Again, in the last two days I had ebay remove 38 listings with my best seller on them.

Power Sellers from China and Japan (over 30,000 feedback)  seem to have no remorse to sell that stuff on an unknown platform known as ebay.

Don't forget to check regularly that your best sellers don't get sold at ebay by someone else.

Tineye helped me again to find the auctions.

how were they delivering?  cd? digital download or link?  if the latter you can report them to ebay for that reason alone

can you give the user name of sellers we might want to check?

steve

Like this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/DVD-1200-STOCK-PHOTOS-FRESH-FRUITS-VEGETABLE-images-/260632799347?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3caeece873
Or this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/DVD-1150-BABIES-FAMILY-CHILDREN-COUPLES-STOCK-PHOTOS-/260632732777?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3caeebe469
Or this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/STOCK-PHOTOS-NATURE-1-180-IMAGES-3-CDS-/200493681910?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eae5accf6
Or this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/DVD-1000-FOOD-DISH-BEVERAGE-drinks-STOCK-PHOTOS-Image-/260632799375?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3caeece88f

All these are from the same seller, with 100% positive feedback.

Actually, he made 71 DVD's with stock photos. Mostly all cost $5.

http://shop.ebay.com/digienlight/m.html?_trkparms=65%253A12%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A1%257C72%253A3627&_ipg=&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14.l1513&_pgn=1

So, he is buying images and reselling them for $5. Every DVD has 1000-1500 images, which means in the best case one image on DVD costs 0,5 cents. Yes, it's $0,005.
Now I ask myself, does someone shares his DVD's on pirated stock sites?? There are thieves who steal from us. I bet there are thieves that steal from thieves and share for free...

Why do you assume he bought them? The hot sellers, especially from IS and SS, are all over the torrent sites, the Heroturkos, and others.

Quote from: stormchaser on July 15, 2010, 20:38
Why do you assume he bought them? The hot sellers, especially from IS and SS, are all over the torrent sites, the Heroturkos, and others.

Yeah, maybe you are right.

Quote from: click_click on July 15, 2010, 18:40
Again, in the last two days I had ebay remove 38 listings with my best seller on them.

Power Sellers from China and Japan (over 30,000 feedback)  seem to have no remorse to sell that stuff on an unknown platform known as ebay.

Don't forget to check regularly that your best sellers don't get sold at ebay by someone else.

Tineye helped me again to find the auctions.

Did ebay remove the accounts as well or just their auctions?

Quote from: leaf on July 15, 2010, 20:46

Quote from: click_click on July 15, 2010, 18:40
Again, in the last two days I had ebay remove 38 listings with my best seller on them.

Power Sellers from China and Japan (over 30,000 feedback)  seem to have no remorse to sell that stuff on an unknown platform known as ebay.

Don't forget to check regularly that your best sellers don't get sold at ebay by someone else.

Tineye helped me again to find the auctions.

Did ebay remove the accounts as well or just their auctions?

ebay is not removing the accounts - they only remove the listings.

Since the sellers in my case are in China and Japan I cannot pursue any legal action.

Here is one of them:
http://myworld.ebay.com/24outlet/

Okay, strange idea.  Might be worth buying one and then leaving terrible feedback.  If enough people trash him it could destroy his feedback profile.

http://cgi.ebay.com/DVD-900-STOCK-PHOTOS-FLORAL-FLOWERS-CLOSEUPS-images-v2-/180531544854?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a0884c316

Copyright Owner: Hamed Elgendy
Source 123RF


I'm trying to contact the copyright owner. It's very easy with Tineye to get the copyright holder of the main image of each listing.
I'm just not going through all the listings...

Quote from: lisafx on July 15, 2010, 22:03
Okay, strange idea.  Might be worth buying one and then leaving terrible feedback.  If enough people trash him it could destroy his feedback profile.

I'm torn - on the one side I'd do that but then I have to ask myself what I just spent money on...?

This guy is from Malaysia, also no way to take legal action - so you end up spending money for what? There are plenty of them who will do the same once he is gone.

Sad.

Quote from: click_click on July 15, 2010, 22:12
http://cgi.ebay.com/DVD-900-STOCK-PHOTOS-FLORAL-FLOWERS-CLOSEUPS-images-v2-/180531544854?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a0884c316

Copyright Owner: Hamed Elgendy
Source 123RF


I'm trying to contact the copyright owner. It's very easy with Tineye to get the copyright holder of the main image of each listing.
I'm just not going through all the listings...

Here is his port on 123RF

http://www.123rf.com/profile_max2002eg

If you're a member there you could try and send a site mail. He doesn't look very active though.

I did find a hit on Dreamstime for him, but it looks like the account is unavailable.

Quote from: stormchaser on July 15, 2010, 23:01
...Here is his port on 123RF

http://www.123rf.com/profile_max2002eg

If you're a member there you could try and send a site mail. He doesn't look very active though.

I did find a hit on Dreamstime for him, but it looks like the account is unavailable.

I did send him a site mail on 123RF. I also saw the inactive account at DT - whatever that means...

In his Bigstock Photo profile he listed a web site but it's also inactive.

Low chances that he is going to take action... 

Quote from: Dreamframer on July 15, 2010, 20:30
So, he is buying images and reselling them for $5.

You can not say that unless you find those images online by someone else.  I checked the first two at Tineye, the first had 0 results, the second 4 - all were websites, not stock agencies. So he can be the legal copyright owner.

Quote from: madelaide on July 15, 2010, 23:30

Quote from: Dreamframer on July 15, 2010, 20:30
So, he is buying images and reselling them for $5.

You can not say that unless you find those images online by someone else.  I checked the first two at Tineye, the first had 0 results, the second 4 - all were websites, not stock agencies. So he can be the legal copyright owner.

But I've checked more, and there are some from Getty, and 123RF as well

It's unlikely the source is Getty, so it's probably 123RF then. Oh, the subs...

Quote from: madelaide on July 15, 2010, 23:30

Quote from: Dreamframer on July 15, 2010, 20:30
So, he is buying images and reselling them for $5.

You can not say that unless you find those images online by someone else.  I checked the first two at Tineye, the first had 0 results, the second 4 - all were websites, not stock agencies. So he can be the legal copyright owner.

Madelaide is right. I know  some people already say they want to stop using microstock part and want to do their own selling on ebay, direct,etc. So maybe this is a copyright owner who is doing same.

Quote from: lefty on July 16, 2010, 00:02
... So maybe this is a copyright owner who is doing same.

Who is registered from Egypt at 123RF but selling from Malaysia on ebay? That's a far stretch.

I'm getting tired of giving these people the benefit of the doubt. Not once have I falsely accused somebody for ripping me off.

Also I don't think there is a big market on ebay to legally sell POD images. There are far more specific places to do so.

Quote from: click_click on July 16, 2010, 00:44

Quote from: lefty on July 16, 2010, 00:02
... So maybe this is a copyright owner who is doing same.

Who is registered from Egypt at 123RF but selling from Malaysia on ebay? That's a far stretch.

I'm getting tired of giving these people the benefit of the doubt. Not once have I falsely accused somebody for ripping me off.

Also I don't think there is a big market on ebay to legally sell POD images. There are far more specific places to do so.

Hey click_click,

I had a similar problem before, and I guess I'm still having it, but I stopped looking for my own images. This way, at least I don't get discouraged. I spend my energy on other things.

Sadly, these criminals who make money off of our work, they can almost do it legally.

I suggest you just let it go.

Quote from: Kone on July 16, 2010, 02:06

Quote from: click_click on July 16, 2010, 00:44

Quote from: lefty on July 16, 2010, 00:02
... So maybe this is a copyright owner who is doing same.

Who is registered from Egypt at 123RF but selling from Malaysia on ebay? That's a far stretch.

I'm getting tired of giving these people the benefit of the doubt. Not once have I falsely accused somebody for ripping me off.

Also I don't think there is a big market on ebay to legally sell POD images. There are far more specific places to do so.

Hey click_click,

I had a similar problem before, and I guess I'm still having it, but I stopped looking for my own images. This way, at least I don't get discouraged. I spend my energy on other things.

Sadly, these criminals who make money off of our work, they can almost do it legally.

I suggest you just let it go.

I know what you mean. I'm not affected anymore the way I used to in the beginning.

Every now and then I check Google Images, ebay, Zazzle and make sure my best seller is off the radar.
I always find something. So far I'm doing pretty good.

Sometime I get paid, sometimes the images are taken down and a few times they just try to get away with it - but there are always ways to cut them off since no web host will allow copyright infringement. At least I haven't dealt with web hosting companies in countries that don't really have any copyright laws.

All I'm trying to do is getting rid of the full high resolution images on Google Images. I don't care about the rest anymore.
Also, if someone sells products without the appropriate license, that's a no-no in my book. I can't stop them all - but I will stop the worst of them 

and just to ad salt to the wounds, the ebay pirate includes this BS == "images on this CD/ DVD are royalty free, however this CD/ DVD may NOT be produced in any form and redistributed and/or sold. CD/ DVD images are protected under U.S. and International Copyright Laws as a "compilation" since first published and offered for sale. "   

of course, ms licenses specifically forbid such compilations in the first place.

ebay however is terrible when it comes to enforcing this stuff - no  matter how obvious a ripoff is, unless the actual copyright holder complains they do nothing.   

and in another great twist of logic - if you buy something on ebay with the intent of leaving neg fdbk, ebay will remove that fdbk and your acct, yet only an organized effort woud be able to leave enuf bad fdbk to matter.

steve

The sad thing is that they have been doing it for awhile because they are power sellers with 100% positive feedback. That's what I always look for when buying off e-bay, those power sellers...now it makes me wonder.

Quote from: click_click on July 16, 2010, 00:44
I'm getting tired of giving these people the benefit of the doubt. Not once have I falsely accused somebody for ripping me off.

I give the benefit of doubt when we don't see the originals owned by someone else (as in the case of one of DF's examples, which I didn't find at stock sites through TinEye). Once we now the seller isn't the copyright owner, there is a chance the person didn't know it was illegal, but that is no excuse.

But yes, it's basically impossible to take any legal action.

And microstock agencies rarely care about our reporting this to them. I haven't yet had example in which they took an attitude. Infractors may remove the illegal content, but if they don't the agencies to nothing either. Even my watermarked StockXpert image is still at BBC (and that was reported long before StockXpert died). It possibly doesn't matter to them moneywise.

Quote from: donding on July 16, 2010, 22:29
The sad thing is that they have been doing it for awhile because they are power sellers with 100% positive feedback.

Positive feedback is because they deliver the goods as expected. People who buy them may not know it is illegal, although certainly many do - but they won't give a negative feedback because of that.

Our e-Bay is a repository of smuggled electronics. The government apparently doesn't do anything about that.

Quote from: donding on July 16, 2010, 22:29
The sad thing is that they have been doing it for awhile because they are power sellers with 100% positive feedback. That's what I always look for when buying off e-bay, those power sellers...now it makes me wonder.

yep, power seller status is no guarantee - and when peiople are willing to get pirated goods cheap, the buyers dont leave neg fdbk. 

i bot a rosetta stone package awhile ago, and when i reported to ebay that the seller sent me a pirated version, ebay did nothing;  i reported it to the RS producer but they didnt do anything either

s