This post isn’t about me or book pirates. This one is about a topic I’ve been following for a while now. One of my favorite artists, Paul Richmond, whom I’m linked to on this blog, found out there’s a creep stealing his work, passing it off as his own, and selling it on ebay. This isn’t just about Paul’s work being stolen either. As an art collector, I think it’s serious because it’s also consumer fraud. Nice people are buying this art, thinking it’s something that it’s not, and they are being royally screwed over by this scam artist. Below I’m posting all the info Paul Richmond has been posting about this. He’s even offering a prize for people who are willing to help him. It’s a facebook message and links to where people can support him. So if you’re tired of seeing people get ripped off in the internet, artists and consumers, please take the time to read it.
Paul RichmondSeptember 14, 2010 at 7:56pm
Subject: Prize for helping promote the group
Hi everyone,Thank you for joining my Facebook group “Ebay, stop sellers who blatantly rip off artists!” Our group is off to a great start, but in order to send a loud and clear message to eBay, we need reinforcements. So I’d like to ask you to do a little grassroots recruiting by sharing a link to the group on your profile, blog, Twitter, Digg, and/or any other sites you frequent.Here’s the link to share:http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=142666389104260
And to sweeten the deal, if you do so before Friday, September 17 at midnight, message me with a link to your post(s) and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a free limited-edition giclee print of my painting “On Display, Starring Michael Breyette.” Are you an especially prolific social networker? If so, post it EVERYWHERE you see fit and include all the links in your e-mail to me.
Each post will count as a separate entry in the drawing, so if you post it 50 places, your chances of winning will skyrocket! Sending a good old fashioned e-mail to your friends counts too, or notifying popular blogs/news sites that you think might be interested in our project. ANYTHING you do to help promote the group counts, and it’s all greatly appreciated! Good luck!
We are having great fun on the blog with our on-going dialogue with the eBay rip-off artist Cai Jiang Xun. For those of you who haven’t checked it out in a while, it’s definitely worth a read (the visuals alone are hysterical): http://www.facebook.com/l/7c6cfZSbwGxL9O_8oHD-PF5YMOQ;paulrichmondstudio.blogspot.com/p/ive-been-bootlegged.html
I’m so grateful to my friends, the fabulous “staff” of Pinup Fantasy©, Inc., for helping transform a frustrating situation into a fun project. I do, however, want our Facebook group to be more than just a place to recount the wacky adventures we’re having with Cai Jian Xun. This problem is much larger than just one eBay seller. I’m going to start posting links to suspicious art listings that I come across in the hopes that you can help identify the artists’ work being ripped off. Likewise, if you come across anything, please post it to the group’s wall. If we can help other artists becomes aware of the issue so that they can report the violations to eBay, then we can really start to make a difference. I’m also going to begin a running list of eBay sellers to watch. In the meantime, a good starting point is MJART Gallery, home of our prolific friend, Cai Jiang: http://www.facebook.com/l/7c6cfi1MVhPFUiOvhLweDfWbTqA;stores.ebay.ca/mjart2008. With his 1,500+ listings, chances are many of you will recognize something.
And if you have any other suggestions about the group, let me know! We have some big plans and opportunities coming up for national exposure. I’m excited to have all of you on board. If you haven’t seen it yet, we were already featured on Out in America: http://www.facebook.com/l/7c6cfYIK-oeWGxUKBf8JfMIj45A;outinamerica.com/home/news.asp?articleid=34468&articleType=national.
Thanks again! Good luck with all of the blogging and tweeting! I’ll post the name of the contest winner on Saturday morning!
All the best,Paul
