eBay Photo Policy change

[BruceF]

I received this email. My natural instinct was this was just a new urban legend, but it checks out. I found it set to yes on my page (and promptly changed it). And here's eBay's info: http://pages.ebay.com/sell/July2009Update/faq/index.html#2-5

Starting on August 31st, eBay is going to institute a new policy where photos you upload to any listing are put into a "catalog" of online images that any eBay user can then use for their own listings. The default setting for this is opt-in, which is a problem if you, like me, consider your photographs your property and want to control how they are used and by whom. A copyright notice is posted with a link to your user profile, but no additional information is given, and the link is quite small.

Since the default setting is opt-in, and eBay has not sent messages out about this, a lot of people are going to be caught flat-footed by this new policy.

Again, the default for this setting is YES, you have opted in. Meaning "Yes, I will allow eBay to make my photos available for anyone to use."

If you do not want eBay to make the photos you upload to all of your future auctions available to other users in a sort of catalog process, you need to go change your settings now, before August 31st. If you opt out after then, any photos you upload between the 31st and when you opt out will still be eligible for inclusion in their "catalog."

In order to opt out of this so-not-okay process, do the following. I've broken it down exhaustively. Hopefully your eBay pages look like mine.

1) Go to your eBay summary page ("My eBay").

2) On the left-hand side, there are three tabs that say "Activity," "Messages," and "Account." Hover over the "Account" tab.

3) A drop-down list will appear. Move your mouse down to "Site Preferences" and click.

4) You will be taken to a page with a list of site options for selling, shipping, and listing. About the sixth from the top is "Share your Photos." Click on the word "show" on the right hand side next to this option.

5) The box will expand, and if you are opted in, "yes" will appear. If you are opted out, "no" will appear. A small "edit" link will appear below the "show" link. If you want to change the settings, click "edit."

6) You will be taken to a new page with the following text: If you'd like to opt-out of this program, please do so by checking this box and clicking the "submit" button below.
(If you opt-out before August 31, 2009, none of your photos will be considered for inclusion in this program unless you opt back in at a later time. If you opt-out after August 31, 2009, any photos we select for inclusion in this program prior to your opt-out may continue to be used in the catalog)

7) If you want to opt out of the program, check the ticky box on the left-hand side next to the text, then go down and click the "submit" button.

8) You will go back to the settings screen you were just on, and there will be a green checkmark and a confirmation message. Go down to the "Share your Photos" option again and click "show." Your setting should now appear as "no."

I am sure that this will be a useful feature for some people, for some items, but the automatic opt-in is not okay with me at all, as I don't want my photographs used to illustrate someone else's auction for a different item, not for any reason whatsoever.

I thought you should all be warned. Please spread the word. This is a slimy, underhanded thing to do, and I hope it bites them in the ***.

 

[andreasb]

Thank you!!! As an interesting note since I have account sin both US and canada, this option is not available in Canada....

 

[BourbonCowboy]

I just changed my status. Thanks for the heads-up!

 

[mneary]

Wow - thanks for the heads-up!

Cheers

Mike

 

[boyscout]

I'm in Canada, have never registered with eBay.ca, yet I can't see the Share Photos option either.

 

[gadgetguy11]

Thank you, Bruce. Extremely well articulated instructions, and most thoughtful of you to post this. I changes preference to "no" in under a minute using your instructions.

Thank you!!! :m42:

 

[RossoGTV]

Can't see this on the UK site. Probably only a matter of time.

Thanks.

 

[Big Daddy]

Interesting.

Except for the primary product photo, I never upload photos to eBay. I edit listings in HTML and include images hosted from smugmug. I assume such images do not fall into the policy since they're not uploaded to eBay?

I prefer using hosted images. I don't have to pay eBay extra for them, and I can yank the images at an appropriate time after the listing has ended.

 

[BruceF]

Interesting.

Except for the primary product photo, I never upload photos to eBay. I edit listings in HTML and include images hosted from smugmug. I assume such images do not fall into the policy since they're not uploaded to eBay?

I prefer using hosted images. I don't have to pay eBay extra for them, and I can yank the images at an appropriate time after the listing has ended.

I don't see it that way. The eBay link I posted says (emphasis added):

Will eBay automatically consider my photos for inclusion in the eBay product catalog?
Yes, eBay will begin to select photos from sellers' listings for inclusion in the eBay product catalog starting on September 1.

I read this as any photo you use in your listing, regardless of where they are hosted. It's just another way for a corporation to get photos for free, IMHO.

 

[Mike__B]

I probably never would have realized this without the notice here ...
Thanks for bringing this to out attention, I changed to no with the easy instructions given even though it's been a while since I sold through ebay.

Thanks, Mike

 

[ArtScott]

I received this email. My natural instinct was this was just a new urban legend, but it checks out. I found it set to yes on my page (and promptly changed it). And here's eBay's info: http://pages.ebay.com/sell/July2009Update/faq/index.html#2-5

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE WALK THRU INSTRUCTIONS..........made my changes completely painless:smile:





131 more posts and i can start perusing the FOR SALE forum......yeah!!!!

 

[Big Daddy]

I read this as any photo you use in your listing, regardless of where they are hosted. It's just another way for a corporation to get photos for free, IMHO.

Sigh. Evil eBay Empire strikes again.

Thanks for the information!

 

[Medic1210]

Just marking the thread for future use. Thx.

 

[grt_napa]

...Thank you!!!!

Ebay should engage you to rewrite their HELP section....

 

[jonlee]

Thanks for the post.

 

[pirahnah3]

wow thanks, i opted out but did notice that they do credit you with the image

 

[Retief]

Thanks! I hope that everyone sends a message to eBay letting them know what they think of:

1. No notification of such a change
2. The scummy nature of defaulting to "opt-in"

 

[Wilross3]

Thanks - just changes my settings easily.

Bill

 

[Max Power]

Thanks for the heads up.

eBay has posted pretty clear instructions. Just finding them is the challenge.

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/July2009Update/faq/index.html#optout

 

[Harry Lavo]

Thanks so much for this. Damn right I don't want my photos used by other folk....among other things it will take down the quality and honesty of eBay listings another notch...not to mention my rights as a photographer.