It’s been going on for awhile now; large selling platforms policing listings for photos of actual items instead of designer owned catalog photos being utilized in the resale market.
Many people’s eBay and other seller accounts have been suspended because of suspicion of inauthentic items being posted. One trigger is that the item condition says used, but the posting photo is from the designer’s website or a catalog. This is a misuse of copyrighted intellectual property. It is referenced in Section 20 of Shopify’s Terms of Service. This practice gets many resellers shut down, without notice, and with no recourse. So, if you’re a serious reseller, you want to use real photos of the actual item you have in your possession.
Possession is another aspect we see appearing more and more in the sales agreements on ecommerce platforms. The updated Facebook Merchant Agreement references this policy as well. This is not to say that swap meets, common in children’s consignment particularly, can’t sell online also. It means that your consignor agreements need to be clear. Your consignors need to take photos of their actual items they enter remotely, or you as the swap meet management company may be held accountable.
These particulars make a big difference in the world of designer brand name resale. Don’t set yourself up for heartbreak later when you can easily snap a few photos at item entry.
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