Wade Harrison 07 Jan 2005

be very careful norman. it might be a scam. the nigerian are know for scam. i get stuff from them damn near every day.

N. Michael Bryant 07 Jan 2005

I'm really pessimistic about this site, for sure. Thing is is that he called me 2 times in 3 days. I called him back and said I'll get back with him. He said something about if I knew anything about "craigs list". I said it sounds familiar. I'm trying to not be naiive about this. Thanks Wade.

Wade Harrison 07 Jan 2005

no propblem!

Juan Gomez 07 Jan 2005

Craigs List is legits..don't know about the gallery...get the money up-front then send the work..all of it..I'll check them out for you Norman..be very care-ful.,,funny they only have one artist a photographer who's image can't be seen??they do exist..again be very-careful...

rosemary gioielli 07 Jan 2005

I looked you up on that site Norm. Even if the gallery is legit, don't know, the "buyer" could be trying to scam the gallery. It's a red flag. Looks like the gallery may have just gotten started, may be a fly by night. Would have been nice if they asked your permission first.

RQ Trietsch 07 Jan 2005

I've heard of it mentioned, but you got all the same replies I've read.

Cover you assets if you think about considering.

Wade Harrison 07 Jan 2005

you said ass et ........huh huh huh

N. Michael Bryant 07 Jan 2005

Thanks everyone. Juan, I sure would appreciate anything you can find. Corey, from Fast Street Gallery, emailed me back, understanding my concern.

WESTERN ARTWORK By Denny Karchner 07 Jan 2005

"Run like hell Norm!!"

N. Michael Bryant 07 Jan 2005

Here's an email I received back from him. What do you think Denny?

Norm, if you responded to our add with craigslist then I am sure my assistant simply pulled the info from artwanted.com. If he got something wrong, then I apologize, but you have to understand that we were trying to fill out the gallery on a tight schedule.

You certainly do not have to be listed if you don't want to. I intend to be paid in advance from the buyer via paypal and pay you before I send anything to the buyer. I wouldn't expect an artist to send out their work until they were paid in full.

Corey Senn Fast Street Gallery www.faststreetgallery.com [email protected]

Clare Rowley 07 Jan 2005

Whatever you do don't take a credit card from anyone in Nigera. I was taken embarassingly last year when the Nigerian ring first started targeting the US.

They started a cleaning service in the states and hit the garbage at night...

Be very carfeul of anyone acting as a service for anyone in Nigeria...

They basically stated that they were a company that buys for people in Nigeria.. Beware of american sounding names on credit cards from other countries...

I lost over $7,000 from this... and other companies in the sewing industry lost thousands if not millions.. Because brokerage firms and inport/export companies have done this for years--we trusted them...

#1 the only true victim of credit card fraud is the retail store that sells an item--- if you sell anything to anyone in Nigeria, South Afric or India be sure to always insist on a bank draft. Be sure that the money is is your account and NOT a credit card before releasing any items...

Beware of companies that are willing to pay Fexex International rates for shipments. Duty collection is up to you to collect. Not Fedex (fine print with fedex) They will release the items without collecting duty and even if the items are returned because the customer neglects to pick up the item... you have to pay duty... International sales is wonderful--as long as you protect yourself..

Candace Bell 07 Jan 2005

I have gotten emails from different on line galleries asking me to join up and things like that, they usually want you to pay something and then they want a commission from the final sale. I personally dont like the idea of giving a percent of my hard earned work and money to anyone else. Maybe that will be a downfall for me in the end as an artist wanting to get out there.

I wouldn't trust something that signed me up for something I wasnt aware of and then just called me. Isn't that illegal? You know it reminds me of these people in this antique district in Connecticut that would go window-shopping and take pictures of items and list them on ebay, if it sold they bought the item to ship. Im sorry but it shouldn't work that way, so strange. Who do these people think they are!!! ??

Andrew Liberto 07 Jan 2005

I did a little checking Norm, since they say they have a gallery in San Diego. They say on their site that their gallery address is 555 Newport Ave., San Diego, CA 92107. It doesn't exist. Addresses on Newport run from 4200 to 5099.

Also, I advertise on Craigslist.com all the time and it has recently become the target of scammers, particularly the Nigerians. It's getting more and more frequent. I get about a letter a day also from Nigeria and I'm sure that's where they are getting my info from.

I think I'd take Denny's advice on this one.

N. Michael Bryant 07 Jan 2005

thanks Clare and Candace for the advice. Andrew, I wonder if the gallery is in on this or totally oblivious to what is going on. Have you ever had an online gallery call your house? Anyone here? It sounds very peculiar and I plan on being on guard about this. The important thing is that though the images are posted, I have the original work. I'll keep you all posted as this progresses. Thanks everyone.

N. Michael Bryant 07 Jan 2005

What exactly is "craigs list"? Is he a member on AW?

Andrew Liberto 07 Jan 2005

Craigslist is just an online classifieds site. It's free to advertise on. They have several categories for artists, including jobs, freelance work, etc. It seems to be more popular here in the west. I think it originated in San Francisco, but now covers most major cities in the U.S. I run ads under "creative services" for design work in San Diego, L.A., Las Vegas, and Phoenix. I actually get quite a bit of new freelance work from this site.

Check it out some time, Norm. Just go to www.craigslist.com and click on the closest city. It's all free.

Norm, I'll check the gallery out a little more tomorrow (Sat.). It's a local call for me. All I know is that their street address doesn't exist. It does seem like the gallery is smellin' a little fishy. Anyway, these scams at some point will always ask for money or they will send a phony money order or even a cashiers check. By the time you realize it's bad, your art is gone, they've packed and moved, and you're on the hook with your bank for the money.

N. Michael Bryant 08 Jan 2005

thanks for the info Andrew.

Gordon Szczubelek 08 Jan 2005

Our gallery was ripped off by Indonesians about 2 years ago for approx.$2000 worth of product, let alone a few hundred dollars in freight charges. You have to be wary of any international transactions. Last year on our local news there was a gentleman who sold his boat to an overseas buyer. His bank told him the check he recieved from the buyer was legitimate, so he shipped the boat. A couple of weeks later the bank said the check was fraudulent. He lost thousands of dollars and his boat.

Dawn Schmidt 08 Jan 2005

The other thing, Norm - am I to understand that you never posted your art on this online gallery?

Did you give them permission to use your art to "fill out" their online gallery? Even if the gallery is legit, they have NO right to just grab your images and advertise them - especially when it means they want to collect a percentage if it sells. It violates copyright for them to grab the image and use it.

Yes, galleries charge commission, it is part of the art world, but if I caught somebody uploading my art for sale on their site to help fill out their site WITHOUT MY PERMISSION, there'd be hell to pay.

Tell 'em to take your art off the site or they will hear from your lawyers, and like Denny says, "run like hell".

Andrew Liberto 08 Jan 2005

Norm, I agree with Dawn.

I tried calling them but get no answer or I get a voice message. They have no physical location as they claim. No reputable gallery, online or otherwise, would go around yanking someone's art from another site without the artist's permission.

Threaten them with legal action and have your art removed.