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Ebay's AI auto-rejects reports of stolen/manipulated photos. How do you bypass this?
Summary: fixtureforge is experiencing difficulties with eBay's automated reporting system, which fails to address cases where altered stolen photos are used to bypass detection. They seek advice on how to ensure these issues are reviewed by a human. tobiasd4 comments on the use of photos in eBay listings, suggesting that photo usage terms may be misunderstood. The discussion focuses on how copyright issues can be effectively reported.
Hey everyone,
I’m running into a frustrating loophole with eBay’s automated reporting system and could use some advice if anyone has found a reliable workaround.
The Problem
I’m seeing a recurring issue in a niche market. Certain accounts are stealing photos from legitimate sellers. When those stolen listings are successfully removed by eBay, the scammers just hop to a different account, slightly manipulate the stolen photos (tweaking highlights, contrast, and cropping), and re-upload them. Because the image is slightly altered, it completely bypasses eBay's automated image-recognition AI.
The Roadblock
When I try to use the "Report Item" button to flag these new listings as fraud or ban evasion, the system instantly rejects it. Within minutes, I get an email stating:
"We looked into your report and didn’t find the listing to be in violation... This determination was made using automation or artificial intelligence."
Because I am a third party reporting the fraud—and not the original copyright owner—the AI simply rubber-stamps a denial. A human never actually looks at the context or the previous removal history.
Looking for Advice
Has anyone found a specific reporting category in the dropdown menu that actually forces a human review?
As a third party noticing this, is there a better way to report ban evasion/fraud when sellers are manipulating stolen photos?
Aside from messaging the original copyright owner to file a VeRO claim, or going to Twitter/Facebook support, are there any direct on-site workarounds you've used successfully?
tobiasd4
Mentor1 month agoI'm not sure what you are trying to report.
But when a seller lists an item with photos, it is added to ebay library for anyone to use,
We all agreed to this when opening ebay account.
fixtureforge
OP1 month agoWait...
So if i take a specific photograph of a product to advertise it, another seller can rip it and repurpose it for their own use?
If im not mistaken, isn't that literally copyright infringement? Producing media, which is stolen and reused?
I've reported it on one sellers account earlier and it got delisted for copyright infringement, so there must be some T&Cs against copyright infringement.