ONE of Bunbury's favourite Facebook page has been reinstated after thousands of people rallied behind Bunbury Bidding Wars and its creator after it was reported and shut down for allegedly using another page’s trademark name.
Sole administrator Vicki Marshall received the news via an email from Facebook's Intellectual Property Operations team that her page would be reinstated.
Bidding Wars Bunbury had grown to more than 32,000 members who posted unwanted items for other people to place bids on, with the highest bidder claiming the item at a cut-off time.
The page was constantly flooded with posts with hundreds of items sold each week under the watchful eye of sole administrator Vicki Marshall.
But the page was disabled last week after a former member made a complaint to Facebook about the use of the name.
Ms Marshall said the complaint had been made after she blocked one of the page’s members.
She said it was unfair because she had registered the name in November last year in the process of getting a Bidding Wars website off the ground.
Ms Marshall has appealed to Facebook to reinstate the page but has been advised the problem needs to be sorted out with the complainant.
Bidding Wars Bunbury was due to celebrate its second birthday in June and it has become Ms Marshall’s full-time job.
“I have devoted my life to this page – it’s something I really enjoy, so I figured at the age of 50 I might as well be doing something that I love,” Ms Marshall said.
“Of course there’s some negativity on the page as there is with all Facebook pages, but a lot of people really appreciate the service.”
Another Facebook page was created calling for the reinstatement of the bidding page, with thousands of people posting messages of support.
Many residents have said they rely on the page to sell items and bring in extra cash during tough times.