Just wondered who is still reporting rogue or subjective items on Folksy? I have now decided to give up as done for so long, as have others and the tat still appears.
An improvement take off new sellers on the front page and just promote them individually through the newsletters, that way will not look bad for the rest of us.
I stopped reporting recently Caroline although I did send a report for one the other day as it was so dangerous for babies and toddlers I felt I had to, must check to see if it is still there.
I stopped because things that sellers, artists on here could see where not handcrafed or items with no CE testing etc were still showing days later so I decided I had better things to do with my time and I also felt Vetting shops is something that needs to be done to stop Folksy turning into a huge market stall because that’s the way it’s heading so if sellers stop reporting maybe something will get done.
I don’t think there are many sellers reporting items judging by some of the stuff I have seen including items for sale that breach copyright from more than a week or two ago,
New sellers get more promotion than those that have been on here years.
I still keep half an eye on the new sellers list and report shops reselling mass produced items or anything that goes against the t&c (but not copyright infringement or items where there is a question mark about testing). Not sure I’m following your comment about not having them on the front page - the new sellers list isn’t on the front page only a section for newly listed items which can be from new or old shops.
There’s a gift guide section I believe with monthly new sellers.
I’ve reported a few shops recently and most have been removed
Reminds me of a Mother’s Union Bring and Buy sale quite often
So if you see what may be blatant copyright infringement, do you report it to the persons/ company or to Folksy? Also if you report it to Folksy does the guilty party know from whom or where the report came from?
It worries me that I may be classed as a trouble maker, but I also have seen a shop selling toys with no mention of CE regs etc and another that is using fabrics that may infringe on copyright. It frustrates me when I see this as I stick to the rules ( I hope) when it would be so easy not to do so.
@artisanhatscraftsstudio You report the item to Folksy.
If you go to the item in question and scroll down to the bottom of that page there is a clickable link to report item to Folksy.
A little box then pops up and you can submit your reason for the report then click send.
No the seller would not know who reported the item and I’m sure Folksy wouldn’t think you are a trouble maker they actually depend on sellers to report items and do ask that we do so.
Personally I no longer get in touch with shops to tell them anything, I have done in the past but not everyone is grateful for the advice nowadays so I let them get on with it if they don’t know about copyright or ce testing it’s their problem, reporting to Folksy means Folksy can contact them-
@artisanhatscraftsstudio copyright/trademark infringement needs to be reported to the copyright/ trademark holder, Folksy will only take action if the report is from the copyright/ trademark holder. You can often find the email for the appropriate department at eg Disney via a quick Google search. Otherwise you can use the report button at the bottom of the page as Debbie says, if it is a mass produced item then including a link to where it can be purchased is useful to the team.
I report to Folksy whatever I see that is breaking the rules. I have also been known to report copyright issues to the rights holder, though finding the right contact sometimes takes a bit of time.
Where I’ve found evidence of eg bought in items I send links.
The only time I would query with the seller is if they have posted on the forum inviting comments.
I know we’d like a more proactively moderated system, but this is how it works, and if someone won’t bother reporting I don’t think they have good grounds for complaint.
The more shops there are selling copyright infringing items and the more such things there are for sale here the worse it is for the rest of us law abiding and honest sellers on here.
I asked Chatgpt the other day what is the effect of selling my skillfully crafted hand made glass art on a non curated site like this one compared to a curated site where everything is guaranteed to be ‘proper’…
…it was very very clear that the good stuff on here is pushed down and down the general searches by the let’s call it ‘not good stuff’ and that I was far less likely to sell more expensive pieces on a non curated site which customers might not really equate with quality. My sales across my shops bear this out.
I agree. But that’s how the site is run, and it relies on our assistance in reporting.
We all have the choice to have a shop here or not. We know how it works and we make that choice. If we don’t like the venue, we don’t have to come to the party.
Reporting items and shops is not our job.
It’s Folksy’s job to prevent inappropriate shops from opening.
End of.
Over a long time I have reported loads, problem is when doing that job not concentrating on my own site. After a good few years I am stopping and someone else can take over or not. A few cannot do it alone, there are too many that have sat back for too long.
I reported a shop earlier today for copyright infringement. I have to admit that I haven’t reported a shop for ages as there just seems to be so many lately but what made me report this one was the fact they know they’re in breach of copyright of a couple of their items. They sell patterns to make them as well and when I did a quick search found them for sale elsewhere using the proper character names. In their shop here they’ve altered the names which to me proves they know what they’re doing. So completely obvious what the characters are that you can call them whatever you like and everyone will still know them!
I think there are sellers out there who genuinely don’t know about safety regs or copyright and yes, running a business they should read up and get familiar with all that but those who obviously know and think they can get round them somehow really annoy me.
Anyway, I need a cup of tea and a biscuit now.
Lou x
@artisanhatscraftsstudio For copyright infringements it is usually best to report to the company, as Sasha mentioned, as the request needs to come from the copyright holder. Every company has their own policy, some allowing certain usage while others are much stricter. We don’t know the finer details of every company’s policy, which is why the request needs to come from them to ensure the item is against their policy.
There are some companies which we’ve already had contact from, which are listed on the copyright and trademark page - Copyright and Trademarks – Folksy Support & Knowledge Base). As we’re already clear on their policies, we can immediately take action on items that infringe those particular copyrights and trademarks.
The seller won’t be informed who reported them (but it is something the Folksy team can see, so please be considerate when reporting).
We certainly don’t expect sellers to go through shops specifically searching for things to report, and it’s not something we ask, but the report link is there for if you notice something which appears to be against our rules during your regular use of Folksy, and we’re very grateful for those who do help us keep on top of this by reporting unsuitable items when they see them.
As a reminder, this page details what can and can’t be listed on Folksy - What can I sell on Folksy? – Folksy Support & Knowledge Base
If you are reporting an item/shop, it is always helpful to be clear in why you’re reporting it, and if you’ve seen something online which shows why it’s unsuitable, include the link. This can help us take action faster, although there will be some cases where we send the seller a warning rather than suspending, or need to communicate with them to verify certain details before taking action.
Unfortunately sometimes we receive quite vague reports, and without anything on the listing that clearly breaks our rules, or anything that gives a clue to why it’s been reported, it means we can’t take action. We will not suspend items that are just against an individual’s personal taste or that don’t meet their own personal definition of handmade if they meet our terms.
I’m always wary of reporting. I feel that it’s not really up to me to judge other sellers but on the other hand it’s not fair on everyone else if someone doesn’t abide by the rules.
Do Folksy monitor the Facebook groups? These also affect buyers’ perceptions of the site. Recently I’ve seen posts nearly every day in the Folksy Group for Buyers and Sellers from some tree surgeons offering gardening services who can’t possibly have a Folksy shop.
@tansycatstreasures We monitor the Folksy Clubhouse but any other Facebook groups aren’t run by us.
I have seen so many threads about this problem over the years, and nothing has changed.
Folksy still expects sellers to monitor and report shops. I fundamentally disagree with this.
Time is money.
Sellers are spending a huge amount of time monitoring new shops, checking listings against Folksy’s policies, and reporting shops that are selling items which clearly aren’t allowed. That is free labour for Folksy, and it isn’t acceptable.
We open shops on Folksy to sell our own handmade items and run our businesses. We do not open shops to monitor other sellers, police the marketplace, or enforce Folksy’s rules on their behalf.
It is not the responsibility of sellers to police the site for Folksy.
It is not the responsibility of sellers to provide free labour to Folksy.
It is not the responsibility of sellers to do Folksy’s job for them.
Every hour spent checking and reporting other shops is an hour taken away from creating products, fulfilling orders, photographing items, creating listings, advertising (another thing Folksy won’t do), or serving customers. That is a real cost to businesses.
The most obvious comparison is this: add up all the hours that sellers collectively spend finding and reporting shops that shouldn’t have been approved in the first place. I suspect it amounts to months of unpaid work across the seller community.
Now compare that with the 10 minutes or so it would take Folksy to vet a new shop application before it goes live. The comparison speaks for itself.
Sellers are Folksy’s customers. What other business expects its customers to spend months of their own unpaid time doing their job for them? I can’t think of any. Customers pay for a service - they shouldn’t be expected to provide free labour to keep that service running.
It is unacceptable to expect sellers to spend months of unpaid time monitoring and reporting shops when a very short review at the application stage would prevent these shops from appearing in the first place. That responsibility sits with the platform, not with the sellers who pay to be here.
Ultimately, this is Folksy’s marketplace, and enforcing Folksy’s own business policies is Folksy’s responsibility. Sellers can, of course, report something they happen to come across, but that should be the exception - not a system the platform relies on.
Folksy needs to take responsibility for its own business, it’s own work, and enforcing its own rules.
I’m pretty sure I saw a miniature Paddington bear today, I’ve just read the links and noticed Paddington is protected.
Just a thought @kimfolksy could the links you have added or the info on the Folksy blog go out as a reminder to all Folksy sellers about what can and can’t be sold including the info on safety testing, copyright etc because there may be older shops on Folksy not just new ones that don’t know or follow the rules. In the past I have seen plenty of shops without CE testing or selling fabrics such as Disney. Maybe it could all go in a newsletter, I know not everyone reads them but it might make one or two take notice.
I don’t recall seeing this info when I joined Folksy, I have read it since but if it’s only the past few years that new sellers have been given it there may be a lot of sellers that have never seen it.