The Battle for Originality: Fighting Back Against Copycat Manufacturers

In the world of innovation and craftsmanship, true creators pour their heart and soul into every design, every detail, and every product description. It’s a labor of love, that is, until the vultures swoop in. Recently, an unsettling trend has emerged: Chinese manufacturers shamelessly stealing my product reviews, descriptions, designs, and even imitating my product names and images.

The Copycat Epidemic

These manufacturers don’t just copy, they hijack. They rip off my product descriptions word for word, lift images straight from my listings, and even go as far as adopting my branding strategies. The result? Cheap knockoffs that deceive customers and undermine the integrity of my hard work. They flood marketplaces with subpar imitations, luring unsuspecting buyers with stolen words and misleading images.

But it gets worse. These sellers are not only distributing their counterfeit products across multiple platforms like Alibaba, AliExpress, Etsy, Temu, Shopify and various other websites, but they’re also using multiple social media accounts under different names in various countries to push the same items. These accounts—often boasting similar images, text, and product offerings—are clearly orchestrated to mislead customers into thinking they’re dealing with separate, legitimate businesses. Despite listing their locations as the UK or the US, it’s evident that these operations are actually based in China, as all their product images come directly from Chinese factories.

The Cost of Counterfeits

It’s not just about lost sales. It’s about trust. When customers unknowingly buy these fakes, they experience inferior quality and associate that disappointment with my name. These counterfeits break, malfunction, or fail to live up to expectations—tarnishing the reputation I’ve spent years building. The problem is deeper than just theft; it’s an attack on originality itself.

Exposing the Copycats

To show just how blatant this theft has become, here are a few examples:

- Stolen Descriptions: Some sellers on platforms like Etsy, Ebay and Shopify have copied my product descriptions word for word, even including my unique selling points and branding language.

- Fake Product Reviews: Some listings use reviews lifted directly from my website, tricking customers into thinking they’re buying from a trusted source. One particularly hurtful case involves the website My Hidden Blade, where they stole reviews from my loyal customers, including some of my best and most heartfelt testimonials. These are not just words—they are the trust and feedback I’ve worked hard to earn from genuine customers over time. To see those reviews taken and misused on a counterfeit site is incredibly disheartening. My customers' opinions are a reflection of the hard work I put into making quality products, and to see them stolen for fraudulent purposes is an attack not only on my business but on the trust I’ve worked so hard to build.

- Imitated Images: A few counterfeiters have gone as far as replicating my product images, slightly altering them or adding their own watermark to pass them off as their own.

- Misleading Product Names: One of the most blatant offenses is the distasteful use of my 'V2' product name. My V2 hidden blade was a natural progression from my earlier V1 model, representing an evolution in my design and craftsmanship. Yet, many of these counterfeit sellers have begun slapping the 'V2' label on their mass-produced, generic hidden blades—despite having no connection to my product history. Some have even gone as far as branding their knockoffs as 'V3' or 'V4' to make it seem like they’re selling an upgraded version, when in reality, they’re just repackaging the same cheap, uninspired products. Worse yet, many of these fraudulent listings have made their way onto Etsy, a platform that prides itself on handmade and original creations. These copycats are using the same misleading product names there, tricking customers into thinking they're buying genuine, high-quality items when they're actually getting mass-produced knockoffs. One particular seller recently appeared on Etsy, using the 'V2' and 'V3' names but also mimicking my product images by using a similar layout and design elements—multi-color text titles layered over small graphics. This is a direct attempt to replicate my visual branding and deceive customers into thinking they are getting my authentic work. What's even worse, these sellers often claim that their products are "handmade with care" when in fact, they are mass-produced in factories, with no personal touch or craftsmanship involved.

Additionally, these sellers have taken things a step further by creating multiple social media pages under different names in various countries to promote the same products. These pages appear to be separate entities, yet they are all pushing the same low-quality knockoffs—sometimes even using identical promotional images and descriptions. It’s clear that this is an effort to build a false sense of authenticity, and it’s disheartening to see platforms that should be supporting independent creators allow such deceptive practices to flourish.

The V2 Hidden Blade at the Centre of It All

It seems the V2 hidden blade has become the target of this widespread copycat epidemic. Originally, the V2 was a representation of my journey as a designer, taking everything I learned from the V1 and pushing the design to new heights. But now, the V2 name has been hijacked by mass producers who slap it on their cheap knockoffs with no regard for the craftsmanship or development behind it. Worse, some sellers are taking the same base mechanism I’ve worked so hard on, adding their own trivial modifications or ‘skins’ to it, and then falsely claiming full credit for the design. It’s frustrating to see the name I worked so hard to establish being twisted into something unrecognizable by those looking to profit from my hard work without putting in any of the effort.

The Latest Trend: Misrepresentation by Fellow Creators

What’s even more troubling is the rise of creators who, while not directly mass-producing knockoffs, are still blatantly copying my V2 hidden blade design and passing it off as their own. These individuals are taking my carefully crafted design, 3D printing their own versions, and attaching a different “skin” or modification—then claiming that they’ve designed the whole thing.

Let’s be clear: I’m all for creativity and innovation, but when you exactly copy someone else’s hard work and then just add an accessory, don’t pretend you’ve created an entirely new product. If your design is directly based on the Rawice Creations V2, the credit should go to Rawice Creations. Instead of acknowledging my original design, these creators are being vague in their descriptions, calling their work “inspired by” or "comparable" to Rawice Creations, when in fact it’s a direct copy.

These creators often focus on the new "skin" they add to the hidden blade, modifying the external parts, and falsely claiming that they’ve designed the entire mechanism. This is a gross misrepresentation and an unfair tactic that undermines my hard work. What’s worse is that some of these creators are even selling or giving away these "skins" for free. If you want to design your own skins for personal use that's fine, but doing it at the expense of someone else's business is not okay. Since my business thrives on selling these custom skins as a core offering, their actions directly undermine my model and take away from the value I’ve carefully built. It’s not just copying a design; it’s taking the heart of my business and distributing it without credit or compensation, severely impacting my ability to sustain and grow.

Exposing "My Hidden Blade" and "Meralistudios"

Another prime example of this issue comes from the My Hidden Blade website, which is also known as Meralistudios on Etsy and was formerly "Junk Journal Studios". This seller has been caught red-handed stealing my descriptions and product titles word for word. To make matters worse, they forgot to remove "Rawice Creations" from the description before copying it. I have screenshots showing their exact copied descriptions, in which they failed to remove my email and business name, as well as our country, Australia, despite claiming to be based in the US. Even more disturbingly, their Etsy store has switched between listing locations, changing from the US to the UK and back again—an obvious tactic to evade detection by Etsy auditors.

But what truly stings is that this site has also stolen genuine customer reviews—reviews from my loyal customers, including some of my best supporters. These reviews are a true reflection of my dedication and the quality of the products I craft. To see them misused by a fraudulent business is a reminder of the emotional toll these counterfeiting practices take on creators. My customers trust me to deliver quality, and seeing their words misappropriated in this way is incredibly disheartening.

This is not just an isolated incident; it’s a direct violation of intellectual property rights, and it reflects the lack of respect these counterfeit sellers have for creators. It's not only dishonest but also completely unethical to take credit for another’s hard work and attempt to sell it as your own.

Calling Out the Culprits

To those manufacturers and creators profiting off my work: you may be able to mimic my designs, but you can never replicate my passion, dedication, or innovation. Your knockoffs and misrepresentations will never match the quality and attention to detail that define my brand. And to the marketplaces allowing this? It’s time to take responsibility. Enforcing stronger protections for original creators isn’t just an option—it’s a necessity.

How You Can Help

As a customer, your support is crucial in this fight. Here’s how you can help:

- Buy Directly from the Source: Always purchase from my official store or website to ensure authenticity.

- Beware of Imitations: If a product looks similar to ours, its probably a knock-off.

- Spread Awareness: Share this message and help educate others about the dangers of counterfeit products.

- Report the Fakes: If you spot a knockoff using my images or descriptions, report it. Every action counts.

The Fight Continues

This isn’t just about one creator, it’s about all independent makers fighting for their right to be original. The war against counterfeiting won’t be won overnight, but I refuse to let these fraudsters steal what I’ve built. To my supporters, you are the reason I keep going. Your loyalty fuels my passion, and together, we’ll keep pushing forward, one authentic product at a time.

Stay vigilant. Stay original. And as always, thank you for supporting real craftsmanship.