Etsy And Amazon Fake Sellers

When Inspiration Becomes Imitation: The Growing Problem of Design Theft Online

There is inspiration, and then there is imitation.

And unfortunately, for independent artists, designers, and small business owners, the line between the two seems to be disappearing at an alarming rate.

The amount of duplicated products, copied artwork, and scraped designs appearing across large online marketplaces has become outrageous. Amazon and Etsy, in particular, are filled with products that look suspiciously-or sometimes identically-like designs originally created and sold by independent businesses.

It is one of the reasons I have chosen not to sell on either platform anymore.

Small Businesses Create. Someone Else Copies.

What many shoppers don't see is everything that happens before a product appears online.

A small business owner may spend weeks or months developing an idea. We sketch, design, revise, create samples, make corrections, test products, photograph them, write descriptions, build collections, market them, and invest our own money long before a product ever reaches a customer.

Then one day, we discover that someone has taken our product image or design and reproduced it—or simply scraped the photograph and used it to sell their own version.

Sometimes they don't even bother changing the photography.

That's how brazen it has become.

For a large corporation, one copied product may be a tiny blip on a spreadsheet. For an independent designer, that design might represent months of work and a substantial financial investment.

The Marketplace Problem

One of the most frustrating parts of this issue is how easy it can be for questionable sellers to appear on major marketplaces.

There simply isn't enough meaningful vetting to prevent copied products from being listed in the first place.

Etsy has reporting procedures for intellectual-property infringement, but enforcement generally depends on the rights holder—or someone authorized to act for them—submitting the appropriate infringement claim.

That means you can spot something that you know belongs to another small business, but getting it removed isn't necessarily as simple as clicking a button and saying, "Hey, this design was stolen."

Meanwhile, the copied product can continue circulating.

And once an image or design makes its way onto one marketplace, it can spread incredibly quickly.

Amazon Isn't Immune Either

Amazon has its own enormous ecosystem of third-party sellers, and copied products and scraped imagery can be incredibly difficult for the average shopper to recognize.

You may see what appears to be the same product from several sellers at wildly different prices.

But are they actually the same?

Was one copied from another?

Is the photograph even showing the product you're going to receive?

Those are questions worth asking.

I've already talked about similar concerns involving Temu and Alibaba, where independent designers have discovered their artwork, photographs, and products appearing without permission.

Unfortunately, this isn't isolated to bargain marketplaces anymore.

It is everywhere.

Thankfully, Shoppers Are Getting Smarter

Here's the encouraging part.

Consumers are catching on.

I'm seeing more people asking questions in Facebook groups and online communities before purchasing. They're asking:

"Does anyone know who originally designed this?"

"Is this the real seller?"

"Has anyone purchased from this company?"

That kind of conversation matters.

Another incredibly useful tool is Google Reverse Image Search.

If you see a product you love but something doesn't feel quite right, search the image. You may discover that the same photograph appears on multiple websites-or that it originated with an independent artist or small business long before another seller started offering it.

A few minutes of research can tell you a lot.

Before You Buy, Do a Little Digging

I'm not suggesting that every inexpensive product is a knockoff or that every similar design has been stolen. Trends exist. Similar ideas happen. Artists can independently create things that share a common aesthetic.

But when the same artwork, same photography, same pattern placement, same styling, and same product concept suddenly appear through multiple unrelated sellers, it's worth taking a closer look.

Search the image.

Look at the seller's history.

Visit their website. NOTE however that very often these websites are also adding a fake review section. Most legit sellers use a verified review system plug in through judge me and other legit apps that collect real seller reviews!

Check their social media.

See how long they've been creating the product.

Ask around.

Find out who actually created what you're about to purchase.

Supporting Small Business Means Supporting Creativity

When you purchase from the original creator, you're doing more than buying a product.

You're helping that person create the next one.

You're supporting the hours spent designing something new. You're helping fund samples, prototypes, manufacturing, photography, websites, packaging, and all the other expenses that come with bringing an original idea into the world.

For businesses like mine, creativity is the business.

I don't have a giant design department sitting behind Splash of Mahj & Color Co. When you see something new from me, you're seeing an idea that started with me and eventually made its way onto your mahjong table.

And I want to keep creating those ideas.

So please-whether you're shopping for mahjong products, home decor, clothing, artwork, gifts, or anything else-do your due diligence.

When possible, find the original creator.

Support the artists and independent businesses doing the actual creative work.

Because if we want small businesses to keep bringing fresh, quirky, beautiful, unexpected, and completely original ideas into the world, we have to make sure the people creating them are the ones we're supporting.

Shop thoughtfully. Search before you buy. Support original design.

And most importantly, keep small businesses thriving-because we've got a whole lot more creativity left to share.

Shop Splash Of Mahj and Color Co HERE where you will find original ideas from tiles to table.