Just want to vent a bit

[gf78]

Just kind of pissed off at something that happened yesterday and wanted to blow off some steam about it. 

About a month or so ago, my wife won a Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air speaker/dock system in a contest.  It retails for up to $600.  Well, a little over a week ago it arrived.  Cool, right?  Well, we didn't have any use for it as we already have an adequate sound system and this thing is huge and I don't find it particularly pleasing aesthetically. 

So we talked and decided to sell it on eBay.  Our two girls have never been on a vacation and our aunt & uncle live in Florida.  They invited the girls to come down for a week this summer.  I figured we could sell the speaker system and use that money to pay part of the trip for them.  Simple, right?

Unfortunately, my listing was removed from eBay yesterday for copyright infringement.  You see, I took several pictures of the system (in the box-it's still sealed) and listed them, but figured a pic of the system out of the box would let potential buyers see what it actually looked like.  A quick Google search and zip, I had my pic and uploaded it with the rest.  So yesterday when my listing gets removed for copyright infringement, I get the email from eBay that Bowers & Wilkins the company or a representative of the company requested the listing be removed.  Really?  REALLY?  They claim I used a "stock photo."  Gee...I didn't know it was a crime to use a stock photo.  Isn't that what eBay usually pops onto your items when you list them unless you choose to use a different photo?

So here's little old me, a middle-class working Joe trying to make a few bucks selling an item we won to pay for our kid's trip to Florida.  And a company takes issue with that?  Are eBay sellers really hurting their bottom line so much they have to troll the listings looking for copyright infringements?  It's ridiculous!  There are only ever a handful of these on there at any given time anyway and almost all of them are used!

If anyone is interested, I've relisted the system sans the offending image.  My eBay seller name is tempest92.  I had to get it off my chest.  It just really pissed me off to get off work and see that message from eBay.  To me, it's a real dick move by a dick company, especially since nowhere in the pic did it say Bowers & Wilkins.  It was just a pic of the dock system sitting on a table!

[burningdoom]

I've had a company make me remove my listing on eBay before. I listed a reboot disc I found for an old XP system I had. Made me remove it claiming it was copyright infringement and I had no right to sell it...last I checked it was my property that I paid for, so I'm not sure how that worked.

[gf78]

I've had a company make me remove my listing on eBay before. I listed a reboot disc I found for an old XP system I had. Made me remove it claiming it was copyright infringement and I had no right to sell it...last I checked it was my property that I paid for, so I'm not sure how that worked.

I would think that is a violation of the first sale doctrine.  You have the right to sell any physical item you own.  It's murky when it comes to digital only items, but there should have been zero issue with your sale. 

I just get pissed thinking that This big company who has speakers in Abbey Road studios and is selling these high end items has nothing better to do than troll for pictures they think are copyright violations.  To me, it is just as ignorant as companies threatening to sue end users who leave negative reviews of their products online.  The whole attitude is "shut the F up, give me your money and like it."  I can't stand that crap.

[gartcat]

The company was probably alerted because of meta data attached to the photo.  Google provides a service like that where they send you an email if someone uses your property.  I've found that on ebay it's counterproductive to go the extra mile like that, I've grown to accept and even like it. 

[foxhack]

Unfortunately, my listing was removed from eBay yesterday for copyright infringement.  You see, I took several pictures of the system (in the box-it's still sealed) and listed them, but figured a pic of the system out of the box would let potential buyers see what it actually looked like.  A quick Google search and zip, I had my pic and uploaded it with the rest.  So yesterday when my listing gets removed for copyright infringement, I get the email from eBay that Bowers & Wilkins the company or a representative of the company requested the listing be removed.  Really?  REALLY?  They claim I used a "stock photo."  Gee...I didn't know it was a crime to use a stock photo.  Isn't that what eBay usually pops onto your items when you list them unless you choose to use a different photo?

eBay changed the rules a little while ago - sellers are not allowed to list stuff using stock photos anymore, or with watermarks / usernames on 'em. Well, supposedly. I still see big name sellers do both and they never get their listings canceled. Wonder why. They did this to try to crack down on fraudulent listings and item not as described listings.

And yes, those photos are only supposed to be used by certain people. Hell I once had Blizzard cancel a listing because it had the word "blizzard" in the title... and it had nothing to do with them.

I've had a company make me remove my listing on eBay before. I listed a reboot disc I found for an old XP system I had. Made me remove it claiming it was copyright infringement and I had no right to sell it...last I checked it was my property that I paid for, so I'm not sure how that worked.

It's technically not your property. That reboot disc cannot be sold to anyone because it's part of the software licensed for use in your laptop. Hell, it probably contains program data specific to the model you bought. You can't legally sell it without the laptop itself (and the COA / product key attached to it.)

Sorry to interrupt your venting.

[gf78]

Unfortunately, my listing was removed from eBay yesterday for copyright infringement.  You see, I took several pictures of the system (in the box-it's still sealed) and listed them, but figured a pic of the system out of the box would let potential buyers see what it actually looked like.  A quick Google search and zip, I had my pic and uploaded it with the rest.  So yesterday when my listing gets removed for copyright infringement, I get the email from eBay that Bowers & Wilkins the company or a representative of the company requested the listing be removed.  Really?  REALLY?  They claim I used a "stock photo."  Gee...I didn't know it was a crime to use a stock photo.  Isn't that what eBay usually pops onto your items when you list them unless you choose to use a different photo?

eBay changed the rules a little while ago - sellers are not allowed to list stuff using stock photos anymore, or with watermarks / usernames on 'em. Well, supposedly. I still see big name sellers do both and they never get their listings canceled. Wonder why. They did this to try to crack down on fraudulent listings and item not as described listings.

And yes, those photos are only supposed to be used by certain people. Hell I once had Blizzard cancel a listing because it had the word "blizzard" in the title... and it had nothing to do with them.

I've had a company make me remove my listing on eBay before. I listed a reboot disc I found for an old XP system I had. Made me remove it claiming it was copyright infringement and I had no right to sell it...last I checked it was my property that I paid for, so I'm not sure how that worked.

It's technically not your property. That reboot disc cannot be sold to anyone because it's part of the software licensed for use in your laptop. Hell, it probably contains program data specific to the model you bought. You can't legally sell it without the laptop itself (and the COA / product key attached to it.)

Sorry to interrupt your venting.

LOL...it's fine.  That's pretty much what I have seen is other sellers using stock photos, but I get called on it.  It wouldn't have bothered me if they sent me a message saying I needed to remove the photo.  But after four days, to just cancel it when people have been bidding on it pissed me off.  Not only that, those bidders probably got a notification that the item was removed for some sort of violation.  So when I relist it, they may be wary or avoid my item because of it.