When People Copy Your Ideas...

[Gryfon]

I haven't had this problem yet but I've heard it crop up from time to time. Mainly people jumping on the bandwagon and then producing second rate goods cheaper than yours.

Do you just carry on knowing that your goods are superior and that theirs is trash? Or do you do something else like take your prices down?

But then in the end I can't understand why someone would want to steal someone elses ideas! Unless they're just not clever enough to have their own ideas in the first place...and then should we feel sorry for them?

[lajlaj]

Hiya

Well apart from sitting in a corner and crying for a while, I am now fairly philosophical about it all.

I remind myself that all products have competition - even the humble baked bean - and yet MR Heinz still makes a good living.

With my products though, I have always maintained that at a rate of 600,000 births a year I just need a 1% market share of that (and all the ages in my target market) to be quite comfortable. 5%, 10% or more would be wonderful LOL.

Not saying it doesn't hurt and upset me, it is just something that I accept.

No I won't enter into a price war or not at this stage. For me, I have built a brand and that is 75% of the battle. I just need to keep innovating and evolving to cope with whatever new comes onto the market place.

Nadine

[choice]

TBH Nadine taught me an important lesson. That I'm at least 6 months ahead and I have lots of innovative new things in the pipeline, which obviously I won't discuss! I will not drop the price as my charts are quality products unlike some others on the market. And tbh I have a different client base who go for quality, all to do with branding like Nadine said. I'm not about to slog my guts out for v little profit in return! Or what is the point?
Vicki

[lajlaj]

Originally posted by choice@Apr 28 2005, 10:36 PM
I will not drop the price as my charts are quality products unlike some others on the market. And tbh I have a different client base who go for quality, all to do with branding like Nadine said. I'm not about to slog my guts out for v little profit in return! Or what is the point?
Vicki
804906


You are 110% right on that! At the end of the day why work to sell 100 charts with 10pence profit when you can sell 10 for a £1 profit.

Doesn't make any sense to me at all.

N

[Gryfon]

Well I know I wonder on some items why people sell them for so little return! Ok it might just be a hobby but that doesn't help me :D

However after deliberating whether to bring my card price down I've decided not to! I actually want to make money out of this :happy72:

[choice]

No you musn't bring your prices down. People get what they pay for! Really does depend which end of the market you want to aim at. But if they want cheap stuff then they need to go to poundland or ebay! Which reminds me must close the ebay shop down as I just don't have time to concentrate on it with all these wholesale orders coming in. And also it does seem to cheapen the stuff too iykwim even though I don't drop the prices
Vicki
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[UCSharon]

I have just discovered that someone has copied word for word a part of our ebay listing. :angry-smiley-005: It annoys me that they didn't bother to work out their own description (it describes the printing method and material we use). It took me time and mental effort to write that!! And all they did was copy and paste, the lazy beggers :ac39:

Coincidentally :P they also have a few listings we have!

But their website is rubbish so that gives me some comfort :tcwozerekeri26: Just hope they don't copy our website when we get around to it!

Oh and I agree with what has been said, no need to compete with regards to price, there are enough people out there with varying budgets and people do equate higher price with higher quality :happy72:
(says she who should charge more!)

Sharon xx

[Miranda]

Originally posted by UCSharon@Apr 30 2005, 09:56 PM
I have just discovered that someone has copied word for word a part of our ebay listing. :angry-smiley-005: It annoys me that they didn't bother to work out their own description (it describes the printing method and material we use). It took me time and mental effort to write that!! And all they did was copy and paste, the lazy beggers :ac39:

Coincidentally :P they also have a few listings we have!

Sharon xx
805367



You need to draw it to eBay's attention. Thats just pure laziness I sometimes let them know when yet another person copies my wordy bits or photos w/o acknowledgement. However if they say 'as described on Twinkle ' or something I don't mind.

[choice]

Other thing to do is to protect your ideas, I'm doing this now! And one day they will copy something and break the law! And just think of the satistaction of persuing that one!!!!

[judithbl]

:Hello2:

Talking of ebay - somebody copied mine word for word and ebay cancelled their listing so you can report them.

However, people copying ideas!!! I have a little gem.

I started on ebay and stupidly told my brother what I was doing....you've guessed it - they opened an ebay shop!!! They were selling childrens stuff just like me.

They said however that they wouldn't take on my dolls clothes....again I believed them.

Guess what...when I opened my website I had somebody (under a false name) asking for my supplier but I wouldn't give the name. Surprise surprise I found out that the person who was trying to find out was brother and sis in law!!! Hugely annoyed.

But guess what - they have now started selling the same stuff in their shop on ebay. It seems that every idea I have they have to copy.

So if you see Petite dolls clothes on ebay that aren't mine Kiddymania) it is probably from an underhand scheming family member of mine.

I was so hurt it is untrue.

Judith

[Gryfon]

I'm not surprised you were upset!

I'd have a right go at him!!!

[Ravenfire]

Judith thats terrible, cant believe that your own family would do that to you!

[judithbl]

:Hello2:

Do you know what - I feel like I don't have family at the moment - I just don't want to talk to them at all.

Is that being silly?

Judith
:ac39:

[choice]

No you are totally justified in feeling like that. I actually try to pity them as one of the real buzzes for me is coming up with great ideas. So it must be pretty sad not to have any of your own! There is nothing like seeing your own ideas working and people lapping them up to give you that feeling of satisfaction. It must be deadly boring just logging on to see what others are doing and then copying.
Sorry they are doing this to you, not nice at all
Vicki
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