Today’s question comes from Tim. He asks: “Do I have to keep an eye on copyrights and trademarks, for example if I’m selling a bracelet from a TV-series or movie and promote that on Facebook?”
When it comes to drop shipping make sure you don’t violate any trade marks. Always look for white label items on AliExpress.com.
Selling a Mickey Mouse t-shirt for kids or a Batman knife might be great in terms of the fan-bases you can reach using Facebook ads, but you’re probably going to breach trademarks and copyright.
TV series spent millions or billions to build their brand. They want to be the only one’s being able to sell merchandise.
By selling Batman knives, Mickey Mouse t-shirts and so forth, you are piggybacking on established brands and their trademarks, which can get you into a lot of trouble. Also avoid selling “fake” imitations of famous brands like Gucci, Rolex, Versace and so forth.
Just look for white label items with no text or images or references to any material that could be related to trademarks, copyright or other established brands. Sooner or later they will shut you down: your Shopify store and possibly your Paypal account. Whereas if you sell white label times no one will come after you.
I personally stay away from that. I know it’s super easy to sell a Batman bracelet because you can easily target Batman fans in Facebook. In theory is the perfect market but you’re better off staying away from legal issues.
In business, go hard but play by the rules. Don’t take unnecessary risks.
You can find a winning target audience by selling white label items. Trust me. 😉
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