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How are there, for instance, numerous things claiming to be original Van Goghs, with Certificates of Authenticity and all, on eBay for like $50,000? Is it just fraud (that eBay allows for some reason), or is there something more complicated going on?

@ceoln fifty grand and no free shipping? This is clearly a scam.

@ceoln It is clearly a scam.

Here is the same seller as the one you posted trying to cell another van gogh painting:

ebay.com/itm/134634768709?hash

However this painting is a famous painting on display at fifth avenue:

metmuseum.org/art/collection/s

So clearly this is fraud.

@ceoln I should point out, its a rather poorly done fraud at that. A quick glance comparing the original and its clear no effort was made to create a convincing copy.

@freemo
That is part of my bafflement, yes!

Are there enough people out there who are both rich enough to have $50,000 (plus $75 shipping lol) and dumb enough to fall for this? To make this fraud worth doing?

I suppose the cost to the perpetrator is small ("only have to sell one!") especially if they assume that no state AG is going to get interested in a nice headline by prosecuting them...

@ceoln Fraud is usually a numbers game. Chances are they never once made a sale at that level but are hopeful. They probably engage in smaller scale fraud that does make money.

What I find odd is how they have 8K + people who are almost all good reviews.

@freemo
Many of the good reviews appear to use exactly the same words. 😁

not doing a great job of fraud prevention here at all.

@ceoln short reviews are common, so i expect some repeating. As a customer i may not bave even noticed honestly.

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