Rival seller messaging me to change my prices

[kirkland]

So Im top of my category for one of the items I sell, earlier this year another seller started copying my images and text copy which has led to me losing sales. Both him and I now typically occupy the top as a result... whatever, it's ebay, it happens, I just chalk it up and focus on other aspects of my business, different SKUs, etc. Unfortunately you cant report them for stealing your listing material like you used to be able to.

Typically, I have a rough quota in my head for how many of an SKU I try to sell on average per day, and if Im not meeting sales, I will lower the price to claw back some sales. If Im selling more than usual, sometimes I'll raise my price back to claw back some margin. Rinse and repeat

Anyway, said rival seller messaged me earlier today proposing we both "set" our price to a pre-determined number. This number is higher than either of us are currently selling for (it's what I used to sell mine for before he decided to dilute my sales). I dont really have an altogether strong opinion on whether I should play along or just leave as is, like I said this is just one product line of many for me. Healthier margins are always good, but then again as he is a rival seller, can he really be trusted?

I also wonder if this tip toes on "shady" or "unethical" behavior. Anyone ever been in this position?

[murdered_by_ebay]

I would not react to such messages at all

[itslouis2003]

Report the message that’s just amateur behaviour from him

[phaz0rz]

Technically price fixing is illegal but the reason I reached out to you like that kirkland is because I thought you'd be cool with it. We don't have to tell anyone and then we can just battle it out on promoted listing rate.

[ft16]

Originally Posted by kirkland

So Im top of my category for one of the items I sell, earlier this year another seller started copying my images and text copy which has led to me losing sales. Both him and I now typically occupy the top as a result... whatever, it's ebay, it happens, I just chalk it up and focus on other aspects of my business, different SKUs, etc. Unfortunately you cant report them for stealing your listing material like you used to be able to.

Typically, I have a rough quota in my head for how many of an SKU I try to sell on average per day, and if Im not meeting sales, I will lower the price to claw back some sales. If Im selling more than usual, sometimes I'll raise my price back to claw back some margin. Rinse and repeat

Anyway, said rival seller messaged me earlier today proposing we both "set" our price to a pre-determined number. This number is higher than either of us are currently selling for (it's what I used to sell mine for before he decided to dilute my sales). I dont really have an altogether strong opinion on whether I should play along or just leave as is, like I said this is just one product line of many for me. Healthier margins are always good, but then again as he is a rival seller, can he really be trusted?

I also wonder if this tip toes on "shady" or "unethical" behavior. Anyone ever been in this position?

It falls firmly under illegal behaviour, here's a case study on some Amazon marketplace sellers that started with a email just like that - https://www.gov.uk/government/case-s...ing-case-study

[kirkland]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

Technically price fixing is illegal but the reason I reached out to you like that kirkland is because I thought you'd be cool with it. We don't have to tell anyone and then we can just battle it out on promoted listing rate.

Damn, and here I am blowing our cover. We need to do a better job concealing our master criminal enterprise

The real question now is do I care enough to try to get this seller in trouble to free up my cannibalized sales. I guess we'll see

[Automasters]

In the UK, and soon the US, just breathing is illegal...

[dsdominators]

Why not try take advantage of the situation and report him to eBay for trying to talk you into price fixing?
You'll get rid of him if you get lucky

[phaz0rz]

Originally Posted by Automasters

In the UK, and soon the US, just breathing is illegal...

Everything is always way more illegal in the UK but way more punishable in the US.


@kirkland - positive energy is my suggestion. I'd make my listings looks better. Maybe raise the price by a few dollars then launch a sale bringing the price back down to where it was.


It's a waste of time trying to "take down" competitors by shady means. Snitches get stitches.

[Nimble]

I've actually been in this exact situation with a competitor - we went back and forth reporting each other for a while before just agreeing to hold price and split the sales instead. Worked out fine, honestly. But since you asked if this tips into "shady" territory - it's a bit more than that. Agreeing on price with a competitor is technically price fixing, and that's illegal in most places even when it's just two people quietly agreeing between themselves. Not trying to scare you off it, just flagging that it's not only an ethics question, it's a legal one too.

Also, I'd bet the reason he's reaching out now is your quota system. Every time you drop price to hit your daily numbers, that's probably taking sales from him. Fixing the price gets rid of that lever - which helps him a lot more than it helps you.

If your current approach is still getting you the sales you want, I wouldn't touch it just to chase better margins. Especially with a competitor you don't fully trust, in a deal that's legally shaky to begin with.

[rsot]

Pros and cons to both approaches

[solefoodbk]

No one here is competing against me so I don’t care to share my recent idea..

I bought an acrylic glass off Etsy, small but big enough for visual. I can use a water marker on it that erases. It has my logo on it with taken on date. I tried to make it look nice. I personally struggle with both people copying me and customers assuming because my pictures are good, they don’t think they’re even mine. Which ironically still lowers some of my sales until my website begins to scale.

This idea is designed to solve for both. It’s just a small thing but adds more authenticity with a date hand written + my brand on the glass. Nobody is copying that. If they want to pay or use AI, they’re irrelevant to me anyways. I have proof in one photo close up so while I have other photos now that will be better + video branded, and my photo branded… not all but enough, most customers get the idea. At least my type of customers.

If you’re making good money and already have a brand use it creatively so they can’t just copy it. Maybe they copy the others but you either have 1) watermark them 2) deal with it 3) one or two and hope customers are smart enough to know who has the real photos.

[phaz0rz]

I really don't like watermarks and I'm spoiled by the background remover they let us use when we make listings. For years when I started selling I obsessed over getting those "perfect" listing photos like the ones on Amazon with a perfectly white background. I experimented around with different types of lighting and different ways to fold a white posterboard, trying to make my pics more internet friendly.

Now I'm able to get those perfect photos with a click using the light on my desk. Other sellers steal my photos all the time (can't blame them since they look so nice now). Every once in a while I'll send a message with something like "my listings don't use stock photos, please update your listing pics." Most of the time they go along with it hoping to avoid having their listing reported or whatever (even though I never actually do that, lol).

Me personally, I'd rather have my pics snagged by other sellers than trash up my listing photos with watermarks, tags, timestamps, or anything else that could make the photos unique to my account.

[rsot]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

I really don't like watermarks and I'm spoiled by the background remover they let us use when we make listings. For years when I started selling I obsessed over getting those "perfect" listing photos like the ones on Amazon with a perfectly white background. I experimented around with different types of lighting and different ways to fold a white posterboard, trying to make my pics more internet friendly.

Now I'm able to get those perfect photos with a click using the light on my desk. Other sellers steal my photos all the time (can't blame them since they look so nice now). Every once in a while I'll send a message with something like "my listings don't use stock photos, please update your listing pics." Most of the time they go along with it hoping to avoid having their listing reported or whatever (even though I never actually do that, lol).

Me personally, I'd rather have my pics snagged by other sellers than trash up my listing photos with watermarks, tags, timestamps, or anything else that could make the photos unique to my account.

Watermarks and tags can be done quite discreetly though...

[kirkland]

Watermarks can be removed pretty easily in today's modern age though. 2 seconds if that

[phaz0rz]

To each their own. I'm a stickler for how my listings look to other people (especially people on mobile). I'd rather send mean messages to other sellers who copy my listings every now and then, than sacrifice that sharp aesthetic.

[Futuremogul888]

I'm gonna tell you a story, not because I want to teach you a lesson but because I hope you will figure it out for yourself. A lesson that should be obvious to any businessman with an IQ above 80. Here is goes:

When I was growing up there was a pizza place that sold everything on their menus at crazy low prices. It was like $4 for a extra large plain. This was the 90s, but if you aren't old enough to remember, that was a very good price. They managed to be very profitable too. Every item was a little above cost and they did a ton of volume. Most pizza places nearby could not compete and went out of business.

One day the last remaining competitors decided to bite the bullet and try their strategy. Before long all of the pizza places were losing money including the one that started this idea. There was not enough volume to go around. Before long, they were all out of business.

[phaz0rz]

Are you a BTC millionaire, mogul?


You're the guy who called 100k BTC several years early.

[agent006140]

Some of these places could just be front,the movie American Gangster which is based on real person,showed the police busting those fronts -drycleaner,car repair.
In fact when they made that movie,the guy came to watch .

[rsot]

Originally Posted by agent006140

Some of these places could just be front,the movie American Gangster which is based on real person,showed the police busting those fronts -drycleaner,car repair.
In fact when they made that movie,the guy came to watch .

good story Futuremogul888 - good old agent with the derail

[solefoodbk]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

To each their own. I'm a stickler for how my listings look to other people (especially people on mobile). I'd rather send mean messages to other sellers who copy my listings every now and then, than sacrifice that sharp aesthetic.

I don't like watermarks either, never use them. The point is there are options if you're losing sales because of other people copying. Ebay doesn't do anything.

The only time I had them actually do something was when someone put in their title "do not buy from xxxx seller" blah blah. It was 2018 and the guy was able to get up, walk to Trust & Safety section in eBay headquarters and they removed the listing while I was on the phone call.

After 2020 it's never been the same since. Work from home culture.

[Enid Nathaniei]

I wouldn’t agree to it. Let the market decide the price — coordinating with a competitor can create more problems than it solves.