Are you copying me?
17
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Last night I was loafing about on Etsy (like you do) and I happened upon a seller of clasp purses (also known as kiss lock purses). The seller’s site was nice and fresh looking and they had made a considerable number of sales over the years. The purses were yummy and the photography was great too, you could tell that this person puts a lot of effort into their shop. “Good on them” I thought to myself.
A few more clicks and few more shops later I happened upon another shop also selling clasp purses and I thought “Hello does the last clasp purse seller have 2 shops?” These are a few things that I noticed where identical or similar between these two clasp frame purse sellers:
- Some identical purse frames (bag and purse supplies are my thing so I can tell whether 2 frames are identical are not).
- Some identical photo views (and in some cases) even down to a photo showing a hand holding the purse.
- Similar price points, though one seller was slightly cheaper than the other
Now I can’t prove anything and I’m not going to make any accusations, but if you look at the ‘member since’ dates of the sellers one of them started their Etsy shop a year earlier than the other. **UPDATE** It looked to me as if there were 2 different sellers here, one of which was (shall we say) ‘heavily inspired’ by the other. So go figure; do you think it’s just a coincidence? Have you come across something like this before?
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Kris is a fun and crafty mom of four. She expresses her creativity as the owner of Jesse Kate Designs, a sewing pattern and machine embroidery brand. Kris also stays busy as the site manager of 
Crissy is the founder of 
Lisa is a generally content (who said generally - don't get her started!) 30 something living in London, who amongst other things sells everything you might need to make unique and lovely handmade handbags at home from her online store 
interesting, Ive seen a similar occurrence on eBay, Sometimes its a fake seller who wont ship the product and has stolen the photos from the real seller. And other times one seller may have multiple accounts selling the same items.. wouldn’t you be more inclined to buy the same item at a cheaper price. It helps encourage sales… Ethical? thats up to you.
Jeremys last blog post..Fan Plant – 5×7 Metallic Photograph
I think you should report this suspicion to etsy! Pretending to be their own competition is really bad…either that, or one person is scamming pictures off the other, which is also really bad. Report!
@ Jeremy:
I think trying to compete on price for identical ready made goods is fair game, but when it comes to handmade goods I think it’s really important not to copy other crafters and then try to beat each other on price. It goes against the grain of the individuality of a person designing and painstakingly making their items by hand.
@ Marianne:
OK I will.
I’m very sure it is two different sellers, (using their own photos) but the poses and angles in the photos are the same as each other. Either way it’s not very nice
agreed, but what if one crafter has two shops, selling the same items, one just listed slightly lower to encourage sales?
Jeremys last blog post..Fan Plant – 5×7 Metallic Photograph
This is why I make my own patterns for my cloth dolls and doll’s clothing – to maintain my identity as a crafting artisan.
However before we assume a negative intent….If two people are starting with purchased purse frames and possibly using available commercial patterns for the items, won’t there be strong similarities in the resulting bags?
As for the the photo poses, maybe it’s a case of “the sincerest form of flattery”. Perhaps there are only so many effective angles for shooting purses and the hands add a good sense of scale, and the newer seller is just noticing what works and trying it out.
Maybe they both took the same handbag workshop, but at different times and received the same advice about photos. Maybe the older seller holds workshops and the newer one is their student.
I make cloth art dolls. There are a lot of very original and unique dolls out there, and there are a lot of dolls made from patterns that start having a sameness about them, despite beautiful detailed workmanship.
There are a lot of dollmakers who have attended workshops who make the techniques learnt their own, and there are a lot of dollmakers whose work remains looking like a somewhat inexpert version of the instructors’ fine art. And they all still offer their work for sale.
Crafters are generous with their techniques and methods. The line defining unfair copying can be blurry. Sometimes things *are* just a co-incidence.
Robyn Coburns last blog post..Dryad Bead Head begun
this kind of thing happens a lot on etsy. i even had an email myself earlier this year from someone pointing me in the direction of another crafter who was selling owls which were very similar to mine (too similar for it to be a coincidence). etsy do not want to get involved in these disputes, their advice was to contact the other seller and basically come to an agreement between yourselves. i contacted her, but shouldn’t have bothered really, she was never going to admit to copying, and just turned on me (i had threatening emails from her family!). the whole experience was very unpleasant but i learnt that if you do approach anyone about copying, their first line of defense will always be attack.
it even happened to hillary lang of wee wonderfuls, an australian company had made soft toys from her patterns, they were identical, even so, they still tried to deny copying but it was so obvious!
lucykate crafts…s last blog post..Pretty portrait…
@ lucykate crafts…:
Oh My!
I’m so sorry that you had threatening emails; that’s terrible! I hope it hasn’t put you off. I’ve seen your work; it’s adorable. It’s so sad that folks are willing do this to each other.
Flattery and inspiration is one thing, but copying is something else…
@ Robyn Coburn:
I agree with some of what you are saying, but in the case of purse frames there are loads of different styles available to buy and most of them do not come with commercial patterns.
I agree that these days it is harder to come up with things which are completely original, but perhaps I thinking some people could make more of an effort to be different from what is already on offer…
Hi Lisa,
Unfortunately these copying issues happen a lot in the crafts’ world, and also worldwide. Here in Brasil we have a website similar to Etsy (Elo7), and when a crafter seems to have success soon other less creative crafters come with very similar stuff, i.e., the same animals sewed in the bag, the same model name (!) and the same patterns.
In a group of friends, all crafters, we were discussing that and we realized that it only shows a terrible lack of creativity from the ‘copycat’, and that we shall not fear it, but instead, try to create more original and different things.
We are not competing against each other, but trying to grow together as artists. And yes, the line that divides flattering from copying is a very thin one…
Congratulations for your work and articles, I love them!!
Cheers from Brasil,
Cristine
Lisa, naturally I will bow to your greater expertise re handbag construction!
I guess I’m just naive! I’m so sorry to hear about these instances deliberate copying and the level of unpleasantness. My experience in life is that we often feel the most defensive when we are most in the wrong, so the hostile response to being challenged on the copying sounds like someone who knew in their heart that they had done the wrong thing.
As a doll artist, I am always striving for originality. It confuses me why people would intentionally make things that are imitations of the work of others.
Robyn Coburns last blog post..Dryad Bead Head begun
Yes! I had a moment like that on Etsy just the other day. I came across a digital kokeshi (Japanese doll) design that was so much like one that I put up on my blog a few months ago. A few people asked me how I created it, so I was open enough to explain the photoshop techniques.
The design I saw on Etsy was even using the same kokeshi pose and had put a kimono fabric background just like I had explained how to do on my blog! I felt so sick seeing my design used by someone else, I didn’t know what to do! Admittedly, it was better than my WIP, but still, it was my design, though I can’t prove anything. I just closed down the page.
Part of me feels like it’s my fault for having not gotten around to doing much with that design yet. I’ve decided that while I’m struggling to get my health back, I’m going to be kind to myself and let myself develop ideas, journal them on the blog and then go back to them when I’m well again. But then I see stuff like this….
Melanies last blog post..What To Do When Your Workroom Is Such A Mess You Can’t Work In There…..
Me again
I just thought I should update on my last comment.
I was just motivated to trying to see if she had copied my idea, and it appears she’s innocent. I blogged about mine on May 6th and she made her first sale of this design on April 30th. That’s so strange the she and I were on the same wavelength…. Now I feel like I’m in danger of being accused of copying… it’s really weird.
Melanies last blog post..What To Do When Your Workroom Is Such A Mess You Can’t Work In There…..
Hi,
I worry about other people copying my work, several people have actually written to me and asked if I’d tell them how I make my pieces so they can do it too and sell them and “spread the word about sustainability and recycling” (my work is all from recycled materials)
I’ve thought about getting a design patent, anyone have any experiences or advice about that?
Also what do you think, it looks like this shop is blatantly copying mine: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5768898
this is mine: http://www.garbageofedendesign.etsy.com
Stephs last blog post..Upcycled Plastic Bangle Bracelets- Pick One
Unfortunately it happens many, many times for my taste!!! But not only in craftblogs – in all kind of thematic blogs it happens – just copy/paste shamelessly: poetry, tales, etc..I know about some of these cases when the real author writes about whom is copying. Sometimes it works and the copying blog desappears…but in these cases there is not money involved (i think) only “blogsphere” popularity…what a shame.
I’m not sure but I think that copying blogs must be revealed after a personal contact
méris last blog post..29 de Agosto
This happens to me on eBay all the time. I have an eBay stalker who trys to imitate everything I do, including text, photo styles, backdrops, dress form, designs! It has been going on for years. This competitor takes it to an extreme level in attempt to mislead the public and damage my reputation… she will post things in her “copy-cat” auctions about other people copying their style, she has the nerve to pretend as if she is the one being copied! I just keep detailed records of everything, so if it comes down to it I have the real proof to show who is copying who! Pretty funny considering it is all online so all I have to do is print everything out, officially dated and documented.
@ Scarlet’s Lounge Designs:
What a complete and total loser that ebayer is. Perhaps it’s worth sending her gentle reminder that you have dated documentation….