Do it by DMCA. Become a "VeRO rep" (like me) and then you can take ONE minute to peel off a few auction numbers and send it to the eBay email address for VeRO. For more info start here:
http://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/listing/create-effective-listings/vero-program.html#m17-1-tb2
Basically, you print out and sign a form stating you own copyright or intellectual property. You can do this for yourself or any authors you know. Once it's official that you rep yourself or someone else, you simply email auction numbers when you come across them. Some internet "sheriffs" make a fortune off this. They charge $2 or $5 or more to take that minute to type in EBOOK or PDF on eBay and add a name or a book title.
The other alternative, which is often used by fans, is to click "REPORT ITEM" and scroll to LISTINGS VIOLATION and then DIGITAL DELIVERY. But...some crafty sellers don't blatantly say "I will send you a download link" so eBay does the Sgt. Schultz routine: "We know nnnnnuthing. We see nnnnnuthing."
Worse, sellers who DO explain that this is "digital delivery" or a link is sent by download or email, don't necessarily get stopped right away. Why? I got off the phone with eBay today, and basically, it's a case of priorities. If somebody is selling guns, drugs or used underwear, THAT is the priority. If somebody says in an ad, "I have plenty more stuff, come to my website and leave eBay out of it," THAT is a MAJOR priority.
Spending time knocking off weasels who steal from authors? Meh. Maybe one or two people handle those complaints, and they can get backed up. Or, they might glance at an auction and NOT notice "I will send this by email" in small letters.
I called up today, September 19th, to ask why DANNY boy is still around. He was reported weeks, if not MONTHS ago. He's sold 45 copies of the "Game of Thrones" set and by picking on rich assholes like George R.R. Martin and J.K. Rowling, as well as dead cult figures like J.R.R. Tolkein, DANNY boy has made plenty of beer money.
You think DANNY boy is concerned about failing bookstores or libraries? Or that if somebody is reading all of George R.R. Martin they aren't spending money on other authors? Hell, EBAY doesn't even care that much. They are LOSING money on this crap, too. If somebody gets all of Martin's books, or all of Stephen King (yes, DANNY BOY offers 72 King books for a mere $3) that person isn't spend $5.00 or $10.00 or more, to get the actual books. They come to eBay expecting to buy books, see a cheap download, and go for that instead.
45 copies of THIS title alone (and DANNY boy has many others). All he does is pocket $3.00 every time he sends an email with a link to a Google cloud. Easy money. Lots of beer for DANNY boy.
I pointed out that his ad is BLATANT. The response from eBay? A lot of "we can't comment due to privacy concerns" and a vague allowance that "yes, he's been reported many times. The complaints are being processed." Yes, but if the complaint was that a seller was offering her used underwear for sale, that auction, if reported, would end in 24 hours. Not 24 DAYS.
Again, it's priorities. Copyright? Copy wrong! Too bad, you author. Keep your day job. All you really do is type. Anybody can write a book. All books should be free. If libraries lend books, than everybody should either give them away, or sell them CHEAP. Like DANNY boy...
That ad is blatant. If you don't understand the header about EPUB and MOBI files (which you can ONLY buy legitimately from Barnes and Noble or Amazon, etc.) he's admitting he's sending these digital files via email. Sellers like this should be a priority. Get them OFF the site and send a message that unlike Russia, this country supports COPYRIGHT.
DANNY boy should leave Ireland and go to comfy Russia to play his game, and tally up his endless list of authors he's stealing from:
Yes, DANNY boy will eventually be suspended. This blog will report on it when it happens. In the meantime, he keeps ALL the money. He and his fellow parasites have learned that the consequences for stealing on the Internet are... just about NONE. PAYPAL doesn't refund the money to all the bidders when a guy like this gets suspended. DANNY boy gets no criminal record. He simply doesn't get to sell more bootlegs. Awwwww.
Bottom line: fans of authors should REPORT ITEM and get their friends to do the same. And authors and publishers need to be aware that most people don't know about sneaky torrents and private forums, but they DO know about eBay. When people go to eBay to browse for books to buy, they should NOT see bootleg downloads. VERO stoppage is the fastest way to get the crap OFF eBay. Hopefully in the future, if publishers apply some pressure, any "REPORT ITEM" complaint against piracy will be treated QUICKLY.
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