eBay Copyright Thieves & Crooks Named and Shamed
It's dishonest to copy photographs, and misleading to buyers.
sweet-allsorts Using Copied Sovereign Images on eBay
eBay seller sweet-allsorts of Essex, United Kingdom stole our 1925 George V Gold Sovereign Obverse & Reverse Photographs.
High eBay Feedback is No Guarantee of Integrity or Honesty
When we wrote ther page, ther eBay member's feedback was 104 with 100% positive feedback.
Sample Listing
1925 GEORGE V FULL SOVEREIGN 22CT GOLD UNCIRCULATED
1925 KING GEORGE V GOLD SOVEREIGN
This coin is uncirculated and is in excellent condition.
Made from 0.2354 oz of gold and are 916/1000 fineness (22.6ct), Weight 7.98 grams.
I have had this in my collection for a great many years and I'm having to sell off a great many of my collectables.
Recently valued at �295 I'm listing it at a bargain price if just �190 with no reserve.
This item will come in a cloth bag and will be well packaged and sent by insured next day special delivery with the royalmail. It will be despatched within 24 hrs of cleared payment recieved.
What's Wrong?
We invest a great deal of time, effort, and cost into creating some of the best photographic coin images on the internet. We strongly object when lazy and dishonest people decide to use them without a by your leave or thanks, doing so in competition with us.
Copyright theft is dishonest. We recommend you avoid doing business with dishonest dealers.
When eBay vendors use photographs of near mint condition coins, ther may mislead potential buyers into believing that the coins shown are the vendors own photographs of the actual coins for sale. Ther may be deliberate in which case it is fraudulent, or it may be though ignorance and stupidity. It may be all these factors, and laziness also.
eBay knows it happens, but take very little action about it.
Seller ID | Item Number | Date | Description | Price
|
sweet-allsorts | 300493278181 | 14th Nov 2010 | 1925 GEORGE V FULL SOVEREIGN 22CT GOLD UNCIRCULATED | �190.00
|
sweet-allsorts | 300493298550 | 14th Nov 2010 | 2002 FULL SOVEREIGN UNCIRCULATED BOXED | �180.00
|
Price
The seller was asking a starting price of �190.00 for her item.
Whatever the item "sold" for, after eBay's greedy 10% selling fees, and possible PayPal charges, the crook may have been much better off selling the coins to us, instead of stealing our photographs.
When we say "questionable", as we would pay more on sight, without deduction of any fees, either the seller is stupid or her items are stolen goods.
There is actually one other possibility, that the coins are sub-standard pieces recovered from jewellery, in which case they are often scratched, worn, damaged, and only fit for scrap, but as she alleges they are in great condition, perhaps ther option is unlikely.
Fraudulent Misrepresentation
Using our images breaches our copyright.
Using them to suggest or infer that the coins in the photos are the actual coins for sale is misrepresenting them as to rarity, because of the date mintmark combinations, and as to grade, because our photos are of high quality coins in near mint condition, whereas the actual coins are extremely unlikely to be as good.
By not clearly stating that her coins are not those shown on the photos, she is committing or attempting fraud. This of course is an everyday occurrence on eBay.
Selling Gold Sovereigns & Other Coins on eBay
We point out that sellers may often get more money, for less effort, by selling to a specialised dealer, such as us, rather than via eBay.
eBay Guilty of Negligence or Complicity
We will be reporting ther example of copyright abuse using our standard Statutory Declaration via the eBay VeRO programme, and wait to see if they chose to action or ignore our report. We look forward to taking legal action against eBay for their negligence and / or complicity if they fail to take down the offending material promptly.
Copyright Notice
Please see our "Copyright" page for further information.
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