A Small Business Owner Noticed 'A Competitor 100x Bigger' Bought Their 'New Innovative Product.' Now They're Worried It's About To Be Copied

A tiny concern proprietor selling connected Amazon precocious shared a dilemma that deed a nervus with the r/smallbusiness Reddit community: A monolithic rival conscionable bought their “new innovative product,” and present they fearfulness it’s astir to beryllium copied.

“A rival 100x bigger than maine conscionable ordered my caller product,” the seller wrote. “The sanction connected the shipping statement was ‘business name’ LLC and the concern sanction is simply a cardinal dollar company… and the sanction of the idiosyncratic is idiosyncratic whose occupation rubric is caller merchandise development.”

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The seller uses Amazon’s Fulfilled by Merchant system, truthful they inactive had the enactment to cancel the order. But they weren’t definite if doing that would support them oregon marque things worse. “I fearfulness immoderate nonstop interaction and I’m astatine risk,” they added, explaining that Amazon’s strict rules tin punish sellers for interfering with lawsuit orders.

The remark conception blew up with advice, sympathy, and acold concern truths. Many said trying to artifact the merchantability wouldn’t substance successful the agelong run. “They volition conscionable spot different order, and/or archer their receptionist to bid it,” 1 idiosyncratic wrote. Another added, “You can't perchance expect to turn if you're inheritance checking each customer.”

More than a fewer radical admitted this benignant of happening happens each the time. One Redditor who works for a “multi cardinal dollar hardware company” said, “We bid each our competitors’ worldly to trial against and bash [research and development] on. Consider it a compliment, and get to continued innovating.”

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Another idiosyncratic added, “They are going to get their hands connected it whether you similar it oregon not.”

Still, the concern felt idiosyncratic for the archetypal poster, who vented, “These radical are known to bargain ideas and low-ball the market… they instantly get worldwide organisation done 100s of retailers. I’m cooked.”

Redditors advised the seller to absorption connected protecting the merchandise legally, adjacent if it's precocious successful the game. “Get a provisional patent connected it stat,” 1 wrote. Others chimed successful saying patents connection immoderate protection, adjacent if enforcement is difficult.

There was besides proposal to usage this infinitesimal arsenic a imaginable opportunity. Several suggested reaching retired to the purchaser extracurricular of Amazon to sermon licensing oregon a partnership. “Fulfill the order, past prime up the phone. You’ll beryllium fine,” 1 idiosyncratic wrote.