sellers in particular just start up under a different name but still it would have put the point across far better.

The seller was very upset but very pleased that I had let her know. The seller generally has more clout in my opinion.

Bodecia

 

[robinmce]

I agree Bodecia,
Sellers who steal should be banned or at the very least it should be listed at the top of the feedback that they have had listings pulled related to theft. That should make the customer stop and think before they buy. Who wants to buy from a thief? Probably lying about a lot of things!

Robin

 

[Caitlin]

should be listed at the top of the feedback that they have had listings pulled related to theft.

Hi Robin
I like that idea- it seems like it would be a deterrent, but even better, the sellers should be banned for stealing other's pictures and/or text.

I have also noticed that lately when you try a search on eBay, they have 3 malicious cookies that take over your tabs and put eBay in front of each page name. (ie eBay logo-LA Times- or eBay logo -shoebuy.com, etc.) I had to restore my computer to an earlier date than the infection to get my old settings back. Now I have it set to ask me when that kind of cookie tries to be implanted. That kind of tracking cookie is nasty, in my opinion.