Creating and
Selling Art is a tough business and as in any
other business (sports, modeling, fashion) with lots of people following their
dream they become easy targets for shady predators. Keep in mind that nobody really
will do the job for you and especially not for free. It all boils down to us doing
the leg work of promoting ourselves and our art and how badly we want to succeed. This is based
on a personnel experience. I fell for a rip-off that qualifies as an artist scam
when I was tired of online marketing and looking for a break. I fell for Tuck
Tucker who also goes by the name Bill Tucker and his shady online business Best
Art Marketing. Bill also operates under websites like The Art Marketing Agency
and his latest website Visual Arts Marketing which is geared towards all
artists. He targets photographers and artists in his Fine Art Photography
Resource group on LinkedIn. My experience with his false advertisement promises
and art scam inspired me to compile the following tips to avoid email spam,
artist scam and rip off or fraud. In addition I provide you with my personal
experience with Tuck Tucker and Best Art Marketing.
Tip#1: Keep your guard up at all times and never let them down. Double-check with other artists,
research online, and do not trust anybody. If you suspect an artist scam most
likely it is one.
Tip #2: Do your research. If it is an art scam, somebody else may have already fallen
for it and written about it online. A quick
Google Search for company name or
person with the words artist scam or art scam will hopefully identify the scammer
and scam and put an end to it.
Tip #3: Be aware of spam, phishing, or scam emails. Common
warning signs in emails are misspelled words, poor grammar, or an urgent hurried buyer from overseas. When receiving an email from an unknown sources or identified
as spam, phishing, or scam, the best is just to delete it. In any case do not
respond because you might open your computer to be hacked.
Tip #4: Pay attention to warning signs on malicious websites. A badly designed website with bright, flashy colors or
poorly drafted emails should immediately ring the alarm bells. Take matters into
your own hands and start an intensive research and query the site or company
you are thinking of doing business with before spending your hard-earned dollars.
Tip #5: Be cautious when a buyer wants to make their own
shipping arrangements or have somebody else pick up the artwork, usually an
indicator of a spam and warning sign for a rip-off, scam, or fraud.
Tip #6: Avoid overpayment and ensure the payment has cleared
before shipping your art. Be skeptical if a potential buyer is offering to pay
by cashier’s check or money order. Make sure not to be overpaid and never agree
to return the overpayment.
Tip #7: Always ask and request references or a client list so that you can follow up with other artist and questioning them about their experience. If there isn't one you probably want to stay away. Also challenge references and credential by running a google search for artist, company or other info that was provided may provide important background information.
Tip #8: Take action when you suspect a rip off, scam, or fraud
or have become a victim. File a complaint, share resources, and share your
experience with fellow artists and photographers.
Tip #9: Spread the word and tips to make other artists aware.
Share this post with other artists, friends and family … hopefully it will prevent
them from falling for an art rip-off scam like I did.
Tip #10: Don’t dwell on being a victim to an art scam for
too long. Try turning a negative experience while selling and marketing your
artwork into a positive by sharing and connecting with other artists. Build an
alliance against artist rip-offs, scams, fraud and post your own experiences
here.
Case Study Based on my own
Experience with Best Art Marketing and Bill Tucker: At the end of July 2012 I had my guard down and was a victim of
an artist scam and rip-off that falsely promised online marketing assistance. I
lost money to Bill Tucker and Best Art Marketing. Bill also goes by the name
Tuck Tucker and runs the Fine Art Resource group on LinkedIn where he targets
photographers and artists. He operates this group to advertise his bogus
services in group posts, obtains your email address and sends out email advertisement
of his false services. When I visited his old website the alarm bells already
should have rung. It was poorly designed; colors and font just screamed scam. A
quick Google search afterwards revealed that there were already posts
complaining about his marketing service and his bad business ethics. Obviously
I did not do my homework properly. However, I was tired and looking for an
online marketing break and remember thinking that it would be nice to get that
desired break and thinking how bad could it be. Tuck Tucker must provide
something of use, even if it is only the promised Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
So eventually, I paid using Paypal. Besides SEO, Bill promised promotions through
Best Art Marketing and of course in the end more sales and exposure worldwide. Needless
to say, that initially nada was provided as promised which classifies it as an
artist scam. There was only communication when I filed a claim with Paypal but
it turned out that Paypal is useless for these kinds of claims and it was
lifted at one point, letting Bill of the hook. The 100% money back guarantee
that Bill Tucker and Best Art Marketing offer is bogus too and he has no intention
of refunding any of our hard earned dollars that we transfer. Based on the
initial experience I decided to apply pressure via my social network on Twitter,
Facebook and on LinkedIn. I am very thankful to my network for sharing because
it must have been somewhat successful and impacted his revenue since in October
2012 I received an apology email from him and The Art Marketing Agency. He said
I fell off the radar and within the email was the report that was promised and
advertised originally. The report was embedded in the email but had no value to
me. Its main features were a list of links to common online art galleries where
we can sell our artwork, recommendations to use social networks like Twitter,
StumbleUpon, and Facebook, to start writing a blog, and a list of SEO keywords
that are very common for fine art photography and that I already use. The main
push of his service is to get you to apply to an art online auction site in
France. I never did since it cost extra money to apply. In my opinion he is
counting on artists not being accepted, then dropping the ball and not
bothering anymore … easy money for Tucker but worthless for any artist and
photographer. At the end of his email Bill states that if I am not satisfied
with the report and service a refund will be granted. Since the report has little
to no value for anybody and the overall experience was horrible I asked for the
refund. Needless to say the refund has not been granted yet and as of 31 October
2012 he is working out details with Paypal. In the meantime I revisited old
posts in the discussion forum of Fine Art Photography Resources on LinkedIn and
learned that he removed my access from the group to post comments, deleted my previous
comments to warn other photography artists of the shady business practices of
Tuck Tucker and Best Art Marketing and deleted negative comments from other
photographers as well. It is funny to see that there are still comments from
others thanking Juergen when the original post is gone.
In conclusion Best Art Marketing and Tuck Tucker or Bill
Tucker badly represented the artist online manager and art marketing management
business industry. I would not expect any better services from The Art Marketing Agency
and his latest website Visual Arts Marketing. My clear recommendation for every
artist and photographer out there is to be aware and stay away from Tuck Tucker
and his false fine art marketing gimmicks and perform an extensive research on any
other art marketing service you think of to sign with. Last, please spread the
word here if you find an excellent art consultant that provides helpful and
outstanding services to the art community and world.
Thanks, Juergen
