We’re not sure how many art scam sites there are out there, but it seems like it’s a growing trend. It’s just another way for the crooks to find ways to rip people off this holiday season.
Tis the season of giving and all that nonsense — and it’s been going on for years. But now that Christmas is coming up, so are the scammers.
The Internet has brought some amazing things into our lives. One of them is that you can buy almost anything online in the blink of an eye — including gifts for your loved ones. Now, don’t get us wrong; we’re not about to tell you to sit down at your computer, get on eBay and start shopping. No way! That’s just plain dangerous!
But there’s another kind of scam floating around the Internet these days — a scam that involves paintings and other artwork. And these are scams that could end up costing you big time!
So what exactly is a Christmas art scam? And how does it work? Read on to find out more about this sneaky kind of con game, and what you can do to avoid being taken in…
The first thing to understand about Christmas art scams is that the scammer has already decided that he or she wants money from you. This is not a friendly gift exchange, it is an attempt to steal your money. The second thing is that they are not very bright.
No matter how many times this season you’ve been told of the fantastic investment opportunities available in original Christmas art, it’s still a scam. It always was a scam. And it always will be a scam.
If you are thinking of buying original Christmas art as an investment, stop and think again. Here are some things to consider:
1) No one has ever turned a profit by buying and selling Christmas art – because no one has ever bought and sold Christmas art. It’s impossible to turn a profit when there isn’t any inventory – which there never is with Christmas art because everyone creates their own “original” art for their own use. So, if you want to sell yours, you’ll have to create another one – just like the one you’re selling – for someone else to buy, who will then try to sell his to make a profit, etc., etc., ad infinitum. And there’s no market for this stuff; the market consists only of the people who are
So far we have dealt with the con’s part, the cons. There are also a lot of scammers out there looking to take advantage of people during this time of year. They can be found under several different names: Christmas art scam, holiday art scam, art gallery scam and some others.
They are basically the same thing: someone approaches you about a work of art for sale at an outrageously cheap price (or give away). They tell you that they need to sell it quickly because they have to move or their grandmother is ill or something like that.
In reality, besides being a scam, what these people are doing is committing fraud and theft under false pretenses. The person who is selling the piece of art usually does not own it or if he/she does not legally own it at all. The piece belongs to someone else and has been stolen from them (in case it was not borrowed). Or maybe in case the artist does not want anyone else to know about it, he has commissioned someone to make a copy of his work. In either case, this is not right.
The reason why I am writing this post and warning you about these scams is that I have recently fallen victim in one myself. The sad thing is that I was a
Holiday seasons are when many art scams are at their peak – and why would that be? After all, there’s a lot of money to be made during other times of the year too.
There are simple reasons for this. One is that people have more money to spend during the holiday season, so it’s more likely that they might be out buying art as a gift. Another is that people are busier and less able to do their own research on the legitimacy of an artist or gallery.
Here’s how to avoid art scams:
1) If you don’t know or trust the artist, don’t buy it. This is important because you might not know the artist personally, but if you’re buying something at a gallery then you should at least trust the gallery owner. Ask around and see if your friends or associates have bought anything from them before. Is it really a legitimate business? Do they really sell only original works? Do they offer refunds if something goes wrong? By doing this you’ll remove one of the biggest reasons why art scams happen: someone buying art from a company or person they don’t know for someone else as a gift, and being unable to get it refunded.
2) Ask about authenticity. Many scammers have been caught
Christmas is a great time of year to find amazing artwork, sometimes for just a few pennies! The trick is knowing how to spot a good thing from a bad thing. For example, you can buy reproductions of famous paintings for $10-$20 on the internet, or you can pay $500+ for the real deal.
The methods people use to scam others are always evolving, so this list will change over time. If you have any tips to add, or find anything else suspicious, please let me know!
These scams seem especially prevalent during the holiday season. Many of them are quite elaborate and involve multiple people. These scams take advantage of the fact that most people don’t know how to detect art fakes. What’s worse is that many people think they could never be scammed, so they don’t bother with research or ask questions.*
*This article does contain affiliate links. If you purchase an item after clicking one of these links I will earn a small commission. This helps me continue to offer my content and services for free.*
Imagine you’ve just spent hundreds of dollars on a beautiful piece of handmade Christmas art. You can’t wait to hang it up and show it off to your friends and family, but a few days after Christmas, you notice something strange about the painting: it’s beginning to change, and not for the better.
The colors are fading, cracking, and even smearing. The coating that gave the painting its glossy finish is now bubbling up like an oil spill on water. And you’re pretty sure that it’s getting bigger every day. What do you think you should do?
We all know how risky it is to buy knock-offs from shady street vendors, but what about art? Why would anyone spend hundreds of dollars on a beautiful piece of handmade Christmas art only to have their investment begin to deteriorate right before their eyes?
This happens because the “art” they bought was nothing more than a cheap print or poster made in China and then shipped across the globe in a cardboard tube. Once the package is opened, the chemicals used in the paper begin to break down thanks to changes in temperature and humidity levels. In other words, they’re experiencing what is known as “art fade.” This happens because paper isn’t made to last long periods of time.
A scam is a business that intentionally misleads customers to part with their hard-earned money. If you buy an art piece from an art scammer, you are a victim and are ripped off. An artist selling on the street is not necessarily a fraud!
Art scams make money by selling counterfeit art, stolen art, or art they do not have in stock. Rather than worry about spotting a counterfeit or stolen piece, focus on avoiding getting scammed if what you are buying is out of stock.
Telling real art from fake is easier than it sounds. Here’s how to tell if what you’re looking at is the real deal:
1) Eagerness to close the sale – A legitimate street artist will take time to talk about their work, usually very proud of it. They will be happy to give you information about where it was made or any other detail about who made it. A quick sale does not mean there is anything wrong with the piece, but it does raise red flags that must be investigated further.
2) Lack of information – If the sales person seems either unwilling or unable to answer questions like: “Where did this come from? Was it handmade or printed?” “How many were made?” “Is this a unique piece?”
