WHELP, my worst pics ever are on a tailmaker's front page

[Echidna]

so I just checked out some tailmaker's new designs (which I rarely do because I make my own, but it's always fun) and randomly browse through the picture gallery on Magictail, and to my horror I find among the top entries a series of ultra awful pics (which I made for fun and shared somewhere years ago) being set up in a way as if the tails shown were all sold in their shop.

Meaning, it's me and my tails in there (and some of the Magictails I owned), below is a huge link (like "White Naga Tail") you can click on, including an order item number, and it takes you to their shop as if it were there to buy (plus an "order now" button and all).
I'm mortified, because those were my first try-out fabric "baby tails", I had a migraine when those pics were taken, zero make-up or anything and it shows. lol
The wig was a fun item and looks possibly even worse than the rest haha.

Thankfully, they didn't put my performer name in there (they probably don't know it at all), I just wonder why they would make it appear as if those tails could be purchased in their shop.
I imagine someone repeatedly clicking on the "buy this item now"-button and becoming increasingly frustrated when the shop doesn't come up with it.
...

Long story short?
Never put up any pics you don't want anyone but your friends/family to see on the net, no matter where.
Not on your personal page, not on twitter, not on some obscure forum, put 'em nowhere, because you don't know where they might turn up one day.
:cry:

[Trade Winds]

Reasons to watermark like hell, or as I like to do on FB, overload the pic with stickers

[Echidna]

Reasons to watermark like hell, or as I like to do on FB, overload the pic with stickers

I usually dislike pics like that, but there is a good reason to really plaster the entire photo with stuff.
Otherwise there is always the chance someone will remove your logo or whatever and then just use it.

[fabianfrz]

If you want to watermark in bulk, I have made a tutorial: https://fabian-franz.eu/images/2018/05/08/watermarking-images.html

If you just want to do it on a single image, add it as a second layer and set the opacity to something between 10-20%

[MermaidLiara]

Sorry to hear this, Echidna! I'm dissapointed in Magictail. Hope you can work it out with them!

[The Pool Orca]

Man that's a bummer.
I thought about buying a magictail...tail, since they have the option to have custom designs (want to have a tail with an orca-like pattern).
But when I hear about stuff like this it just makes me sick to my stomach. Can't buy something from them now, since I don't want to support people like that...

[Echidna]

Man that's a bummer.
I thought about buying a magictail...tail, since they have the option to have custom designs (want to have a tail with an orca-like pattern).
But when I hear about stuff like this it just makes me sick to my stomach. Can't buy something from them now, since I don't want to support people like that...

Their tails are still quite nice and affordable. Their customer service is great.
Maybe it's just the guy/gal in charge of the marketing.

I always supported them, but took a back seat when they pulled the stunt with the "design competition" which netted them no idea how many designs, including a list of how popular those designs would be, practically free and afterward, the original designer's names were purged and the Magictail Logo was plastered all over the pics instead.
Yeah, it was in the fine print, but still.

I tried contacting them, as I remembered I still must have an account there from buying a tail, but for some reason all my email adresses are "not registered" and I can't get access.
So now I will be emailing them normally.

I wouldn't even had anything against it if they had just pictures with a Magictail in them (as reference pics, so to speak), but there are several others which I clearly made myself (not even good ones, just had learned sewing, lol) and they still have a "buy" button on it.
"Dance Performance"--"BUY NOW"- er what?

That's so weird.

Anyway, I'm not so fussed about it now that the first surprise is over.
Thinking about it, it's even funny how people apparently liked my first crappy tails xD
Also a good reminder to always be careful in the future.

[The Pool Orca]

Yeah I saw the pictures in question and it even looks like they ripped the comment under the picture straight off the original picture, which is even worse, since now it looks like the owner of the site claims ownership of making that tail and it just grinds my gears.
I hope they come to their senses when you mail them. Since this practice is just plain and simple theft and we shouldn't let them get off the hook with such stuff going on.

[Ransom]

Shocked to see Magictail doing this. Love their work, but... wow.

[Echidna]

so I e-mailed them and asked why none of my e-mails were registered with them anymore and my old account was invalid.
They claimed it was because of a change to their database, and I would have to register anew.
That's weird to say the least, because the tail I bought last from them was only available AFTER they changed their site, so my account and email was valid then.

At any rate, I asked that my pictures be taken down.
Since then, I have not heard from them. The pics are still up.
I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt (maybe it was a busy day, maybe they will get to it), but I don't feel very optimistic.

I know this seems like a small thing compared to the art theft and money not reimbursed that is going on elsewhere, but I browsed a bit through their "gallery", and I am quite taken aback to see what kind of personal pictures (many of mermaid models) they have there, and I bet most have no idea their pics are used in this way, just like I didn't.
And even under portrait photos, there is the "available now, buy" button" beneath.

Seriously, what the heck is that?

[The Pool Orca]

This has to be either a serious marketing faux pas by someone who doesn't know what they're doing, or the owner of the site doesn't give a damn about the property of others and thinks they can just steal whatever they find to make their page look better. And it's driving me nuts that they seem unwilling to make amends that they messed up...
So I feel with you. I would hate for this to happen to me or someone close to me and I would go up the wall on them if it were me...
Maybe there's a way to find out if other people have been stolen from too and contact them. Maybe that would add on some pressure to magictails.

[Echidna]

well, most of the photos seem to stem from the mermeet platform, which was established back when the first mermeets happened in Germany.
As the first mermeets were organized by Magictail, they also hosted that platform.
It was back then however simply a place for mers to share memories, and you could "like" pictures.

Now in retrospect it seems this platform was but a ploy to get nice mermaid pics "for free".
They picked all the popular ones- they didn't take some I had on there where I posted stuff like "this is one of my selfmade tails, it swims much faster than my magictail", so they DID screen the photos and selectively picked the most popular ones to use on their new website.

Then, they did a database overhaul and thus blocked everyone from accessing their own accounts and pictures, BUT they kept whatever they already gleaned from the sharing platform and added all the shop numbers and buttons. Even to pictures which don't have a magictail in it, or a tail at all (face portraits).


UPDATE:
they just emailed me that they took my pictures down.
That is quite a relief.
I would have had a really bad conscience to have recommended them to so many mers otherwise.

Still, I would advise people who have bought from them who do not want their pictures used in a similar fashion to check if they aren't up on that gallery.
Some may think it's a small thing no doubt, but if you like to be credited for your stuff or value your privacy, it might be worth to make sure.

[The Pool Orca]

So glad to hear that everything turned out fine.
But yeah, people need to stay cautious about where their pictures end up. Especially when they're used for commercial gain...