TL;DR: If a big seller tries to bully you, it says more about them than you (but you already knew that!)
I know that arguing with people online is a complete waste of time. It doesn't make any difference, you are not going to change the other person's mind and it just makes you feel frustrated! I do know all of this, however, I recently didn't listen to my own advice and got into a bit of an online argument with another seller.
It wasn't even my argument, I just find it very hard to ignore bullies and this is what this seller was being. She creates games which are basically digital colour by numbers. The children answer questions and when they get the answer correct they colour the relevant square, digitally this is done on excel. How to actually do this is beyond my excel knowledge but I know many other people know how.
A big seller makes these games, another smaller seller also started to make these games (I would like to point out in a completely different way and without actually having seen the bigger seller's store). Of course Big, Bully Seller is unhappy that someone else has thought of the same thing she had and as such is starting to throw her weight around, call this other seller names and claiming she is a thief.
Again this isn't my issue, they aren't my products or even my niche, I just hate bullies.
This digital colour by numbers isn't a brand new idea, there is a YouTube video explaining how to do it, made in 2015, long before the other seller started making hers. When I pointed out that this practice of digital colour by numbers is not new at all, the big, bully seller, turned her attention to me. Claiming I have never had an original idea and blocking me so I can no longer see the posts she writes about me!
Now this isn't really a problem, I am happy to have nothing to do with people like that at all, it isn't going to stop the smaller seller from going about her business and it definitely doesn't affect my business. But I think it is important to realise that some people are just bullies, they believe they are more important than they are and they also think they can push other people around.
All this being said, I took something very positive from the whole thing. You don't need to be intimidated by bigger sellers, you will bump up against people in your business that don't like you and realising that it is their issue, not yours, is very freeing.
So how do you deal with it? Just like we tell the kids we teach, ignore them. Unless they confront you directly it is best to let them stamp their feet and shout alone. The people that listen were their fans anyway and don't want to hear the truth. That's not to say you can't defend yourself, but do it when challenged directly.
And please follow the advice that I struggle with, don't argue with idiots, they will only drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.
To all the small sellers out their that have been bullied by a bigger seller please don't think you are alone.