Onselling on Facebook when your item has just been listed?

[connydeylen]

Someone alerted me to the fact that someone was selling our items on facebook and their website for twice the price. I took a look and they were using our photos and stories without asking our permission (keeping the handmade bit  but deleting connydeylen). And then I realized they were listing them as soon as we started an auction. They waited  and as soon as one of their customers showed interest they placed a bid. This person claims to be a Physchic and her customer base is basically people who have recently lost a loved one. I am absolutely seething and have blocked them as bidders. But are there otherways to put this con artist out of action?

[digital*ghost]

John, some of the posters here, while I haven't agreed with everything they said, have made some valid points, and from your post I can see now fairly clearly I was barking up the wrong tree with the perspective I ran with, anyway - it seems you have more of a problem with the other practices of this woman than the fact that she is onselling the items without crediting conny? (Please correct me if I am wrong, though). 

So, I hope you can maybe find a way to take the practical comments on board re: strategies to sell your items the way you want to. The one thing I think we have all agreed on in this thread is that in reality, if someone does buy one of your items, whatever issue you take with them personally, there is very little you can do to stop them onselling it, and if they're making more money without adding anything to the item itself, it really does show that there is higher value in them than you're giving yourselves credit for (the practice of creating an advertisement to catch a buyer then purchasing it, is a slightly different matter).

I think what this indicates is that it's marketing that is determining the acceptable price of these dolls - have you tried etsy? I think they would fit right in, and I'm sure you can find a marketing strategy that you find acceptable, the customers there understand that unique, handcrafted items cost more. In fact, many sellers over there have stated they only found success after raising their prices, so there is some things you can look in to to help acheive what you want to. 

[robinsonmarineparts]

Please read before commenting.

[thecatspjs]

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@robinsonmarineparts wrote:

Please read before commenting.

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Read what exactly.

[robinsonmarineparts]

[thecatspjs]

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@connydeylen wrote:

Hi my name is John, Conny’s husband. Amazing how a topic can generate so many varied opinions. Don’t agree with some of them but can understand where they are coming from.
For clarity I think Conny and I should explain things from our perspective. Several years ago we sold a lot more items. We also did a lot of wholesaling. You need to understand Conny can make much more things than just dolls. At one point we were thinking of doing it full time. Conny makes them I do the listing, mailing,accounting etc. I also write the stories, descriptions etc and can assure you that most of them are off my own pen. Not exactly sure where the witch poem came from but I think Conny found it years ago and asked me to use it. Anyway instead of rising our sales started falling each year. We are now basically only selling on Ebay for a bit of extra income. Conny also does a few local markets which she enjoys more because she is a people person and likes face to face contact with her customers.
We are basically happy if we sell a dozen items a week on Ebay. We don’t want to wholesale anymore for various reasons including the fact that it irks us if someone makes more money from Conny’s dolls than Conny herself. Yes we agree that our prices are probably too low but you need to understand we have even been struggling to make a dozen sales a week and have been trying various things to maintain that level.
Now to the crux of the matter. Yes we were astounded by the fact that someone would list our items for sale on facebook as soon as we started an auction but that is actually not what annoyed us. The clue is psychic and con-artist. This person is selling things to people who have lost loved ones and are at their most vulnerable. She mainly sells cheap jewellery at exorbitant prices. Unfortunately there will always be people who believe in that kind of thing but Conny and I don’t want to be part of it.

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Hi John

Can't find these products on facebook to check out the "psychic" advertising angle - are you able to pm me details so I might have a look?

My motivation is that I detest scammers that target vulnerable consumers  

The type of behaviours noted by OP - copying of photos and texts, not holding their own stock and only purchase when their appears to be interest in an item and promotion in a way that preys on those grieving - spells likely scammer to me. 

[thecatspjs]

sorry only bid when there is interest by another in purchasing an item they DO NOT OWN.

[robinsonmarineparts]

What, a scammer who wants to pay money?

[thecatspjs]

If someone was buying my unique goods (though auction or outright) and then onselling them, promoting or inferring through text and other advertising means that the goods had certain "spiritual value" or similar I would be outraged and would in no way support such a scam by trading with that type of person.

That may not be the case with the facebook seller, they may not make such false claims, however based on the ripping off of the photos and descriptions don't sound like they have a lot of integrity, and sounds like it might be.

I don't believe in magic carpets, and I don't like anyone who tries to sell them - through explicit or more subtle means, and targets vulnerable individuals.

[robinsonmarineparts]

Have you read the thread?

[thecatspjs]

Yes, have you ?

It seems a lot of posters got stuck on the making profit out of reselling.

I am more interested in other matters.

Such as

The clue is psychic and con-artist. This person is selling things to people who have lost loved ones and are at their most vulnerable. She mainly sells cheap jewellery at exorbitant prices. Unfortunately there will always be people who believe in that kind of thing but Conny and I don’t want to be part of it.

Fortunately there are also consumer laws that offer a level of protection from those that seek to profit in a way that the facebook seller might be adopting.