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Thread: eBid have removed my auctions!

  1. #1

    Default eBid have removed my auctions!

    Just a quick note to say that eBid have removed all my open sourced software under this rule which they have emailed me:

    ===========================================
    This is an automated email
    eBid Online Auctions
    Free to List | Free to Bid | Free to Enjoy
    Hi r1bby,
    eBid has a set of rules that should be adhered to when listing auctions. It has come to our attention that you may have listed an auction that was not in accordance with these rules.
    Offence : Recopied media. All discs must be by the original manufacturer.
    Relevant auction(s) have been removed.
    Your account has not been placed on Hold but repeating the infringement will result in your account being reviewed.
    Best Wishes
    eBid Support Team
    ===========================================

    This really narks me because selling open sourced software is not applicable by this rule because the software does not come on a manufacturers disc, this is because open sourced software is supplied in electronic format. The only thing I can find on eBid is to send an email to their help centre which strongly recommends me to use the forum first, which has nothing there as there has only been 8 entries in the last year, hardly a beehive of information.

    I am not breaking any legal rules as the GPL rules entitle me to make copies and sell them at my own accord:

    http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl.html

    I have been selling open sourced software on eB*y for over a year now and have had no troubles, I have been selling the same software on eBid for 9 months now and have had no trouble until now, over a rule which I feel is not applicable for this scenario. I also never had this trouble while paying £1.99 subscription for the first few months, as soon as I pay the remaining £49.99 I get this grief. :-(

    I am also a little disheartened to see the low number of forum users and am drawn to wonder how many users does eBid actually have who actually buy goods as I have only made 10 sales in 2009, on eB*y I have made 500+ sales in the same period. I kind of feel that eBid is a sellers market without any buyers...
    And by invoking these kind of daft rules, there will be less sellers, less buyers & less sales for everyone.

    My ten pence worth, if anybody is reading...

  2. #2

    Default

    Response from eBid:

    Thanks for your mail.
    We do not currently allow recopied media no matter what the copyright situation is. Thank you
    Best Wishes
    eBid Support Team

    Alas back to eB*y now, useless...

  3. #3

    Default

    eBid support staff are not in a position to check the authenticity and copyright status of every piece of software listed on the site. They are, however, responsible for ensuring - to the best of their ability - that sellers do not list illegal items. Since they, technically, get the blame for permitting the sale of illegal items, they have to protect themselves as best they can. Sometimes this means annoying a few individual sellers by having rules which may seem to be like using a sledge hammer to crack a nut, but please try to see this from their pov.

    The timing of this has nothing to do with your subscription status. It is more likely that certain auctions were brought to their attention by a user reporting them. eBid support do not have the time to go through every single auction themselves and rely on users bringing issues to their attention.

  4. #4

    Default

    Every venue has its own rules. The rules protect all users. If you can make a valid, logical case why there should be an exception to ebid's rules, I am sure that they will listen. I know for a fact that they quickly deal with requests like this on a daily basis. I got an answer within a day of asking.

    I am a bit puzzled about your references to no one using the forums (only 8 posts in last year??)???? Excuse me, but these forums are a hub of activity with thousands of posts a day. Where were you looking? Did you look at all the threads? The forums are extremely helpful for all users, unlike feebays where no one bothered to help anyone else.

    Feebay spoils a lot of people. Until recently almost anything sold for higher than its worth and feebay seemed to pay more attention to petty bickering than violations of rules (illegal items). We all sold more, but many of us paid almost 25% in fees (compare to 2%). Most new sellers on ebid find they must to go back to the basics of online auction selling. This includes polishing their basic listing info, their titles, using various marketing skills, bringing in past customers etc. It is a lot of hard work.

    If you only had a small number of sales in the past year, ask for help on one of the forums. Sellers like to help other sellers on ebid, and they can analyze your listings, and give you suggestions on increasing your sales.

  5. #5
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by r1bby View Post
    Response from eBid:

    Thanks for your mail.
    We do not currently allow recopied media no matter what the copyright situation is. Thank you
    Best Wishes
    eBid Support Team

    Alas back to eB*y now, useless...
    Hmmmm I wonder what effect this rule may have on me later this year? I'm planning on changing my eBid account into a business account and selling some software on cd later in the year which I will be recording on my pc. I am though a software engineer by trade and it will be my own software. I'll make sure to get in touch with them first, maybe send them some complimentary as my details are always in the Help, About menu so can prove I am the author.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    About Me

    Techno Paradise - retro to modern computer software and hardware

  6. #6
    Forum Diehard heatemyfather's Avatar
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Lemsol View Post
    I'm planning on changing my eBid account into a business account and selling some software on cd later in the year which I will be recording on my pc. I am though a software engineer by trade and it will be my own software.
    By eBid's own ruling you should be in the same position as the other guy, as it's "recopied media" and not "original". Define original. An original Windows install CD? A CD stamped in a factory? Where does the manufacturing process go from "original" to "recopied media"? Are home-made greetings cards "recopied media" too then? They were not made in a factory, they were made by a little old lady in her front room. It's called a cottage industry guys, there is no "original media". If I was a digital artist and wished to distribute my work on CD, I should also fall foul of this rule.

    Personally I think this interpretation of the rules is daft and unnecessary, they are clearly NOT recopied media because there was no original to copy from, nor has any original media ever been available, free or paid for. How can you copy something that doesn't exist??

    The software in question is ever-changing, so to stamp originals wouldn't make any sense, it would be out of date within a few weeks.

    I disagree with you on this one, eBid.



    Oh, and here's another one: if I am an artist and I paint my own versions of famous works of art, would they also be banned? It is "recopied media" after all, albeit on canvas, but there's really no difference if all I am doing is copying something that already exists and then selling it. Ban all prints of famous works of art, as they are just copies. Only ever allow true original Van Goughs.
    Last edited by heatemyfather; 8th May 2009 at 05:29 PM.
    My auctions: video games, photography stuff, miniature wargaming hobby bits and pieces
    My eBid stores: Miniature Hobby Store | Old Games
    My eBid adverts page (also home to my free eBid promotional graphics):
    http://www.jonathanmortimer.co.uk/adverts/

  7. #7

    Default

    Good topic. I know you are legally allowed to make a copy of your own software for BACKUP ONLY. You can not resell it.
    I'm working on my own program at the moment. When complete I will have to get more information on licensing it. The last thing I want is some copy pro to steal all my hours of work. The rules are there for a good reason. Too many copies of illegal software on the market make it hard for the honest sellers to move their product. Same as half the games online are stolen copies. It's the new rage on the internet. Find some material that is not copy protected, package it, and sell it.

  8. #8
    Forum Diehard heatemyfather's Avatar
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by canuckbid View Post
    Good topic. I know you are legally allowed to make a copy of your own software for BACKUP ONLY. You can not resell it.
    If somebody thinks it's remotely worth their while, they will copy it. Licensing won't stop pirates, as only really honest people abide by their rules anyway.

    As far as official copies go, perhaps some sort of custom CD print using a LightScribe drive might be the best thing, it will be very difficult to copy the design if only the legal copyright owner has the original design that is used, so illegitimate copies should be easy to spot.

    I think eBid could help by making it more difficult for people to copy images out of auctions (by disabling right-click on the image). It won't stop them, but it will make it more difficult.
    My auctions: video games, photography stuff, miniature wargaming hobby bits and pieces
    My eBid stores: Miniature Hobby Store | Old Games
    My eBid adverts page (also home to my free eBid promotional graphics):
    http://www.jonathanmortimer.co.uk/adverts/

  9. #9
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by heatemyfather View Post
    ...
    I think eBid could help by making it more difficult for people to copy images out of auctions (by disabling right-click on the image). It won't stop them, but it will make it more difficult.
    I always think those sort of tricks only stop casual users from doing honest things, like sending a pic to a friend to say "is this the sort you're looking for" before buying. The crooks are always crafty enough to get round simple barriers. Most "safety" measures only inconvenience the innocent!

  10. #10

    Default

    Why not just water mark your pictures? I've been doing it to some of mine. If they steal the pic my store name is clearly visible and they are doing some free advertising for me then. It's a rather simple solution if you are worried about someone stealing your pictures.

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