Avoiding A Scam: Tips To Finding Art Online

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Unfortunately, like many other areas of business and selling today, the art world has now become one of the many markets susceptible to unscrupulous behavior. Since more and more people are choosing to buy art online, there are now more scams than ever before. In fact, there are so many scams relating to online art sales, that many local police departments, as well as major federal agencies such as the FBI have teams devoted to the ever growing number of cases of fraud, identity theft, and various other types of art scams.

Because of these serious issues, it has become very important for consumers to educate themselves on the dangers of buying art on the internet, as well as to learn how to protect themselves during transactions. While you cannot completely eliminate all of your risk, you can learn simple steps to minimize the danger. Here are a few ways to help protect yourself from becoming the victim of a scam.

1.Always be suspicious. This does not mean that you have to be mean or rude, but you should be aware that the art world is becoming an increasingly popular breeding ground for internet scams. Just think about the setting; what artist does not dream of being discovered and becoming a world famous artist who earns millions? Some of the key things to watch out for are solicitations, especially those that come from overseas, from galleries or artists that ask for payments upfront and to be wired overseas, and those that offer to make use of a middleman you have not heard of before, and one that does not work for the company you are dealing with.

2.Never allow your artwork to be shipped to you by someone other than the artist or the actual gallery you used to find the artist. Galleries that do not provide a physical location, do not accept other forms of payment aside from wire transfers, and those that do not have a clear return and authentication policy may be a bit disreputable and may pose a treat.

3.Always ask for all terms and conditions for a sale to be provided in writing before you send any payment, or down payment. A reputable online art gallery should have no problem providing all of this information, customer service agreements, and return policies upfront before you ever agree to a purchase. Reputable dealers should also provide you with direct links to artists, and other important tools to ensure your transaction is a complete success.


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