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AIBU?

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Original poster

Ebayer using my pictures

62 replies

justkeepongoing · 03/01/2016 07:45

To be brief, sold some shoes on eBay at the end of last year. Got a good fair price and great feedback for them. This morning I've seen them re listed, nothing wrong in that, but using my original pictures. The seller obviously has two accounts for buying and selling. The 'back story' to the shoes has been embroidered too! This may sound petty of me but I feel annoyed that they've used my pictures, taken with shoes on my chair in my home. What are pps opinions of this?

OP posts:
clarrylove · 03/01/2016 09:05

If it really bothers you, message the seller and ask them to change the pic. I was guilty of this once, used a pic I thought was a stock photo but wasn't. I had my account temporarily suspended by Ebay which was very harsh as I was desperate for money. I would have changed the listing had I known but wasn't given the choice.

Pipistrella · 03/01/2016 09:08

It's plagiarism.

Would you let your child copy someone else's essay off the internet? Not even for an exam, just for homework. I'd guess you'd class that as cheating.

Why does that matter and this doesn't?

Greengardenpixie · 03/01/2016 09:08

There are rules.
Not just on ebay. Its called copyright. You took the picture, they have used it. They are infringing your copyright. I have used someone else's picture but it wasn't obvious. What can you do about it? Ebay will pull the listing.

Pipistrella · 03/01/2016 09:10

And what about posts on here

you want to ask the same question as someone else - do you use their post C&P?

Or is that really just cheeky, lazy and disrespectful?

Take your own blinking pictures!

Greengardenpixie · 03/01/2016 09:11

*It's really a non issue imo.

Once you put a photo in the Internet it's there forever, you loose control over it.*

Completely wrong. There are copyright infringements. The photo belongs to the person that created it/took it. That is why there are issues with clipart and pinterest. Not that long ago, i had an email to say a picture had been pulled from pinterest due to copyright issues. Proving it is copyright is another issue though. Ebay will pull the listing if you report it.

YesterdayOnceMore · 03/01/2016 09:11

Not really bothered if it's the same pair of shoes, I would doubt much has happened to them since your photo was taken.

However, using other people's photos of their item to sell your item is really bad. The whole point of the photo on EBay is to see what you are buying and what condition it is in. Unless you make it clear in the item description that the photo is not of your item, then it's fraud.

penguinplease · 03/01/2016 09:11

I agree, this is bad form and totally against eBay rules.
Report it, they will pull it.

MooseTrap · 03/01/2016 09:13

I'd report it.

greengreenten · 03/01/2016 09:14

So what about the sellers who use manufacturers/retailers pics to market their used stuff? It's not good practice but everyone's doing it.

Like the others say - it clearly bothers you so report it. We're all split on here into report it/move on camps. No big deal.

Greengardenpixie · 03/01/2016 09:14

And i quote:

Copyright is a form of legal protection that is automatically assigned to content creators at the moment of creation. In other words, the moment you take a photograph, you own the copyright to it. You don’t have to register it with a special organisation, you don’t have to fill in a form or add a legal notice to the image. The rights to use, amend or sell that image are yours and yours alone.

Pipistrella · 03/01/2016 09:15

Some cheeky bugger used my description last year for an item that was similar, but not the same as mine.

I only looked at theirs because it was in the same category and there's not many of them around.

Theirs was a cheap copy which was nowhere near the same quality. I messaged them and they said they didn't know what to write so just copied mine. I was really cross.

They did change it in the end.

It's just so shit! FFS you don't have to write a lot. I took ages writing mine to make it sound good and get a good price for something that was worth it. I don't have that time, really, it's hard work.

So some other fucker comes along and filches it for their own listing because they can't be arsed to do it themselves. If they want to do that they need to pay me for my time.

OvO · 03/01/2016 09:15

People want a photo of what they are getting, not what someone else got a year ago.

It's against eBay rules so do report and they'll take down the listing.

I'm surprised so many think it's okay. You should take a photo of the item yourself showing the condition it's in now.

Badbadtromance · 03/01/2016 10:00

Report it. I understand why op is upset. I'd be annoyed too

Nanny0gg · 03/01/2016 10:26

I'm surprised so many think it's okay. You should take a photo of the item yourself showing the condition it's in now.

^^This

19lottie82 · 03/01/2016 10:37

Hi OP - Im an eBay business seller, and for sure, report it. A lot of people on here don't really understand what the big deal is, but as discussed it is copyright. You spent time and effort photographing your item, so why should someone else just be able to blag and use your photos, which aren't even for the item their selling.

FairyFluffbum · 03/01/2016 10:40

I would be annoyed especially if you sold the shoes in good condition and the photos showed that.

What if she sold them on slightly damaged and used the photos you took as proof that they were fine when sold?

Leelu6 · 03/01/2016 10:43

If a buyer buys my item and then uses my pics to resell it, I would't mind.

If someone is using my pics to sell their own items (not brought from me) then that would annoy me.

So, YABU from me, sorry.

AntiHop · 03/01/2016 10:49

Yanbu. She's being dishonest.

WeAreEternal · 03/01/2016 10:59

The listing will be removed if you report the use of your photos.
I have done this before (they even C&Ped my description which Ebay apparently frown upon.)

Potatoface2 · 03/01/2016 11:08

surely if its a pic of them in OPs house, its not a recent pic....they may look used now....i would message the person and say not to use the pic of inside my home and to use one taken by herself

cranberryx · 03/01/2016 11:12

To all people that think this is okay, big companies like John Lewis, mothercare, new look have 'profit protection' teams that search eBay and their entire job is just to get listings using their photos and descriptions pulled - they pay people to take their photographs and write the description, why should some customer lift them when they sell on an item? Paying for an item doesnt give you the right to breach copyright - why should it be any different for the OP?

It's dishonest and there is a reason eBay doesn't allow it, it doesn't show the true likeness of the item.

Leelu6 · 03/01/2016 11:13

Maybe the shoes didn't fit? When did you sell them and when were they relisted?

RhiWrites · 03/01/2016 11:14

If you choose "sell one like this" I think eBay gives you the option of using those photos. I've done this with a book cover. Didn't seem much point taking my own pic.

Leelu6 · 03/01/2016 11:20

There is a difference between an eBay business seller using other people's images to sell loads of items and an average Joe/Jane selling a few items they no longer need.

I'm not questioning the legality of it, it's clearly wrong.

I just would not get annoyed by someone using my pics to re-sell a pair of shoes that did't fit, or just were't what they were expecting. I've been disappointed by too many eBay purchases, through no fault of the seller. Although, I'm too lazy to resell.

I would have asked the OP's permission to use the pics.