I have a shop on Etsy also called MadaboutbeadsDesigns.
While browsing on Etsy I came across this Folksy listing of mine!!! Only it was being listed by someone else. Lady called Sol who owns shop called IvanTO4.
She has copied my entire listing from Folksy. Photos,description everything! And she is selling it for more almost double the price!
I have reported it to Etsy.
Do I need to report it to Folksy too? It was taken from there obviously.
Do I need to register the copyright for my designs and how do you do that?
Hi. I would definitely report to Folksy support. There was a similar thing happening here, but it was E*** listings set up on fake Folksy accounts, something to do with the Stripe scammers I think? No idea about copyright sorry but I’m sure someone will be able to help. In the meantime definitely tell Folksy.
Copyrighting can be a minefield. One idea used to be make a sample, post recorded delivery to yourself, do not open. Any problems you then have a sealed sample of your work that can be produced in court. A lot of artists use this way otherwise can be expensive.
A design can be notoriously difficult to prove as only yours. In this case the woman has copied details which is a certain breach. It may be worth contacting her and stating that you have not given permission for your items details to be copied and to remove forthwith. Second contact Etsy, then a lawyer for a cease and desist letter.
I would give the info to Folksy admin and let them contact the shop owners.
This person is in Argentina so wonder if they are taking on drop shipping but would have thought not worth their while. Or some how a scam which cannot work out atm.
Contact Etsy.
Provide enough information with your original images if requested. They can get EXIF data which includes image dates and locations.
Taking your images without permission is certainly theft and Etsy should take down listings which include your images.
As for copyrighting. It will be very difficult for you to prove these designs are unique. I assume you are using materials which are commonly available from online wholesalers and retailers and themes and designs which can be found in many jewellery making texts, books, courses and from online resources. A cursory look through Etsy and Folksy will show many similar items.
I Am Not A Lawyer.
But the cost of getting legal protection may be prohibitively expensive and of course you have to actively defend your copyright from minute one or you will have less redress if a breach does occur.
I am not saying this to be a Killjoy but it is a reality of craft making.
OMG! I’ve never seen this! It’s awful!!
I don’t have any more suggestions to give than what has already been said. I tried to report the item on Etsy too, thinking the more people report the issue the better, but the report link only gave me three options, none of which I could use.
Let us know how you get on.
It’s probably a fake shop that lists something in order to get money from people. Then the item, obviously, doesn’t get sent but I bet the people behind it will be impossible to find! Probably the picture on the profile has been stolen from someone else!
This is terrible, it goes on far too much. The photo that 'IvanTO4 is using in the Et** shop is Maite Fernandez who works for the Washington Post, (I done an image search) She is the Operations Editor working with the Foreign news desk.
I’m sure she’d be interested to know that her image is being used in this fraud.
If you can report it to support@folksy.co.uk then we have a record of it. It’s been happening the other way round too, with people setting up shops on Folksy using images and descriptions from Etsy. I think it could be related to the scam we had a while ago, where people are testing if stolen card details work - so they have no intention of sending out the items, they just want to test the cards. It’s so frustrating and horrible. Please do report it to us if it happens to you and we will do our best to support and advise you.
Apparently there are videos on tiktok/ you tube etc explaining how to set up a drop ship shop (according to friends on Etsy who’ve been affected by this). Basically you skim the item details and photos from shop A and then list them in your own shop at a higher price, when the order comes through you order it from shop A to be shipped direct to your customer and you pocket the price difference. The only solution we came up with to avoid this was to increase prices so the skimmers couldn’t charge a higher price and still have people be prepared to pay it! (not ideal but it was all we could think of) And keep reporting these shops to which ever site you spot them on in the hope that they will get shut down.
@folksycontent thank you for having a better support and report system on here:slightly_smiling_face: than the Etsy one. These scams are becoming alarmingly more frequent and to keep on top of them must be a nightmare and it’s frightening that people can be so wicked and lazy to have to steal from others. Well done for keeping on top it all.
That’s terrible. I know it happens a lot on Facebook business pages and it looked like people from China. Report it to everyone. Not sure that copyright will affect these people, but maybe someone else could advise.
I’ve just found out that this has happened to me. I received an email from someone asking me to make him an item which was sold out in my shop. He then went on to say that he has sold the item - I had never heard of him before, but having done a bit of searching I’ve since found three of my items listed on ebay under his name. It’s so upsetting to see that someone would stoop this low. I love my Folksy shop take pride in what I create, as we all do here. I have reported to Ebay and also reported to support@folksy for a bit of advice.
Hi,I feel your pain. This is so hurtful. I too found out only day before that this has happened to me. I don’t see what we can do other than reporting it.
