Question about eBaying replicas...
- Thread starter juno
- Start date
allosaur176
Sr Member
how did you describe it in your auction???
juno
Sr Member
:cry
Title: Harry Potter Hogwarts Train Platform 9 3/4 ticket prop
(just realized I left REPLICA out -- if I add replica is all well and good?)
"Platform 9 ¾? But, Hagrid, there must be a mistake. This says Platform 9 ¾. There's no such thing. Is there?
Are you itching to attend Hogwarts? With this ticket you'll be half-way there. (Although I can't guarantee running at the wall between platforms 9 and 10 will get you to the Hogwarts Express.)
If you're the winning bidder, you'll receive one wonderous ticket -- this ticket, just like the movie's, printed on plain paper with gold foil details. The text matches the movie ticket exactly. It is approximately 2 1/4 x 4 3/4 inches in size.
Shipping is $1.00 and I will ship anywhere in the world. As I cannot confirm whether or not the buyer is magical or muggle, I'll be using the muggle mail system for shipment so as not to arouse the suspicions of the Ministry of Magic.
Also, due to the recent loss of my Gringotts' vault key, I can only accept PayPal, check, or Money Order (I will wait for checks to clear before shipping).
Please note that this ticket is a one-of-a-kind piece of art. Although printed on a computer, all the gold foiling is hand-applied by me, and I also hand-created the original artwork. If you have any questions please e-mail me, I'd be happy to create a custom ticket just for you. This ticket would make a great gift for any Harry Potter fan.
Title: Harry Potter Hogwarts Train Platform 9 3/4 ticket prop
(just realized I left REPLICA out -- if I add replica is all well and good?)
"Platform 9 ¾? But, Hagrid, there must be a mistake. This says Platform 9 ¾. There's no such thing. Is there?
Are you itching to attend Hogwarts? With this ticket you'll be half-way there. (Although I can't guarantee running at the wall between platforms 9 and 10 will get you to the Hogwarts Express.)
If you're the winning bidder, you'll receive one wonderous ticket -- this ticket, just like the movie's, printed on plain paper with gold foil details. The text matches the movie ticket exactly. It is approximately 2 1/4 x 4 3/4 inches in size.
Shipping is $1.00 and I will ship anywhere in the world. As I cannot confirm whether or not the buyer is magical or muggle, I'll be using the muggle mail system for shipment so as not to arouse the suspicions of the Ministry of Magic.
Also, due to the recent loss of my Gringotts' vault key, I can only accept PayPal, check, or Money Order (I will wait for checks to clear before shipping).
Please note that this ticket is a one-of-a-kind piece of art. Although printed on a computer, all the gold foiling is hand-applied by me, and I also hand-created the original artwork. If you have any questions please e-mail me, I'd be happy to create a custom ticket just for you. This ticket would make a great gift for any Harry Potter fan.
aliensarchive
Sr Member
The WB loves you.
EmmasOneandOnly
New Member
Why is stuff like this pulled?
is it because the tight-wads at WB arnt making money when we do this?
If you want to keep it up I suggest removing a pretty good lot of "this is an exact match to the one in the movie" because that may hurt you. Or just the title. Hogwarts is copyrighted, only HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY but you might want to put Harry Potter Replica Wizard School Train Ticket or something like that.
Good luck :angel
is it because the tight-wads at WB arnt making money when we do this?
If you want to keep it up I suggest removing a pretty good lot of "this is an exact match to the one in the movie" because that may hurt you. Or just the title. Hogwarts is copyrighted, only HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY but you might want to put Harry Potter Replica Wizard School Train Ticket or something like that.
Good luck :angel
You're flagged, now. List it again and they'll catch it...
STOP; otherwise, you risk a C&D and losing your Ebay account for multiple violations.
Do not listen to playground logic about changing words around. Harry Potter "ANYTHING" is property of WB.
Warner Bros is the most aggressive studio there is. A VERO means your auction was removed by the request of the license holder and your item is infringing.
Happens to the best of us. You stop and move along. There is no reasoning as to why one person gets pulled when another doesn't....it's just always been that way as any prop, old-timer will tell you.
Sure, it sucks but that's the way it is.
STOP; otherwise, you risk a C&D and losing your Ebay account for multiple violations.
Do not listen to playground logic about changing words around. Harry Potter "ANYTHING" is property of WB.
Warner Bros is the most aggressive studio there is. A VERO means your auction was removed by the request of the license holder and your item is infringing.
Happens to the best of us. You stop and move along. There is no reasoning as to why one person gets pulled when another doesn't....it's just always been that way as any prop, old-timer will tell you.
Sure, it sucks but that's the way it is.
Roger Ramjet
Sr Member
I buy and sell Trek Props a lot on ebay (Just ask the wife) and once you are flagged, your auctions will be monitored for a period, not forever but just to make sure you do not try and relist this item, so word to the wise as Rylo said, cut your losses and move on...
Roger
Roger
The resulting Vero isn't always a discovery made by the copyright holder. Over the years I've seen competing replica prop makers battle silent little wars by narking on each other directly to the copyright holder. :rolleyes
Don't bother trying to open another account name to sell them under as they are still linked to you.
Don't bother trying to open another account name to sell them under as they are still linked to you.
Jimbo890
Well-Known Member
I agree, the description or title was what caused it. Veroed. You have been flagged, and if you try that again, you run a risk of getting blocked. Try again, in 6 months, or make something new. Maybe change it up a lot, and say "inspired by the movie..."
Try selling your stuff else where. Try the Junkyard, or your own sales page.
This hobby really is a gray area. Ebay is high enough profile, that the WB, et. al. will see it, and if they think they are being violated, this sort of thing happens.
Good luck with it. OR, you could buy some Harry P. used DVD's for cheap, and sell them with a free Ticket.
Try selling your stuff else where. Try the Junkyard, or your own sales page.
This hobby really is a gray area. Ebay is high enough profile, that the WB, et. al. will see it, and if they think they are being violated, this sort of thing happens.
Good luck with it. OR, you could buy some Harry P. used DVD's for cheap, and sell them with a free Ticket.
juno
Sr Member
Thanks for all the advice. I'm just going to let it pass -- there go my dreams of making millions off of train tickets :rolleyes. I actually contacted WB about it -- asking what I could do to make it less infringe-worthy. Here's there response (I love how they encourage me to rat out my fellow makers):
Darkknight0667
Sr Member
What do you mean? They are the license holder to the HP property (probably paid JKR a tidy little sum for the priviledge, too). Juno is not. They want to assert their right that he can't sell replicas of their property. Any of the studios can do this to anyone here that sells their product on ebay (or anywhere else, for that matter) at any time. And, they can pick and choose who they decide to stop, too. And the only explanation that they have to give is:
It's not "a load", it's their right. It's really no different that LFL going after AA/SDS, except in the size of the studio's reaction.
Now, maybe when the heat is off him (3mos, 6mos, a year?), Juno can relist his replica and, if he avoids any mention of HP, Hogwarts, etc. he could probably slip under their radar. But, that a big chance to take on a maybe. He's best off just taking his loss and moving on.
Jedirick
Sr Member
Well, I was going to support Rylo's comment and say something similar to DK but since it's been said...
Animosity toward licensors or licensees for that matter, really can't exist in this hobby. They have the rights. Only the awareness that we pursue this as a hobby and not for profit keeps the wolf from the door.
Animosity toward licensors or licensees for that matter, really can't exist in this hobby. They have the rights. Only the awareness that we pursue this as a hobby and not for profit keeps the wolf from the door.
juno
Sr Member
Not feeling animosity however....
"Now, maybe when the heat is off him (3mos, 6mos, a year?), Juno can relist his replica and, if he avoids any mention of HP, Hogwarts, etc. he could probably slip under their radar. But, that a big chance to take on a maybe. He's best off just taking his loss and moving on."
I'm a SHE a SHE -- Juno is the Roman version of Hera -- a SHE I tell you...
heheh :lol
That said...thanks for all the advice. My biggest fear was that I was going to get sued for making these things. I don't mind stopping eBaying and selling them sub rosa. And I am going to keep selling the stones till they yank those too.... Mwhahaha
And I guess I should also state that selling the few I did on eBay really connected me with some awesome fellow HP fans -- that I'm still corresponding with. So in the end, it was worth it.
"Now, maybe when the heat is off him (3mos, 6mos, a year?), Juno can relist his replica and, if he avoids any mention of HP, Hogwarts, etc. he could probably slip under their radar. But, that a big chance to take on a maybe. He's best off just taking his loss and moving on."
I'm a SHE a SHE -- Juno is the Roman version of Hera -- a SHE I tell you...
heheh :lol
That said...thanks for all the advice. My biggest fear was that I was going to get sued for making these things. I don't mind stopping eBaying and selling them sub rosa. And I am going to keep selling the stones till they yank those too.... Mwhahaha
And I guess I should also state that selling the few I did on eBay really connected me with some awesome fellow HP fans -- that I'm still corresponding with. So in the end, it was worth it.
Actually, your pretty lucky. My first auction with a WB infraction resulted in a direct C&D Ceast and Desist letter from the lawyers. Turn over any and all property with relation to the auction, list all previous profits, letter of apology, letter of income, ect. It was one odd item I had bought earlier on ebay, so it was not a bad thing, but the legallese demands raised my blood pressure quite a bit.
Not something you really want to go through.
So adhere to Rylo's advice, its not worth the legal issues that could result if you did try to relist the item again.
Not something you really want to go through.
So adhere to Rylo's advice, its not worth the legal issues that could result if you did try to relist the item again.
Darkknight0667
Sr Member
WHOOPS... I guess my chauvenism is showing again. Sorry about that.
