Selling Original Painting Thru Email

Patrick, that is exactly what faa says...you should look on your image page. faa provides a direct link to you so the client can contact you directly.
That said, there are lots of scammers out there targeting artists so you need to have good radar and be aware of several things:
1. accept paypal only
2. if they offer to use their on shipper, don't even bother responding
3. google the client's name and do as much background info as you can
4. make sure you are paid in full before shipping anything

Yes, FAA does not deal with original paintings. if someone is interested in your works, they needs to contact you about it. Still, be careful artists often target by scammers. Do not sent out your paintings until you got the payment first. The best way is use Paypal or direct bank transfer. Do not accept checks.

by the way, most of your images will not print, you need to show only the paintings without the background.

Alfred!
we said the same thing at the same time!!

p.s. Patrick...I sell all of my original paintings online...no need to be paranoid about buyers, just be smart!

Thanks for that info everyone. I'm really not that familiar with Palpal. I do have it though. Could you please advise me what to do further. Ok, i have paypal, should i tell the person to pay me even though I have not sent him the painting yet? While' I'm still on this message.....could you give me further detail about how he'd go about paying it on paypal?
Pat

P.S. I dont' want to copy/paste me paypal info out of fear the person might get "into" my account. What i need to really know is, how he would go about paying me by using paypal. I just don't know how it's done.
Thanks...............
pat

When YOU use paypal, you will create a paypal invoice with his contact info and they will generate an invoice to send to him.
Paypal will send an e mail to notify you when the money is in your account. Then it is safe to proceed with the shipment.

It is well worth spending time ith paypal behind their scenes to familarize yourself with their process, fees, etc.

Before this, however, you need to make sure you know what painting he wants, how much he has agreed to pay for it and your shipping costs...whether added on to the price or you are including it in your price. decide what shipping method works best for you, check online to see how much it will cost, how long it takes to get to the destination, etc.
What I am saying is that the invoice is the LAST thing you send him to be paid before shipping the painting out.

Beware of email scammers!!!

The technique behind this particular scam is that they send an "over payment" and you are supposed to send the difference back, while the original payment bounces or is stopped. Sometimes have a "local handler" who will pick the work up for them instead of shipping it - double bonus for them! Both your work and your money! There are a couple of web sites that discuss the clues that should alert you someone is trying to run this scam (and some related ones) on you, vs. when there is a legitimate buyer inquiry. While this one is not very convincing, they say some of the scammers can be quite good at it, so it might be worth a quick read:

Here is a good one: http://www.kathleenmcmahon.com/info/scammer-names.html

Below is a recent email I received.


From:
Thomas Cook

To:





Good Morning,




My name is Thomas. I just bought a house in Milan, Italy and I'm interested in collecting an artwork for a space within my house to make it unique and beautiful.




May I look through your website so as to pin point my choice , request for a quote and more information?




I look forward to hearing back from you.




Sincerely,

Thomas Cook

Yes,
Jimmy, probably the most common scam out there!
In my experience, once I say paypal/fedex only, they disappear.

Patrick, I usually email them back ask for their address so I can find out the shipping charge and I only accept Paypal or direct bank transfer. that pretty much end it.no more email!

ALfred,
my last scam ended that way too! Ask for the shipping address....lol.

Funniest part of that scammer was that he wrote me his 'introductory e mai'l the very next week!!

I had this happen to me before and actually received what I thought was a "Cashier's Check", I had it check for legality by a bank and it turned out to be a fraud, so beware! PayPal or direct bank deposit is the best option.

Paypal. Into the bank. Let it clear. Ship.

I sell a lot of commissions/originals as a result of FAA. I use my gut and Google. I also know to ignore those that want to send a cashier's check and/or arrange for their own courier. However, I do accept personal checks and corporate checks. Always have and have never been scammed. I prefer checks because I pay zero fees. :) All you have to do is wait till the check clears, then ship. Also, if a check comes from a bank that I can go into locally, I go to a branch of their bank and cash it. Instantly cleared and no way to be scammed. Paypal is the only way I have had a painting stolen. Long story, but after 6 months of using a custom painting a person wanted to return it. I refused. He did a chargeback through PayPal and they just gave him the money. I never even got the painting back. So I love checks!

Sharon....thanks. I emailed him and asked him to send me a check....like you said. I'm not risking paypal, as i'M not very familiar with it. So, he'd send me a check before i'd ever even send him anything, right? Then, just wait till the check clears at the bank. (I already have a funny feeling where this is going)
Pat

Pat...Just make sure it isn't a "cashier's check". And if at all possible cash it at a branch of their bank. I also accept wire transfers which will make the scammers run fast!

I have someone who just emailed me wanting to buy one of my original paintings. My last customer I sold to went very smoothly and was done through Paypal. Now I see this and I am not sure if I want to do this through PP. The scenario of PayPal taking back the money and not receiving the painting back is very discouraging. I have always been leery of check too.

Is there a better way? I am in the US and the customer is in Canada