It's so difficult for anyone in the creative community to make it now with the amount of theft taking place. Many years ago I used to sell handmade items at parks, fairs and to stores directly. Occasionally I would see people trying to copy an item but it was rare. Then sites like the ones you mention came in and all they care about is making a buck, no respect for artists at all. So thank you for the links to where I can buy from the artists themselves.

@Acaketoremember

4 ай бұрын

It's true, and it's definitely demoralizing when you see people buying things because they're cheap and justifying it by saying that you get "the same things" because the photos are the same.

Getting ripped off totally sucks! AI is getting to be very scary...thank you for the heads up!

@Acaketoremember

4 ай бұрын

It is scary...I think there will probably be a lot of litigation about it soon, but it's going to be hard to control.

Maybe consider watermarking your images with the logo nstead of just relying on the small logo in the corner...

@Acaketoremember

4 ай бұрын

Watermarks can be removed really easily. I put the logo in the corner for brand recognition but i don’t expect it to stop people if they’re photo thief dirtbags.

i always write directly to the head of legal services when this happens to me (it hasnt on amazon but other large companies) and usually gets things escalated for action to be taken

@Acaketoremember

4 ай бұрын

I've filed the correct paperwork multiple times and amazon won't take the photos down. They tend to do shady things with listings in general, it's not just the photos.

This makes me so mad. I never realized it had gotten so bad. But I also thought Amazon would do better. I really hope they can find a way to protect the artists and creators from all of this. Watermarks no longer work, nothing does now that we have AI. I just don't know what it will take but I hope they find a solution real soon.

@Acaketoremember

4 ай бұрын

Amazon has no reason to remove photos because even if they’re not accurate they bring traffic to the site. They don’t care as long as people buy something. It’s definitely frustrating.

@TigerChic

4 ай бұрын

@@Acaketoremember Oh I know! Amazon does not care about the seller and not a whole lot about the buyer either. I despise Amazon! I got approved for the influencer program and I just could not bring myself to help them prosper any more than they already do. Bezos is a greedy *** I hope things get better for you

😵‍💫 Crazy. Sad and crazy.

@Acaketoremember

4 ай бұрын

It's pretty common, unfortunately.

I'm a handmade seller as well. My things are OOAK, and I was wondering if I should add my shop logo to all my listing photos, the first and second ones. I don't have as many sales as you, nor are my items as popular. But with this in mind, should I add my shop logo to my first and second photos?

@Acaketoremember

4 ай бұрын

I do because of branding so that people learn to see my logo. I don't do it for preventing photo theft because people steal them anyway. It's easy to remove logos no, I can do it in about five seconds using photoshop.

Can you buy one and then leave a bad review explaining this is yours?

What if you actually bought the product that they are selling and then you leave a review with their product and comparison with your own product and basically in the review say that it’s copyright and infringement Amazon will not take this listing down because they have stolen my images I am the original creator, etc.

@Acaketoremember

4 ай бұрын

I've thought of doing that, but they would just steal more, and the review would get lost on Amazon after a while. They'd probably report the review and Amazon would take it down...They've stolen more of my photos and photos of other people, it's not just me. You have to decide whether you want to spend your time chasing these people down when they'll just do it again, or whether you want to worry about other things.

While I think that it’s wrong for someone stealing your photos or product ideas, I think you could look at it a different way too. You could be proud of your unique creation, that it’s good enough for it to be stolen. 🤷🏽‍♂️

@Acaketoremember

4 ай бұрын

That's really no consolation if people steal your work!

@gracemakeslace

4 ай бұрын

It's not really a consolation. I've definitely not bought listings because I've seen the same image across many different platforms and I just assume it's some machine made polyester made in China garbage and not something actually handmade.

@Acaketoremember

4 ай бұрын

That's the problem, it might very well be something junky. You just don't know.

@auntmayme8119

4 ай бұрын

I used to think this way, too. But if I'm a small seller who is dependent on word-of-mouth advertising, I certainly wouldn't want someone to call me out on an item I didn't make.