Ebay Seller Using MY Pic!

[Pufferpunk]

There's a seller on Ebay who had been using MY pic of Purple Hornets, to sell hers.
http://cgi.ebay.com/PURPLE-HORNET-1...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

Here was my ad months ago: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...0&_trksid=m38&_nkw=220342594664&_fvi=1&_rdc=1

She has sold them 3x like this. In this ad, she says "PICTURES ARE TAKEN UNDER OVER 1200 WATTS OF LIGHT"

In another ad with the same pic she says:
"THESE PICTURES ARE TAKEN UNDER 4 250 WATT MH
2 65 WATT 50/50 BULBS
AND 2 24 WATT T5 HO BULBS
PICTURES ARE FOR EXAMPLE ONLY POLYPS MAY BE ON A ROCK OR A PLUG OR DISK.
BUT WILL BE GORGEOUS
LOOKS COULD VARY UNDER DIFFERENT LIGHTS
YOU MUST REMEMBER THAT WHEN BUYING!!"

It has been brought to my attention than many of her photos are stolen from other sites, so who know what folks are actually buying from her. I asked her if she wanted to send me a frag of her "hornets" for all the $$$ she made with my pic & she never wrote back, so I have reported her to Ebay. It states in the selling rules, you may not use a copy of a picture without permission.

BTW, I DO HAVE LINEAGE ON THEM! That seller didn't even know what lineage meant. Yes, I know only serious collectors care but it really does help with trading with those sorts.

 

[pakora]

Thank you for informing us all about this scam artist. If I ever need Purple Hornets (which I do) Im coming to you not that fraudulent ebayer!

 

[Pufferpunk]

I started with 5 polyps, within 6 weeks, they grew to 11. Started fragging some off, 2 at a time, for really cool trades only. I tried to sell some on Ebay but that wasn't working as well as I had hoped (too much comeptition at the time, I think). I was left with 5 polyps after fragging off 3 pairs & figured I'd leave them to grow out. While I was on vacation, they were under some new MH lights & bleached a bit, so I moved them to my frag rack in the DT. I guess they got a bit too much flow, because they blew off their plug! I still have 2 polyps that are struggling to open, after they almost blew off too & had to be reglued. And that's the story of my Purple Hornets.

Everyone, please study the auctions closely. If something doesn't make sense, it's probably a lie...
"PICTURES ARE TAKEN UNDER OVER 1200 WATTS OF LIGHT AND ARE FOR EXAMPLE ONLY THE ITEM YOU ARE BIDDING ON IS A NICE DECENT SIZE ROCK"

HUH???

 

[Hypertek99]

She sounds fishy. It probably don't even look like those. Whatever she's selling.

 

[pakora]

I wish your hornets the best of luck! Im struggling my own battle with a captain america paly i picked up. If they survive and if you accept maybe we could do a little swap?

 

[killingseed2000]

ebay should remove that sell for using someone else's pic, someone get one of her phone pic and compair.

 

[Nanofins]

Saw this elsewhere....really low and crummy. This seller has no class or sense of ethics.

Saw some of their other auctions, all filled with BS. This person is seriously just out to take advantage of people to make a quick buck. They need to be shut down.

 

[cparka23]

ebay should remove that sell for using someone else's pic[...]

My thoughts exactly. If you can prove that you took the photo, let eBay know.

And she also claims that she bought her coral on eBay as Purple Hornets, but her buyer feedback doesn't show it. It's possible that the seller didn't leave feedback for her, though.

Regardless, I doubt she'll have any more bidders with her attitude. Her feedback is already mediocre.

 

[dtpollard]

They had them for sale before w/ some crappy photo that was not PH. I sent them a message asking "If they had ever seen a PH before?" Later I noticed the new Pic. I thought I was wrong. They told me it was their bad photo tkeing ability.

 

[returnofsid]

Ebay will not only remove her add, but will probably shut her down as a seller!! I sure hope so.

 

[Pufferpunk]

I did report her but how in the world would I prove I took that pic? Except that my auction, using the exact same pic, came out in January.

 

[Reef Pets]

You can report the auction, its an option at the bottom. Then it will ask you what the auction number is that this person copied your photo from. This way you can have the auction closed and the person might learn a lesson from using photos that are not theres.

 

[Reef Pets]

Sorry just read your last post. Being that it was your auction and the person copied your auction that is enough to have ebay close the auction.

 

[Pufferpunk]

She didn't copy my entire auction, just my pic. What about her fradulent claim of knowing what lighting it's under? Especially when she says it isn't even pic of the corals she's selling & gives totally different lighting for another auction with the same pic! I'd never bid on something that suspicious.

 

[Letsgotothezoo]

Next time put a signature in your picture....may be in the middle of the picture...so nobody steal it.
Otherwise...it's belong to the public.

Ebay is not going to do anything...UNLESS you have the same auction going on and selling the same stuffs AT the same time.

 

[Pufferpunk]

It is against their selling rules to use any pic that isn't your w/o permission. It was one of the options I was able to click on in the complaint.

 

[chazde3]

Next time put a signature in your picture....may be in the middle of the picture...so nobody steal it.
Otherwise...it's belong to the public.

Wrong, even if you don't put a signature or watermark on a photo it still belongs to the photographer. There is a reason its called copyright law. A photography website I'm on even places a copyright notice under every posted photo claiming it as the property of the photographer. Unfortunately there isn't much that can be done if a picture is taken and used on the internet.

Working in a photo lab I have to deal with copyright law every once in awhile. Without a release form photos taken by a professional photographer cannot be printed and questionable photos we make the person trying to print them fill out an idemnification form, so that if the photograher does try to prosecute they can't go after us.

 

[FaviaFreak]

I'll ask my wife she is a attorney she used to do multi million dollar copyright deals for Getty Images, she'll know exactly what to say and do!

 

[Paintguru]

They won't do anything about it. This isn't fraud in the larger sense of the word and Ebay has bigger fish to fry.

 

[slipondajimmy]

Don't be sure about ebay doing tht right thing. Chances are that auction will stay active.

There is another seller on there that gets my blood boiling. All of his auctions say "Free Shipping" as part of the listing. But when you look at the body of the auction it states only if you purchase 6 auctions.

Now from an ebay standpoint it is against there TOS. They consider this search manipulation. From a buyer standpoint, that seller would have to send you that item for free. Since the auction is a binding contract and the seller claims its free

I have tried to get the auctions removed (sorry if you are a R2R member) But you tactics are wrong, and against eBay Rules.

Ebay will not only remove her add, but will probably shut her down as a seller!! I sure hope so.