Why Did eBay Enable Convicted Banksy Art Forgers?
- July 29, 2011 13:44
Two UK Banksy Art Forgers, each enabled by eBay's lack of consumer fraud protection, received suspended sentences, even though each sold hundreds of Banksy Counterfeits, deceiving countless eBay Buyers. These eBay Buyers now have worthless Art along with worthless Certificates of Authenticity.
Thus far, over 120 fake Banksy's sold by the two con men have been recovered, which, if genuine, are valued in excess of $350,000.
Lee Parker and Grant Champkins-Howard were convicted of selling hundreds of Banksy counterfeits, yet a UK judge only sentenced them to 12-month suspended sentences after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud, plus five years community service. In addition, each is banned from selling anything on the Internet for five years, but the damage is done, especially since since each eBay Buyer spent thousands, and some may still not know they purchased a fake.
How many purported Banksy's were sold?
We doubt anyone knows and are certain many are still in the marketplace.
Why did eBay condone the Banksy con?
eBay condones counterfeits because banning them entirely would severely impact revenue. eBay Management continues to favor maximizing revenue in lieu of instituting a meaningful consumer fraud protection system.
eBay facilitated the Banksy fraud by allowing the con men set up multiple eBay Accounts along with different alias and multiple PayPal accounts and multiple e-mail addressees.
From eBay's standpoint, the two cons were "successful eBay Sellers", and while the eBay Buyer was hurt, eBay takes zero responsibilites.
Even with eBay's "10 year too late Buyer Protection Policy", fraudulent listings are often the norm in 2021.
eBay and PayPal continue to guarantee obvious sellers of counterfeits, and both companies still have yet to implement a meaningful system to eliminate counterfeits.
eBay Management still has a signficant soft spot for listing income over fraud protection.
24/7 eBay continues to attract thousands of listings with obvious counterfeits, easily detectable by most professional art sellers of purported art by Andy Warhol, Leonardo Da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, etc.
eBay takes the position that since it does not directly buy or sell anything, there is no obligation to provide the consumer with fraud protection.
It is that obvious deficiency that has made eBay a magnet for brand name counterfeits.The con men recognized how to keep their fraud under the eBay radar and provided buyers with a worthless "Certificates of Authenticity" (COA) for the purported Banksy's. In the event of a buyer challenge, they refunded the buyer's money, most likely, without damage to their feedback. According to eBay's buyer protection program, eBay states a buyer can usually get their money back if you get an expert opinion stating that the item in question is "not authentic" and/or genuine.
Who is the Authorized Expert for Banksy?
We don't know; we are certain eBay does not know either.
In a 2006 eBay article titled Fine Art or Fake Art, Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd., wrote, "Many eBay sellers state that their eBay lot is accompanied with a Certificate of Authenticity.
eBay has made the fake Certificate of Authenticity into a cottage industry. Art buyers should recognize that the inclusion of a meaningless Certificate of Authenticity does not instantly transform a fake work of art into being "an authentic work of art".
"items must be purchased on the U.S. eBay.com website to qualify for eBay buyer protection coverage, and are covered for 45 days from the date of payment".
Report a fraudulent listing to eBay and eBay's lack of vigilance is apparent, as you receive an error message stating "eBay doesn't recognize a matching lot number in you buyer history."
To eBay, there is no fraud until the fraud occurs, not before, unless the inquiry comes from the copyright owner.
About Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd.
Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. is an Internationally respected dealer of secondary market post war & contemporary art & fine art advisory established in 1991. Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. buys & sells blue-chip paintings, sculpture, prints & multiples, fine art photography by leading contemporary artists & recognized internationally as a key source for art by Andy Warhol & Jasper Johns.
Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. has 3 decades multifaceted fine art experience as Art Collector, Art Dealer, Fine Art Executive & selling Fine Art Online which means we understand the challenges of buying art online so buyers are not disappointed or shocked when they receive artwork that is NOTHING LIKE what they thought they purchased or worse, fake like so many buyers are saying about their online purchases on Artsy & eBay.
Don't let that happen to you. Get a second opinion from Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. so you avoid a serious financial catastrophe.
Visit Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. here:
View blue-chip art by Jasper Johns, Alexander Calder, Richard Pettibone, Jeff Koons, Tony Rosenthal, Andy Warhol for sale from Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. on ArtFixDaily here:
https://www.artfixdaily.com/directory/member/Joseph_K_Levene_Fine_Art_Ltd
